Bourne sporting, social, welfare and professional
organisations over the years

THE DATES IN BRACKETS INDICATE WHEN THEY WERE KNOWN TO BE IN EXISTENCE

BOURNE ABBEY YOUNG WIVES was formed in October 1962 by the curate, the Rev Bernard Parsons, and his wife Audrey, and was soon a popular organisation with regular meetings and invited speakers, demonstrations and outings, and supporting many church events. One of the highlights of the year was an annual shopping trip by bus to a selected town and a May Fayre was held every three years to raise funds for local charities. There was also an annual dance at the church hall to which husbands and partners were invited, long dresses worn and an outside caterer engaged to provide the food and drink. The group celebrated its 21st anniversary on 20th October 1983 when previous presidents were invited. But the enthusiasm did not last and the group was disbanded in April 1985 through lack of support. A reunion was planned for 20th October 2012 in the church hall when guests were invited to chat about old times and take along photographs of the many events that had been held.

BOURNE AMATEUR CHRISTY MINSTREL SOCIETY
(1875-1887); T N Wolstencroft, chairman (1887)

BOURNE AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY
P Hodgson, honorary secretary, West Street (1922); H L Hutchinson, honorary secretary, South Road (1937)

BOURNE ANGLING SOCIETY
W Ball, honorary secretary, South Street (1900-1904); Thomas Hall, honorary secretary, South Street (1913-1922); Ernest Whelband, honorary secretary, West Street (1937)

BOURNE ATHLETIC SPORTS & HORSE SHOW
A W Minta, secretary, West Street (1900)

BOURNE BADMINTON CLUB
1965: Thirty members meeting at the Vestry Hall in North Street, Bourne, club nights Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Friendly matches played together with a knock-out competition for the men while individual members competed annually for a rose bowl for the ladies and a silver cop for the men.

BOURNE BAND OF HOPE - formed 1873.
Fifth anniversary celebrations 1878.

Bourne Billiard & Whist Club
S R Andrews, honorary secretary, Corn Exchange, Abbey road (1900); Cyril Baxter, honorary secretary, (1904-1922); Thomas R Lyall, honorary secretary, Corn Exchange (1937)

Bourne Bowling Green & Lawn Tennis Club
T M Baxter, honorary secretary (1885); J C Tointon, honorary secretary, North Road (1900); Allen Small, honorary secretary, Willoughby Road (1904)

BOURNE AUXILIARY OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY
Formed 1830; W Wherry, secretary, meeting place the Town Hall (1873)

BOURNE CAMERA CLUB
(1965); C Annis, chairman, J Bloodworth, secretary, P Rolt, treasurer; 12 members meeting fortnightly on Wednesday evenings at the Bourne Institute in West Street. Activities included slide shows, films from Kodak and Ilford and tape-recorded lectures. There were few outings because of a declining membership.

BOURNE CHRISTIAN FRIENDLY SOCIETY
Alderman W R Wherry, president (1900)

Bourne Christmas Fat Stock Society
R Brothwell & J B Shilcock, honorary secretaries, Willoughby Road (1900-1913); H J Foot, honorary secretary, Cattle Market (1922); John Gelsthorpe, honorary secretary, Market Place (1937)

Bourne & District Conservative Working Men's Club - formed 1887.
Inaugural dinner held at the Angel Hotel in December 1887. President J C Lawrance, over 100 members attended. William Hall, honorary secretary, West Street (1900-1904); Samuel Baines, honorary secretary (1913-1922)

BOURNE AND DISTRICT CO-OPERATIVE WOMEN'S GUILD
Meetings every Tuesday at the Toc H Hall (1965)

Bourne (TOWN) Cricket Club
W E Wadsley, honorary secretary, North Road (1900); D S Paton, honorary secretary, North Road (1904); J Fowler, honorary secretary, North Road (1913); Frank Iliffe, honorary secretary (1937)

BOURNE DRUM AND FIFE BAND (formed 1873). "The band continue their practices in the National School and occasionally parade the streets. When we consider the infancy and self-instruction of the band, we are surprised at the progress they have made." - news item from the Grantham Journal, Saturday 25th April 1874.

Bourne Foal Society
R Brothwell, honorary secretary, West Street (1900-1904); J B Shilcock, honorary secretary, Market Place (1913); H J Foot, honorary secretary, Cattle Market (1922)

BOURNE AND DISTRICT GARDEN ASSOCIATION
(Re-formed 1959); by 1965, there were 100 members. The organisation was regarded mainly as a trading association selling fertiliser and seed potatoes to members.

