the village magazine of nettleham: lincolnshire winter...

The village magazine of Nettleham: Lincolnshire Winter 2012

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N E T T L E H A M N E W S

Bob & Pauline Woolleyoffer a warm and friendly welcome at

● Open all day 7 days a week● Selection of traditional Batemans’ ales

● Air-conditioned smoke-free atmosphere● Home-made food 7 days a week

● Lunches, evening meals and Sunday lunches● Specialities from the blackboard

● Special Senior Citizen 2-course Sunday lunches● Quiz night every Sunday and Wednesday

1 The Green, Nettleham, Lincoln

01522 750275

THE PLOUGHPUB & RESTAURANT

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Voted Lincolnshire’s top Estate Agent in2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011

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29 Silver Street, Lincoln LN2 1AS

Telephone 01522 510044Email: [email protected]

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Specialists in Nettleham properties

Late opening

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Unique Nettleham village video guide

H E M S W E L L

C E N T R E S

Telephone 01427 668389Email: [email protected]

or view online at

www.hemswell-antiques.com

Open 10am - 5pm every day

FREE PARKING

Caenby Corner Estate, Hemswell Cliff, Gainsborough,Lincolnshire DN21 5TJ

HemswellAntique CentresCoffeeShopTake time outfrom browsingthe largest selection of antiques andcollectables in Europe and visit our licensedCoffee Shop where, in addition to a range ofrefreshing cold drinks and hot beverages,you can enjoy a choice of freshly preparedmeals and light snacks, using only the verybest fresh, locally-sourced produce.

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1

From the EditorNigel Kingston1 High StreetNettlehamLincolnLN2 2PL

Telephone/fax: 01522 753000Email: [email protected]

The views and opinions expressed in Nettleham News magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor.Where photographs and/or names of children are published in this magazine, it is assumed that prior permission has been gained from parents/school.

Nettleham News is designed, edited, originated and published by Nigel Kingston, 1 High Street, Nettleham, Lincoln LN2 2PL. Design copyright © Nigel Kingston.All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under design copyright above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher.Printed by F W Cupit Printers Limited, Horncastle.

DEADLINESNettleham News magazine is a quarterly publication and the

deadlines for receiving contributions for each of the editions are:

1st FEBRUARY for the spring edition1st MAY for the summer edition1st AUGUST for the autumn edition1st NOVEMBER for the winter edition

All contributions should be sent to the Editor

Read Nettleham News online at: www.nettleham.info

Welcome to Nettleham NewsWelcome to the winter 2012 edition ofyour village magazine - I hope you find itinteresting, informative and perhapssometimes amusing.

Grateful ThanksAt the end of another year, I would liketo take this opportunity to sincerely thankall the local businesses which advertise inthe pages of our magazine.

Nettleham News is published entirelythrough the funds generated by theadvertisements and readers are urged tosupport these local businesses whereverpossible.

I would also like to thank our stalwart teamof volunteer distributors who deliver themagazine to your door, come rain or shine,throughout the year.

Many thanks also to the volunteers whoassist ‘behind the scenes’ in so may ways -their time and effort, given so freely andwillingly, is very much appreciated.

Travel Pass RenewalFor those of us (yes, me included!)who possess a Concessionary Travel Pass,these are due for renewal early next year -so do make sure you get yours renewed inplenty of time (see page 72)

Front Cover PhotographI am grateful to William Lee (age 16)for the stunning photograph of a wintryAll Saints graveyard on the front cover ofthis edition of Nettleham News.

Young ReporterWhat a pleasant surprise to receive anarticle for the magazine from one of ouryounger readers in the village. BretonTowler has interviewed and written a mostaccomplished and interesting piece aboutthe sporting achievements and ambitionsof his brother Harley. Well done to both ofthem and let’s have some more articlesfrom youngsters for future editions.

You Have Been warned!On 3 December 2012, a new Civil ParkingEnforcement (CPE) directive comes intoforce which will affect village residents and,if ignored, may cost you money in the formof a fixed penalty ticket!

Whilst warnings only will be issued duringthe first few days of its initial introduction,thenceforward the new rules will bestrictly applied.

The scope of this new CPE directive iswide-ranging and motorists would be wiseto familiarise themselves with its content.

If you want to find out all about it, the fulldocument (amounting to 54 pages in all!)appears on the Lincolnshire County Councilwebsite, which can be accessed via a linkfrom the West Lindsey District Councilwebsite: www.west-lindsey.gov.ukSo do please be vigilant and careful how,when and where you park your vehicle inthe village from now onwards.

New Distributor RequiredI would be very pleased to hear fromanyone living in the High Leas area of thevillage who would be prepared to be aNettleham News distributor in thatneighbourhood (contact details above).

For many years Mrs Brown, who lives onHigh Leas, has delivered the magazine(a total of 35) in her neighbourhood but,due to a recent serious fall, is sadly nowunable to continue with the deliveries.

I would like to take this opportunity toextend my sincere thanks to Mrs Brown forher very kind efforts over many years and,on behalf of readers of the magazine,wish her a full and speedy recovery.

A Skate Park for Nettleham?There isn’t much in the way of leisurefacitilities for youngsters in Nettleham andin past editions there has been a number ofarticles about the possibility of adding askate park to our village.

On page 11 of this winter 2012 edition,Parish Councillor Joseph Siddall gives somebackground information and reports onthe current situation.

I would strongly urge readers, who maybe interested in taking this project forward,to contact the Working Group, which hasalready put a great deal of effort intogetting this project off the ground.

If there is insufficient response, then theentire concept may have to be postponedindefinitely, which would be a shame anda loss to the youngsters in our village.

Bishops’ Palace SiteWork continues to develop this historic sitein the heart of Nettleham into an attractivevillage amenity.

Readers may already have noticed the newramps at the front of the MethodistChapel, which will enable visitors, includingdisabled persons, easier access to theScheduled Ancient Monument site.

Next spring, probably in March, therewill be a community planting day on the‘pastoral’ area of the site and moreinformation will be published in the spring2013 edition of Nettleham News.

Talking of the ‘pastoral’ area of the site,this smaller area of land in the south-eastcorner of the site, which contains nosignificant underground archaeology,will now be known as Bishops Meadowand, under the guidance of NettlehamWoodland Trust, a series of differentecological features will be created therein the future (see pages 32/33).

NEXT EDITION ➜

And finally...It just remains for me to wish everyone avery happy Christmas and a peacefuland prosperous New Year in 2013.


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Directory of Advertisers

ACCOMMODATIONThe Old Vicarage 06Hayman’s Ghyll 16

ACCOUNTANCY SERVICESASAP Andrew Seymour 08S C Warren & Co 10

ANTIQUESHemswell Antique Centres IFC

ARCHITECTURAL SERVICESChris Butler 22

BATHROOMSElixir Bathrooms 14

BUILDING DESIGNGary Milnes 26

BUILDING DEVELOPMENTSBeal Homes 68

BUILDING SERVICESM J Spencer & Sons 04Fairclear Construction 08L&J Construction & Maintenance 24WEH Property Services 26Leesing Construction Ltd 28RF Building Services Limited 40S J Wood Building Services 48

BUILDING SUPPLIES & TIMBERListers 40

CAKE CREATIONFiona Milnes: Cakes by Design 10

CARPET SERVICESKendall Carpets IFC

CHILDREN’S SERVICESJo Jingles 08Loobyloos 18

CHIROPODIST SERVICESMandy Spring 16

CHRISTMAS TREESFillingham Trees 07

CHIMNEY SWEEPING SERVICESTL Chimney Sweep Services 28

CLEANING SERVICESAllan Cotterill 22Sarah Parker 30

COMPLEMENTARY HEALTHCARELincoln Chiropractic 10

COMPUTER SERVICESBob’s Computers 12The PC Stop (John White) 46

CONSULTANCY/TRAINING SERVICESESH Consultancy & Training Ltd 08

DANCING CLASSESSusan Gaisford 24Danielle Rawlinson 48Lisa Hurst 56

DOMESTIC SERVICESPepperpots Domestic Services 08

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE SERVICESNeil Bark 12Larry Jackson 30

EATING OUTJayDees IFC

ELECTRICAL SERVICESNock Electrical 12Neil Caldwell 22Mike Pollard 42

ESTATE AGENTSMundys IFCHarrison 16

EYECARE SERVICESClearview Opticians 40David Burghardt BC

FINANCIAL SERVICESThompson & Richardson 18

FLORISTSFlowers by Design 10

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICESWiltshire Farm Foods IFC

FOOTCARE SERVICESAmble Down 10

FUNCTION VENUESThe Old School 06Nettleham Village Hall 30

FUNERAL SERVICESJonathan Whiting 42Lincolnshire Co-operative 46

FURNITURE & SOFT FURNISHINGSEdward W Crowther Ltd 20Robert Truelove & Sons 22Thorpe Soft Furnishings 28

GARAGE DOOR SERVICESCastle Garage Doors 24

GARDEN SERVICESLincs Landscape Co 06P Westman Landscapes 08

GARDEN CENTRES & NURSERIESRudies Roots 10Wainwright Utilities 38Scothern Nurseries 42

GIFTWARETroika 06ScandiGifts 08

GOLF CENTRESWelton Manor Golf Centre BC

HAIR STYLISTSSalon Rouge 20Margaret’s 22

HANDYMAN/HOME MAINTENANCEHelping Hands 22Nettleham Handyman 28Andy Gregory 56

HEALTH & BEAUTYThe Beauty Rooms 26Aspects of Beauty 38

HEARING AID SERVICESClaire Armitage 14

HOLIDAY RENTALPollensa, North Mallorca 56

HOME SECURITYSecure Homes Limited 10

INTERIORSNu Door 24

IRONING SERVICESThe Iron Lady 28

JOINERY SERVICESColin Pyrah 24

KITCHENSJackson Building Centres 58

KNITTING WOOLSLouby Lou Wools 07

LAWNCARELawnmaster 07

LAWNMOWER SERVICESPaul Dales 22

LEGAL SERVICESPage Nelson 06Dale & Co 18JGQC Solicitors 38Andrew & Co 40Wilkin Chapman 42Sills & Betteridge 46

MATHS/ENGLISH TUITIONLynn Williams 26Kip McGrath 56

MOBILE HAIRSTYLISTMaxine 24

MOTORING SERVICESRoy Wilson Auto Services 10Lincoln MOT Centre 30

MULTIMEDIA SERVICESBlow by Blow Productions 12

MUSIC TUITIONBrian Handley 24Kirk Stephenson Guitar Tuition 46

NAILCARE SERVICES1st Class Nails 42

NEWSAGENTSBeckside Newsagents 04

OVEN CLEANING SERVICESOven-U Valeting Service 28

PAINTING & DECORATINGS J Skepper 08Graham Hill 10T Lawson 18Holmes & Fields 22Tom Day 28

PET SERVICES & SUPPLIESTaylors of Welton 10Scothern Kennels & Cattery 24Cats Prefer Home 26Major Groom 66

PHARMACY SERVICESLincolnshire Co-operative 18

This magazine is funded solely by the revenue from advertisements and readers are urged to support these businesses whenever possible. Please mention Nettleham News when responding to advertisements.Acceptance of advertisements does not imply any endorsement by Nettleham News and those responding to the advertisements are responsible for confirming the quality and suitability of the products and services offered.

It is the advertisers’ responsibility to ensure that their material does not contravene advertising standards or any Act of Parliament.

IFC: inside front cover; IBC: inside back cover; BC: back cover

PLASTERINGNettleham Plastering 26

PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICESD White 08Gas Wise 18Glyn Rudd Plumbing 22Paul Strong Limited 24Apex Plumbing 30Simply Heating (Lincoln) Limited 38Trevor Lawrence 48

PRE-SCHOOLSBeckside Pre-School 08Stepping Stones Pre-School 12

PRINTING SERVICESCupit Print BC

PROPERTY LETTING SERVICESFuture Lettings 08Your Home 56

PUBLIC HOUSESThe Plough Inn IFCThe White Hart 60

RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMESSt Luke’s Nursing Home 12Willan House 26

ROOFING SERVICESSimon J Humphreys 08Philip Linder 22N B Reid 42

SIGNMAKERSVenture Signs BC

SKIP HIRE SERVICESHandy Tip 16Thompson Waste Management 24

SPECIALITY FOODSThe Cheese Society 14

SPORTS CLUBSNettleham Tennis Club 06

SUPERMARKET & POST OFFICELincolnshire Co-operative IBC

TAXI SERVICESYour Cars Private Hire 22

THEATRICAL GROUPSNew Youth Theatre 56

TRAVEL AGENTSImp Travel 24

TREE & HEDGE SERVICESTip Top Tree Service 22Mark Cropper 24Sara Bright 07

TV/VIDEO SERVICESHorizon Aerials 10

WINDOW CLEANINGDLH Window Cleaning Services 07

WINDOWS & CONSERVATORIESCRB Installations 10Andy Yates 40Starglaze 54


3

Nettleham NoticeboardIf your local group or organisation is staging an event, use these free spaces to let everyone know

Come along andenjoy some cake and biscuits

and a chat

Every Sunday afternoon3.00 - 4.00pm

‘CUPPA TIME’ALL SAINTS CHURCH

All Saints ChurchCome along and

let your mind experiencepeace and tranquility

for half an hour on Thursdayevery week

Every Thursdaythroughout the year

2.30pm - 3.00pm

&MUSICMEDITATION

WANTEDYour ideas

for future editions ofNettleham News

It’s your magazine,so if there is something

that you would like to seecovered in its pages then

contact the Editor on

[email protected]

WANTEDYour views onwhether or not

Nettleham should havea skate park

It is important that readerswho have a view on this subject

should either let their views be knownby post or email to the Parish Council,

or complete and return thequestionnaire provided on page 11

to the Parish Council.

Thank you

NETTLEHAM VILLAGE HALLCHRISTMAS CONCERT BY

MARKET RASENBRASS BAND

Saturday 22 December7.30pm

Tickets: £6.00Refreshments available during interval

Advance tickets may be purchased fromAndy Handford’s butcher’s shop, Nettleham

or arrange by telephone:J Prince: 07731 183053

For more information please telephone01472 840870

or07525 033192

CAN YOU HELP?Age UK Nettleham Luncheon Clubneed volunteer drivers to work through

Dial-a-Ride minibus service.

This would be for the benefitof senior citizens in our village -

collecting/returning to Luncheon Club(The Old School) on Thursdays

during school term time.

This service is greatly appreciatedby our members, who would be unable

to attend without this amenity.

Please telephone Mike Paley

01522 754132

AArrttss && CCrraaffttssffoorr CChhrriissttmmaass

Sunday 9 December10.30am - 3.30pm

atThe Old School, Nettleham

FREE ADMISSIONSeasonal refreshments

www.tempopromotes.co.ukTelephone: 0786 6864062

FRIENDS OF NETTLEHAMGUIDES AND SCOUTS

GRAND CHRISTMAS RAFFLE DRAW

incorporating

NETTLEHAM COMMUNITY MARKET

Crafts and Produce Stalls

SATURDAY 8 DECEMBER 2012AT THE SCOUT HUT

10.00am to 12.00 noonStalls and refreshments

Carol Singing outside the Co-opGrand draw at 12.00 noon Tickets available from leaders

or outside the Co-op on1 and 7 December

ST. BARNABASCOFFEE MORNING

Come and seethe photographs of the

Nettleham Diamond JubileeStreet Party

Saturday 8 December10.00am - 1.00pm

The Old School Rooms, Nettleham

Do please bring along yourown photographs too!

Raffle, tombola and cake stall

All are very welcome


4

BECKSIDE NEWSAGENTS

Nettleham’s Paper Shop

751331

M J SPENCER & SONS(NETTLEHAM) LTD

Builders & Contractors22 BECKSIDE, NETTLEHAM, LINCOLN LN2 2PH

FOR A

COMPLETE BUILDING SERVICE

TELEPHONE 01522 806919MOBILE 07887 855921 or 07789 406660


5

NettlehamParish Council

The Old SchoolMill Hill

NettlehamLincolnLN2 2PE

Telephone/fax 01522 750011Email: [email protected]

www.nettleham.info

Parish OfficeOpen Monday - Thursday

9.00am - 12.30pm

Parish Council NewsThe fluttering leaves of autumn havebeen cleared from the drains, and the icytendrils of winter are approaching and mayeven be here, but the Parish Council quarterly report surely contains somethingto warm up the cold December days.

Best Kept Village Competition

Congratulations and many thanks from theParish Council to everyone in the villagewhose floral displays, tidy gardens andlitter-free streets helped us to gain amagnificent second place in our categoryof the competition.

We were beaten only by Woodhall Spa,whose resources are somewhat greaterthan ours! The scores and comments fromeach round can be found on page 52.

Skate Park Proposals

Unfortunately attendance at the recentWorking Group meetings has comprisedonly Parish Councillors, although theCommittee does include public membersand interested individuals. Little progresshas therefore been made in settling on apreferred location within the most obvioussite: Mulsanne Park. Partly as a result ofthis level of interest the Parish Council hasbeen considering whether there is anymerit in pursuing the proposal, given thetime and financial commitment whichwill be involved.

A decision will need to be made in thenear future on whether to proceed and inorder to help with the decision, the Councilis undertaking a survey (see page 11).Residents of all ages are asked to maketheir views known by responding to thequestions in the survey, but in particularwe would like to hear from residents belowthe age of 17 years. Please be sure toreturn the questionnaire by Friday 11January 2013 at the very latest.

Village Trees

Until this year the Parish Council hasundertaken, via its contractor and on arefundable basis, minor work on Highwaystrees on the verges in order to bothexpedite urgent problems and achieve aresult at a competitive price. The HighwaysAuthority (Lincolnshire County Council) hasnow indicated that all Highway treeproblems (broken branches, obstructionsand diseases) are to be reported to themand they will undertake the work.The number to call is 01522 782070.

The Parish Council will continue to be acontact point for enquiries about any othertrees which might be perceived as apotential problem. It should be borne inmind that there are many trees in privateownership, some, where ownership isunknown, and some for which the Parish

Council is responsible (mainly on its ownproperty at Bill Bailey’s and MulsannePark). Where possible, the Council willadvise on ownership and responsibility.

Bishops Palace Site

You may have noticed that work hasstarted with the rebuilding of the rampoutside the Methodist Church, to provideeasy wheelchair access to the BishopsPalace site. The next building work will bethe construction of a lych-gate at thislocation and a more substantial gateway(to be known as Prince of Wales Gate) atthe entrance from the Scheduled AncientMonument area to the pastoral area.Fencing of part of the periphery will alsobe undertaken to define the boundary.Full details can be found on pages 32/33of this edition of the magazine.

Advertising in the Village

The Council has for some time been keento agree a voluntary advertising policy forthe village, the objective being to clarifythe way in which the large noticeboard atthe Co-op is used, to control, if possible,fly-posting on lamp-posts and telegraphpoles, and overall to avoid the village beinginundated with notices which contributeto an untidy street scene.

Meetings have been held between asub-group of the Council and localbusinesses, although there was at that

time a perception that the Council was‘anti-business’ (a suggestion which wasstrongly refuted). The Working Groupsubsequently produced suggestions whichaimed to strike a balance between localbusiness needs and the desire to avoid aproliferation of notices, often irrelevant tolocal people.

The matter was considered by the Councilin October and an Advertising Policy forNettleham has been agreed. Details of thepolicy can be found on the Parish Council’swebsite.

Parking and Traffic Management

This featured at length in the autumnedition, since when the Council havereceived a number of observations on theproposals for additional yellow lines andhave considered the matter further.It has been decided to take no furtheraction for the present, but to monitor theeffectiveness of the new Civil ParkingEnforcement regime, and to reconsiderthe matter in summer 2013.

Flower Tubs

It is appropriate to repeat our thanks tothe sponsors of the flower tubs in thevillage centre: Rudies Roots, for the oneson the bridges near the church and the OldSchool, and Nettleham Gardeners whohave renewed their sponsorship of theVicarage Lane tubs for the winter.

Village Walks

At the last Fieldpaths Advisory Committeemeeting, discussions took place regardingrecent village walks held and the dwindlingattendance of residents to these walks.It was agreed that no village walks wouldbe organised until after the next meeting(March 2013) where ideas and suggestionsfor village walks would be discussed.

Coles Garage Site

In October the Council considered aresident’s suggestion that they purchasethe site and convert it to a car park. Whilstthe Council is as concerned as residents areat the continued forlorn appearance ofthe site, and the apparent lack of progressin any new development, it was felt thatthe suggestion as made could not beproceeded with, not least because with arecently-approved planning application forthe land, the cost would be prohibitive,and the Council is not in a position toeither afford such expenditure on a carpark (even if charges were imposed) or beable to repay the costs of the purchase.

The selling agents will again be asked toundertake tidying up of the frontage.

(Future Parish Council Meetingsappear on page 7)

The Old SchoolOwned by Nettleham Parish Council

Suitable for meetings, parties, receptions,events, exhibitions, etc

Competitive Hire Charges

Telephone/fax: 01522 750011Email: [email protected]

www.nettleham.info

Nettleham Tennis Club isLTA registered and welcomes

everyone, irrespective of gender,age or ability,

providing tennis for bothsocial players and league players,

seniors and juniors

Junior coaching Thursday evenings(see website for details)

Membership Secretary: Chris Chester

Telephone

01522 824597Email: [email protected]

or visit our website at

www.communigate.co.uk/ne/nettlehamtennisclub

NETTLEHAM TENNIS CLUBMULSANNE PARK

Nettleham, Lincoln

Self-cateringHoliday Cottages

Self CateringAccommodation

English Tourism Council

Self CateringAccommodation

English Tourism Council

A friendly and local firm of solicitors providing:

Victory House, Henley Way, Doddington Road, Lincoln LN6 3QRTelephone (01522) 687500 Fax (01522) 690296

[email protected] www.pagenelson.co.ukRegulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

● Conveyancing - at a low cost fixed fee● Probate - a sensitive and efficient service● Wills - a personal approach with reduced rates for all Nettleham News readers

Free car parking availablefor appointments


6

LINCS LANDSCAPE COHorticultural Contractors

David Storey FRHSCG Certs in Horticulture

Cherry Willingham, Lincoln LN3 4AN

Telephone: 751325Mobile: 07754 778361

Email: [email protected]

● Contractors for all horticultural advice● Suppliers of all trees, shrubs, plants & seeds

● All estimates Free

TROIKACARDS & GIFTS

Greeting cards,Gifts, Jewellery and Toys

The Green, Nettleham

LINCOLN 751164House Signs

Delightful cottages within easy walking distance of the Village Green.Offering well-equipped accommodation with garden and off-road parking

Weekends, weeks and longer-term lets available

For more details contactSusan Downs

Telephone 01522 750819Email: [email protected] Website: www.oldvic.net


7

Do you need helplooking after your trees?

Not sure if your tree is safe?

Would like to plant new trees, but notsure what species would be best?

For professional andindependent adviceplease contact me

● Over 30 years’ experience of working with trees, gardensand woodlands

● The Arboricultural Surveyor for Lincolnshire County Council

● Public liability and professional indemnity insurance held

● Technician member of the Arboricultural Association

● Based in Nettleham

Sara Bright TechArborA

[email protected]

01522 875939Mobile 07885 914305

PARISH COUNCILMEETINGS

All meetings commenceat 7.30pm and all are open

to the general public

All meetings at The Old Schoolunless otherwise stated

Tuesday18 December 2012

Tuesday22 January 2013

Tuesday19 February 2013

Property CommitteeWednesday

12 December 2012Wednesday

6 February 2013(to be confirmed)

Mulsanne Park Users’CommitteeMonday

25 February 2013(at Mulsanne Park: to be confirmed)

Dates correct at the time of going to press

● Knitting Wools

● Patterns & Buttons

● Needles & Accessories

● Kits for Scarves, Cushions & Bags

● Range of Hand-Knitted Garments

● Knitting-Up Service

● Monthly Knitting Club

8 Lodge Lane, Nettleham(near the surgery)

Opening Times Friday: 10.00am - 4.00pm

Saturday: 9.00am - 5.00pmOther times by arrangement

Telephone01522 752854 or 07794 946830

[email protected]

www.loubylouwools.co.uk

USE THIS SPACEto promote YOUR products or

services

Contact the Editor on Lincoln

753000


8

S J SKEPPERInterior & ExteriorPainter & Decorator

City & Guilds Holder

For free estimates telephone

WELTON 01673 861443Mobile telephone:

07930 2274143 Ridge Close, Welton

Simon J Humphreys

8 Sudbrooke LaneNettleham

Specialist inbuilt-up feltroofing

Telephone 01522 751561Mobile: 07905 092174

D WHITE

Over 25 years experience

01522 69055455 Meadowlake Crescent

Lincoln LN6 0HZ

PLUMBING SERVICES

REGISTEREDPLUMBER

PLUMBING SERVICES

P WESTMAN LANDSCAPESGarden Design, Pruning, Turfing,

Fencing, Tree Surgery, Patios, Hedging

FREEESTIMATESGIVEN

Philip WestmanAsh Tree House25 Eastfield LaneWeltonLincoln LN2 3NA

Telephone

01673866660

Extensions,New Builds,Brickwork,Block Paving, Patios,Concreting and more

Competitive RatesFree Estimates

16 Sibthorpe DriveSudbrooke

LincolnLN2 2RQ

t: 01522 595189m: 07970 387909 / 07970 387910w: www.fairclear.co.uke: [email protected]

Beckside Pre-SchoolEarly Years Unit, All Saints Lane,

Nettleham

Telephone: 07940 873505

For children 21/2 to 5OFSTED Registered

Come and see us learning through play

Monday - Friday 9.00am - 12.00 noon &12.00 noon - 3.00pm, also full day

PEPPERPOT’SDOMESTIC SERVICES

One-off & Regular CleansSpring & Builder CleansWindows CleanedCarpet CleaningIroning & Laundry ServiceCollection & DeliveryTrustworthy & DependableConsultation Available

TEL 01673 857691/07947 322023LANGTON-BY-WRAGBY, MARKET RASEN

[email protected]

Helen Hancock & Sharon Donaldson

● Letting only● Letting and rent collection● Letting and managementWe guarantee our fees will be lower than

any other agent

Let us Let - you won’t be disappointedEmail:[email protected]

Telephone: 01522 595 51520 The Green, Nettleham, Lincoln LN2 2NR

www.futurelets.com

Accountants andBusiness AdvisorsCatering for all yoursmall business needs ina prompt, efficient andfriendly manner

Cygnet House, Exchange Road,Lincoln LN6 3JZ

Telephone: 01522 698329Mobile: 07775 934527Fax: 01522 501426

[email protected]

Managing Partner: Andy Seymour

For details on classes in: North Hykeham, Welton,Bailgate, Waddington, Saxilby, Gainsborough,

Retford and BawtryCall Katy on 07736 [email protected]/lincoln

Bathroom design, supply andinstallation

Showers and shower repairsWall and floor tiling

All types of plumbing repairsNo job too small and no call-out charge

ScandiGiftsThe perfect place for

Scandinavian home andgift ideas

Unit 2, 19 The Green, Nettleham, Lincoln LN2 2NR(Just behind the Co-op)

Telephone 07931 554674Open: Tuesday - Friday: 9.00am - 5.00pm

Saturday: 9.00am - 1.30pm


9

Letters from ReadersFrom Margaret in Watford

‘Blast from the Past’

I heard a word this week that I hadn’theard for many years: ‘scullery’!

It conjured up so many memories, as wehad a scullery, leading from the kitchen,which held a gas stove, a built-in copperand a sink.

How, as a child, I hated Mondays - thedreaded ‘wash-day’! I would get homefrom school, scullery filled with steam andmy dear mother wielding a long stick witha copper end, prodding the whiter thanwhite sheets, which in those days, ofcourse, were starched. Cold left-overs fromSunday on the menu for tea!

In those days I remember the lamp-lighterwould come round every night and, with along pole, light all the gas lamp-posts inthe street.

An organ-grinder would also sometimescome, with a monkey on his shoulder, andsharpen household knives. The muffin-mancame round too, with a large tray ofmuffins on his head.

Rag-and-bone men came every weekringing a big handbell and calling out,which haunts me at times and even nowI associate the sound with so many eventsof my life.

Getting back to words from the past, I feela bit naughty mentioning ‘Liberty Bodice’,stays, corsets and coms (which I believeare now called ‘Long Johns’ - horriblegarments which we had to wear aschildren!).

Ah well, despite hating wash-day andwearing horrid garments, I still had awonderful childhood, so much better I’msure, than many childen have today.

My parents were not well-off, but wealways had clean clothes, good food andlots of love!

What more could a child ask for?

Margaret Waggett

EditorMany thanks for these childhood memories

Margaret - I’m sure many readers will be interestedto learn of those bygone years.

Do any other readers have fond,perhaps humorous, memories of their childhood?

Why not send them in to Nettleham News andshare them with all our readers.

I remember when I was a lad,the daily milk delivery came by horse and cart and,if I was unlucky, the animal would relieve itself in

the street and I would be despatched with a bucketand shovel by my dad to collect the manure

for his precious roses!

More readers letters on page 21

Feed the Birds A Very Sad IncidentVia email

I am shocked and saddened.

Today, 1 October, my daughter (23) waswaiting for Colin’s bus at the corner onHighfields. Her husband was working andshe decided to get the bus to her medicalappointment. She collapsed, fell to theground and went onto all fours. May I addthat my daughter is nine months pregnant(very obviously so).

Five women, all middle-aged, passed herby, walking directly past her and not oneof them stopped to help or support her,but carried on their way, chatting.

As her mother, a midwife and resident inthe village, I feel I need people to read thison behalf of my daughter and herhusband.

Today I am disgusted with the ability ofpeople to ignore someone in need, even insleepy, middle-class Nettleham. And we saythe young are ignorant!

Karis Annette

Editor

It is with great sadness and dismaythat this letter is included in the magazine.It belies the usually strong and supportive

community spirit which traditionally prevails inNettleham and I sincerely hope that this is anisolated, atypical incident and not a sign of ageneral change of attitude among residents

of the village

We have definitely noticed there are a lotmore birds at our bird-table this autumnand I want to ask you to feed the birds,if at all possible.

Every morning we get ‘flash mobbed’by several starlings (their numbers areseriously declining). They tend to make ageneral mess of everything and then goaway! However, they are funny to watchand naughty too!

I put out niger seed early this year andwe can have as many as seven goldfincheswaiting to feed. They are very bright incolour, particularly on dull autumn days.This can only mean there is a shortage ofseeds for them in the wild, as usually theydo not start coming until well into thestart of winter.

We also see a regular group of long-tailedtits. Again, they are quite unusual visitors.We have blackbirds and sparrows, with arobin that has been calling for about threeyears. I have named him Rufus!

I know the birds depend on us, so I dokeep up the feeding. If we go away for afew days, it is possible to fill up the feedersand it does last.

Collared doves are also suffering from adownturn in numbers. Four visit and peckup all the bits off the floor.

Remember to wash down tables andfeeders every so often, as birds can catchsalmonella.

Happy bird watching! I would love to hearif anyone sees anything unusual on theirbird tables.

Phyllis Maiden

Disposal of Autumn LeavesI acknowledge that we all love trees,except perhaps at the end of October/earlyNovember, when leaf-drop occurs.

However, I was appalled to see oneresident’s answer to their disposal.Having declared that the leaves were‘contaminated’ and therefore he wouldnot deal with them, he promptly blewthem from the front of his bungalow ontothe grass verge and road outside his elderlyneighbour’s house on the pretence thatthey would likely (hopefully) blow away inthe next couple of hours. The road is themain arterial route into this village.

My concerns are threefold. Firstly theanti-social behaviour involved; secondly thepotential danger to users of the highway,in particular cyclists returning home fromwork in the dark; and finally, theimplications in terms of lack of communityspirit, which is an integral part of thisvillage’s success in the Best Kept Villagecompetition.

Let’s hope that this proves to be a one-offevent.

Name and address withheld


10

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It is our intention to provide greaterdetail at a later date, but for now weneed input from you, the residents.

The number of residents prepared to siton the Steering Group has been very low(typically 3-4), and even that number hasfallen over the last two meetings.

We need to determine whether, or not,there is real support in the village for thisproposal and if it would continue to beused in the longer term.

Your responses to the following questionswill help us to decide whether we continuewith this proposal, or put it back in its box,perhaps to be revisited at some date inthe future.

We are particularly interested in responsesfrom teenagers, parents and grandparentsof pre-teens, but everyone is welcome toparticipate. All responses will be treated asconfidential and an indication of your agegroup would be useful.

A Skate Park In Nettleham: Yes or No?

Local youngsters make the most of one of the past visits of the ‘mobile’ skate park to the village

QUESTIONSDo you support

the proposal for a skate parkin Nettleham?

Would you/yourchildren/grandchildren use

such a facility?

Would you be prepared tosit on the Steering Group?

(2 hours per month)

Would you be prepared toorganise and/or participate

in fundraising?(up to possibly 50%+ of the overall cost)

Would yousupport a Precept to pay for

a skate park?(subject to Parish Council discussion)

Any relevant comments youwish to make?

(please write your comments below)

Name:

Age group:

Please contact me via:

The Steering Group will meet againearly in 2013 to review the future ofthe project, in light of responses tothis article and questionnaire.

We would be grateful if you wouldlet us have your views on this byFriday 11 January 2013 at the latest.

Thank you for your time, we look forwardto hearing from you.

Cllr Joseph SiddallNettleham Parish Council

■■ YES ■■ NO





✂As you are probably aware, there arediscussions in progress regarding thepossibility of providing a skate parkin Nettleham.

To this end, a small Steering Group hasbeen investigating potential sites, designsand costs. This Steering Group hascomprised Nettleham Parish Councillors,the Parish Clerk, a representative ofGroundworks Lincs, a small number ofNettleham residents and the West LindseyDistrict Councillor for Sudbrooke:Stuart Curtis.

Cllr Curtis is involved because Sudbrookehave expressed an interest in joiningNettleham in this possible development.In the absence of a suitable site inSudbrooke, they would be happy with alocation in Nettleham. As a Parish Councilwe are very aware of the relative lack ofpermanent facilities for our teenagers.Recent visits by ‘mobile’ skate parks havebeen very well supported.

The Skate Park is envisaged as being inthe region of 20 x 35 metres, costingbetween £60,000 and £80,000 and fundedby a mix of Parish Councils’ support, publicfundraising and grants, (although thelatter are becoming increasingly difficult tosecure). This ‘skate park’ could be used bythose with skateboards, BMX cycles, skatesand scooters, (not the motorised variety,of course!), so would be truly multi-use.

We have looked at four potential sites:● Bill Bailey’s Playing Field● An extension (into the car park) of the

old Boule Court at Mulsanne Park● Part of the football training pitch at

Mulsanne Park (next to the tennis courts)● Lincoln Rugby Club site off Lodge Lane.

Each site has its pro’s and con’s and noneis simple and/or ideal.

Please return this questionnaire to theParish Office, The Old School, Nettleham,Lincoln LN2 2PE

Alternatively you can send your responseeither in writing to the Parish Office,or via email to:[email protected]


12

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13

The thing I notice most about Nettlehampeople is the kindness. As a new CountyCouncillor I might have expected to begreeted with suspicion, or even dislike, aswould happen in a lot of areas, but not inNettleham.

Everywhere I go andwhoever I talk to, I’mgreeted with warmthand kindness and agenuine interest in theway the village is run.It’s wonderful to popinto The Tea Cosy andto share a table withpeople I’ve never metbefore, whilst chattingabout village mattersand eating a slice of thatlovely cake!

I take my work as acouncillor very seriouslyand I’m lucky to be both retired andhealthy, so that I can go out and about inthe division, dealing with issues whichcome my way.

Recent concerns include the custodysuite - which seems to be on hold, thankgoodness - as well as parking problems.Most of you will be aware that new trafficwardens will be in place from 3 December

and I’ve had word that they will be comingto Nettleham to look at parking around thevillage green. They’ll be giving warningsrather than tickets in the first few days, butafter that they will issue formal tickets,

so it might be worthwatching out for themwhen you do yourshopping from thebeginning of December.

I’ve started attendingParish Council meetingsat Nettleham and they’revery interesting andextremely well run.It’s noticeable thatresidents come alongregularly to take part inthe proceedings, whichis brilliant, because thatdoesn’t happen in a lotof places.

I’ve been able to provide some of theinformation requested by the Chairmanand I hope to be as much use as possiblewhile I hold this seat. I’m thrilled that somany people trusted me with their votesand I will always be respectful of that trust.I look forward to working with you.

Jackie Brockway County Councillor, Nettleham & Saxilby Division

30-year-old Nettleham resident GilesMcNeill has become the youngest districtcouncillor to be elected to West LindseyDistrict Council.

He takes over from District CouncillorRaymond Sellars who sadly passed awayearlier this year.

Giles, who works forlocal MP Edward Leigh,became interested inpolitics whilst studyingin the sixth form atDe Aston School inMarket Rasen.

He said: “I am delightedto have won thisby-election and to jointhe council as itsyoungest member is anadded bonus.

“I believe it is importantthat the council reflectsthe people of West Lindsey.Whilst older members of the council bringexperience, younger councillors bring adifferent world-view.

“I am looking forward to learning from mycolleagues, just as I hope to add value tothe council with my own perspective.

...and District Councillor“Ray Sellars was a good and popularcouncillor and very much appreciated bythe community for all the work he did.His death was a sad loss and I have bigshoes to fill.”

Giles has lived in the village of Nettlehamsince 1990 and studiedat Hull University for hispolitics degree.

MP Edward Leigh said:“Giles is a hard-working,committed individualand I am sure he willbring his talents to thecouncil, delivering forthe people of Nettleham,Greetwell, Riseholmeand Grange-de-Lingsand all the residents ofWest Lindsey.”

West Lindsey DistrictCouncil Chief Executive,Manjeet Gill, said: “We

are very pleased to welcome Cllr McNeillto the council and wish him well for thefuture in this position.

“It is good that young people are gettinginto local politics, they can make a realdifference to the district.”

WLDC Chief Executive Manjeet Gillwith Cllr Giles McNeill

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Carnival ChequePresentation

Nettleham Carnival took place onSaturday 14 July this year and as usualraised a significant sum of money forgood causes.

The Carnival Raffle proceeds are splitbetween the Village Hall Restoration Fundand a charity which the committee decideson at the first meeting each year.

SENSE, a charity for deaf-blind people,was the charity the Carnival supported in2012.

The photograph shows Phil McGuinesspresenting the cheque for £600.00 to theSENSE Charity Education Co-ordinator:Caroline Paing, on The Green.

Phil McGuinessChairman, Nettleham Carnival Committee


14

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15

Tractor Fire in NettlehamAt midday on Tuesday 2 October 2012,there was some excitement in thevillage when a vehicle caught fire onthe highway in Washdyke Lane.

Whilst other villagers were probablyunaware of the drama that was happening(unless they had previously heard the fireengine sirens approaching in the distance),the residents of Washdyke Lane and nearbyroads were witnessing a serious tractor firenear the Beck road-bridge.

The tractor, with a special road-brushattachment, was being used to clear thehighway of mud left by other tractors(seen in the background of the bottomright picture) harvesting a crop from anearby field.

The fire brigade attended and eventuallythe fire was brought under control,although the the weeping willow tree nextto the fire was severely scorched andblackened with the heat and acrid blacksmoke. It remains to be seen whether thistree will survive the ordeal.

Below can be seen the remains of theburnt-out vehicle, which was clearly a totalwrite-off, and the blackened willow treebehind. Fortunately no person sustainedany injuries.

Many thanks to Phil McGuiness ofWashdyke Lane for sending thesedramatic photographs for publication inNettleham News.


16

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I think nearly every one of us looks upat the sky in the morning, or when weare arranging an outdoor trip or party.We are a country of weather watchers,as our climate is so fickle. A scorchingday can be followed the next by anear-monsoon!

The sky and wind direction have muchto tell us. Country people relied on theweather for their livelihood and awrong decision could spell disasterand starvation. Therefore, a farmerwould frequently look at nature oratmospheric conditions before heplanted or harvested crops, or movedanimals.

The first weather satellite was notlaunched until 1960. Before that it wasvital for people who depended on theweather to develop the skills ofweather forecasting. These traditionalskills were often passed down throughfamilies.

Because the church provided thehighest point in a village, it becamehabitual to erect a weather vane onthe top of the spire for the benefit ofthe people in the community toimmediately see which way the windwas blowing. Wind direction holdsmany clues to coming weather.Fishermen in particular are guided bywind direction and believe it is notwise to set off on a fishing trip whenthe wind is coming from the north, asthis could cause heavy seas. They willalso constantly look at the sky evenwhen they are out at sea.

Of course, predictions could notalways be accurate, but study of someof the sayings, which often rhymed,does show that many do actually havescientific support. Some seem to benonsense. For instance, I used to knowan elderly Yorkshire lady who said thatif the moon was on its back, it was fullof rain! She also said that a full moonmeant that the weather wouldchange.

A shepherd, outside for most of thetime, was and still is, very observant.He needs to keep his flock healthy andsafe. Each morning he will work outthe wind direction and look all aroundhim at the sky.

When ditch and pondaffect the nose,Look out for rain

and stormy blows.

High pressure would keep smells atbay, whereas low pressure, beforerain, would cause the smells to risefrom the ground.

The most well-known saying isprobably:

Red sky in the morning -a shepherd’s warning,

A red sky at night -a shepherd’s delight.

There is some truth in this saying as aclear western sky at sunset suggestshundreds of miles of clear sky withoutany approaching rain. In the morninga red sky means that the sun could beshining on rain clouds moving in fromthe west. Another saying is:

An evening greyand a morning red,

Will send the shepherdwet to bed.

This is self explanatory!

Clouds are often ‘read’. Most of usknow when a storm is looming as welook at clouds piled high overhead.The old sayings are:

When clouds look like black smoke,A wise man puts on his cloak.

and:When clouds appear like rocks

and towers,The earth will be washed by

frequent showers.

Some clouds look like animals’ tailsand the rhyme goes:

Horses’ manes and mares’ tails,Sailors soon shall shorten sails

because their sighting was frequentlya precursor of bad weather.

We occasionally see a ‘mackerel’ skyand this cloud, the altocumuli, warnsus that a storm will follow within36 hours.

A country person’s body may even tellhim how the weather was behaving.If his corns had shooting pains, then astorm was coming, as with the achingof a hollow tooth or his back.

Low pressure has an effect on hair andmany a lady in the days of having haircurled, would bemoan her curls soondropping out in a damp atmosphere.

Furniture does not escape scrutiny.A delightful rhyme tells us what tolook for in our surroundings:

When windows won’t open,And salt clogs the shaker,The weather will favour

The umbrella maker.and:

If chairs squeakIt is of rain they speak.

Animals are sensitive to changes inpressure and many react badly to lowpressure. Sheep, if reluctant to moveup to higher grazing, tell us that badweather is on the way.

Some sayings relating to animals seembizarre, such as cows lying down whenit is going to rain. In reality, they areprobably lying down to digest whatthey have just eaten!

Birds’ flying habits are always usefulclues. Birds will fly high in goodweather as they take advantage ofinsects. Owls’ feathers do not do wellwhen they are wet, so they do nothunt so much on wet nights. Whenthe weather changes, they can be seendesperately hunting by day, as theyare so hungry.

Many pages could be written on thisfascinating subject, and I have barelyscratched the surface.

Phyllis Maiden

Old Country Weather Lore

All Saints church in Nettleham with its familiargolden cockerel weather vane


18

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19

We knew it had been a difficult year inthe garden, with the result that manypeople said that they had little to enterthis year. However, we were pleased tosee that people had made an effort andmost classes had entries displayed, withthe flower classes being even bettersupported than last year.

We actually had more people enteringthis year, but the number of itemsentered in total was less. As you knowthis is an open show and schedules aresent out to other clubs, and we weresurprised and very pleased to welcome agentleman who had travelled fromBoston to exhibit.

One-third of the entry forms came fromNettleham News and 20 people cameand recorded their entries on the Fridayevening, making for less of a queue onthe Saturday morning of the show!

15 children entered this year, the sameas last year, and I have to say thankgoodness for grannies, as well as mumsand dads, for encouraging the childrento enter.

The addition of the recipe for traditionalYorkshire Parkin was not popular (onlytwo entries), in fact the baking sectionwas down on numbers and the weathercan’t be blamed for that!

The liqueur class was well supported,which boosted the wine entry numbers,although others classes were less wellsupported.

Despite the poor growing conditions wedid get good feedback from the judgesand visitors who had enjoyed their visit.We do have some very talented peopleliving in and around Nettleham!

We are always pleased to receivesuggestions for new items to include inthe show, so please let me or any of thecommittee know. As I continually say -this is your show and we need yoursupport, as we do not want the show tobe discontinued, as has been the case insome other villages.

If you haven’t joined us before, why notgive us a try and come along to aGarden Club meeting. They are held onthe first Wednesday of each month inThe Old School starting at 7.30pm.

Thank you all for your support.

