Saturday 1^st  March 2003

The Internet has provided a soapbox for anyone with a grievance against officialdom because they can launch their own web site and say what they wish. This does not please those in power when they are in the firing line and their first reaction is to suppress it if they can. 

Muzzling free speech has no place in a democratic society, although there are many examples extant that merely serve to remind us that any fresh attempt must be fought tooth and nail. I am therefore surprised that South Kesteven District Council has gone down this road. The Alternative Unauthorised SKDC site, as it is known, has riled them to such an extent that the council approached their Internet Service Provider demanding that they either suspend the site or post a warning about the allegedly "offensive, defamatory or inappropriate material" it carries.

I have visited this site and, speaking as someone with a long experience of the libel laws, have not yet encountered anything that may be actionable in the courts. If there were, the council employs sufficient legal staff to initiate appropriate action and I can only assume that they have come to the same conclusion. The council therefore, merely dislikes what is being said, perhaps because some of it has the painful and embarrassing ring of truth. In fact, I understand that the web site has a conduit to the council and therefore much of the information contained therein has some provenance, no matter how it is presented. 

At a time when our council tax is about to take a mighty leap, I am alarmed that public time and money is being used in an attempt to suppress this web site in such a high-handed manner and I use this description after reading the exchange of letters between the two protagonists. I have no particular regard for the web site which I find unsophisticated and displaying a large degree of inexperience, but it does contain a great deal of humour and a semblance of truth. Those who dislike it therefore have most likely been mentioned in unfavourable terms but they would have done better to ignore it rather than deny others the chance of reading it. In the meantime, the council has been ill advised by its officers because their actions have been both ham-fisted and counter-productive and as a result, they have given the controversy a much wider readership. Better to have treated it with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders and accepted the web site as part of modern life. 

Had the council succeeded in this endeavour, then it would be only a short step to censoring other web sites and even the local press. The attempted suppression of free speech by a public authority merely because they dislike what is being said about them has no place in a democracy and I am pleased to learn that the ISP concerned has come to the same conclusion. You can make up your own mind by visiting the web site whose address can be found in Bourne Links.

Water has been the basis of Bourne's reputation, and indeed part of its prosperity, since the earliest times and this is due entirely to the fact that the town sprang up over an apparently unending supply from underground sources.

Seven springs rise at St Peter's Pool, also known as the Wellhead, and run continually and the abundance is such that by 1861 it was estimated that, allowing for 20 gallons per person per day, there was sufficient to supply seven towns the size of Bourne. Such copiousness inevitably attracted commercial attention and in 1857, the Bourne Waterworks Company was formed, although its early operations were only on a small scale. Nevertheless, the company did start to bring the benefits of a piped supply to people such as those living in the almshouses in South Road who until then had been collecting water with a bucket from the Bourne Eau although it was often contaminated by the refuse and other waste that had been thrown in. 

The waterworks expanded and soon they were not only supplying the town but also Spalding 13 miles away from their main borehole in Abbey Road. By 1969, there were an estimated 130 artesian bores within the urban district of Bourne, sunk for farms, factories and housing developments. However, all water in the Bourne area is now drawn out through boreholes administered by Anglian Water who take between four and six million gallons a day to supply tap water to a much larger catchment area, often to the disadvantage of the town because both St Peter's Pool and the Bourne Eau have been known to dry up during spells of drought in recent years.

A continuing water supply, such as that available in Bourne, is essential for the cultivation of water cress, a green, leafy vegetable that was used as a food and medicine before written records began. Gram for gram, it provides more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than whole milk, more vitamin B than blackcurrants and more iron than spinach. It was extremely popular as both a food and medicine in Victorian times and it was therefore inevitable that someone would begin such a venture in Bourne and in the late 19th century, Mr Edwin Nathaniel Moody decided to give it a try. He was a nurseryman who established the town's first water cress beds in 1896 on land to the south of the Wellhead that he rented from the Burghley Estate Trust. 

To ensure that water was always available, he sank a borehole a few yards away from St Peter's Pool and this was used to maintain a permanent supply. By 1911, production was at its peak and the cultivation of water cress in Bourne had become an industry unique to South Lincolnshire, producing so much each year that wholesale supplies were being sent regularly by rail to the markets in London and Leicester.

The cress beds have now disappeared and the only sign of their existence today is a large and grassy open space behind Baldock's Mill, alongside the Bourne Eau. They were managed by Mr Moody until 1955 when he retired and the business was taken over by Spalding Urban District Council who became responsible for growing and marketing the cress which produced a profit of around £1,000 a year. In September 1969, the beds were bought from the Burghley Estate Trust by South Lincolnshire Water Board who continued to run them until April 1974 when they were closed down and filled in and the borehole sealed.

A reminder of this once thriving industry can now be seen in the Wellhead Gardens because the borehole that was sunk to supply the beds has suddenly become apparent. The cement grout used as a seal to contain the water has been slowly eroded over the years by the underground pressure and in recent weeks it has burst in several places and is now spurting forth like a huge garden sprinkler although much of the excess is draining into the Bourne Eau. For those interested in the past history of this town, it is worth taking a look, not because it is a remarkable or startling sight but because it will give you an indication of the work involved in this small but important industry which, at its height, despatched around 70 hampers each week, that is by weight 500 stones or three tons, to be eaten at tables around the country, a remarkable achievement for such a small and little known industry from our past history.

What the local papers are saying: The Local is full of names, names and more names this week (February 28th), a policy that reflects the adage from my old editor that everyone mentioned is a potential reader. Much of this issue is devoted to the newspaper's annual sports awards, held at the Toft House Hotel last Friday when 15 presentations were made with Kevin Senior, captain of Bourne Hockey Club's first team, collecting his after being nominated as Sports Personality of the Year. The event is given splendid coverage over four inside pages with a wealth of photographs in colour and black and white, all supported by a fair share of sponsorship advertising. The Local has set the pace for sports coverage in the town and a successful night such as this reflects the following that it has built up.