BOURNE GARDEN CLUB
Formed 1986: The club has helped to turn gardening into a sociable hobby and dozens of enthusiasts attend monthly meetings with talks on various subjects by experts in their field and an annual show in September when members and guests can exhibit their produce. There are also outings to popular gardens around the country. Membership in July 2011 had reached over 60 and was open to keen gardeners of all ages and backgrounds. Chairman Trevor Horn said that one of the main benefits was to pick up tips from fellow members. "The club is a great opportunity to learn and to see how other gardeners do things differently", he added. The club meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Abbey Church hall in Church Walk, Bourne.

BOURNE GATEWAY CLUB was launched at St Peter's Hospital in 1983 to provide social opportunities for young adults with disabilities and although the hospital closed in 1992 the club had become so popular that it continued at a new venue, the youth centre in Queen's Road where meetings are held on Monday evenings from 7 pm until 9 pm for 46 weeks of the year. In 2011, there was a weekly attendance of more than 50 people who enjoyed a wide range of activities and carers are also welcome to attend. The group leader, Mrs Lesley Patrick, who has run the club since January 1998 with a group of volunteers, said that the club aimed to advance personal development through greater leisure opportunities and to help them achieve a better quality of life. "We aim to meet these aims through involvement with the local community", she said. Regular activities include arts and crafts, pool, darts and table tennis, pamper evenings and bingo, and there is also an annual programme of festive celebrations, themed discos, weekly music sessions, trips to the pub, pantomimes, the theatre and daily excursions.

BOURNE AND DISTRICT GUILD OF ARTS AND CRAFTS
(1954)

BOURNE LADIES' GUILD OF CHURCH WORKERS - formed 1888.
Mrs Emily Baxter, honorary treasurer (1888); Miss L M Andrew, honorary secretary (1899).

THE BOURNE HABITATION OF THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE
Mr MacIvor, honorary secretary (1900)

Bourne Horticultural Society
J T Pearce, honorary secretary (1900); E Ayre, honorary secretary, West Street (1904-1913); F T Carter, honorary secretary (1914)

Bourne Institute Tennis & Croquet Club
F J Rosier, secretary, West Street (1913); E Pearce, treasurer, West Street (1922)

BOURNE AND DISTRICT LABOUR PARTY
(1919)

Bourne & District Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
Miss A Gibson, honorary secretary, North Road (1913 and 1922)

Bourne & District Liberal Association & Club
F H Sones, honorary secretary, South Street (1900-1922)

BOURNE LIBERAL SICK AND DIVIDING CLUB
F H Sones, treasurer (1919)

BOURNE MARTIAL ARTS
Founded in 2000 by Matthew Parkes who taught martial arts while serving with the Royal Air Force and on leaving launched a series of classes for young people in Bourne. "Our aim is to build confidence in our students", he said, "but it is also a great skill for people to learn especially children because it keeps them active and they have fun in the process." Weekly sessions are held at the Abbey Church hall in Church Walk, Bourne, and at the village hall at Dyke, with three classes, Lil' Ninjas (5-7 years old), juniors (8-12 years old) and adult/family. By August 2011, 40 members were participating and the oldest was aged 58.

Bourne Miniature Rifle Club
Thomas Lake, honorary secretary, Union Road (1913)

BOURNE MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY
(1886-1890)

BOURNE HARD COURT TENNIS CLUB
Manning Road (1937)

BOURNE AND DISTRICT MOTOR CLUB
In 1965, there were 50 members and the officers were J Sismey, chairman, N G Russell, secretary and R G Smith, treasurer. Three auto cross meetings were held at Witham-on-the-Hill, near Bourne, during the year, there were driving tests on grass and production car trials. The annual dinner and presentation of awards was held at the Georgians Hotel, Market Deeping. 

BOURNE MOTOR RACING CLUB
Formed 1996, meeting at the Red Hall, South Street, Bourne, the second Thursday of each month. Membership (2005) 50, committee members: David Dykes, Jamie Lawrence, Steve Rowley and Richard Bostock. Aims: to provide motor enthusiasts with the chance to hear guest speakers and talk about their favourite sport.

BOURNE BRANCH OF THE BRITISH RED CROSS (Lincs 46)
Formed in 1914 by Dr John Gilpin to provide ambulance attendants and in later years to staff the trolley shop at Bourne Hospital, to help at the Darby and Joan Club and to give lectures for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. In 1965, the Junior Red Cross Cadets were active, training youth for good citizenship and providing a recruiting base for nurses. Lectures were also given in first aid, home nursing and mothercraft.

