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October 2015Issue 88 The Braybrooke Gossip

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VILLAGE GROUPS

WI meets at 7.30pm on the 2nd

Monday of every month in theVillage Hall.

Brookside Residential HomeCoffee morning, last Thursday ofthe month from 10am. Lots of chatand a raffle! Everyone welcome!

Yoga in the Village Hall every Wed-nesday 2- 3:30, then at 6:15 to 7:15and again at 7:30 to 8:30pm Any-one can participate in theseclasses. Good for all levels. Fun andrelaxing! Contact Debbie on 01858463665 or 07940 751254.

Knitting GroupWe meet every alternate Tuesdayfrom 2pm in the Village Hall. Nextget together is Otober 13h, thenthe 27th.

Mobile LibraryFirst Friday of each month, outsidethe pub, 5.00pm. 2nd Oct, 6th Nov.

FIELD MAPLETOFT CONIERS &HAWES EDUCATION FUNDFounded in 1684, exclusively forthe children of Braybrooke. Thisfund is able to pay a modest grantfor the purchase of books. Studentswishing to apply for a grant shouldoutline their needs in writing to thesecretary, Mr. Geoff Pitcher, 10Newland Street, Braybrooke. Allapplications will be considered onmerit by the charity trustees.

Broadband speed at Braybrooke Is that an issue for you? YourParish Council is still active on yourbehalf. Watch the Village Hallnotice board.

Sponsorship of the Gossip isopen to all local residents

and businesses. This issue issponsored by

Robin BusbyAutomobile EngineerContact 01858 462389

Jack's new career

Space is limited, don't hang about.contact John Clarke on 463264.or jcofbrabrooke@icloud.com or Rob on jeacockbraybrooke@yahoo.com or Marc on marcandjo.hesford@btinternet.com

Joan writes ...

A big thank you to the BEER boys forarranging the wonderful BBQ onAugust 1st – a real family picnicoccasion with corks popping andmeringues handed round. Our TrebleClef singers entertained us, hitting thehigh notes. Thanks also to thegentlemen who supplied the music –great tunes we could relate to. Aspecial thank you to Jayne for invitingher friend Jack with his “Wild Things”.It was good to see the youngergeneration crowding round to handlethe various creatures. Two beautifulrare owls and an Asian bear cat wereput through their paces. Have youever seen anyone in Clive’s paddockwith a skunk on a lead? No! I thoughtit was a ferret but it was an albinoskunk with pink eyes. You missed out!Lastly we had Jack Hartley“modelling” a massive python. Can’twait to hear his educational talk: “Howto love your snake” Sorry, hilarious!

Village Fete Committee

The balance on the account once all fete expenses have been settled is around £3200. It was agreed atthe AGM to keep £300 in reserve for the purchase of 4 new gazebos, and to maintain £500 in the account as float, leaving £2400 for distribution. Based on the % allocations agreed at the AGM, the following donations will now be made:

− All Saints Church £600− Baptist Chapel £600− Village Hall £600− WI £240− Cricket Club £240− Braybrooke Singers £120

Also, to those who organised the Duck Race and Quiz, and especially to all those who put so much time and effort into the Fete itself, many thanks from the Village Hall Management Committee for such a very welcome contribution to funds.

NOTICE BOARD

Parish Council Details on VH notice board.To find all the details of PC members, minutes and agendas, visit the spiffing new website: www.braybrooke-pc.uk

Please report any fly-tipping you come across. Go to https://secure.kettering.gov.uk/forms and look for “report fly-tipping”.

The Gossip is printed every 2months. If you have anything youwould like included it is vital thatyou send your copy to us for thenext issue before Wednesday 25 Novtember 2015.

Contact us at the email above, or if you have a written contribution it can be delivered to 9 Green Lane.

Stoke Albany GC played host to thefinal society event of the 2015season. 11 players competed onSaturday 5th September with DavidWigley taking home the winnerstrophy closely followed by TremAke Jones. Simon Hunt hit thelongest drive at the 16th and TorMorley hit her tee shot nearest thepin at the 17th. Details of the AGM& presentation evening will beavailable soon. Our next event isthe Christmas Cracker on 29thDecember at Stoke Albany GC...

We'd love to see you there! If you'dlike to join the society as a guest ornew member please contact Society Secretary david.wigley50@outlook.com

Baptist Church hedgerow thanksgiving service.

Members of the congregation enjoyed tasty refreshments after theHedgerow Harvest thanksgiving service on Sunday. The short servicewas led by the Reverend David Gamston who has a gentle sense ofhumour. The church was decorated in true hedgerow style sourcedlocally by villagers. David will be leading the Christmas candlelight Carolservice in the chapel in December too. Please watch the notices on thechapel door.