Both of our leading local newspapers carry stories about more church vandalism, this time at St Andrew's Church in Billingborough where intruders threw stones and smashed leaded lights in various places, causing £300 worth of damage. The Stamford Mercury reports that the 14th century building has been subjected to several similar attacks in recent years when stained glass windows were damaged and the flood lighting system tampered with. Churches are the oldest of our buildings to survive almost intact over the centuries and it is difficult to imagine the mentality of those who wish to deface and destroy them. It is also a sad commentary on our society that church officials need to appeal to parishioners to act as watchdogs and call the police if they see anyone acting suspiciously around a building that should be a welcoming place for all, whatever their religion. 

Only two weeks ago I published a code of conduct for anyone who feels harassed by unwanted doorstep callers. I thought of this yesterday when I glanced out of the window after the doorbell had rung to see two lads with clipboards inspecting the front of my house and obviously ready to give me a quote for new fascias and soffits, even though the present ones were fitted less than five years ago. They left after seeing the notice pasted above the letter box saying NO CATALOGUES - NO CALLERS and so I was spared a confrontation. The police have now issued a warning for home owners to be on their guard against unwanted callers after an elderly Bourne lady was swindled out of £60 in payment for gardening that she did not want. The Local reports (February 28th) that two men called and claimed that the hedges around the house needed trimming and although she declined, they pressured her into acceptance. My guide to dealing with such people is still on site (Diary February 15th) and if you have elderly neighbours, especially if they are living alone, please print this out and give it to them. I also dealt with harassment by telephone sales people who can be equally irritating and Jess Johnson of Twenty, near Bourne, has come up with the perfect solution to this which I commend to everyone. Print out this excellent advice and leave it by the telephone so that every member of the family can see it: "Do what we do when we get double glazing sales phone calls. Tell them it's a council house and they cannot pull the plug fast enough. If the telephone callers want to speak to the owner, tell them you are house sitting. It works for us."

Messages from abroad: Yesterday was a real spring day, you could smell it, a nice warm southerly breeze, bright sunshine, and it just made you want to dance and shout that winter is finally over. We have just gone through the coldest winter I can remember since I was a kid, six weeks of temperatures minus 30-33C at night and just around minus 18-20C during the day, and that will put the frost on any pumpkin. We have long ago run out of space to pile our snow and it is banked so high that the snow blowers are having a hard time to throw it over the top. The chap who does our snow blowing burnt out the gears in his machine and has gone out of business. - Glen Foster, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.

It snows in Israel! Jerusalem and the northern mountains look like a Scandinavian landscape. It was long ago that we had such a cold and rainy winter. You in Great Britain are used to snow and have appropriate vehicles but in Jerusalem and the north, all the schools are closed and the highways open only for ambulances and the police. - Ester Ronen, Ein Dor, Israel.

Over 100 names have now been engraved on the restored water wheel due to be installed later this year at the early 19th century Baldock's Mill in South Street, home of the Heritage Centre run by the Bourne Civic Society. They range from a baby only a few months old to one of our former distinguished citizens, now dead, but all will be remembered in future years as part of the history of this town. Jim Jones, who is in charge of the project, tells me that there is still room for more names and so there is time for anyone who wishes to be part of this restoration project to apply for a space. Once the wheel is installed over the mill race, visitors will be able to see it revolving from a special viewing window and a list of the names on it will be displayed nearby.

Thought for the Week: Few towns owe more to the laudable spirit of improvement which characterises the present age than Bourne. - extract from Pigot's Directory of Lincolnshire for 1835.

Saturday 8^th March 2003

The annual Sunday School treat was an event we looked forward to each summer during my childhood in the 1930s because it meant cakes and sandwiches and endless cups of tea, a welcome addition to the diet of those who came from working class families where money and therefore food was often short. Treats were an enticement to regular attendance at Sunday School during the year and usually consisted of tea and often entertainment and sometimes both, but whatever the reason for them being held, children always looked forward to them as events of immense enjoyment because they were not only getting an extra meal, but they were also the centre of attention.

There are still treats today for schoolchildren but somehow I do not think they are provided in the grand manner of yesteryear or are as gratefully received and as an example, here is a report from the Stamford Mercury of such an event on Tuesday 23rd July 1867 for children attending the National and Infants schools at Bourne which was held in the precincts of the Abbey Church.

The town was enlivened by the ringing of the church bells and the display of several flags upon high trees in the Abbey grounds and upon the church. At three o'clock, the children (about 350 in number), with flags and accompanied by the vicar and other gentlemen and ladies, headed by the Rifle Corps band, went in procession from the National School to the Abbey. The weather up to nearly three o'clock was wet and unfavourable but about that time, the sun again began to shine and afforded hope to the "many dear children" who look forward to this occasion as a great holiday. At four o'clock, the children were regaled with cakes and tea, the tables being placed in front of the Abbey. A variety of outdoor sports were provided in the vicar's large field adjoining the lawn and each scholar on leaving was presented with a bun. Upon the lawn, in the shades of the evening, "children of a larger growth" danced to the strains of the Bourne brass band. About nine o'clock, a good display of fireworks, under the direction of Mr John Evans, took place and was witnessed by a very large number of persons. 

The previous Christmas there had been an additional treat but this time it was for all children living in the parish of Bourne between the ages of four and 12 and was partly financed with the income from penny readings that had been held at the Assembly Rooms in the Angel Hotel, a form of entertainment that necessitated a one penny admission fee to hear readings from popular novels and other literary works of the time. These readings, before the age of television and the cinema, were the only forms of mass entertainment at that time and attracted large audiences and, as in this case, the profits were often used for charitable purposes. The income however was insufficient to pay the bill for such a large party and so a public subscription was opened to augment the cost, headed by William Parker of Hanthorpe Hall, then a justice of the peace sitting on the Bourne bench of magistrates, with a donation of two guineas. 

The event was an astounding success. Seven hundred children were entertained at the Assembly Rooms that had been specially illuminated with gas lighting for the occasion by Mr Henry Bott, landlord of the Angel Hotel, a director of the Bourne Gas Light and Coke Company and also the town's official gas inspector. The children were given tea, a Punch and Judy show and on leaving for home, each was presented with a toy, a bun and an orange. Small pleasures and a glimpse of life from a simpler and less hurried age.

The web site continues to give great enjoyment to people who once lived in Bourne but have moved away to seek pastures new. This week, I received an email from Trevor Pool, a silver surfer who lives near Halifax in West Yorkshire, reminiscing about old times and it is clear that he remains very nostalgic about the place he still calls home. Trevor's parents were the first tenants of No 5 Alexandra Terrace where he was born on 16th December 1925 and after attending the Abbey Road School, became an apprentice motor mechanic but as the Second World War of 1939-45 was underway, he was required to do voluntary duties and so he became a dispatch rider for the Civil Defence and he also took his turn at fire watching.

