BOLINGBROKE PARISH COUNCIL

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/bolingbroke/

DRAFT NOTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

HELD IN THE RAMSDEN HALL, OLD BOLINGBROKE

ON MONDAY 18TH MAY 2009 AT 7.30pm

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Meeting. Those present were Councillors John Owen (Chairman), June Scarff, June Irving, Marion Brennand, Bob Isaac and Steve Lumb.

Also in attendance were Mrs W. Done, (Parish Clerk) and five members of the public.

Apologies were received from Cllr Frank Walker who had a previous appointment.

1.  MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON 12TH MAY 2008

The minutes were unanimously agreed correct and were signed by the Chairman.

2.  REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

Cllr. J. Owen presented the Annual Report of the Parish Council for 2008/09, a copy of which is attached to these minutes. The report was unanimously approved and it was agreed that copies of the report be circulated to each household in the Parish along with copies to the County and District Councils, LALC, local libraries and local press.

3.  REPORT BY THE RESPONSIBLE FINANCE OFFICER

Cllr. B. Isaac reported that at the year end, 31st March 2009 receipts totalled £3766. 93 with payments of £3511.01 leaving a surplus of £255. 92. During the year a separate bank account had been set up with the income received from the field letting that totalled £1297.00. A summary of the year’s accounts is included in the Annual Report attached. The report was unanimously approved.

4.  REPORTS FROM VARIOUS VILLAGE GROUPS

a)  Art Group

The Group had enjoyed a good year with members producing some excellent work. The membership has dropped slightly and new members are always welcome. Meetings continue to be held on the second Friday of the month in Ramsden Hall. All levels of skill welcome.

b)  Bowls Club

John Rose reported that the Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings and on Thursday afternoons in Ramsden Hall. New members are always welcome.

c)  Exercise Club

Cllr J Owen reported on behalf of Wendy Owen.

The Exercise Club was formed in September 2006 and caters for both men and women mostly over the age of 50. It meets on a weekly basis, every Tuesday from 11.30am to 12.30pm at the Village Hall and is run by an experienced instructor from the ‘Fitness League’.

Our friendly instructor Gerry who lives in Spilsby has become more or less an honorary member of our village. She gets our members working to safe and effective movements to music in a light-hearted and fun way.

The Club has a core membership of about 14 members and has attracted recruits from adjoining villages also. New members are always welcome and each session is rounded off with tea and coffee and a social chat. Membership costs £12 per annum and £2.50 per session.

Enquiries can be made with Wendy Owen on 01790 763766.

d)  Friends of Bolingbroke Castle

Cllr. S. Lumb gave a full and comprehensive report of the Group’s activities and a copy is attached at the end of these minutes.

e)  Gregory Croft Trust

The Gregory Croft Trust is a Charity offering financial support to young people under the age of 25 years, with educational and vocational finances. All young people their parents/ guardians living within the Villages of Old Bolingbroke, Miningsby, East Kirkby and Toynton All Saints, are eligible to apply. The Trust will look favourably at all applications and aim to provide some financial help. Applications are strictly confidential and details of individual awards will not and cannot be made public. In the first instance please contact Cllr. J. Irving on 01790 763100.

f)  Katherine Wheel

Margaret Isaac reported that the Group has enjoyed a very successful year that has included a variety of speakers and the annual dinner was held at the Coach House, Keal Cotes. A visit was made to Doddington Hall on a perfect day last August. Thanks to some careful housekeeping, charges will not be increased this year. The group usually meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Methodist School Room and details of guest speakers are publicised on the village notice boards. Further information about the group can be obtained from Margaret Isaac telephone 01790 763285

g)  Local History Group

Cllr J Owen reported on the Group’s activities, a copy of which is attached.

h)  Methodist Chapel

Anne Edge reported that the Chapel is now part of the Mid Lincolnshire Circuit with the Minister in Charge from Horncastle. Services are held at 10.30am each Sunday. Coffee mornings are still very popular and are held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10.30am until 12 noon. Study Groups are held on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings at 7.15pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

i)  Neighbourhood Watch

The current village co-ordinators consist of Marion Brennand, Linda Creedy and John Rose and the Lincolnshire Police Administrator is Tony Day who can be contacted on 01754 614329.

j)  Parish Church

Cllr J Irving reported on behalf of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

It has been a busy and successful year for the Church and the heating system, thankfully, is now working satisfactorily. Financially the Church is holding its own. Thanks go to the Village Hall for the use of tables, to John Owen for helping with publicity, to Eddie Wyld for maintaining the churchyard and looking after the heating system and to Margaret for playing the organ.

k)  Play Ground Committee

No report received.

l)  Quilters’ Patch

Cllr J Irving presented a report on behalf of Gina Harmsworth.

The Group is still going very strong with a couple of new members from the Village, and it is nearing full capacity, but there always seems to be room for one more. I have arranged another workshop with a tutor coming from an accredited list of patch workers, when we will have a full day’s tuition and hopefully come away with something made that is useful and having gained more knowledge. We have 20 members on our books with a monthly attendance of about 12/15 members. Due to popularity we may, from September, hold fortnightly meetings.

m)  Village Hall Committee

Cllr J Scarff presented a report on behalf of the Village Hall Committee a copy of which is attached.

