Directing Local services

Langar cum Barnstone Parish Newsletter

Issue 50 - Mar 2017

It’s been a busy quarter sinceChristmas. The big event Iattended was of courseGingerella. Fabulous fun as allwho attended would, I am sure,agree.

News continues to move on theopening date of the Unicorn’sHead. Currently we are looking atlate March, so not long to go now.I gather that there are to be someroadworks during March on MainStreet in Langar. Something to dowith laying new electricity cablesto the pub. Stand by for a littledisruption.

The big Parish Council news thisquarter is the unveiling of our newforward plan. This has two mainitems. In the short term, we wantto develop the Works Laneplaying field as more of acommunity asset. Of late it hashosted some undesirable usersracing cars and littering. We hopeour new gates and locking systemwill remove the attraction andencourage the antisocial elementto move on. We expect the field tobe secure soon.

The second part of the plan islonger term. When the original

plan for a new village hall failed toachieve the funding it needed togo ahead the Parish Councildecided to shelve the idea andbring the current hall up to thelegal standard. This was done asa temporary measure to extendthe life of our hall by five years orso. We are now looking at whathappens when that time elapses.Over the past six months theParish Council has discussedseveral improvements to theexisting hall including insulatingthe walls, adding an office andadding solar panels. There areplenty more additions andimprovements that could bemade. After careful consideration,we have decided to save up andbuild a new village hall on theexisting site. More on this later inthis magazine.

As I look out of my window I seethat Spring is on its way. If Springis coming, then so is the Langarand Barnstone Festival. Definitelysomething to look forward to. Iwish all the organisers the verybest in their planning andorganising in the coming months.

Alan Carter-Davies19th February 2017

From the Chairman

Saturday 11th March 2017Barnstone Village Hall

10 am – 12 noonEat and drink with

friends & neighbours

Browse the stalls & purchaselocally made or sourced produce

and exchange booksForthcoming dates

8th April & 13th May 2017

I am pleased to report that theresult of the 2016 Poppy Appealfor our Branch was a mostcreditable £1445.19. May I takethis opportunity to thank all thevolunteers who took part in thedoor to door collections andeveryone in the community whogave so generously to this Appeal.

It is also my pleasure to report thatwe have now recruited enoughnew members and Officers toreturn to full Branch status. Thankyou for your support.

Andrew CharlettChairman

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Granby, Barnstone & District Branch

Langar cum Barnstone Parish Council BudgetPrecept 2017/2018

Revenue Budget 22,410.00£Reserves 12,781.50£Precept 35,191.50£Band D Equivalent 103.17£ ( -1.94% from 2016/2017)

(Full details of 2017/2018 budget can be obtained from the Clerk)

The Vale Market Café

The good news………Welcome!

Cllr Chris Harper

Cllr Jeff Fry

We are delighted to welcome twonew co-opted councillors – JeffFry & Chris Harper, both of whomlive on Park Road in Barnstone.We hope they find their new rolesinteresting. Full contact details forall the councillors can be found onthe Contact page in eachnewsletter or on the website.

Introducing……………We are pleased to report that ournew website is up and running.For the latest news andinformation please visitwww.langarbarnstone.co.uk

WiFi has now been installed in thevillage hall. The WiFi key code canbe found on the noticeboard. Werequest that the internet is usedresponsibly.

Sad news………………………Derek NadalEveryone who knew Derek will besad to hear that he passed awayin December following illness.Our condolences go to his wifeand family.

The not so good news…………Works Lane FieldDue to anti-social behaviour onthe field, the Community fieldgates have been locked to preventvehicle access. Pedestrians canstill access the field through thefootpath entrance at the end of theWiggly Waggly Way.

Notes & News

We had two really goodfundraising events recently; aCeilidh in November, with 80dancers and 14 musicians and aBurns Night Supper and Ceilidh inJanuary with 36 diners/dancersand 13 musicians. Both eventswent very well and between themraised £2006 for research intoOncoplastic Reconstructive BreastSurgery at the Nottingham BreastInstitute. Thank you to all whosupported these events.