Trevor was called up for service with the Royal Navy when he was 18, serving as a mechanic with the Fleet Air Arm in Britain and in Malta but when the war ended, returned to complete his apprenticeship. Romance blossomed when he met Winifred Jones, a Yorkshire lass serving with the Women's Land Army. She had been posted to Bourne and went to lodge at the house next door in Alexandra Terrace, working first on a farm at Braceborough and then at the dairy in the Austerby run by Curtis Brothers. All cows were milked by hand in those days and after a spell in the milking sheds, Winifred went on the milk delivery round in the town, working seven days a week whatever the weather.

She and Trevor began dating and he eventually proposed and she accepted and after their wedding in December 1946, they began married life in one of the row of cottages in St Peter's Road, now demolished to make way for the present complex of maisonettes. The couple moved to Halifax in 1953 when Trevor got a job with the borough council and he stayed in local authority work until retiring in 1990 at the age of 65 and since then, he and Winifred have been busy running their smallholding. "As age takes its toll, I am able to enjoy the garden and the wildlife areas that we have created over the years", he said, "and I am now busy with a more sedentary hobby on the computer. Our present home is at an elevation of 1,025 feet and I have been away for fifty years yet I still on occasions say down home, meaning Bourne, because you will always remember your birth place with affection, even though it has changed so much."

Trevor's name has been added to our list Friends of Bourne and if there is anyone out there who remembers him, he would love to hear from you. The list now contains almost 100 names and there must be someone among them that you remember and would be pleased to hear from you.

What the local papers are saying: The big green boxes were out on the streets of Bourne for collection again this week as part of South Kesteven District Council's waste recycling programme and the initial impetus appears to be sustained. A total of 19,000 homes in the area are taking part in the scheme to recycle a wide range of household materials and the Herald and Post reports (March 6th) that an astounding 55 tonnes were collected this week as opposed to 26 tonnes when collections began. Crews were out until 8.30 pm on some days and homeowners have now been asked to put their boxes out for collection before 7.30 am on the required day. 

Several people have emailed to ask how the materials will be recycled and what will be their eventual use and the answer has been conveniently supplied by the Spring issue of District Line, the council's own newspaper that was delivered this week. We are told that old newspapers and magazines go to a paper mill where the fibres are de-inked and washed to make more newsprint which can then be recycled yet again. Packaging card goes to make new cardboard, fizzy drink bottles are turned into fibre which is spun to make clothing or filling for sleeping bags and mattresses; milk, fruit and detergent bottles are washed and flaked and made into new ones; squash bottles are turned into drainpipes and plant pots; juice cartons contain a high quality paper which can be reclaimed; cans are made from tin-plated steel or aluminium and these are sorted and sent for manufacture back into new cans; textiles and shoes are collected on behalf of reputable charities for use in the United Kingdom and abroad by those in need. Bourne Councillor Linda Neal, who is leader of SKDC, says: "At present only six per cent of domestic waste is recycled but it is possible to recycle around half of the average household's refuse."

An appraisal of the role that South Kesteven District Council plays in our lives fills two pages in the Stamford Mercury under the heading "Is your local council doing its job for you?" (March 7th). The article provides a glimpse of how the authority operates, how it is constituted, what it actually does and gives illustrated profiles of those who run it, all worthwhile reading in readiness for those council tax bills that will soon be landing on the doormat because it will help you decide whether you are getting your money's worth. This is serious business but whether our councillors live up to the confidence the public places in them is another matter and some of the stories reported elsewhere this week give food for thought.

The council tax increase in the Bourne area for the coming year has finally been revealed as 10.5% which means that most of us will have to pay an extra £100 a year. The Local reports (March 7th) that the figure was agreed by South Kesteven District Council at its budget meeting last week. Not everyone was happy with the decision and Councillor John Kirkman (Independent) lead a futile revolt with Labour members by offering an alternative lower budget stressing the need for increased economic development that would produce more jobs. Councillor Linda Neal, the council leader stressed that the planned spending for 2003-04 was exactly what the people wanted and added: "Through considerable research and from speaking to people on the street, one of the clearest messages that we received was that people are not all that bothered about economic development but anxious about environmental issues such as recycling." 

Councillor Neal is also under fire in the letters page of The Local which is dominated by a  rather excitable appeal to keep the South Street toilets which were closed last October on the pretext that they had become a target of vandals and paedophiles. Town councillor Trevor Holmes, who is expected to become next year's Mayor of Bourne, is bothered about suggestions that new public loos will be built elsewhere, probably on a site next to a children's nursery, requiring the installation of water, sewage disposal and electricity service, when the existing site was perfectly suitable and only needs refurbishment. He claims that Councillor Neal is, in fact, ignoring the will of the people in her pursuit of this issue and he advises her: "Give real democracy a chance. Don't try to smother it."

All in all, the newspapers are full of the antics of our councillors this week and as the local elections are only a few weeks away, readers must be forgiven for thinking that they are all electioneering like billy-oh! Squabbling and disagreement hardly make for good government and we can therefore be thankful that all of this hot air will be expended when the elections are completed in May and that a little harmony and civility between those who run our affairs might help restore our faith in those who have been chosen to represent us. They might also get down to a little real work for a change. What a pity that so little new blood is on the horizon to challenge some of them for their apparently safe seats because it looks as though we may well be in for a long spell of the same in the years to come.

The memorial to Raymond Mays is nearing completion and is expected to be installed this spring on a strip of land adjoining Baldock's Mill in South Street, home of the town's Heritage Centre. Mays (1899-1980), son of a local businessman, achieved fame in the world of international motor racing, both on and off the track. After a successful career as a driver, he opened workshops in Bourne where he developed the BRM, the revolutionary car that eventually became the first all-British model to win the world championship in 1962. Mays, who lived at Eastgate House in Bourne all his life, was made a CBE in 1978 for his services to motor racing. An assessment of his life and the reasons why he should not be forgotten has been written by Dr Michael McGregor who knew him and has been added to the web site today.