Sally Bradley

Nettleham Gardeners’ Annual Show 2012Pictured here is

a selection of the‘Best in Group’winners in the

2012 NettlehamGardeners’ Show,

including the‘Best in Show’

exhibit (left) fromSally Bradley,

a delightful smallarrangement of

hedgerow fruits andautumnal foliage

with thetopical theme:

”Time toEconomise”


20

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21

Nettleham Police StationScothern Road

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Non-emergency number: 101

Telephone: 01522 882222 (Ext:5796)Voicemail: 01522 558798 (0440)Fax: 01522 805797Email: [email protected]

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NEWnon-emergency numberLincolnshire Police has a NEW localnon-emergency telephone number:

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Police NewsThere is no Police News in this edition of

Nettleham News

Nettleham Age UKIn our village, for over 30 years, ourmore elderly residents have enjoyed theopportunity to socialise together at theThursday Luncheon Club, Tuesday CoffeeMorning and Forget Me Not Club - manyof them relying on transport to get tothese weekly events.

However, Lincoln Dial-A-Ride, who providethe minibus service, is now very short onvolunteer drivers which is impacting on ourmembership. The Tuesday Coffee MorningClub lost its transport two years ago andconsequently some members are nowunable to attend. It would be such ashame if this situation resulted in theclosure of some of the clubs, as they are ofsuch importance to our senior citizens,who really do value these amenities.

Please consider whether you could help us- no special driving licence is required,training is given and travel expenses intoLincoln to collect the minibus are paid.If several people came forward it wouldspread the load - a little of your timewould mean a lot to them.

Please contact Mike Paley on Lincoln754132 who can tell you more.

Kath ErsserSecretary, Age UK Nettleham

MacmillanCoffee Morning

Once again, my sincere thanks to everyonewho supported the Coffee Morning at myhome on 28 September and for donationsreceived. Grateful thanks also to my friendswho worked so hard to keep the coffeeflowing and sale tills ringing. I am pleasedto say that I have been able to send acheque for £275 to Macmillan.

Kath Ersser

More Letters from ReadersLincoln Drill Hall

I was very interested to read the article byPatricia Gregory in the autumn 2012edition of Nettleham News about Lincoln’sDrill Hall, a place which brings back manymemories for me, too.

In 1929, when I was a boy, I returned toEngland with my family from India, wheremy father had been Regimental SergeantMajor of the 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment.He had retired from the army aftertwenty-two years’ service and obtained acivilian post as an Orderly Room Clerk forthe Territorial Army, based at the Drill Hall.He had an office upstairs there, which hassince been converted into a flat.

In the 1930s, when I was a pupil at theCity School - which in those days was onMonks Road - I would call and see him onmy way home. Every Christmas an indoor‘shoot’ (shooting competition) was held atthe Drill Hall and my father, who was anexcellent shot, won many prizes, includinga dinner service which we still use today.

During the war the Drill Hall was a populardance venue and I visited there many timeswhen on leave from the army. These daysmy wife and I attend there regularly for aless energetic pursuit: to listen to theexcellent literature lectures given byDr Jane Mackay, often followed by a film.

As we sit there enjoying our lunch, I oftenreflect on the many ways the Drill Hall hastouched my life for over eighty years.

Michael GravellsParkside, Nettleham

Thank you all so much for your mostgenerous support of the stall, held atNettleham Cares, in aid of Sight Savers.

A sincere thank you to Doris Colman andher family for all the knitted gifts sent to usfor sale on the stall and to Win Rollin forall her help in so many ways.

The proceeds of the stall, together withdonations received, meant that I was ableto send the grand sum of £100.00 to SightSavers to help in their excellent work.

Joyce E Lewis

Fundraising forSight Savers

Thank you so much to everyone whojoined in Nettleham Cares on Saturday20 October 2012 and made the day somemorable. It was really good to have somany charities participating. On theirbehalf, I would like to thank all of youfor your support.

Thank you ladies for providing deliciousrefreshments once again. Whether as stallholders or supporters, we did so enjoy thegoodies you provided and know you willhave slept well that night!

Finally, my thanks to Chevrette, who notonly provided the music for us, but madeno charge for playing, thereby contributingto all the charities. Such a lovely gesture.

Joyce E Lewis

Nettleham Cares


22

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A Reader Replies...Queen Elizabeth II Coronation

Left to right: Marilyn Brown, Jean Sleet, ..........?, Christine Kinder, Angela Thompson, ? Baker

Left to right: Marilyn Brown, ? Baker, Jean Street, ..........?, Christine Kinder, Angela Thompson

Left to right: Angela Thompson, ? Baker, Christine Kinder

I am writing in response to the letterfrom Marion Jones (nee Shaw) fromAustralia, in the autumn edition ofNettleham News.

I too remember the Queen Elizabeth IICoronation celebrations in this village.I was eight years old and a pupil atNettleham C of E school around thesame time as Marion’s sister Angela.

Yes, we did all receive a copy of theCoronation New Testament, whichI still have to this day. I also rememberthe Celebration Parade in the village.

I was living on Deepdale (nowThe Dene) with my family at the time -across the pathway from JimmyBrown’s family.

I include three photographs of usre-enacting a wedding (not sure why!)at the Parade. The ‘Vicar’ was MarilynBrown, the ’Bride’ was Jean Sleet(she has since left the village) and‘Bridesmaids’ were myself (ChristineKinder), Angela Thompson (who,soon after this photograph was taken,contracted polio along with her fourbrothers and sisters. They were ournext-door neighbours and Angela wasmy friend. Sadly she died from theeffects of polio in her early 20s). Theother ‘Bridesmaid’ was one of theBaker girls I think. I can’t rememberwho the ‘Groom’ was.

There were also floats from villageorganizations and my sister June hassome photographs of herself, JoyceBell, Rene Franklin and Joan Porter as‘Nurses’ on the Red Cross float.

Christine Edison(nee Kinder)

EditorMany thanks Christine for your

fond reminiscences about events and peopleof past years in the village, including some of

the youngsters who were brought up inNettleham.

Many thanks also for the photographs -I know readers are always interested to see

old photographs of the village and the peoplewho lived here and if any readers haveother old photographs of Nettleham,

perhaps tucked away in the back of a drawer,do send them in for publication - they will be

returned safely to you


24

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NettlehamHeritage Association

2013 ProgrammeThese meetings are open to everyoneand start at 7.30pm in the Old School,

Nettleham

Wednesday 23 January 2013Local Films & Film Makers

Andrew Blow

Andrew has saved and edited numerouspast films, particularly of the Lincoln area,

a recent edition including Nettleham.He will illustrate his talk with extracts

from some of his productions

Wednesday 27 February 2013Robert Grossesteste: Scientist, Scholar

and… Saint?Dr Jack Cunningham

Jack Cunningham, a lecturer atBishop Grosseteste University College,

is the author of a biography of thismedieval bishop who was a highly

intellectual national figure

Wednesday 27 March 2013A Piece of Paradise: the Medieval Garden

Mrs Jean Townsend

One of historian Jean Townsend’s specialstudies is in medieval history. This talk may

help us to visualize the garden which isknown to have existed on the site of the

Nettleham Bishops’ Palace

Wednesday 24 April 2013The History of the RAF Fire Service

Stephen Shirley MBE

Stephen Shirley is a serving fire officerwho has studied the RAF service’s historyand curates the Fire Service Museum at

RAF Scampton

Wednesday 22 May 2013Annual General Meeting

After which the Association Secretary,Patricia Gregory, will give a talk on her

researches into the history of the medievalBishops’ Palace in Nettleham and otherhistorical palaces around the county of

Lincolnshire

AdditionalCommittee Members Required

I plan to leave the Nettleham area nextsummer, providing, of course, that the saleof my house proceeds successfully.

I will complete my year as the Secretary ofNettleham Heritage Association, but afterthat it will be necessary for someone else,or perhaps more realistically, some otherpeople, to take on the job.

The tasks involved could be broken downinto four separate categories as follows:

SecretaryThis is perhaps the least onerous task, asnot many letters are required in thegeneral administration of the Association.Mostly you need to be the one thatarranges committee meetings, compiles anagenda, reminds people of meetings andgenerally keeps an eye on the whole set-upfrom an organisational point of view.

Newsletter EditorWrite, edit and distribute the Associationnewsletter to the membership of theNettleham Heritage Association.

Assistant Treasurer/Membership SecretaryMaintain the membership list, collect thesubscriptions, attend meetings to collectthe latter (together with any one-off entryfees), collect payment cheques from theTreasurer and take all moneys/cheques,with list of money in/out, to the Treasurer.

Talks AssistantPearl Wheatley books the speakers andarranges the dates for the programme oftalks throughout the winter months.The task of the assistant will be to organisethe booking of the hall on the relevantdates, the key to be collected from theparish office on the day of the talk andthe hall to be opened up at 7.00pm,arrangements made to pay hall rental andreturn of the key to the parish office.

The existing committee members canprobably cover a number of these tasks,but they will definitely need some newvolunteer members to cover the rest.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight yearsplus that I have been involved in NettlehamHeritage Association, seeing it grow anddevelop from the start. However, withthe death of my mother in April this year,the need for me to stay in this area hasdisappeared. Thus I have to think of myfuture and move on.

Please consider offering to assist withsome of the above tasks to ensure thatNettleham Heritage Association continuesinto the future.

Pat Gregory

Telephone: 809062Email: [email protected]

AGM: 23 May 2012

The AGM briefly reported on the state ofour Association and the existing committeewere re-elected, with the exception ofKen Redmore who wished to step down.Many thanks Ken for all your excellentwork for the Association.

This was followed by a talk by SamanthaGordon about Bishop Grosseteste’s newArchaeology Lab. Here, Stewart Kerrisontells you about the lab project:

Bishop Grosseteste University CollegeArchaeology Unit were awarded a LotteryGrant for the ‘Open Lab’. This is basicallythe facility for archaeological groups to usethe Archaeology Department’s laboratory.I represented Nettleham Heritage Group onthe steering committee, the first meetingtaking place on Monday 30 January 2012.Unfortunately, at present, I am the onlymember of Nettleham Heritage Group toattend, which is a shame as I feel thatboth our group and individuals within theAssociation could gain a great deal.

What do we do when we meet? Groupscan bring in their finds to be cataloguedand recorded with their own uniquenumber, then washed (if appropriate),preserved, photographed drawn, etc, andif appropriate sent to the archive.

Even if a group does not have any finds oftheir own, their members can assist othergroups to do any of the above. Also it is anopportunity to meet experts and otherlike-minded people. Times run from10.00am - 3.00pm, but you don’t need tobe there for the whole meeting. Some onlystay until lunchtime, whilst others come inthe afternoon - in other words times areflexible. If you want to come all day, pleasebring a packed lunch (tea or coffee aresupplied). It is a really relaxed meeting witheveryone able to do what suits them best.

Members are also invited to attend anumber of free workshops as listed below(all from 7.00pm - 9.00pm):

Animal Bone AnalysisMonday 10 December 2012

Post-Medieval PotteryMonday 7 January 2013

Medieval PotteryMonday 4 February 2013

Roman PotteryMonday 4 March 2013

A History of Coins in LincolnshireMonday 25 March 2013

Identifying Shells & Clay PipesMonday 6 May

Anyone who wishes to attend please letme know, either by email:[email protected] telephone 852156


26

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27

Having lived in the village all my life,I thought maybe it was time for me to adda small contribution to our magazine.After constantly changing my thoughts ondeciding what to write a piece about,I thought it would be fitting to give mypublicity-shy brother and badmintonsuperstar, Harley Towler, some spotlight.

Many people in Nettleham will be unawareof Harley’s sporting achievements given hismodest demeanour and quiet nature. Weas a family have always admired Harley’stotal dedication and focus on his discipline,which has resulted in him fulfilling thepotential he demonstrated from an earlyage when he became (as far as I am aware)the youngest County Mens SinglesChampion at just 15 years of age.

Harley started playing badminton at theage of seven and specialises in both Mensand Mixed Doubles. He was also a memberof the World Class Potential Programmerun by Badminton England before movingup to the senior age group. Harley is now aTalented Athlete Scholarship Scheme(TASS) badminton player studying Sportand Exercise Science at LoughboroughUniversity. He is currently ranked 11th inEngland for Mens Doubles and 9th inEngland for Mixed Doubles. His recentresults on the international stage have seenhim rise rapidly up the world rankingswhere he now lies 223rd for Mixed Doublesand 119th for Mens Doubles.

I interviewed Harley over the internet(he doesn’t know this is going to bepublished in Nettleham News!). I hope itprovides an insight into the lifestyle of anelite athlete and maybe in a few years hecould even feature on your TV screens.

How did you start in the sport?

I started playing badminton at the age of 7;all my brothers played it, so I got involvedthat way. I originally played tennis, butbadminton seemed more interesting to meand also was much more accessible, due toit being played indoors.

How do you fit the demands of thesport into everyday life and whatdoes a typical badminton weekconsist of?

Typically, I train 20 hours a week (4 hoursMonday - Friday), comprising 15 hourson-court training and 5 hours dedicated tostrength and conditioning, speed-work andcircuit training. During term-time this canbe challenging to fit in, but on several dayswe train in the morning from 7.00am to9.00am, so that it does not clash withlectures. Of course certain aspects of lifehave to suffer, ie socialising, but that is asacrifice you have to make if you want totrain like a full-time athlete.

Who were your greatest influencesgrowing up?

My greatest influences from badminton areLin Dan, a player who has won every titleavailable to him (most of them on multipleoccasions) including 4 world titles and2 Olympic gold medals. His playing style -fast and attacking, and his determinationare what most inspire me. I am alsoinspired by Cai Yun & Fu Haifeng, a ChineseMens Doubles pair, who are both verydifferent players, but together are anincredible partnership who have also wonOlympic gold and silver along with4 world titles.

Outside of badminton, probably myfavourite sportsman is Roger Federer. He isan outstanding tennis player to watch andhas an incredible attitude and dedication,both on and off court. His records speakfor themselves and he is a great model forany young sportsperson.

If you were not a badminton player,then what would you be?Many other sports and also other areasof life interest me, such as music andscience. I would have to say a guitarist ortennis player.

Your strongest disciplines are Mensand Mixed Doubles. How differentare the styles and training routinesof a Doubles specialist, compared tothat of a Singles competitor?Singles requires much more endurancebased training, such as long routinesrequiring a lot of movement, somethingthat doesn’t particular appeal to me.Whereas Doubles training is much morediverse in my opinion, as well as havingmany more technical components, it is alsomuch more intense and faster. In Doublesyou have to focus on counter-attackingand controlling the net, as well as beingsolid in defence. However, in Singles youfocus more on out-manoeuvring youropponent.

What is your greatest achievementand your biggest disappointmentto date?My greatest achievement is probablytwo silver medals at the U19 NationalChampionships in Mens and MixedDoubles, and beating a GB-funded pairalong the way. My biggest disappointmentis not getting picked for any major juniorinternational competitions, such asEuropean Juniors or World Juniors.

You played a few internationalevents last season - what has beenyour favourite tournament and whatcountries are you looking to visitthis time around?My favourite tournament was theDutch Junior International, because of the atmosphere and how good theaccommodation and food was. This seasonI am looking at going to Belgium, CzechRepublic, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Austria,Croatia, Portugal and Spain.

You will soon be commencingyour second year of studying atLoughborough University -how has the Performance Centresupported you?Overall the University has been great,

Harley Towler: Smashing his Way to the Top

Czech International 2012 Finalists Left to right: Peter Briggs, Harley Towler, Peter Mills and Chris Langridge

(Follow Harley on Twitter: @harleytowler)continued on page 29


28

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Nettleham Medical Practiceand Cherry Willingham Branch Surgery

Our flu campaign commenced on29 September 2012. Following thesuccess of our Saturday morning flu clinics,we shall again be running our flu clinics onvarious Saturday mornings throughout lateautumn/winter at both Nettleham and

Cherry Willingham surgeries. We will beproviding limited Thursday evening clinicsat Nettleham for those patients whogenuinely can not attend on a Saturday.Vaccination is available for patients who fitone of the criteria listed below:

Flu Vaccinations Programme

Aged 65 or over

Have chronic heart disease

Have chronic respiratory disease (including asthma when regularly using an inhaled steroid)

Have chronic liver disease

Have chronic renal disease

Have diabetes

Have suppressed immune systems

Are a carer

Have multiple sclerosis

Currently pregnant

Please contact the surgery to book an appointment in one of the flu clinics.

There is no need to wait until you receive a letter.If you fit into one of the criteria listed above, please contact the surgery

to make an appointment.

Monthly Early Closures for Training Winter 2012In order to enable our doctors and staff to be kept up to date,

Nettleham surgery will be closed for training at 1.00pm on the following afternoon.(Emergency help is still available by calling 111).

Tuesday 18 December

Contact Details:Telephone: 01522 751717

(When the surgery is closed call freephone 111)

Website: www.nettlehammedical.co.uk Practice Manager: Helen Lunn

obviously providing me with regulartraining and world-class facilities. Thesupport is fantastic with physiotherapysupport, strength and conditioning, as wellas some funding for tournaments throughcertain scholarships.

What are your goals for the 2012-13season and long-term ambitions inthe sport?

During 2012-13, I am aiming to win anInternational Series event and to reach thesemi-final of an International Challengetournament. I would also like to get intothe Top 100 of the World Rankings.Domestically I would like to reach thesemi-final of the National Championshipsand also to have rankings within theTop 8 in both Mens and Mixed Doubles.I am also aiming to meet the criteria to geta place on either BE or GB seniorprogrammes. Other goals include selectionfor World University Games and to winBUCS Individual and Team events.Long-term I am hoping to play in majorcompetitions such as the Olympics andWorld Championships and gain a medal inthese events.

What long-term effect, if any, doyou think the recent match-throwingcontroversy at London 2012 will haveon the sport?

I can’t see it having much effect. I thinkbadminton needs publicity for sure, butnot for these reasons. I doubt that it willaffect participation in the sport. I just hopethat badminton continues to remain anOlympic sport.

And to end on a positive note -why should people take upbadminton?

I think badminton is a great sport and avery enjoyable one. Not only does it requireso many different elements at the elitelevel, ranging from precise technicalnet-play to physical endurance and power,but it is an excellent sport for people totake up and meet new people andsocialise. Overall badminton is an excitingsport at both elite and recreational levelsand is very diverse.

As I am writing this Harley has alreadyachieved one of his aims for the seasonwhen recently he and partner Peter Briggs(Leicestershire) reached the final of theMens Doubles at the Czech International inBrno. The Loughborough-based duoshowed complete disregard for the worldrankings, beating two higher-ranked pairsen route to the final before falling justshort in their first big international finalagainst Chris Langridge and Peter Mills ofEngland (losing 21-14, 21-16).

continued from page 27

NettlehamWI Programme

11 December 2012Christmas Meeting: Lindum Ladies’ Choir

8 January 2013My Life as a Spy: Stephen Griffiths

12 February 2013Take a Scrap of Fabric:

Tempo Talks: Serena & Julie

12 March 2013Gardening for Necessity: Lorna Bennett

9 April 2013Annual Meeting

Social Time and Hat Parade

14 May 2013Resolution Meeting: Quiz

A new facility for elderly people is plannedfor early 2013 in Welton: the Retired EldersActivities and Lunch club (REAL). Thisnon-profit making venture will offer a widerange of facilities to its members.

The day starts with drinks and snacksfollowed by a range of morning activitiesincluding book corner, craft activities andon-line shopping (with help and trainingavailable if required).

A delicious three-course lunch is followedby a range of different afternoon activities,including talks and film shows.

The cost to members is £35.00 per day.

Contact: Christine Bradbury (RGN)01673 86271 or email:[email protected]

GET REAL!


30

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31

First of all, many thanks to you all foryour support of the Coffee Morningon 15 September, when we launchedthe Shoebox Appeal.

This was so well attended that we raised£291.00 which was a fantastic start.We did so appreciate the help given byboth supporters and stall-holders.

Thank you all so much for your supportof the Shoebox Appeal. This has been afantastic year, as once again you have allbeen so very generous. At the time ofwriting 184 shoe boxes are now ready tomake their way to Romania, as well asboxes of cuddly toys, stationery, hats,scarves, jumpers, cardigans and blankets.Many more of you felt able to sign theGift Aid form this year and this will meanincreased funds to support all projects.The response to the appeal for hats andscarves was wonderful again this year -most boxes contained a hat and there aremore which can be handed out to thechildren. How much joy they will bring toRomanian families at Christmas time andindeed for many months to come.

Once again support for the appeal hascome from far and wide - Barnsley,Doncaster, Gainsborough, Nottingham,Swansea, Scunthorpe, Leeds, London,Lincoln and all the villages around us.Both St Mary’s Primary School and CherryWillingham Primary School have also madecontact and arrangements have been madefor the lorry to call there. So many folk toldus how much they enjoyed packing theboxes, so please will you pass on this‘thank you’ to those you know who willnot receive a copy of Nettleham News.We so appreciate all the support we aregiven and thank each and every onewho has joined us in our care for ourRomanian friends.

Happy Christmas to you all and thank youfor making it a joyful one for so manyfamilies in Romania.

Cora, Mary, Janet and Joyce

Link RomaniaFamily Shoebox Appeal

2012

NettlehamCommunity Lottery

A Timely Warning!

Nettleham Community Lottery hasbeen in operation now for a year.

We would like to thank the businessesin the village which are supporting us:The White Hart, The Tea Cosy, Salon Rouge,Hair Innovations and Scandigifts - localbusinesses supporting the local communityand the character of the village. If you runa business in Nettleham and would like tojoin, please use the contact details below.

Thank you also to all the people in thevillage that have joined, recognising thatthere are community organisations andgroups without which Nettleham wouldnot be the vibrant community it is.

The number who have joined have enabledus to begin looking at organisations andgroups in the community to help and havestarted to boost the funds required tocomplete the roofing and stoneworkrequired to maintain the Grade One listedbuilding of All Saints Church. The churchis a landmark that we know villagers areproud of and wish to maintain, even ifthey are not regular visitors.

We have had 36 lucky winners this yearand there will be 36 more next year. If youwould like more information, are a localbusiness, or somebody who wishes to helplocal organisations and maintain a GradeOne listed building that helps to make thecharacter of the village that you live andperhaps work in, please get in touch usingthe contact details below.

Also if you are an organisation or groupthat benefits the community of Nettlehamand requires some funding, do please getin touch and we will look at each case onan individual basis.

Thank you to all our supporters.

Neil Duff 07789 543422

Russ Coulter 01522 850708

[email protected]

The autumn edition of Nettleham News carrieda warning about a computer scam in whichanyone who telephones you and claims to befrom Microsoft or McAfee (indeed any anti-viruscompany), your bank or financial company andseeks access to your computer, will be a criminal.

