Village news
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East Leake
Mike Elliot 0115 937 6506 elliottnews@btconnect.com
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE’S 90th BIRTHDAY. East Leake WI are coming up to their 90th birthday next week and will be celebrating the day in March 1928, when a group of 33 women from the village gathered together with the idea of forming a local branch of the newly established national WI movement.
The first meeting of the new Institute was on 13th March 1928 and the first president was Mrs Elizabeth Tutin of East Leake Hall – itself demolished about ten years ago.
She remained in office until 1945 when she was succeeded by her daughter, Miss Margaret Tutin, who was then President for the next sixteen years.
The first meeting was held in the Wesleyan School Room. There was no speaker but there was tea, given by Mrs Tutin, followed by games. Speakers in the first few months were on soft toy making, home nursing and cake icing and there was also community singing. The toys made were given to the hospital.
The family name is still remembered well in the village, Tutin Court sheltered housing complex there being names after them. Ever since then the Women’s Institute have held a meeting in East Leake on the second Tuesday of the month.
The branch grew and grew until by 1936 East Leake WI had 139 members and was at that time one of the largest in Nottinghamshire.
In 1928 there were far fewer opportunities for women to enjoy activities outside the home and before television and private cars, the WI offered a real chance for women to socialise and educate themselves.
The early meetings were a combination of lectures and craft demonstrations with social events such as whist drives. Outings to Skegness were organised for the many members who had never seen the sea.
The idea of acquiring a proper village hall in East Leake came from the WI, who in conjunction with other village organisations, such as the football club, raised the money to buy the land on which the present hall stands, at a cost of £85 in 1931.
By 1935 the hall was completed and the WI transferred their meetings there, later also contributing a clock, weather vane and curtains. The WI still support the hall and other village activities, helping with catering at the village show, and manning stalls at the Carnival, May Day and Christmas Craft Fair.
The WI was particularly active during the second world war.
In 1941 a jam centre was set up in the village hall which in 1942 produced 5 cwts of jam and 600 cans of fruit. Members grew and collected herbs, planted potatoes and a pig club was formed.
Members knitted and sewed for the war effort – in 1940 203 pairs of socks, 32 scarves, 20 pairs of slippers and 37 hats were produced.
Fund raising continued and donations were made to the ambulance fund, the Troops Fund, the Nottinghamshire Prisoner of War fund, the Merchant Seamen’s Association and the Farmers’ Agricultural Red Cross.
The canning centre would have been controlled by the Ministry of Food, and produce was taken to depots to be distributed by them. . Volunteers were not allowed to buy it for themselves and the sugar needed was also provided by the Ministry.
The potatoes grown were given to the General Hospital.
The millennium project was to make a new tablecloth for our meetings. This was eventually completed in 2008, with contributions from every member.
For the 90th anniversary this year the WI have planted 90 bulbs in the newly restored Rest Garden in the centre of the village.
The Institute now has around 25 members, one of whom joined in the 1950s.
We are still active in the local community. We have a varied programme of speakers and go on walks and outings. We hold craft sessions once or twice a month.
But they say they do need new members so that that they can carry forward the Women’s Institute in East Leake for another 90 years.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS. No objection has been made by the parish council at East Leake to a planning application at 41 Oldershaw Road in the village for permission to construct a conservatory to the rear
There was also no objection by the council to planning application 17/01776/ful for a variation of condition 3 to allow use of alternative roofing materials on the building.
HOLIDAY CLUB. This year East Leake St Mary’s Church Easter Holiday Club will be taking place immediately after Easter. It is scheduled to run from Tuesday 3rd to Thursday 5th April.
Those attending need to register before and Colin Knight, on behalf of the Holiday Club Planning Team, will be happy to help with details.
GOOD WORK AT MEADOW PARK. Good work to ensure the condition and appearance of East Leake’s popular Meadow Park facility continues to be carried out by the Friends group and other supporters, the annual general meeting was told.
The meeting was given a summary of work that had been done by volunteers in 2017, and which had included shrubbery being cut back and the area near Bateman Road entrance tidied after around 20 ash trees were cut down to allow more light into the area.
Rank weeds were removed and turf from willow bed extension distributed while in mid-year around 130 shrubs were planted, mostly near the Bateman Road boundary.
Ragwort had been pulled and in September and October Electric Avenue was tidied up after clearance of undergrowth by the power company. New shrubs were checked and cleared of weeds.
At the end of the year invasive American Dogwood was cut well back, Willows were pruned and branches overhanging Kingston Brook cut back. Andy Denker said Arboretum inspections were carried out in June, April, August and November and two new trees were planted – the Alder and Downy/Brown Birch, with the inspection in June highlighting the continued hot, dry weather and its effect. “The Alder has smaller leaves than is normal but looks in good health, the Downy Birch had a lot of leaves scorched. Said Andy: “Both trees have been watered over a period and hopefully will survive. All other trees are doing well, some growing faster than others.”
Over the coming year posts for the trees will be replaced when required as the trees grow.
ACADEMY SPORTING SUPERSTARS. There is no shortage of sporting stars at East Leake Academy with Supertee Rider Harry Leigh one of them.
A very unassuming character, he is in Year 9 and has always had a passion for bikes and has been competing in motocross from a young age. Just over three years ago he transferred over from the muddy tracks to the tarmac where he joined Mini GP and through it has provided him with the opportunity to travel the world and compete in numerous events.
In 2015 Harry finished second in two British Championships in his first full season, gaining podiums at every race and rider of the round trophies.
The following year Harry finished an impressive 8th in the Aprilla superteens as the youngest in the competition. Harry has recently upgraded his bike and now rides an Aprilla RRV 450R and on his first outing in Cartagena, Spain this year, Harry missed out on a track record by 0.8 seconds.
Olivia Humphrey has big ambitions both academically and in the pool! Always a competent swimmer since a young age she has moved from strength to strength and now regularly competes representing Nottingham in County, Regional and National competitions and once on the international stage as part of a relay team.
The young students says the National Anthem playing at the start of the event as her proudest moment in the sport.
She has recently been moved up into an older age group at 14 and now competes against older athletes aged 15 and over.
Her commitment to swimming requires her to train 9 times per week including 4 early morning get ups at 5.00am where she trains for up to 3 hours before going to school. And straight after school Olivia finds herself back in the pool for another similar session.
During weekends, competitions can last up to 12 hours from start to finish. Olivia’s commitment and perseverance has led to the success she has achieved in swimming and more recently on the county stage.
Olivia has her mind set on achieving as highly as possible in swimming. Olivia’s dream of being selected to represent the country on the world stage as a senior is one ambitious target she has.
Esme Ryan is doing exceptionally well with her archery and recently was chosen to join the East Midlands under 18’s development squad for archery, having won another County indoor shoot.
She has only been shooting for a couple of seasons, but has managed to achieve an array of county awards at U18 level. She has been part of a team consisting of three archers and the trophies are all county based The three-some the girls won the outdoor season over all, this was duplicated for the indoor season, finally a highest individual score combined.
In addition Esme was voted as the most promising archer for the 2017 season.
NO OBJECTIONS. Parish councillors at East Leake did not make any objections to a planning application for revised details for demolition of the existing dwelling and construction of a new bungalow and detached garage at 8 Rushcliffe Grove in the village.
THE TEENAGE YEARS. An interesting parenting course under the title “Parentalk: The Teenage Years” aimed at for those with teenage children, has been held at the Sutton Bonington Methodist Church over a six week period which started in January. The sessions were labelled ‘Understanding your teenager’, “Staying connected”, “Identity”, “Communication and Conflict”, “Big pressures – good choices”, and “Letting go.”
ACADEMY CLOSED FOR TWO DAYS. The arrival of spring on Thursday last week didn’t mean much really as the East Leake Academy had to close its door to students because of the snow and bitterly cold winds. The Academy was closed for two days.
In a statement from the Academy they said thaty due to the adverse weather conditions and the unsafe nature of the academy site the Academy would remain closed for a second day on Friday.
Students were told there was work available on Insight for them to access.
At nearby Lantern Lane school they managed to stay open and this meant their children had the opportunity to brave the snow on Thursday and go there in their pyjamas as they celebrated world bookday. Headmistress Mrs Jane Butler, in thanking the children for turning out in their pyjamas --with plenty of thick and warm clothes underneath them! – said they had had a super day with lots of reading for pleasure!”
She asked the youngsters not to forget to keep reading at home and to record your minutes on their special 100 million minutes reading challenge bookmark.
Meanwhile Lantern Lane today ( Wednesday) and tomorrow ( Thursday) have Foundation Unit Progress Meetings and Parents Evening when the adults are invited to attend and discuss their child’s progress.
Please complete the cut off slip below to indicate a preferred range of time for your appointment and return it to school. Slots of approximately 10 minutes will be allocated to each family.
We will do our best to give you your chosen time.
Bunny
PARISH COUNCILOOR WANTED. Bunny parish council is looking for a new member – and appealing to residents in the village to consider taking up the current vacancy they have.
If a new member is co-opted they would retain their place on the council until the next elections are due, in May 2019.
Council clerk Mike Elliott who can be contacted on 0115 937 6506 will be pleased to help with further information for anyone interested. Meetings are held once a month on a Thursday night.
COMMUNITY CHOIR MEMBERS APPEAL. The Village Community Choir at Bunny would welcome new members. They meet in the village hall on most Thursday nights, from 7pm to 8.30pm.
One of the members, Kate Hunt, says they sing because they enjoy it.
There are no auditions and those in the choir don’t have to be able to read music. Kate can be contacted on 0115 9847090
Costock
LITTER PICK. The cold snowy weather of last week caused the postponement of the planned Litter Pick organised by the parish council at Costock.
The pick was arranged for Saturday but by Wednesday it was evident the weather would be a serious problem and chairman Coun Mrs Kath Owen announced the event had been postponed, and will now take place, weather permitting, on Saturday this weekend, March 10.
The event was being organised under the umbrella of the national Keep Britain Tidy group and they supported the calling off of the event.
In a statement they said on Wednesday that given the weather forecast for the weekend ahead – there were advising all participants to keep an eye on the weather and if there is any doubt about safety then do not go ahead with your event.
The BBC Weather service were, they said, predicting snow falls and freezing temperatures across many parts of the country. “Ice presents a risk of slipping and freezing temperatures make for uncomfortable conditions with potential for hypothermia.
In addition, heavy snow makes litter picking
Gotham
USE POST OFFICE OR LOSE IT. Residents in Gotham are being urged to use their village Post Office, or they could lose it.
The Village Spar Shop, run for the past 14 years by Alan and Jane Towle, is up for sale and fears have been expressed with the change there could be a serious possibility that the Post Office Local franchise will close.
The scheme operates on a commission basis and there is not enough custom to necessarily make it a viable option for future owners.
A message to the village from the parish council says the village can do something about it by making better use of it.
The council say that the turnover in December, inflated by the Christmas demand, was at about the level that it should be the whole year round to be viable and therefore it is simply up to residents to use the service if offers for those financial items that we would not otherwise think of such as foreign currency, money grams, paying bills and phone top up, all on top of the postal services and cash withdrawals.
END OF WAR GROUP. A group has been established in Gotham to commemorate that fact that this year it is 100 years since the end of the end of the Great 1914 – 1918 War.
SCOUTS HELP FOR DEFENCE CENTRE. Trustees of the village Memorial Hall, members of the village itself and 1st Gotham Scout Group also celebrating 60 years of Scouting in Gotham this year - have formed a committee to help raise funds for the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre being built at nearby Stanford Hall.
The committee are organising a Barn Dance on Saturday July 14 at Howick’s Barn, on Moor Lane in the village and say they are looking for lots of support from around the whole village and neighbouring villages to make this a very special event.
And they ask if anyone can assist them in any way please contact any of the following -- Pam Riley 0115 9831169, Jenny Howard 07841426151, Mary Howick 0115 9830619, Pat Dines 0115 9830582
MOTHERING SUNDAY. Gotham Primary School and the Parish Church will link together to highlight activities for Mothering Sunday.
Daffodils are the traditional flowers given to children to give to their mothers on Mothering Sunday and that tradition will continue when the school, and the church join forces for a special assembly on Friday 9th March, at 2.45pm at the school.
This will be a new venture for both the school and the Church and it is hoped that lots of mums, grans, aunties and friends will attend and help everyone celebrate the wonderful things that mums and others who show mothering care towards children do for them.
The children will be making cards and written prayers as well as learning songs and helping with a drama with The Open the Book team from Church.
The children will all be given a bunch of daffodils to take home to say thank you to their mum.
Normanton on Soar
Heather Herrington 01509 646240 heather.herrington@live.com
WOMEN’S INSTITUTE. Apologies to all our members and friends for the cancelled meeting on 6 March.
Many members had indicated that they would not be able to attend the meeting for a variety of reasons, and it was decided to postpone Julie Ede’s talk until sometime later in 2019, and to cancel the meeting.
Members who have not already indicated their intention to attend the ladies lunch on 9 March at The George Coleorton and would like to go should contact Di Coltman 01509 842208 asap.
Members who are going on the boat trip on 22 May should bring their money to the April meeting, along with any outstanding subcriptions.
The next meeting will be on 3 April when the topic will be “Intricate knitting”.
The competition will be for a small knitted item.
We will be looking for volunteers at the meeting to be tea hostesses.
For further information or clarification please contact Heather Herrington 01509 646240.
ST JAMES’ CHURCH. There will be a service of Holy Communion on Sunday 11 March starting at 9.30am. Everyone is welcome to the service.
HEARING AID CLINICS. Do you wear hearing aids? Come along to our free walk-in hearing aid clinic for new batteries, new ear mould tubing, advice on equipment, advice on how to use and clean your hearing aids, and information on hearing loss and all the services that can help you.
The clinic is held at Normanton on Soar Village Hall on the second Tuesday of the month between 2pm - 3pm.
The service is provided by The Ear Foundation and is supported by fund-raising. The next clinic will be on March 13
Hoton
KLEZMER COMES TO HOTON. Hoton Village hall are delighted to host one of the most spirited and original klezmer dance/gypsy jazz bands around, this remarkable six piece has quickly consolidated its rising star status with a series of unforgettable festival gigs.
Joyous, infectious and proof positive that you don’t need to travel to hear great global music.
A complete evening’s entertainment with mezze supper and licensed bar. Tickets £15 ( including supper) from hotonvillagehall@gmail.com or ring Heather 01509 880682 or Twitter@HotonVH or see our Facebook page for details.