Message from abroad: Our city is instigating a recycling program that appears to be similar to what you have in Bourne. We will be issued a portable can that comes in three sizes, depending on how much trash one has. The bigger the more costly. It has wheels and is to be wheeled out to the kerb once a week. The ordinance states the canister must be hidden during the week, either behind some shrubs, back yard, or in the garage. The wheels look like the ones that come on a cheap toy and I wonder how many elderly folks can wheel the damn thing out to the kerb. What our politicians think of is amazing. We had a good thing going, a reasonable size bucket we put our papers and etc in and was easy to carry if not overloaded. I am sure recycling is a good idea and a must for future generations but how to do it still eludes the best efforts we have tried thus far. - John Hughes, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Message from home: What a wonderful website! I was looking for information on family history (Keisby) but found myself reading about all the clubs and societies, items for sale, etc. What a lovely place to live. It made me quite envious and I will certainly visit the area when on my next family history quest. - Chris Corrall, Hampshire, England.

Thought for the Week: No one thinks of winter when the grass is green. - Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), Indian-born British writer and poet, from "A St Helena Lullaby".

Saturday 15^th March 2003

Not everyone understands the machinations of local government and I have recently received emails, both from home and abroad, asking me to explain the current system that governs our life in Britain and particularly here in Bourne.

The representation of the people began more than 1,000 years ago when the Lord of the Manor exercised total control over those within his jurisdiction. As the years progressed, he often consulted others in his parish for advice, usually the vicar and the schoolmaster, and as these three were often the only ones who could read and write, they were the ruling group for the locality. In effect, they became the first councillors for the district, in deed if not in name.

The parish church was a central place to gather and by the early 17th century, vestry meetings were being held after Sunday morning services, dealing with church affairs as well as looking after the old, the poor and the infirm, appointing church wardens, sextons and even village constables. Their authority became so complete that it was quite natural for legislators to give them the responsibility of levying the poor rate. These were the first effective local taxes. Everyone in the parish was entitled to attend vestry meetings but in practice, the work fell to a few individuals, rather like the parish councils of today.

The squire, the parson and sometimes the schoolmaster, were still the leaders in the village in the late 19th century but popular education was spreading and more people wanted a say in managing local affairs and this was achieved through the 1894 Local Government Act, championed in Parliament by the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, and although it met a great deal of opposition, with over 800 amendments moved during its passage through the house, the Act became law and parish councils were formed, followed by other similar authorities from which our present system has evolved. It created institutions with status and affiliations and transferred the civil functions of the older authorities to them. By this Act, the church and state at parish level were completely separated.

Since the 1894 Act, the vestry still meets in every parish in every county at least once a year for the election of churchwardens so perpetuating the English tradition that started 600 years ago. At the same time, the administration of our affairs at local level now rests with a three tier structure, each authority with its own elected councillors, although many belong to two and even all three, a massive and unwieldy combination of bureaucratic control in the hands of a small army of local councillors and salaried officials.

Lincolnshire County Council is in overall control of roads, schools and libraries, the police and fire brigade. Spending budget is £527 million (2003-4). The council has 77 elected members, all of whom are paid through a system of allowances, and employs more than 12,000 people making it the biggest employer in the county. Bourne has two local councillors on this authority.

South Kesteven District Council is responsible for housing, waste, leisure and recreation, land use and planning applications. Spending budget is £50 million (2002-03). The council has 58 elected members, all of whom are paid through a system of allowances, and employs more than 600 people (October 2002). Bourne has six local councillors on this authority.

Bourne Town Council has limited powers, confined to the Christmas lights, the town cemetery, street names and similar parochial issues, but the council does have an input into all planning matters affecting the town and its councillors are usually the first to be approached by anyone with a problem or a complaint. Spending budget is just under £100,000. The council has 15 elected councillors, none of whom are paid, and usually employs five people. Fourteen of the seats are filled and there is one vacancy.

The county and district councils are financed by substantial grants from central government (currently around 65%) but all depend for their main income on council tax from domestic properties (currently around 35%) which is banded at eight levels, A to H, according to size and can therefore be as low as £685 or as high as £2,056 (2003-04 figures for Bourne). The average is therefore Band D, £1,028, on which the councils make their calculations for the ensuing year. This is an overall increase of 10.5% for the coming year at a time when central government insists that inflation is steady at 2.7%.

The council tax is a mystery to many people who pay up year after year without question but one of our leading councillors, John Kirkman, who has many years experience of local government and is currently a member of all three local authorities, has written an article that will try to lead the home owner out of this financial maze and shed a little light on what they have to pay and why. The bill for 2003-04 is about the drop through the letter box and you may not like paying it, or even understand why, and his article will attempt to answer some of your questions.

There is increasing evidence that the quality of life in many of our towns and cities is in terminal decline and that the black cloud of anti-social and criminal behaviour is settling permanently over this once sceptered isle.

News and current affairs programmes on television regularly show us the blight that has stunted growth in urban areas where once working class families lived in peace and harmony but have now become ruins of vandalism and despair. The most telling evidence of this degeneration comes from the people who actually live there and a magazine called The Idler has given them the chance to have their say in print and these contributions can now be seen on their own web site. 

The results are remarkable because they paint unbearable pictures of deprivation and drug taking, vandalism, street violence, verbal abuse and a growing feelings of dread, regret, panic and hopelessness by those who are still forced to live there but would wish for a better life elsewhere. So far, 159 "crap English towns" have been nominated, although there are also large numbers from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, each describing tales of woe, corruption, deprivation and misery.

They range from Aldeburgh in Suffolk to Yeovil in Somerset, both names that in the past I have associated from personal experience with attractive and welcoming townscapes but this perception is no longer supported by those who live there. Top of the list is the declining east coast port of Hull that has been nominated most frequently and attracted the most spectacular verbal fireworks, noted by its critics for "the ample supply of cheap and hardcore drugs washed down with 10% white cider at £1 a bottle", "the stench of deep fried reconstituted chicken guts" and "the rancid odour of the effluent pumped daily into its sea." Unlovely Portsmouth is catching up with this abysmal conurbation and other insalubrious places follow close on their heels.

