October Newsletter
Maltby le Marsh October 2020 issue 45 Parish Newsletter.
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Remembering Janet Richmond.
Janet passed away on 9th August 2020, she was a member of Malty-le-Marsh W.I for 16 years, she loved W.I, all it represented and felt privileged to be a member. She joined the W.I. in 2004 and was president from 2005 for 9 years. She always hosted the meetings with elegance and ultimate professionalism. She was a stalwart -there was almost nothing she didn’t know about the W.I. and what she didn't she would go to great lengths to find out. She like things done properly and worked very hard for this. She organised interesting outings—a late member left us a legacy with the wish it to be used for the benefit of its members and she respected this e.g. bus outing to Gainsborough Old Hall, museum at Woodall Spa, theatre trips to Louth, Grimsby Auditorium and Skegness. and was a group Convenor (organiser) for a number of years Janet always remembered birthdays celebrations, good and sad occasions with cards and flowers. Lately Janet suffered ill health but there were not many meetings she missed. She was delegate at annual meetings and when at Albert Hall went along with W.I.to see Calendar Girls. I enjoyed Janet’s own style of humour. We will miss you Janet. Brenda Williams President W.I.
Janet had served as a Parish Councillor for Maltby-le-Marsh for 11 years from July 2009. She was conscientious and always had the community at heart. She will be sadly missed by her Family and Friends. David Whitehouse. Chairman, Maltby-le-Marsh Parish Council.
Donations at the crematorium raised £90 and will go to the chosen charity of Air Ambulance.
Brain Tumour Research Annual Walks of Hope.
A big thank you to our village neighbours, from Pete and Wendy Breeds, for your support in raising awareness and funding for Brain Tumour Research. When Pete was diagnosed with brain tumour earlier this year, we soon became aware that this cancer affects all ages, most sadly including children. As a small way of contributing to the funding needed to combat this most aggressive of cancers, Wendy suggested that we attempt some fund raising of our own. We had a simple plan, to a raise a few hundred pounds by Pete doing a sponsored walk. As a result of his condition, walking any distance is a challenge for him. The walk would inevitably include Hope, our aptly named English Setter. The plan was for Pete to walk 3km and raise £100 per kilometre, primarily from family and friends. However, Wendy’s Facebook conversations concerning the walk generated an entirely unexpected level of interest, both in the village and beyond. On the day of the walk Covid restrictions prevented the kind of get together that we envisaged, but didn’t affect the walk itself save for some personal distancing. Some 25 family and neighbours joined us for the walk, despite poor weather. In addition, friends from other parts of the country, indeed other parts of the world, joined us to walk the 3kms, each in their various locations. You may not be surprised to learn that the Walk exceeded the hoped for £300. In fact, with your donations and the support of family, friends and work colleagues, we raised a total of £2,627 (inclusive of gift aid) for Brain Tumour Research. Every contribution helps defeat this cancer and gives hope to future generations. A huge thank you to all of you for your support. Peter and Wendy Breeds.
Speeding Traffic
Four years ago, we were told by BT that our village did not have a chance of having fibre optic broadband installed. I raised a petition, signed by a majority of the residents, stating that we wanted fast broadband connections and took this to our MP, Victoria Atkins. Victoria joined our campaign and we had a village meeting in the hall together with the big wigs of BT, Virgin and the LCC. Shortly afterwards we had fibre optic broadband installed. A success. Recently I have been contacted by a number of our residents concerning the increased traffic and speed at which they pass through the village. This has been more obvious this summer. Due to the pandemic people have undoubtedly been holidaying at home and this has brought about an increase in holiday caravan rental. The speed of vehicles through the village is of concern. Motorcycles have passing through the village during the fine weather during weekdays and weekends and some of these riders do not keep to the speed limit but it is by no means restricted to just motorcycles. There are apparently no traffic police in our area other than passing through the village, also at high speed with blue lights and sirens on. I therefore propose that we pressurise the Lincolnshire County Council to slow traffic passing through the village by installing traffic calming measures in the village. We have the right of a peaceful calm village and I intend to campaign for this right. I will be approaching residents to sign a petition which will be handed to our County Council representative.
