Welton NEWS 1

Welton NEWS c/o Parish Office 7 Lincoln Road Welton, LN2 3HZ

Editorial: (01673) 860073 Advertising: 861464 Distribution: 860073

Email: weltonnews@gmail.com Website: www.weltonnews.org

Management Committee

Chair: Dorothy Russell Treasurer: Michael Daly Advertisement Manager: Penny Brackenbury Distribution Manager: Members: Jim Blainey, Roy Minnitt, Graham Nicholls

Editorial

Editor: Dorothy Russell Deputy Editor: Graham Nicholls Associate Editor: Dawn Bowskill Photographer: Jim Blainey

Contributions

Articles and letters should be emailed to weltonnews@gmail.com or sent to c/o Parish Office, 7 Lincoln Road, Welton, LN2 3HZ

Copy Deadline

The copy deadline for both advertising and editorial is the 15th of the month The management committee does not necessarily endorse the views expressed by contributors to this magazine, and while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information, no responsibility will be taken for any errors or omissions in this publication. All articles and information submitted to the editor must be attributable, otherwise these will not be printed. Confidentiality will, however, be maintained. The editor reserves the right to edit all material. ©No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the Welton NEWS Management Committee.

Contents

5 Advertising

5 A Bit of a Mystery

19 A Trip Down Memory Lane

3 Bikers on Call

4 Brownies: 2nd Welton

30 Community Policing (A Sgt Long Story)

24 Cycling to Say Hello

2 Editorial

6 Football Club

22 From the Archives

16 Gladys Ottewell

31 Health Centre

27 Letters to the Editor

25 Library and Community Hub

8 Methodist News

4 More Land for Building

10 Nature Watch

28 Netball News

12 Paraprosdokian

38 Parish Council Notices

29 PDA

31 Police Contact Information

15 Sandra Gail Clifford

36 St Barnabas Hospice

13 St Mary’s Church News

32 Stonecliff Park

33 This Month in History

34 Twinning Association

39 Useful Contact Numbers

35 VE Day Commemorations

5 Village Hall

24 Welton Golf Centre

Welton NEWS 2

From the Editor

are still in lockdown and many businesses are still closed, so once again this month we are only able

to produce an on-line version of the magazine and not a print version. I hope that you enjoyed last month’s NEWS and that you will enjoy this June issue as well, but I’m looking forward to being able to do a print version again, as I’m sure you are. Once again, I’ve taken advantage of the fact that there are no space or colour limitations to an on-line magazine, so there are lots of photographs to go with the articles. This at least is one positive aspect of publishing the magazine on the website. As I write this the weather is glorious, and has been for most of the lockdown period, so I hope you have been able to get out in your garden, if you are lucky enough to have one, or to enjoy the weather while taking your daily exercise. I imagine that many gardens are looking more cared for than they have done for some time; mine included! There is lots of fund-raising news in this month’s magazine. The Brownies (page 4) and the football club (page 6) have held charity fund-raiser events and you can read about Cameron Atkinson’s sponsored bike ride on page 24. I have kept myself busy this month making improvements to the website. We have now added a new section called Audio Articles and have included some recordings made by Graham Nicholls. Have a listen and see what you think. If this proves popular we can add more as time goes on. Also, if you would like an audio version of the magazine, containing at least some of the articles that appear in the on-line and (hopefully soon!) print versions, let me know. We thought that audio articles might be appreciated by those who either don’t like reading on a screen or who find it difficult either because of poor eyesight or just because of the glare that goes along with a screen. Please spread the word that the NEWS is available on the website and that the website also has lots of other useful information and links that might help people during this difficult time. For example, we have put a link in the What’s On section to the YouTube church services for the Welton, Dunholme and Scothern benefice, information about accessing the Welton Family Health Centre and useful information received from Healthwatch Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire County Council.

If there is anything else that we could put on the website that you think might be helpful to you or your family, friends or neighbours, let me know by e-mail (weltonnews@gmail.com), through the Contact Us page on the website, or by writing to me c/o the Parish Office, 7 Lincoln Road, Welton, LN2 3HZ.

Dorothy Russell

If anyone would like to contribute audio for the website, Graham would be

pleased to hear from you. He is also happy to talk you through how you can

produce your own. Contact Graham via the Welton NEWS

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Bikers on Call

the past few weeks many organisations and individuals have stepped up to support communities

and those in need. Some of these are long-established and others have blossomed suddenly to meet the challenges we currently face.

Recently, I spoke to Harry Baldock, a flight lieutenant in the RAF by

profession and serious biker in his spare time. Harry told me about

his volunteer work with an organisation called Bike Shed, which he

described as, originally, a ‘haven’ for bikers but which has now spun

out the Bike Shed Community Response Team, initially based in

London but now nationwide. Members make themselves

available, at their own expense and in their own time, to carry

equipment or anything that needs to get from one place to

another. When I spoke to him, Harry had spent much of the last

week ferrying patterns and materials for volunteers who are

making hospital scrubs, which had included a trip across the

Humber Bridge to Beverley and out to the coast to Skegness. Of

course, having a valid reason to travel also allowed him to enjoy his

beautiful yellow and black Indian Scout.

Harry and his girlfriend only moved to Welton last year. He was working at RAF Coningsby and they were

looking for property in the Lincoln area when a colleague mentioned that he lived in Welton. They came

to take a look and Harry said; “Straight away we thought, this is nice, there’s local shops, everyone seemed

friendly, it’s small enough so that you can take a walk out in the country and large enough to get to a

shop.” He said they have particularly valued that recently when opportunities to get out have been

restricted. Harry was also really pleased that the Red Arrows would be staying close by and still using the

air space over Scampton when the base closes in 2022.

Anyone who thinks Bike Shed might be able to help them, particularly to move items of personal

protective equipment or medical supplies, can find out more on the Bike Shed Community Response

webpage. Harry said that he would also like to help anyone who is shielding family members or otherwise

unable to leave their home by making deliveries.

Graham Nicholls

You can hear Graham’s interview

with Harry on the Audio Articles

section of the NEWS website.

Welton NEWS 4

Brownies: 2nd Welton

we are still not able to meet physically, I have been setting small weekly challenges for the Brownies

to do via our Facebook group. These include things like writing a letter to a relative, learning their promise using sign language, tuning in to a virtual campfire and decorating bunting for the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Our most recent challenge was for a brand-new badge. Northamptonshire guides have developed a syllabus for their ‘coronavirus isolation challenge’ and it contains lots of things that the girls can do, following current guidelines, to work towards a badge. I’m very excited to see their work.

You may have seen that because the London marathon was cancelled this year a lot of charities will suffer financial loss due to reduced fundraising events. The 2.6 challenge was set nationally, encouraging people to walk 2.6 miles, do 26 minutes of dancing,

make 26 cakes, or do something using 26 or 2.6 to raise money for charity. Well, our great news is that one of our Brownies, Jess, held a socially distanced cake sale from her kitchen window and raised over £180 for Brownies! This is an amazing achievement and something for which we are so grateful.

Claire (Brown Owl) Tel: 07734 943079

More Land for Building

In last month’s issue of the NEWS (page 5) we noted the prospective sale of ‘strategic’ land off

Eastfield Lane currently in agricultural use.

The selling agents, Perkins, George, Mawer and Co, have now confirmed that an offer has been

accepted but were unable to disclose the identity of the buyer.

The land was offered at a guide price of £500,000.

Well done Jess (our front cover star)

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Advertising

will notice that there are some adverts in this month’s NEWS. We have included adverts from all

the businesses that normally advertise with us that have notified us that they are open for business. If your business is open and your advert is not included here in the magazine, please get in touch by e-mailing the editor at weltonnews@gmail.com, through the Contact Us page on the website (www.weltonnews.org), or by calling the editor on 01673 860073. Whenever you need a service, please support the local businesses that advertise in the NEWS. When we are able to produce a printed magazine again, it is the adverts paid for by local businesses that will pay for the printing of the NEWS each month.

The Editor

A Bit of a Mystery

long-time resident of Eastfield Lane recently asked

me about this carved stone which forms part of a stone edging in the garden. Most likely it relates to the coronation of George VI in 1937 and it looks as though it may at some point have included an additional letter, probably a capital R to form GR (Georgius Rex). But does anyone know anything more? Maybe it was just the work of an enthusiastic royalist homeowner with stonemasonry skills, or maybe there are similar memorials elsewhere. Any information would be gratefully received (contact me via the Welton NEWS).