The nearest towns on the list to Bourne are Sleaford to the north ("The fact that this place has spawned three secondary schools is a mystery to me but the 14 stabbings a night is not") and Peterborough to the south ("This calls itself a city because it has a cathedral but is in fact a small crappy town, surrounded by a ring road that is the same all the way round, so you don't know where you are.") but fortunately, our little market community does not yet rate an entry. However, this entirely unconnected contribution was made to the Bourne Forum this week, leading to conjecture that we may not be far behind:

I have lived in Bourne for 13 years and when I moved here, I thought it was like moving to another country. Hardly any crime and the Bourne Local reported that milk bottles were stolen from a doorway but where I moved from, that was a normal occurrence and hardly newsworthy. I could walk home at night safely but not any more. Bourne is now a threatening place with gangs of drunken teenagers loitering on street corners ready for trouble but where are the police? If that had happened where I used to live, the Black Marias would come along and throw them all in the back. Trouble sorted. And now, a break in and raping and a stabbing have occurred. The police should be here on the beat sorting the trouble before it arrives. If the police have to come from Grantham they have no knowledge of the trouble spots and only drive through for a routine check. The boy racers that race through the town have nothing to be worried about because there are no police to stop them. They do as they please down Abbey Road. The drug dealers don't worry about the police either. They deal wherever and whenever they like. Underage drinking is also evident and we're talking about anyone over 12 years old. Parents who read this who have children should ask themselves: "Where are they tonight?" Has anyone in authority the guts to say enough is enough and bring in stricter controls to enforce the laws? I think in ten years, this country will be a very sorry place to live and anarchy will rule. - Karen Shaw, Monday 10th March 2003.

New measures have been introduced this week by the Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett, in an attempt to change this depressing picture of our country today, and we can only hope that unlike his previous initiatives, these will have a measure of success. The entries for the crappiest towns in England continue to arrive at the offices of The Idler while civic worthies and the local newspapers splutter with injured pride as they try to defend their reputations but the problem is well known as Mr Blunkett himself admitted on Wednesday: "It's time to stop thinking of anti-social behaviour as something that we can just ignore. Anti-social behaviour blights people's lives, destroys families and ruins communities. It is not about waving a magic wand; it is about giving people the tools they need to claim back their communities for the decent law-abiding majority. I know that frightening gangs on street corners, neighbours from hell, tearaway children and drug pushers are the very things which make us feel uneasy and unsafe.

"For too long some of our public services have shrugged their shoulders at this low-level thuggery and said it's somebody else's responsibility. It's not. We all need to play a part in tackling this scourge. People cannot continue to expect something for nothing. They must realise rights in our communities can only come when they take responsibility for their actions and neighbourhood." 

For those who wish to experience a depressing hour or two on the state of our country today, as those who live there see it, then take a look at the sinking holes of England that can be found on the web site www.idler.co.uk.

What the local papers are saying: A new adventure play centre has opened for children in South Road, Bourne, and it is obvious from the Lincolnshire Free Press that things are not the way they were in years past (March 11th). The place is packed with features unknown to me as a lad sixty years ago, such as slides and ball pools, a model galleon, toys and activity areas and even a restaurant, as well as baby rooms for changing and feeding. But parents are warned: "Admission to the play equipment is restricted to children up to the age of 12 years or 4 ft. 9 ins., whichever comes first. Socks must be worn at all times, arms and legs are to be kept covered. It is the sole responsibility of the parent/guardian to supervise the children they bring to the centre at all times." The politically correct will claim that this is an example of size-ism at work but I wonder what has happened to the rough and tumble of childhood from yesteryear.

One of the delights of Bourne Wood is the fallow deer that live there, elusive creatures that prefer the more secluded spots although their presence is often noticeable through hoof prints in the mud or an occasional glimpse in an isolated forest glade. It is therefore surprising to find that they are being poached for their meat and The Local describes a particularly nasty incident in which a fawn had been tied to a gate and mauled by dogs (March 14th). The report tells us that poachers dazzle the deer with powerful lamps and then let their dogs loose to bring it down until it can be killed, a barbarous practice that needs to be stamped out with the full force of the law. The fawn in this case suffered a long and lingering death and forestry officials believe that the carcass may have been left behind as a warning to farmers and gamekeepers that they can and will be violent if disturbed.

A decision on the fate of Bourne's post office could only be days away, according to the Stamford Mercury (March 14th). Hundreds of people have joined the protest against it being moved from the present purpose-built premises in West Street to space behind a liquor store further down the street but with each new development of what the Post Office calls "the consultation period", it is obvious that the move is a done deal. Mark Guilfoyle, their retail line manager, was questioned by members of South Kesteven District Council last week and without exception, they reiterated public concern about the suitability of the new location, yet he appeared to be unmoved. The most telling remark he has made in the current controversy was reported by The Local last week (March 7th): "We are looking at addressing the concerns that have been raised. We will continue to discuss the situation with our consultation team because we want to consider all concerned with this move and that of course includes the public. We have got everyone's interests at heart and we want to ensure that Bourne has the best Post Office facilities possible." These are indeed hollow words because it is the public who are the only ones that matter and they have already spoken. 

My item last week about Trevor Pool and his wife Winifred has brought a response from Canada. The couple started their married life at Bourne but now live in retirement near Halifax in West Yorkshire. Before they left in 1953, Trevor was a motor mechanic living with his parents in Alexandra Terrace and he met Winifred during the Second World War of 1939-45 when she came to lodge at the house next door. She was serving with the Women's Land Army and had been sent to work at the dairy in the Austerby run by Curtis Brothers and among her many jobs was delivering milk around the town seven days a week.

Ted Middleton, who emigrated in 1967 and now lives at Brandon, Manitoba, has emailed with his own delightful memories of those times. He writes:

That Winifred must have been the one who turned me in. It was a beautiful warm sunny morning, far too nice to go to school, so I decided to play truant. Things were going good, then I saw the milk delivery girl and she asked why I wasn't at school, I explained that I didn't have to go because I was sick. I went down Manning Road and watched the frogs in the ditch and guess what! It started to rain so I went to the football ground until it was time to go home for lunch. When I got home my mother asked where I'd been and I said: "School". Mother then informed me that she had gone to meet me as I had no coat and it was raining and I didn't come out of school. Then she said she had seen the milk girl she said I had told her I didn't have to go to school as I was sick. I made it to school in the afternoon alright, escorted by my father!