Our next event will be an Irishthemed Ceilidh and singalongevent in Barnstone Village Hall onSaturday 18th March 2017,commencing a t 7.30. Tickets are£5 adults and £3 children, a familyticket for 4 or more parents &children £15, available from JoanCharlett on 01949 861446. It willbe another great night, not to bemissed.

Breast Bakes

I promise that I will do my best:To be true to myself and develop my beliefs,

To serve the Queen and my community,To help other people

AndTo keep the Brownie Guide Law.

This is the Promise that six of our Brownies have made recently. Welldone to Isabel, Lara, Annabelle, Eve, Katie and Florence.We help our community by being part of Parish events, looking afterthe phone box and planting the green and the Village Hall tubs inBarnstone.To celebrate World Thinking Day in February (Olave Baden-Powell’sbirthday), we are joining up with other members of our District GuidingFamily for fun and games.Join Brownies…….it’s great!!!!

The Owls

1st Barnstone Brownies

Random Fact. We have used the word ‘spring’ for the season sincethe 16th century. Before that it was used for centuries to apply to thesource of a river. Before we called it spring this season was knownas Lent or Lenten.

Alan Carter-Davies -ChairmanChestnut FarmMain StreetLangarNG13 9HEcarterdavies@gmail.com

Ron BrooksVice Chairman35 Park RoadBarnstoneNottinghamNG13 9JFinfo@rbpestcontrol.co.uk

Adrian Bellamy1 Butlers FieldLangarNottinghamNG13 9HSadrian.bellamy@constructionburo.co.uk

Trevor Simpson23 Musters RoadLangarNottinghamNG13 9HNtrevsimpson@btinternet.com

Val Gell27 Park RoadBarnstoneNottinghamNG13 9JFiw2fam4s@gmail.com

Generally held on the 3rd Thursday ofeach month except August. Full meetingcalendar available on the website underYour Council.

Members of the public are welcome toattend all Parish Council meetings.There is a special Open Session at thestart of each meeting between 7.30 –7.45pm, for residents to ask questionsor raise items of interest.

Agendas and Minutes are available onthe village noticeboards and on thewebsite at www.langarbarnstone.co.uk

Mrs Claire Pegg6 Park RoadBarnstoneNottingham. NG13 9JGTel: 01949 860123langarbarnstoneclerk@gmail.com

Richard Butler1 Church CourtCotgraveNottinghamNG12 3QW

Tel Home: 0115 989 2504Tel Work: 0115 977 4885

cllr.richard.butler@nottscc.gov.uk

Nevile & Langar WardTina Combellack,The Olde Barn,Hickling,Leics,LE14 3 AJTel: 01664 823105Cllr.tcombellack@rushcliffe.gov.ukThoroton WardAdeline PellHill Field FarmFlawboroughNottinghamNG13 9PATel: 07940 917216adelinepell@hotmail.com

Kenneth Clarke MPHouse of Commons LondonorRushcliffe House17-19 Rectory RoadWest BridgfordNottinghamNG2 6BETel: 0115 981 7224clarkek@parliament.uk

2017Thursday 16th MarchThursday 20th AprilThursday 18th May

www.langarbarnstone.co.uk

Articles for next newsletter (June) shouldbe sent either directly to HeatherWhitaker (lbparishmag@gmail.com) orto the Clerk or any member of the ParishCouncil.Deadline 6th May for publicationapproximately early June

Your Parish Councillors

Clerk to the Parish Council Parish Council Meetings Future Meeting Dates

Parish Council Website

Member of ParliamentNottinghamshire County Council

There are currently 2 vacancieson the Parish Council. If youwould like more information,please contact the Clerk, ClairePegg, or any of the councillors.

Rushcliffe Borough Council

8

Jeff Fry24 Park RoadBarnstoneNottinghamNG13 9JGJeff.fry@live.co.uk

Chris Harper75 Park RoadBarnstoneNottinghamNG13 9JFHarper490@btinternet.com

Facilities on Community Field,Works Lane – approx. 1-2 yeartimescaleThe Parish Council currently leases afield from Tarmac which is regularlyused, particularly in the spring/summerseason, by Belvoir Archers, and aMUGA & Skatebowl which are used byfootballers and skateboarders.There are currently no toilet facilities onthe field and it is proposed that simpleportaloo-style facilities are providedwithin a secure, lockable compound foraccess only by key holders.Quotations will be sought to establishthe cost of this project.

