Faldingworth, Toft, Newton, Barkwith, South Willingham and parish communities linked with Middle Rasen

I hope you have all been following Gary's musings about his wildlife experiences in previous editions of the Community Spirit.

Our grandchildren have recently stayed with us. One evening, they saw Gary installing his Moth catching equipment in his garden. (All Moths are released once counted!)

We asked if he could set one up the next night in our garden. He duly arrived with the equipment and asked the grandchildren to be ready early the next morning to see what had landed in the night. Despite the weather not being ideal, we managed to count 19 different species and about 48 Moths. The names ascribed to the Moths were varied and interesting, including “Willow Beauty, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing” and 16 more. We were all suitably impressed; and we now look at Moths in a slightly different way. Gary has now identified in excess of 350 species of Moth; with only another 2,150 to go!

We are holding two services in our beautiful Church. Please do come along and join us – The first one is being held on 10th March at 4pm, this will be a service to celebrate Mothering Sunday – we hope to have lots of children there and their Mums.

The next service is a community led service which will be held on 7th April at 10.30am.

It was lovely to head to the Broadbent Theatre to see Cinderella in term 1. The cast and production team were amazing, and we all enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of entertainment. Thank you to our FOFS and all who support the school with fundraising for making this possible. FOFS would also like to thank everyone who attended the Quiz at the village hall on 10 th February and for the generous raffle donations. There will be an FOFS Easter Fair at Faldingworth School on Wed 27 th March at 5pm. If there are any stallholders who would like to join in, please contact the school, all we ask is for a donation to our raffle.

Linked to our school values, we are focusing this term on being fair, Galahad Class (year 5 and 6) had a visit from the Magistrate court this term. It was an opportunity to learn what laws are, who makes our laws and the age of criminal responsibility. The experience helped pupils to understand what a magistrate's court is and what magistrates do. It developed their awareness of the thin line between bad choices and crime. It was fascinating to play roles in a ‘mock trial' and understand the process of decision-making in court.

In January, we welcomed Joseph Begley who does the breakfast show on Lincs FM. He came in to chat to 5 of our children. Each child gave a clue for the 'Hide and Seek' game which airs every morning on the breakfast show. The children had to describe a famous place for the listeners to guess the mystery location. This was a great experience for them.

Next term, we will be teaming up with the Stay Safe Partnership to take part in a series of Healthy Minds workshops. This will involve groups of pupils in KS2. It includes three two-hour workshop style classes which provide children with a solid foundation for positive mental health and wellbeing. These children will become our healthy mind ambassadors. Mini first aid has expanded its award-winning kids programme to include mental health first aid. Our pupils created a film for ‘Safer Internet Day' on Feb 6 th . We are proud that our pupils are helping to educate others about key messages to help us all keep safe when using our devices at home or at school. You can view this by following Faldingworth School on Facebook.

Next term promises to be busy with World Book Day, Comic Relief, school trips, Easter celebrations and more.

If you are looking for a school place, please contact the school to arrange a visit. Tel 01673 885366. There are more details on the school website. There is also a preschool ‘Little Jesters' on the site (ages 2-4yrs)

Faldingworth Scarecrows' show is always a weekend in July. – Visit Tracy Mildson's photo montage in the year when the theme was holidays and lookout for sunbathers, skiers, canal boats, pony trekking and more!

Find us on Facebook for updates - Faldingworth Community Primary School or Faldingworth School and Community Scarecrow Festival.

Coffee mornings take place at Faldingworth village hall every Wednesday from 10am – 11.30am in aid of All Saints Church, Faldingworth. We always follow Covid-19 protocol.

Pilates classes at Newtoft Village Hall every Thursday evening. 7-8 pm until the clocks change then it's 6.30-7.30 pm. Everyone welcome.

Crafting group every Wednesday evening 6.30-8.30pm. Bring all your crafting projects and have a cuppa and catch up. £3 a session.

St Michael's held its summer fete on 17 th August. We were blown away by the amount of support given to us by the community. We got so many donations from locals - cakes, homegrown veg, breads, jams, books, Bric a brac, raffle prizes. We also received donations from Tesco (Market Rasen and Brigg) and Co-op in Market Rasen. We made an amazing £700 for our beautiful Church - a fantastic amount and we can't thank everyone enough.

We are holding a craft fayre on Sunday 6 th October 1 - 3pm and hope that everyone will join us. There will be different craft stalls and workshops as well as refreshments, a cake stall and a raffle.