Bourne Mutual Tennis Club
(1890); W H Smith, secretary, North Street (1904)

Bourne Orchestral Society
Dr James Watson Burdwood, secretary, West Street (1904)

BOURNE ORGAN CLUB
Founded in 1994 to unite people who enjoyed all types of organ music. It was the vision of one woman, Mrs Edith Neal, who got together with two friends to play organ music in each other's houses on a regular basis and soon many more wanted to join in. The inaugural meeting of the club was held in a back room of the Golden Lion in West Street and today it has 170 members while the regular venue has switched to the Corn Exchange where monthly meetings and regular concerts are held with guest organists. Mrs Neal, wife of hairdresser Denis Neal, of Willoughby Road, Bourne, said that the majority of members were among the over-50s although some younger people did attend the concerts. Raffles are also held to raise money for local charities and by 2011, over £17,000 has been collected in this way.

Bourne & District Ploughing Society - formed 1898.
F J Clarke, conductor, Dr James Watson Burdwood, secretary (1900); J S Mills, A Mills & Thomas Rickard, honorary secretaries, West Street (1913-14); Thomas Rickard, honorary secretary, Meadowgate (1922)

BOURNE RIFLE CORPS
(1871)

BOURNE SELF-AIDING MEDICAL CLUB
(formed 1841)
The club was inaugurated following a public meeting at the Town Hall on Monday 11th January 1841 for the benefit of the working classes of the town and began operating in May that year. Many of the titled and landed gentry in the district contributed towards the cost of formation through a public subscription list, including the Marquess of Exeter who was also the patron and president, which raised £105 in a matter of weeks. The club was well received in the town although one local doctor, or surgeon as they were then known, Mr G J Nicholls, declined to become one of the official doctors describing the organisation as "an unjustifiable attempt to encroach upon the legitimate rights of the medical practitioner and were founded upon a one-sided benevolence". Within a year, the society was flourishing with over 700 members and a steady increase of 100 every quarter. "We have no doubt that the working classes will soon become so generally alive to the advantages held out to them by this institution, that it will embrace nearly all of those who are eligible to be admitted as sharers in its advantages within the district over which it extends", reported the Stamford Mercury on Friday 4th March 1842.The club was still operating in 1888 when the secretary was listed as L F Evans.

Bourne & District Teachers Association
J J Davies, honorary secretary, Abbey Road (1900-1904); A G Atkins of Dunsby, honorary secretary (1913); Harry Goy, honorary secretary (1922-1937)

Bourne Technical Education Committee
Rev H M Mansfield, secretary, North Street (1900-1904); R W Wherry, correspondent, North Street (1913); C Pask Matthews, honorary secretary (1922-1937)

BOURNE TEMPERANCE CAFE &  WORKING MEN'S INSTITUTE
John Barker, manager, South Street (1885)

BOURNE TOWN HARRIERS
Launched in 1987 to provide the opportunity for runners of all ages and abilities to train together and compete in athletic events locally and around the country. By 201l, there were 130 members meeting for various weekly practice and training sessions and venues according to the time of year and each tailored to meet individual needs. Some attend as part of an organised keep fit programme and others train for 5K, 10K and even marathon events while the club hosts its own 10K run at Grimsthorpe Castle during the summer and the Bourne Frostbite run over varying distances according to age and ability through Bourne Wood in the winter. Membership secretary in 2011 was Richard Lomas-Brown.

BOURNE TRADESMEN'S ASSOCIATION
J T Swift, chairman, A T Wall, honorary secretary (1901-2)

Bourne Wednesday Football Club
F Yates, honorary secretary, Union Road (1900); D S Paton, honorary secretary, Union Road (1904)

BOURNE WELFARE ASSOCIATION - formed 1919.

BOURNE WESLEYAN BAND OF HOPE
(1885)

BOURNE WOMEN'S LABOUR ASSOCIATION
Mrs Frowell, chairman, Mrs Parrish, secretary and Mrs Marvin, treasurer, 20 members meeting fortnightly at the Toc H Hall (1965).

BOURNE AND DISTRICT YOUNG CONSERVATIVES - formed 1959.
Mr J Smith, chairman, Miss S Clayton, secretary and Mr C Cross, treasurer, 21 members meeting  every Tuesday evening at the Burghley Arms (1965).

BOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
The Rev William Orton, president, Baptist schoolroom, West Street (1868)

THE GIRLS' BRIGADE (1st BOURNE COMPANY)
The Girls' Brigade is a Christian organisation, international and inter-denominational, formed in 1963 from three different organisations, the Girls' Brigade of Northern Ireland (1893), the Girls' Guildry (1900) and the Girls' Life Brigade (1902). It comprises individual companies meeting in safe environments such as churches, schools and community halls. The 1st Bourne Company was launched in the early 1970s by Mrs Eileen Gardiner at the Methodist Church in Abbey Road where meetings are currently held on Thursday evenings from 5.30 pm to 7 pm during school term time for girls aged from 5 to 11 years with a programme focussed on the physical, educational, spiritual and service. The uniform consists of tunics, skirts, white blouses and blazers but hoodies or sweatshirts worn over polo shirts are also allowed and the girls may also wear trousers. Activities such as parades, camps and activity days are also held.

Hereward Sick & Dividing Club
John Mansfield, secretary, Crown Hotel, West Street (1913)

Independent orDer of Foresters & Friendly Society
Formed in 1840 as the Court Pride of the East No 1033, Bourne District, at the New Inn. First anniversary dinner held on Tuesday 19th October 1841 under the auspices of John Rate DCE, when "the attendance of visiting officers, brothers and friends, is respectfully requested, dinner on the table at half past two o'clock."
J Ellicock, secretary, South Street (1900-1904); F H Sones, secretary, South Street (1913)

MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODDFELLOWS (GENERAL JOHNSON BRANCH) - formed 1843.
Meeting place the Nag's Head (1843); anniversary parade, church service and dinner at the Corn Exchange (1880); (1937) - see picture below.

THE OLD FRIENDLY SOCIETY at BOURNE having unanimously resolved so to alter and amend their present system of Relief to Sick Members, as to prevent them or their Families from applying for or needing any parochial assistance. They have also resolved to make an appeal to the public in the form of a Subscription, in order that they may be enabled to effect an object so benevolent. Those Gentlemen in the Neighbourhood who feel interested in the welfare and Independence of the Industrious Classes are respectfully solicited to render their assistance on the occasion. Subscriptions (from 1d. upwards) will be received by the Treasurer at Bourne or by any of the Members of the Society. - W Smith, Treasurer and Clerk, 7th October 1841. - public notice from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 8th October 1841.

PARKINSON'S UK - BOURNE SUPPORT GROUP
An organisation that offers a warm welcome, friendship and support for people suffering from the disease, their families and carers, through day trips and discussions with experts over a cup of coffee. Formed in February 2009 and by 2012 there were 38 members and seven volunteers running two-hour meeting sessions on the last Monday of each month at the Salvation Army Hall in Manning Road. Group organiser Janet Ward stressed that they were not professionally trained but were there for people in need and to advise on where treatment could be found. Fund-raising events are also held to help finance outings and for the national charity Parkinson's UK which aims to find a cure and improve life for those affected with this progressive neurological condition. "We aim for three or four trips a year which are always well attended and enjoyed", she said.

READING ROOM & SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARY
John T Morris, owner, West Street (1876-1885)

ROCK OF HOPE LODGE - formed 1837. The seventh anniversary was held at the Six Bells Inn on Thursday the 27th June 1844 and was followed by a procession to the Abbey Church where a sermon was preached by the vicar, the Rev Joseph Dodsworth, in aid of the funds of the Widows and Orphans Institution.

ROTARY CLUB OF BOURNE ST PETER was formed in 1998 and has always been a small organisation with just twelve members in November 2011. But their capacity to support good causes is undiminished as well as being a social group for both men and women. Their aim is to provide fellowship and friendship for members as well as raising money for good causes both locally and internationally. Members meet on Tuesday evenings at the Toft House Hotel near Bourne and they also have a lively annual programme of events including guest speakers, dinners and theatre trips, treasure hunts and even fancy dress parties. The club also organises an annual sponsored walk through the grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle which has become a major fund raiser. Club president, Angela Bailey, said that they tried to make their activities as varied as possible in order to provide something for everyone to enjoy. "It is a great way to meet new people and to be able to put something back into the community", she said.

Rutland & Stamford Division of the Agricultural & Independent Parliamentary Association
William Kelby, agent, Gladstone Street (1922)

Six Bells Sick & Dividing Club
H Horne, secretary, North Street (1904); H B Howe, secretary, Abbey Road (1913-1922)

YOUNG HELPERS' LEAGUE
(1899)

See also Sporting activities from past times

NOTE: Other prominent organisations such as Bourne Town Football Club are dealt with
under their own headings which can be found in the main index.