Graham Nicholls

Welton Village Hall Trust

, the village hall remains closed, though it is not beyond the realms of the imagination to

see how it might re-open for some activities in the foreseeable future. The management committee will consider what steps could be put in place to allow this to happen and I would be pleased to hear the thoughts of any previous or potential future users. In the meantime, the legal requirement to hold an AGM means that we will be holding our first ever virtual meeting on 1st June to deal with essential business. I will report back in the July issue of the NEWS.

Graham Nicholls

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Welton Football Club

, I hope you are all keeping safe and well and feeling blessed that we live in such a beautiful part of

the country in which to survive lockdown. I expect many of our players may not have seen much of the outside world over the last two months but at the time of writing the restrictions are just being lifted so hopefully they can see what sunlight looks like again! Like all sports clubs it has been an unprecedented time for Welton FC where we have been largely in the hands of the English FA and our own Mid-Lincs League to decide how our season would be completed. It was no surprise when the decision was taken in April to null and void the whole season with no promotions or relegations in any of the age groups. This has been a massive disappointment for players, parents and coaching staff alike but everyone agreed it was the right thing to do. What made things worse was that the social distancing meant all training was cancelled and unless they had access to a decent back garden and some competitive siblings, football was largely put on hold. Committee members, though, have been working tirelessly to ensure that the club is able to manage and survive the crisis and they have put us in an excellent position to kick-start next season whenever that may be! The main casualty was the cancellation of the annual six-a-side tournament which should have been held in June. This is a massive two-day event for the club and one that everyone really enjoys. The other celebration which had to be cancelled was the presentation nights usually held in May. This is usually a great opportunity to praise the players for their efforts during the season and make sure they get the recognition they deserve. To make sure the teams are not too disappointed though, the club agreed to go ahead and order the medals and trophies and let the individual teams find a way to make sure all the players have a chance to receive their rewards at some point in the coming weeks. It has not all been bad news! By the time you are reading this the club will have completed an amazing ‘Road to Wembley’ fund-raising event to support our charity partner St Barnabas Hospice. The Welton FC Lockdown Challenge was for teams of players, managers, coaches, parents and siblings to run, walk or cycle the 145 miles

from Manor Park to Wembley Stadium between 9am on Saturday 23rd May and 5pm on Monday 25th May. Long before that weekend the number of teams getting involved meant that pledges had already totalled well over the initial target of £1,000 and as you can see from the image on the right, at the time of writing, more than four times that amount had been raised. Matt Wilson, who organised it, could not have been more thrilled, saying; “It’s amazing how quickly the sponsorship total rose within days of suggesting the idea and with the all the fun everyone is having organising and completing the challenge then everyone wins!”

We are really not sure what the summer months are going to bring but rest assured everyone is chomping at the bit to get going again and when the first opportunity arises to play safely we will be there with balls, goals, nets and opposition to get everyone back to playing the game we love!

Stay safe. Dave Staddon

Welton NEWS 7

Images of the Road to Wembley Challenge

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Methodist News

Imagination Shaped by Grace

been exploring how to be church, and how to be, in this new reality of staying safe, but missing all those

physical connections, those habits, that have kept us healthy. And not just how we can replace them with something similar but virtual, but perhaps how we can build new habits, which can sustain us through these times, and into the future. So, I'd like to share with you some more from Serene Jones (Trauma and Grace).

How can an imagination shaped by grace meet and heal a world distorted by violence? What would that look like in terms of daily life? First, do something physical. One image that is used to describe trauma is that the normal flow of energy through our nervous system is disrupted. Instead of going through the system and then out, it gets turned back in on itself, and so this violent energy circulates inside you. I think we need to pay more attention to things we do that open us up. Church singing does that. Running can do that. Find ways of physically inhabiting the world that shift your patterns. Second, prayer and meditation are an essential part of opening us up. In prayer I open myself up to experience the love of God, to let that new love that I don't control come into me. As I watch my own thoughts in meditation, I've been made aware of those feedback loops of violence. You can see you are stuck. You need to give yourself time in space to meditate and watch your mind. Third, allowing yourself to write poetry, or write in ways that aren't contained by the normal structure of thought, helps nurture this imagination shaped by grace. Poetry is wonderful. It cracks open the imagination. I also think the arts do that. We can do that in our own ordinary ways by painting, drawing, writing, so that those unconscious spaces of harm in us begin to surface and can be engaged and rearranged. In times of trauma, it's ok not to be ok. But we can build habits that support us and our friends and neighbours. Take time to exercise (or even just breathe!). Pray, often. Pick up something artistic, sing,

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knit, write. And practise telling your story, maybe write it down; your story of how you are hurting but you still carry on can help other people more than you know. When we are together again we can find ways of sharing these stories in small safe spaces. And for now, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. Grace and peace,

Revd Dr Helen Hooley

End of Methodist News

Over the last two months we have been keeping in touch with all our friends,

either by phoning, texting or waving to each other on our daily walks. It is good

to keep in touch as a church and to know that prayers are being said. If you

wish us to pray for someone or for a particular situation, please contact Ruth

(861461) or Barbara (860823).

We have been able to access a variety of local and national services, details of

which have been circulated.

The leadership team have been in contact with each other and are considering

suitable options for getting together again when the time is right.

We all look forward to meeting together for worship and fellowship at services

and to all the other activities, such as coffee mornings, that have had to be

curtailed.

Welton NEWS 10

Nature Watch

are sometimes in two minds over creeping

buttercups. These can be a delight on a lawn; they have a similar colour to those found in meadows but have a sparkling look which is very attractive. They take their name from the way they propagate as their roots can be up to two feet long.

Scarlet poppies in the corn fields are not as common as they were when I was a boy; farmers have long sought to destroy them with herbicides. I think it is always a wonderful sight to see a cornfield with a blaze of red running through it. In olden days poppies were considered important for the health of the corn and as children we were warned not to pick the flowers as doing so would bring a thunderstorm onto the field. So, be warned!

With the continuing lockdown there are fewer opportunities for walking in the woods. This is disappointing as in May they were alive with the sounds of newly hatched birds. The calls of the young to the

parents are still there but are now fading as the families start to join up to form flocks that will fly across the countryside. The young magpies are especially noisy as they follow their parents in search of titbits. Magpies do not have a good reputation as they will sometimes raid the nests of smaller birds. However, they feed mainly on insects and so it is unlikely that they do long-term harm to other birds.

The biologist JBS Haldane was once asked what conclusion he derived from his studies of God’s creation. He said that it showed that He had an inordinate fondness for beetles. It is estimated that there are nearly 500,000 species worldwide and more are being discovered each year. These insects are vital for animal life on our planet. They are the great undertakers of the natural world; they tidy away the corpses of dead animals and they dispose of dead vegetation. If it wasn’t for the beetles and similar insects, the Earth would be covered with dead material. I would recommend the book Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, which is a wonderful read into the fascinating lives of insects and why they are so important to us all.

This time last year Lincolnshire was suffering extraordinary flooding. Our

county has a reputation for flooding, even Charles Dickens took it as his

inspiration for his novel, Bleak House. He wrote, “The weather is so very

bad, down in Lincolnshire, that the liveliest imagination can scarcely

apprehend its ever being fine again”. Hopefully this year we will have

kinder weather so that we can, at least, self-isolate in our back gardens

Welton NEWS 11

The summer solstice is on Thursday 21st June and it will be interesting to see if crowds will gather at Stonehenge again this year. The solstice marks the day when the Earth’s tilt means that the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. Over 2,000 years ago, the Greek scholar, Eratosthenes, calculated the circumference of the Earth when he discovered a well in southern Egypt where the sun shone straight down the well on the summer solstice. In his home city of Alexandria, some 500 miles to the north, he measured the angles of the shadow caused by the sun of a pole he had erected and found it to be

7.2 degrees. He was then able to calculate that the circumference of the Earth was 250,000 stades, or 39,300 kilometres. His calculation was within 98% of today’s measurement. So, long before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world, the ancient Greeks had determined an accurate measurement of the Earth. This was more than Columbus had as he was using a more up-to-date calculation which underestimated the true figure and meant that poor Columbus thought he had landed near to India. Thus we still live with the geographically misnamed West Indies.

Jack Falcon

Welton NEWS 12

Paraprosdokian

paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the

latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and is frequently humorous (Winston Churchill loved them).

1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you; but it's still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

9. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, "In case of emergency, notify..." I answered, "a doctor".

11. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

12. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

13. I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.

14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

15. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

16. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

17. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Stay safe, stay well. Jim Cook

Welton NEWS 13

St Mary’s Church News

I hope you’re all doing well and keeping safe in these strange times. I wonder if you might like to spare a thought for me and my kind? It’s all very well you wanting to hang out with us 24/7, but it’s all a little too claustrophobic at times. The vicar is usually in and out all day, but he’s been more in than out during the last couple of months. The rest of them are the same. It’s like one big holiday having them all around constantly, except we’re just not getting to go anywhere. I’ve been taking myself upstairs to bed at nine most evenings just to escape feeling smothered! I guess we do still get to go on our daily walks, and of late it’s sometimes been more than once. The vicar says Boris allowed it. I have no idea who Boris is. There have been many more dogs walking around these parts, ones I don’t know very well, so perhaps Boris is one of them? (Apologies to you if you’ve been barked at when you’ve gone past my house: I like to show who’s in charge down my road!) Anyhow, the vicar said to Mrs Vicarage the other day that I should be getting more exercise. I said it takes one to know one, so you may have seen me out and about trying to keep up with him on his bike. Yes, that’s me,

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the bedraggled one meekly running alongside, looking as though I’ve been running a half-marathon. He says he can’t understand how when we get home I suddenly have boundless energy. It’s a good ploy, that. I mean, who would enjoy keeping up with a bike and being prevented from stopping to have a good sniff about the place? Strangely, I haven’t been in the church buildings for a while. The vicar used to take me into them quite regularly until a couple of months ago. Not sure what I did wrong; however tempting the pews may seem to dogs to mark their presence, I’ve been a model clergy dog and a good boy! The vicar has been saying to people; “Although the buildings are closed, the church isn’t closed!” It’s true that. He’s even been taking services in the house (albeit on his own staring at a camera). “For YouTube”, he says, whatever that means. Supposedly you can click on a link to find them. Something else that I don’t understand. A click is something that signals a treat to me. Oh well, never mind, I guess if I stare at the biscuit jar wagging my tail and do that roll-over trick thing I can get one of them. I guess I ought to go and think about whining at the back door to get let out to see who’ll answer my call across the gardens. Of course, it’s our canine way of checking out who’s about and making sure that our friends are safe. I hope you’re managing to do that too!

Bertie, The Vicarage Dog

End of St Mary’s News

If you go to the What’s On section of the NEWS website you will find a link

to the YouTube Welton, Dunholme and Scothern Benefice church services

Threechurchespray During June, St Mary’s, St Chad’s and St Germain’s churches in our benefice will be praying for Welton streets as follows: Hackthorn Road, Poachers Rest, Keepers Close, Field Close, The Spinneys, Lodge Close, Bramble Close and Karsons Way. If you would like to join us as prayer triplets or would like to know a bit more before you make up your mind, please contact Glyn on 861907 or Dave on 860986.

Light Up St Mary’s Tuesday 30th June: Matt Boulton. “Shining a Light for Matt’s birthday; with love from Di and Bob Boulton.”

Welton NEWS 15

Sandra Gail Clifford Making a Difference: A Legacy of Kindness

On Sunday 3rd May 2020 at 4pm our Mum sadly passed away. Despite fighting a long-standing illness, she always had a smile on her face. Because of the coronavirus, as a family we were unable to be at the hospital and hold Mum’s hand. Instead the kind nurses gave our mum a crocheted heart that she held as she gently slipped away. At first our family had crippling feelings of loss and guilt that could only be dampened by large glasses of Mum’s favourite whisky, Jameson. Our Mum was without doubt the kindest and most caring person we have ever met, a true family person who loved nothing more than spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Gradually a more powerful image came into focus that started to overcome the feelings of pain and loss. We all recognised the sheer power and longevity of what Mum had bequeathed to us – a legacy of kindness and love. Her principles of love, care and affection are emblazoned on the hearts of each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and will be passed on through each generation.

Sandra Gail Clifford 21/6/1947 – 3/5/2020

We can all say with great pride that our Mum made a difference, not just to us but to generations in the future by leaving a legacy of kindness. On 21st June we as a family will celebrate Mum’s birthday, please have a glass of Jameson with her. Our mum, quite simply, had a beautiful heart.

Jon Clifford

A Just Giving page has been set up in Sandra’s memory to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. If you would like to donate, please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jon-clifford5?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=jon-clifford5&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=fd90823d86a143e2a2aed00eab79fb2c

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Gladys Ottewell 29th September 1925 to 21st April 2020

Mum was born in Gulham near Market Rasen and went to the secondary modern school in Market Rasen. She had two sisters, Lillian and Gwen. Her dad worked as a farm labourer and the family lived at Faldingworth where grandad worked for Percy Rainthorpe. During the war years, Mum worked in the canteen at RAF Hemswell and Scampton. She said that even though there was a war going on there was so much camaraderie helping to keep up everyone’s spirits. She remembered having a laugh one minute with the aircrew in the canteen and then coming in the next day to find that some hadn’t returned to base. She would have wanted me to mention this in memory of lost friends, the brave young men that Mum never forgot, as we all commemorated the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May. After the war, Mum met our Dad, Charles, a local farmer, at a British Legion dance. They were married at Faldingworth church in 1953 and first settled on the family farm at Doglands, Toft Newton, right next to the RAF Faldingworth camp. I have lovely memories of those early years, growing up with my brother David and younger sister Jane, surrounded by Dad’s cattle, sheep, pigs and hens, helping Mum bottle-feed the cade lambs and riding the retired pit ponies, Smoky and Jenny, that Dad had rescued. The family moved to Welton in 1964 after my grandad, Tommy Ottewell, purchased Manor Farm. We all lived at the Manor House opposite the church. Mum loved it there, getting involved in village life, and it was a perfect place to bring up a young family. We all loved being there and made many friends over the years. Mum was always good at sport and joined the Welton Ladies Fitness Club and, after her 40th birthday, the Market Rasen Golf Club with two of her best friends, Bettie Marris and Evor Anyon. She enjoyed playing there for 30 years. Tennis was her second sport love. At home she loved to watch Andy Murray play all around the world and was so excited when he won Wimbledon.

Mum was so supportive of the idea of building our own golf course 25 years ago this June, encouraging all with her knowledge of the game. She played a major part in the early years when the golf club was growing and loved her time as Lady President. She was a great role model and all the lady members loved her. One of her biggest thrills was teeing off and hitting the very first golf ball at Welton Manor Golf Club to celebrate the official opening with her friend Mrs Anyon. Six years later, she opened the new extension and restaurant, the Falconer, in memory of her husband, our

Dad, who sadly died just before it opened, and who loved animals and wildlife, especially falcons. Mum used to make breakfast for all his Yorkshire and Lincolnshire friends who came for days around the farm throughout the year to exercise their many birds of prey (that brought back memories of the film Kes).

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After so many wonderful holidays with us in Torquay, Bournemouth and Scarborough, followed by holidays in Jersey with their grandchildren, Mum and Dad bought a chalet bungalow at Sutton on Sea. They called it Sand Remo, Palm Springs, Miami Beach, Sutton on Sea! The address always made us laugh. Mum and Dad loved it there, especially when we all arrived with their grandchildren for the day at the weekends. Her eyes lit up, she just loved entertaining everyone and playing with her grandchildren. Wonderful memories that will last forever.

After Dad died, 20 years ago this Christmas, Mum had many memorable holidays with family and friends to Cuba, Cyprus and Italy, with a highlight at home taking Mum on the Orient Express to Conwy in Wales. She loved that so much.