Finally, there is still time to have your name included on the restored wheel being installed at Baldock's Mill, home of the town's Heritage Centre in South Street. This is a most worthwhile restoration project and as well as helping out with the cost, your name will be there for future generations to see. More than 100 have already been added.

Thought for the Week: In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes. - Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) American scientist and statesman. 

Saturday 22^nd March 2003

The departure of our cemetery supervisor Peter Ellis for pastures new has left Bourne Town Council in a quandary for they are at a loss as to how to run it in the future for the benefit of the town and the community. Mr Ellis had been in the job for five years during which time he has brought the cemetery up to such a standard of excellence that it won national recognition last summer when it was adjudged one of the best in Britain and the gilt-lettered plaques presented now adorn the entrance as a testimonial to his dedication.

The judges said in their adjudication: "This is everyone's ideal of a cemetery with a picture postcard entrance consisting of a lodge, a lavender and rose bed, chapel and entrance drive, and surrounded by old headstones and yew trees. There is also a great deal of excellent topiary on yews and other trees which give added interest to the area." Not since the time of Bourne's great cemetery keeper John Peacock has there been such praise for the man at the helm. He dug 3,000 graves before he died in 1922 at the age of 83 and was therefore responsible for most of the burials during the 19th century. During his lifetime, it was his greatest joy to keep the cemetery spick and span and he was fond of describing it as "one the beauty spots of the locality".

Peter Ellis has followed ably in his footsteps and brought national honour to this place as a result. However, the first casualty of his departure is Bourne's involvement in this year's best kept cemeteries competition because the town council has decided not to defend the title they already hold in the light of the staffing problems that have been created by his going. One would have thought that this was a man to be treasured by any local authority and although he made no secret of his discontent with certain aspects of his employment in recent months, nothing was done by members of the town council to find out why. It was certainly not a decision to be taken lightly because Mr Ellis and his wife occupied the bungalow near the entrance to the cemetery, which of course had to be vacated when leaving his job, and so he not only had to find fresh employment but also alternative accommodation. Now they have lost him, the council is thrashing around considering a whole list of options in an attempt to fill the gap.

The cemetery has become a most attractive place to be, a haven of peace and tranquillity in an increasingly noisy and bustling world. Its current state of cleanliness and tidiness is an example of first class maintenance to which any visitor will attest and the fact that it was singled out by the judges last year speaks volumes for past procedures. If it can win a prestigious award once, then it can do so again, provided its upkeep is in the right hands. The answer to the council's dilemma therefore, is a simple one and that is to maintain the status quo. Their only problem will be in finding a supervisor of the calibre and commitment of Peter Ellis and perhaps a little more encouragement and even a financial inducement from the Town Hall would not have put the council in this predicament in the first place.

There is also a sequel to this affair because the council now has a bungalow on its hands for the use of the next cemetery supervisor if it is so needed but one suggestion that has been put forward is that this property could be used as council offices but it is to be hoped that such an idea is not pursued. There is only one place for the offices of the town council and that is in the Town Hall, the traditional seat of local government, and if councillors did decide to banish this administration to a bungalow on the outskirts of the town, the move would not only diminish the standing of the council but also bring the mirth of the nation down around their heads when it was learned that our affairs were being run from the town cemetery, however appropriate that might sound to some.

Hidden away in the small print of declarations from the management about their proposals to close the Post Office in Bourne, there appears to be the first sign of the declining standard of services that we can expect in the future but I would hope that Mr Mark Guilfoyle, the retail line manager, can assure me that my suspicions are unfounded and that we have been wrongly informed.

The purpose-built Post Office in West Street is scheduled for closure and the business moved further down the street to the back of a liquor store, a downgrading in anyone's language, yet we are told that this will be in the best interests of the public who will get a better service as a result. But Mr Guilfoyle was quite specific when he told a special meeting of South Kesteven District Council's planning and development committee earlier this month that when the closure takes effect, there will not be a post box at the new site until the Royal Mail sanctions one and that would not be immediately "but we will accept mail over the counter". The new opening times however do not include Sundays and so unless the old box remains open in West Street, we will be losing our midday collection on that day.

Mr Guilfoyle, we need to be told: Is Bourne to lose its Sunday mail collections as a result of this ill-advised move?

There has been some disquiet about the new cabinet and leader system since it was introduced by South Kesteven District Council in October 2001, not least among the non-executive councillors themselves who feel alienated from the decision making process. Even those select half a dozen members who have been given portfolios have misgivings because they are invariably blamed whenever unpopular decisions are made. Under the previous committee system which had operated since the council's inception in 1974, all councillors were able to have their say on issues that directly affected the wards they represent but now decisions are often made without their knowledge even though they may have first hand experience of the subject in hand. Some feel that the new system is distancing the local government process from the people, among them Bourne councillor Don Fisher, a member of the council for more than 20 years, who expresses his fears in an article that has been added to the web site today.

The BBC tell me that they are to produce yet another of those programmes about antiques and other valuables that just happen to be lying around the house and might earn you enough money for a month's holiday in the Seychelles. Those I have watched are very hard to believe but they do seem to be very popular, hence the new series. This one is to be called Trading Treasures and Claire Pinfield has emailed to say that it might well interest members of Bourne's local clubs and societies.

Claire tells me that she is looking for people whose lofts and garages are full of junk with mislaid, old and long forgotten bits and pieces. Or perhaps their collection of this or that is starting to take over the home and they are running out of storage space; or, are they moving house, converting the loft or thinking of having a long overdue spring clean to get rid of all the surplus clutter? Whatever the reason, for anyone who fits into one of these categories, this programme could be the answer to their problems. 

"This is a new television programme for BBC1", said Claire. "The aim of the show is for presenter Lorne Spicer (Trading Up in the Sun BBC1 and Boot Sale Challenge ITV) to visit two home owners and help them clear their houses of excess clutter. Lorne will be helped by our two experts who will estimate how much the items are worth. When everything has been valued it's off to a boot sale or antiques fair. We pay for the pitch, and all our two teams have to do is sell as much as they can. At the end of the day, the team who gets closest to the experts estimated figure wins, but no one loses as they both go home with cash in their pockets."

