©Kirton News 2023

September 2021

t feels like AGES since I last wrote to you all! I hope you have had a lovely Summer, even managed the odd day out or even a little break away.

As you can see from our front cover and starting from October’s issue, we will be delivering the magazine to you all again (I couldn’t think of a better way to announce this as I don’t have all my distributor’s telephone numbers)! The local businesses in Kirton have been unbelievably helpful since March 2020 and we literally couldn’t have done it without them. What is rare about Kirton News and what we pride ourselves in is being able to deliver copies to every home in the village (nearing 2500 homes now). If you are a distributor and can resume your current route, then nothing will have changed. Kirton Town Hall will be open on the following days (this will increase as time goes on):-
Mondays 4.30pm to 7pm
Wednesdays 10am to 11am
Fridays 9.15am to 11.15am and 2pm to 4pm

You will be able to collect your copies from the entrance hall as before (after the last Thursday of the month). If you don’t feel you can continue, please know that your help was very much appreciated and please contact me on my email below to let me know. Also, if you would like to help out with deliveries on a route in Kirton, please do the same using the email below.

Recently I was given another copy of ‘The Church in Kirton’ by Ann Booth, this time dating from October 1981, now 40 years ago. Advertisers including Gerald H. Nix (decorator), Frank’s Fish Bar, Simpsons (Fruit & Veg), Lewis & Kime, Joan’s Hair Fashions and N. Moore & Son filled the pages along with numerous events being held at St Peter & St Paul’s Church, the Methodist Church, The Chestnuts and the Town Hall from organ recitals to a report on the Parish church Summer Fete which was opened by the then new GP in Kirton, Dr Jennifer S. Ponsford.

This issue we’re talking to Karin Christensen, a wonderful local artist who is a member of the Lincolnshire Artists Society and who also holds classes in watercolour painting and sketching! Turn to page 10 to find out more.

I’m always contactable on Editor@kirtonnews.co.uk.

Rachael

Meet The Locals

This month we're talking to local artist Karin Christensen:

1) Have you always been creative or did your love of art start later in life?

I grew up in a small town inside the fjords of western Norway and after school I could sit for hours in my room drawing all sorts of subjects, including people and landscapes. I later trained more formally in drawing skills, but life took other directions and with work and children time was limited. After moving to the UK 25 years ago I started painting again. For many years this was a hobby but it is now what I do.

2) What are your favourite things to paint/sketch ie. landscapes or still life?

I really like sketching outside, sitting in front of a beautiful landscape or boats and harbour scenes. I have spent time in Cornwall, Suffolk, Boston and other locations, finding inspiration for paintings. I also find Frampton Nature Reserve very inspiring. These sketches can be good starters for larger paintings in my garden studio in Kirton.

3) How often do you paint/sketch? Every day?

My main materials are ink and watercolour, and I am a member of the Kirton and Boston art groups. We normally meet every week, and I find both groups very friendly and supportive. Belonging to a group has made sure I always keep up the painting, and I often paint in my studio as well, particularly if I have an exhibition coming up. I also exhibit with the Lincolnshire Artist Society in Lincoln and find working with other artists very inspiring.

4) What do you teach and do you have any classes coming up?

I teach sketching on location, and also ink and watercolour classes. There is a new watercolour class starting in Kirton in early September, and I very much look forward to meeting everyone.

5) How can people get in contact with you?

It’s easy to contact me using email: art@karinchristensen.com. You can see my work here: www.karinchristensen.com. You can follow my sketching on Instagram: karin.sketching.

Kirton Church Fund

August winning numbers will be printed in the October magazine.

The September draw takes place on Sunday 26th September and the winning numbers will be printed in the November magazine.

Well done to all our winners all of whom have won before.

In July two members dropped out but as you will see the prize money stayed the same as we welcomed two new people to join us. We therefore continue to have only 45 numbers taking part. There really is a very good chance of winning the Kirton Church Fund.

You too could be lucky in the KCF monthly draw but you have to be in it to win it! We have plenty of room for more members. Why don’t you join us? You too could win! Anyone over 18 may take part.

You can join at any time during the year at £5 a number per month and therefore £60 annually, £30 for 6 months and £15 for 3 months. You can of course pay the £5 monthly if you wish. You can also have more than one number.

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

Not already a member? Do come and join us?

Registration forms are available from Fay, please ring 01205 723529 or for more information about Kirton Church Fund please give Fay a ring.

June 2021 Winners

1st PRIZE - £42.19 - TICKET NUMBER: 491
2nd PRIZE - £14.06 - TICKET NUMBER: 77

July 2021 Winners

1st PRIZE - £42.19 - TICKET NUMBER: 30
2nd PRIZE - £14.06 - TICKET NUMBER:78

Data protection. All information (name, address and phone number) of Kirton Church Fund members is held solely for the purpose of managing Kirton Church Fund and is not passed on to any other organisation or used for any other purpose.