Annual Parish Meeting 2020
I open my report by again thanking my fellow Councillors for their support in the past year, in particular Brenda Williams who despite a difficult year has always been keen to help and advise. The May elections fortunately saw us all re-elected without opposition! Sandra Harrison and Graham Cullen were also re-elected to ELDC for their respective wards. We do appreciate their regular attendances at our meetings with Graham having a dual role as a County Councillor. Sincere thanks also to our clerk Graham Simpson for all the work he does on our behalf. We have held 7 meetings in the year. We have continued to pursue the footpath from Grange Leisure to Mablethorpe. It seems at long last it may come to fruition. The Turks Head remains open with new owners who I understand intend to serve food in the not too distant future. We have considered several planning applications in the year as well as an application to remove a field hedge and fell a tree. We have responded accordingly though it does seem the policy of protected frontage has been abandoned without notice by ELDC to allow even more houses to be built. This despite over 12 properties in the village still up for sale. The annual Garden Competition for the Anne Graves Cup was won by Sally Wilby of Braeside with Tracey and Rick Chapman of Willow Lodge runners up. Our thanks again to Woodthorpe Hall Garden Centre for their sponsorship, and for carrying out the judging. We continue to administer the Anne Bolles Educational Foundation. There were no applications in the year. Speeding in the village continues to cause concern. We have not been offered the Police sign in the year. Philip Baildon has been successful in getting the respective bodies to fill their potholes. Sadly, it’s a never-ending job. I conclude by thanking John Alldridge for his excellent Newsletter and Jane Gray for auditing our accounts. Robert Aldrich continues to do excellent work keeping the Churchyard tidy and the grass areas and footpaths maintained. During the year the footpaths near Oak Farm was cleared and we looking to do others. David Whitehouse Chairman, Maltby le Marsh Parish Council.
This Year’s Farming.
It is now a year since I wrote last article for the village newsletter. Who would have imagined that this year we would have experienced the deadly Covid 19 epidemic, with over 40,000 deaths and a country in lockdown for months? Joan and I were in South America at the time and spent 2 1/2 weeks longer there as we could not get home as scheduled. While writing this newsletter I shall break off at 8 p.m. to listen to the Prime Ministers latest proposals which no doubt will not be good news but also necessary. Going back to last year’s newsletter I said I and most other farmers had had a very good harvest. This year has been the opposite. The reason being the very wet Autumn and early spring followed by three very dry months. I like many other farmers drilled no grain in the autumn. Many farmers also suffered problems in oil seed rape with flea beetle. Seed dressing for this problem is banned in the U.K. but not in Europe. This year I drilled spring wheat and spring barley, both of which have now been harvested. This year I sold the straw to a neighbour which he baled immediately behind the combine and cleared the fields of bales straight away. Three days later the stubbles were worked in preparation for 2021 harvest year. The tractor and machine doing this work was working 24 hrs. a day with two drivers working in shifts. My land down Fen Lane I drilled with Phacelia to use as a green manure crop and soil conditioner as to leave the land uncropped does the land no good. I would like to think that the not cropping this land this year I shall reap the benefits over the coming year. The crop of Phacelia was on land that runs up to the main road into Mablethorpe, and caused quite a lot of interest among motorist and others as it had a dark blue flower and I know it was photographed by many people. I have two friends from Louth who put 5 hives of bees in the corner of the field for a month while it was in flower. The smallest hive produced 80lbs of excellent honey in four weeks. The sad thing was that someone found great pleasure in turning all five hives over, but luckily no great damage was done. All I have to add is that we all keep clear of this covid virus and look forward to a more normal year next year. John Moody
Village Hall News
Another casualty due to the virus is that the village hall will be closed for all events until further notice and the AGM for the new committee has also been postponed, the present committee will be continuing as usual.
Maltby Scarecrow Festival.
This was Maltby-le-Marsh’s first scarecrow festival and we would like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and support, particularly those that entered the competition and sponsor! It has been tremendous. Despite adverse weather conditions we had 29 scarecrows on display and many people walking or driving the trail to view them. The judges panel visited all installations the afternoon 0f the 27th and made their decision about prize winners.
1st. Becky & Paul Mathews with “Drunk in the Toilet” £60 voucher for Gerardo’s.
2nd. Wendy HillAndrews with “Aunt Sally”. £50 voucher for The Stables.
3rd. Sue Bromfiekld with “Cycle accident in the hedge.” Breakfast for 2 at Oham Lakes.
4th. Julie Ann Marshall with “is it Bill or is Ben” £20 voucher for The Louth Hotel.