In the last few years, when Mum was not always well, we still packed in a lot; taking her for days to garden centres, tea rooms, boutiques (Mum loved buying clothes and shoes, especially red ones!), the coast, the Bomber Command, RAF Wickenby Museum, Lincoln City’s promotion parade through the city, watching her grandson Ryan and great-granddaughter Jasmine play football. She loved eating out with everyone at Chinese, Greek and Italian restaurants and many more. The grandchildren took her everywhere, introducing her to new tastes in her 90s. Such fun we had. Mum’s 90th birthday was celebrated at Hemswell Court, going back to where she worked during the war. It was a wonderful, nostalgic evening. Some funny memories:

Mum had been practising her golf chipping on the lawn at Manor House before her match at Market Rasen the next day. The balls were those plastic ones with the holes in and could go a maximum of about three metres. Mum was going in to make tea and I said; “Leave the clubs there, Mum, I’ll have a go”. I was 12 at the time. I started hitting these plastic air balls but soon got fed up, so I put a tee in the ground with a real golf ball. I hit the ball perfectly but too well; it flew high in the air and went about 70 yards and through the neighbour’s top window! Oh, my! The neighbour’s language was a bit blue and I learned some new words that afternoon. Their little boy was fast asleep at the time. Mum sent me to my bedroom and Dad got someone to put in a new pane of glass the next day. One time, when I was about 18, Welton FC were having a jumble sale. Mum and Dad were on holiday but Mum said she had left some jumble in grandad’s bedroom so I went with the jumble on the Saturday and the football club made a bit of money for new kit. When Mum and Dad came back on the following Monday, Mum was going to play golf. She said, “Andrew, have you seen my best golf trousers and jumper?” Oh, heck! By mistake I had gathered all Mum’s best golf clothes off the bed and taken them to the jumble sale (the real jumble was in a bin bag on the bedroom floor). I never lived that down, although I do think that someone got a bargain!

There are people that I and the family would like to thank so much for helping and caring for Mum in the last few years: Karoline, my wife, for having Mum live with us for such a long time and caring for her even though she had not long lost her own mum and dad; my sister Jane, who moved back to the village from

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Navenby last year to help share Mum’s care at her bungalow. The grandchildren have been a brilliant support over the last few years, giving back all the love and care Mum gave to them as children. Mum was also blessed with having very special relationships with her great-grandchildren. She always told me how lucky she was to have a supportive family and not be left lonely in her old age as some people so sadly are.

We also want to thank Welton Family Health Centre who have looked after Mum’s health and well-being over the years, especially the last few years, doing home visits whenever needed at short notice despite the difficulties they themselves have faced in the last year or two. We cannot fault Lincoln County Hospital for the care they have provided Mum on numerous occasions when she had to be hospitalised over the years, including recently when she had an operation on her knee and the hospital went into lockdown during her recovery. Tanglewood Cloverleaf Care Home in Lincoln and The Poplars at Market Rasen provided respite care for Mum when the families were on holiday and the carers were brilliant with her. We also want to thank Amber Care who looked after her at times. From the bottom of our hearts, we all thank you so much. In difficult times, with the church closed, we had a close family graveside funeral at St Mary’s Church, Welton, where Dad is buried. It was a lovely service with music, a beautiful poem by the grandchildren and Revd Adam talking about Mum’s life with memories from her three children, David, Jane and me. Thank you Adam. As you said, it was like going back in time. Mum would have loved a service like that. Thank you also to my brother David for staying with Mum during the last three days of her life and to all the family members who saw her through the window. She knew you were there. Finally, thank you to everyone who sent the many wonderful cards and messages on Facebook, which were so lovely and comforting for our family at this time. We have been blessed and so lucky to have had Mum with us for so long.

Andy Ottewell

Welton NEWS 19

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was a young lad I lived in Kennington in South London. If you lived in South London at that

time, the chances were, if you were lucky enough to go on holiday, you went to the Kent coast, in all probability to Margate. So it was with my family. Originally we stayed at a boarding house in Westgate, a couple of bays away from Margate. I remember the house very well because it backed on to the mainline railway that started at Victoria Station in London and ran through Herne Bay, Chesterfield and Tankerton, Whitstable, Birchington and Westgate before it got to Margate, after which it went on round to Ramsgate. My grandparents moved to Westbrook, which was between Westgate and Margate, when my grandad retired. From then on all summer holidays were spent there and it’s where I would spend the six weeks of the school holidays. They had a beach hut on the seafront, which was great for meeting other kids; kids we got to know quite well because they also came every year. This was great for cricket on the beach and other games. Later on, grandad bought us a 10-foot rowing boat with a small outboard. Many adventures were had in this boat, which worried the life out of my mum; although I only found this out later! The boat, and the fact that we had the cricket stumps, meant I was quite popular! Last year, Pat and I took a nostalgic trip down to the area, which we hadn’t visited for many years; and I thought I would just write a few bits and pieces about our trip and share some of my photos. I hope you will indulge me.

We worked our way along the coast, starting at Whitstable. This is an area for seafood and, these days, the main catch is oysters. You can see in the photo the type of vessel they use surrounded by oyster shells. When you think how much you pay for oysters those shells must have brought in a bob or two. There is also a harbour with other fishing vessels.

So, on to Herne Bay, still a seaside resort as well as a dormitory town for people working in London. One of its claims to fame is that Amy Johnson, pioneering female pilot and the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, died in the waters here. She set many long distance records, some flying with her husband. She joined the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1940 but, sadly, died on 5th January 1941 when, reportedly out of fuel, she bailed out near Herne Bay. There is a statue to her on the seafront.

Welton NEWS 20

Herne Bay has a long shale seafront. There used to be a pier that was approximately three-quarters of a mile long and, like Southend, there used to be a train to take you out to the end. It was built to allow passenger vessels from London to land there. It was destroyed in a storm in 1978 and the remains were dismantled in 1980. All that is left now is a small stub out from the shore which you can still walk on, and the landing stage which is isolated at sea. There are some lovely, well-kept flower beds along the promenade.

Continuing along the coast, once you reach Birchington, there are no longer any breaks between the towns. Birchington, Westgate, Margate and Broadstairs are all seaside resorts with

nice sandy beaches. These days, they are mainly dormitory towns for London. We had a walk along the seafront at Birchington in time to see a glorious sunset and in Westgate we saw a couple of people kite surfing. Bearing in mind our trip was at the end of April, it’s not surprising that the sea looks so cold!

So, on to Westbrook and then Margate. This is where I spent most of my time and the photo of Westbrook shows the promenade and sands leading to Margate. The huts on the right have changed since my day. Ours used to be situated where the last one on the right now is. The sea went out far enough for very good beach cricket without knocking out the people in their deckchairs; there were a lot of people there during the summer months back in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Margate harbour is still there. It is a difficult harbour for boaters as it dries out at low tide. The photo shows Mannings Seafood in the foreground and the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery in the background. It’s not a good picture but it illustrates change. Mannings has had a cockle and whelk stall in that same position since I was a boy, but now, because of the different clientele that the art gallery has brought in, they mainly sell oysters and champagne at £25 a time! The Turner Contemporary Art Gallery is very interesting, much more so than I thought it would be. In one of the galleries there was an exhibition by the inmates of one of Her Majesty’s prisons. There are some wonderful artists incarcerated there. The building itself is very Marmite, better inside than out, we thought. I was pleased to see that Dreamland funfair still somehow keeps going. I spent many a happy hour there. You can still eat fish and chips as you walk along the seafront but you can’t beat fish and chips out of newspaper covered in salt and vinegar! That’s definitely not allowed now! There was a pier here which, like the ones at Herne Bay and Southend, was built to encourage the passenger ships from London, like the Sovereign and Daffodil, to bring their passengers to Margate. There also used to be penny arcades on

Welton NEWS 21

the pier and it was well used by fishermen. It was closed in 1976 and was virtually destroyed in the January 1978 storms. There is an amusing anecdote that a firm was contracted to blow up the remains of the pier but only succeeded in blowing out all the shop windows along the seafront! On to Broadstairs, of Charles Dickens fame. He spent his summer holidays here in the 1850s and 1860s and it is claimed that Fort House where he stayed was the basis for Bleak House. It was also here that he wrote David Copperfield. The seafront is a lovely curve with a sandy beach and a picturesque harbour at one end.

