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Saturday 3rd December 2005
The recent cold snap has revived memories of ice skating
out in the fens in winters past and there have been two reminders this week of
this ancient sport enjoyed by so many until political correctness intervened.
The first was a message from David Childs who emailed from Lincoln saying that
after several freezing nights, he wished to pursue an old family tradition of
skating at Baston Fen, near Bourne, on natural ice and having found mention of
this activity on this web site, he wondered if conditions were suitable for the
sport to be going ahead over the weekend. At the same time, I found Robin Page,
farmer and controversial columnist, writing in the December issue of The
Countryman, that winters are not what they were because global warming had
forced him to hang up his speed skates as conditions were now never cold enough
for him to be out on the ice.
I have told David Childs that he will be disappointed if he does turn up at
Baston and Robin Page that climate changes have nothing to do with the skating
being curtailed but over enthusiastic health and safety regulations. Until
recent times, thirty acres of marshland in Baston Fen were specially flooded
every winter to a depth of several inches and then the Lincolnshire Skating
Association which organised the event waited for a sufficiently long cold spell
that would provide the right conditions for skating to proceed on a suitable
thickness of ice.
Overnight frosts for at least a week, as we have had recently, were required for
the best results because officials were perpetually aware that a wrong
calculation could lead to a similar disaster to that which occurred in the early
20th century when there were so many skaters and spectators crammed together on
the ice that it broke under the weight and most of them got a very cold ducking.
An official tester was employed each time there was a cold spell and once he
declared the surface fit for skating, a condition determined by repeatedly
jumping up and down on it in hob nailed boots, then the telephones began
buzzing, calling up everyone who wanted to participate, whether for pleasure or
for sport, and soon Baston Fen resembled one of those old picture postcards or
oil paintings of skaters thoroughly enjoying themselves under a bright but
wintry sky.
There was also the racing when competitors from all parts of the country
gathered on the ice for the events to begin, always over a distance of one mile
on a triangular course, to decide the various outdoor speed skating championship
titles for Lincolnshire, for Fenland and even for Britain. The tradition had
become so entrenched that grand silver shields and cups were on offer for the
winners, handed down through the years, from generation to generation.
Unfortunately, this age old winter pursuit ended at Baston Fen in 1993 when the
association was forced to abandon the periodic events because of crippling
insurance charges. Pleasure skating continued for a few more years but the
owners of the land, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, faced similar difficulties
with their insurers over public liability and so skating for fun also ended in
2003 although there are still some who take to the ice when the weather
conditions are right but they do so at their own risk.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the date that Charles Sharpe joined
the army after running away from home and ten years later he won Britain’s
highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. He came from a family of farm
labourers who lived at Pickworth, near Bourne, but he preferred a life of
adventure to working on the land and so he took the king’s shilling and signed
on for service with the Second Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment when he
was only sixteen and as the required age for enlistment was 17½, he probably
lied about his age to the recruiting sergeant to pass his attestation.
When the First World War broke out, his regiment was serving in Bermuda but was
called to active service, arriving in France on 6th November 1914, and by the
following spring he had been promoted to the rank of acting corporal.
On 9th May 1915, in an Allied assault on Fromelles by General Henry Rawlinson's
4th Army during the Battle of Aubers Ridge, Sharpe, then aged 26, earned his
prestigious medal, awarded only for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or
pre-eminent act of valour, self sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the
presence of the enemy.
When two companies of his battalion reached the German lines near Rouges Bancs,
north-east of Neuve Chapelle, after crossing No Man's Land under heavy fire, he
captured an enemy trench single handed and led a successful assault on another.
The official citation published in the London Gazette on 29th June 1915
said:
When in charge of a blocking party sent
forward to take a portion of the German trench, he was the first to reach the
enemy's position and using bombs with great determination and effect, he himself
cleared them out of a trench fifty yards long. By this time all his party had
fallen and he was then joined by four other men with whom he attacked the enemy
with bombs and captured a further trench 250 yards long.
However, the somewhat formalised account of the incident misses
the graphic detail of what actually occurred. Sharpe was the sole survivor of
the initial part of the assault. His commander had been killed and he, as the
next senior rank, was in charge with some thirty hand grenade bombs in pouches
strapped to his uniform, leading colleagues similarly armed across a muddy,
misty battlefield. His men were being shot down one by one as they approached
the German trench until he was left standing alone but the bombs he was using
were having a deadly effect with the enemy running in all directions trying to
escape. He took the fifty-yard trench and was then joined by four other soldiers
from another regiment who then attacked the enemy again, tossing their bombs so
accurately that they captured another trench, this time measuring some 250
yards.
Sharpe, who was always known by his nickname Shadder, returned to England on
leave for two months and on 24th July 1915, received his award from King George
V at Windsor Castle and then took part in a recruiting drive to urge young,
single men to volunteer for military service, visiting many places in
Lincolnshire including Spalding and Bourne.
He was feted, cheered and applauded wherever he went but in the brief speeches
he made, he also indicated that he was keen to join his comrades in the trenches
on the Western Front. He was eventually recalled to his regiment and again
became involved in front line action when he was the sole survivor on a ten-man
bombing raid on the German trenches in Flanders and was badly wounded by a bomb
and although he recovered and continued to serve, he carried several pieces of
shrapnel in his body until he died.
Sharpe served for a total of 25 years with the army and on discharge, did
various jobs in Bourne, the last as a gardener for the Bourne United Charities
and ironically, one of his duties was to tend the cenotaph and surrounds in the
town's War Memorial gardens where the dead from two world wars are remembered.
