|
Saturday 4th December 2010
Bourne Youth Centre - see "It will come as . . . "
The Abbey Church is to have another assistant priest who
is due to arrive next summer. We already have one in Bourne, the Rev Peter
Lister, a former farmer, who was ordained in September, and the latest recruit
to the ministry team is Sheena Cleaton who is now completing her last year at
theological college before becoming a deacon in June when she will take up her
appointment as our first woman curate.
“I almost feel that we shall shortly have an embarrassment of ordained
ministerial riches”, acknowledges the vicar, the Rev Christopher Atkinson, in
his monthly message for the parish magazine. “It is the old story about waiting
for ages for a bus and now we have been blessed with the promise of two. It is
to be hoped that our ministry team will be in the happy position of being able
to serve Christ’s people and his church with renewed energy and expectation.”
In past years, the curate was the unsung subordinate of the parish, the dogsbody
who did the vicar’s bidding, usually put upon by all and so poorly paid that he
could not afford to marry. There have been fifty Vicars of Bourne and their
names are recorded back to the 13th century but despite there being many more of
them there is no record of the curates and their identities have been lost in
the mists of time. There is an exception, the Rev Joseph Dodsworth (1797-1877)
who was appointed curate in 1822 but succeeded as vicar when the Rev Thomas
Denys died in 1842 and continued in office until he too passed on, thus giving a
record 55 years of service to the church and the town.
In those days there was plenty of work for the curate because successive vicars
were also master of the Old Grammar School but these onerous teaching duties
were invariably delegated to their assistants together with many other parochial
tasks with which they could not be bothered. But what exactly will our curates
do today? The parish church is currently well staffed with a team of four lay
preachers, the usual clutch of officials and a retired clergyman who lives
locally also helps out at services. We therefore suppose that their days will be
filled by providing support at meetings of the various church groups, visiting
the sick and assisting at services, funerals, weddings and christenings.
The other question is will we be seeing them out and about in the town for after
all they are the representatives of the incumbent who is the vicar of the parish
and not just of the church. In my boyhood seventy years ago, the local parson
and his curate frequently knocked on doors to ask how people were and invite
them to attend matins or evensong but in many parishes today the flock is
expected to go to them, even having to make an appointment, and so the clergy is
in danger of becoming remote from the community.
But then the church itself is far more important than the people who run it
because its presence in our midst has a greater influence on the community than
the Christian faith it embraces. In Bourne, the abbey has survived through
almost nine centuries of support and dissent yet remains the focal point of
peace and of hope for the future, the place where the townspeople gather at
times of celebration and of mourning whether they believe or not, and that is
how it is likely to be in the years to come.
It will come as a surprise to many that youngsters have to pay a £1 fee
to attend the youth centre in Queen's Road for the Tuesday and Friday evening
sessions, according to an advertisement in the parish magazine. Whether it is
right is another matter because youth facilities should be provided by
Lincolnshire County Council as part of our contribution to the council tax, or
has been in years gone by.
It is not so long ago that an appeal was published in our local newspapers for
young people to support the youth centre which was built in 2005 at a cost of
£430,000 and is probably one of the best equipped in the county but not always
considered to be fashionable by some of them. But perhaps there are too many
other alternative attractions today. It was not so in past times.
The present youth club system was established after the Second World War of
1939-45 when the government instructed local authorities to introduce amenities
for young people in their area to keep them off the streets. I remember
enrolling as one of the first members of the club which opened in my own
locality in a prefabricated hut in 1946 and although facilities at the outset
were restricted largely to table tennis and a wind up gramophone for dancing on
a Saturday night, it was open seven evenings a week from 6 pm until 10 pm as
well as additional sessions on a Sunday morning for special pursuits and the
very idea of charging a fee to attend was never even considered.
There was a full time leader whose wife and daughter provided the refreshments
of tea, lemonade, biscuits and home made cakes but otherwise the club was run by
the members who soon organised various sections for this and that, particularly
sport, and within a year or so the football team had become a formidable
opposition in the local league with a keen cricket eleven making a similar
impression. Enthusiasm was the watchword and there was nothing that the club
could not achieve but never, ever were we asked to pay to attend.