Braybrooke Morris Dancers

The Morris dancers gave their last summerperformance outside the Swan on 27th August.They were joined by Hips 'n Hows, a local teamof lady clog dancers and all had a very enjoyablenight with a good audience who were not afraidto participate. The team will commence theirwinter practice in Braybrooke Village Hall onThursday 1st October at 7.45pm and will beholding a "Taster Evening" two weeks later on15th October. Braybrooke Morris are still veryshort of dancers so if anybody wants to see whatMorris is like come along on the 15th and youwill be most welcome. No previous experience isrequired so give it a go and have fun while youexercise.

Internet speedGigaclear presently have a campaign to sign up the residents ofBraybrooke, Arthingworth and Kelmarsh. If you are fed up with waiting formessages, pictures and on-line TV, you might like to visit their web site athttp://www.gigaclear.com/postcode-checker/. Their basic contract wouldincrease our access speeds about 40 times over. They also have a way toimprove our pathetic mobile phone access. They need to sign up 38% ofhouseholds and, at the time of writing, they have a third of these. Yourparish councilors can provide more information.

Braybrooke 100 years ago

Before the 1st World War Edwin Cowley farmedat Braybrooke Lower Lodge but he had previouslyserved in the Boar War when he had attained therank of sergeant. He was also a very goodhorseman and regularly hunted so when warbroke out in 1914 he joined the king Edward'sHorse at the age of 43. He enlisted as a trooper but was soon given a commission as a SecondLieutenant and had been fighting with his unit inFrance since May 1915. On the morning of 23rd September 1915 Lieut.Cowley was wounded while helping to make asandbag shelter in a trench. The bullet struck himon the top of the left shoulder and exited aboutthe middle of his ribs. The Midland Mail carried adetailed account of the incident from a letter sentby Lieut-Col. Montagu Craddock, whocommanded the King Edward's Horse, to Edwin'ssister. Craddock wrote "He is one of my bestofficers and has been extraordinarily useful to meout here. He is my wiring officer, which thoughnot quite what you would expect a hunting man tobe, carries most important duties with it. He canmove his left arm and the doctor who dressed himcould not find any trace of a broken bone andthough if the direction of the bullet had been afraction different it would have been a very badcase indeed, there is no reason to doubt that hewill very quickly get over it".Edwin Cowley made a full recovery and returnedto Braybrooke after the war. He played aprominent part in village life until he wasmurdered in 1932 at the age of 61. There is amemorial window to the Cowley family inBraybrooke Church.

Braybrooke WI

We had our annual break from the monthly meeting in August butin Sept were joined by Julia Thompson who is qualified in herbalmedicine. She was able to pass onto us her passion for using allthings herbal from field and garden, to ward off bugs, sooth andheal wounds and relax body and mind. She shared with us somesimple remedies to take us through this winter and had samplesfor us to try. Herby bath bags to smooth and delicately scent theskin and elderflower syrup to help prevent those coughs and coldscould become staples in our cupboards.

As usual the evening ended with refreshments and time formembers to catch up on all the happenings during thesummer. Meanwhile the committee have been preparing for theOct AGM and organising the new 2016 programme. Watch thisspace for some varied and interesting evenings and theappearance of a celebrity connection.

We warmly welcome all new members.

Contacts: Lisa Templeton 01858 461028 or Pat Wilson 01858 433711. Joint Presidents.

Braybrooke Neighbourhood Watch

The Neighbourhood Watch Scheme aims to build a stronger,safer and better community thus reducing the risk of crime inthe neighbourhood.

All villagers in Braybrooke are welcome as members of ourNHW Scheme. To be a full member and receive currentnews about crime & safety please contact Sue Fellowes onsue.fellowes@tiscali.co.uk or 01858 410983

Helplines:The Good Neighbours Stop Rogue Trading Campaign(03454 04 05 06) aiming to prevent rogue traders who carryout poor work at excessive costs.

Trading Standards Office 0300 126 1000 or email tradestd@northamptonshire.gov.uk

Action Fraud (0300 123 2040) the national centre for internetcrime and fraud.

Telephone 101 for non emergencies or 999 for emergencies or if a crime is in progress.

Sue Fellowes, Braybrooke Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinatorFriends of Desborough Library

Coffee Mornings - 1st Thursday of every month.

Refreshments and homemade cakes, raffle, a few stalls, goodcompany and a chat, Next dates - October 1st, November 5th

Book Club – Free - last Friday of each month.

A small friendly group meeting in the Library. Next dates - October30th, November 27th. For up coming books to read see our noticeboard in Library.

Children's October Half Term Holiday Craft Session - Free

on the Wednesday afternoon 2-4pm Craft Sessions for children 5-12 years old. Lots of fun and free, including drink and biscuit!Theme: 'Circus'. NB For Children under 8, a responsible adult muststay for the session within the Library. To ensure a place for yourchildren, please places with the Library staff.

There is always a lot going on for children and especially sessionsfor the under 5's that are regularly on and run by the Library everysingle week. Stories, singing, playing and crafts. Also always toys,Lego, colouring, pictures and chalk board out. For under 5'sactivities just pop in and pick up details. Everything is free andthese sessions don't need to be booked.