He eventually moved to live with his daughter Dorothy at Workington, Cumbria,
but thirteen months later, on 17th February 1963, he was taken ill and died in
Workington Infirmary after a fall, aged 73. The funeral was held at St Nicholas'
Church, Lincoln, with full military honours and he was later buried at the
city's Newport Cemetery.
He was always a reluctant hero, never talking about his exploits even during his
evening sessions of beer and dominoes at the Mason's Arms in South Street, the
pub he regarded as his local even though he lived some distance away in Woodview.
Whenever asked about his Victoria Cross, he would always give the same reply: "A
British soldier will never glorify his own deeds. I only did my duty."
If you are interested in hearing more about the Victoria Cross, our own local
military historian, Tony Stubbs, will be giving a talk on the subject to the
Civic Society at the Heritage Centre at Baldock's Mill in South Street at 7.30
pm on Wednesday 15th February 2006 and all are welcome to attend.
What the local newspapers are saying: One of the town’s old established
businesses, Johnson Brothers, specialists in tractors and agricultural
machinery, is closing down and The Local informs us (December 2nd) that
their stock of 600 lots of tools, equipment and spares will go under the hammer
at a disposal auction next week. The company was founded at Spalding at the
beginning of the last century and opened their premises in Manning Road forty
years ago but the 1.3 acre site has been sold for development as a sheltered
housing complex for the elderly and work is due to begin next year. A downturn
in farming with tractor sales dwindling from 50 to 15 and less a year has been
blamed as one of the factors for closure and the firm will be moving its
operations to its other base at Fakenham, Norfolk. Managing director Mike Stokes
said that business had declined because some small farmers were in difficulties.
“It is a dreadful shame but government support for them is not good”, he said.
“Wages have gone up and so has the cost of living and many are struggling to
make ends meet or shut down altogether.”
There is still an official silence over what is happening at the Butterfield
Centre in Bourne and it is left to the Stamford Mercury to reveal that
the police are carrying out an investigation into alleged financial irregularities
into the accounts (December 2nd). James Westgate says in a front page report
that a complaint was made following an independent audit and a detailed
examination of the figures is now underway. The nine trustees have refused to
make any comment on the matter although a statement to clarify the situation is
needed as a matter of urgency in an attempt to stem the wild rumours and gossip
currently circulating in the town. Indeed, it is their duty as trustees to
inform the public of any developments affecting the running of the centre
because it exists purely through the goodwill of the people who regularly make
donations to keep it going and to deny them vital information concerning its
welfare is to jeopardise their support in the future.
The low esteem in which our local government system is held is reflected by two
letters carried by The Local on their correspondence page which are all
the more damning in that both are penned by writers with extensive experience as
councillors (December 2nd). Guy Cudmore, of Meadowgate, Bourne, raises the
controversy over the demolition of the town’s bus station and the proposed
building of a multi-storey car park and adds: “District councillors from Bourne
have not made much contribution to public discussion on these issues. It has
been South Kesteven District Council officers making all the running. Many
planning decisions being made by this council seem to be at odds with the wishes
of the people of Bourne and in conflict with government policy. Sometimes they
seem to conflict with their own policy.”
The second letter from Ms Robbie Britton of Millfield Road, Morton, near Bourne,
is equally scathing because she writes: “From my service elsewhere, I know
officers are delegated into political powers when the elected members are too
weak to offer appropriate leadership and fail to read the information which
describes to them what they should do and how they should act. I do think these
councillors should be reminded by their parties and electors that they should do
the job properly and be mindful of the needs of the people of Bourne. They are
too much carried away by commerce and seem to have little education and
awareness of the social requirements of the people of the town. To come to
Bourne from another district council area is like retreating into Victorian
times. It is like watching the old aldermen with their waistcoats buttoned up
giving all the jobs to the town clerk.”
The analogy may be unfamiliar to our present elected members but as someone who
has sat through interminable council meetings under the aldermanic system I can
assure them that Ms Britton in spot on.
Message from home: Seeing as South Kesteven District
Council is so enthusiastic about wasting our money by hiring independent
consultants, perhaps they would equally welcome an independent enquiry into
their own activities. As far as the people of Bourne are concerned, the council
is now clearly the enemy as they seem determined to cause irreversible damage to
our town with their crackpot and extravagantly wasteful schemes. This really is
becoming so suspicious that sheer, pig-headed incompetence would seem to be the
least alarming explanation. - contribution to the Bourne Forum by Peter
Sharpe, Saturday 26th November 2005.
Message from abroad: Last Saturday was the end of the
first snow of the season in town. I scraped it off the car and it measured 14
inches deep, pretty hefty for the first fall of the year but it was followed by
a warm spell and was all gone by Wednesday afternoon. More snow on Thursday and
yesterday I cleaned the car of 12 more inches. Typical November weather for this
neck of the woods. - email from Glen Foster, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada,
Saturday 26th November 2005.
Thought for the week: By the end of Boxing Day, our food and material
consumption will have created over three million tonnes of festive rubbish,
three times the amount of just twenty years ago. - Peter Cairns writing about
the forthcoming Christmas season in The Countryman, December 2005.
Saturday 10th December 2005
Constructive criticism implies that alternative solutions
are offered but this was not the case when Bourne Town Council condemned a
proposed one-way traffic system for Hereward Street and Meadowgate.