Admittedly, there is a project night at the Bourne Youth Centre on Thursdays
which is free but otherwise the kids must pay and although one pound is not so
much today, it is a charge that might be a deterrent and in any case, to ask for
an admission fee to a local authority amenity that has already been paid for by
the public is quite inexcusable especially when the current county council
budget is in excess of £100 million (2009-10).
Traders in the town have issued a plea for everyone to go there and do
their Christmas shopping, an appeal that will undoubtedly fall on stony ground
as residents head en masse by car and bus for Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford
and beyond. While we have every sympathy with them trying to make a living in
these straightened times and what is on offer is undoubtedly of good quality,
the variety of goods required at this time of the year and in one place can only
be found elsewhere.
The appeal to patronise our shopkeepers during the festive season came in a front
page report in The Local last week on the grounds that we should support
the local economy (November 26th) although it is not clear whether this was
inspired by the traders themselves or the newspaper anxious to drum up more
advertising revenue. One thing is certain that after more than half a century at
the cutting edge of this type of journalism, my experience is that nothing will
come of it and the people will buy where they will, the places that suit them
best and it is this freedom of choice by which shops sink or swim.
As with advertising, editorial coverage such as this will make little difference
to trade and only the efficiency and the quality of goods on offer will bring in
the customers. For instance, the owner of one shop in Bourne which I patronised
a few days ago told me that although he had opened only recently, he had never
advertised and did not intend to yet had as much business as he could handle.
But he has a product that people want and so the word spreads and as long as
that continues he will be successful. That is the truth of the current
situation.
Most shopkeepers are proud of their domain and naturally wish to attract as many
customers as possible by whatever means available. But before such appeals are
issued, the overall picture must be taken into account and with some 20 shops in
the town centre area either empty or under offer, it is difficult to reconcile
this with the buying frenzy that we anticipate at this time of the year.
One of the shops mentioned in the article is Two Jays in the Burghley Arcade, a
most excellent outlet which we frequent weekly, a cornucopia of household
necessities at bargain prices but few of the items on offer would look good gift
wrapped or make stocking fillers. The Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Pet Moisey,
who has the good of this town at heart, also adds her advice. “We have so many
lovely shops here that people should have a look in town before going
elsewhere.”
This most certainly happens and unfortunately, the result is usually inevitable.
Each shopkeeper does the best he can to attract customers but in the final
analysis, only a vibrant town centre can become a place where the people will go
for their Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Bourne
and we all regret it.
There has been another success for two of our most dedicated voluntary
workers whose coffee morning at the Corn Exchange has been an annual event for
the past 25 years during which time it has become the biggest charity occasion
of its kind in the town, raising almost £80,000 for the Leukaemia Research Fund.
Michael McGregor and his wife Margaret stage the event each year with the help
of a team of volunteers who are recruited to run the stalls and serve coffee and
mince pies to visitors who crowd in looking for bargains. It all began in 1985
when their youngest son, John, died at the age of 21 after contracting leukaemia
while studying at Southampton University and last year their dedicated work was
acknowledged when the couple were honoured by the society with the presentation
of a special certificate and badge, their highest award for fund-raising.
The latest event on November 25th attracted 400 people and raised £4,307, a
magnificent total for a worthy cause. But this is only one of their many
involvements with voluntary work in this town and there is a long list of
activities with which they are associated yet Michael does not originate in
Bourne but in Yorkshire, a typical example of the outsider moving in and
embracing the community as his own.
There are many more people in the town whose only connection is that they moved
here to live, liked it and stayed, and now wish to give something back and
without their unstinting care and help, many of our local organisations and
charities would find it difficult to survive.