Village Hall – approx. 4-5 yeartimescaleThe Village Hall in Barnstone was builtin 1922. Over the years the buildinghas undergone various alterations andextensions.Approximately ten years ago, a projectbegan to design & build a new villagehall on the Community Field, however,this scheme failed due to lack offunding.In December 2014 an internalrefurbishment was carried out in orderto make the existing hall compliant withregulations and bring it up to date, withnew disabled facilities, kitchen, wiring,heating and decoration. Since then,

minor maintenance works have beencarried out to ensure the building isweatherproof and various items ofequipment have been added orreplaced. It was intended in 2014 thatthe refurbishment would be a mediumterm solution to see the buildingthrough the following 5-10 years.A number of improvements haverecently been considered includingexternal wall /roof insulation, and anextension to provide a smallermeeting/storage room. The cost ofsuch improvements/additions couldeasily run to over £30K, without anystructural improvement to the mainbuilding, which is nearing its centenary. It has therefore been proposed toearmark parish council reserves ofapprox. £50K per year over a period of4-5 years with a view to rebuilding thevillage hall from scratch. In addition,community fundraising events couldmake a contribution and may enableaccess to other funding streams. Anyfunding shortfall could be covered by asmall Public Works Loan.In the first instance, advice on thefeasibility of such a project will besought from the Borough PlanningDept and in due course an architectwill be consulted to provide a designand approximate cost for this project.

Alan Carter DaviesMarch 2017

Langar cum Barnstone Parish CouncilForward Plan

Last year, Rushcliffe BoroughCouncil asked what should beincluded in the second part of itsLocal Plan, including where newhomes might be built. The Council isnow asking residents furtherquestions on where housingconstruction could happen.The main reason for this latestconsultation is because extra landmay potentially be needed forhousing development withinRushcliffe. This could includeidentifying sites for new homes at awider range of towns and villagesthan had previously been considered,including the villages of Cotgrave,Cropwell Bishop, East Bridgford,Gotham, Sutton Bonington andTollerton.The consultation, where residentscan have a further say on wherehouses may go, is open until 5pmon Friday 31 March 2017. Anyoneinterested can have their say online,by email or by post, or they canattend one of the six public drop-insessions that the Council is running.These sessions will give people anopportunity to view the relevantdocuments and talk to PlanningPolicy staff, and will be held in:

Tollerton –Thursday 2 March: 3 and8pm, Parish Rooms, Burnside GroveCropwell Bishop  – Monday 6March: 3 and 8pm, The Old School,Fern Road

Gotham – Thursday 9 March: 3 and8pm, Memorial Hall, NottinghamRoadCotgrave –Tuesday 14 March: 3 and8pm, Cotgrave Futures, CandlebyLaneSutton Bonington – Thursday 16March: 3 and 8pm, Village Hall, St.Anne’s LaneEast Bridgford – Friday 17 March: 5and 8pm, Village Hall, Main Street

The Council is also asking people tocomment on two other documents aspart of the consultation. First is adraft Green Belt Review which givessupporting information whenconsidering possible changes toGreen Belt boundaries in Rushcliffe.  Second is a draft CommunityInfrastructure Levy which would be acharge on new development to helpfund new or improved infrastructure(e.g. new schools, medical facilities)to support development.To see a hard copy of the documentscontact the Clerk atlangarbarnstoneclerk@gmail.com or01949 860123 or the documents canbe viewed online using the followinglinkhttp://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/planningpolicy/

Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2 – more housing inCropwell Bishop and Cotgrave?