Further round the coast is Dover where ferries busily go across the channel and which is also a cruise ship terminal. Dover Castle is always worth a visit. There has been a castle or fortress of some sort here since 800BC. The castle that you see was completed by Henry III between 1217 and 1256. It was in the tunnels here, which you can visit, that Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey KCB, KBE, MVO, masterminded the Dunkirk evacuation. He was also in overall command of Operation Neptune, the unimaginably complex naval and landing operations of D-Day, involving more than

4,000 ships and landing craft, nearly 200,000 men and thousands of aircraft. Ramsey was an amazing man who would have been given more prominence had he not died when the plane he was travelling in crashed on take-off just outside Paris in January 1945. There is a statue to him at Dover Castle. How we could do with his logistics skills now! What is not well known is that, after the Cuban Crisis, further tunnels were dug to be used as a centre of government in the event of a nuclear war.

On the way home, we paid a visit to Canterbury. The cathedral was, unfortunately, covered in scaffolding. However the interior is beautiful, with some wonderful stained glass windows. The cathedral dates back some 1,400 years and, of course, is famously the place where Thomas à Becket was murdered in 1170 on the orders of King Henry II. It is easy to find the spot where the murder took place. If you like history, Canterbury is definitely a place to visit. Similar to York in many ways, it also has a

ducking chair which, it is alleged, was used for ducking witches, scolds and unruly people; although there is a suspicion that it might have been added in the Victorian era! Nostalgia has to end and so we made our way home. Ah well, just a few musings with some photos, but I hope you have enjoyed the trip.

Jim Blainey

Welton NEWS 22

From the Archives

The results of the 2000 district council election were reported: Charles Ireland (Conservative), 686 votes; Roger Hixcox (Lib Dem), 677 votes; Sally Scott (Labour), 107 votes.

The parish council elected Marlene Chapman as its chairman.

The First Responder group announced that it had raised the money to purchase a defibrillator for use by its volunteers.

The Heath Centre reported that it had received the go-ahead to recruit a fourth doctor for the practice. It was also about to introduce a computerised appointment system but warned that it could take “a little longer to process requests”.

In a letter to the editor, the parish clerk explained that the increase in the parish precept was mainly due to the parish council taking over responsibility for Manor Park which was running at a “huge loss”. A resident wrote that Manor Park should concentrate on catering for the youth of the village to keep them gainfully occupied and further suggested a number of ideas including a skate park.

Another letter writer wrote about the pink refuse sacks supplied by the district council and suggested that this was a ruse by the council to move to a fortnightly collection before it further moved to blue sacks for collections “once in a blue moon”.

Fred and Avis Baldwin reported on their Welton Tours five-day spring break on the Isle of Wight where many of the group visited Osborne House, went wine tasting at a vineyard and cruised on the Solent. The Welton Tours reports were a regular feature in the magazine for many years.

In the ‘Curate’s Letter’ the curate took the vicar to task (jocosely it would appear) for

misleading readers in the previous issue by confusing Pentecost with the secular Spring

Bank Holiday.

Welton NEWS 23

The chairman of the parish council, in his annual report, said that the council was currently working on an emergency plan which would eventually involve a co-ordinated response with surrounding villages in the event of a civil emergency.

At the annual parish meeting, community awards were presented to Tony Davis for his work with the Royal British Legion and to John Ryland for his work with the First Responders and the preparation of the Parish Plan. A certificate of achievement was given to Olive Sharland for her work with the Women’s Institute and various charities in the village and a group recognition certificate was given to LIVES First Responders.

It was reported that District Councillor Malcolm Parish was recovering well in hospital after a heart attack and subsequent bypass procedure.

After a two-year vacancy, St Mary’s Church announced the appointment of a priest-in-charge, Revd Jenny Rowley, who was to have responsibility for Welton, Scothern and Dunholme as well as her existing parishes at Nettleham and Riseholme.

The May Fair was a big success despite the chilly weather. Entertainers included Morris dancers, majorettes and an appearance by ‘Elvis’.

Letters to the editor were focused on the increase of over 15% to the parish precept and the lack of a satisfactory response from the parish council.

At the recent general election, Edward Leigh again won the Gainsborough seat with a comfortable majority and in the district council election the Conservatives retained their majority on the council although their leader on the council, Adam Duguld, lost his seat to the Lib Dems at Scampton.

Welton NEWS 24

Cycling to Say Hello

mum, Emma Atkinson, told us about her son Cameron.

Nine-year-old Cameron was missing his classmates from Dunholme St Chad’s school and decided that he would like to ride past their houses to say hello, from a distance. They worked out that the route that would include his whole class would be 41 miles, which is further than he’s ever ridden, so he set himself the challenge of doing it as a sponsored event to raise money for a local charity. Having helped his grandma at a food bank and knowing how much families need them at the moment, he decided to raise money for our local food bank. Cameron visited most of Dunholme and Welton, the north of Lincoln, Nettleham, Wickenby, Faldingworth and Owmby, honking his horn to let his friends know that he had arrived. He set off at 9am and arrived home at 5pm, having raised a fantastic £360. He was very grateful for the refreshments that families gave him on the way round.

Partial Re-opening of Welton Golf Centre

in Welton were finally able to get their clubs out again on

Wednesday 13th May, when Welton Golf Centre re-opened partially with some strict conditions in place. Although the course and driving range are now open from 7am daily, pre-booking is required as tee times are limited. Only two players are allowed on each tee, or three if all are from the same family group, and there are 10-minute intervals between tee times. Anyone wishing to play should take a look at the centre’s Facebook page for information about the requirements and conditions.

The bar, shop and other facilities remain closed, but this does at least offer a glimpse of better times ahead for golfers.

Graham Nicholls

Well done Cameron. A brilliant idea, a

worthwhile cause and a great achievement

Welton NEWS 25

Library and Community Hub

may have heard suggestions that libraries were on the list of premises that might re-open after the

initial lockdown restrictions were to be partially lifted in early May. This did not prove to be the case, although Lincolnshire Libraries have advised us that they are planning for the day that the service can resume. There is much to be thought through before that position is reached and of course at volunteer run libraries such as Welton we will need to be assured that conditions are safe for both borrowers and volunteers. As and when decisions are taken they will be published through the NEWS and on our Facebook page.

Following two on-line CoderDojo sessions we have taken the decision that regular timed meetings are not the best way currently to deliver computer coding for 7-17 year olds. Due to technical issues and with schooling at home being computer-based and needing to be factored into overall screen time, we have provided our members with a link to undertake projects at the best time for them and their parents. In fact anyone is welcome to use this link and the facilities it provides. It is done through an internationally recognised organisation so it is safe and has approved material for a variety of age ranges and abilities. If you or anyone you know is interested please go to: https://www.raspberrypi.org/at-home/. Are you missing our Community Hub events? Compared to many frustrations in the current crisis this is perhaps a minor one but we are sure our regular attendees are looking forward to the day when these monthly meetings can recommence; we know we are! So, here’s a quick look both back and forward that will hopefully make us think of the better days that will come. We quite literally got off to a flying start in September 2018 when Brian Riley came along and talked about the RAF in Lincolnshire in World War I, a very interesting afternoon with strong local connections. A few months later Anne Law visited from the RAF Wickenby Museum, when the focus was on World War II and the important part that airfield played. Looking to the future we've been in touch with Brian Riley and hope to have him speaking to us again. If you haven't visited the Wickenby Museum and café we'd suggest that it is well worth putting it on your list when we can all get out and about.

Welton NEWS 26

Welton itself has been the subject of a couple of talks, two of our volunteers, Avril Golding and Lynne Ballantine, spoke about the history of the settlement by the spring and then NEWS photographer Jim Blainey gave a presentation of ‘a year in Welton’. Jim also gave another presentation with some superb photos of Vancouver and the Rockies and we are pleased to say he will be back with more from his extensive catalogue when we re-open. We must also mention local historian Elaine Johnson, always a welcome visitor, who gave a couple of very popular and informative talks on the local front in World War II and women's suffrage in Lincolnshire. We are delighted to say that Elaine will be talking to us about women's football as soon as we are able to meet again.

We have also benefited from talks by a number of speakers with interests and knowledge of history in Lincolnshire. From just down the road at East Firsby we had Steve and Jude Jones who have constructed their own impressive Saxon house. The Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology provided speakers Bob Garlant, Nigel Burn and Brian Porter, who gave us intriguing details about British hillforts, Lincoln Castle and medieval church graffiti respectively. We look forward to welcoming more guests from that organisation in the future. Those of us who attended Janet Taylor's talk on the Luttrel psalter will never forget the detail she showed of this internationally renowned work originating from Lincolnshire which is in the British Library.