As the festive season looms, old people and others living alone face the
prospect of spending Christmas Day on their own but here in Bourne there is a
chance for them to be in good company and even make new friends. This is largely
due to Alison Pettitt and her husband Philip, two dedicated workers for the
Abbey Church who deserve a special mention at this time of the year because once
again they are giving up their own Christmas Day to bring joy and cheer to
others by cooking them a traditional lunch in the church hall.
The event began as an experiment in 2006 after Alison heard of an elderly woman
with no surviving family who had cereal for her Christmas lunch because she
could not face cooking just for herself. The result was so successful that it
has become a permanent date and many people have already reserved a place but
Alison vows that no one will be turned away for the festive fun which will
include the traditional meal with gifts, carols and games and a present and a
packed tea to see them on their way.
A team of helpers including cooks, waiters and other volunteers will be on hand
to assist while donations are being made to help meet the cost and there is also
support from the Bourne and District Lions Club with one member, Rob Cochran,
who trained as a chef at Claridge’s, the exclusive Mayfair hotel, among those on
duty in the kitchen. “We have a lovely time every year, just like one big
family”, said Alison, “and anyone who would like to come along and enjoy a bit
of company is welcome.”
Thought for the week: Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of
hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.
-
Washington Irving (1783-1859), American author, essayist, biographer and
historian who also served as the United States ambassador to Spain.
Saturday 11th December 2010
Early days at the Abbey Primary
Another milestone has been recorded in the remarkable
history of the Abbey Primary School which has become the first in the county to
be granted academy status under new government education policy.
This means that it is now publicly funded but free from local authority and
national government control with other associated freedoms including the right
to set pay and conditions for staff, the style of curriculum and the ability to
change the length of term time and even school days. In other words, totally
independent and new signs have already gone up announcing the change of status
to the Bourne Abbey Church of England Primary Academy.
The school had a similar landmark in June 1991 when it was named as the first
primary in Britain to become grant maintained and pupils and staff received a
surprise visit from the then Secretary of State for Education, Kenneth Clarke,
to mark the occasion. All of which is a far cry from its humble beginnings as a
council or board school 130 years ago.
Education available to all is a comparatively recent innovation in this country
and it was not until the Education Act of 1870 that elementary schools were
built and run by the state and local school boards appointed to supervise their
running and empowered to levy a rate for this purpose. This was a major social
change that has evolved into what we know today as the state education system
although conditions have drastically changed since Victorian times.
The origins of the Abbey Primary date from December 1874 when a board of five
governors who had been given the task of its construction purchased an orchard
in Star Lane, as Abbey Road was then known, for the site of the new school and
adjoining master's residence. Thirteen architects submitted designs but the
contract was awarded to Charles Bell of London and the Star Lane Board School
opened in 1877 with room for 480 boys and girls and soon became the main centre
for elementary education in the locality. The basic building as it was then can
still be seen today with the separate entrances for boys and girls but there
have been drastic alterations since then which have brought modernisation and
extensions to provide the school we know today.
It is worth noting that the village school at Twenty, four miles east of Bourne,
was built in 1876 by the same architect and builder who also used similar
distinctive yellow bricks and blue slate popular for institutional buildings
during the mid-19th century but closed in 1975 and
has since been converted into a private residence.
The other interesting point is that another of the town’s important centres of
education evolved from the Abbey Primary. By 1946, the school had become
overcrowded and so began operating on a split site with overflow pupils using
wooden huts for classrooms in Queen’s Road where permanent extensions were
opened in 1958 when it became completely independent with a new name, the Bourne
County Secondary Modern School. There have since been many dramatic alterations
and several more name changes, evolving to what we have today, the Robert
Manning College.
In the late summer of 2007, the Abbey Primary celebrated 130 years of its
history with the raising of a new flag. It was unfurled on a flagpole in the
playground at a special ceremony on Wednesday 26th September by John Kirkman,
chairman of the governors, with the entire school in attendance. Head teacher,
Cherry Edwards, told pupils: "This has been a school for 130 years and today you
are making history."
