©Kirton News 2023

November 2016

The Editors Letter

Greetings. To those of you who receive this in time don’t forget to put your clocks back on Sunday (30th).

To those of you reading this later and have forgotten - for being late AGAIN, you’re fired! That’s out of the way then.

Struggling for inspiration this month I think I can only turn to the positive. By now the Kirton Cafe will be open for you all to breakfast, chat and generally “network” to your heart’s content.

Work is progressing nicely at Wash Road on the new Jaguar franchise (though I DO wish architects could occasionally get away from this grey, cuboid school that seems to pervade the current landscape) and the bike suppliers next door seem to be thriving.

Movements at “The Monk” is always (!) a good omen and, apparently, “The Villager” will be bucking much of the current trend and become something other than another rental opportunity.

So, all we need now is for The Peacock to become a micro brewery/pub and Fossitt & Thorne to be bought by Jean Paul Gaultier selling reasonably priced clothing (for the larger man) with a decent retro [vinyl] record shop in the back. Oh; and a cobbler!

Have I set the bar too high?

I make no excuses for the next two items which I would like you all to take into consideration. I am, (as are others involved in this publication) in some small way party to a production called “The Talking Newspaper” It’s not big or dramatic; it’s not newsworthy or a current trend; but it DOES make a difference to a few, local, deserving people. I include this statement from the Team:-

“Boston & South Holland Talking Newspaper, provides a free service to 112 sensory impaired listeners around our area and has been selected by ASDA, Boston for the green token scheme - 1st October to 31st December 2016. We need to make the most of it to raise funds to help pay rent at our base, the Len Medlock Voluntary Centre.

Anyone spending a little or a lot should be given a token at the till. Our box is opposite the tills. If you shop at ASDA Boston please vote for us, and ask friends, relatives etc. to consider supporting us too.

The charity with the most votes gets £500, the second £200. Any help you can give would be much appreciated.“

And the second - also quite close to me - is perhaps, to many of you, quite mundane and ordinary.

Let’s support the Village Quiz Night: at The Town Hall on November 11th - there’s an ad on a later page. The memsahib and I - and good friends - have been participating for many years and it’s ALWAYS a good night out. Support, as with many things, has dwindled over recent years but, if you don’t turn up in numbers this year - well, it could be Kirtons !!

See you all there....

Sam

Take five minutes...with Fred & Polly

‘Was there ever a coal mine at Kirton, Fred?’ ‘No, Polly. Only the collard-rind pits at Kirton End.’

‘Ha-ha. I’ve heard that joke before. But I do remember my Uncle Will say he wouldn’t be coming next week because he was going down below.’

‘So he was a fisherman.’‘Yes, he was. How did you know?’ ‘Because that was the term used by fishermen when they were going out into the Wash. There’s terms in all trades. Did he ever mention Fosdyke labourers?’

‘He might have. But I know what they are anyway. We used to call seagulls that, when they went over the field we were working in. I used to work in fields, Fred, when nearly all the stuff was hand-picked. Darned cold, with an east wind blowing, especially if somebody left the field gate open.’

‘Do you know what a double-crosser is?’‘A swindler, I should reckon.’

‘Wrong. It’s a five-barred wooden field gate but extra wide, so instead of one X for bracing it’s got an extra upright in the middle and an X on each side of it. When sheep or cattle were shifted or driven to market on foot, all the fields had a gate to stop them going in, and a wide opening had a double-crosser.

‘You live and learn. And I know why it’s called Marketstead, it’s because that’s where the market was when we had one.’ ‘True. But only the livestock market.’‘Why there?’‘Because that’s where the seadyke is – or Kirton Drain as we call it now.

Before roads got made hard they often brought livestock in by boat. Having got that near to town they were sold there, then reloaded to go away. So the name has stuck. Like Hill Lane, the one that starts from Balaclava Bridge. The hill has almost vanished. We used to call it Beacon Hill Lane, because the hill was raised to put a beacon on top two hundred years ago. When Napoleon was expected to invade England. The house of the beacon lighter was still there in the 20th century.

‘It’s got a proper street sign now, although nobody lives there.’

‘Before signs got put up, roads were called whatever people called them. One street in Kirton had at least six names. It’s officially King Street now, but before that an Ordnance Survey map called it King’s Road. When I was a boy, about half the people in the village called it School Lane. That’s three.’

‘I’ve heard it called School Lane.’

