BRENTWOOD CAMPAIGNERS ON SATURDAY PITSTOP – 18.8.07

BRENTWOOD CAMPAIGNERS ON SATURDAY PITSTOP – 18.8.07

Margaret and Michael O’Donoghue are the town’s professional campaigners.  Crescent Road residents for over 55 years, they have taken on environmental, road safety and NHS issues.  These include safeguarding green spaces at La Plata, off London Road, and the green in front of Great Warley’s Headley pub.  The Ingrave Road pedestrian crossing can be attributed to the O’Donoghues and they were active voices against Brentwood losing its hospital – currently under redevelopment.

Today the O’Donoghues guested on Phoenix FM’s Saturday Pitstop to launch their latest fight – against Brentwood’s Post Office relocation to the first floor of WHSmith.  They think it unreasonable that elderly Post Office customers, and parents with prams and pushchairs, should have to negotiate stairs or a lift to reach the counters.  Michael O’Donoghue added that Post Office users shouldn’t have to enter a WHSmith, and be subjected to their promotions and offers, just in order to buy a stamp.

They were pleased that Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles had joined the protesters and urged others to similarly make their views known.

Winners of a civic award for their non-stop community efforts, the O’Donoghues put their motivation down to a strong sense of injustice and lifelong activism in trade unions.  Close scrutiny of the legal smallprint behind issues has often saved the day:  Margaret’s trips to the Chelmsford records office unearthed Headley common’s protected ‘village green’ status.

Their music choice played during the interview was Song of Joy by Julio Iglesias; Hayley Westenra’s version of Amazing Grace; and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus.     

Article by Oliver Rowe, 18 Aug 2007
Posted in Saturday Morning with Oliver Rowe

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