The following year, the school changed its name and status to the Bourne Abbey
Church of England Primary School and in 2010 major extensions were completed at
a cost of £700,000 to provide a new block of three classrooms and a new kitchen
and canteen facilities, the official opening being performed on Monday 27th
September by Prince Edward, Earl of Essex, who cut a ceremonial ribbon and
unveiled a commemorative plaque. The extensions also meant that the last of the
school's mobile classrooms could be phased out.
The latest success in achieving academy status has been well received by both
governors and staff. It was, said Mrs Edwards, the beginning of a new chapter
for the school. “We are absolutely delighted to embrace this opportunity which
will enable us continue to provide the very best education for our children.
There will be no drastic changes but it will secure our future as an autonomous
establishment, running our own payroll and finances with the governing body in
charge of employment.”
The snowfalls of recent days closed roads and schools and generally
disrupted life around Bourne but we were still lucky to escape the more serious
conditions that have been experienced in past times. History records many
instances of exceptional weather, particularly the winter of 1739-40, although
local records are sparse and accounts of only a few instances of problems caused
by snow since then remain.
One of the worst snowstorms occurred in Bourne during the General Election of
1910, a straight fight between the Conservative candidate, Major Claud
Willoughby, son of the first Earl of Ancaster, of Grimsthorpe Castle, and the
Liberal candidate, Mr G H Parkin. Polling day was fixed for Friday 28th January
and the Corn Exchange chosen for the count the following day and although it was
expected to be a straightforward campaign, the candidates had reckoned without
the weather.
During the night, there had been a heavy snowfall which had settled to a depth
of several inches in many places, Bourne being particularly affected, while the
forecast was not good and the day dawned with yet more snow, thus hampering
voters from outlying districts in reaching the polling booths. The continued
severe weather was also a bad omen as cars were being used for the first time in
a local election to take people in to cast their votes added to which Bourne at
that time was part of a very large constituency containing over 150 parishes and
extending from Beckingham in the north to Crowland in the south, a distance of
almost 60 miles by road and 27 miles from east to west.
The snow was therefore a major setback for the candidates, Major Willoughby for
instance having more than 100 vehicles at his disposal which had been loaned by
friends and relatives, and the effect was soon evident when they started
skidding and sliding on the icy roads and then began breaking down and as they
were either towed away or abandoned, some electors experienced the novelty of
being taken to the polls on a sledge. The only incident of an unpleasant nature
occurred at Stamford where Mr Parkin was struck in the face by a snowball and
received a slight injury.
The weather was still bad the following day when the candidates assembled for
the count at the Corn Exchange where Major Willoughby was elected by a majority
of 356 votes. He received a tumultuous reception when he addressed the waiting
crowd but there was another heavy snowfall as he began a triumphal tour of the
town with a motorcade of 20 vehicles, he and his wife Lady Florence in the first
car which eventually broke down because of the freezing temperatures but
supporters refused to be beaten and so they hitched ropes to the axles and
pulled him for the rest of the way.
Another exceptional occasion for snow in Bourne was a blizzard in 1916 which
caused major disruption to public services and left a trail of damage across the
district. The wintry conditions prevailed throughout Tuesday 28th March when
trees were uprooted in various parts of the town, four on the Abbey Lawn, three
in Mill Drove, two near the villas in West Road, three in a field near the
railway station at the Red Hall, two at the bottom of Eastgate and one close to
Dr John Gilpin's surgery at Brook Lodge in South Street.
The telephone and telegraph services were cut off and on Tuesday evening it was
reported that not a single telephone subscriber could be reached while the
following morning telegrams were not being accepted by the Post Office because
they were unable to send them. One telegram sent before noon on the Tuesday was
not delivered until 9 o'clock the following morning, an unheard of delay. Rail
services were badly disrupted and trains due into Bourne from Saxby just before
11 am on Tuesday were held up by deep snow drifts at South Witham and had still
not arrived by midday the following day. The 12.15 pm express to Leicester
reached South Witham but was forced to return with its passengers to Norwich.
