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©Kirton News 2024
October 2015
The Editors Letter
October. It sees the anniversary of my entry unto this vale of tears. As it did for Gandhi; Margaret Thatcher, and Chuck Berry – among many others. What an intriguing dinner party that would make! It also sees the end of British Summer Time on the 25th. But the passing of September has also had some significance, personal and otherwise.
I don’t intend to ramble on about too much but I have been asked to ‘flag up’ one or two events of import. So, hang on... here we go!
“Last Night of the Proms”; the annual gala at Kirton Town Hall takes place on October 31st. The tickets cost £10 and are available from Fossitt and Thorne’s (The Green).
We have highlighted [on page 15] the current plight of the local branch of the Royal British Legion who – in-spite of their continued success in raising funds for ‘the (and many) cause(s)’ – are in danger of having to disband due to the need to fill the posts of Chair and Secretary/Treasurer.
This is really a major concern.
There is also the (hopeful) conclusion of the long- running saga of the Library service. You may have noticed that the current Library closed its doors on Saturday September 12th. Kirton Library has now moved into its new premises in the New Life Community Church, The Junction, Wash Road, Kirton. The library will be open at its new venue from Tuesday 29th September 2015.
The opening hours are: Tuesday 10.00am- 1.00pm, Thursday 2.00pm - 6.00pm
The library is also hoping to open on Saturdays (10.00am -1.00pm) in the very near future.
The library is being run by a friendly team of volunteers and anyone wishing to volunteer or would like more information on volunteering please contact: Carolyn Green on: 01205 722467 or via email: GrCrl2@aol.com
And finally. Harry The Cat, who graced the cover of this very publication for it’s July/August edition is no more. At only 15 months old he was the victim of a collision with a motorized ‘something’ far more substantial than himself. I wanted to say – a couple of days ago – that I hoped the driver of said carriage would rot eternally in their own personal hell for having deprived the world of this wonderful being (between late Saturday September 12th and Sunday morning, 13th, in the area of London Road) and taking away my ‘pal’. My wife persuaded me not to write this.
......So I haven’t.
(A sanguine) Sam
The Kirton Church Fund
Well done to the winners, especially our first prize winner who very nearly didn’t renew his membership this year. Remember you have to be in it to win it! In fact we pulled three numbers out this month belonging to members currently not taking part before we found our winner.
Sadly, August saw us lose another member so we are now down to 43 members taking part
so there is plenty of room for more members and there is a very good chance of winning in the Kirton Church Fund monthly draw.
You too could join the Kirton Church Fund (KCF) monthly draw and win! Come and join us, anyone over 18 may take part. 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.
You can join at any time during the year and 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.
The September draw takes place on Sunday 27th with the winning numbers printed in the November magazine.
The October draw takes place on Sunday 25thwith winning numbers printed in the December magazine.
If you need more information about Kirton Church Fund please give Fay a ring. (01205 723529)
August 2015 Winners
1st PRIZE - £35.57 - TICKET NUMBER: 2
2nd PRIZE - £11.19 -
TICKET NUMBER: 49
History Digest
The sturdy cast-iron street lamps erected in 1910 by the Kirton Gas Company will vanish during 1949 and be replaced by modern all-night electric lamps – hopefully more than 33 of them!
Flight-Sergeant Michael Foster, an RAF bomber pilot (son of Kirton butcher Gilbert Foster) is hailed as a 1943 hero. He coaxed his burning Halifax bomber back from a German raid, the fire still alight when he reached England.
After nearly half a century of ‘making do’ with a converted chapel in Willington Road, our fire service will during 1987 be moving to a purpose-built premises in Station Road. The siren, also used as a flood warning, will move with it.
The bell-shaped flowers of the hyacinth are popular with gardeners in warm climates. Thanks to work done at Kirton Agricultural Institute during 1933 and 1934, the first 25,000 English-propagated hyacinths can now be seen there.
Will the 1930’s see the abandonment of Willington Road as a sports venue? The Cricket Club are looking for an alternative to the old Grammar School playing field; and Kirton Town FC will play their next match in Marketstead field instead of the Y.M. field. Will bowls be the next to go?