If anyone out there is bothered with their clutter, then Claire wants to hear from you and you could end up on television, famous for fifteen minutes as it were. If you are interested, then email for more details at claire.pinfield@lnn-tv.co.uk

What the local papers are saying: One of Bourne's old established businesses is closing its doors after 127 years. The Local reports (March 21st) that Cliffe's in West Street is to cease trading at the end of this month and the premises sold. The shop is currently run by husband and wife team Ray and Shirley Cliffe, both long serving members of the town council and both former mayors, but they have decided to retire from business life and take a rest. The shop has been in the family since 1876 when it sold groceries but after a disastrous fire in 1898, it was developed into a prosperous furniture, antiques and removals business. The Local does not tell us whether any prospective buyers are in line to take over the premises but it is to be hoped that whoever does move into this distinctive property, the attractive façade will remain untouched because it is the perfect example of a Victorian shop front and should be retained as an asset to the town centre street scene.

New street names in Bourne should be linked to the town's motor racing heritage, according to a report in the Stamford Mercury (March 21st). There has been some controversy over those suggested for the new Elsea Park estate where developers have put forward names such as Oak Lane, Park Avenue, Dove Lane, Dyke Bridge Lane, Plane Tree Mews and The Pollards, all of which have a rural ring about them, but town councillors claim that they are inappropriate and even confusing because they clash with similar names elsewhere in the town. The newspaper is now testing public reaction and one resident has suggested a whole tranche of names connected with the race track including Silverstone Drive, Goodwood Crescent, Pit Lane Walk, Brooklands Avenue and that the names of famous drivers such as Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart might also become part of the town's topography. Some may consider this to be a little over the top for although Bourne should remember our past heroes in this way, we must avoid turning the town into a massive motor racing theme park. I would have thought it quite sufficient that the BRM and its connections with the town are to be commemorated with a memorial to be erected in South Street later this year and a valid case for this is made in an article by Michael McGregor that has been added to the web site today.

Message from abroad (1): Our weather has turned warm, only five degrees below, having been down to -30 for most of February. It has been a long winter. Here we only have two seasons, winter and July. The young people are the only ones who enjoy it and over the years they have been taught that the best way to get through it is to get out and play in the snow. We had young guests here last weekend and they dug trenches and when they got into them we couldn't see them. The snowploughs have been really busy this winter and driveways are lined by banks of snow about five to six feet high. The problem now is to find a place to throw any snow we shovel and when you get the work done, the plough usually passes and fills your entry in again. But the cardinals have been singing their spring mating calls and the chickadees have been doing the same and that is a sure sign that we will soon be out of the deep freeze. -Ethel Guertin, Aylmer, Quebec, Canada.

Message from abroad (2): What a nice website! Here in this part of the world, we have just put our clocks back as our winter approaches and so you in England should be getting some summer soon. - Peter Pascall, Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Thought for the Week: In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers. - Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) British statesman and Prime Minister (1937-40) in a speech at Kettering, Northamptonshire, on 3rd July 1938.

Finally, there is still time to have your name included on the restored wheel being installed at Baldock's Mill, home of the town's Heritage Centre in South Street. This is a most worthwhile restoration project and as well as helping out with the cost, your name will be there for future generations to see. More than 100 have already been added.

Saturday 29th March 2003

Major expansion planned by the printing firm Warners Midlands plc at their headquarters site in West Street, Bourne, has been given approval by our councils at both town and district level despite misgivings in some quarters about the additional noise that is likely to be generated by night time working quite near to existing homes. 

The new £6 million press hall and bindery is to be built on the site of the former St Peter's Hospital, once the Bourne workhouse, but little has been said about the visual affect of the development on the Wellhead Gardens which can be justly described as one of the major environmental assets of this town because it provides a haven of peace and solitude within walking distance of the town centre. This island of green space does not exactly compare with the royal parks of London but it does belong to Bourne and we care for it with equal passion and wish to see it protected from any form of encroachment by commercial interests that might destroy its appearance. Yet this development does appear to be bad news for that corner of the park which borders on the site of the old hospital, a substantial Victorian red brick building designed in 1836 by Bryan Browning, the architect responsible for our Town Hall, but demolished in 2001 although its passing was not reported by the local press and the only mention of its demise was in this column.

As I understand it, the willow tree is to be retained, but the other three major trees alongside the footpath between the ancient St Peter's Pool and St. Peter's Road are to be felled and rooted out. A firm of tree consultants has been called in and they are recommending some replanting, but it will be a poor substitute. The worst of it is that, on the plan, the circle cast by these trees falls sufficiently short of the proposed building not to need removal. It seems that the large sequoia and a couple of others along that boundary of the park will be retained, and it appears that the hedge will be removed and replaced.

The only objections have come from one town councillor and three households in St Peter's Street and I am surprised that the owners and administrators of the park, Bourne United Charities, have remained silent on this issue even though Michael Warner, son of the founder and still closely associated with the printing company, is one of the trustees. Those who worked so hard to establish this area of tranquillity, particularly local solicitor Horace Stanton (1897-1977), would most certainly not have countenanced any development that would destroy the appearance of the amenity they had created.

The new building will be big and although some say that it will be no larger than the former hospital building, it will be far more intrusive, a huge industrial shed, used and illuminated 24 hours a day, generating sufficient lorry movements to make it worthwhile installing a washer. It will, in fact, overshadow that edge of the Wellhead Gardens. The prospect is not promising and when this scheme comes to fulfilment, we can expect that this part of the town will not look remotely the same again in the future.

We are not privy to every detail of this expansion scheme but we must assume that our councillors and officers were fully aware that the Wellhead is a scheduled ancient monument. It is also well within the town's conservation area, designated under the Town and Country Planning Act of 1971, and therefore they have the right, indeed the duty, under the existing legislation to ensure that it is not despoiled by unsympathetic developments either within or immediately without, and to protect both the inward and outward views from it. They have the powers to save these trees and hedgerow and prevent the area being turned into an eyesore but it would appear that they have not been used. This is a problem that ought to have been addressed by our local planners many years ago and instead of allowing a commercial company to expand on a site at the very edge of the conservation area, they should have advised a relocation to an out of town site, but then hindsight is a convenient criticism. 