All trains were running late on the Great Northern system and the journey to
Grantham took about four hours. A train which left Bourne for Spalding at 3 pm
to bring home passengers from Spalding market arrived in Bourne at 7 pm in the
evening after the electric signalling system at Twenty failed.
The motor mail cart bringing in the morning mail from Peterborough which was
usually due at Bourne at 4 am did not arrive until after 7 am on both Tuesday
and Wednesday and on the Tuesday run it was held up by telegraph poles that had
blown down across the road. The Great War of 1914-18 was in progress and among
the passengers stranded at Bourne railway station were three soldiers who were
given beds for the night at the Vestry Hall which had been converted for use as
a Red Cross hospital for convalescent servicemen. The surprising feature of the
storm was that it caused only a small amount of structural damage to property,
mainly dislodging slates, tiles and guttering that collapsed under the weight of
snow but the town was virtually isolated for several days.
Serious snowfalls in recent years have been relatively few although the life of
the town was badly disrupted in 1920 and again in 1947 and 1963 while a fall in
1987 saw tractors clearing the town centre. The documentary evidence seems to
indicate, however, that people in the past made a more concerted effort to
continue with their daily round rather than succumb and take a day off but then
it must be remembered that paid leave of absence for whatever reason was
virtually unknown until recent times.
Urban myths abounded during last week’s wintry weather as pavements were
left unswept and many people did not even clear their driveways. On inquiring
why not, the unanimous reply was that it is now illegal in case the surface is
made unsafe for passers-by such as the postman and newspaper delivery boys and
they could be faced with costly claims for compensation if they slipped and
injured themselves. Added to this misinformation was the mistaken theory that it
was all due to new laws that had been imposed from Europe but again, this is
incorrect.
Far from being an unlawful act, the government and many local authorities have
been issuing advice to residents on how to clear the snow from pavements and
public spaces and all stress that there is no law to stop it and it is
also unlikely that you would face any legal action provided you did so carefully
and used common sense. The European theory is also unfounded and in most
countries homeowners see it as a duty to clear the pavement outside their own
properties and in Germany, for instance, the law insists that they do.
But tales soon spread and so it was last week after the deepest of snowfalls
that I looked down the street and not a single section of pavement had been
cleared and the majority of driveways left with their covering of white. Let us
hope that if we do have a recurrence before the winter is out, this latest piece
of folklore will have been buried once and for all because common sense dictates
that it is easier and safer to walk on tarmac than two or three inches of snow.
Thought for the week: Trying to squash a rumour is like trying to unring
a bell. - Shana Alexander (1925-2005), American journalist who became the
first woman staff writer and columnist for Life magazine.
Saturday 18th December 2010
Richard Stevenson with members of his family outside his shop at
No 15 West Street with meat on sale at Christmas.
The traditional evocation of the festive season will be forever associated
with Charles Dickens whose novels have inspired millions of greetings cards
featuring the fireside, the Yule log, snow covered rooftops and a decorated tree
and presents, and it is this depiction that we most associate with scenes of
Christmas past.
The Victorian perception of Christmas has resulted in stylised pictures of towns
such as Bourne as it was in the 19th century full of shops with quaint bow
windows, streets with stage coaches passing through, ladies in bonnets and muffs
and ruddy-faced urchins throwing snowballs.
In 1887 for instance, the streets in Bourne during the festive season did have
that resemblance, the grocery, butchery and bakery shops crammed with appetising
wares and the millinery and drapery stores displaying the latest fashions. But
there were no illuminations, street gas lamps having only just been introduced
and the Christmas lights we know today did not arrive until 1967.
The annual Christmas Fatstock Show was a regular feature of farming life during
this period and beasts were bought for slaughter in readiness for the boom in
business, the meat proudly displayed in their windows and sides of beef hung
outside on hooks awaiting buyers. That year, one butcher alone, George Mays of
Eastgate, killed 300 sheep, one weighing 211 lb, and nine cattle, to meet the
demand, and at that time he was only one of nine butchers in the town when the
population was under 4,000.