More widely we have had two very different events by talented Welton residents. Janice Frost, our local crime author, told us how she developed plots that have led her to the Kindle top ten. As a result her books are now in stock across Lincolnshire's libraries. We also benefited from a demonstration of delicious Indian cookery by one of our own volunteers, Jagu Dhorajiwala. Indeed we had another demonstration arranged by Jagu on the calendar which we will now move forward to a future time when we can meet; it is certainly another we can look forward to.

We hope this has whetted a few appetites for our return whenever that may be and we would add we will also be looking to re-arrange the talk on how railway mania changed Market Rasen as well as concluding some discussions to discover more about the Pilgrim Fathers. Do join us again or even for the first time when circumstances allow.

Michael Hubbert Library Volunteer Co-ordinator

Welton NEWS 27

LETTERS to the Editor…

The Editor welcomes views on any topic of interest to your fellow Welton residents. You can send your letters to: The Editor, Welton NEWS, c/o Parish Office, 7 Lincoln Road, Welton, LN2 3HZ; or to weltonnews@gmail.com or contact us via the website (www.weltonnews.org). You must include your name and address; the address will not normally be published and your name will be published only with your permission.

Dear Editor, Ros and family would like to thank everyone for all the lovely cards (over 70), flowers and kind condolences extended on the death of Eddie; especially from the Guides, Brownies and Rainbows.

Ros Reall

Dear Editor, Due to the coronavirus we decided to self-isolate to be on the safe side; we are 72 and 69 years old, with a few underlying health problems. I would like to say a big thank you to our friends and neighbours who have been doing our shopping. Everyone has been wonderful, even the friend who posted some dog poo bags through our letterbox (empty, ha, ha!) as we were running low. Without these people we would have been snookered as there are no slots for online shopping. Stay safe everybody. Also, people who are not sticking to the rules, please take it seriously or we will be isolated longer and I can’t wait to socialise with my friends face-to-face.

Mrs Hazel Parsley

Welton NEWS 28

Netball News

May 2020 was the date for the East Midlands Netball

‘Goalden Globes’ Awards, which was understandably postponed. However, the nominees for each category have now been announced. Congratulations to William Farr’s PE teacher, Miss Katie Ewing (pictured here) who has been nominated for the young teacher award and to Alice Lawrence, William Farr student, who has been nominated for the Young Volunteer award. We wish you both every success going forward.

Other Lincolnshire nominations include two coaches from Brigg Netball Club; Emma for Grassroots Coach and Mark for Unsung Hero. Brigg Netball Club has also been nominated for the Outstanding Netball Club award. We look forward to hearing the final results later in the year.

Karen Lawrence

Welton NEWS 29

Welton Patients’ and Doctors’ Association (PDA)

behalf of the PDA, all drivers and myself, we hope that all our supporters and those reading this are

keeping well. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated plants to the PDA for sale outside 57 Ryland Road, Welton, and to all those who came along and made purchases. The grand total raised was £561.45p, which is just 55p less than the amount we raised last year. What a terrific result!

As I said last month, the PDA transport scheme is still in operation, albeit on a much reduced level. We have a driver each day for anyone needing transport to an urgent appointment at the health centre following a telephone consultation with the practice. We are also able to take patients to hospital appointments, but with certain restrictions in place. On confirming the driver and pick-up time, you will be asked again whether you are showing any of the coronavirus symptoms. You will also be asked to sit in the back on the passenger side of the car and the driver will not come into the hospital building. You will be given a mobile number to ring when you are ready and will be collected from the door. We hope that by taking these precautions we can protect both passenger and driver.

I have been asked if we can take patients to visit relatives in nursing or care homes. The answer is ‘yes’ provided that the home involved is allowing visitors. The majority will ask the visitor to remain outside and the person being visited will be brought to a window. These visits should be booked through the health centre.

At this time we have lost the income from the spring lunch and it is looking increasingly unlikely that the autumn fair will take place. The Christmas lunch may also be at risk, so with this in mind we have turned our attention to other ways of raising funds. We are hoping to hold a raffle later in the year, adhering to government regulations at that time regarding social distancing. If anyone reading this owns a business or is self-employed, would you consider donating a prize, please? It could be something like five hours garden work, making a wooden item, a day’s painting, external window cleaning, etc., if you are self-employed and this is your trade, or you could donate a prize purchased from another business.

We have also created a crowd funding page (https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/welton-pda). The PDA committee gave a lot of thought to this suggestion which originally came from a patient who said that this would be a good way of showing appreciation to the health centre.

Don’t forget to continue your support of the PDA through the Co-op Community Champions, which runs until 6th June 2020. I think this only applies when shopping in the Welton store.

If you need any further information or are willing to offer a prize for the raffle please get in touch with me.

Janet Goddard Tel: 862570

Dates for your 2020 diary (if these events have to be cancelled, we will let you know as soon as we know):

24th October: Autumn Fayre 4th December: Christmas Lunch

Welton NEWS 30

Community Policing (A Sgt Long Story)

policing was fine in principle, thought Sergeant Long as he left the church hall after a

two-hour ‘surgery’, but even the supply of good, strong tea and bourbon biscuits didn’t altogether outweigh the frustration of listening at length to the dissatisfactions of the local residents’ association, only one or two of which had anything to do with the police. Litter, missed bin collections and dog fouling seemed top of the list, although he had pricked up his ears at one point when someone mentioned an apparent increase in door-to-door collections. Whether it was that or intuition, down the street he found himself noticing a slight figure, well-wrapped up and carrying a large newspaper delivery bag. Sergeant Long had made sure he was accompanied for the morning by PC Pilkington – after all, why should he have to suffer alone – and now they exchanged looks and nodded as they made their way across the road. Probably, Sergeant Long reflected afterwards, the high viz jackets, prominently marked ‘POLICE’ had been a bit of a giveaway. Almost certainly, he wouldn’t have had enough cause to justify a formal stop and search but his dilemma was solved when the figure took one look at them and started to run. “OK, Pilkington, you first.” In his youth, Sergeant Long had been a fair all-round sportsman and earlier in his career he would also have admitted to quite enjoying the cut and thrust of sorting out street fights. Even so, he had been hurt when his teenage daughter, Chloe, in her radical phase, had described him as ‘the steel toecap on the boot of capitalist oppression’. At the time he had put it down to the bitter influence of Chloe’s mother, his by-then ex. The fact that Chloe was now earning big money as a recruitment consultant for large multi-nationals with an apartment overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge, a new baby and a Vietnamese live-in nanny seemed to justify his view. Now though, he found that though the spirit for a chase might still be there, somewhat to his surprise, the flesh was rather less willing and quite soon Pilkington and his target were well ahead. Sergeant Long guessed that if this was someone looking for easy targets for sneak thefts, they were probably working in a team. They would probably be heading back to an agreed pick-up point in town and, if he remembered correctly, there was a snicket between the houses just here that would cut off the corner. As he ducked down the narrow alley, avoiding fly tipping debris, dog mess and overhanging branches, he agreed with what he had been told earlier; the council really should clean this up, and do something about the bloody buddleia too. At last, with a slightly undignified lunge, he found himself back on the street and, to his great satisfaction, now facing the oncoming figure with the bag, whose momentum more or less carried him into Sergeant Long’s welcoming arms and then to the ground, where the bag scattered its contents, which included at least three purses. Sergeant Long was pleased to find that his dexterity with handcuffs had not deserted

Welton NEWS 31

him. Somewhere down the street, he was aware of the clatter of an elderly diesel starting up and a rather disreputable van driving away in a cloud of blue smoke at what he guessed was its top speed. Never mind, he’d got one, who turned out to be a young lad, probably no more than 18. Thirty seconds later, Pilkington arrived. “Don’t worry”, said Sergeant Long, “I’ve got him, but it didn’t look as though you were making much impression there. You look a bit peaky; perhaps a few more nights at the gym, eh?” Sergeant Long had a sudden recollection of one of his favourite TV series of the ‘70s, The Sweeney, which always seemed to conclude with a running chase filmed somewhere in London’s then run-down docklands. While the rather sad and ill-looking young man was no kind of villain, he couldn’t resist; in a reference which he was sure neither Pilkington nor the young man would grasp, he said quietly, “OK son, you’re nicked”.