The old Maltings has been part of this town since the early 19th century and a previous owner, Mr J C Allen, managing director of Boston Tractors Ltd, a firm of agricultural machinery specialists, was personally responsible for the sympathetic restoration of the building to its present magnificence in the street scene as a reminder of the town of yesteryear. Warners have been in occupation since 1976 and many think that their expanding commercial operations on this site have now become so vast that this would have been the appropriate time to move to a less sensitive location rather than spread their buildings even further into the town. Such a decision could also include an admirable contribution to the cultural life of Bourne because the old Maltings would make an excellent civic and community centre were the company feeling sufficiently philanthropic to give it to the people as a gift once it was vacated as part of their re-organisation. These are pipe dreams and as long as our local authorities continue to support their every whim, then I feel that we will have to learn to live with Warners in whatever they choose to do in the future.

What the local papers are saying: The local elections are imminent and this is the chance for those who are dissatisfied with the way our affairs are being run to have a go themselves if they so wish. In case you are wondering if you are eligible, then I recommend a copy of the Lincolnshire Free Press which gives a complete run down of the qualifications needed to become a local councillor (March 25th). There is little doubt that new blood is needed because we seem to get the same people elected year after year and although some are extremely capable in serving the community, others have little to offer or have outlived their usefulness. Nominations to become a parish or district councillor must be submitted by midday on Tuesday 1st April and the elections will be held on Thursday 1st May and so if you find someone you dislike representing you in the council chamber, then you cannot say that you did not have the chance to oppose them.

Did you know that Lincolnshire County Council maintains 5,530 miles of roads, 1,200 bridges and 55,00 street lights; that it runs an educational system for 102,000 children in 289 primary, 63 secondary and 19 special schools; maintains 38 fire stations and 15 heritage sites? These statistics can be found in the April issue of County News, the authority's own monthly newspaper that was delivered this week, and reflects what is being done with our money. The figures are part of a double page spread on the council's performance during the year 2002-03 and although not all targets have been met, the list of achievements is a formidable one but it will be worth taking some time to examine the small print to find out what the council has not achieved, especially as many of us are still wondering how to pay our council tax bills that have also just arrived demanding a 10.5% increase over last year.

The Local is one of the busiest local newspapers I have seen in fifty years of journalism and this week's edition seems to have excelled all previous efforts (March 28th). Page after page is a sea of faces from one community event after another providing a remarkable record of the people who live in this district today. The report on the schools' cross country event at Grimsthorpe Park is a particularly fine combination of editorial and photographic content with eight pictures and a report plus a table of winners while the middle page spread covers several other events, but this time with nine photographs in full colour, and once again there are faces, faces, faces. To settle our curiosity, my wife counted the number that appears in the newspaper and the result is 653, an astounding feat for a single issue of 28 pages. This is local coverage at its very best because it reflects the old tradition that every name and every face is a reader and readers are the very lifeblood of a newspaper's circulation.

New facilities are planned for Bourne Grammar School, one of the best in Lincolnshire, at a cost of £1.25 million. The Stamford Mercury reports on progress for a scheme to add eight classrooms, together with a learning resource centre, computer area and offices (March 28th) although the extensions will not affect the annual intake of pupils, despite the shortage of school places in the town due to increased house building. Instead, the new facilities are designed to improve the ability of students to work and learn independently but there will be no overall increase in capacity, a case of quality rather than quantity.

A letter from Mrs Brenda Jones, chairman of Bourne Civic Society, appears in the Stamford Mercury under the headline "Please let's take a pride in our town" in which she describes picking up litter while out on her morning run. "I use most of the local footpaths and what a mess they are", she says. The letter also went to The Local who followed it up with a picture feature highlighting her concerns and urging townspeople to follow her example. "This year is really a bad one for litter", she said. "Worse than ever. We are so lucky to have such a lovely little town in which to live but people ought to be more considerate because it would be so much nicer without all the rubbish." Now there's a thought for the coming months: if everyone vowed to pick up a couple of pieces of litter from a public place every day, then Bourne would soon be in the running again for the title of the Best Kept Town in the county.

There are two topics normally banned in the pub, religion and politics, because they generate such passion that arguments often end in squabbles and even fisticuffs. Nevertheless, they are important subjects because both affect our daily lives and although there is little doubt about who runs our national affairs, there has been no proof, only belief, about the existence of God.

Some say that if no one believed in God, he would not exist because it is the faith alone of those that do that keeps him alive and he does nothing to help the argument because he stays forever silent while priests and people chatter. Others insist that only faith matters and although personal and public grief can be a testing time, true belief will always be their strength. The churches are rarely full and religion does not appear to play a great part in the lives of most people and because his presence is not therefore greatly apparent in the world today, his existence remains a matter of conjecture and of debate. Captain David Kinsey, commandant of the Salvation Army here in Bourne, has tackled this difficult question and his article has been added to the web site today.

In recent days, this web site has had visitors from Taiwan and even Kuwait, a country I would have thought too preoccupied with current events to surf the Internet, but despite the war, life goes on. We are flattered that Bourne should attract the attention of people in such exotic locations and since our launch in August 1998, I have kept a note of the various places where our visitors live and from where the many emails we receive emanate. 

In common with most web sites, we have a monitoring service that becomes more efficient as the years go by and now tells us who is visiting, the day and time, where they live in the world, their server and even the software they are using to log on, and so it is comparatively easy to keep track. I should add however that this information is not stored or used for any other purpose or passed on to a third party and so you may rest assured that as a result of visiting the web site, you will not suddenly be flooded with unwanted emails. If your location is missing, please email using the address at the end and it will be added to improve our records.

Message from home: I lived in Bourne for nearly 28 years until 1953 and since I have found your web site and looked at your CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne I have learned more about the place than I ever knew. Why oh why did they not teach local history at school rather than 1066 and all that tosh? It is also pleasing to see the names of people I was once acquainted with. Keep up the good work. - Trevor Pool, Halifax, Yorkshire, Saturday 22nd March 2003. 

Message from abroad: We are into rehearsals for several shows, the first of which is to celebrate St George's Day on April 23rd as we always do. We shall be flying the flag of England and singing Land of Hope and Glory and There'll Always be an England. - Heather Nash, Vancouver Island, Canada, Sunday 23rd March 2003.

Thought for the Week: Owing to the large number of vagrants applying for a night's lodging at the workhouse in Bourne, the Board of Guardians decided that no one would be admitted in the future without being strictly searched and given a bath. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 14th February 1868.

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