The problem of congestion in these two narrow thoroughfares has been with us for
many years but is only now being addressed because of the dangers created by
heavy lorries delivering to Budgens supermarket and other businesses located in
the Burghley Centre.
Highways engineers from Lincolnshire County Council have been examining methods
of decreasing congestion which is exacerbated by parked vehicles left by
homeowners at the kerbside and they proposed making both streets one way, a
suggestion that would solve the problem at a stroke. But the town council’s
highways committee is having none of it and the majority of members refused to
support the scheme, even disagreeing with their chairman, Councillor Guy Cudmore
who actually lives in Meadowgate, suggesting instead that the authority look at
the problem again and find an alternative solution,
The simple answer is that there is not one, unless car parking is prohibited
along the entire length of both streets but the appearance of double yellow
lines on either side would bring howls of outrage from homeowners as few of the
properties have garages or parking space and the use of the road as an
alternative has become habitual.
Yet councillors were near unanimous in their condemnation of the one-way system
on the grounds that it would be unworkable although they gave no reasons why
except that they feared large amounts of traffic would be moved to another part
of town while vehicles would go down Recreation Road or Ancaster Road as an
alternative and this could be dangerous for children playing at the recreation
ground. “Extra cars coming along there would be a recipe for disaster”, said
Councillor Mrs Pet Moisey who has reason to be concerned because she lives at No
59 Recreation Road. Strange therefore that she has not noticed the horrendous
traffic jams that build up outside her house every Saturday and Sunday when
youngsters from Bourne Town Juniors are having a football match or practice
session yet South Kesteven District Council has refused the club permission to
open an off-street car park.
The excuse has the ominous ring of the red herring because if danger does lurk
in our streets it is currently in Meadowgate and Hereward Street which become
impassable at peak periods such as Thursday market day and during the Saturday
shopping rush. A one-way system is the simple, obvious and sensible solution for
two streets that were built for the horse and cart yet are now carrying a high
volume of traffic to and from Budgens car park, which is likely to be even
busier if the ill-advised plans to build a multi-storey car park come to
fruition.
It was known when this facility opened in 1989 that the daily chase for one of
the 170 available parking spaces would create chaos along these roads and this
has happened in no small measure and those who run our affairs should not make a
similar mistake by continuing to oppose the obvious solution to a problem that
will only worsen as the months go by and the population of our town expands. If
there were an alternative to the one-way system then no doubt one of our more
imaginative councillors, or Lincolnshire County Council, would have suggested it
but there is not.
An illuminated certificate on parchment presented to the late George
Ernest Robinson (1901-2000) has been given to Bourne Civic Society for permanent
display at the Heritage Centre in South Street. It was awarded to Mr Robinson on
27th May 1959 by the Duke of Gloucester appointing him a Serving Brother of the
Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, a notable honour
and one which reflected his dedicated work for the St John Ambulance Brigade in
Bourne with which he was associated since its formation in 1931.
During his career, Mr Robinson worked as an orderly at the military hospital set
up in the Vestry Hall during the Great War of 1914-18 and was a Civil Defence
worker who attended the scene of the German bomber crash on the Butcher's Arms
in Eastgate during the Second World War of 1939-45 when seven people were
killed. Then in 1950, he was commended by both the brigade and the county
council for rescuing a man from a blazing car that had overturned in a field
near Market Deeping. The citation said: “The patient was unable at the time to
appreciate what you had done but there is no doubt that your prompt action saved
the man’s life.”
Ernie Robinson never tired of his work with the St John Ambulance Brigade,
becoming Area Staff Officer (Cadets) for the south of Lincolnshire and was
chosen for duty in the capital at both the coronation of King George VI in 1937
and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. In July 1965, he was presented to Princess
Margaret at the annual brigade cadet rally held at Derby when three Bourne
cadets, Richard Kelk, Graham Bryant and David Fox, were also on parade.
He had many other interests, notably freemasonry, as a member of several local
lodges including the Hereward Lodge in Bourne. He was also a member of the Toc H
organisation in Bourne, an honorary member of the Bourne Probus Club and a keen
sportsman, being at various times chairman, trainer and committee member of
Bourne Town Football Club, but he always found time for a spot of gardening on
which he was particularly keen.
He was married to Daisy Reedman at Bourne Abbey Church on 11th April 1925. They
had known each other since schooldays and the union was to last for 72 years
until her death in 1997, aged 96, when they were both living at The Cedars
Nursing Home in Bourne where they had celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary
two years previously and received a telegram of congratulations from the Queen.
When he died there on 17th June 2000, aged 98 years, the flag of the St John
Ambulance Brigade was draped over his coffin for the funeral at the Abbey
Church.
The certificate was handed over by his daughter Mrs Mavis Wright, of South Road,
Bourne, to the chairman of the Civic Society, Mrs Brenda Jones, at the Heritage
Centre on Tuesday.
Mrs Jones said: “This is a generous gesture but one that will enable the people
of Bourne see the work that Mr Robinson did for the town through his service
with the brigade. It will join our growing display of items that reflect our
history and heritage and ensure that those who worked so hard for the community
will not be forgotten.”
Mrs Wright said that she was moved by the decision to include her father’s
certificate in the permanent display at the Heritage Centre. “He would have been
intensely proud to know that the work of the brigade in Bourne over so many
years was being publicly recognised”, she said.