Two days after reading the article my wifewas called by ‘Microsoft’ saying that she had aproblem with her Windows 7 and was she nearher computer? Fortunately she had read thearticle and realised the significance of the call -the caller even left a telephone number sayingthey were from Hanover Street, if she wished tocall back and confirm identity! Of course, sherang off immediately from the very foreign anddifficult-to-understand voice. I telephoned theLincolnshire Police HQ to ask if they had adepartment dealing with this sort of thing -as it happens they don’t, but they suggestedtelephoning ‘Action Fraud’ (part of ConsumerDirect) on 0300 1232040 who take care of thissort of thing. I did so and left details of theattempted scam, which they informed me ishappening with thousands of calls. They werevery efficient and warned us not to make anyattempt to call the scammer’s number, since todo so would put you on their ‘suckers list’ andinvite further calls and attempted hack-ins.

I don’t know whether or not we would havebeen taken in by this if we had not read thearticle - I like to think we wouldn’t, but younever know and this call was one of an untoldnumber of unsolicited calls from all over theworld with which we are plagued, even thoughwe are on the Telephone Preference Systemwhich, in theory, screens us from this sort ofthing, but sadly doesn’t eliminate callsoriginating overseas. For that reason we nowhave caller display and do not answer any callswhich indicate ‘International’, on theassumption that overseas friends will leave amessage on our answer-machine if they want totalk to us. We are also non-committal with ourresponse if we do not recognise the caller’snumber. I have now taken to telling them to“B***** off” if I don’t like the sound of them,much as it goes against the grain to do so.I don’t know whether it does the trick, butI feel better for it!

With thanks to Nettleham News.

Ken Pilbeam

EditorPleased to be of service and

if other readers know of any other scams,do please let me know


32

Bishops Meadow: The ConceptProgress on the development of the‘pastoral’ area in the south-east corner ofthe Bishops Palace site in the village is nowgaining momentum.

It has been decided that this ‘pastoral’areashould henceforth be known as BishopsMeadow. At the present time it actually isall meadow, with open grassland that hasbecome the subject of regular mowingduring the spring, summer and autumnmonths of the past year, includingperimeter footpaths, which are beingincreasingly used by residents for apleasant stroll around this previouslyneglected and inaccessible area.

It is anticipated that planting of the areawill commence in 2013 and under thesensitive and thoughtful guidance ofNettleham Woodland Trust, the workinggroup has created a planting plan which isreproduced on the facing page. It shouldbe emphasized that this is only conceptualat this early stage and may be subject tomodification as the development of thesite progresses in the future.

Essentially, Bishops Meadow would bedivided into two main sectors: an area ofopen grassland in the south-west cornerand an area of woodland in the north-eastcorner. Separating these two areas wouldbe a footpath, initially of mown grass,leading from the existing burial groundextension field-gate to the new ‘threshold’entrance, to be known as Prince of WalesGate, leading through to the ScheduledAncient Monument (SAM) site.

This feature gateway would be boundedon both sides by traditional Lincolnshirepost and rail fencing, together with ahedge of mixed native species, includinghawthorn and blackthorn, clearlydelineating the boundary. The location

Regular mowing of the area during 2012

of this gateway was influenced by theposition of two existing ‘grassy knolls’ inthe adjacent SAM area of the site.

Along this path, in the form of an avenue,a number of ‘memorial’ trees could beplanted, with occasional groups to formsmall copses along the way. Approximatelyhalfway along this path, in the centre ofthe site, it is suggested that a ‘significant’tree is planted. An English oak wouldprobably be the first choice here, which, inthe fullness of time, would grow to createan imposing central focal point. Takingtwo- to three-hundred years to mature,the great-great-grandchildren of thepresent generation may see a mighty oak!

This could eventually have a circular bencharound the base, from which an observerwould be able to watch the sun setting onthe western horizon directly through thePrince of Wales Gate.

The open meadow grassland would bemown perhaps twice a year and seededwith a meadow wildflower mix to create atraditional English wildflower meadow.The open aspect of this area, bounded onthe south by an existing low dry-stonewall, will ensure that it receives the benefitof full sun throughout the day.

The north-east corner would be the subjectof ‘woodland’ planting, with a core ofnative birch and oak, surrounded by amixture of woodland margin speciesincluding hazel, aspen, wild cherry,guelder rose, etc, many of which willprovide a valuable source of food for birdsand other wildlife attracted to the area.

Planting of suitable woodland wildflowersunder the trees (eg wood anemone,snowdrop, English bluebell) and aroundthe margins would provide additionalinterest through the seasons of the year.

Around the entire perimeter of the areathere would be a mown grass path,around 5 metres wide, enabling machineryto access the site. Later to be sown withwildflower seeds to create a wildflowerwalk, this access is important in the earlyyears, when mowing and spraying outof weeds is necessary to give thenewly-planted trees the best chance tobecome successfully established.

This is also the reason why the youngtree saplings would initially be planted instaggered rows, enabling access formaintenance, in the same way as thoseplanted in recent months in Monks Woodat the Ashing Lane Nature Reserve,Dunholme. Over a long period of time, asexcess trees are removed and others maydie through natural causes, the initial rowsbecome progressivley less apparent andeventually present a completely naturalappearance.

It is anticipated that the combination ofopen meadow grassland and mixed nativewoodland will attract a widely diversevariety of wildlife to the area and create anattractive wildlife sanctuary in the heart ofour village for the benefit and enjoymentof future generations.

The Bishops Palace working group hasalready put a great deal of thought andeffort into this project and, with fundingthrough the Heritage Lottery Fund, hasbeen able to commence work on what willbe a very attractive and pleasant villageamenity in the years to come.

Many readers will already have seen thenew low-gradient ramp near the MethodistChapel on High Street, which will enableeasier access to the SAM site for bothpedestrians and disabled persons.

The next improvement will be theinstallation of a new perimeter boundaryfence around the SAM site, comprisingtraditional Lincolnshire post and railfencing. This should be completed beforethe end of the year. Interpretation boardswill also be added around the site toenable visitors to appreciate the importanthistorical significance of the area.

Readers may remember that in thequestionnaire involved in the creation ofthe Nettleham Parish Plan in 2007, thedevelopment and improvement of theBishops Palace site was identified byresidents as a very important long-termaspiration - and now this is becominga reality.

There is clearly still much to do and anyonewho may be interested in participating inthe realisation of this concept would bemost welcome.


33

Bishops Meadow: The Plan

Mown grass pathcontinues into the designatedScheduled Ancient Monument

(SAM) area of the site

W O O D L A N D

M E A D O W L A N D

BI S H

OP S M

E AD

OW

FF

F

FF

FF

M

M

H

H

M M M

M

M

M

M M

M M M

M M MS

M

M

M

M

M

FF F

The sketch plan below shows the ‘pastoral’area of the Bishops’ Palace site located inthe south-east corner and which containsno significant underground archaeology.

This entire area will now be known asBishops’ Meadow and, under the guidanceof Nettleham Woodland Trust, a series ofdifferent ecological features will be createdincluding: open meadow, woodland,wildflower walks, shrubs, heritage fruitorchard, specimen trees, woodland marginand copse.

It should be emphasized that this is onlya concept planting plan at this stage and ifany reader has any additional suggestionsfor the area, do please contact the BishopsPalace Working Group (through theParish Council Office) with your ideas.

The intention is to create, over a period oftime, a number of different environmentalhabitats which in turn will encourage awide variety of wildlife into the area:mammals, birds, insects, amphibians,reptiles, wildflowers, etc.

In time, it will provide Nettleham with asmall, but diverse, wildlife sanctuary andalso a pleasant place in which to walk,or perhaps picnic with the family, in apeaceful rural setting.

It will also provide an attractive andimportant educational facility for localschools, with opportunities not only forstudying the native wildlife, but also anintroduction to the history and heritage ofboth the Bishops Palace site and thevillage of Nettleham.

TraditionalLincolnshire postand rail fencing onboundary of theSAM site

Feature gateway to beknown as Prince ofWales Gate, leading fromBishops Meadowinto the SAM site

Woodland marginplanting with mixednative shrubs andother low/mediumheight plants

Woodland plantingwith native Britishtrees underplantedwith suitable plants,eg wood anemone

Heritage fruit orchardwith a number ofsmall trees, includingvarieties of historicalinterest

Mown grass patharound perimeter forvehicular access,later to be sown withwildflower seedmixture to createwildflower walk

This sketch planis only conceptualat this early stage

and may be subjectto revision as more

work on the siteprogresses

Vehicular access byexisting field-gatefrom the burialground extensionfor mowing, etc

Informal avenueof memorial treesfollowing the paththrough the site,with occasionalsmall groups toform a copse

KEY TO SKETCH PLAN

S Significant tree (Bishops Oak?)

F Heritage fruit trees

M Memorial trees

H Mixed hedge: hawthorn, blackthorn, etc

N

D R Y S T O N E W A L L

WI

LD

FL

OW

ER

W

AL

K


34

In the late Saxon era, the manor ofNettleham covered most of the centre oftoday’s village. The term ‘manor’ meant anarea of land held by a tenant or ‘lord ofthe manor’, the ultimate owner being theking. This usually included land farmeddirectly by the tenant and other farms,which were sub-let. There was usually a‘manor house’ on this land, used as ahome either for the lord, or his or hernominated representative.

Nettleham’s manor and its manor house,(the latter on the site we refer to as theBishops’ Palace field), was in the dowerlands of Queen Edith, wife of Edward theConfessor (king of England 1042 - Jan1066), daughter of Earl Godwin and sisterof Harold, who was king of England fromJanuary to October 1066.

A queen’s dower lands remained in herhands until her death, in Edith’s case in1075, and their purpose was to maintain aqueen both during her reign and after thedeath of her husband, when his propertywould pass to his heir. It is not known forcertain how this land came to be Edith’sproperty, but some believed that herfamily, the Godwins, were related to,or linked to, Earl Leofric or Lady Godiva(Godgifu) of Mercia, and thus to CountessLucy of Lincoln Castle. However, laterresearch refutes this claim, as it is morelikely that the Godwins came fromcomparatively lowly origins in Sussex andtherefore more likely that the land wasgiven to Edith by her husband, Edward.

It is not known exactly what happened tothe manor of Nettleham after Edith’s death

in 1075, although it is likely that it passedinto the king’s ownership to be reallocatedat a later date. This seems likely sinceWilliam the Conquerer gave the church atNettleham to the Abbey of Ebrulfi (Evroult)in Normandy in 1081. Furthermore, theDomesday book of 1086 lists Nettleham asin the ‘Land of the King’, although he hadgiven a small amount of land to Gilbert ofGant (or Gaunt) and Bishop Remigius ofLincoln.

The next evidence of ownership is that itbelonged to Maud, daughter of KingMalcolm of Scotland and his wife Margaret(related to the Anglo-Saxon kings ofEngland), who married Henry I, son ofWilliam I, in 1100. It is likely the manor ofNettleham was given to her on hermarriage, as it is later passed by Henry I toRobert Bloet, bishop of Lincoln, in July1101, with the consent of Queen Maudwho is referred to as owning the land. Thisgift was later confirmed by their grandson,Henry II, in c1155-8.

In 1219 Bishop Hugh of Wells negotiatedwith the Abbey of Ebrulfi for the rights ofthe church of Nettleham to be returned tothe Bishopric of Lincoln and thus reunitedwith the manor of Nettleham. A yearlypension of 40 shillings or 3 marks was paidto the abbey in exchange.

In 1281 Edward I claimed that he was therightful owner of the manor of Nettlehamand all its rights and revenues. BishopOliver Sutton contested this claim, citingthe charters of Henry I and Henry II, andthe Bishop’s rights were upheld.

However no personal ill-feelings appear tohave been maintained between the kingand the bishop, as when Edward’s queen,Eleanor of Castile, died at nearby Harby,Bishop Oliver Sutton assisted in the funeralceremonies in both Lincoln (which housesher viscera tomb) and Westminster.Indeed Bishop Sutton accompanied thebody on its final journey to Westminster,when stone memorial crosses were erecteden route to mark the resting places of thefuneral courtege.

Bishop Sutton was a frequent visitor toNettleham, as can be shown by thenumber of documents he witnessed here.He died in the palace/manor at Nettlehamon 13 November 1299.

A few days later his body was carried bysome of the cathedral canons towardsLincoln. They rested halfway through thejourney and raised a cross there which isthought to be the site and origin ofMyle Cross. Relatives took him to the cityboundary, from where the city elders borehim to the cathedral. He was interred inthe Angel Choir, not far from St Hugh’shead tomb. This marking of stoppingplaces of a body on its final journey followsthe example of Louis IX of France and, ofcourse, Queen Eleanor.

John Dalderby was elected bishop in 1300.In January 1301 Parliament was held in theChapter House of Lincoln Cathedral.Edward I and his retinue stayed atNettleham with the bishop. It is clear thatmuch business was carried out herebetween 25 January and 12 February as

The Bishops’ Palace and Manor

The Bishops’ Palace site in Nettleham

Queen Maud,daughter of King Malcolm of Scotland and

wife of King Henry I of England


35

many Charters, Patent and Fine Rolls andInquisitions between those dates arereferred to as taking place ‘at Netelham’.

On 7 February in the Parliament, the kingcreated his son, Edward of Caernarvon,Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.If the usual custom was followed, thescribe would have taken notes during theParliament and then scribed the documentback at their temporary home in Nettlehamfor it to be ratified there, but we have nodocumentary proof.

There is also evidence to suggest thatwhen later Parliaments were held inLincoln Cathedral, by Edward I in 1304 andEdward II in 1316, the appropriate kingstayed at Nettleham with the bishop.

In 1336 Edward III granted Bishop HenryBurghersh and his successors ‘free warrenof all his demesne land of Netilham’.(Free warren is the sole right, granted by aroyal charter to a lord of the manor, tohunt usually pheasant, partridge, hare andrabbit, within a certain area. These charterswere popular between the late twelfth andearly fourteenth centuries). Also in 1336the bishop was granted the right tocrenellate the manor house. This wouldhave made it stronger and more imposing.It is thought that a garden, bounded by astone wall, was created just after theabove date. There is evidence of theremains of paths and flowerbeds followingrectangular patterns.

Bishop John Russell, lord of the manor ofNettleham, died here on 30 December1494. He was carried to the cathedral andburied in his chantry chapel, east of thesouth door of the cathedral.

On 26 March 1514 Thomas Wolsey wasmade Bishop of Lincoln and so lord of themanor of Nettleham. However his tenurewas short-lived as in September 1514 hewas made Archbishop of York and becamea cardinal shortly afterwards.

On Sunday 1 October 1536, civil unreststarted in Louth and subsequently spreadto Horncastle, Caistor and Wragby.This, the famous Lincolnshire Rising, was aprotest partly against Henry VIII strippingthe churches of their treasures and partlyfearing the rumours of new taxes on cattleand sheep - a serious concern for a largelyagrarian county. By Friday 6 October manythousands of men were encamped onNettleham Field, about one mile from thecity. On the Saturday they were joined bysix canons and the abbot of Barlings Abbeyand a priest of ‘Netlam’. On the Mondaythe leaders met at Myle Cross, mentionedpreviously, to revise their demands.

When the mob reached Nettleham,they attacked the Bishops’ Manor doingconsiderable damage. Once their petitionwas presented it was refused and manysupporters from the gentry melted away.Eventually the Duke of Suffolk arrived withhis army and rounded up the ringleaders.The ordinary protesters were pardoned,but many of the ringleaders and gentrywere duly executed.

Bishop John Longland granted thekeepership of the manor of Nettleham toJerome Morton on 30 September 1546.It is possible he took this action as he didnot like being reminded of the LincolnshireRising, when it became clear that he wasunpopular. It may also mean that themanor house was no longer habitable afterthe damage done by the rebels, althoughlater events refute this, the grant referringto pears, apples and other fruits beinggrown there, as well as kitchen herbs.

After Longland’s death in 1547, Lincolngot its first married bishop - Henry Randsor Holbeach. He lived at Nettleham, withhis wife Joan, son Thomas and daughterJudith, so either the palace was not toobadly damaged by the Lincolnshire Rising,or repairs had been carried out in themeantime. He signed away nearly all of therich manors belonging to the see of Lincolnin exchange for various rectories and otherprivileges. The manors given up numberedeither twenty-six or thirty-four, accordingto different authorities. Holbeach, as wellas Longland, was a believer in Protestantreform, reflecting greater austerity and lessadornment of the church’s property.Bishop Holbeach died at Nettleham manorhouse on 6 August 1551.

His son, Thomas Rands, was given therectory of south Gainsborough and alsogranted the lease of the Dean andChapter’s farmhouse at Nettleham.His daughter, Dorothy, married WalterNethercotes on 19 January 1591.After Thomas Rands’ death, a lease, dated26 September 1610, granted the Dean’sfarmhouse to Walter Nethercotes for hislife and thereafter to his children.It is probable that the Nethercotes familyalready lived there. On the south wall ofNettleham church there is a memorial toDorothy Nethercotes, who died on the29 June 1603.

The Rands/Nethercoates family and theirdescendants were granted the lease of theDean and Chapter’s farmhouse until atleast 1723 and were frequently mentionedin the Court Rolls and parish registers.

at Nettleham: a Concise History

The Nettleham Charter, written in Latin, proclaimimg the son of King Edward I to bethe first Prince of Wales: Edward of Caernarvon and Earl of Chester

Participants in the 1536 Lincolnshire Rising,comprising many thousands of local citizens,supported by clergymen and county gentry,

meet at Myle Cross just outsidethe city of Lincoln

Continued on page 36


36

The period following the death of BishopHolbeach was a tumultuous one for boththe country and its church, as this coveredthe brief reigns of Edward VI (1547-53),with its strong Protestant ideology, andMary I (1553-58), when the countryreverted to Roman Catholicism. John Taylorsucceeded to the bishopric in 1552, but atMary’s first Parliament on 5 October 1553he withdrew from the celebration of massand was subsequently deprived of hisbishopric in March 1554. His residence wasdivided between Nettleham and Lincolnduring his brief tenure in office and hisdeath in December 1554 saved him fromany further punitive measures against him.At the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558,the country once again became Protestant,but with less reforming zeal than in herbrother Edward’s time.

John White was briefly bishop 1554-56 andwas then moved to Winchester. ThomasWatson followed White, but was deprivedof his office in 1559 by Elizabeth I. Duringhis tenure he granted the office of keeperof the manor of Nettleham, with profits ofthe park and gardens, to Thomas Partes,yeoman. The bishop was to have all apples,pears and other fruits, and also ‘necessaryvegetables’ during his residence there.

Nicholas Bullingham was the bishop from1560-71. The surname Bullingham occursin the Nettleham parish register in 1610and 1612. It is possible these were BishopBullingham’s grandchildren. Rememberthat with the accession of Elizabeth I andthe return to the Protestant faith, marriedbishops and priests were permitted again.

Bishop Thomas Cooper (1570-84) madelong stays at Nettleham according to hisrecords. Three letters were written from hismanor at Nettleham exhorting clergy toconform with Elizabeth I’s vision of theChurch of England, as the early years ofher reign were still unsettled times asregarded religious observances. During histenure of the bishopric, many priests wereordained in the chapel within the manor ofNettleham.

The next bishop, William Wickham(1584-94) suffered the death of hisdaughter at Nettleham. She was buriedthere on 4 May 1585.

After this date there is scant reference tothe Bishops’ manor at Nettleham, until in1630 it is described as being ‘for threescore years or more … deserted and nothabitable’ as well as being ‘altogetherunnecessary and useless for that See’. This is clearly an exaggeration, as there arereferences to its use until 1585, so itshould read two score and five at most.There are references to material beingtaken from the Nettleham site into Lincolnto restore the Bishops’ Palace in Lincoln.This had never been repaired after thedamage inflicted on it by the rebels duringthe Lincolnshire Rising of 1536.

During the tumultuous reign of Charles Ihe devised different ways of makingmoney as he endeavoured to rule withoutParliament, which would not always do hisbidding. Early on he sold Crown lands -an example of this occurred when he soldthe dry moat, or ditches, of Lincoln castle,which is why today we have houses whosegardens go right up to the embankmentsof the castle walls. However in 1645 hedemanded land from the church, thus inJune and July 1647 a ParliamentaryCommission surveyed the church’s land atNettleham. This useful document not onlytells us of the extent of the land, but alsothe state of the extant buildings. It is clearthat the land was extensive, stretchingfrom Myle Cross (of Bishop Sutton fame),with the A158 as one boundary and theA46 as another - ‘by estimation ten milesin compass, and 3,300 acres of ground’.

The manor still had some very largebuildings and had had a chapel, the latterhaving been demolished by this date. Thesurvey goes on to describe the buildings:

A range of buildings with a chamber,called the King’s chamber thirty-three footby sixteen foot, with an adjoining chambersix foot by sixteen, with plastered floor andcellarage, and a further chamber twelvefoot by twenty-seven. The walls andwindows were of stone, the floors oftimber and plaster, tiled roofs and cellarsbeneath.

A range of buildings called the LongChamber forty-four foot by fifteen withfloors of boards and cellars underneath,walls and windows of stone, roof tiled.

Little stable eighteen foot by twelve, withstone walls and tiled roof.

Little kitchen sixteen foot square and alittle brewhouse of the same size.

A long range of buildings called theOfficers’ Lodgings, four rooms long, withtwo cellars below, four chambers abovethe ground floor and two large garretsabove the chambers. This was built ofstone with plaster floor and tiled roof.

There are also references to orchards andgardens, enclosed by stone walls and wellplanted with fruit trees. A ‘brewingfurnace of lead’ is also mentioned, as wellas wood from a barn which had fallendown. This same document also lists awindmill, probably a post mill, in the handsof Robert Emerson.

During the Commonwealth Nettlehammanor was sold, by order of Parliament, toNathanial Lacy and Thomas Lambe on28 September 1648 for £2,029 15s 11/2d.At the Restoration of Charles II in May1660, a Bill of Parliament restored themanor to the Church of England in thename of the Bishop of Lincoln.

The Bishops’ Palace and Manor Continued from page 35

The entry in Nettleham Parish Records recording the burial of Suzane Wickham on 4 May 1585

Two of the three carved stone heads,believed to have come from the Bishops’Palace,

which can still be seen in the village today


37

at Nettleham: a Concise History

From here on there is little documentaryevidence of the manor house itself. It isvery likely that it was used as a source ofbuilding stone as more houses wereconstructed in the village. At least threecarved heads can be seen in nearby houses- two on the gable end of a cottage at thecorner of Watermill Lane and one in themiddle of the gable end of the houseopposite Greetwell Lane. These are likely tohave originated in the manor buildings.

