Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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John Haylett: legendary editor of the Morning Star
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IF TONY CHATER led the Morning Star through the collapse and re-establishment of the Communist Party, John Haylett’s 1995-2008 editorship brought it forward into the modern age.
The 1998 strike that saw him reinstated after a bid by then chief executive Mary Rosser to sack him was a battle for the future of the paper itself. John’s faith that the paper could only survive if it grew was reflected in the very first management committee after the strike was won.
“The paper was down to eight pages,” recalls former company secretary Tony Briscoe. “The first thing that John and [then business manager] Richard [Maybin] recommended was appointing a circulation manager, and John went on to say that there was a need to increase the size of the paper. The management committee said that the paper couldn't afford the increase in size and John responded that ‘we cannot afford not to.’ The rest is history.”
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