For more information about 'Friends Of Desborough Library' or tojoin us, just speak to any of our small group of members, pop in ona coffee morning or ask at the Library.

Braybrooke Bazaar

Saturday November 7th in Braybrooke Church from11am to about 2pm. This will be it's 5th year and fallson the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday asusual.

Fundraising for Braybrooke Church, Chapel, VillageHall, WI, Cricket Club, Braybrooke Singers andBraybrooke Morris Dancers.

All donations welcome for things to sell on our stalls -bric a brac, books, toys, home produce and new/asnew stall, and prizes for raffle and tombola. There willbe the usual refreshments and Light lunches in theGriffin Chapel end, so always worth coming along forthe lovely homemade food.

The church will be open on the friday evenning, 6.30-8pm to drop off anything you have for our stalls. If youcan't make then or want any further information, justgive call Helen on 432617or 07973 756802.

Braybrooke Oil Buying Group

On August 28th we placed 25 orders for some 22,000 litres withone supplier at the remarkable price of 27.29 ppl as against 48.45last year. I know that oil prices are falling, but this is considerablylower than any of us acting as individuals could achieve. We onlyplace one order in the summer each year when prices aregenerally at their lowest. I will circulate details in good time nextyear and new members are always welcome.E-mail duncbraybrooke@aol.com or Tel. 01858 433711.

Braybrooke Singers

Braybrooke Singers meet every other Friday in thevillage hall at 8.00. Dates for this term: -

2, 16 and 30 Oct, 13 and 27 Nov, 4 Dec. Everyone iswelcome and you do not need to read music to jointhe group. Also there are no auditions.

For our first session in the New Year we are havingan open evening and we hope many of you will joinus. Come along to see what we do and join in withsome easy singing of well known songs. Look out forthe date of this fun evening.

For more information call Steph Canning on 433195or Linda Busby on 462389

braybrookegossip@mail.combraybrookegossip@mail.comwww.braybrooke.weebly.comwww.braybrooke.weebly.com

Braybrooke Cricket Club

At the time of writing, one game to play and we have had amost enjoyable season. Playing 22, winning 6, losing 9 with 7cancelled and not because of inclement weather! Gameshave had to be called off because ourselves or the oppositioncould simply not raise eleven players.

Over three decades ago, what was there to do on a Sunday?Church in the morning and cricket in the afternoon? Thesedays, we have a multitude of options and the fielding of a fullcricket team is suffering because of this. Also fathers seemmore involved in bringing up the children than they were a fewdecades ago, quality time can be spent with the children onSundays. Again years ago Sunday was a rest day. Many nowwork on a Sunday, again affecting the fielding of a cricketteam. I envisage the problem will only get bigger. As Churchillsaid “keep buggering on”!

On Friday 6 November the Club holds its Annual Dinner andPresentation Evening at the Bulls Head, Arthingworth. If anyVice-Presidents or indeed any other villagers would like to beincluded, it’s a spanking evening, the food is quality and it isonly £20 per head. Please contact Chris Tyrell on 07766318639.

Mid December the Club will hold its annual Bingo and Raffle,in the Village Hall, date to be confirmed. The Club’s AGM, willbe held late January 2016, again date to be confirmed.

Glyn Panter, Secretary Braybrooke CC - 07914650373

Braybrooke's web site at braybrooke.weebly.com

from Charlotte Prigmore

Could I request that if anyone has anything to be added to thewebsite then they email braybrooke@email.com . I have recently had a couple of groups send an updated info for theirsection of the site and it’s great to keep these fresh for anyone looking. Once the Gossip is released I tend to update the site with the Gossip content. But if there is anything additional please do let me know – diaries, programmes, events etc.

From Gill Mitchell

The Village Hall has picked up several bookings from Harborough and Desborough through that website.Such bookings are really important, as they mean that the hall hire fee for all village organisations and villagers' private bookings can be retained at the (unchanged for 7 years) £6.00 an hour fee.

Brookside

We were able to sit in the garden, a lovely summer’s day. We hadanother surprise BBQ. The residents rolled out their wheels, someeven had a little dance as it was a certain person’s birthday. Ourraffle realized £23. Many thanks to everyone.

What's happening at number 16 School Lane?

Earlier this summer archaeologists put three trenches acrossthe site of the proposed development in the paddock behindNo. 16 School Lane. They found several cobbled areas andditches associated with earlier occupation of the site. Workhas now started on the development and the Archaeologistsfrom Preconstruct Archaeology Central Office, who arebased in Cambridge, were back to continue investigating thesite. Further ditches and cobbled areas have been found,one with a concentration of animal bones, which have beensent off for further investigation. The archaeologist's initialthoughts are that the area was occupied by back yards andcloses behind dwellings where animals would have beenkept. The small amount of finds, mainly pot, suggest a dateof late medieval or post medieval times.

Here is the plan, submitted in 2012: