Village news
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Sutton Bonington Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 elliottnews@btconnect.com
SOAR VALLEY U3A. Soar Valley U3A, with lots of members from Sutton Bonington, held a general meeting in Normanton on Soar Village Hall last week when the guest speaker was Colin Bell with a presentation under the title of The Plague Doctor.
If you’re retired or semiretired is invited to consider joining the group. Nonmembers are welcome and refreshments are provided.
The U3A group - University of the Third Age - provides relaxed learning and leisure activities for retired people in the area. More information and details can be obtained by phoning Membership Secretary Lorna Orton (01332 811030) or visiting the website www.u3asites.org.uk/soar-valley
HISTORY SOCIETY. After the usual summer break, Sutton Bonington Local History Society’s are getting ready for a new session of meetings, the first of the autumn/winter programme being on Wednesday next week, October 11 when Dr John Sutton will be the visiting speaker and who will give a talk under the title “The Suffragette Movement: Votes for Women”.
It will tell the story of the Suffragette movement between 1903 and 1914 from both national and local perspectives. Meetings of the group are held are held on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm in the Methodist Schoolroom in Sutton Bonington and visitors are made very welcome. There is a charge of £3 which includes coffee.
British suffragettes were mostly women from upperand middle-class backgrounds, frustrated by their social and economic situation. Their struggles for change within society, along with the work of such advocates for women’s rights as John Stuart Mill, were enough to spearhead a movement that would encompass mass groups of women fighting for suffrage. Mill introduced the idea of women’s suffrage on the platform he presented to the British electorate in 1865. He was subsequently joined by numerous men and women fighting for the same cause.
The term “suffragette” was first used as a term of derision by the journalist Charles E. Hands in the London Daily Mail to describe activists in the movement for women’s suffrage. But the women he intended to ridicule embraced the term, saying “suffraGETtes” (hardening the g) implied not only that they wanted the vote, but that they intended to get it.
The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, founded in 1897, was formed from local suffrage societies. And was led by Millicent Fawcett, who believed in constitutional campaigning, issuing leaflets, organising meetings and presenting petitions but the campaign had little effect.
In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst founded a new organisation, the Women’s Social and Political Union. She thought the movement would have to become radical and militant if it was going to be effective. The Daily Mail gave them the name “Suffragettes”.
VILLAGE WORSHIP. Sutton Bonington’s new monthly service “Village Worship”, is becoming well established and now has had 12 families having attended.
Church leaders say it is designed to be short, very informal and to appeal to people of all ages, from babies to grannies (not forgetting grandads!), and seemingly does that.
Those attending will, say the leaders, be assured of a warm welcome, be able to sing some of their favourite hymns and enjoy refreshments afterwards.
The next of the services will be held on October 8 at 11.00am in St Michael’s, when those attending will be celebrating its Harvest Festival
If there is anyone who would like to decorate a window sill in church, please take your produce there on Saturday the 7th.
Gifts of fresh produce as well as tins and packets of food will be most welcome and again, these can be taken to church on Saturday if you are unable to bring them to the service on Sunday.
Following the service there will be an auction of fresh produce and the proceeds from that will be going to WaterAid, an international charity that helps to transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation.
The tins of food, packets and any fresh produce that isn’t auctioned will be taken to The Friary in West Bridgford. The Friary assists and supports local disadvantaged people within the community and relies on contributions at harvest to stock their shelves for the following year. Toiletries are also very much appreciated.
Susan Ward says they would like to invite everone to join them in a “Bring and Share” lunch that will take place after the auction. “It promises to be a very happy occasion when we can all sit down together, chat and enjoy a delicious meal. We do hope you will be able to come along.”
To allow the tremendously good work that the Friary carries out, Harvest time contributions are vital to them as they currently hand out 75 food parcels each week, containing non-cook food items to those who have no cooking facility. They provide easy to prepare food to be cooked at home where people have a cooker or microwave and also prepare 600+ hot meals each month in the Friary’s own kitchen. In addition to lunches, they serve breakfasts and snacks from their café during open drop-in advice sessions. All types of food can be re-distributed.