JP Melville

Police File

Your neighbourhood policing team is:

PC Stephen TOYN: stephen.toyn@lincs.pnn.police.uk

PCSO Julie MCFAUL: julie.mcfaul@lincs.pnn.police.uk

PCSO Angie LAW: angie.law@lincs.pnn.police.uk

To report a crime please call 101

If urgent please call 999

To pass along information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers on

0800 555 111

Welton Family Health Centre

Full information about Welton Family Health

Centre, including making appointments,

long-term condition reviews, childhood

immunisations and ordering medications is

published on the Welton NEWS website in

the Covid-19 Community Aid and

Information section.

This will be updated whenever information

is received from the health centre.

Welton NEWS 32

Stonecliff Park

The sun comes up, the sun goes down, The hands on the clock go round and around,

We old **** are still locked down, Life gets ted’jus don’t it?

, we had a glimpse of our past life on the 75th anniversary of VE Day when some 50 of us socially-

distanced a DIY picnic on one of our patriotically decorated ‘greens’ and at the front of adjacent bungalow frontages. Lovely weather, lovely company, same old sarnies! We’ve tried out a socially-distanced Saturday morning opening of our library for residents to pick up a book or a jigsaw puzzle, enabling them to alleviate boredom or brain malfunction. This has proved quite popular with a two-metre chair separation zone outside the club. Unfortunately, some of the safety precautions were compromised by a few people who just wanted to gossip, not select a book or puzzle. Gossip by all means, but away from the clubroom door. You know it makes sense! Meanwhile, since it appears that some of us real oldies are to be incarcerated for months, we hope to form an escape committee to organise the tunnelling. It is proposed that three tunnels be excavated; i.e., Faith, Hope and Eckythump! One will surface in William Farr sports field, one in Cold Hanworth and Eckythump somewhere south of Boothby Graffoe. On the other hand, we might just walk out disguised as Santa’s reindeer. There’s a thought, 50-odd manky, flea-bitten reindeer. Me, I plead insanity, your honour!

Derek Harrison [If the Stonecliff Park residents do form an escape committee they’ll be in good company; the Chelsea Pensioners formed one immediately lockdown was announced. Ed]

Welton NEWS 33

This Month in History 1st, The Beatles released their Sgt Pepper album in 1967; 2nd, CS Rolls became

the first person to fly a round trip across the English Channel in 1910, the Duke

of Windsor married Mrs Wallis Simpson in 1937, the Chinese authorities

crushed the Tiananmen Square demonstration in 1989; 3rd, Thomas à Becket

consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162; 4th, Emily Davison,

suffragette, fatally injured when she threw herself in front of the King’s horse

at Epsom in 1913, Geoffrey Palmer, actor, born in 1927; 5th, a UK referendum

approved (67% to 33%) staying in the EU in 1975, The Six-Day War started in

the Middle East in 1967, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, field marshal, died in

1916, Moira Anderson, singer, born in 1937; 6th, D-Day in 1944, Robert

Kennedy, US presidential candidate, assassinated in 1968; 8th, the Mormons

had a ‘revelation’ in 1978 where it was divinely disclosed to them

that black people were human; 9th, General Franco closed the

border crossing to Gibraltar in 1969, the Book of Common Prayer

first used in 1549, Donald Duck made his screen debut in 1934,

Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia (1682-1725), born in 1672, Nero,

Roman Emperor (54-68), died in 68AD, St Columba, missionary,

died in 597, Charles Dickens, writer, died in 1870; 10th, Bridget

Bishop became the first woman to be hanged at the Salem witch

trials in 1692, the Nazi massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane in 1944,

Duke of Edinburgh born in 1921; 11th, Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon in 1509, Jackie Stewart,

racing driver, born in 1939; 12th, George Bush, US President (1989-1993) born in 1924, Pat Jennings,

footballer, born in 1945; 13th, the first V-1 flying bomb hit London in 1944, James Clerk Maxwell,

physicist, born in 1831, Alexander the Great died in 323BC; 14th, Donald Trump, American President,

born in 1946, Boy George, singer, born in 1961; 15th, King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215; 16th,

Bloomsday (commemoration and celebration of the life of James Joyce and his novel Ulysses), Ford Motor

Company founded in 1903; 17th, John Wesley born in 1703, King Edward I, ‘Hammer of the Scots’ born

in 1239; 18th, The Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Joan of Arc defeated the English at Patay in 1429, Sir Paul

McCartney, singer, born in 1942, Delia Smith, cookery writer, born in 1941; 20th, British prisoners died in

the Black Hole of Calcutta in 1756, King William IV died and was succeeded by Queen Victoria in 1837;

21st, plot of land purchased for £12.12s.0d. to build the Welton Methodist Chapel in 1814; 23rd, the UK

voted in a referendum in 2016 to leave the EU, an Air India jet disintegrated near Ireland, killing all 329

people on board, in 1985; 25th, General Custer’s last stand at the

battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, North Korea invaded South Korea in

1950, Tony Hancock, comedian, died in 1968; 26th, the first Victoria

Cross awarded in 1857; 27th, Joseph Smith, founder of the

Mormons, died in 1844; 28th, assassination of Archduke Franz

Ferdinand of Austria in 1914 became the spark that set off the First

World War; 30th, a meteor exploded over the Tunguska River in

Siberia in 1908 with an estimated power 1,000 times greater than

the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the most powerful natural

explosion in recent Earth history, Charles Blondin crossed Niagara

Falls on a tightrope in 1859, Tower Bridge opened in 1894, Gone With the Wind published in 1936,

Montezuma II, Aztec emperor (1502-20), killed in battle in 1520.

Welton NEWS 34

Moncé en Belin Family Twinning Association

live in strange times for our community, something we’ll look back on with, hopefully, some humour.

Our friends in Moncé en Belin have been undergoing their own lockdown, albeit with stricter rules than ours here in the UK. Moncé, like Welton, is a semi-rural village location so getting out for daily exercise has not been too difficult, although a photo of Le Mans, the nearest city, shows the streets totally deserted.

Some of you will be aware that Moncé was the crash site, in the Second World War, of an RAF bomber manned by Canadian, Australian and British aircrew. As we celebrated VE day with our drive-way parties it was touching to see that

in Moncé Mayor Didier Pean (centre in the photograph) and councillors took the time to mark the occasion at the memorial to the crew of the crashed flight on the outskirts of Moncé. Our twinning friendship goes much deeper, and Didier respectfully wrote “Never again – love and peace” after the ceremony.

Son of Alain Martin, whose grandfather was deported by the Nazis

to work in the factories, at the memorial

In August this year the Twinning Association families from Moncé were due to join us for the annual exchange. Due to travel restrictions and enhanced risk, the decision has been taken to postpone this year’s planned exchange and they have accepted our invitation to join us in Welton in August 2021.

Bob Boulton Tel: 862181 or 861284

E-Mail: weltonmonce@hotmail.co.uk

Welton NEWS 35

VE Day Commemorations

was wonderful to see that, despite the restrictions imposed by lockdown, many people in the

community managed to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8th May. Welton and Dunholme were filled with colour and sound as the community came together in socially distanced street parties. The photographs here show just some of the ways in which people celebrated. (Photographs courtesy of Karen Lawrence and Jim Blainey. More can be found in the Photo Gallery section on the website.)