In 1837 the previously huge diocese ofLincoln was much reduced by the newlyformed Ecclesiastical Commission.The county of Huntingdonshire wentto the diocese of Ely, the county ofBuckinghamshire to the diocese of Oxford,the county of Leicestershire to the dioceseof Peterborough and the county ofBedfordshire to the diocese of St Albans.The county of Nottinghamshire wasremoved from the arch-diocese of Yorkand attached to the diocese of Lincoln until1884, when it became a separate dioceseof Southwell. The palace at Buckden,which had escaped the purges of BishopHolbeach, was no longer needed.

It was therefore surrendered to theEcclesiastical Commission, whilst inexchange they bought some of theRiseholme estate and caused a palace tobe built there.

Although Manor Courts were still held in,or for, Nettleham, there is no evidence ofdiocesan business being carried out here.In addition, it is not known where theManor Court was held, although variouslocal public houses claim that honour.Documents often just refer to the courtbeing held in ‘the usual place’. It ispossible that eventually it was held in thecathedral precincts.

During the nineteenth century the rights ofthe manor courts were slowly eroded andby 1908 what business was carried out wasdone from 1 Millbank, London. The manor,as an administrative area, was abolishedfrom 1 January 1936.

The above narrative will form the basis fora new booklet which is envisaged to bepublished in the future about the historyof the Bishops’ Palace in Nettleham andrelated topics.

Much of the information here is fromFlorence L Baker’s book: Nettleham:A Short History of the Village, published in1938 and this will be acknowledged whenthe booklet is produced in the future.

If anyone has any other information,I would be pleased to hear from them,particularly if anyone knows if there arestill descendants of the Rands/Nethercoatesfamily in the village. Florence Bakerindicated there were still some living in thevillage in the 1950s.

Any information would be gratefullyreceived at:

[email protected]

telephone 809062

Patricia Gregory

This illustration depicts how the Bishops’ Palacemay have appeared around the middle of the twelfth century,although much is conjecture, as evidence is too fragmented

to create an accurate picture.It may be subject to revision as new information

comes to light in the future


38

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100th Birthday CelebrationsMadge Bayes, well-known andrespected resident of ScothernRoad, Nettleham, celebrated her100th birthday this autumn.Congratulations Madge!

Along with many family membersand friends, Madge celebrated theauspicious occasion with a lively partyat the Old School in the village onFriday 5 October 2012.

It is hoped that Madge will take partin an interview for a future edition ofthis magazine, but for now, on behalfof all the readers of Nettleham News,I would like to wish Madge ‘ManyHappy Returns of the Day’ and manycongratulations on reaching 100 yearsof age - something I’m sure to whichwe all aspire!

My sincere thanks must also go toJack Snowden for the bottom fourphotographs taken at the event.He is an active member of theNettleham RB Camera Club and takesexcellent pictures, many of whichhave appeared in the pages of thismagazine over the years.

The array of congratulatory cards and gifts, including the special card from HM Queen Elizabeth II

Madge with her daughter Sybil Cutting the celebration cake

Madge with her granddaughter Rebecca

Madge shows she can stilltake to the dance floor with style

(and her nephew Fred!)

100CONGRATULATIONS

MADGE!


40

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41

Nettleham Ladies Club meets on thelast Tuesday of the month in theVillage Hall at 7.30 pm. It is a veryfriendly and sociable group with nearly100 members. New members arealways welcome - great value at only£10 a year.

As you can see from the 2013programme alongside, we have a widerange of interesting and variedspeakers. We raise funds for manydifferent charities and other goodcauses. Several outings are arrangedeach year.

If you are interested in joining us orwould like more information, pleasedo not hesitate to contact:

Jenny StaveleyChairman

Telephone01522 824541

Nettleham Ladies ClubCHARITIES AND GOOD CAUSES

TO BENEFIT FROMNETTLEHAM LADIES CLUB

SPRING FAYRES1962 Cancer Campaign

1963 Spastic Society

1964 Village Hall Fund

1965 Lincolnshire Association for the Deaf


1967 Fields Home Children’s Home


1969 Guide Dogs for the Blind

1970 Conservation: Beckside

1971 LIVES

1972 Scout Hut

1973 Queen’s Park School

1974 RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)

1975 Kidney Research

1976 Ashby Ward, St George’s Hospital

1977 Linkage Community Trust

1978 Guide Dogs for the Blind

1979 Mulsanne Park

1980 St Barnabas Hospice Trust

1981 Vera Dean Body Scanner Appeal

1982 LAARA (Asthma Association)

1983 LIVES

1984 NSPCC

1985 Church Clock Fund

1986 Arthritis & Rheumatism Council for Research

1987 Research into Multiple Sclereosis

1988 Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children

1989 Nettleham Health Centre

1990 Marie Curie Cancer Care

1991 Age Concern Minibus Appeal

1992 Alzheimer’s Society & Iodine Therapy Appeal

1993 QE Liver Patients Support Group

1994 Lincolnshire Ambucopter Appeal

1995 British Red Cross

1996 STRUT

1997 See More MRI Scanner Appeal

1998 St Barnabas Hospice Trust

1999 Macmillan Cancer Relief

2000 Defibrillator for Nettleham Medical Practice

2001 St Barnabas Hospice

2002 Lincoln & District Stroke Association/Club

2003 Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance

2004 Nettleham LIVES First Responder Scheme

2005 SENSE

2006 British Heart Foundation

2007 St Andrew’s Children’s Hospice

2008 RNLI

2009 Lincolnshire MS Therapy Centre

2010 Alzheimers Society

2011 Nettleham LIVES

2012 Action for Young Carers

Jenny Staveley, Chairman of Nettleham Ladies Club,presents a cheque for £1,250, raised for ‘Action forYoung Carers’ at the Spring Fayre on 12 May 2012.

Receiving the cheque are Cameron, a young carer, andJanette Southall, Team Leader for AYC.

Members of Nettleham Ladies Club manning the Cake & Produce stall at Nettleham Carnival on 14 July 2012.A total of £173 was raised for the Village Hall Restoration Fund

2013 PROGRAMME29 JanuaryAndy Blow

‘Bygone Lincoln’

26 FebruaryMary Porter

‘Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’

26 MarchEdwin Clarke

‘Beekeeping for Beginners’

30 AprilJennie Storr

‘Life with the Colonel’

11 MaySpring Fayre

28 MayThomas Mawer & Son‘Antiques Road Show’

25 JuneSummer Meal

30 JulyAnnie Binns

‘Past Personalities of Lincoln Cathedral’

AugustNo meeting

24 SeptemberDoddington Hall

‘Hall and Gardens’‘Saving the Tapestries’

29 OctoberTommy Steele

‘Taken for a Ride’

26 NovemberAnnual General Meeting

DecemberNo meeting


42

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43

1st Nettleham Scout GroupFirst of all, I would like to takethis opportunity on behalf of theNettleham Scout Group to wisheveryone a very merry Christmasand a peaceful New Year.

I would also like to thank everyonewho supports the group in so manydifferent ways:

● Glass bottles for the bottle bank

● Visiting and supporting theNettleham Community Market

● Coming along to the famousBreakfast on the Green

● Buying raffle tickets

● ...and many more

The scouts in Nettleham continue tothrive, with the children enjoying lotsof different experiences from beaverssleeping over at The Showroom inLincoln, to scouts hiking in the PeakDistrict, from sausage sizzles to pizzamaking, from night hikes to raisingmoney for charities, the list is endless.

The recent Breakfast on the Green wasour best ever, raising £402.84 and theNettleham Community Market hasraised over £300.00 for the Scout HutCommittee over the past year. Themoney raised has bought new tentsand equipment for the group.

Please see the advertisement on page3 for the next Nettleham CommunityMarket on Saturday 8 December,10.00 am until 12.00 noon. This is agreat opportunity to buy some lovelyChristmas gifts and will also includeour Christmas Raffle draw - don’tforget to buy your tickets outside theCo-op!

So a very big ‘thank you’ to all oursupporters, all our leaders andvolunteer helpers and especially to allthe young people who come alongevery week to take part!

Trudy ConnorBeaver Leader


44

Report Back from Three Nettleham Streets did nothave their bins collected recently!

Recently there was a telephone call tosay that Beckside, Watermill Lane andThe Rookery in Nettleham had not hadtheir rubbish bins collected on aThursday. After discussion with anofficer at WLDCnotices weredelivered to all thehouses on theMonday askingresidents to putout their binsagain on theTuesday, whichwere duly collected. Then two days laterthere was a report that once again therefuse lorry couldn’t access WatermillLane, due to a badly-parked car and thesame three streets couldn’t be serviced

The police were contacted, the carmoved and the collection made. Pleasebe careful to leave access for these largelorries throughout our village.

Grants!A derelict railway station building hasreceived a make-over thanks to fundingfrom West Lindsey District Council.

The Market Rasen Station AdoptionGroup applied for a grant from thecouncil Community Action andVolunteering Fund (CAV) to make theirstation building more attractive.

The Group have worked hard in recentyears to revamp the station and make ita more pleasant place to visit, butgetting the £245 grant made a bigdifference.

“We were delighted with how easy itwas to apply, how smooth the processwas and with the helpful and supportiveapproach of the people in the WestLindsey CAV Fund team.

“It was so straightforward and beneficialthat we have already applied for afurther grant.”

The CAV Fund was set up to givecommunity groups an opportunity topay for small improvements tocommunity assets and invest in localactivities. £200,000 was set aside andwill be available in small grants until2014!

Another community that receivedhelp was the parish of Springthorpe.They needed some new chairs to be usedat their local events.

They applied to the CAV Fund in Marchand received £250, with which 28folding chairs were purchased, whichhave since been used for Jubilee events,open days and parties.

If you know of any special-interestgroups or organizations in Nettlehamwhere up to £250 would make adifference - then please let them knowabout the CAV Fund.

The fund has been set up as part of thecouncil’s commitment to its LocalismProgramme, which aims to supportsustainable community activity. Themaximum you can apply for is £250 andthis can be up to 100 per cent of theproject cost. Any constituted communitygroup or parish council in the Districtcan apply. If you are a group who doesnot have a constitution, you may stillbe able to apply, so please contactCommunity Lincs, who manage the fundfor West Lindsey District Council.

The fund can support a broad range ofactivities including:● Community events such as street

parties, a ‘big lunch’ and litter-pickingdays

● Setting up new community activities,such as a gardening club or residents’group

● Undertake small improvements tocommunity assets, such as painting acommunity room, buying equipmentfor the village hall or purchasingplanters and hanging baskets toimprove the street scene.

Can any Nettleham group ororganization usefully use up to £250 ona project?

You can even apply to the CAV Fundagain six months after your initialapplication, as long as it’s for somethingdifferent.

To apply for a grant please contactJenny Stone at Community Lincs on01529 301951 or 01529 302466 oremail: [email protected]

Winter Garden Waste

The garden waste collection service(green bins) shut-down for this yearstarts on 3 December 2012 andcollections will resume again on25 March 2013.

Following comments from councillorsand residents, the shut-down iscommencing a month later this year.

Suspending garden waste collectionsduring the winter enables WLDC toreduce costs and work within thereduced budget from central governmentwhilst continuing to provide vitalservices.

As before, WLDC are encouragingresidents to trycomposting theirgarden waste.Composting is thebest environmentaloption and subsidisedcomposters, startingat £16, are availableby contacting0844 571 4444 or byordering on line at:www.lincscc.getcomposting.com

Alternatively, residents can use theirlocal Household Waste Recycling Centre(HWRC) and information is available onthe Lincolnshire County Council website:www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/hwrc

Residents can also store small amountsof garden waste in their green bin untilcollections resume in 2013.

WLDC are also introducing a bespokeservice this year for those residents whoare unable to make use of either of theabove options and still require a kerbsidecollection service of garden waste duringthe winter. WLDC will offer a servicewhereby residents can purchase sacksand book a collection slot. These sackswill be collected via the ‘bulky waste’service which means they can be keptseparate and sent for composting.The charge for collecting sacks will be£7.25 for every 5 sacks collected.

Council Tax Benefits

These are set to change in the Districtfrom April next year.

The current system, which is standardacross the country, will be replaced bylocal tax support schemes.

The new scheme and the rules on whocan get help will be decided at a locallevel, rather than nationally.

The change is in response to a new wayof providing support to people on lowincomes and the vulnerable, introducedby the Government in the LocalGovernment Finance Bill, currently goingthrough Parliament.

Currently, £50m is spent annually onCouncil Tax Benefit in Lincolnshire.


45

your Local CouncillorsNearly 66,000 households get somefinancial reduction in their Council Taxthrough this benefit. The new schemewill be funded by a fixed grant that is10 per cent lower, which means thatsavings of about £5m per year have tobe made across the county.

Local councils have been developingtheir own schemes to continue providingsupport, whilst responding to thereduced grant. They can either reducethe amount of benefit awarded toresidents, or fund the shortfall in otherways such as reducing services, usingreserves or increasing income fromother sources.

Pensioners are protected from thesavings. Under the new scheme they willreceive at least as much in Council TaxBenefit as they do now.

This does however mean that savingshave to be found elsewhere and peopleof working age may be the mostaffected. This could affect the 33,000working-age households who currentlyget some Council Tax Benefit.

A consultation questionnaire can befound at:http://survey.westlindsey.gov.uk/snap/council_tax.htm

More information on how Council TaxBenefit is changing can be found at:http://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/residents/council-tax-and-council-bills/council-tax-benefit-is-changingwhere residents can also downloadfull details of the proposals.

By the end of January 2013, WLDC willhave needed to put its finalised supportschemes into its budget plans. WLDC willthen be providing further informationabout their proposals.

Planning

This is always an emotive subject,with your viewpoint often governed bywhether you are the applicant, or anadjoining, or affected, neighbour.

Planning applications all start withthe presumption that they should begranted - and refused only where thereis a specific overriding planning reasonagainst them.

Recent planning applications onSudbrooke Lane, Greetwell Lane, LodgeLane and the potential one for a newpolice station on Deepdale Lane have allprompted comment.

Sometimes it helps to see the actualplans of what is proposed and eventuallyto read thereasons behindthe decisionsdecided onappeal.

These can all beseen and readby going to the WLDC website at:http://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/and clicking on View Applications,Decisions and Appeals then View andComment on new Planning Applicationsonline or All Appeals decided since1 April 2010.

Try accessing it each week if you want tosee what the new proposals are for yourneighbourhood.

What is the Food HygieneRating Scheme?

West Lindsey District Council isparticipating in the National FoodHygiene Rating Scheme to promote highperforming food businesses and enableconsumers to make informed choicesabout where to buy and eat food.

The food hygiene scheme will help youchoose where to eat out, or shop forfood, by giving you information aboutthe hygiene standards in restaurants,pubs, cafes, takeaways, hotels and otherplaces you eat out. Supermarkets andother food shops are also included inthe scheme.

Each business is given a ‘hygiene rating’when it is inspected by a food safetyofficer from the business’s localauthority. The hygiene rating showshow closely the business is meeting therequirements of food hygiene law.

When you eat out or shop for food,you might see a sticker in the window oron the door, or a certificate on display,showing you the hygiene rating for thatbusiness. Businesses are encouraged todisplay these stickers and certificates attheir premises in a place where you caneasily see them when you visit.

A business can be given one of thesehygiene ratings:

The food safety officer inspecting abusiness checks how well the business ismeeting the law by looking at:

● how hygienically the food is handled -how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated,cooled and stored

● the condition of the structure of thebuildings - the cleanliness, layout,lighting, ventilation and otherassociated facilities

● how the business manages andrecords what it does to make surefood is safe

The scope of the scheme extends toestablishments supplying food direct toconsumers and includes restaurants,cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops andother places where people eat foodprepared outside the home, as wellas food retailers.

Several Nettleham food suppliers displaytheir rating - watch out for them.

West LindseyDistrict Council

contacts

West LindseyDistrict CouncillorMalcolm Leaning

11 HighfieldsNettleham

LincolnLN2 2ST


[email protected]

West LindseyDistrict Councillor

Giles McNeill

3 The ChestnutsNettleham

LincolnLN2 2NH


[email protected]


46

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47

If you still need those last-minute stockingfillers, you’ve run out of cards, or perhapsjust enjoy meeting over coffee and cake,then come along to our monthly CoffeeMorning held in the Nettleham MethodistChurch (NMC) hall each second Saturdaythroughout the year - the next one is onthe 8 December 2012.

The money raised from the sale ofrefreshments goes to support missionariesIan and Simea in Brazil, and their workwith disadvantaged youngsters. Ian is thebrother of one of our church members.

Alongside the refreshments and cake stall,where you can purchase homemade cakesto take home, we hold a Fairtrade Stallwith a wide range of produce, includingcookies, chocolate, compost, hand-madecards and gifts, and, at this time of year,Christmas cards - it’s still not too late toput your order in!

We have been holding the Fairtrade stallnow for over 10 years - every month on thesecond and fourth Sundays after eachmorning service, in addition to themonthly Coffee Mornings. We also supplythe Fairtrade stall at All Saints ParishChurch and occasionally other groups inand around Nettleham who wish toinclude Fairtrade in their event.

Our aim is to highlight Fair Trade andTrade Justice and encourages people to

consider the producers and farmers whosupply our food, and not just the price inour pocket. By buying a Fairtrade gift orbar of chocolate your money works twice -once in supporting the producer and againin giving the gift or eating the chocolate -in today’s economic climate that can’t bebad value.

In 2008 NMC officially became a FairtradeChurch, pledging to use Fairtraderefreshments at church events. In the lastfinancial year our turnover was around£4,000 and each year we send theequivalent of our 10% commission on salesback to Traidcraft for their developmentfund.

When all the shopping is finally done andall the cards written and posted, it is timeto focus on the real reason for celebratingChristmas - the birth of our Lord JesusChrist over 2,000 years ago. Over theAdvent season there are several specialevents at NMC to which all are welcome,including:

16 December at 4:00pmCarols by Candlelight

24 December at 7:00pmCarols on the Green along with otherNettleham Churches. Our minister Rev AlanSwann will speak.

25 December at 10.30amFamily Worship

Nettleham Methodist Church

The Traidcraft stall at the October Coffee Morning

Are you ready for Christmas?

The Lincoln Triathlon Club arecurrently running a weekly Strength andConditioning session on Thursday eveningsfrom 7.00pm - 8.00pm in the Main SchoolHall at Cherry Willingham CommunitySchool, Croft Lane, Cherry Willingham.

They would like to include more of ourlocal community and possibly help them toimprove their fitness and get into shape.

The sessions are run by a qualifiedpersonal trainer and coach and are suitablefor all standards. They are open to all aged13+ years. Cost is £5.00 per session.

Martin WoodHead Coach

Email: [email protected]: www.lincolntri.co.uk


Fitness Sessions

It’s been two years now - time just flies by.I just can’t put into words to describe whatlife is like without you. You were such abrave, strong, amazing and independentwoman. I admire you for the strength youshowed throughout your life. You never letanything get you down - you just kept ongoing. A lot of people miss you, but willalways remember the memories. I missyour smile, laugh and your loving heartthat was with me every day.I am so proud of you - you were the bestmum, always there for me when I neededyou, always teaching me right from wrong.Always there with your advice and support.Your cuddles were the best! Life just isn’tthe same, there is always something thatreminds me of you. To know that every daywhen I wake up you’re not there breaks myheart. The occasions that you miss - I knowthat you are somewhere watching andcelebrating too. I will never forget thememories we had together and I willtreasure them in my heart forever. In the future as I grow older, your wisdomand love will help me through and guideme through anything I may face. Withoutyou the world’s a lonelier place. I promiseto make you a proud mum in anythingI achieve. I will never ever forget you, I loveyou ever so much - you will always be inmy heart and thoughts. I love you mum.

Your loving daughter Amy

Susan Ulyatt: My Mum


48

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49

In what was officially the wettest summeron record, the cricket season for all theclub’s teams was severely disrupted,resulting in not only the cancellation offixtures on the field, but also dramaticallyaffecting the club financially off the field.In that respect the club would like toespecially thank all those who boughtraffle tickets from outside the Co-op.The club made a profit in excess of £650towards its youth cricket development.

The weather did hold up for the annualJunior Kwik Cricket Tournament hosted byNettleham at Mulsanne Park on Friday 3August for the U9’s and U10’s age group.

Each game in the tournament was 8 oversa side, with each team consisting of8 players, who all bowled one over andthen batted in pairs for 2 overs. TheU9 and U10s competitions were contestedby a total of 14 teams from Market Rasen,Kexby, Bracebridge Heath, Cleethorpes,Hartsholme, Washingborough, Lindum andNettleham.U9 Winners: CleethorpesRunners Up: HartsholmeU10 Winners: Nettleham (managed byColin Hopkirk, coached by Juan Grobbelaar) Runners Up: WashingboroughEvents like this cannot take place withoutvolunteers from Nettleham Cricket Club,who would like to express their thanks totournament organisers Colin Woolfson andRuss Binnington and those helping onthe day with refreshments, car parking andumpiring. Also, to John Dingley forpreparing and marking of the pitches andthe tournament sponsor: Simon Bilton(We Can Do Flooring of Nettleham).

Friday 7 September saw the Juniorpresentation night at Mulsanne hosted byJoint Junior Co-ordinator: David Lea.He reiterated the excellent junior set-up atNettleham Junior training held on Fridaynights under head coach Russ Binnington,specialist Thursday night training for thesenior juniors under overseas player JuanGrobbelaar, and the ‘Chance to Shine’programme. This had culminated in several

players of all ages representing both thecounty team and development squad at allage levels. The winners were presentedwith their trophies by overseas playerJuan Grobbelaar.

Winners in the U9 team coached byMartin Strawson:Batting Award: Matthew BakerBowling Award: Guy HinchliffeFielding Award: Harry ThorntonWinners in the U10 team coached byPhil Brown and managed by Colin Hopkirk:Batting Award: Alexander HowesBowling Award: Daniel HopkirkFielding Award: Hayden BromfieldMost Improved: William BeckettWinners in the U11 team coached byCraig Cosgrove:Batting Award: Jack ThorntonBowling Award: Charlie ElliottFielding Award: Harry ConlanWinners in the U13 team managed byJames Marshall:Batting Award: Thomas LeaBowling Award: Lewis BromfieldFielding Award: Deklan BinningtonMost Improved: Harry GelderThe Howman Junior Clubman Trophy wasawarded to Thomas Lea.

Sunday 2 September saw the Club hold itsAnnual Sponsors Day, where the club heldan ‘Open day’ providing refreshmentsas a ‘Thank You’ to all those who hadsponsored the club throughout the season.Thankfully the arrival of the short ‘IndianSummer’ ensured the weather was gloriousand enabled guests to sit outside andwatch a 1st team game against local rivalsCherry Willingham. This match markedthe end of the senior cricket season -one decimated by the weather.