GIFT DAY. The weekend was a busy one for Sutton Bonington Methodist Church with it staging a Coffee Morning and Gift Day for a couple of hours on Saturday morning
There were all the usual stalls, tea, coffee and the opportunity to chat. Everyone was made welcome.
On Sunday morning the annual Harvest Celebration Service with a warm welcome given to everyone who went along to what is a family service aimed at celebrating Harvest. It was also an opportunity to meet the new minister, the Rev. John Simms.
MUSIC SOCIETY. The popular Sutton Bonington Music Society is getting ready for another season of activity and are inviting any would-be new members to join them at its to taster session at the beginning of the autumn term.
The Society involves the Sutton Bonington Symphony Orchestra, the Sutton Bonington Singers, the Sutton Bonington Big Band and Sutton Bonington Folk. All are based at the village Campus of Nottingham University.
The Orchestra term themselves as an unauditoned ensemble at the university’s Campus and are able to boast a very varied repertoire. Anyone interested in joining would be welcome at the first rehearsal on Sunday this weekend, October 8 in the Campus Charnwood Room at 2pm. More information can be obtained from Ensemble secretary, Flo, at styfj@ nottinham.ac.uk
The Singers, who have held several public events in recent years, are a sixty-strong campus-based choir with members including underand post- graduates, staff and as well as members of the local community and similar to the orchestra, they are unauditioned and no experience is necessary.
The first rehearsal of the new term was on Monday this week, October 2 in the Charnwood Room of the campus. Contact for the choir is its director, Izzy, at styfj@ nottinham.ac.uk for more information.
The Sutton Bonington Big Band, is a hugely popular and unauditioned jazz/swing group who play regularly at formal events and other social gatherings. There are plans by them to host their own concert this year which means they will need to have plenty of music on offer! If playing in the Big Band interests you, please contact musical director, Issy, at styfj@ nottinham.ac.uk for more details. Their first rehearsal is on Thursday next week, October 5 in the music room (on College Road near the sports facilities).
The Sutton Bonington Folk, is the campus’s latest addition to the music scene, playing traditional Scottish, English and Irish tunes with some songs thrown in and with its own caller for ceilidhs!
Again, anyone interested in being part of this group was welcomed at the taster rehearsal on Tuesday this week, in the music room on College Road near the sports facilities.
They do make one request being that members need to be of a suitable standard -equal to grade 4 and above --, and to be able to play whatever gets thrown at them over the year.
More information on this group can be obtained from its leader, Emily at styfj@ nottinham.ac.uk.
Quorn Joan Bloodworth 01509 620481 joan99@talktalk.net
ST BARTHOLOMEW’S. This Sunday the services at St Bartholomew’s Church are; 8am Holy Communion, 10.30am Service of the Word with Baptisms.
Both services are with Rev D Bowler. In the Church Room at 4.00pm is Messy Church, but there is no evening Service this week.
LADY BE GOOD: The new Centre Stage Rural Touring Theatre Scheme season in Quorn starts on Sunday, October 15, as Sarah Moule returns to Quorn for the third time.
Her new show, ‘Lady Be Good! The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook’, is about the life and work of one of the best loved jazz singers of all time and 2017 marks the centenary of her birth in 1917.
Drawing from Fitzgerald’s six decade career it features a beautiful selection of her signature songs, (Someone To Watch Over Me, That Old Black Magic, Our Love Is Here To Stay, How High The Moon) some of which may be familiar to audience members, and introduces the best of the Great American Songbook to those unfamiliar with it.
This entertaining and upbeat show (with interval) features Sarah with her pianist husband Simon Wallace who are two artistes with international reputations and who have a proven track record for bringing entertaining and interesting shows to rural touring audiences.