Welton NEWS 36

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice

big hello to all from St Barnabas Hospice. I hope

you are staying safe and looking out for each other in what is a rather worrying and challenging time for many people. As I have been taking my daily exercise around the villages of Welton and Dunholme, it has been wonderful to see people out and about walking, exercising and gardening, while complying with social distancing guidelines. Homes have been decorated with rainbows, flowers, sunshine and lots of bunting and there were some imaginative VE Day commemoration celebrations. My family and I have also been banging our pans on a Thursday night for all the key workers out there, including those here at St Barnabas Hospice, all of whom are doing a truly amazing job. We are so very grateful to all of you. A massive thank you goes to Welton FC managers, coaches, players and families who took on their own lockdown challenge, The Road to Wembley. Over three days they ran, walked or cycled the equivalent of the 145 miles from Manor Park to Wembley and have so far raised £5,995 for St Barnabas. This is just amazing. To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/welton-fc-road-to-wembley. St Barnabas Hospice is facing losses of over £1 million over a three-month period because of cancelled fundraising events and activities and the temporary closure of our charity shops. Despite this, we continue to provide vital care and support throughout the pandemic to many vulnerable patients through Lincolnshire who are living with life-limiting or terminal illnesses. You can help us to provide this care now and in the future by supporting the hospice from the safety of your own home. You could host a virtual ‘Gin and Jammies’

Welton NEWS 37

party, take part in virtual challenges such as ‘On Yer Bike’, ‘Adidas City Run’ or the ‘2.6 challenge’. There is a whole range of adapted events in place of those the hospice would normally host. In addition to virtual events, you can support us by joining our lottery, leaving a gift in your will, dedicating a dragonfly in memory of a loved one or simply by making a donation. The hospice has a range of ideas suited to all types of supporters. Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/fundraising-ideas to find out more. At present our shops and warehouse are closed, with a planned phased re-opening once it is safe to do so. When we can, our warehouse at Cardinal Close will open as a donation station. We are working hard to make sure we have everything in place in our shops and warehouse to keep our staff, volunteers and customers safe and well, as this is most important. Please keep an eye on our website for updates about when our shops will be re-opening and we can once again accept your donations. We miss the generous donations of pre-loved items. These, along with our ‘new goods’ keep our shops stocked with wonderful things and, with ‘gift aid’ we can raise an extra 25%. Since we started the gift aid scheme, we have more than 22,000 people signed up to the scheme and donors have helped raise over £500,000 extra for St Barnabas. We also miss our customers popping in to find that pre-loved bargain, have a natter and support the ongoing work of the hospice with buying power. From quality clothing to a good book, a three-piece suite to a quirky gift, every penny spent in our shops helps fund our wonderful care across the county. Again, thank you for your continued support at this very challenging time. Stay safe.

Rebecca Hooten Senior Corporate and Community Fundraiser

E-Mail: Rebecca.hooton@stbarnabas.co.uk Tel: 07825 713666

Welton NEWS 38

Welton-by-Lincoln Parish Council Notices

Community Aid

We have been busy working with volunteers collecting and delivering prescriptions, organising shopping, dog walking, mowing lawns, etc. We want to thank all those in our community who have volunteered or are helping their neighbours. If you need help or you know someone who does, contact us, at the point the help is required, on communityaid19@yahoo.com or 01673 860336. You can also keep updated on our Facebook page Dunholme/Welton Area Coronavirus Aid.

Parish Council Meetings

Under current Government guidance, we are unable to hold face-to-face meetings but we will consider holding meetings remotely in the future if the situation remains unchanged. All meetings will be advertised in the normal way on the parish council noticeboard and on our website www.welton-by-lincoln-pc.gov.uk.

Public Access Defibrillators These are located outside the parish office (between the Black Bull and the paper shop), on the exterior of the Sports and Social Club on Ryland Road playing fields and at the rear of the pavilion at Manor Park. We are proud to be able to provide these for the benefit of those living in or visiting the village, although we hope they are never used. They are there to save lives in an emergency. No training is required to use one, just dial 999 and you will be given to code to access the defibrillator which will then talk you through how to use it.

Summer Floral Displays

This year the displays will have a red, white and blue theme to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day. It would be splendid if all our local businesses could join in our efforts to have the village looking attractive.

Dogs When exercising dogs on the playing fields, please keep them on a lead and be alert about where they leave their mess and clean up after them. When walking around the village, please pick up after your dogs and make sure that footpaths and grass verges are kept free of dog poo. There are plenty of bins for dog poo bags around the village.

Opening Hours The parish office is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 3 pm and from 8am to 12 noon on Fridays.

Contact information: Julie Murray, PSLCC, telephone 01673 860336 Clerk to the council: E-mail: clerk@welton-by-lincoln-pc.gov.uk Website: www.welton-by-lincoln-pc.gov.uk

Welton NEWS 39

Useful Contact Numbers

If your organisation is not listed, contact the editor to ensure that you are included in future issues. Please notify the editor of all changes in names, titles or phone numbers

Churches St Mary’s Vicar, Revd Adam Watson ............... 565244 Methodist Minister ............................... 01522 702887 Ladies Fellowship............................................... 861461 St Hugh’s RC Church, Lincoln ................ 01522 522971 Threshold Church .................................. 07956 140167 Community Bible Study..................................... 866467

Clubs/Associations Bridge Club ......................................................... 861700 Dunholme Camera Club .................................... 860469 Dunholme Friendship Club ............................... 861172 Family Twinning Association .............. 862181/861284 Film Club ............................................................ 860998 LIVES First Responders .......................... 01507 525999 Ramblers’ Association ....................................... 863444 Royal British Legion ............................... 01522 502083 Sports and Social Club ....................................... 861298 Stonecliff Park Social Club ................................ 862411 University of the 3rd Age .................................. 565295 Welton and District Craft Class ........................ 866141

Community Services Dial-a-Ride .............................................. 01522 514477 Dunholme Village Hall ........................... 07789 368765 Lincolnshire Library Service Helpdesk . 01522 782010 Lindsey Citizens Advice ......................... 01427 810914 Lincoln Citizens Advice .......................... 03444 111444 Post Office .......................................................... 862926 Shoebox Appeal ..................................... 07789 368765 Shopping Bus: Asda, Newark Road ...... 01522 533605 Welton Litter Pickers ......................................... 860454 Welton Luncheon Club ..................................... 860765 Welton Village Hall Bookings ................ 07342 209857

Education Dunholme St Chad’s C of E Primary School ..... 860597 Hackthorn CofE Primary School ....................... 860295 St Mary’s Primary Academy.............................. 860339 William Farr School ........................................... 866900 William Farr School Friends .................. 07753 963538

Men’s Groups Men’s Breakfast ................................... 861461/860823 Tremendoes ....................................................... 862011

Parish, District and County Councils Parish Council: Office & Chairman ................... 860336 County Cllr Sue Rawlins .................................... 885545 District Cllr Steve England ................................. 861342 District Cllr Caralyne Grimble ........................... 861150 District Cllr Diana Rodgers ................................ 863385 Parish Paths Coordinator .................................. 860336 Tree Warden ...................................................... 860336

West Lindsey District Council: General ................................................ 01427 676676 Out of Hours Duty Standby Officer ... 01427 613960 Lincolnshire County Council ................. 01522 552223 Lincoln City Council ............................... 01522 881188

Police Police – emergency ................................................. 999 Police – non-emergency ......................................... 101

Play Schools and Pre-Schools Busy Hands Pre-School ........... 863101/07895 950756 Dunholme Pre-School ....................................... 866583 Spring Nursery, Scampton .................... 01522 731941 Welton Pre-School ............................................ 860077 William Farr Pre-School ........................ 07759 937556

Sports and Leisure Badminton Club ................................................. 866213 Cricket Club (Scothern) ..................................... 866285 Dunholme Indoor Bowls Club ........................... 861683 Lincoln Tennis Academy ....................... 07739 582533 Music is Fun ....................................................... 862432 Rednil Farm Riding Stables ............................... 860548 Welton Bowls Club ............................................ 860949 Welton Football Club (Boys and Men) . 07584 653877 Welton Golf Society........................................... 860823 Welton Imp Walking Football ............... 07904 986777 Welton Manor Golf & Fishing Club .................. 862827 Welton Sports AFC Football Club ......... 07919 694232 Yoga .............................. 01522 717850/07722 663498

Welton Family Health Centre Appointments, Enquiries, Dispensary .............. 862232 Community Nursing Team .................... 01522 533331 Health Visiting Team ............................. 01522 843000 Midwives ................................................ 01522 512512 Non-Emergency Out-of-Hours ............................... 111 Patients’ & Doctors’ Association ...................... 862570

Women’s Groups Breast Care ...........................................860837/860823 Dunholme Ladies Club ...................................... 862552 National Women’s Register .............................. 862665

Young Peoples’ Activities/Clubs Army Cadets ........................................... 01522 528109 Brownies (Mondays) ............................. 07714 588631 Brownies (Thursdays) ............................ 07734 943079 Guides (Fridays) ................................................. 860853 Rainbows (Tuesdays) ......................................... 863115 Scout & Guide Hut Committee ......................... 862168 Welton Kids’ Club .................................. 07748 432428