The Saturday 1stXI playing in theLincolnshire Premiere League underCaptain Russ Binnington, after a promisingstart to the season, finished 4th in theleague, only managing to play 11 out oftheir 20 matches due to the weather,winning 8 and losing 3.

The Saturday 2ndXI playing in theLincolnshire County 2nd Division underCaptain Ben Pearce also finished 4th intheir league. They only managed to play8 out of 18 matches due to the weather,winning 4, losing 3, with one match tied.

The Sunday sides struggled in their Lincolnleagues, the Sunday 1stXI under CaptainDanny McCardell finished 7th in PremiereDivision, losing all 8 matched played, with4 cancelled.

The Sunday 2ndXI playing in the Lincoln3rd Division under captain Steve Peacefinished 8th in their league, winning 2 outof the 12 matches played, with 4 matcheslost to the weather.

Saturday 28 July saw the marriage oflong-serving player Dave Manby toMichelle Hall. Congratulations!

Nettleham Cricket Club

Another of our long-serving playersSam Hickingbotham also gets married inNovember and we send best wishes to himand his future wife Kate Matthews.

If you would like more information aboutNettleham Cricket Club, please contact theclub by email at:[email protected] by telephone:David Wheatley (Secretary) 01522 857933or visit our website:www.nettlehamcc.co.uk

U10 Nettleham Cricket Team(Left to right) Charlie Elliott, Will Beckett, Hadan Bromfield, Oliver Wilson, Alex Howes, Tom Hardy, Will Whellhouse, Dan Hopkirk, Zeph Smith


50

Looking back it seems a long time agosince Sue Turnbull trounced up the roadwith a Rottweiler attached to one handand the other gesticulating wildly in thegeneral direction of the PoliceHeadquarters. I have to say, it was aninteresting introduction to her unique, butvery effective, recruitment campaign andSOLVE (Save Our Local Village Environment)was born. That was back in March and alot of murky water has since passed underthe bridge.

Soon after the turn of the year, it becameknown there was a proposal to build a new‘custody suite’ in the grounds of thepresent Police HQ. Although detailedproposals have never been publicised, it isbelieved the plan was to limit the numberof police stations in the county that couldaccommodate prisoners in favour of two,or possibly three, large custody-centres.This would mean prisoners from all overthe county, and in some circumstancesfrom even further afield, could be lodged,processed and released from these centres,including the one at Nettleham.

Many villagers were shocked at theseproposals, expressing a sense of betrayalwhen they remembered that the buildingof the present HQ was preceded by ameaningful consultation process with thepolice. The Chief Constable of the daypromised quite categorically that the newbuilding would accommodate only anadministrative unit, which would normallyoperate during conventional office hours.He also clearly stated that he had no wishto impose anything on the village whichwould detract from its character. These

assurances are clearly set out and areavailable to view in the meeting minutes ofthe Parish Council.

Members of the Parish Council wereequally dismayed and they arranged forthe police to have an opportunity toexplain the proposals at the Marchmeeting of the Parish Council in MulsannePark. The strength of feeling became clearwhen the meeting was almostoverwhelmed by the numbers attending.Sadly the presentation added nothing ofvalue to the debate and nothing ofconsequence to inform the villagers ofwhat was planned. Indeed at that meetingthe so called ‘custody suite’ was thentalked of as a Deployment Base/PoliceStation - Lincoln Police Station! Yes, therereally was a suggestion, we think a seriousone, to build Lincoln Police Station atNettleham! Amidst the misinformation andconfusion, the Parish Council asked thepolice to arrange to arrange an Open Dayso that residents of Nettleham could beproperly informed about what theyplanned to do in OUR village. As G4S wereknown to be involved with the project, thepolice were specifically asked to includethat organisation in the presentation, toensure that a full and accurate picture ofthe proposals was made available tovillagers.

As the many residents of the village whoattended the Open Day at the Old Schoolwill know, the presentation did not providethe answers to the questions that hadbeen posed. The custody suite was againback on the agenda, but now there was tobe a police station as well, although there

were no plans on display to show it andno details of the accommodation theyneeded, even though the meeting hadbeen called for that very purpose.

This was probably the lowest point, whenit was concluded that if the police sidereally knew what was happeningthemselves, they certainly had no intentionof telling the village. This conclusiongathered strength when another very largeturnout at the Village Hall heard a series ofpresentations that used a lot of words,but conveyed very little information.The audience became progressively moreirritated when responses to simplequestions were not answered, spuriouslyciting ‘commercial confidentiality’ as areason. It has to be said that the audiencefully engaged with the meeting andvillagers really did ask some perceptive andprobing questions - even though theyreceived little in the way of replies.At the conclusion of the meeting theParish Council voted to strongly opposethe police proposals. One councillor neatlysummed up the situation by reminding theaudience of what good neighbours thepolice had been over the previous thirtyyears, but pointing now to a very bleakfuture.

It was clear that SOLVE had to step up agear if the interests of the village were tobe taken seriously and hopefullysafeguarded. Since that last villagemeeting SOLVE members have attendedand contributed to a number of othermeetings in Lincoln and the village.Members have briefed county and districtcouncillors in meetings arranged rounddining-room tables in our homes andduring the recent elections we provided anopen house to a number of prospectivecouncillors and to others in positions ofinfluence who were prepared to listen tothe case for Nettleham. This ensured theyhad the true facts and the full informationwhich had been unearthed by the SOLVEteam. Part of the campaign was to winover the Police and Crime Commissioner(PCC), who will have been appointed bythe time this edition of Nettleham News ispublished. To pursue this objective, all ofthe prospective PCC’s have been contactedindividually by SOLVE and the positions ofthose who responded are recorded on theSOLVE website. Some of the PCC’s havealso attended meetings with us, again inprivate houses away from officialdom and

Problem:

Members of SOLVE with the Deputy Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police on The GreenFrom left to right: Rachel Little, Elaine Jenkinson, Roy Davey, Alec Wood (Deputy Chief Constable),

Sue Turnbull, Peter Cheng, Steve Perkins


51

significant promises were made and thesewere clearly and overtly recorded for futurereference. It was very satisfying afterwardsto hear them denounce the Nettlehamplans much more convincingly.

Part of our love-in with the establishmenthas so far seen two meetings with theDeputy Chief Constable (DCC) and hissupport staff. Again these were held indomestic dining-rooms in the village andhave proved to be a really positive stepforward in genuine discussion andunderstanding. The DCC has taken overresponsibility for liaison with the villageand he has made it clear that his first roleis to ensure that effective and meaningfulconsultation takes place, but he alsopointed out that with the appointment ofa PCC, the police will have no directresponsibility for the provision of newbuildings - only the new PCC can do that.It is fully expected that the new PCC willseek advice and recommendations fromthe police and there is every reason tobelieve that development of the presentHQ site will not appear as a proposal inthat list of recommendations. The DCCsummed this up by saying, “The incomingPCC … will be responsible for setting thepolice budget and, in the current economicclimate … there is little prospect of anymajor structural developments for theForce”. Following our discussions, astatement jointly produced by the policeand SOLVE was circulated with the lastedition of Nettleham News.

So what is the situation now? Frompaperwork handed out at the Village Hallmeeting it is known there was an intentionto submit a planning application in theautumn of this year. That did not happen.The DCC explained this change incircumstance when he said, “... any futureproposals (for development on the PoliceHQ site) would entail going back to thedrawing board and starting afresh …and that is likely to be some years downthe line.”

SOLVE was promised that there is littlelikelihood of any significant developmenttaking place on the site of the Police HQand a categorical promise of earlyconsultation between villagers and thepolice has been made, should that picturechange. SOLVE members remain vigilant,but following those meetings the need forfurther intervention, certainly in the

medium-term seem to be unlikely.Hopefully the final chapter in this unhappysaga was provided towards the end ofOctober when representatives of SOLVE,together with members of the ParishCouncil, turned up in force at a publicmeeting in Lincoln where all four of theprospective PCC’s were bidding for thepost of Police and Crime Commissioner.Each gave an absolute and categoricalassurance that they would never authorisethe building of a new police station, acustody suite, or a combination of the two,on the land owned by them in the village.This should be an end to the matter.

Nevertheless the SOLVE team continuesto monitor new planning submissions.Legal specialists have been consulted andpractical innovators who deal withplanning matters on a daily basis areproviding active guidance to the team.SOLVE has a properly constructed andconvincing response ready! A slight fly inthe ointment is the fact that planning lawis being eased at some stage in the future,so the picture could change. SOLVEremains vigilant and flexible enough tomeet any new challenges.

Lines of liaison and communication thathave been built up over the past monthsare being retained and where possiblestrengthened, but a longer-term solutionto ensure that the spectre of inappropriatedevelopment in the village is not alwayshanging in the air, is now needed. SOLVEis in the forefront of finding long-termsolutions and looking for ways ofimplementing these, so that the previousgood relationships between the tenants ofthe Police HQ and the village can berestored and returned to normality.

I know that many villagers are followingSOLVE activities on the website:http://www.solvenettleham.co.uk/The site will be maintained and supportersare encouraged to log in regularly to keepup to date with developments.

Throughout the past months of activity,members of the team have been sustainedby the good wishes and unwaveringencouragement of significant numbers ofresidents from the village. It would bewrong to miss this opportunity to thankeveryone concerned for their support, theirhelp and their kind words of advice.

Thank you to all.

SOLVED!

28 September 2012Lincolnshire Police have met with theChairman and Clerk of Nettleham ParishCouncil and also Nettleham’s SOLVE(Save Our Local Village Environment) groupto reassure them about plans to develop thepolice headquarters site at Nettleham.

Deputy Chief Constable Alec Wood saysthere is little prospect of any major capitaldevelopment for the Force in the next threeyears. “The original proposal to re-site Lincolnpolice station and build a new custody suiteat Nettleham is not on our current agenda”,he said. “A perception also developed thatG4S were contracted to build the new policestation and custody suite but this is notcorrect. These proposals - and that is all theywere - were in addition to the contract withG4S, not part of it.”

He told the group that the major changes tothe governance of policing, which would beimplemented in November, means that theincoming Police and Crime Commissioner(PCC) would be the authority to decide onany new building development for the Force.“The incoming PCC, elected by local people,will be responsible for setting the policebudget and, in the current economic climate,and with the potential for further CSR cuts,there is little prospect of any major structuraldevelopments for the Force,” he said.

Mr Wood said that the kind of expenditureinvolved in commissioning a new buildingwould be completely in the hands of the PCC.“He or she will be elected on 15 Novemberand take up office a week later and anyfuture proposals would entail going back tothe drawing board - ‘and starting afresh’,”he said. “Even then - and that is likely to besome years down the line - the chances arethat any new build would need to be inpartnership with one or more other agencies,for instance in the criminal justice sector, tomake it affordable.”

“I can promise that any future major issueswill be fully discussed and consulted uponlocally,” he said. “The issue raised concernsboth in Nettleham and the Carholme areaand I have attended meetings to ensure thatlocal people are fully informed of the currentsituation. The Chief Constable, Neil Rhodesand I have also met with the Chairman andClerk of Nettleham Parish Council to appraisethem of the situation.

Mr Wood said that in view of the impendingchange in the governance of policing, allfurther issues in this context will be dealtwith directly by the incoming Police andCrime Commissioner.

(The Chairman and Parish Clerk of Nettleham PC,Chief Constable Neil Rhodes and the newly-elected

PCC will meet in March 2013).


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Best Kept Village Competition (Class III) 2012Summary of the Judges’ Comments and Points Awarded

Overall appearance and conditionAbsence of litter, unauthorised/unsightlyrefuse, absence of graffiti and vandalism,condition of roads and paths

Ref Area under scrutiny Summary of the judges’ comments Max pointsavailable

Pointsawarded

First Round: The overall appearance and condition of the village very good.No graffiti or unsightly refuse. Roads and paths tidy.Second Round: Mostly litter-free with no evidence of graffiti, etc.Final Round: Pleasant approach with neatly-mown verges and clean throughout.No litter, unsightly refuse or graffiti. Beckside path with its many bridges is attractive.The village is fortunate to have a regular bus service to Lincoln.

2530

30 28

27

20

20

25

15

15

125 107

140 124

150 141

1420 18

20 19

15 1015 13

15 14

15 14

20 18

20 18

14

18

18

24

25 24

22A

Public premisesCommunity centre, community buildings,schools, road signs, noticeboards,advertisements, directional signs,bus stops, telephone boxes andallotments

20 17

20 17

15 1215 13

C

B

D

E

F

G

Green spacesProvision for wildlife (eg bird-boxes andfeeders, bat-boxes, wild flowers, etc)and general appearance of trees, ponds,streams, dykes, verges, parks, playingfields, nature area, hedges, children’splay areas and public green amenities

Private premisesGardens, hedges and walls

Religious buildings and memorialsChurchyard and Chapel surrounds,cemeteries, war memorials and theirnoticeboards

Business premisesIncluding inns, farms, workshops,post office, shops and caravan sites

Overall community effortEvidence of community activitywithin the community for all ages

Total marks and general comments

First Round: There are many green spaces here, both large and small.The burial ground extension, Vicars Wood and The Beck are well-loved and used,as are the play areas and playing fields. All very well cared-for.Second Round: Good to see provision for wildlife with wildflowers, etc.It would be good to see this extended with bat-boxes, etc.Final Round: Mulsanne Park with community hall and small children’s play area.Nature area behind cemetery for recreational use. Bill Bailey’s excellent children’s play area.Disappointing access to Bishops Palace site - hopefully to be provided in the future.

First Round: Most private gardens are delightful, with walls and fences in good order.Second Round: Mostly neat and tidy.Final Round: Some colourful gardens, generally well maintained throughout.

First Round: All in very good order.Second Round: Very neat war memorial. Mostly neat and tidy.Final Round: Churchyard grounds well looked after and attractive footpath throughVicars Wood. Cemetery also well maintained and war memorial on The Green in goodorder. Attractive village sign well looked after.

First Round: Shops, inns, etc, are looking very good and the additional flowersenhance them and give a lot of pleasure.Second Round: Some posters outside Co-op out of date. Otherwise neat and tidy.Final Round: Three pubs and tea shop with a small parade of shops including postoffice. Library in good central position appears well-used and very helpful.

First Round: It is hard to perceive the community effort, but the Parish Councilclearly must be harnessing the effort of many people to achieve the general standardof tidiness and the attractive appearance of the village. The Carnival is evidentlyinvolving a large number of people.Second Round: There would appear to be plenty going on for most age groups Final Round: Notices show wide variety of activities. Nettleham News is an attractive72-page well-produced and informative magazine for the village - congratulations onmaintaining this publication.

First Round: It was a great pleasure to visit this attractive, lively village. The villagemap made it easier to find all the amenities. Even on a showery day there were peopleout and about and there is a strong sense of the residents’ enjoyment and care fortheir environment, even though the village has become so much larger in recentyears. The many baskets and troughs of flowers bring pleasure and colour.Second Round: Well done Nettleham, good effort by the community which showsa great overall presentation!Final Round: Pleasing to see afternoon activities in the two halls, including thevillage hall. Nettleham, with its long history, now appears a quiet, tranquil backwaterenjoying Beckside walks, but it is obviously a village proud to show itself off well.Congratulations on reaching the final stages of this year’s competition. Thank you forthe excellent village map.

First Round: Schools tidy, although all their gardens are not. Signs are all ingood order. Community centre is tidy.Second Round: Super hanging baskets and planters. Nettleham Garden Associationshows community spirit. Village let down by the school and out of date notices.Final Round: Old School buildings serve as community centre. Excellent village map onThe Green and noticeboards well used. Both schools equipped for outdoor activities.Good to see Safer Parking Scheme in operation.


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For the second year running, local artgroup ‘Mixed Palette’ held an art exhibitionin the Chapter House, Lincoln Cathedral.The exhibition was well received and apercentage of the sales was given toCathedral funds. Subjects ranged fromlocal scenes, landscapes, abstracts, flowers

Mixed Palette Art Exhibition

The next exhibitionis in the

Chapter Housefrom 29 April to

11 May 2013

10.00am to 4.00pm

Do come andhave a look around

and a chat

and animals in a wide variety of media -watercolours, oils, acrylics, and pastels andpen and ink. Of the ten artists, six werefrom Nettleham, the others from thesurrounding villages. You may know theNettleham artists and their work, but hereare some examples.

Val Fane

Jean Gledhill Rachel Little Christine Edison

Mary Perridge

Nettlehamgreen bin garden waste

collections for 2012continue until theend of Novemberand resume at the

beginning ofApril 2013

Suspending green waste collections during the winter months enables usto continue to make substantial savings without affecting vital services

and reduce our carbon emissions at the same time!

The autumn edition of Nettleham Newscarried a warning about a computer scamin which someone telephoning you andclaiming to be from Microsoft or McAfee(indeed any anti-virus company), your bankor financial company and seeking access toyour computer, will be a criminal.

Two days after reading the article my wifewas called by ‘Microsoft’ saying that shehad a problem with her windows 7(which she hadn’t) and was she near hercomputer? Fortunately she had read thearticle and realised the significance of thecall - the caller even left a telephonenumber saying they were from HannoverStreet, if she wished to call back andconfirm identity!

Of course she rang off straight away fromthe foreign and difficult-to-understandvoice. I telephoned Lincolnshire Police HQto ask if they had a department dealingwith this sort of thing - as it happens theydon’t, but they suggested telephoning‘Action Fraud’ (part of Consumer Direct) on03001 232040 who take care of this sortof thing. I did so and left details of theattempted scam, which they informed meis happening with literally thousands ofcalls. They were extremely efficient andwarned us not to attempt to telephone thescammer’s number, since to do so wouldput you on their ‘suckers list’ and invitefurther calls and attempted hack-ins.

I don’t know whether or not we wouldhave been taken in by this if we had notread the article - I like to think we wouldn’t,but you never know and this call was oneof an untold number of unsolicited callsfrom all over the world with which we arebeing plagued, even though we are on theTelephone Preference system which, intheory, screens us from this sort of thing,but doesn’t eliminate calls emanating fromoverseas. For that reason we now havecaller display and do not answer any callswhich indicate ‘International’ - on theassumption that overseas friends will leavea message on our answer-machine if theywant to talk to us. We are also verynon-committal with our response (whichis usually our telephone number) if we donot recognise the caller’s number.

With most of them I have taken to tellingthem to “B***** off” if I don’t like thesound of who they are, much as it goesagainst the grain to do so. I don’t knowwhether it does the trick, but I feel betterfor it!

With thanks to Nettleham News.

Ken PilbeamEditor

Glad to have been of service!

A Timely Warning!


54


55

It always amazes me, when the time comesto review the year, how much we do atFriday-night guides and the opportunities,excitements and adventures we create.

It takes hours and hours of dedication,planning and commitment to produce anactive and dynamic programme andhopefully the results speak for themselves.In a culture where girls statistically leaveGuides at twelve years of age and with thesize of the average unit being fifteen,Friday Guides is a consistently full unit ofthirty girls aged from ten to sixteen.

It is not all plain sailing! Sometimes thereare hiccups that occur that make onequestion the amount of time and energyone has given voluntarily for the past thirtyyears to run activities for other people’schildren. I think the time is drawing closefor me to hang up my guiding hat.However, for the time being, things remainas they are at Friday Guides.

We have had such a very busy year.We celebrated Christmas at Rand Farm -cleaned out the animals, rode the tractor,and played leaders versus guides ‘tig’ inthe play barn. We even managed to fitin a visit to Father Christmas (who getsdecidedly younger-looking each year!).

Giving girls self-organisation andresponsibility is important. We have girl-lednights where the guides plan their ownactivities and bring their own equipment.Known as ‘Go for its’ these meetingsusually include a craft, getting dressed up(or made up) and lots of eating. Chocolateis always popular and consumption wasincredibly high at our Swiss night - anevening to celebrate our fantastic summertrip to Adelboden in the Swiss Alps - blueskies, warm sunshine, cable cars and trainsup snow-topped mountains. Bliss.

We like going out and about at FridayGuides. Residentials over the past yearincluded Switzerland and PGL. We sawAlexandra Burke, Rizzle Kicks and Olly Mursat the Big Gig and went down to Londonto the West End performance of Shrek.We hired the open-top bus which took usfrom Nettleham into Lincoln. The soakingas the front of the bus hit the trees givingthe journey an unexpected Alton Towerstheme-park experience!

This was the year when Britain celebratedthe Jubilee and the Olympics and guideswas no exception. The county challengedus to hold a Safari meal with photographstaken being sent to the Queen. Guides andparents did us proud. The hut was awashwith colour as the red, white and blue ofthe jubilee flags, merchandise and clothing

blended with stuffed safari animals andplatefuls of food ranging from the exoticfruits of Africa to the traditional cakes andsandwiches of a British celebration.

The bunting was out in force again atour Jubilee fete and also at our campfiretribute ‘60 minutes for 60 years’ held withall the uniformed units of Nettleham inSudbrooke Park. I applied for and gained aCo-op Jubilee Grant which enabled us tobuy brightly decorated Gadsby cupcakes tocelebrate the event. The Co-op even camealong to photograph the event, pictures ofwhich appeared on its website and in itsmagazines for members. Then we wereinto the Olympics and the excitement andanticipation of seeing the Olympic torch asit passed through the county.

Guides is a great place to have fun,make friends and participate in amazingexperiences. A big thank you must go toour leadership team for their expertise,dedication and commitment that keeps agirl safe, secure and stimulated duringher time at guides.

Rachel Coxon

1st Nettleham Guides


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All indoor/outdoor improvements and maintenanceJoinery, painting and general handyman

Repair and replacement workAerial, electrical and plumbing services available

Bathrooms, kitchens and tiling

NO JOB TOO SMALLCLEAN, FRIENDLY AND RELIABLE SERVICE

Contact Andy on 01522 826067Mobile 07757 211374

Cliff Avenue, Nettleham

A GREGORYHOME SERVICES

HOLIDAY RENTALPOLLENSA, NORTH MALLORCA



A spacious, modernised town houseavailable for holiday rentals in the picturesque

mountain village of Pollensa.4 bedrooms sleeping up to 8 people

with a central location that is ideal forexploring the village, as well as the beautiful

countryside and local beaches.


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The Winter Book ReviewPhyllis Maiden

Wonderby R J Palacio

(Suitable for adults and teenagers)

This book wasgiven to me byEmma Shaw andher son, Joseph.

I was captivatedfrom the first lineand read it in onesitting.