What the local newspapers are saying: “No probe at the Butterfield
Centre”, says a front page headline in the Stamford Mercury (December
9th) although last week it informed us that the fraud squad had been called in
to investigate the accounts. The newspaper explains that the report arose
because of misinformation supplied by the police and although no official
complaint has been made, the trustees have sought their advice. All of this is
nothing to the wild speculation and gossip currently circulating in the town but
the rumour mill will continue to grind until the trustees do their duty to those
who support the Butterfield and issue a full and frank explanation of what is
going on.
A statement from South Kesteven District Council to The Local newspaper
is worthy of the record because it gives an assurance that no more houses will
be built in Bourne after the current identified developments are complete
(December 9th). In a lengthy and often unintelligible letter to the editor,
Rachel Armstrong, Senior Planning Officer, says that three sites around the town
are identified in the consultation document Issues and Options for the
development of South Kesteven but these may be suitable for employment
development and not residential. “No consideration has been given to their
suitability for housing development”, she writes. “Indeed the document makes it
clear that the council thinks that Elsea Park is sufficient to meet the town’s
needs.”
A similar conclusion is reported by the Stamford Mercury in a summary of
the council’s Urban Capacity Study for the next two decades (December 9th) in
which Mike Sibthorpe, head of planning policy, says there will be no need for
future housing development to encroach on any more open space, although this
will preclude the forthcoming decision on seven acres of land surrounding The
Croft in North Road which is earmarked for 50 new homes. “As far as other sites
are concerned”, he said, “it is safe to assume that we do not consider there is
any need for further greenfield development.”
The institutionalisation of children does not have a happy history and
there have been many cases of abuse, ill treatment and even violence against
young people in care. It is therefore refreshing to hear from boys and girls
whose experience was exactly the opposite and that the years spent in a hostel
or home were among their most rewarding.
Bourne House was built in West Street in 1830 and was a private house until 1955
when it was converted for use as a children’s hostel by Kesteven County Council,
specifically for maladjusted and problem children, orphans or those from broken
homes. There were places for 20 children and it was run by a master and matron
and five staff.
The house continued in this role for a quarter of a century until being phased
out and after standing empty for some years, it was acquired by property
developers who in 1988-89 spent £1¼ million on turning it into the complex of
retirement homes and maisonettes that we see today.
Since this web site was launched in 1998, I have been contacted by several
people who spent time at the hostel and all without exception recall their life
there with pleasure and satisfaction, convinced that they benefited from the
experience that helped them in later life. They found friendship and happiness
and all agreed that the master and matron, Lou and Pat Schmid, now living in
retirement in Spain, were responsible for their well being and are remembered
with love and affection.
The latest email I have had on the subject is from Mrs Maxine Follows, now aged
50, and living at Boston in Lincolnshire. She was resident there longer than
most of the other children, from 1966 to 1971, and is still in touch with Mr and
Mrs Schmid today. She has also written down a touching account of those
formative years and her article appears on the web site today, a tribute to the
hostel and the people who dedicated their lives to providing dozens of children
with the cheerful and secure environment they missed at home and in doing so,
gave them the confidence they needed to face the future.
Going through the checkout at Sainsburys supermarket the
other day I saw the couple in front loading up warehouse quantities of red wine,
whisky and gin. When they had gone I remarked to the girl at the till that a lot
of boozing seemed to be going on in Bourne to which she replied: “Yes, there’s
nothing else to do because it’s such a boring place.”
We both enjoyed her little joke but thinking about it afterwards I realised that
many people are probably sitting at home getting sozzled night after night
because they have nothing better to do whereas their lives would be enriched if
only they broadened their horizons.
Social drinking has a valuable place in our lives because it lubricates
conversation and enlivens parties but the solitary tipple has no such benefit
and is little more than the use of alcohol as a crutch for the bored. Youngsters
have traditionally considered their home town dull and tedious and so they flock
elsewhere for their clubbing and socialising but there is no excuse for those of
more mature years to condemn Bourne as being lacklustre and unexciting. A glance
through the What’s On columns of our local newspapers reveals a wealth of
activities every week with many local organisations constantly seeking new
members or helpers and what greater reward can there be in life than the
awareness that you are devoting time to others.
The Bourne area currently has around 140 organisations that welcome newcomers,
some devoted to sport and leisure while the objectives of others are designed to
help the community in some way or another. Whichever you choose, it needs effort
to go out and join but once the ice has been broken you will invariably find
yourself among pleasant and companionable people who are anxious to put you at
ease and soon you will have found a new experience in life.
There must by many housewives of all ages sitting at home day in day out, fed up
with little or nothing to do and frequently finding solace from the wine box in
the fridge or sherry bottle on the sideboard whereas some organisation would
welcome their help, perhaps with the elderly, the disadvantaged, or a church,
welfare or community group. What a perfect place this town would be if each of
them were able to report an overflowing membership and every voluntary place
filled and this surge of compassion and social activity might well result in a
dramatic drop in the sales of alcohol at our supermarkets.
Last orders: An inquest was told on Monday that Thomas Smith, a labourer,
of Eastgate, Bourne, died suddenly in the Woolpack Inn at Eastgate [now
demolished] at the weekend. It appears that he went into the inn on Saturday
afternoon and called for half a pint of beer. The landlord went out of the room
to execute the order and on returning, found Smith on the floor dead. The jury,
after hearing the evidence, returned a verdict of death from natural causes.
– news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 9th October 1885.
Thought for the week: ‘Tis not the drinking that is to be blamed but the
excess. – John Selden, English historian, jurist, antiquary and statesman
(1584-1654).
Saturday 17th December 2005
The controversial scheme
to build fifty houses on
meadowland adjoining The Croft in North Road, Bourne, has been rejected by the
Planning Inspectorate.