The show affords a chance for Quorn to see two of Britain’s finest jazz musicians performing a popular programme of songs in an intimate space and has already attracted vigourous ticket sales not only from the village and around Charnwood but from places as far apart as Nuneaton and West Bridgford.
The Sunday, October 15, Quorn Village Hall at 7.30pm (doors 7pm).
Booking information: Tickets are £10 and are available from Terry Stirling, 01509 414287 e.terrystirling@ntlworld.com
Seating will be cabaret style and you are invited to bring your own drinks and glasses.
The Centre Stage Rural Touring Theatre Scheme is supported by the Arts Council and Charnwood Borough Council and promoted in Quorn by Quorn Parish Council in aid of the Old School Project.
Seagrave
MINI KICKERS FOOTBALL TRAINING. Starting Sunday, October 8, Seagrave will have a new football training session for Foundation and Year 1 aged school children.
Taking Place at the football pitch next to the Memorial Hall every Sunday, the sessions are designed to teach this early age group the FUNdamentals of football with a big emphasis on FUN rather than competition.
The sessions will be run on a not for profit basis, by Karl Brennan, a qualified FA coach who has previously coached the Loughborough University football team.
Sessions will initially run outside from 9.40am -10.25am every Sunday, but will move to an indoor venue once the weather turns colder. £2 per session.
Toilets, tea and coffee facilities available. Contact Karl Brennan for further information - email: minikickers2017@gmail.com
Long Whatton and Diseworth Mike Elliott 0115 937 6506 elliottnews@btconnect.com
HALLOWE’EN BALL. A Hallowe’en Ball is being organised in aid of Diseworth School.
It will take place at at Donington Manor Hotel on Saturday October 28, from 7pm to late.
Tickets are £30 and are available from the school office 01332 810208 or Email: admin@diseworth.leics.sch. uk The event is for adults only. START KNITTING. Members and friends of Diseworth St Michaels Church are being asked to start knitting!
The aim is to get 150 crocheted bunting flags made for decorating the Parish Church for Christmas.
Each flag, it is estimated, can be made in an hour or two depending on the skill of the person concerned and those helping are being invited to knit as many as they wish, in any colour or a multitude of colours.
The ‘flags’ will be joined together and strung around the church.
It is intended each flag will be a prayer flor someone dedicated by the person producing them.
The knitted flags in double knitting wool using needles size 4mm or 4.5mm (seven or eight) with the work being cast on 30 stiches, and knitting three rows with full pattern detauils available from the church. FASHION SHOW. An invite is being given to everyone to go along to Diseworth Village Hall on Friday this week, October 6, at 7.30pm and support an Ex-Chain Store Fashion Show in aid of Rainbows and the Air Ambulance.
Admission is £5 and clothes can be purchased after the show. All will be welome.
Gotham
SHOE BOX APPEAL. The annual effort in Gotham and the other parish churches in its group to fill lots and lots of Shoe Boxes with various goodies for them later to become Christmas presents for youngsters around the world is under way.
Shoe boxes for the 2017 Box Appeal are available for those who support the annual effort and the flat packed shoe boxes are for sale in all churches for just 50p.
This year the boxes are being collected a month earlier than in the past, this being at the request of Samaritan’s Purse who are responsible for distributing these gifts across the globe.
The request from the churches is for everyone to try to make sure they have filled their shoeboxes and delivered them to any of the churches in the group by Sunday October 22.
Say the organisers: “Better still we would love you to bring your shoe box to Gotham Church at 11:00am on that Sunday for a Harvest of Shoe Boxes Service. Let’s see what a bumper harvest we can reap. So, look out for the shoe boxes in church and start packing.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if on Christmas morning you can imagine a child somewhere in the world waking up to your gift? Imagine the joy on that child’s face simply because you had taken a little time and effort to think of someone else. It’s not rocket science. Come on, let’s join together and make a harvest of love.”