‘Before the railway cut across it, it was part of Wash Road. On the deeds of The Grange it’s Water-meadow Lane, and on some old documents it’s Sea-road South. That makes six.’

The Kirton Church Fund

Our first prize winner for September is a member who joined at the very beginning of Kirton Church Fund and had not won until winning in July and now again! Well done to them and to our second prize winner has also won before. It really does pay to keep playing. As the saying goes ,“ You have to be in it to win it!”

There is still plenty of room for more members (and a very good chance of winning) in the Kirton Church Fund monthly draw. Anyone over 18 may take part and you can join at any time during the year. You can do it monthly if you wish at only £5 per month. (£50 if joining for the whole year and £28 for 6 months.) Registration forms are available in church or from Fay, please ring 01205 723529. Why don’t you come and join us?

The prize fund each month is 1/4 of the money taken each month. The rest of the money goes to the Kirton Church Fund. The more people that join the higher the prize fund and the more money we raise for the church.

The October draw takes place on Sunday 23rd and the winning numbers will be printed in the December magazine.

The November draw takes place on Sunday 20th and the winning numbers will be printed in the February magazine.

For more information about Kirton Church Fund please ring Fay on 01205 723529

September 2016 Winners

1st PRIZE - £37.97 - TICKET NUMBER: 3
2nd PRIZE - £12.65 - TICKET NUMBER: 42

Kirton Kids Club

What can I say but CONKERS! So many of them and so much to do with them.

The children love them – the beautiful trees that run along the path of the Church in Kirton have once again aimed their shiny brown fruits into the Kids Club outside play area.

What ever it is about conkers that makes children so amazingly happy to find them – it works. They went home with pockets, book bags and dinner boxes full of the things.

But they were very happy to have found them, opened the shells and found the shiny jewels within. Not all of them were smuggled home though, we also used them in our art sessions too. Googly eyes, paint and glue made them into bright and funny bug/animals by the children.

They were collected, counted and shared. They were juggled, lined up and sized. So much fun from something, free, on hand and plentiful. As we break up before Halloween the children have also been busy making all sorts of fun art for the occasion.

Bats, ghosts and spiders seem to ‘OOooozzz’ from every display board and work surface or taken home and treasured for the holiday. Breakfast club is still very busy with few places left but there are spaces after school if you should like to book.

Breakfast club is £3.50 per child per session and after school is £5.50 per child per session. Please call in for more information or phone 07583 762072

Ofsted and Charity registered.

Fay completes her Abseil

I would like to thank all those kind and generous people who sponsored me for my abseil down the Europa Hotel in Belfast on Sunday 25th September.

Due to their generosity I raised just over £655, counting gift aid, for The Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund which raises much needed funds for research and also for Pancreatic Cancer Action which raises money for raising awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer to enable earlier diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer sadly is often diagnosed too late for a cure. So thank you again for your support

Church Christmas Tree Festival

Kirton Parish Church will be holding its popular annual Christmas Tree Festival in December. This will be the seventh annual Christmas Tree Festival to be held by Kirton Church.

Please make a note of the dates: Saturdays 3rd and 10th December 11am – 4pm and Sundays 4th and 11th December 12 noon – 4pm

A Christingle Service will be held on the last Sunday of the festival beginning at 3pm.

Margaret Ormston will be contacting all previous sponsors of Christmas trees.

New sponsors are always welcome. If there are any local clubs, organisations or businesses who would like to support the Christmas Tree Festival and sponsor a Christmas tree, please contact Margaret Ormston 01205 722052 for further information.

Middlegate Rd Planning Application

As predicted planning for 215 houses (so far) on the farm land running along Middlegate Road West has now gone in.

But it has not yet been granted so you can make a difference - If you do not wish to see this beautiful space filled with houses the only way to voice your opinion is to write to PAUL EDWARDS at The Planning Department, Boston Borough Council, Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, Lincs. PE21 18QH.

Please don’t leave it to others – voice your concerns and write to the planning officer – all views will have to be taken into consideration.

Kirton Methodist Church Event

A Church Anniversary Concert will be held by Peter and Sylvia Dalziel on Saturday 12th November. This starts at 7pm and tickets are £5 and available from Kirton Methodist Church. Refreshments available.

The Registers

Baptisms - We welcome into God’s family:

No Baptisms this month

Weddings - We ask God's blessing on:

Sam James Silkerson and Harriet May Tunnard

Funerals - We commend to God’s keeping:

No Funerals this month