Christmas Day was ushered in with carols from Bourne Brass Band playing in the
market place and peals of bells from the Abbey Church which was the centrepiece
of the Christmas story, the interior of the 12th century stone building
beautifully decorated by a small army of helpers in readiness for the three
choral services that day.
The altar bore the inscription “Emmanuel, God with us” in white letters on a
scarlet ground with an arrangement of evergreens interspersed with flowers while
the pulpit was decked with seasonal holly and ivy and crosses made of
chrysanthemums. Biblical texts worked in white on a scarlet ground and encircled
with wreaths and evergreens adorned the sills of the windows in the north and
south aisles and the font was decorated with chrysanthemums and the base
encircled with ivy and a variety of prettily frosted evergreens.
The public houses were full throughout the Christmas period yet despite the
large number of licensed premises in Bourne, this was the age of temperance and
there was always someone ready to warn against the perils of the demon drink. In
1887, Mr Thomas Rosbottom, a celebrated Lancashire lecturer, paid a Christmas
visit to address meetings at the Victoria Hall in Spalding Road (now demolished)
where he was given a rousing welcome. His speech was filled with sad and
humorous anecdotes about the effects of drinking on marriage, the family and
human relationships, and eloquent exhortations to abstain, claiming that he had
induced thousands to sign to pledge promising to give up alcohol in the future.
On the two days after Boxing Day, a grand fancy fair similar to our modern
pantomimes was staged at the Corn Exchange where the hall had been turned into
an imaginary international bazaar, the work of Alfred Stubley, a painter and
sign writer, of West Street, Bourne, a man with a vivid imagination who was
noted throughout Lincolnshire for the stage sets he designed for amateur musical
productions.
A local newspaper description of the colourful setting said:
“The scene was laid in Canton and a peculiar
conglomeration of Oriental and European architecture was depicted with realistic
effect. 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 hanging from
the roof, a magnificent Buddhist temple having its elaborate exterior
embellished with representatives of the Oriental deity and dragons, and the last
abode in the curious street was an Australian log hut. The articles exhibited on
the stalls were both useful and ornamental. Various entertainments were given in
the evenings. Vocal and instrumental musical items and presentations were
performed at intervals which were very popular. The promoters of the enterprise
are to be congratulated on the success which has deservedly crowned their
efforts.”
But not everyone could afford to buy what was displayed in the shop windows and
those who could not queued up at the National School in North Street (now the
Conservative Party headquarters) where the Vicar, the Rev Hugh Mansfield,
assisted by his churchwardens and officials from various 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.
Much of this was paid for by Harrington’s Charity, a bequest from Robert
Harrington (1589-1654), a Bourne man who made his fortune in London and left it
for the benefit of the town, a legacy that is still enjoyed today and
administered by Bourne United Charities. There were also gifts of food and
clothing brought in by townspeople.
At the workhouse (now demolished), the Guardians of Bourne Union gave their
annual treat to the inmates on Boxing Day where the monotonous and unappetising
food normally served was replaced with roast beef and plum pudding with beer and
tobacco to follow. They were not, however, allowed to forget the generosity that
had been bestowed upon them and grateful thanks were expressed for what they had
received while the children who could write were urged to show their gratitude
to the guardians by letter. The workhouse also reminds us that although the
Victorians observed Christmas with great celebration, this was a time of
hardship and of poverty for many.
Today, Christmas has become a spending spree for most and few will go short of
food, drink, presents and other luxuries. Despite the economic situation with
many families cutting back, the average person will be spending around £400 on
gifts and entertainment while online shopping alone is expected to exceed £6
billion.
The season of peace and goodwill will not be observed by some farmers who
are reported to be firing gas guns around Bourne, much to the dismay of people
living nearby. These infernal devices have largely been phased out, firstly
because they are quite useless for their intended purpose of scaring the crows
off growing crops and secondly because of the anti-social element involved in
that they cause annoyance and even distress to homeowners, especially the old
and infirm.