The decision was announced yesterday in letters to the various parties and will
bring a sigh of relief to those who mounted a strenuous campaign to preserve
this slice of green space just a short step from the town centre.
The history of this tussle dates back to 1993 when application was first made to
build houses on the seven acre site and although this was refused, there have
been repeated attempts to proceed with the development culminating with an
informal hearing, first held in October 2004 but adjourned and reconvened as a
full public inquiry held over three days during June 2005 although the result
has been delayed because the government inspector who officiated at the inquiry,
Peter Jamieson, was taken ill in August and has been unable to deliberate until
this week.
There now remains the problem of what will happen to the land and the property,
once an attractive and imposing early 20th century house now standing empty and
boarded up and fast becoming derelict, a target for vandals and intruders. There
have been many suggestions as to its future from those who are anxious to
preserve the green space and even see the house converted for community use,
perhaps as a hospice, theatre, dance school or sports centre, all of which have
been suggested as suitable projects for its preservation.
These ideas are pipe dreams, unlikely to materialise without adequate funding
and that amount of cash for such ambitious ventures will be hard, even
impossible to find. Judging by their past record, the developers, CFD Limited of
Oakham, might well decide to submit yet another housing scheme for planning
approval. We will have to wait and see.
The disruption of supplies to the Tesco/Esso filling
station in North Road last weekend highlighted the drawbacks of the monopoly
in that this town was completely without petrol.
The situation became apparent mid-week and deteriorated over the following days
and by Saturday large notices had appeared on the forecourt announcing the bleak
news and staff were posted at the various entrances warning motorists to stay
away unless they wanted to use the shop. Anyone who wanted to buy from there was
equally disappointed because shelf after shelf was empty and the premises had
the forlorn air of abandonment.
When the Raymond Mays garage in Spalding Road closed in October it soon became
apparent that Bourne motorists were in future at the mercy of the Tesco/Esso
operation, both in price and availability, and once the company’s supply chain
was disrupted, for whatever reason, customers would be inconvenienced as they
did when the forecourt was closed for almost two days.
Many had already made other arrangements, regularly topping up outside the town
rather than depend upon a single supplier, wary perhaps that such a circumstance
signalled danger to come. Others will now follow suit, ensuring that their tank
is full before returning to Bourne and so this unfortunate episode is bad news
for the company and for the local economy.
No change in the petrol retail climate is likely for two or three years when
plans for a new complex of roadside services alongside the A15 on the outskirts
of Bourne come to fruition and improve the choice for the buying public. In the
meantime, there is a lesson to be learned that it is disadvantageous for vital
supplies necessary for the continuance of modern living to remain in the hands
of one company and that variety and competition are essential for the public
good.
A newspaper monopoly for a small community is similarly fraught because
one owner can then control the editorial voice and advertising rates. It is to
be hoped that the current differences between The Local and the
Stamford Mercury will remain despite the fact that the former has just been
sold to Johnston Press which owns the latter.
The buyers are an old established major publisher of quality local newspaper and
Internet sites, the fourth largest in Britain, with more than 140 markets from
St Andrews, Scotland, in the north to Portsmouth, Hampshire, in the south and
already owning most of the publications in this part of South Lincolnshire and
as their latest acquisition consists only of a couple of small newspapers and
three magazines, the transaction is rather like a shark swallowing a sprat.
Nevertheless, the maintenance of independence and integrity by The Local
is of paramount importance, both to weekly readers and traders who advertise,
and although the new owners have promised that these constituents will continue
and jobs will be protected, the history of similar takeovers in the trade does
not auger well for the future. The temptation for radical change by buyers of a
publication is often irresistible with the excuse that corporate restructuring
is progressive and necessary and when this proves not to be the case it is
usually too late to turn back.
The Local is Bourne’s first and only newspaper, founded in October 1989
by David Moore and sold to the present owners, Ashwell Associates, nine years
ago. It may appear to be a puny rival to its new stable mate but it has provided
a continuous and loyal service to the people of Bourne for 16 years with a
regular content of small town news and advertising that appeals to its readers.
Meddling with the formula could sound its death knell, to be swallowed up by the
Stamford Mercury with the name becoming a mere memory, tucked away
underneath its masthead. For the sake of diversity and choice, let us hope this
does not happen.
What the local newspapers are saying: Uniformed members of the St John
Ambulance Brigade in attendance at public functions are a comforting sight and
the prospect of being taken ill is made less worrisome by their presence. It is
therefore sad to discover from The Local that the Bourne division faces
closure (December 16th) because of a shortage of volunteers to carry on the work
that has been going on since this charitable concern was formed in 1877 and now
operates in more than forty countries. The Bourne division was founded in 1931
at the instigation of Dr John Galletly (not 1944 as the newspaper suggests) and
has provided first aid cover at a multitude of sporting, leisure and community
events, and without its co-operation many of these activities would be unable to
proceed under the current legal requirements. Voluntary work needs a personal
commitment, a deep desire to help the community by devoting time and skill to
others, but the modern world provides too many diversions to those contemplating
selfless service and so the numbers of those who are prepared to help dwindles
year by year. Those who do choose this path are amply rewarded by the
satisfaction of their task but the difficulty is in conveying this enthusiasm to
others.