Our baker Hedley Thompson will retire during 1926, and has sold his business to a Nottingham baker, who will move into the premises. The new owner is not a stranger to the district; he is Abraham Jessop, an Algakirk native, and he hopes to serve Kirton for many years.
By far the largest funeral of 1924 has been that of William Dennis, JP, of Kirton House. The procession included motor-cars of every size and shape, but the coffin was borne appropriately on a farm wagon drawn by four shire horses.
Kirton will have grown bigger during the 19th century. When the new sea bank between the Witham and Welland rivers is completed in about 1873, a total of 676 acres will be added to our parish. The old Roman bank is to remain in place.
A new local newspaper is to be launched in August 1912, under the banner of ‘Lincolnshire Standard’.
It will be edited and printed in Boston and its managing editor is Mr. George Robinson. A member of its Board of Directors is Mr. Thomas E. Dennis of the Woodlands, Boston Road, Kirton.
The small houses built on low land adjacent to Kirton Drain become flooded when the drain overflows. An improvement due in 1875 will alleviate this; a new mechanical pumping station will be built at Hundred Acre Farm, Seadyke, where the drain meets the River Welland.
A new landmark, Mr. Bontoft’s Mill at Kirton End, should be completed by the end of next summer, 1855. The main village already has Kirton Mill between Waterfield’s smithy and the drain, but a century ago had a second one at Mill Hill.
Kirton came up-to-date last year, 1865, with the formation of a Gas Consumer’s Company. Like citizens of London and other cities and towns, we shall be able to enjoy this facility for lighting our homes.
This concludes our ‘History Digest’ series; grateful thanks to compiler Mr. Ken Pearson of Kirton.
Kirton Kids Club
Well here we are again, me saying haven’t the summer holidays gone quickly and parents probably thinking ‘’ermm no’’…..
September brings not just the new school year, but the prospect of colder weather, Halloween and Christmas celebrations.
At the moment though we are being treated to some warmer weather and lots of evenings spent outside playing for the children attending the Kids Club.
Our numbers have stayed high even though we lost a few year six children to their ‘Big Schools’ – we have also welcomed a lot of new children into the Kids Club ‘family’.
The club enables parents extra time each end of the school day – breakfast club starting at 7.30am and after school club not finishing until 5.45pm.
But some children attend to help them socialise and make friends, some to help with their English language and some – simply because they enjoy it.
Children are offered a hot or cold menu at breakfast club and after school a ‘high tea’ and a drink.
The best part of KKC is the play time though!
Children can be children – use their imagination, energy and time to play games, sports, climb, ride bikes and scooters and socialise and have fun with other children.
The club has an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of equipment, games and art and lots of space for children to enjoy being part of the sessions.
The club tries to keep its prices low and reasonable to enable more parents and carers the chance to send their children.
Breakfast club is £3.50 per child per session and after school £5.50 per child per session. There is also a 10% discount for related siblings attending in the same session.
Why not come and have a look around – bring your child/children for a free ‘taster session’ while you stay with them and see how they enjoy themselves?
For more information of a free ‘taster session’ please call 07583 762072.
Ofsted and Charity registered.
Award Winners!
Hello Readers, The poppy appeal for 2014/2015 comes to an end on 31st October and this year has been an exceptionally good year for the The Royal British Legion, Kirton and District Branch.
You have again been very generous. November’s Remembrance collection was very good exceeding last year’s collection. In February the Thomas Middlecott Academy presented the branch with a cheque for £392 from the proceeds of the ‘A Night of Remembrance’ by the Music and Drama department which the school preformed in November. In July we held a Race Night and Hog Roast at the Kirton leisure centre this resulted in a profit to the branch of £370, we also attended the Classic Car Show at Graves Park in August and held a tombola which raised £ 130 and our final fund raising event for the year was a fishing match and tombola which was held at Westwood Lakes this resulted in a profit of £136.
With all of this fund raising effort going to the Poppy Appeal, except for a small part retained by the branch to fund the branch welfare duties to our local members, the Poppy Appeal received from the Branch a total of £ 4,727.69 this is up from last years’ sum of £ 3,647.37.
I now come to the sad part of my letter.