Communities Thriving in theNevile & Langar WardChristmas saw bumper takings atSt Luke’s church post office inKinoulton as usual. But don’tforget you can go to the postoffice and get a coffee and‘scrummy’ cake every Wednesdaymorning.Village breakfasts continue to be‘hearty in Hickling’ with familiescoming from well beyond theparish boundaries the first Sundayin the month. The first breakfast ofthe New Year was incredibly wellattended – there was a greatatmosphere.The Vale Market Cafe is Langarand Barnstone's monthly villagecommunity cafe. Held on thesecond Saturday morning of themonth at Barnstone Village Hall.Well worth a visit for a goodbacon butty or to buy somewonderful cakes and pies plusfresh local vegetables. FatherChristmas managed to drop inbefore Christmas.The night before Christmas Eve Iwent to a very amusing Nativity orwas it a pantomime ‘TheChristmas Mouse’ in HicklingChurch with a very local cast and

lots of village children as naughtymice. It was very well attendedand certainly very Christmassy.Upper Broughton is alsobecoming very theatrical with anhilarious Village Venturesproduction of ‘Instructions forAmerican Servicemen in Britain’.It’s a long time since I laughedthat much. And Christmas saw achildren’s production of The Elvesand the Carpenter with ColstonBassett also scheduled to give thesame performance.

Country StoreSadly the Country Store, “TheGood Grub Company’ formerlyHortors, has closed. This is anenormous blow to the NevileWard Communities. Hopefully anew tenant will be found for us allto support. It is a very valuablecommunity amenity as there areno village shops in either Hicklingor Kinoulton so there is a goldenopportunity here for a newentrepreneur.

Don’t forget if you have issues ofcommunity interest with which youneed help please get in touch.

Nevile & Langar Ward Councillors News Letterfor

Kinoulton, Hickling, Upper Broughton, ColstonBassett, Owthorpe, Langar & Hickling Pastures

Welcome To Rushcliffe ArenaIt is the new home of RushcliffeBorough Council.The council's offices for the past 34years, in the landmark eight-storeyCivic Centre overlooking the RiverTrent, have closed, saving £350,000annually in running costs. The savingshave resulted in terrific, multi use, andvalue for money, new officeaccommodation combined with astate-of-the-art Leisure Centre for thepeople of Rushcliffe.

Rushcliffe Arena - Rugby Road, West Bridgford,Nottingham, NG2 7HY

Tel: 01159 814 027

In May 2014, the Council approvedambitious plans to renovate theexisting leisure centre at the RushcliffeArena site, whilst taking the opportunityto co-locate their offices on the firstfloor. The move also frees up the CivicCentre building for an exciting future,as it’s too spacious for the 200 staffbased there now, plus the new officesare smaller and more cost effective forthe Council to run.The Civic Centre site has a rich history.In 1982, with 800 staff, RushcliffeBorough Council moved into the eight-storey, landmark white building whichoverlooks the River Trent. The buildingwas constructed in 1964 on the site of

the Plaza Cinema and was formerly apopular hotel called The BridgfordHotel. Going back to the turn of thecentury, in 1903 the site was used forthe Midlands Industrial Exhibition, anIndian-style pavilion building whichgave Pavilion Road its name. It hostedexhibits from around the world andvarious other attractions such as amaze, a concert hall, and a high wirewalker. Unfortunately the pavilion burntdown in 1904, only a year after itopened.Work to rebuild the old RushcliffeArena and combine offices withLeisure began in September 2015 andopened January 3rd 2017Cllr Neil Clarke, Leader of RushcliffeBorough Council said: “This is amomentous time - years of planningare about to come to fruition. Not onlyhave we enhanced sports provision inthe borough, but also we’re reducingour on going running costs, makingmore efficient use of taxpayers’ money.Our new, purpose-built facility worksfor a modern council and meets theneeds of the community. Staff andCouncillors are excited to start workingfrom the new office.”

Although the Council’s head office hasmoved, if residents wish to contactthem face to face, the place to go isstill the Rushcliffe Community ContactCentre at the police station in WestBridgford, or one of the contact pointsacross the borough – seehttp://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/customerservices/ for details.

Cllr. Tina CombellackCllr.tcombellack@rushcliffe.to.gov.uk

This story concerns the SmithFamily who lived in Barnstone,initially, before moving to Granbyand then Sutton. The Grantham Journal of Saturday,19th December 1914 included anitem of Granby news aboutvillagers serving in the war asfollows:

“Albert Smith, who was born inBarnstone, but whose parents haveresided at Granby for several years,in hospital, Paris”.Further to this the GranthamJournal of Thursday, 24thDecember 1914 contained this:“Presents for the Front. – MessrsPlowright, H Skinner and Woodfordhave collected small contributionsfrom kindly disposed parishioners,

enabling them to forward to AlbertSmith and George Slater, on activeservice, each a good serviceableCardigan jacket, a supply ofcigarettes, toilet soap, and a letterexpressing suitable wishes of theParish”.There are no records of an AlbertSmith being born in Barnstone andmoving to Granby but a Smithfamily is shown on the censuses asliving in Barnstone in both 1891and 1901 before moving to StationFarm in Granby by 1911 and theyhad a son, Albert, albeit shown asbeing born in Wakerley,Northamptonshire. The parentswere Henry and Hannah Smith.Henry was from Scredington,Lincolnshire and worked variouslyas a Cement Burner and aWaggoner. Hannah was born inBarrowden, Rutland. Of theirchildren, in addition to Albert, therewas an elder brother, George, bornin Scredington and seven othersborn in Barnstone including Herbertwho we will meet later. The Censusfor 1881 for Scredington showsGeorge as being 5 months old andHenry’s wife to be an Elizabethborn in Foston. It is likely, therefore,that Henry was a widower when hemarried Hannah.

The Mystery and DoubleTragedy

of Albert & Herbert Smith

Albert Smith photographedwhilst serving with the

Sherwood Foresters.

Although living with his family in 1891 by1901 Albert was living with, and workingfor, George Wallwin in Barnstone as aStockman. How long he worked for theWallwins is not known but by 1904 he wasliving in Ilkeston, Derbyshire working as aMiner and on 24th January of that year heenlisted with the Sherwood Foresters.Initially posted to 2nd Battalion as aPrivate with service number 9106 he wastransferred to 1st Battalion on 19th

December 1906 having extended hisservice to 8 years the previous August. Itwas with the 1st battalion that he travelledto serve in India and ultimately make a lifechanging decision.The 1911 Census shows Albert stillserving as a Private with 1st Battalion,stationed at Gough Barracks, Trimulgherry,Deccan, India. He is also shown as beingsingle although his Army Service Recordsshow him as marrying Eva Swaris inBangalore on 5th September 1910. Evawas a member of the Anglo-IndianCommunity with connections to the KolarGold Field district of India. Her mother,Elizabeth Swaris, married BenjaminBrooks on 26th October 1910 at KolarGold Fields. Benjamin was a British ArmyPensioner who had remained in India afterbeing discharged having served there withthe Royal Artillery. Both Benjamin andElizabeth were to figure largely in Albert’sstory following his death.On 3rd January 1912 Albert was grantedpermission to reside in India and wastransferred to the Reserve on 20thJanuary. I have found no records toidentify where he and Eva lived or whathis occupation was. As with Reservists inthe UK, Albert was recalled to the rankson 5th August 1914 and mobilized as aPrivate with 1st Battalion, SherwoodForesters on 30th August 1914. Thebattalion left Bombay on 3rd Septemberand arrived at Plymouth on 2nd October.After a month at Hursley Camp,

Winchester the battalion sailed for Franceon 5th November.In the period up to Christmas the battalionwas in the trenches near Richebourg andit is here that he most probably receivedthe injury which hospitalised him, althoughthere is nothing on his Casualty Record toconfirm this ,or when he returned to thefront line other than it was on or before10th February 1915 as he was appointedUnpaid Lance Corporal on that date.Albert was wounded during the severefighting at Neuve Chapelle on 12th March1915 when the battalion lost 6 Officersand 90 Other Ranks killed, 10 Officers and265 Other Ranks wounded and 87 OtherRanks missing. Sadly, Albert succumbedto his wounds the following day. He hasno known grave and is commemorated onthe Le Touret Memorial.Henry Smith was listed as next of kin onAlbert’s Army Service Records so he mayhave been informed of his death, althoughthere is no mention of the sad event in theNottinghamshire or other local papers. IfEva was informed it would have arrived ator around the time that she gave birth to ason, George Aloysius on 2nd April inPerambur.On 7th December 1915 the War Officeawarded Eva a pension of 15/- per weekfor herself and one child. Eva alsoreceived the sum of £7 12s. 5d. on 16thSeptember 1915 as shown by the entry forAlbert in the Register of Soldier’s Effects.Sadly George was to die on 8th January1918 followed by Eva on 18th January.It is from this point onwards that themystery develops. Intriguingly, thesupplementary sum of £5 was paid to BBrooks on 24th August 1920. This wasBenjamin Brooks, the husband of Eva’smother Elizabeth. Benjamin was also therecipient of Albert’s medals. However,Benjamin died before the issuing of theCommemorative Scroll and Plaque forAlbert in 1923.

This event provoked Elizabeth Brooksto write a most extraordinary letter tothe War Office. In this she explainedthat she was the widow of Benjamin,whom she described as a ChelseaPensioner, and the mother in law ofAlbert. She went on to say that Alberthad no surviving relatives other thanhis stepfather from whom he had runaway and enlisted in the Army. Afurther claim was that Albert and Evahad been married for 7 years and had4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, all ofwhom were now dead. The situationshe found herself in was that she hadno means of support following thedeaths of Albert, Eva and Benjamin butwas responsible for 2 children andlooked in hope for some form ofsupport from the War Office. She alsoreturned the Form W. 5080, whichidentifies the parents, wife, childrenand blood and half-blood siblings of adeceased soldier, indicating that shewas the only surviving relative of Albertand had this witnessed by the localCatholic Priest.The curious thing about all of this is thaton the marriage record for herself andBenjamin she did not sign her nameand is described as being illiterate.Somehow in the intervening 13 yearsshe had apparently learnt to write andbecome literate enough to composethe letter. Whatever the case may bethe War Office dispatched the scrolland plaque to Elizabeth in 1923.Sadly, Albert was not the only son ofthe Smiths to die in World War One.Herbert would also die in action.Herbert Smith was born on 16thNovember 1894 in Barnstone in one ofthe cottages opposite The Rookery. Hewas baptised at St Andrew’s, Langar

on 23rd December 1894. In the Censusof 1901 Herbert was a schoolboyattending Langar School. By 1911 thefamily had moved down the road toStation Farm, Granby, where Henrywas working as a Waggoner. Herbert,now aged 17, was working as aCowman. On enlistment Herbert was posted to18th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters on19th April 1916. By this time he wasworking as a Groom and General Helpon the farm. After training he wasposted to France with “C” Company,10th Battalion, Welch Regiment.On 7th December 1917 he wasadmitted to the War Hospital in Bathsuffering from the effects of havingbeen gassed. He was well enough toreturn home on leave to Sutton, wherehis parents now lived, from 13th to 23rdDecember 1917. This was to be thelast time they would be together as,after recovering and further training inthe UK, he returned to France in March1918, first with the 3rd Battalion, WelchRegiment, before transferring to 11thBattalion, Cheshire Regiment. On 13th May 1918 Herbert’s motherwrote a heart-rending letter to the WarOffice asking for details about Herbertas she had heard nothing from him forfive weeks. Her concern was raisedbecause up until then he had been aregular letter writer. In addition toHerbert’s mother, Lucy Burt of Granbycontacted the Red Cross for any newsabout his fate. Obviously both she andthe family hoped that he had beentaken prisoner of war. Sadly, the newswas not good.

The record of Lucy Burt’senquiry sent to the Red

Cross asking for details as tothe fate of Herbert Smith.

His Army Record shows that hewas missing, presumed to havedied, some time between 10th and20th April 1918. In fact he waskilled in action on 20th April alongwith 47 other members of hisbattalion whilst fighting a rear guardaction against an overwhelmingGerman attack in the area betweenPloegsteert and Kemmel to thesouth of Ypres in Belgium.Herbert’s body was never foundand so his is one of some 35,000names on the Tyne Cot Memorial tothe Missing of the Ypres Salientwho lost their lives between August1917 and November 1918. He wasjust 23 years old.Neither Albert nor Herbert arecommemorated on the Langar &Barnstone War Memorial but theirnames appear on that of Granbyand are remembered each time it isGranby’s turn to hold the Service ofRemembrance.

One is left wondering wonderingabout Albert and Herbert’s family inGranby. Despite what ElizabethBrooks said in her letter, Albert’smother and the majority of hissiblings were still alive at the war’send and beyond. Were they awareof what had happened? Judging bythe grief expressed at the loss ofHerbert, it is highly likely thatHannah was similarly affected bythe death of her first-born son andwould have wished to have had hismedals and memorial scroll asthings to remember him by.Perhaps we will never know.It has always been my intention topublish the results of myresearches into the 101 peoplefrom the parish who served inWorld War One in some form. Ihave just completed writing it upand, if published in book form, itwould be around 190 pages long.As this is likely to be prohibitivelyexpensive to produce for therelatively small print run required Iam looking at other forms ofpublishing. One of these could beto produce it in pdf format on a CDso that it can be read on a PC,laptop or similar. Once I havefinished editing and proof reading Iwill decide which approach to take.To help my decision I would beinterested to find out how muchinterest there would be from peoplewanting a copy. Hopefully I willhave news by the Annual ParishMeeting.

Nigel Wood

Our first grandchild, EleanorRobinson, was born in August2001. We knew early on that shehad a growth disorder, and in duecourse this was diagnosed as avery rare form of dwarfism, whichmeant that she would be unlikelyever to grow much taller than fourfeet. We knew that she would facebig challenges as she grew up,but our daughter Hannah and herhusband Will were determined toprovide Eleanor with the very bestchances in life.In 2008, when she was still six,Eleanor was delighted to seeanother English girl with dwarfismastound the world by winning goldin the pool at the BeijingParalympic Games – at the age of13 – and from then on, EllieSimmonds became Eleanor’s rolemodel. In those days Eleanor hadno idea that one day she herself

would also be a Paralympian, butknowing that the next Gameswould take place in London in2012, she looked forward to beingthere to see Ellie win again.It so happened that in the samesummer of 2012, someone fromBritish Swimming spotted Eleanoras a potential para-swimmer, andencouraged her to join aswimming club. So in Septemberof that year she enrolled atNorthampton Swimming Club, notknowing where this might lead. Inthe short term events took a turnfor the worse. After a few weeks oftraining Eleanor developed apainful hip condition which led to adiagnosis of Perthes’ disease, abone ailment that causes the headof the femur to soften and decayaway. This put an immediate stopto swimming, and meant that shewould have to use crutches for thenext five months. But in the springof 2013 she was able to return toswimming, provided she didn’t puttoo much strain on the hip, and inthe September of that year, barelythree years before the RioParalympics, was able to take partin her first swimming competitionat a local gala.It still astounds us that Eleanorwas able, in just three years, toprogress from such lowly

Ellie Robinson, Local Hero

beginnings to become aParalympic Champion in 2016. Itwas a truly amazing experience tobe at the aquatic stadium in Riode Janeiro on September 9th, tosee her emerge in her oversizedcoat, and in spite of the gravity ofthe occasion – not to mention thetremendous noise from the crowd– keep a cool head and beat therest of the field to win gold in the50-metre butterfly final. Unknownto us at the time, pictures ofEleanor striding out in that coatflew around the world, and shebecame a media sensation

overnight. Then, as a bonus, eightdays later she won a secondParalympic medal, bronze thistime, in the 100-metre freestyleevent.To her swimming buddies and themedia she is known as “Ellie”, andhas therefore become one of the“Two Ellies” of British Para-Swimming. She got to know EllieSimmonds for the first time at aswimming event in November2013, and since then the olderEllie has continued to be aninspiration as well as a goodfriend, in spite of their keen rivalryin the water.Since returning from Rio, it hasbeen lovely to see the nationalrecognition accorded to ourgranddaughter. Along with a clutchof other awards, she was namedBBC Young Sports Personality ofthe Year, and received an MBE inthe New Year Honours.Although she lives inNorthamptonshire, Eleanor’sfamily has strong roots inNottinghamshire. All four of hergrandparents and all eight of hergreat-grandparents wereNottinghamshire people. So welike to think of her as a local hero!