Bored, fed up with nothing to do?

Why not come along and join the army cadets, we are looking for new recruits. We meet at Kirton Youth Centre every Tuesday from 7 - 9pm.

You will learn how to shoot, climb, archery and apply first aid (these are just a few of the things we do). Also you can do sports, Duke of Edinburgh, BTEC /STEM courses, maybe even do some adventure training and have fun, whilst at the same time making new friends with action and adventure!

If you are aged from 12-18 then why not visit: www.armycadets.com

A Fresh start for hens

Fresh Start for hens is a totally volunteer organisation that rescues hens when they would normally go for slaughter. All egg layers whether caged, barn or free range would normally go for baby food/dog food etc at around 72 weeks of age- we give them retirement homes. The farmer is getting rid of them as they are going into a moult and their egg laying will reduce- many once they have regrown their feathers will continue to lay. Last year we rescued over 67,000 hens who went from small town to large country gardens, schools,retirement/care homes, allotments and even prisons- the safest hens ever!

We ask for a minimum donation of £2.50 per hen and to see pictures of your coop and run/ free range area.. We have collection points all over the country, the local one being Spalding (which is near Donington) . We rehome at least monthly (depending on collection point availability) and we always take the whole flock “ no one is ever left behind”- the poorlies go to our volunteers to be cared for and get veterinary treatment etc.

Hens are great characters and companions- they need company of their own kind and we recommend at least 3 to begin with. As long as they have a safe, secure coop and a run (or free range area) they will be eating out of your hand before long!
We have several rehomes coming up- full details are on the website www.freshstartforhens.co.uk.
When applying please send in both pictures and donation and ensure your collection point name is in the title of every email /donation sent.

We are a not for profit organisation, run entirely by volunteers who are dedicated to rehoming hens from the commercial egg production sector.
OUR AIM is to ensure as many people as possible are aware of the plight of the commercial hen, and demonstrate that there are alternatives to early slaughter.
OUR COMMITMENT is to rehome as many hens as we can into suitable homes, where they can live out the rest of their natural lives.
OUR GOAL is to educate the public about the ethical benefits of buying free range eggs, whilst supporting the work of British farmers.

You don’t need to have a big garden to keep a few hens, they will be grateful for the additional years of freedom you can offer them and reward you with their entertaining antics and probably an egg or two. To this end, we do not rehome to people wishing sell them on or for further commercial purposes.”

Wyberton Wombles of Boston Common

The Wombles have been busy again during the past two months. I am sure you can see the difference in and around the town and our village. Regular visits are made by Wombles to particular areas. These include Wash Road, Drainside, Manor Road and both parks, Graves Park and Dame Sarah Swift in Church Lane. The lanes and roads are looking very clean and tidy with much less litter lying around. A lot of work has been done on Drainside with the help of local farmer Andrew Dennis and we were very grateful for his support. Andrew kindly loaned a member of his team along with machinery to help remove long standing rubbish from the drain. The “Kirton Crew” also cleaned up of the area close to Andrew’s farm on Wash Road on a wet and windy day. The clean-up yielded 21 bags plus an assortment of other rubbish like tyres, TV, glass table top, gas cylinders and much more. Andrew kindly laid on refreshments for the crew consisting of tea, coffee, soup and apple pie which was a lovely gesture.

Dame Sarah Swift Park in Church Lane is a major cause for concern, not just for the litter but also for the anti-social behaviour residents have to endure. A weekly visit is made to the park by two Wombles to pick up the hordes of cans, bottles, sweet and biscuit wrappers, takeaway food packaging and cigarette ends. The Parish Council employed litter picker also makes two visits per week to the park. There are 3 rubbish bins which are rarely used by the youths that frequent the park. This kind of behaviour shows a total lack of respect for the environment and public areas, which are there for all ages to enjoy. If the Park gets closed down, which is a distinct possibility if this carries on, it will be a few that have ruined it for the majority of residents. If you are a parent reading this article and you know your son or daughter frequents the park, please speak to them, ask them to respect their surroundings and use the bins!

The weekly Tuesday morning Womble by the “Kirton Crew” has managed to cover a lot of Kirton, Sutterton and into Wigtoft. We would like to thank Rainbow Garden Centre for allowing up to park our vehicles when we have been working along London Road towards Sutterton. Also, thanks to Jack and Nikita for donating bulbs to plant on the verges. The “Kirton Crew” can consist of 2 to 12 Wombles each week and continue to find areas around the village that need a tidy up. Discarded rubbish in the dykes and verges are the main jobs that keep us busy. One of our members, who is an active cyclist and runner, “scouts” locations on his travels. Several long stretches have been completed over the past couple of months. These include Wash Road, West End Road to Kirton End, Willington Road to Kirton End, Boston Road from the village to Millfield Lane towards Wyberton, Skeldyke Road, Meeres Lane, Manor Road and Blackjack Road. Quite a few steps are being achieved, keeping everyone fit. Come rain or shine we are out there.