At the branch AGM in October we will be losing the services of the Branch Chairman and Branch Secretary / Treasury due to family comments and ill health. With the loss of these two vital posts the branch will cease to function, unless someone is willing to step forward to fill these positions.
It is not a requirement to have been a member of the armed forces or even a member of TRBL, we just need someone to step forward and spend a little time looking after the books, keeping the branch on an even keel and attending our once a month meetings.
Please do not let us have to lay up our branch stander, as once that is done it will be near impossible to resurrect it. Thank you
Wanted: 10pin Bowlers
for Wednesday mornings at Boston Bowl to play in the white Heather League from 10pm to 12 noon, Start ASAP: price £2 per game max 3 games a match. Free tea, coffee & biscuits. Play in all ready formed league. Interested? Call Boston Bowl on 01205 359525 or A. Limb on 01205 723102.
Celebrate on a budget
Each year, September 16 marks the start of a very special countdown.
The summer months fade into a distant memory and as the air gets colder and the evenings get darker, the reality is it’s only 100 days until Christmas.
The cash conscious adult masks the excited child in us, and the “to buy” list seems to grow as the days tick by…
But don’t panic, we’ve got you covered. Christmas may drain your energy but it doesn’t have to drain your bank account.
We have put together some top tips to make January a little more manageable, whilst still achieving the magic of Christmas.
1) D.I.Y – Everyone knows the Christmas bill would be much smaller if everything were handmade.
However, in reality – we aren’t all Christmas elves and our everyday jobs aren’t put on hold just for the festive period.
We suggest batch making presents, and then personalising them slightly for friends and relatives.
Some popular ideas are festive chutneys and biscuits - this way the gift will be truly appreciated and a quarter of the price!
2) Christmas cupboard – Allocate a storage space in your home and collect festive treats and goodies.
Grabbing one or two items from each weekly shop leading up to December will dramatically reduce the size of your last-minute Christmas Eve shopping list.
3) Don’t rely on the December income – Work out in advance what you can afford to put aside in September, October and November, then add this to your December fund and your Christmas budget will stretch much further.
Don’t forget you’ll still have bills to pay in January.
4) Book in advance – If you’re planning on travelling for Christmas, whether it’s coming home from University or a getaway to visit relatives, booking ahead is the key to the getting the best price.
Train tickets, flights and accommodation will rocket in costs around the festive period, so do your research now and steal the deals.
5) Don’t buy things that don’t get eaten – Resist the temptation as you stroll the supermarket aisles to pick up everything that is mildly related to Christmas.
Things like Christmas cake may be traditional but they aren’t everyone’s favorite. If they’re likely to end up in the bin, don’t waste your money!
6. Don’t procrastinate! – It’s tempting to ignore the fact that Christmas exists until it’s staring you in the face, get ahead of the game now and start your prep early.
Team up with family members and plan in advance, you could group your funds together to buy a big present for a member of the family that you wouldn’t be able to buy alone.
For more information about CAP’ s services, or to find a CAP Money Course or CAP Debt Centre near you, check out capuk.org or free phone 0800 328 0006. Living with unmanageable debt can be debilitating; you don’t have to do it alone.
Frampton W.I.
I’m going to pretend its October the first...because sitting at my desk looking over the computer screen and out of the window I can see an autumnal haze shimmering across the church yard.....ok ok Ill get on with it. I will just say...85 sleeps till Christmas.......I have started my wish list...
Ladies what an amazing return to the WI we had last Thursday. Our speaker Mr Stuart Binks kept us spell bound with the story of his work with the charity ‘Mending Faces’ in Kalibo, the Philippines, helping a team of dedicated doctors and nurses to rebuild and repair cleft lip and cleft palate.
I don’t think I have ever heard our room be so silent and still as we all listened and looked at his pictures. We also welcomed two new ladies and two ladies who came in July returned to join officially..yay!!
Our refreshment team did an amazing spread and there were lashings of tea and coffee. I do have to tell you ..I entered the competition with something beginning with E and came fourth...at last points!
The raffle was icing on the cake I had a winning ticket..it was definitely my week. Sorry just had to say that - it has been a while.