Roy and Mary Gretton

Since November Belvoir Archers havebeen shooting at our regular Sundaynight at Cotgrave Leisure Centre Hall.There has also been shooting at theBarnstone Village Hall on Tuesday andFriday evenings as well as coachingsessions taking place on alternativeSaturdays We are on the third year ofour internal competition with an indoorknockout tournament which is currentlyon the head to head Quarter final stage

On the 26 December saw the club shotthe Second Moose Frost bite. Althoughit was bright and sunny, the gustingwind kept the temperature down andconfirming the events name of FrostbiteAfter the event we departed to the NagsHead in Harby to warm up and for prizegiving.The winners were:Recurve: 1st place went to RosCreasey and 2ndplace to Steve Mason

Compound: 1st place to Bryan and 2ndplace to Steve BurdettLongbow: 1st Place to Martin with 2ndPlace going to Clare BrownJunior round was won by George.Moose trophy: Bryan Hayes forshooting both compound and Longbow

Photos by Debbie Mason

On Saturday 15 April 2016, BelvoirArchers will be hosting our secondWorld Record Status Double 720 shootwhich now has limited spaces. Entrieshave been received from across thecountry as well as from the members ofthe present GB Squad.On the 2nd April 2017 Belvoir Archerswill be hosting our Founder Membersshoot which is open to all Clubmembers and is a celebration of the firstarrows being shot at the club in 2011.ThisShoot will be followed by the AGM atthe Barnstone Village Hall

We also have our Summer andWinter Windsor’s taking place on22nd July and 7th October 2017.For the fourth year our SummerWindsor has been given NationalRecord Status. We are still the onlyrecord status Windsor shoots in theMidlands if not the country and wealready received entries for both ofthese competitionsBelvoir Archers will be commencingour next beginner’s course on 22ndApril 2017 as a have a go session onthe last Thursday of each monthcommencing May to AugustThe beginner courses are 4 x 3hours sessions and the have a gosessions are 2 hours.

If you are interested in the Beginners’courses or having a go theapplications please contact us.Belvoir Archers are also expecting tooffer a Have a go as part of theBarnstone and Langar Village Fete,more information can be locatedcloser to the time. If you areinterested please book for this so wecan ensure that we have the correctbows for youIf you are interested in trying archeryplease contact us or come have-a-go…… it is very addictive.More information about BelvoirArchers and how we are doing canbe found on our web pagewww.belvoirarchers.co.uk

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Parish Puzzle

The last two seasons have beenincredible for Barnstone Bowls Club.Articles have previously been inSignpost magazine proclaiming thesuccess of our little club but emphasisnow has to be placed on 'little'because, due to variouscircumstances eleven of our playingmembers were unavailable last year.We always welcome new members butwe would love you to come and join usand boost our numbers, whetheryou've never played before or are anexperienced bowler. Everyone whofancies joining us to enjoy thiswonderfully relaxing pastime isassured of a very warm reception.There will be a pre-season meeting inthe Clubhouse at 7.30 pm onWednesday 8th March. it would be achance to meet a few people and wewould love to see you there. TheGreenkeeper opens the bowling greenmid-April, dependent on the weatherand if you would like to come andhave a go please contact a member ifyou know one or use the numbersbelow. Then on Sunday, 4th June,when the weather is certain to beglorious (ho ho) we are planning abeginners bowls afternoon gettingunderway about 2.30 pm when youcan enjoy playing bowls, have alesson if you want one and enjoy acup of tea.We play fun Club competitions,compete in various leagues and boasta qualified bowling coach so there's

bowling available at every level. Wehave members who just enjoy aweekly game among themselves,others who like to play in the clubcompetitions some of which aredesigned for beginners and friendlymatches and some who are looking torepresent the Club in League and Cupmatches.The social side is great fun too. Thereare day trips to Windsor, andSheringham to play friendly matchesor enjoy the day looking round. Thereare social evenings planned in theClubhouse and at local pubs andrestaurants and the PresentationDinner at Paul's in Bottesford. Thisyear we are running a long weekendto Weston-Super-Mare in October andof course we put on the legendaryTribute Nights twice a year which haveraised over £30,000 for MacmillanCancer Support. The next show is31st March when the tributes to TheBeach Boys and The Four Seasons'music will be the entertainment.Come and join us. The pre-seasonmeeting is in the Clubhouse on 8thMarch at 7.30 pm. The green keeperopens the green mid-April subject tothe weather and we will be holding aBowls Afternoon starting about 2.30pm on 4th June.You can give David Brown a ring on01949 850675, Jim Besson on 0115933 4375 or Steve Wrate on 01949861353.

Come and Join Barnstone Bowls Club

Vale Players’ Gingerella Panto January 2017

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