Join us at our Harvest service in the Church at 3pm - everyone is welcome. Please follow us on Facebook and X for more details on upcoming events. Alice Ginnelly

Many campers got together at the Newtoft Social Club on a lovely summer evening. A wonderful evening was enjoyed by all. Thank you to Pat Macrae for sending the photographs into us.

We wgot there for 10am on the Saturday to set up camp and sit to picnic about 12.30.

There were games for the kids and adults in the afternoon, swing ball, rounders etc. and for the night a fire pit for chilling and guitar playing

Pilates classes are held at Newtoft Village hall every Thursday evening from 7-8pm. Pop along and have a chat & bring your mats. For more information give me a call. See you there.

Newtoft Village Hall welcomes Faldingworth & District WI ....... see above for details

Are you interested in learning something new? How about learning to Knit, sew, crochet, embroider or use your sewing machine. We have the knowledge between us to help you!

We are a group of like-minded ladies who enjoy each other's company whilst doing our hobbies. We have lots of experience between us and can help you with any projects that you may have started and put down because you're stuck or just don't have time to finish it.

Why not make a bit of time for yourself and come along to Newtoft Village hall on a Wednesday evening , 6.30-8.30 . It's £3 a week and we have tea, coffee and a good natter whilst getting on with our projects.

You are welcome to come along and see what it's all about. Contact me for more information if you're interested or just join us at the hall.

NEWTON CHURCHYARD Over the years and well before my time, I have been told that there was a hedge in front of our church, apparently, behind the hedge there was a wilderness of long grass and blackberry briers when the grounds were unattended. Since those days someone in their turns, and not always someone who lived in the village, has maintained the church grounds as it is today.

There are always nice comments of how well the church and grounds look in the centre of the village, which is now open for all to see. The very healthy church grounds donation tin has been going now for two years, this being the third and all donations are kept and recorded. The funds go towards maintenance of the mower and is being saved for the day when the village lawn mower needs replacing! The donation tin originally started when I began cutting the grass after Charlie Mallinson regretfully became unwell and was unable to cut it. I, like many others before me, who have cut the grass, take nothing out of the tin.

I personally would like to thank all of you who have put your donations in an envelope and marked it with your name and address, and delivered it to me, so that the records and yearly accounts can be updated. Finally, for those of you who are unsure, the Churchyard donation tin is totally independent from Church funds. With the Church being in the middle of the village, with your kind donations, I can keep the village looking tidy, so thank you all.
Charlie Albone

Children's Football – Fridays, 6-7pm, Newtoft Community Centre, Trainers / Footie Boots needed, Outside Play!

Fitness by Dance ~ A class every Tuesday 6.30-7.30 at the New Toft Village Hall .... £ 2. New dancers always welcome. Contact is Steph Orr 01673 885573

Isobelle Burnett of Oakleigh Decorating & Property Maintenance based in West Torrington has won through to the National finals of The Painting and Decorating Associations Apprentice Premier Trophy Award competition. Isobelle has competed in the competition twice now, this year reaching the final after winning the Midlands Regional competition. The finals take place in Milton Keynes in November.

Skillbuild is the largest and longest running multi-trade competition in the U.K. for construction apprentices. Regional competitions are held for each trade and the top 8-point scorers for each trade across the regional competitions go through to the National final. The winner of the National final may go on to compete in the Euroskills competition, which is taking place in Gdansk this year.

There is also a World skills competition which will take place in Lyon in 2024. The World skills final features over 1000 competitors from 63 countries in 56 different trades. Isobelle is in her final year as an apprentice.

Oakleigh Decorating & Property Maintenance. www.oakleigh-ps.co.uk (Tel 07909726585)

Congratulations Isobelle on getting to the final. Please let us know how you get on in the final – we will all keep our fingers crossed for you – Good luck! From us all at the Community Spirit.

On May 31 st , June 1 st & 2 nd the public attended the hugely successful annual Beer & Music festival at The Heneage Arms Pub. Various styles of music were supplied throughout the three days and was warmly received. Our thanks must go to the following:

A.A. Jaines & Son Ltd for the supply of the trailer on which the artists performed over the three days. The local businesses and supporters who kindly sponsored beers and ciders. All those who supplied raffle prizes and all the artists who performed. Our main sponsors Peacock & Binnington & Thompson & Richardson.

(Many thanks to The Poacher Motorcycle Club for their generous donation of £100). We now start planning for next year's event!

The Heneage Arms website is now up and running, on which you will find details of how to book your meals and for future entertainment.

Wednesday 2 nd - Art & crafts group 2 - 4pm (Cecilia 07799156118)
Thursday 3 rd - Tai Chi class 11 to noon (Carol 07592071523)

Wednesday 16 th – Free Coffee and Chat & Willingham Winner Draw 10:30am – 12 noon

Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th - ART & CRAFTS EXHIBITION by local artists. 10am to 4pm. Light refreshments. Dogs welcome. 10% of sales to Hall fund. (Cecilia 07799156118)

Friday 25 th - (Please note change of date from 11th Oct) AUCTION OF HARVEST PRODUCE & GENERAL ITEMS All donations gratefully received

FUTURE EVENTS – details as usual on posters and fliers
Sunday 3 rd November - BRUNCH
Friday 29th November - QUIZ and Pizza supper from mobile caterer To be arranged a Sunday breakfast bacon/sausage buns
February - Bingo

May - Spring car boot sale
A karaoke and 1980s themed evenings are ideas for your future entertainment

SOUTH WILLINGHAM VILLAGE CALENDAR 2025 : please send me digital photographs depicting our village, some season themed, for inclusion in a calendar. The idea is to sell copies of the calendar for hall funds. Please send me photos by 31 st OCTOBER to allow time for compiling and printing in time for pre-Christmas order. 07834598703 or janseward54@gmail.com

On the 1 st & 3 rd WEDNESDAYS of each month the Hall will be open from 10.30am until 5.30pm for book, DVD & jigsaw swaps/loans. Greetings cards also on sale.

There will be a hot meal and lots of delicious desserts to choose from. Why not gather a table of friends together?

Tickets are £15 per person and can be bought from Anne Stamp 01673 858249, Polly Chamberlin 01673 838514 or Veronica Chamberlin 01673 838446

If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know when booking your tickets. Bring your own wine and glasses.

East Barkwith Group Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 13 th October at St. Martin's Church, South Willingham at 9am.

Join us at the Heneage Arms, Hainton on Sunday 10 th November, 6pm for a 6.30pm start.

£6 per person. Light refreshments and a room raffle. Come and join us for a fun competitive evening!

Thanks to our village 'Banksy's who helped prepare and paint some the hall's external woodwork - Mark, Virginia and Jan. Many, many thanks to Roland for organising it all and doing most of the work, also to Eric for his sterling work, as evidenced in the photograph.

Almost £250 was raised for the Hall Maintenance Fund from the Big Brunch in June - some of which went towards the painting costs.

Our PLANT stall is now at Cockerel Hall in Barkwith Rd. Please donate your autumn cuttings and spare plants. Nearly £80 has been raised from donations so far.

East Barkwith village held a wonderful Street Party to Celebrate D Day, the sun shone throughout the afternoon adding to this joyful social village event. A sincere thank you to Chris Wilson & his team of volunteers that set up & planned for the occasion. Thank you to EVERYONE that gave to the proceedings, it was very much appreciated by all. There was a hog roast, bar, 40's era songs and singing was led by Kelly Anne, some people dressed in period costumes, there were cars of the era and party goers could participate in the quiz which encouraged people to explore the village. An exhibition of memorabilia and facts on village life in the area through out the war produced by the Barkwith history group was displayed in St Mary's Church . The Barkwith Group Church fete was also held in the church grounds, keeping everyone entertained. A big thank you to all who gave items, time and support throughout the day. What a wonderful occasion to commemorate D Day and also remember and say thank you to those who gave their lives for us 80 years ago to allow us to have our freedom.

Barkwith Group of Parishes Church Community would like to thank all of those who have purchased logs over the past winter. £1600 has been raised which has been donated to Lincolnshire Rural Support Network, Wragby Chef, The Nomad Trust for the homeless and The Louisa Dickinson Trust small grants for local people in need.

A similar project will take place next season, to support it please telephone Andrew on 07770667632. Hardwood seasoned logs available.

Nestled in the heart of the Lincolnshire Village of East Barkwith is the Cross Roads Inn. Established circa 1842, the pub has recently been refurbished and is now being expertly run by Janet and Peter Parkinson - Fresh faces for this lovely, countryside pub. If good food, a lively atmosphere and a cosy fire is what you're looking for - The Cross Roads Inn is the place for you.

The Cross Roads is a true community hub - with the local WI, a darts team and many others meeting there regularly. And, with Janet's delicious homemade cakes on offer, it's no wonder they choose this lovely Inn as their stomping ground! Open for delicious, homemade, hearty food from 11am-9pm and drinks throughout. The Cross Roads Inn is definitely one to visit.

If you find you have nothing left to read or are in need of another puzzle to ponder over on these autumn/winter evenings, call in at St Mary's Church, East Barkwith and swap your book or puzzle for another. Donations to stock are always welcome and visitors to the church too.

Having recently had our roof issues sorted out, what a relief to know that with two inches of snow yesterday morning, we didn't have to worry about dripping water in the loft. Certainly, a weight off my shoulders, and once we get our extra insulation installed it will be even better. A job worth doing, however late.
My garden looks bleak these days. I had to severely prune some roses to make way for scaffolding poles, and generally reduce the height of some perennials. This was when the weather was milder of course, so I'm hoping not to have damaged them too much now the weather has turned much colder. Most of them thrive on neglect to be honest, but I'm sure they'll come back next spring. This is the time to be looking through catalogues to see what new plants we could be sourcing, some with a view to their growth in the coming years and to split for our plant sale. There's so much choice, too much for me to make quick decisions as indecision rules and I get nowhere! This, that or the other is usually my mantra. My daffs are all potted up, thinking about the members pot in the Spring Show, I'm hopeful of providing an entry, and I finally managed to get my tulips planted, so in a haphazard way, I'm organised!

Our year at the Gardening Club has been a good one, varied in our activities, and made more interesting with our speakers. At the October meeting, all members were given a questionnaire to find out if we could be making our meetings more diverse and interesting, and we did get most responses by the AGM in November. I know that currently our tech-savvy finance person has already spread-sheeted the responses we have to date (I knew he would!) and will finish this when a few late responses are in. Hopefully, members will be given the results when we have our first meeting. This will be at the Buzz Stop, when we meet for afternoon tea. Delicious food amongst friends, that's to look forward to. Be there at 1.15 for 1.30pm, although early, have a big breakfast in the early morning and save yourself for what's to come!

Today, for the second time this week, I set out for an afternoon stroll. Unusually, I ‘bumped' into two village personalities out walking their four legged friends, braving the weather which was overcast, mizzerly and damp, but on the plus side it was sharp with the cold so I found it quite pleasant! At one point, I thought where are you sun, just to see your brightness and warmth and send the gloom away, but then, I rounded a bend and there it was! The sun - NO - but a sight to cheer me up, so with a little more lightness in my step I continued a little further! On my way back I rested by the bridge to relax, watching the gentle flow of the water. It was a lovely 5 mins and in the afternoon quiet, I could hear the sound of the flowing water like a babbling brook, so, feeling at peace, I finished my walk. No sun or blue sky, but everything was ok in my world!

It is over forty years since I came to East Barkwith, and there have been many changes in the village since then. One of the shops became a cafe, then a private house. The chapel ceased to be used for worship, and joined its two predecessors in private use. The YMCA hut was taken down just before it fell down, and was replaced by the Village Hall, which has itself been extended and modified. The reading room, where the Scouts paraded for Baden-Powell, was used as the school dining room, and has gone, replaced by the Play Area. The school and school house, where I kept a bucket on the stairs to catch the rain leaking through the roof, has been converted to a house on sale for over half a million pounds. The pub has gone up-market. The doctor's surgery moved from one bungalow to another, and eventually went to Wragby. The garage has disappeared. The seed store has been converted into a desirable residence, and the fertiliser factory has been demolished and replaced with another large house. New houses have been built on fields and former gardens - some shoe-horned into spaces which seem impossibly small. Hedges have been grubbed out, then replanted. Farming practices have changed, the machinery has got larger, and tourists have become one of the crops.

However, some things don't change. The people in the village have inevitably changed over forty years, but the present inhabitants are as neighbourly and generous as their predecessors. The Post Office is still there, as is the church. The response to the restoration appeal shows how much the church is valued by the people of the village - valued for what it represents, and as the village's outstanding building.

In late 2009 the parapet and pinnacles of the tower of St Mary's Church were found to be unsafe and had to be removed. The cost of doing this swallowed up the church's entire fabric fund. On the advice of the church architect the committee applied to English Heritage for a grant towards the cost of restoring the tower and renewing the leaking roof and the inadequate drainage system which had allowed water incursion to damage interior plaster work. One year later we were told that the application had been successful and so began the formidable task of raising £38,000, this being 20% of the costs estimated by English Heritage. It was a condition of the grant that the village should do this. A fund raising campaign began in April 2011, initiated by an inspiring document entitled Olympics Restoration Project 2012 which was the brainchild of Martyn Chambers and distributed to every house in the village by Martyn and his family. Over 80% of the village residents and some former residents too responded most generously to the appeal in a number of ways. Many fund raising events were held and applications made to a large number of grant giving organisations and charities. By the autumn of 2011 Martyn was able to tell the village in another moving document that we were well on track to meeting the target. Then came a setback. Six contractors had been invited to tender for the work, but all the tenders came in well above the estimate supplied by English Heritage. In response to a plea for more financial assistance English Heritage granted a further sum, but at the same time, cut some of the intended work, in particular the internal plaster work and subsequent redecoration. In addition to this blow we were devastated to learn that the wiring to the heating system and the organ was unsafe and would have to be disconnected. It looked very much as if we could be left with a building which was structurally sound whilst inside a freezing church plaster would continue to fall from the walls. Next for the good news!

YOU HAVE DONE IT!

In a final update entitled” You have done it!” Martyn was able to tell the residents and friends of St Mary's that they had excelled themselves by donating a staggering £29,000. Events had raised £7,000, twice what we'd aimed for and other grant giving bodies, so impressed by the efforts of this small community had donated a total of £46,000. Where, you may want to know, will all this “extra” money go? The answer is that everything will be spent on the church. The cost of plasterwork and redecoration has been estimated in excess of £10,000, the wiring to the organ alone will be around £600 and as for the cost of a new heating system, it will run into tens of thousands. If there happened to be any left in the kitty we would very much like to install a toilet and servery, making St Mary's fit for purpose in the 21 st century. It is fitting that this project was entitled Olympic Restoration 2012. Now with the Olympics upon us, those of us who have seen it through from 2009 are ready to pass on the baton to others who we hope will take it forward. Centuries ago the people of East Barkwith gave us our beautiful church. Over the years, others have carried the baton onwards and now in 2012 the people of the village have saved it for generations to come. Thanks to those who responded so magnificently to the appeal, work will shortly begin on our church. As the latest document said “YOU have done it!”

Please click to Services page for up to date information on the Church and services in this month.

Comprising the Churchyards of: East Barkwith, East Torrington, Hainton, Sixhills, South Willingham, West Barkwith and West Torrington .

The Chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln, His Honour Judge Mark Bishop QC, issued regulations as to the control and use of churchyards in the Diocese of Lincoln in 2008 updated in 2012. These regulations are legally binding and differ from cemetery regulations, which are made by local Authorities.

The regulations are available to read in full via the Diocese of Lincoln website.

Parishioners, and those who die in the parish, have a right to be buried, or have their ashes interred in a churchyard in the parish. Other people may be buried there at the discretion of the Parish Priest, providing there is room. Once buried, there is to be no disturbance of the remains except for exceptional and legally authorised reasons. Burial is a symbol for our entrusting of the person to the eternal love of God. The burial fee does NOT buy the burial plot, it pays towards the general maintenance of the churchyard.

Anyone wishing to erect a memorial stone should consult the Parish Priest as soon as possible, to ensure that the memorial conforms to the regulations. If the memorial does not conform to the regulations, or the Parish Priest refuses consent, an application for a faculty to the Chancellor of the Diocese is required.

Headstones should be between 2'6” and 4' high, 1'8” and 3” wide, 3” and 6” thick. They may be of natural stones, teak or oak, cast or wrought iron. Some stones such as black or grey granite, marble, synthetic stone or plastic are not normally permitted. The base of the stone may include a flower holder, but should enable ease of mowing. Monumental masons have full copies of these regulations, and will give advice on what is permitted.

Designs containing open books, hearts, figure statuary and photographic representations are not permitted. Neither are kerbs, chippings or glass shards. Any application for these must be by faculty application to the Chancellor of the Diocese.

Inscriptions should contain only the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death or age and date of death. Epitaphs must be simple and reverent, preferably from the Bible, Book of Common Prayer or Common Worship

It is preferred that ashes are placed in the ground without a container, but if a container is used, it must be of a perishable nature.

No artificial flowers should be placed in a churchyard except Remembrance day poppies, traditional Christmas wreaths, and good quality seasonal silk flowers. All should be removed within 3 months. The Christmas wreaths are to be removed by January 31 st of the following year.