Just a couple of things to mention for your diary.. Ladies Night, Kirton Town Hall, 2 October 7:30pm over thirty stalls all things relating to ladies. Come along and say hello we have a WI stall there and proceeds go to charity. T
he Haven group of WI present an evening with the delicious Mr Joel Hicks and supper!! 20 October 7:30 tickets available - £3 Its a steal..call Carol number below and an early mention for Frampton Craft Fair 7 November at St Marys Church Frampton...Refreshments by the WI..oh boy no pressure then....
Next months meeting is a very special one ladies it is our 79th birthday party. We are having a bring and share supper, there will be light liquid refreshments – but you are welcome to bring your own heavier ones if you wish – and you’re not driving!
There will be live musical accompaniment and your committee will be there to wait on you, oh and theres a raffle and the competition is F something beginning with F....im giving it very serious thought I might be on a roll.... and theres a rumour that there may be cake.....
We will be back in the Village Hall Frampton on Thursday October 8th. Come and join us we meet at 7:30 pm, Frampton Village Hall, Middlegate Road, Frampton. Your first taster visit is free.
If you would like to know more about joining Frampton Women’s Institute call Ann McCoy(President) on 01205 366020 or Carol (Secretary) on 01205 722879 email: carolpattrick@gmail.com or me Vanessa (New Members) on 07955 763473 email: vanessajameson@btinternet.com
On Stage in Frampton:
On Stage in Frampton” starts its new season on 3rd October with the return of the popular Badapple Theatre Company performing “The Carlton Colliers”.
A comic, backstreet fairytale that sees a hard up village transformed forever, when a hapless bunch of social outcasts and local-league cast-offs, with barely a stud to their boots, are transported magically to a whole other level, a league apart. Join us for a quirky new comedy about village life, love and sometimes ....err... football. About dreaming big in an old pit-village and the daft things that start to happen when you do.
Poetry Corner
This month’s edition is a bit full of serious stuff. As a little lighter relief I’d like to introduce a couple of poems. Relevant to the season we have a new contributor and an old favourite.
Our first is a local lady of mature years who has, only recently, put pen to paper. Our second, Gladys Seabrook who has written many a verse since the 1970s, and is, or rather was, an unrecognized talent.
Sadly Gladys passed over early in 2014 but has left some perfect gems:-
Autumn
Autumn is a time that I love;
The changing hues and a blue sky above.
When everything is slowing down,
The forests are shining like a golden crown.
The birds have finished building their nests,
And many will, soon, be flying to the West.
And, as the Winter glooms
With far less flowers and lovely blooms;
But, as I sit and give a sigh,
I see a rainbow in the sky.
Perhaps we are in for a storm,
And have the whole place wet in the morn:
But that is first Nature’s way,
There is nothing that we can do or say.
Country Girl
My memory leads me through the haze
Of bygone golden Autumn days.
Through stubble fields and stacks of corn
And cocks that crow at early dawn.
Through rustling leaves beneath my feet
And berries hanging dark and sweet
Wide furrowed acres newly ploughed
‘Neath windswept sky and drifting cloud
Migrating swallows in their flight
Grey drifting smoke and bonfires bright
A trace of mist as daylight dies
Ripe juicy plums and apple pies
Cool churns of milk and pots of jam
New laid brown eggs and home cured ham
Around me now these visions whirl
For once I was a country girl
But now I live amid the maze
Of traffic lights and City ways
Of jostling crowds on every street
And concrete pavements ‘neath my feet
In dust and fumes and stagnant air
With noise and bustle everywhere
There’s nothing here to let me know
When autumn brings its mellow glow
But sometimes on September days
Nostalgia makes me stand and gaze
At one small view of Heavens high
Then like a bird I long to fly
Back to the countryside I knew
Through meadow pastures wet with dew
To live again where life is free
Once more a country girl to be
Gladys Seabrook (1926 - 2014)
The Registers
Baptisms - We welcome into God’s family:
Swaley Leroy John Darrell Ladds
Mehphis Lezton Ladds
Connie Rose Bell
Evie Rose Pickett
Weddings - We ask God's blessing on:
Nathan Douglaus Golding & Diana Jane Bartlett
Joseph Richard Lovelace & Lisa Marie Bateman
Funerals - We commend to God’s keeping:
Malcolm Charles King