5.  OTHER BUSINESS

The meeting then heard from Cllr B Isaac on a proposal for decorative village signs at the entrances to Old Bolingbroke. Various ideas were put forward and it was suggested that wider public consultation should take place before any firm decisions were taken and that an article be put in the next Village Newsletter.

The Meeting closed at 8.10pm.

Confirmed as a true copy of the minutes.

Signature………………………………….. Date……………………………….


Chairman’s Report

Friends of Bolingbroke Castle

Annual Parish Meeting – 18th May 2009

The Friends Group is now part of the established activities and lives of many who appreciate and enjoy Old Bolingbroke and the castle and the community at large. The Friends has been in existence now since 2001 and after 8 years it is good to see that the Group as strong and active as ever. It is now held up as an exemplar heritage community group in Lincolnshire, one that gets things done, works with partners and keeps community life very much at its heart.

The extensive list of projects and activities that have populated our last year was well covered in the Spring 2009 Newsletter of the Friends Group. This featured the ongoing castle moat clean up project that with the aid of the Friends Group and our partners the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire will be bring in over £44,000 of investment to the castle site to restore the moat while maintaining the huge range of established flora and fauna that exists there.

The newsletter also made reference to our:

Jazz concert last July,

Quiz evening,

Film archive night,

Calendar,

Footbridge link and establishment of new routes through the Rout Yard.

Contacts we are receiving from across the UK and from abroad as those with past historical and ancestral connections with Old Bolingbroke who discover us via the web site and get in touch - and sometimes even come and visit.

The year ahead looks to be a busy one too, with plans for the moat restoration continuing, our Open Gardens and Sealed Knot Living History weekend in early June and our appearance at the Revesby Show in August. And no doubt more projects and more social events will be announced as we move through the year. All very good reasons why folk should continue to support the Friends and encourage others to join too.

Steve Lumb

Chairman (Friends of Bolingbgroke Castle)

17thth May 2009


ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 18th MAY 2009

REPORT BY THE LOCAL HISTORY GROUP

Formed in July 2006 by a group of villagers keen to preserve Old Bolingbroke’s past, the Local History Group is a sub group of the Friends of Bolingbroke Castle.

In the 3 years it has been running the Group has managed to collect well over 200 historical photographs of the village dating back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It also boasts a varied collection of other historical documents and articles.

Some of our local residents have kindly loaned us old photographs and pictures and shared their early memories of village life for the benefit of preserving the village history.

During 2007 the Group was extremely fortunate to add to its archives a large collection of picture postcards from the ‘Crampton Series’. James Crampton was the village shopkeeper from 1908 until 1914 and he and his family lived in what is now the ‘Old Post Office’ in West Keal Road. During his time here, James indulged in his hobby of photography and he was always busy taking pictures of village scenes that he turned into postcards for sale in his shop. The postcards today have become quite a collector’s item and one single picture has raised in excess of £20 on Ebay.

Through the Friends’ web site, increasing contact has been made with people from around the world with Old Bolingbroke connections and others exploring their family’s history. One such family was the Babington family from Australia who are descendants of Edward Babington born in Spilsby in 1773, christened at Old Bolingbroke Church and married at Asgarby Church to Mary Brown.

Edward Babington was the son of Christopher Babington, schoolmaster here. Edward was tried and convicted at the Assize Court at Lincoln Castle in 1823 for stealing a sheep at Revesby. He was sentenced to death which was later commuted to transportation to the colonies, Australia. His wife and children were allowed to travel out there a year later.

Descendants of Edward Babington, Brian and his son Andrew spent a weekend in Old Bolingbroke and were able to meet members of the History Group and to discover family gravestones in the church yard.

A first for the History Group was the production of a pictorial calendar that included photographs of the village in the early 1900’s taken from the Crampton series mentioned above. The 2009 calendar contained 13 images and was a sell out. Hopefully we can produce a similar calendar for 2010.A

John Owen

Secretary

Old Bolingbroke Local History Group

May 2009


BOLINGBROKE PARISH COUNCIL

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/bolingbroke/

DRAFT NOTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

HELD IN THE RAMSDEN HALL, OLD BOLINGBROKE

ON MONDAY 18th MAY 2009 AT 8.10pm

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Meeting. Those present were Councillors John Owen (Chairman), June Scarff, June Irving, Marion Brennand, Bob Isaac and Steve Lumb.

Also in attendance were Mrs W. Done, (Parish Clerk) and five members of the public.

Apologies were received from Cllr Frank Walker who had a previous appointment.

1.  ELECTION OF CHAIR

It was proposed by Cllr S Lumb and seconded by Cllr B Isaac that Cllr J Owen be elected Chairman for the ensuing year. There were no further nominations and all were in favour and Cllr J Owen was duly elected.

2.  ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR

It was proposed by Cllr J Owen and seconded by Cllr M Brennand that Cllr J Scarff be elected Vice Chair for the ensuing year. There being no further nominations and all were in favour Cllr J scarf was duly elected.

3.  ELECTION OF REPOSNSIBLE FINANCE OFFICER (RFO)

It was proposed by Cllr J Scarff and seconded by Cllr J Irving that Cllr B Isaac be elected as RFO for the ensuing year. There being no further nominations and all were in favour Cllr was duly elected.

4.  SIGNING OF DECLARATION OF OFFICE

The Chairman, Cllr J Owen signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for Chairman.

The Meeting closed at 8.15pm

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