An email from a lady in the United States arrived last week seeking
information about a fellow pupil from her days at Bourne Secondary Modern
School. Diane Kilbon Horton, now living at Irondale, Missouri, said that she was
anxious to find Jennifer Twell, a resident of the Bourne House children's hostel
in West Street almost thirty years ago. "She was my very best friend and I would
dearly love to know how she is or, better still, get in touch with her," she
wrote.
This was a heart-warming plea and so I put an entry in the "Friends where are
they now?" section of the Notice Board and a few days later a jubilant Diane
emailed to say that the appeal had been successful and she had traced Jennifer
to Thorne at Doncaster in Yorkshire.
"I cannot begin to thank you for your web site", she wrote. "I am just so happy
to let you know that I have found my best friend ever from school. I talked to
her on the phone this morning about old memories and my time in America. It was
about five in the evening her time and I am not sure how long we talked but it
must have been for ages, remembering how we used to get in trouble in school,
how I used to go to the hostel to play, and we just got lost in our memories. If
I knew how to write a book it would be on friends and Jennifer would be the
first true friend I would write about, she and Sue who still keeps in touch with
after 29 years.
"I was pretty poor when growing up and Jennifer was always there to help me
through a lot. When I was hungry, she would help me get second helpings in the
school food queue. I am just so happy I could burst. Friendship is a very
special thing to me and I have two of the best ever from Bourne. Thank you,
thank you, thank you."
Diane, aged 48, daughter of the late Leslie Kilbon, was born in the town and on
leaving school worked for Christian Salvesen and Bourne Laundry before leaving
for the United States in 1985 when she married Wesley Horton, a soldier she had
met in Germany. They now have three children, daughter Ashley who is 19, and
twin boys, Dane and Kyle, who are a year younger, and they have a busy life
running a large farm with cows to tend. In addition, Wesley is a qualified male
nurse and Diane a certified nurse’s aide.
“I miss my family and friends in England a lot”, writes Diane, “but I am
thankful for computers, telephones and the Royal Mail. If it was not for your
web site, I would not have found my friend Jennifer and so I feel that another
chapter in my life is completed.”
We are glad to have been of service and it is thanks such as this that make our
work so well worthwhile.
Message from home: I moved to Bourne with my work over 16 years ago and
find the town to be infinitely preferable to the city-sized sprawling mess I
came from. The people are friendly but it takes time to be fully accepted I
found, although locals are rarely rude. The road network has recently improved
but needs more doing to it. There are plans for the town centre and you can get
everything you need from the shops, as proved by my latest Christmas shopping
trip. Everything in one town ain't bad. The schooling has an excellent
reputation but is becoming oversubscribed because of massive home building (I
hear). The doctors and dentists are good quality but again are way
oversubscribed. The hospitals are 15 miles or so away but the road network to
most destinations is good. The minor roads are fraught with danger and the
Lincolnshire accident rate is among the highest in the land, so if you are from
far away, get used to being alert or in a ditch. All in all, I would
wholeheartedly recommend little old Bourne that has been my home for a long time
and I will happily stay as long as my work permits. Welcome aboard. -
contribution to the Bourne Forum from John Glen on Sunday 11th December 2005, in
answer to an inquiry over whether it would be advantageous for a couple with a
young family to move here.
Thought for the week: We have become browbeaten by the absurd, dangerous
and uncivilised doctrine that if some instances of discrimination are morally
reprehensible, all instances of discrimination are morally reprehensible. The
fear of being called discriminatory paralyses sensible judgement.
– Theodore
Dalrymple, writing in The Spectator, Saturday 10th December 2005.
Saturday 24th December 2005
The Bourne web site is enjoying a continuing surge in
popularity with the number of visitors increasing throughout the year. During
2005, we passed the 250,000 mark and are now averaging 150-200 a day which is a
remarkable achievement for such a small undertaking, especially as they log on
from many countries around the world.
The majority of our visitors are from the English speaking countries, the United
Kingdom accounting for between 60-70% with North America and Australasia 15%,
and other countries making up the balance. We also have regular visitors in many
faraway places such as Hyderabad in India, Bangkok in Thailand, Shanghai and
Hong Kong in China, Cairo in Egypt, and others in Turkey, Brazil, Russia,
Sweden, Singapore and even Iceland and Lapland.
You may check on the full list of locations in Visitor Countries while
the graph below indicates that we have a hard core of regular visitors and a healthy
number of newcomers each day and we hope that this success will continue and
even increase in the coming year.
Graphics from StatCounter.com
Our discussion Forum
continues to thrive and is highly
regarded as one of the liveliest and best informed in the region and a model for
other community web sites. Daily postings cover a variety of subjects that are
discussed with intelligence and good humour. A diversity of topics has been
thrashed out in recent months ranging from the consequences of the Iraq war, the
Tory leadership battle and bird flu to the possible closure of the town’s bus
station, traffic problems on our main roads and recipes for a Christmas cake,
but all have been informative and enlightening and have cemented many new
friendships among contributors who actually met for a night out at Smiths in
North Street during November.
One of the more stimulating discussions during the summer centred on the high profile
planning appeal relating to housing development at The Croft in North Road,
Bourne, a case that has attracted widespread interest in the town and in June we
also discovered that Big Brother had been vetting the contributions in the
shape of the Standards Board of England.
Officials were particularly interested in a posting from Guy Cudmore, a town
councillor who is noted for his many well-informed articles about local
government matters which, in the absence of explanations from other elected
members, are fulfilling a public service although it appears that he does not
please everyone because his posting of June 3 resulted in a complaint to the
board by fellow town councillor John Kirkman, who is also this year’s chairman
of South Kesteven District Council, on the grounds that it had brought the town
council into disrepute and had been disrespectful to a council official.