The group are not just litter picking. They are hedge and verge trimming, clearing and sweeping footpaths, using their own lawn mowers, bulb planting and much more. It really is a community effort and one we should all be proud of. Work has been done to tidy up both bus stop areas at the top of Middlegate Road West, bulbs planted and signs cleaned. Work has also been carried out at the bus stop near the Woodlands, with overgrown shrubs and weeds cleared which makes the whole area look much nicer.

There is regular fly tipping of black bags on the front of Hardwick and Dennis Estate. Please be vigilant and report if you see who the culprit is. We suspect it is the same individual doing this. Take a photograph on your mobile phone if you can so it can be followed up.

We find a lot of litter is fast food wrappers, drinks cups and wrappers which have obviously been thrown out of car windows, or even when walking, once finished with. Why people just cannot take their litter home is saddening and quite frustrating.
The Wombles have been in action since the beginning of February 2021 and now has 1200 members. Not all 1200 are Wombling, some are keeping up to date on what the group is doing, supporting by offering materials and there are some Wombling without posting on the group. Every little helps though in our efforts to keep our towns and villages free from litter and looking nice. We have had some signs made which are being posted in particular popular areas for fly tipping which we hope people will consider before leaving more rubbish.

You may wonder where Boston Borough Council are in all this. We are working closely with them and have managed to get regular layby rubbish collections 3 times a week. A team at the Council are working to alleviate fly tipping with cameras being installed in particular hot spots. We are also hopeful to see the Borough Team expand in the near future which will be a great help.

It is especially pleasing to see families out wombling, particularly the primary aged children. They are doing a fantastic job and are really getting on board with looking after their environment. Middlecott School have joined the Wombles and a group of their pupils have already been out into the local area. The Scout and Beaver groups have also been out in the village. Nine schools in Boston have signed up also to join the group which we are all really excited about. We are looking at ways to encourage more children to become involved, especially teenagers. We were very fortunate to receive sponsorship for start-up kits for all the schools which consisted of 15 litter pickers and 7 hoops that hold the red bags. Sadly, our local Primary School, Kirton, declined to participate and join the Wombles.

Seeing school children out and about getting involved and taking pride in caring for their environment is amazing, Children are the key to our futures and it is so important they are taught to respect their surroundings.

Several bigger clean ups have been completed closer to Boston. In Wyberton you may have seen the newly painted bus shelters which look amazing. A group of Wombles recently got together to clean the War Memorial in Wide Bargate, a little-known area alongside John Adams Way and Redstone Industrial Estate. The War Memorial in the village was also cleared by Wombles by doing sweeping and weeding of the pathway and surrounding fences.

Our group is getting requests to help tidy certain areas. One major clean up happened at Pilgrim Hospital during June and July. 60 Wombles turned up to clean the hospital grounds. It was the groups way of thanking the hard-working NHS staff that have been working their socks off during the Covid pandemic. There is still more work to be done but a great start to cleaning up the grounds. Another date has been set to return to continue the clean-up.

Wombles average about 100 red bags a week. Less than when the group started but still quite a lot.

Local companies continue to support the group with sponsorship which varies from printing of high viz vests, materials, plants, bulbs, planters and especially free refreshments. Costa and Burger King always offer a Womble a free coffee on their weekly clean up at the Quadrant.

If you see any area you think would benefit from a clean-up, please do get in touch via the Womble Facebook page or call Steve on 07595 635891.

You can also download an app called Fix My Street. Using the GPS on your mobile phone, you can report the location of the fly tipping along with a photograph. You can ask to receive an update on what progress was made. By working together, we can make a difference.

Kirton Kids Club

Kirton Kids Club is now heading for its 23rd birthday!

We have seen hundreds of children through our doors in that time.

But to be honest the time has gone really quickly and to say twenty three years doesn’t feel possible.

Children enjoy games, sports, toys and socialising with their friends at the club each session.

We open at 7.30 am for the breakfast club sessions and after school club finishes at 5.45 pm.

Children are taken to school in the morning from the club and taken from the school to the club for afternoon sessions.

We try and keep our fees low to enable everyone the chance to access the facility.

The club has its home at the Kirton Youth Centre and enjoy inside and outside space to enable the children as much flexibility and fun as possible.

Breakfast club is £4.00 per child per session and after school is £6.00 per child per session with a 10% discount for related siblings at the same session.

If you need childcare due to work commitments or you would like your child/children to improve on their social skills and meet up with friends or make friends then give us a call on 07583 762072 – we have spaces now and it will give your children the opportunity to enjoy sessions with other children in a big purpose built facility with access to numerous toys and equipment.

Now is the time to book for the new school year too!

If your child/children are starting school this September then please give us a ring and get them a place before they have all gone again – on the number above.