One culprit has been firing his propane device from a field north of Mill Drove
every ten minutes for the past fortnight in total breach of the regulatory code
drawn up between the National Farmers’ Union and South Kesteven District Council
which clearly states that they should not be discharged more than four times in any
one hour, not on Sundays or at night, and they must not be positioned within 200
yard of homes. Those who defend this practice usually argue that people should
not buy houses in the country unless they are prepared to accept country ways
but this is not some traditional practice any more than leaving mud on the road,
blocking ancient footpaths, uprooting hedgerows or poisoning the land with
chemicals.
Factories and business premises in urban areas must not inconvenience those who
live nearby with their emissions either chemical or audio, and the same applies
to farmers. They are not a chosen race growing food for our survival but part of
the global economy yet not exempt from the basic rule of life in that
we should all respect each other. Furthermore, it is they who sell their land
for housing when it suits them yet refuse to acknowledge the rights of those who
move in.
Most farmers are good custodians of the countryside and if they use a gas gun
are prepared to curb its use when its harmful effects are pointed out but in
this case the owner is unknown and even if the device were located after
trekking around his acres there is no way of identifying him. But one thing is
certain in that he lives well out of earshot or his wife would soon make him
turn it off. Those who have been listening to this bombardment between Bourne
and Dyke village day in and day out for the last fortnight hope that the farmer
responsible reads this and acknowledges his responsibilities to the rest of us
by turning it off, at least over the Christmas season.
Our monthly newsletter went out last weekend to almost 800 regular
visitors to this web site who like to read about our history, either because
they live here or are now somewhere overseas but retain links with family,
friends or are seeking information about ancestors from centuries past. As a
result, our Christmas greetings have been reciprocated from around England and
many other countries abroad, all anxious to be associated with Bourne.
There are several messages from Australia such as this one from Berice Jones of
Camperdown, Victoria, whose great grandfather, John Thomas Beasley, born at Dyke
in 1827, emigrated down under as a lad and she is anxious to trace relatives. "I
was recently contacted by another descendent of his who found me through your
web site and so thank you for all you do to promote Bourne", she writes.
One of our older readers has also been in touch from a much warmer spot. Winnie
Nowak, now aged 89, who lives at Anchorage, Alaska, still treasures memories of
visiting Bourne Wood in springtime and picking bluebells and a less happy
experience from childhood of a six-week ordeal in the isolation hospital on
South Road (now demolished) suffering from scarlet fever. She is currently
visiting relatives further south in the United States from where she has emailed
to say: "Greetings from southern Arizona, forty miles north of the Mexican
border and twenty miles south of Tucson. It is still very warm down here and the
temperature is forecast to reach 80 degrees in a day or so. Thank you for
keeping us all linked up with your local news."
Another lively lady who reads us regularly over the water also lives in North
America. Ethel Guertin, who is 93, is the granddaughter of Joseph Flatters, bell
ringer at the Abbey Church and trumpeter with Bourne Town Band who emigrated in
1871, and now lives near Quebec in Canada. She has never made it to England to
visit the town of her ancestors but keeps in touch through this web site. “I
send you all good wishes for health and happiness at this time of year and for
2011”, she writes, “and keep up the good work on the web site. Also compliments
of the season to the people of Bourne from the Flatters family in Canada."
There are many more similar messages, a reminder that Christmas is a time to
keep in touch with distant relatives and fan the flame of friendship that may
have dimmed with the years and we are pleased that the Bourne web site now has
such a wide readership that enables this to happen.
We are taking a break over the Christmas period and this diary will not
be appearing next week although the web site will continue while the Bourne
Forum will also be available for those who wish to share their thoughts and
opinions. It has been a busy year and we have expanded our readership throughout
the world, a most rewarding experience when we receive emails of gratitude and
even praise from faraway places for continuing to spread the word about our
town. It is an enjoyable experience and long may it continue and in the
meantime, my wife, Elke, and myself wish all of our readers a happy Christmas
and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Thought for the week: Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state
of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the
real spirit of Christmas. - Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) lawyer and politician
who became the 30th President of the United States.
Return to Monthly entries
|