This is a mediated forum and messages containing libellous or offensive material
are edited or deleted but no reasons could be found for any such action over
this posting and we therefore presume that the code of conduct governing local
councillors transcends that of the private individual. It is also our policy to
review the content of a message if there is a complaint but in this instance,
none was received from any quarter and the posting remains on site.
Nevertheless, the case against Councillor Cudmore was referred to the Monitoring
Officer at South Kesteven District Council who convened a hearing before the
Standards Committee on Tuesday. The allegations appeared to hinge on whether he
was speaking as a private individual or in an official capacity and the
committee found in favour of the latter, that his remarks would be interpreted
as those of a local councillor. The maximum penalty is a three-month suspension
from office but the panel opted to censure his remarks and offered to hold
informal discussions to advise him, a decision he seems to have accepted because
he told The Local newspaper afterwards: “It was a fair hearing which gave proper
consideration to the facts. You have to do things by the rules whether or not
you agree with them. I will find out which constraints I am under and abide by
them in the future.”
Councillor Cudmore is one of the more educated and intelligent of our elected
representatives with a degree in politics and economics and a passion for
keeping the people in touch through letters to the local newspapers and
contributions to Internet forums, a dissemination of information that is greatly
appreciated by the general public but condemned by some involved with our local
authorities who prefer to keep such matters under wraps. The findings of this
disciplinary hearing therefore may be interpreted as an attempt to prevent him
from speaking out on sensitive issues whereas his activities should be applauded
by all who support the concept of free speech and we hope that this setback will
not deter him from the good work he has been doing with the Forum for many years
past.
Another long standing contributor to the Forum, Peter Sharpe, has become noted
for his acerbic wit and his posting of Friday 16th December 2005 deserves
special mention when replying to someone inquiring about how Bourne began and
seeking information about its history. He wrote:
Bourne takes its name from the waters which
gush forth from a hole in the ground that we now know as St. Peter’s Pool. The
original spelling was Brunne which still doesn’t sound much like water, but
people didn’t have dictionaries in those days, and most words at this time
sounded pretty much like “Ug”. The original spelling has been appropriated into
the language however, as its derivative, “brunnian”, is defined in the Oxford
English Dictionary as “ n. a person of a wet disposition”
Some time afterwards, the Romans accepted the contract to bring Britain into the
fourth century by criss-crossing the country with straight roads. This was
highly desirable as the chariots of the time had notoriously poor handling
qualities with a tendency to go careering off the roads on bends. Stopping off
on their way to Lincoln, a group of these Italian navvies stopped off at St
Peter's Pool, then the major source of local nightlife, and built a camp just to
the west which can still be seen to this day. They didn’t stay long though, as
they were driven to distraction by the hum from the nearby electricity
sub-station.
Things went quiet then for six hundred years or so, save for one or two Viking
massacres, until the French decided to build an extension and noticed a little
lump of land just over the water. Shortly after this, following an intense
period of tapestry knitting and an unfortunate incident involving the
head-butting of an arrow, England suddenly had a new French king known as
William the Conqueror. Quite what he was called prior to this is lost in the
mists of time. After handing out great tracts of England to his favoured
relatives, he gave Bourne to one of his troublesome, remote family offshoots,
the Fitzgilberts, both to fulfil his traditional obligations and to silence the
appalling Mrs Fitzgilbert who was a dread-filled nuisance.
The new baron soon set about building the obligatory church and imported some
monks to keep it clean. After all this expense he didn’t have sufficient funds
to build his castle, so instead, constructed a series of mounds, superficially
resembling the ruins of a castle as part of a huge insurance fraud. Those mounds
survive to this very day, where they have been appropriated by the youth of the
town for ceremonial inebriation and fornication.
It has been suggested that Peter’s potted history of Bourne
should win the award for the best Forum posting of 2005 and I agree, although
there is no prize other than the prestige but we do look forward to more of the
same in the coming year.
What the local newspapers are saying: The government inspector’s report
rejecting housing development on meadowland adjoining The Croft in North Road is
seen by The Local as a Christmas present for the people of Bourne
(December 23rd). The long running planning saga is given front page treatment
together with a photograph of the imposing house which is now up for sale. The
feelings of those who fought to save the site from residential development are
summed up by campaigner Dr Michael McGregor who lives in nearby Maple Gardens.
“We are delighted with the result”, he said. “It seems that democracy is not
dead and I am glad that the will of the people has been recognised.”
The inspector, Peter Jamieson, ruled that the land was predominantly greenfield
and should not therefore be developed. His conclusions were:
I take no comfort from the fact that The
Croft is unlisted and that this is not a designated conservation area. It is a
substantial building that is seen as a local landmark attracting considerable
local support and concern for its retention. I have found the appeal site to be
greenfield land on which there is a lack of evidence to justify its use for
residential development. I have also found that there would be significant harm
to the character of the area, particularly in respect of open space issues.
Although I have found the development to be acceptable in other aspects, I
consider the lack of justification for development of this greenfield land to be
the determining factor of this appeal.
This may not however be the end of the affair for although the
ruling may be challenged in the High Court, Martin Wilson, chairman and managing
director of the developers, CFD Limited of Oakham, told the newspaper: “We are
considering our position. This is not the end of the line by any means. We will
consider all our options.”