It is an Americanbook about a boy

called Auggie who has a severe facialdisfigurement. However traumatic itsounds, this book is totally uplifting.Narrated by Auggie himself, who isnever self-pitying, though he knowshis face shocks people, the story is alsotold by other people in his life such ashis sister, his friend Summer and hissister’s boyfriend.

Thus we find out about the effect ofhis disability on other people as well ashimself.

Of course, along the way heencounters bullies and parents ofother children who find his disabilitytoo daunting.

In this world, where beauty is muchadmired, the book is a view of anotherworld, but it is compulsive readingand is one to pass on, or highlyrecommend, to all your friends.

The ending is moving, but neversentimental, and I think this book issuitable for teenagers and adults alike.

Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens

(Suitable for adults and children)

I am sure manypeople have seenumpteen versionsof this wonderfulstory.

Every December,without fail, I readit and never tire of

old Scrooge and his adventures.

It is both funny and moving and theportrayal of London in Victorian timesis vivid and lively.

Dickens’ description of Scrooge onpage two is compelling and brilliant.He ends the portrait with: “...he icedhis office in the dog-days; and didn’tthaw it one degree at Christmas”.

Yet dear old Scrooge does see theerror of his ways and all’s well thatends well. His unhappy childhoodmade him what he was and once herealises this, he does all he can tomake amends.

Curl up in an armchair and makethe most of this tantalising book withits timeless message of love andcompassion. It is never too late tomake amends!

Better still, gather round your familyand read parts of it out loud.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

I recently discussedthis Victorian epicwith some friendsover a meal, and itmade me want toread it again.

I had neglectedthis book afterbeing terrified

reading it, whilst I looked after a childin a Victorian vicarage in the Woldsduring a dark winter evening manyyears ago. But I have dug it out andhave thoroughly enjoyed it this time.Maybe this is because I am reading itduring the day!

It is indeed an amazing book writtenover a hundred years ago. The openingpages introduce us to the creepyDracula in his castle, deep inTransylvania, surrounded by howlingwolves and three ghostly women whoappear to our hero, Harker.

Dracula’s horrible night-timeadventures leave Harker in no doubtthat he is in mortal danger and thatDracula is not of this world.

The book is written in the form ofjournals and letters between thecharacters, whose lives are beinghorribly disrupted by Dracula and hiswicked ways.

Whitby is, of course, well-representedand this is responsible for manytourists making the pilgrimage there,to see for themselves the places whichare mentioned in the book.

Bram Stoker is clever in that theportrayal of each of the characters isso different. He cleverly weaves inseveral different writing styles, whichat times seem quaint, but it is of itstime and has not lost any of itssuspense.

The last third of the book will keep youon tenterhooks. It is a terrifying story -you have been warned! Close thecurtains and sit by a bright light whenyou confront this monstrous charactertrying to take over England.

Follow the Swallow andSpinderella

by Julia Donaldson

These are twolovely little booksin one and suitablefor young children.They would beideal for readingout loud and forhelping little onesto read.

Follow the Swallow tells the storyof a blackbird and a swallow whobecome friends during a summer.When the swallow sets off to fly backto Africa, Chack the blackbird longsfor his return.

They do indeed meet up again whenApollo the swallow returns to hisformer nesting site.

**************

Spinderella is a spider who lives withher family in a school. The spiders startplaying football and learn to count.This book is a tool for learning tocount at least up to ten.

Spinderella eventually acquires footballboots and becomes a good footballer,despite being a spider!

This book was originally printed in2000, but has now been re-issued withbright illustrations.


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59

Learning through playWe have been having lots of fun learningthrough play this term. Interests haveincluded dressing up as people who helpus and showing an interest in people’soccupations. Policemen/women,fire-fighters, shopkeeper and hairdressershave been popular. The children also madea stage using wooden blocks pretending tobe their favourite pop star! We made upour own comic strips using superherocharacters from magazines which we cutout and laminated. This activity increasedvocabulary, thinking and provided markmaking opportunities. We drew aroundeach other on rolls of wallpaper inventingour own superhero characters, talkingabout the characteristics of our favouritesuperheroes.

We discussed autumn, singing songs,making pictures and displaying words thatthe children use and already know aboutautumn such as ‘cold’, ‘windy’, ‘leaves’ and‘crinkly’. We sent home a cloud bubblewith each child as part of our partnershipwith parents encouraging parents to workwith them at home to think of wordsrelated to our themes and then displayingthe children’s ideas on our board.

Take learning outsideWe are currently developing our outdoorarea by looking at the benefits to childrenof outdoor play (see photographs right),reorganising resources to enable morefree-flow play. Taking learning outdoorsprovides the children with more freedomto explore and ask questions about thenatural environment, creating worthwhilelearning experiences. We have alreadypurchased some new resources and hopeto buy a scramble net and some real tools.

Our AimsTo provide an environment that is safe,secure and welcoming, which promotes achild’s health, individuality, dignity and anopportunity for fun, learning through play.

“Children are cared for in a warm, safe andsecure setting. The highly committed staffteam promote children’s welfare andsafeguard them from potentialharm”…OFSTED

To work with parents to provide goodquality care and education for all children.

“Extremely strong links with parents andcarers contribute to children’s individualneeds being respected and valued by thecaring staff”…OFSTED

To provide positive play opportunitieswhich are planned around the child’sinterests.

Beckside Preschool

“Children have fun as they participatein a balanced range of adult-led andchild-initiated activities which are plannedaround their interests”…OFSTED

Find out moreWe are an inclusive preschool andwelcome all families in the community andsurrounding areas, where places areavailable for children aged 21/2 to startingschool. We are open Monday - Friday(term-time only) and offer full-day andhalf-day sessions. Our opening times are9.00am - 3.00pm.

You can contact us on 07940 873505to arrange a pre-visit and we would bevery happy to show you around.

Alternatively you can visit our website at:www.becksidepreschool.co.ukto view our prospectus, policies andcurrent newsletters.

You can also email us at:[email protected]

We look forward to meeting you.

Jayne EllisDeputy Manager


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61

Update on the Carnival

I promised to let you know the outcome ofthe Nettleham Carnival balloon race in theautumn edition of Nettleham News.Despite the balloons getting off to a goodstart (they appeared to be heading forGainsborough/Doncaster), the only ticketwe received back, was one returned fromthe village! The lucky owner of the balloonwas Andy Seamer, who received the £25prize money from our treasurer DavidWright. This is the second year runningthat our balloons have been a bit lazy andI’d like to encourage anyone who finds aticket from a balloon to return it to us,as I’m sure there must have been somethat travelled further afield.

Fund-raising at Nettleham Cares

Saturday 20 October 2012 was the date ofthis year’s Nettleham Cares event, whereMandy, Mavis, June, Shelagh and Mauricewere kept busy, with help from Nigel andDavid in setting up our tables.

The number of visitors again seemed to bedown a little on last year. Despite that, ourjams, chutneys and tombola helped us toraise over £249, which is a very welcomeaddition to our funds. Special thanks go toall involved, especially to our main fundraisers: Mandy and Mavis.

The First Responders really could notcontinue to operate the service without thegenerosity of both residents and localbusinesses - thank you all for your support.

Joining the team

As always, Nettleham residents are verysupportive of our fund-raising efforts,but we are constantly on the look-out forpotential new Responders for the team.

Can you help us to savelives in Nettleham?

First Responder’s required

The sad reality is that everyone reading thisarticle will probably have known someonewho has had a heart attack.

Whether it was a member of your closefamily, perhaps a friend, or even a workcolleague; some will have been fortunateand survived, but sadly others may havebeen less fortunate. In most cases, it’swhat happens in the first few minutesthat count.

We are looking for motivated and caringindividuals, living within the Nettlehamarea, to be trained as Level 2 FirstResponders, in order to support the localBranch team.

As a First Responder you’ll be responsiblefor providing early basic life-savingsupport, in the vital minutes after a 999emergency call has been placed and beforethe ambulance or paramedics arrive atthe scene.

Working with similar volunteers, you’llbe aged 18 or over, with a car that has acurrent MOT and is fully insured. Youshould be capable of carrying a 15kg bagof equipment and also be able to kneeland administer CPR for up to 20 minutes.Excellent communication skills, an eye fordetail, together with a calm and friendlymanner, are also important.

No previous experience is necessary,as full training will be provided at LIVESHeadquarters in Horncastle. Once trained,you decide how much time you are ableto spare.

What’s involved for theFirst Responder?

At the start of any shift, the equipment isdelivered to my door by the previouson-call First Responder. I give it a quickcheck so I know where everything is andput it into my car so it’s ready for use.

I then continue my daily life as normal.The fact that I’m on call doesn’t stop megardening, decorating or doing anythingaround the house. It doesn’t stop me fromvisiting the library or local shops and I canstill visit my friends in the village.

On average I do about four shifts a month,but each month as the rota is drawn up,I say what dates and hours are convenientfor me and my family.

Every four weeks we have a meeting in thevillage hall to discuss a variety of differentmatters, including fund raising. We alsohave training sessions on a four-weeklybasis in order to practice and to keep ourskills up to date, as well as learning fromother members’ call-out experiences.

No two call-outs are ever the same, but thebasics are similar. The mobile phone ringsand the ambulance controller gives thelocation and the reported condition of thepatient. On reaching the location, I putinto practice all the things I have learnedduring the training.

The benefits

There are many benefits of joiningNettleham LIVES including givingsomething back to the community inwhich you live, as well as working with afriendly and sociable group of like-mindedindividuals. Whether you work full-time,part-time or are semi-retired, we wouldlove to hear from you.

The hardest thing you need to do is to takethe first step and find out more.

One thing is for certain, it’s the first fewminutes that count. Think about becominga First Responder today - you could helpsave a life.

To get involved, why not come along toone of our meetings or training sessions,every other Thursday at the village hall, orcontact Edward Rouse, Co-ordinator,Nettleham LIVES on 01522 753033.We look forward to hearing from you.

Pictured here are some of the Respondersand fund-raisers you’d be joining.

HELP LIVES SAVE LIVES


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From tiny acorns mighty oak trees grow!

Well, not yet that mighty, but when youwalk through PC Wood (planted inFebruary 2008) and Monks Wood (startedin February 2009), you can see the hugedifference less than five years can make.Birch have been the fastest starters. Theoak will take a couple of centuries to getup to speed! In the Co-op Wood naturallyregenerating willow are spreadingenthusiastically across the site, and overall,although the weather hasn’t really come in‘the right order’, the trees, shrubs, wetlandplants, wildflower mixes and grasses wehave put in seem to be thriving.

PC WoodThere is little to report beyond that natureis taking its course. Some of the dog rosesnear the picnic table have been releasedfrom their guards and the rest will beliberated soon, which should soon createmighty briar patches.

Monks WoodThis year The Wykes wetland has beenbehaving as a seasonal wetland should -appearing and disappearing, depending onthe rainfall in the previous weeks. Theplants have generally taken well.

Saturday 29 September: the brushcutterand scythe were put to work on thememorial garden and south glade to keepthe growth down and encourage thedevelopment of these areas as wildflowermeadows.

October 2012: sheep are now on the newmeadows for the first time.

Aspects to consider in the next few yearswill include identifying some hotspots foradditional planting to attract particularspecies of butterfly, bees and so on. Wewill also host a meeting for local teachers,youth leaders and other interested parties,to show them the area and hopefullyinspire them to bring groups to visit.

The All Abilities Area in Monks Wood

Visitors to the AAA will have noticed a lotof changes, especially in late September.The path from the main car park has beengiven a new surface identical to the LWTpaths at Whisby, the profile of the pondhas been softened and a barrier added todeter the careless.

In the coming weeks, both a vehicle gateand pedestrian side-gate will be installedat the entrance to the AAA from AshingLane and ‘dragons’ teeth’ fitted around therim of the minibus turning area to keepvehicles out of the rest of the AAA. Futureglade areas for cultivation and the sowingof wildflower mixes have been identified.

Nettleham

Work in the next six months will includethe construction of a giant raised bed as atree nursery, and the ‘Oak Tree Theatre’,a seating area to be used when briefingvisiting groups.

We will also design and commission aninterpretation board on which we willmention our sponsors. St Francis SpecialSchool has constructed and donated awooden work-station which will be placedin the ‘classroom’ area accessed throughthe willow tunnel. The major funding forthe project so far has come from aNational Lottery Access for All grant of£9,000, and we must also acknowledgeimportant donations from Bishop KingPrimary, Welton St Mary’s Primary, WeltonWilliam Farr, Lincoln Christ’s HospitalSchool, the Lincolnshire Co-op CommunityFund and ASDA on Nettleham Road,totaling over £3,000.

This is a long-term project, but we cannow begin to plan in more detail how thearea will be used. In particular, we need toadd suitable furniture so there are plentyof seats, resting posts and tables suitablefor people of all ages who are less mobile.If any supporter would like to make aprivate donation, or is involved in abusiness or school which would like tosponsor part of this, please get in touch.

Jubilee Wood in Monks Wood

Most of the sixty small-leaved lime plantedon 10 March 2012 have now taken well.We will replace a few this autumn. TheLord-Lieutenant’s visit has been postponeduntil spring 2012, by which time the wholearea will look magnificent.

The Co-op Wood

This new ten-acre (four-hectare) site to theeast of Monks Wood has received a lot ofattention in recent months. Plants dredgedfrom the ditch last year have been movedinto the lake, the walks have been created,cultivated and sown, and Mother Natureis making her own contribution withdispersals most obvious along the marginsof the lake. A pair of swans took upresidence for the summer and some lovelyphotographs of dragonflies and grasssnakes were taken by Mark Johnston.

When we first considered the possibility ofdeveloping this site, we had hoped that itwould develop into a wet woodland. Theweather of the last few months, indeedever since that implausibly dry springwhich allowed us to excavate the Co-oplake, has helped us meet this expectation.The water-table is high and so this site canbe seriously wet, which is reflected in thetrees such as willow, downy birch andalder. We still have work to do on theedges of the newly-seeded walks andaround the lake on the west side inparticular, whilst keeping the open vistasto the east. By creating suitable thickets,including hawthorn graduating from thelake edge through areas of long grass intoshrubs and then woodland, we wouldhope, over time, to attract East Midlandsspecies such as woodcock, garden andwillow warblers, nightingales, spottedflycatchers and willow tits.

In the coming months the landowners, theLincolnshire Co-operative, will be involvedin further planting and the development oftheir own memorial garden, an open areajust north of the main entrance to the siteat the end of Ashing Lane.

Other News Summer 2012: the two willow trees by theford in Watermill Lane, Nettleham weresaved from felling after a campaign led byvillagers which revealed that in fact theywere the responsibility of LincolnshireCounty Council (Highways), not the ParishCouncil. There will be some pruning.

25 September 2012: Chris Williams,NWT Chairman made a presentation to awell-attended meeting of the NettlehamLadies Club.

Various dates: the Bishops’ Palace WorkingGroup has been regularly attended by theNWT Chairman. Councillor John Evans ofNettleham PC is steering the group, withthe most obvious progress being thereconstruction of the slopes in front of theMethodist Chapel to provide a moreaccessible entrance to the site from HighStreet. New perimeter fencing is imminent.The ‘pastoral’ area next to the burialground is currently being designed (seepage 33) and will feature a small orchardof traditional species which a villageresident has agreed to develop, openspace, seating and a small copsecomprising British native trees sponsoredby members of the community. Additionaloffers of sponsorship would be verywelcome. The group anticipates thatplanting in this area will take place inMarch 2013 on a date to be confirmed.Volunteers will be very welcome.


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Woodland TrustVarious dates: Lincoln Rugby Club is nowmaking significant progress on its newLodge Lane ground. NWT, with LRFC andvillage supporters will be involved inextensive planting here. A major step inthis will be moving the new fence awayfrom the bridleway to make the newwoodland accessible to the general public,a condition of the English Woodland GrantScheme funding. Spoil from the buildingwork will be used to create a raised zig-zagfootpath through the new wood as analternative to the bridleway. Planting datesto be confirmed.

Trees and ShrubsChalera Fraxinea (Ash Dieback Disease)

On all our sites we are creating Britishwoodland typical of the east of Englandand appropriate to the soils we have (notan arboretum), and so with the exceptionof a couple of specimen trees all ourplanting is of UK-grown English nativespecies. Rod Newborough, NWT WoodlandAdvisor, writes:

“You may have heard about the aggressivepathogen, Chalera Fraxinea that hasrecently been found in imported ash treesand has the potential to have a devastatingeffect on Britain’s ash trees. The funguscauses leaf loss and crown die-back andcan lead to tree death. It has wiped out90% of ash trees in Denmark in seven yearsand is becoming widespread throughoutcentral Europe. To date, only a handful ofcases of the disease have been found inurban Britain. The Government proposesan urgent ban on the import of ash treeplants from Europe.”

Nettleham Woodland Trust is committed toplanting native broad-leaved species oftrees and shrubs grown from local/regionalseed sources.

The vast majority of trees (well over 99%and totalling 25,000) planted at AshingLane Nature Reserve, Monks Wood andLincolnshire Co-Operative Wood, werepurchased from reputable growers, BritishHardwood Trees being the main supplier,whose Managing Director, AndrewHenderson says:

“We’d like to reassure all of our existingand potential customers that all of our ashplants are always of UK provenance andUK grown for maximum peace of mind.In addition, although our stock is certifieddisease free, we act to halt the spread ofALL pests and diseases by conducting ourown regular and rigorous checks of allstock for visible signs of pests and diseasesand by treating stock against pests anddiseases prior to despatch.”

NWT DiaryMarch 2013: planting at Bishops’ Palacesite, Nettleham (more information in thespring 2013 edition of Nettleham News)

March 2013: planting at the Lincoln RugbyClub, Nettleham over several days (datesand times to be confirmed)

Spring 2013: perhaps a major event andopening ceremony in the Co-op Wood atAshing Lane, Dunholme.

May 2013: separate visits to Monks Woodfrom the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshireand Karl McCartney MP (to be arranged).

May 2013: our AGM will take place in theOld School, Nettleham (date to beconfirmed).

Sometime: construction of a hideoverlooking the lake in the Co-op Wood.

Please get in touch if you would like toassist at any of these events - all volunteerswould be most welcome.

How else can you help Nettleham Woodland Trust?

All Abilities Area: as mentioned previously,we would welcome donations of seating.

Join in. In the autumn edition of NettlehamNews, supporters were requested toconsider joining the committee, or takingon other roles. We are still waiting for allthose enthusiastic new volunteers!

As with any voluntary organization andcharity, NWT is dependent on continuousregeneration from within our community.The underlying challenge is the standardone - if new people don’t come forward toserve for a few years, the core group willprogressively diminish to a point where thecharity is unsustainable, and it has noother alternative than to dissolve itselfand hand assets to another organizationwith similar interests. In the case ofNettleham, there is the real and presentdanger of building development, whetherthrough a change to policing strategy,residential growth or the extension of thecity of Lincoln.

In addition to the creation of newwoodland other environmental projects,NWT also provides a well-establishedforum for lobbying and drawing peopletogether.

If you would like to talk about theopportunities, please contact NettlehamWoodland Trust - you would be mostwelcome to join us and join in.

Chris WilliamsChairman, Nettleham Woodland Trust

Telephone 07952 [email protected]

Susie MendelSecretary

[email protected]

The new Co-op Lake at Ashing Lane Nature Reserve, Dunholme


64

From the Parish RegistersWe welcome into the

Family of God’s Church throughHoly Baptism:

12 August Faith Scott26 August Jensen Mannion

16 September Max LingOliver MiddlemassSamuel Middlemass

21 October Charlie Johnson

We share in the joy of thosebeing married in the Church

3 August David Games andLindsay Wilson

11 August Adam Louth andClaudia Smith

18 August Paul Blake andKaren Atkin

25 August Timothy Cabrelli andJennifer Taylor

8 September Paul Williams andKerry Micklethwaite

15 September Tom Bates andSara Hillier

22 September Angus Macdonald andClare Purdy

29 September Jonathan Powell andMarie Sleight

20 October David Cawdron andSusan Leggott

We share in the sadness of thosewho mourn the death of a loved one,

remembering those whose funeralhas taken place, or cremated remains

have been laid to rest:

6 August Raymond Sellars(Cremated remains)

20 August Catherine Jubb3 September Margaret Herrick

4 October Ida Fields

All Saints Parish Church, Nettleham

Family PraiseEvery Saturday during term-time

from

12 January 2013at All Saints Church, Nettleham

4.00pm - 5.00pmWorship and fun for children

and families

All are welcome!

You might like to know that, once again,this year at All Saints we are holding adifferent kind of Christmas service:“Quiet Christmas” on Wednesday19 December at 7.30pm.

Christmas is traditionally a time of gladnessand celebration - a time when familiesgather together for parties and merriment.But for those grieving the loss of lovedones, or whose family circumstances aredifficult for some reason, it can be a verylonely, depressing time. Somehow isolationis even more painful when it seems that allthe rest of the world is joyfully celebrating.

Christmas 2012

This year Bishop Christopher, Bishop ofLincoln, will be spending the night of20 December in a stable in a field nearHarmston, with only a sleeping bag and aflask for company. Hopefully the strawbales he’ll be given to rest on won’t betoo prickly!

What a peculiar thing to do - especially ata time of year when the weather turnsdecidedly chilly, and we decorate and heatour homes to make sure they are ascomfortable and welcoming as possible forthe festive season.

Bishop Christopher’s night out isn’t quiteas mad as it seems - he’s hoping to besponsored in order to raise money for bothThe Nomad Trust, the well-known Lincolncharity working with those who arehomeless, and Christian Aid’s project inthe Favelas of South America. He’s alsobringing to life a part of the story weremember at Christmas - how Mary andJoseph arrived in Bethlehem with nowhereto call home, and ended up sleeping - andhaving a baby - in the stable of the inn,because they had nowhere else to go.We’ve become so familiar with the storywe forget the harsh reality of what musthave been a desperate situation.

By 21 December, I wonder if BishopChristopher might be wishing that theHoly Family had been able to find a room,even a small one, in a Holiday Inn insteadof a stable - surely a much more suitablevenue for God’s own Son to be born.

But that’s not God’s way - the Son bornthat night is Emmanuel, which literallymeans “God with us”. And God is with us,not just in the comfortable, tidy bits ofour lives - the hotel rooms and luxuryapartments - God is with us in the dark

despair, the cold and fear, the soggy strawof daily life - bringing Light and Life andHope. And that’s what being born in astable is about - God doesn’t stay “outthere” untouched and beyond the oftenharsh realities of our human experience -he is with us to share all it means to be ahuman being - even when that meansrejection, pain and death on a cross - toweep with us, as well as share our joy.