The Civic Society in Bourne has launched its own web site and details of
its activities can now be seen online. The project is the work of society
supporter Gordon Lack who has burned the midnight oil to produce the final
result. This presents a fine opportunity for anyone with a desire to help the
community because they can now see exactly what the society does, its aims and
achievements, and perhaps decide that they might wish to join and anyone who
does have an interest in our history and heritage will find a welcome.
The society was formed in 1977, inspired by the demolition of a mediaeval
thatched cottage in Bedehouse Bank, and although the fight to save it was lost,
this organisation was born as a result and has fought many causes since. It
currently administers the Heritage Centre at Baldock’s Mill in South Street that
contains many displays and artefacts relating to our history. There is always
work to do and although membership has increased in recent years it is essential
that more people come forward as the rate of population growth continues. They
will find friendship, interesting meetings, varied social activities and the
rewards of knowing that they are helping to preserve our past.
From the archives: The enjoyment that people had from the
Christmas season during the 19th century is evident but the anticipation did not
start quite so early and lasted no more than a few days and as this was the age
of temperance and the tendency to sign the pledge promising to abstain from
alcohol, there was always someone ready to warn against the perils of drink.
Here is a sample of the way it was from the pages of the Stamford Mercury
more than 100 years ago. The newspaper reported on Friday 23rd December 1887:
There is abundant energy being manifested in
the seasonable decorations of the various business establishments at Bourne. The
grocers' windows are tastefully adorned with appetising wares; and the
milliners' and drapers' establishments also present an artistic appearance.
At the National Schoolroom in North Street, the vicar and churchwardens and
members of various local charities made their annual distribution among the
deserving poor, the gifts including 700 yards of flannel, 50 blankets, 700 yards
of calico and 170 tons of coal.
On Monday and Tuesday, Mr Thomas Rosbottom, the celebrated Lancashire lecturer,
addressed crowded meetings in the Victoria Hall, Bourne, in advocacy of
temperance. The lectures were a great success, the audience being apparently
entirely in sympathy with the lecturer, who interspersed anecdotes, humorous and
pathetic, with his moving exhortations, in a manner quite irresistible. He
claims that during his career as a lecturer he has induced thousands to sign the
pledge.
Bourne Abbey was throughout adorned with seasonable decorations for Christmas.
Though not so elaborately ornamental as in some previous years, the general
effect was exceedingly pleasing. Over the communion table in white letters on a
scarlet ground was the text "Emmanuel, God with us". The centre was occupied
with a beautiful white cross. The miniature arches were filled with a pretty
arrangement of evergreens interspersed with flowers. The reading desk was
decorated with ivy and holly, the panels in front being ornamented with
chrysanthemum crosses, the centre one of the St Cuthbert type. The pedestal of
the lectern was gay with a choice selection of flowers and evergreens, a fine
bunch of pampas grass being especially noticeable.
Holly berries and ivy embellished the handsome pulpit. The sills of the windows
in the north and south aisles were beatified with texts worked in white on a
scarlet ground, and encircled with wreaths and evergreens. The font was
decorated with exquisite taste; the cover was surmounted with a fine cross and
chrysanthemums; the pedestal was encircled with ivy and a variety of evergreens
prettily frosted. Great praise is due to the ladies who so admirably executed
the decorations.
Christmas was ushered in at Bourne with merry peals of the bells of the old
abbey church and the musical strains of the Bourne brass band who played carols
and other appropriate pieces in an exceedingly creditable manner.
The Guardians of Bourne Union gave their annual treat to the inmates of the
union-house [the workhouse] on Boxing Day. The seasonable additions to the usual
plain fare were apparently highly appreciated. A thoroughly enjoyable day was
suitably concluded with a merry evening entertainment.
A grand fancy fair [similar to our modern pantomimes] was held in the Corn
Exchange on December 27th and 28th in aid of the funds of the Congregational
Church. The room was fitted up as a street of nations or grand international
bazaar. The scene was laid in Canton. The peculiar conglomeration of Oriental
and European architecture was depicted with realistic effect. Proceeding down
the left side of the street, the enterprising traveller passed in succession a
Persian residence, an Indian cottage, a Chinese house, a delightful Japanese
village, a Tyrolese chalet, a snug mountain home covered with snow and having
icicles pendent from the roof, a magnificent Buddhist temple having its
elaborate exterior embellished with representatives of the Oriental deity and
dragons; the Japanese villa, "the Golden Lily"; a pretty view on the Yang-tse-Kiang.
The last abode in the curious street was an Australian log hut.
The entire series of buildings presented a charming appearance, and attested the
well-known skill of Mr A Stubley [Alfred Stubley, painter, paperhanger,
sign-writer and art decorator of 28 West Street]. The articles exhibited on the
various stalls were both useful and ornamental. Various entertainments were
given in the evenings. Vocal and instrumental music was performed at intervals.
Amongst the amusements were The House that Jack Built and Æsop's fables
personified, which were very popular. The promoters of the enterprise are to be
congratulated on the success which has deservedly crowned their efforts.
Thought for the week:
This is true liberty, when free-born men,
Having to advise the public, may speak free,
Which he who can, and will, deserves high praise;
Who neither can, nor will, may hold his peace:
What can be juster in a state than this?
- Euripides, Greek dramatist admired for his remarkably modern attitudes and
profound insights into psychology, (circa 480-406 BC).
We are taking a break but will be back in the New Year
although the web site will continue to appear over the holiday and if you have
something to say, the Bourne Forum remains open for contributions. We wish you
all a merry Christmas and good health and prosperity in the coming year when we
hope you find it worthwhile to keep logging on.
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