But when God shares our human life, he’snot just there to sympathise with us - he’spresent in all humanity to transform it withhis new life. He endures the injustice andcruelty of a world that doesn’t care - andurges those who would share his Life towork with him to transform the worldaround them so it can reflect the love of itscreator for all his creation, including themarginalised, the voiceless, the hungry, thehomeless and oppressed. And BishopChristopher’s stable experience is intendednot just to show solidarity with those whoare homeless and hungry, but to transformreal lives in real ways through contributingto the work of The Nomad Trust andChristian Aid.

The collection at ‘Carols on the Green’ atNettleham this year will go to the Bishop’sSleep-out, so that those who join togetherto enjoy carols on the village green willhave the opportunity of working with Godto transform this bit of his world - beforewe head off to a warm church to enjoyfestive refreshments!

As ever, I wish you all the blessings of theChristmas season and a peaceful andhappy New Year

Jenny

To sponsor the Bishop, please visit:www.charitygiving.co.uk/stablesleepout

“A Quiet Christmas”While the birth of the Christ child is rightlyan event for joyful celebration, a quieterservice, which acknowledges that noteveryone is looking forward to Christmasand the New Year, can offer some people away of honouring mixed feelings at thisspecial time. This service offers prayers, scripture andmusic that acknowledge God’s presence inthe lives of those who mourn and withthose who struggle - and that God’s Wordcomes to shine light into the very darkestplaces of life.All are welcome.


65

Services and Forthcoming Eventsat All Saints Church unless otherwise stated (all other services as normal)

Sunday 2 December (Advent Sunday)8.00am: Said Eucharist9.30am: Parish Eucharist 6.00pm: Advent Carol Service

Saturday 8 December 6.00pm: ‘A Shepherd’s Tale’ (see below)5.30pm: Refreshments at Junior School 7.30pm: ‘A Shepherd’s Tale’ (see below)7.00pm: Refreshments at Junior School

Sunday 9 December8.00am: Said Eucharist9.30am: Parish Eucharist for All Ages4.30pm: ‘A Shepherd’s Tale’ (see below)4.00pm: Refreshments at Junior School 6.00pm: ‘A Shepherd’s Tale’ (see below)5.30pm: Refreshments at Junior School

Wednesday 19 December7.30pm: A Quiet Christmas (see facing page)

Date to be confirmed: see posters!9.30am - 12 noon: A Christmas Journey A morning of Christmas crafts and activitiesfor children

Sunday 23 December8.00am: Said Eucharist9.30am: Parish Eucharist 11.15am: Holy Communion at St Mary’sRiseholme in Traditional Language3.00pm: Carol Service

Monday 24 December (Christmas Eve)3.00pm: Crib Service - a simple Christmasservice for the young and young at heart!Children are invited to come dressed as acharacter from the Nativity story7.00pm: Carols on the Green followed byrefreshments in church11.30pm: Midnight Mass(preceded by carols at 11.15pm)

Tuesday 25 December (Christmas Day)10.00am: Parish Eucharist. Children areencouraged to bring a small (!) present withthem which they have opened already,perhaps something from their stocking11.15am: Holy Communion with hymns atSt Mary’s Riseholme in Traditional Language

Wednesday 26 December (Boxing Day)St Stephen’s Day (the first Christian Martyr)10.30am: Said Eucharist

Performance times:

Saturday 8 December6.00pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 9 December4.30pm & 6.00pm

Tickets: £4.00or £14.00 for 4 tickets

Festive refreshments prior to eachperformance - see tickets for details

Tickets available from 1 November 2012

All Saints Church (Sunday Services)Beckside Newsagents

December 2012

Starring

● Molly ● ● Milly ●

and also this year: Sonny the Pony

Special lighting effectsAll age cast

LOOKING AHEAD IN 2013...

Sunday 6 January (The Epiphany)8.00am: Said Eucharist9.30am: Parish Eucharist 6.00pm: Healing Service

Saturday 12 January4.00pm - 5.00pm: Family PraiseWorship and fun for children and families


Thursday 24 January7.30pm: Joint worship with NettlehamMethodist Church for the Week of Prayer forChristian Unity (at the Methodist Church)


Saturday 2 February (Candlemas) 4.00pm - 5.00pm: Family PraiseWorship and fun for children and families7.30pm: Sung Eucharist for Candlemas

Wednesday 13 February (Ash Wednesday)2.30pm: A service for Ash Wednesday7.30pm: A service for Ash Wednesday


66

Major Groom

A one-to-one personal service for your dog, catering for your pet’s every need

Located at Sudbrooke Lane in Nettleham, Major Groom is owned and run by aLevel 3 City & Guilds qualified groomer, to Breed and Crufts Standard.

Purpose designed and built to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act2006, Major Groom uses the very latest equipment to cater for breeds of all typesand sizes, ensuring your dog receives only the very best in welfare, health andsafety.

Our friendly, family-run business offers your dog something special and providesyou, the owner, with a quality service at a competitive price.

For more information visit: www.majorgroom.co.ukTelephone 01522 831249 or 07961 237290Like to look around?We welcome visits - no appointment necessaryHelp and advice given freely

Major Groom Dog Boutique30 Sudbrooke Lane, Nettleham, Lincoln LN2 2RP

At Major Groom we offer● Full groom, health check and consultation

● Full bath service using specialist shampoofor your dog’s specific coat type

● Breed Standard cuts

● Hand stripping

● Ear and eye cleaning

● Nail clipping and grinding

● Methodical fluff drying service - ideal forBichon Frisé, Poodles and Irish Water Spaniels

● A large, secure, purpose-built exercise area

● Pick-up and delivery service available

● Free customer parking

A one-to-one personal service for your dog, catering for your pet’s every need

Please remember -your dogs cannot phone for

themselves - they wouldif they could!

Major GroomDog Grooming Boutique

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Autumn arrives, flowers and plants arebeginning to curl up and die. Animalsgrow thicker coats, or feathers, preparingfor the colder weather.

In the tree tops a loud ‘peeping’ trill alertsus, of the robin choosing his territory. Thetiny bird with bright red breast feathers isa joy to behold. A perky, handsome littlecreature with a beautiful voice. Duringautumn the male and female call to eachother, a distinct chirrup in the hedgerows.

With the first snowfall, robins hop aroundthe gardens standing out like buoys on theocean, to brighten up a cold winter’s day.

My mum befriended a robin. When shebaked pastry, she would crumble someinto small titbits for the bird. After acouple of weeks, she stood with the palmof her hand outstretched and the robinflew to her from the bottom of the garden.Alighting on her hand, he pecked the tastymorsels of pastry.

Robins feature on many Christmas cardsand there is no doubt they are one of themost attractive birds in Britain.

Janet Lazell

Robin Redbreast

John Wells, one-time member of RBCC,a lecturer and judge of internationalacclaim, died a few weeks ago andwhilst we shall never again beentertained by his unique,thought-provokingdissertations -his legacy of imagesremain, to besavoured and musedupon for a long timeto come.

John brought newmeaning to the term‘roving eye’ - his eyespanned, scanned andscrutinised his uniquepersonal world -the compositionwas particularlymeaningful to himand that was the bestreason for recording any image.

He became a legendary figure in hisown lifetime - who else would take atrip to Norway and return with onlypictures of the ship because he ‘likedthe colour of it’ or swing a camerafrom the knee, operating the shutterby remote control just to see what hecould get?

RB Camera Club

It all sounded very haphazard andunprofessional to many - but hisresults were ‘different’, inspiring andprovocative. Candid portraits by thismethod sometimes appeared like

caricatures from‘Punch’ - humorousand revealing.

One felt at timeshe was looking for thetruth of reality -a place devoid of thetrappings in which theworld is enshrouded -an honest, candidman and these traitsare reflected in thefreshness of his work.He sought not toplease by flattery, butto woo with honesty.

Oliver Goldsmith(1730-1774) wrote a poem entitled‘The Village Schoolmaster’ saying:

And still they gaz’d and still the wonder grewThat one small head could carry all he knew

So relevant to John, for he was indeeda giant of creative ability, encased in avery human frame.

Thank you, John.

JOHN WELLS (1943 - 2012)

Words by Stick Hancock

RBCC’s new programme for 2013 will be on our website shortly:www.rbcameraclub.co.uk

Image by the late John Wells FRPS

Pecking Order Autumn has arrived, with high windscausing leaves to tumble down in cascadesof rainbow colours onto the lawn.

It is essential to clear them up when youhave time, otherwise they will rot anddamage the lawn. They can be thrownonto your compost heap to mulch downand the resulting leaf-mould can be usedat any time of the year as rich nutrition forshrubs and flowers.

Birds are a great help on the lawn, peckingup insects and turning over grass with theirsharp beaks. If leaves are cleared, birds areable to forage until the first snowfall,helping you out by aerating the lawn atthe same time.

Janet Lazell


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69

Martin slowly walked along theconcrete runway of the old airfield. Ithad become delapidated. The concretewas being slowly eroded by theelements of time. Water had seeped inbetween the cracks and, as winterdrew near, so did the frost and icewhich played its part in pushing thecracks further apart. That would givethe seeds of nature time to burrowand produce their own kind, causingweeds of every description and thebeginnings of young tree saplings.All gratuitous gifts of nature’s wildlifetaking over the ice and pushing thecracks further apart to flex their rootsand then reach out into the open.

The buildings had not faired betterand all were now old and derelict. Theold control tower with all the windowsgone, displaying gaping ugy holes.The door hanging on one hinge whichwould soon relinquish its struggle andcollapse, breaking no doubt as itreached its final resting place.

The lone hangar loomed up. It hadbeen one of three, but the other twohad been demolished after the warand the materal used elsewhere. Whythey left the one was a puzzle, but itseemed to despair of being the onlyone there. The wind loved to playgames within the vast interior withwhistles and cries as it found a newgap to push through. Sometimes itsounded like the cries of the past. Thetempo of the wind played differenttunes sometimes gaining strength -encouraged by the music it wasproducing. Whether it was gales orcalm, the wind had a tune to play andMartin had heard many variantsthrough the times he had strolledaround this old place.

Martin was always drawn to thisairfield, maybe because he had beenposted here during the war. Nothingromantic - he had been a pilot whoflew Dakotas. There had been threehere among the other aircraft, namelyLancasters and Halifaxes. They werethe real heroes he thought. He wasmore like a taxi, although he wasnever accused as such and treatedwith a respect he didn’t think hedeserved. Always taking off at nightwith someone or something in the

The Long WaitA short story by Harry Carter

back, over France mostly, orHolland, and on occasions picking uppassengers, always at night and nearlyalways back for breakfast, he mused.

They had all gone now - all the menand women. The women of coursewere the WRAFs. Always with smileson their faces, always joking. Theyworked mostly in the control planningroom which was underground andnow filled in. He had fallen in lovewith one of them - Helen, and likemany war-time lovers they quicklywed. Dating was never going to belong the way the war was oneveryone’s mind. They had one son -Thomas and were fortunate to live in acottage only two miles from theairfield which belonged to her father.He had left it to her and Helen hadturned it into a loving home.

He kicked his heels and listened to thewind howling through the old hangar.He had walked around it inside andout, but it held no attraction. It wasbuilt both for aircraft and people andwhen they went it became forlorn andlonely, giving up its pride of place.

He slowly walked back to the entranceto the airfield and looked at the warmemorial. So many men, so manybrothers, sons, fathers. They said thatthe place was haunted by a lone pilotwith a flying jacket and scarf whostood near the memorial when thedampness of the earth produced athick mist enveloping the airfield andthe road. Well it was misty now andhe wondered what it would be like tomeet this so-called pilot; I wonder, hemused, whether I knew him from thepast. Disused war-time airfields alwayshad that air of loneliness and mystery,so it would not be surprising thatghost stories were commonplace.

He then thought of his own son,Thomas, who had died when he was14 of a weak heart. It had been sounexpected and such a blow. Now,years later, Helen was very ill withheart problems and was in the localhospital. He had gone there every dayand sat on her bed, but she wasalways asleep. The last time wasyesterday and he was overjoyed whenshe seemed to open her eyes and look

at him. She gave him a beaming smileand winked - yes winked! She had notdone that since they started going outtogether. He smiled and she seemed toslip back into a deep sleep.

He thought of the look on Helen’sface. She seemed to be content andpeaceful. He sighed. He thought hewould have one last walk around theairfield when he heard a voice behindhim.

“Martin Allday. Thought you would behanging around here you old rascal!”He turned to see Helen standing nearthe memorial with a big beamingsmile. He walked towards her and tookher by her soft warm hand. “Helen -you look as lovely as ever” and startingto laugh “and as ever, delectable inuniform”.

She giggled. “You flatterer, youalways did like women in uniform andI might add you look as handsome asthe day I saw you in your pilot jacket”.

Together they walked slowly aroundthe airfield arm in arm.

Martin looked at her. “Came to seeyou yesterday”. She smiled. “I know,I saw you“.

“Thought you did, and what’s thiswinking skylark then?“ he teased.

She gave him a squeeze andwhispered with an impish grin, “Didn’tyou like it?”

He laughed and looked at her withpride in his eyes. “Why do you thinkI married you all those years ago?”

She gave a push on his arm. “Nowcome on, let’s go and see all our oldfriends and family.

”Mmm, he replied in a pretendedsultry tone, “As long as you don’t startwinking at any of those reprobates,I don’t mind”. They burst out laughingand in the distance they heard Thomaslaughing too.

The wind gave a mournful sigh asit seemed to realise that its old friendand companion had at last gone.It could only say farewell by pushingleaves against the memorial near hisname - one among so many others.

Harry Carter


70

PoetryBeyond the CribImagine a manger where shepherds have kneltGiving honour to a maid and how her babe dwelt;Then think of the house where astrologers trodTo offer their treasures for the meekness of God.

Please prize each present round your bright Christmas treeDepicting that child’s love both for you and for me;Perhaps the most difficult gift to acceptIs deep love abiding through an infant’s bequest.

For beyond the crib a tree’s dark form stood tallWhere He offered us wholeness as all else must pall;These are all stories about giving not wealthAnd found in the Gospels so best read for ourself.

ANON

Christmas baubles shinewith glimmering fairy lights

on mantelpiece green

Stars filled the night skyto announce that holy birth

to the lonely hill

Winter green fir treein full Christmas finerylights up the dark days

Angels sang at nightfilling the dark sky with light

to proclaim the birth

Bright star leads the waythe three magi follow it

to find the baby

Harbingers of joyanother world’s messengers

angels bringing news

Pat Gregory

Six Haikus for Christmas

The following poemwas read at the private commital for

Ray Sellars at Lincoln Crematorium onWednesday 18 July 2012

REMEMBERRemember me when I am gone away,Gone far away into the silent land;When you can no more hold me by the hand,Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.Remember me when no more day by dayYou tell me of our future that you plann’d:Only remember me; you understandIt will be late to counsel then or pray.Yet if you should forget me for as whileAnd afterwards remember, do not grieve:For if the darkness and corruption leaveA vestige of the thoughts that once I had,Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad.

Christina Rosetti(1830-1894)

MY APPREHENSIONI sit and ponderIn the dim light of doubt,Which begins to cast disconcerting shadows.

Hunched outlines appearIn the comparative darkness of corners,Whilst, my straining eyes,Become brimfulOf trepidation and anticipation.

Subtle hues become insignificant,As the gloom of depressionPervades an unfamiliar room.My mind frames fearful fantasies;Introduces the unwanted,And illuminates the unknown.

Fear bubbles and effervesces,Tingling and throngingThroughout my being;Producing perspiration and perturbation;An agony of uninvited avocation.

I pull myself together:Stand; turn on all the lights;Cross myself;Then leave to seek company,Reassurance,And day-to-day reality.

D J Fenwick

Lincoln CathedralHigh over city and countrysideDominant for miles around,Heavenward-searching towers above,The wondrous cathedral in Mary’s name;Fashioned of old to ease man’s fearsThrough prayers from nigh on a thousand years.

Climb from the town by hillside steep.Exchequer gate through to Minster yard.West front so grand linking ancient and newBishop and swineherd are gazing downUnited to bless as each pilgrim appearsBy prayers for nigh on a thousand years.

Remigius’s portals lead to the nave.Vista so powerful senses suspends.Space, light and beauty crowd on the mind.Numbness recedes and, perchance, in its placeThe voices of gone congregations one hearsSaying prayers of nigh on a thousand years.

So to Hugh’s choir and wonder againAt the ancient ribbed vaulting built by the saint.The altar and chancel revered from his timeThe fine oaken carvings, the misericords,Magnificent organ whose music coheresWith prayers from nigh on a thousand years.

The east end contains the great Angel ChoirConstructed to venerate St Hugh’s remains.Stone-carved angels cluster on high,Enormous east window flanked by the past.Famed lurking imp that downward leersDefying the prayers through a thousand years.

What then to say of the chapter house?What of its 14th century throne?What of the cloisters and library?What of the rood screen’s hand chiselled work?What of the grand Purbeck marbled piers?Come, join in the prayers of a thousand years.

J P O’DonoghueBrookfield Avenue

NOSTALGIAI looked out this morning and saw the fogLying about on each wet, dripping tree,And was taken straight back to the days of my youthSpent in the chilly north-east, by the sea.

Mist, up there, is known as ‘the fret’And hangs about where the land and sea meet,A few miles inland there’s wall to wall sunshine,On the beach you’d be lucky to see your feet!

Mist, in the country, is cleaner and lighter,Even the fog doesn’t have any smell,But the fog that you get in industrial countiesHas, in its content, the perfumes of hell!

Smoke from the chimneys of houses and factories,From the chip shop the savoury smell of hot fat,The pub doors exuded stale beer and tobaccoAnd, round many a corner, the fragrance of tom cat!

The sea-front at Seaburn was our stamping ground,You could go there any night in the weekAnd meet up with two or three folk that you knew,Whether the weather was clement or bleak.

We’d go into Notts for hot orange or coffee,All smoking like chimneys, we’d put the world right,Then, someone would say “Let’s have fish and chips,”And out we would go in the damp, ‘scented’ night.

We’d walk on the beach if the tide was out,Climb over the rocks, the seaweed and shingle,Then, there in the gloom, were the cafe’s bright lightsThe smell from the door made the taste buds tingle.

We didn’t go in and sit at a table,We wanted ours wrapped, to be eaten outside,Because, if we wanted to walk on the beach,An eye must be kept on the turn of the tide.

We sat on the sea wall with bums nearly frozen,And ate, with our fingers, this sumptuous feast,I can still smell the vinegar, newsprint and fish,And I’m sixteen again in the smoky north-east.

Those were the days when untreated sewageWas piped out to sea when the tide was right,Sadly, the wind brought the odour of outfall,Which ruined the charm of a bright, moonlit night!

However, ‘twas all part of life as we knew it,Sounds pretty awful, but really was grand,I have many memories of childhood and youth,And part of my heart is always in Sunderland.

They say that, with age, short-term memory goes,I’m finding out now that this is so true,Sixty five years ago - clear as a bell,But what I did yesterday - haven’t a clue!

Phyllis StephensonRiverdale


71

A Smile for ChristmasNow

that’s what I call aChristmas tree!

Get ‘em off!An elderly man was accomanied by hiswife to an appointment with the doctor.

The doctor said: “I need a stool sample,a urine sample and a sperm sample”.

“What did he say?” said the man, who wasrather hard of hearing.

“He wants your underpants” she replied.

Did you ever wonder why there areno dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica?

Where do they go?

Wonder no more!

It is a known fact that the penguin is avery ritualistic bird which lives an extremelyordered and complex life. The penguin isvery committed to its family and willmate for life, as well as maintain a form ofcompassionate contact with its offspringthroughout its life.

If a penguin is found dead on the ice,other members of the family and socialcircle have been known to dig holes in theice, using their vestigial wings and beaks,until the hole is deep enough for thedeceased bird.

The male penguins then gather in a circlearound the fresh grave and sing:

“Freeze a jolly good fellow” - then theykick him in the ice-hole.

Wise WordsRemember...

Once you get over the hill, you’ll beginto pick up speed.

Everyone has a photographic memory.Some, like me, just don’t have any film.

Never be too open-minded, your brainsmay fall out.

Middle-age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist

change places.

Opportunities always look bigger goingthan coming.

By the time you can make ends meet,they’ve moved the ends.

You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floorwithout holding on.

The original point and click interface was aSmith & Wesson.

Five days a week my body is a temple -the other two it’s an amusement park.

Learn from your parents’ mistakes -use birth control.

Don’t drink and drive, you might hit abump and spill something.

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving isnot for you.

We are born naked, wet and hungry.Then things get worse.

Red meat is not bad for you.Furry green meat is bad for you.

Xerox and Wurlitzer are going to merge tomanufacture reproductive organs.

Why oh why!...... do we always press harder on theremote control when we know the

batteries are getting weak?

... do banks charge a fee due to insufficientfunds when they know you’re broke?

... doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?

... did some cruel person decide to put an‘s’ in the word ‘lisp’?

... is it that, no matter what colourbubble bath you use, the bubbles

are always white?

... is there never a day that sofas arenot on sale?

... is it that no plastic bag will open fromthe first end you try?

... do insects somehow find their way intoenclosed light fixtures?

... is it that whenever you attempt tocatch something that’s falling off the table,

you always manage to knock somethingelse over?

... do you never hear father-in-law jokes?

Gotcha!I was visiting my daughter and son-in-lawyesterday, when I asked if I could borrow anewspaper.

My daughter said “This is the 21st centuryDad, we don’t waste our money onnewspapers any more, here - you canborrow my iPad.”

Well I can tell you, that fly never knewwhat hit it...

SecondsMy wife and I walked past a swanky newrestaurant in town last night.

“Did you smell that food?” she asked,“incredible!”

Well, being the perfect husband I am,I thought, “What the heck - I’ll treat her!”

So we walked past it again.

And finally...Jokes about German sausage are the wurst

I know a man who’s addicted to brake fluid,but says he can stop any time

After staying up all night and wonderingwhere the sun went, it dawned on me

The theatrical performance about puns wasjust a play on words

The report showed that I had type A blood,but it was a Type-O

A dyslexic man walks into a bra

At first I didn’t like my beard, but then itgrew on me

With a bladder infection, urine trouble

Broken pencils are pointless

I tried to catch some fog, but I mist

A dinosaur with an extensive vocabularyis a thesaurus

I dropped out of communism class becauseof lousy Marx

Spooky French pancakes give me the crepes

Velcro: what a rip-off!

Cartoonist found dead - details are sketchy

I used to think I was indecisive, but nowI’m not so sure

Gourmet readers of Nettleham Newsmay be interested to learn that productionof both humus and taramasalata has beenseriously affected by the economicdownturn in Greece.

A spokesman for the Government said itwas a direct result of the double-diprecession!

Tasty...


72


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