5th. Amanda Scurry with “Old Mill house Minions” locally grown box of veggies.
As you have all gone to great efforts in making your scarecrow, would you like to consider maximising your efforts and transforming it into a Halloween display in the last week of October to tie in with Mablethorpe’s Scarecrow/Pumpkin competition. This one will be just for fun in Maltby and no prizes. Hopefully others will join in. The judges with the task of sorting the winners were Cllr. Graham Cullen and David Wilkinson, James and Joy Ashe from Greenway Green Waste Services, many thanks also to Lincs. Signs for the advertising display. We have thoroughly enjoyed organising this for the village and with much appreciation for your support. Helen Lanzetta & Julie Montgomery
Maltby Service Station.
A short time after we bought the garage in 1987 an elderly couple pulled onto the forecourt and introduced themselves as Mr & Mrs Duckworth, the first owners of what would later become Maltby Service Station. They told us that in 1954 they moved into the house next, door, known as Hillcrest, which at the time owned all the un-developed land to the corner where the bungalow, The Causeway now stands. They operated a small tearoom from their front room and had two petrol tanks installed and a “hut” for the petrol assistant to shelter from the weather and take the money. They said that the road was busy at the weekends with coaches coming from all over the midlands and said they stayed for several years before selling up and moving to Louth. The buildings were gradually added by different owners during the 1960’s, our neighbour Harold Marshall remembers helping out at the weekends when he was a lad and even helped to build one of the older extensions. The house was added in 1964, taking the form of a small showroom downstairs with a flat above. At some point during these years Hillcrest was sold and later the land where the bungalow, Back to Front, The Conifers, Ridgeway, and The Causeway were Subsequently built, was also sold. Previous owners included families Reeves, Watson, Tom and Diane Watts and their son James and for a short while, Bill and Susan Surman and family. I believe I am right in saying that we have been here the longest, at 33 years next month. You can’t have failed to notice that the demolition of the workshop and forecourt has now been completed. As Laurance reached retirement age and no children to pass the business on to, we took the decision with great regret, mindful that the villagers have lost another amenity. We remain in our home, which we are busy renovating, and look forward to taking a more active role in village life once again, when the dreaded Covid-19 threat is over. Laurence and Jane Gray
Canines and Covid-19.
Never to return, life as we know it ceased in March 2020. This does not affect just humans. Any changed mode of living also affects all animals, birds and reptiles especially if they are in a domestic setting. This article concerns dogs but many of the issues mentioned relate to any pet. Once a puppy is old enough and has completed the usual course of vaccinations it is normal to take him/ her out for walks. In this way he/she gets used to seeing other people and other dogs. This socialisation is a very important part of a dogs learning and should be undertaken at an early stage. Because humans have to practice social distancing the puppies are not getting socialised. They are probably getting the opposite message as the humans are very wary as they pass. This means that if they happen to have a dog this is kept away also. Many owners choose to take their dogs to puppy classes, maybe, followed by basic obedience classes and in this way a dog is socialised in a controlled environment. Dog clubs are unable to operate so this avenue is not available to owners. Lack of socialisation will affect the dog’s behaviour for the rest of its life and we now have the first generation of what might be referred to as Covid-19 dogs. In some cases, dogs have been going without veterinary care as vets have only been able to give restricted services. This means that routine check-ups and annual vaccinations have been delayed. Also matters that should have been investigated and treated, have not. In addition to this some owners facing financial difficulties may struggle to pay vet bills for their pet. Where a dog’s human family has been at home all day, working furloughed, shielding or isolating the dog gets used to that. When the humans leave the dog for long periods of time again, or in the case of a new puppy for the first time, this can lead to behavioural issues like separation anxiety. Some owners may struggle to deal with their pets changed behaviour. The tragedy is that none of these things are the fault of the dog. It can only be hoped that lack of money or behaviour with which the owner cannot cope do not result in the dog being mistreated, neglected or abandoned. Gordon Pack
New residents at Old Mill House.
In May 2020, the Maltby Alpacas finally arrived at the Old Mill House, 3 gorgeous fluffy weanlings called Teddy, Po and Louie Alpacas are gentle, inquisitive animals and are very versatile for a number of things. They are social herd animals and should only be kept in herds and a minimum of 3 of the same sex. They graze the land without destroying the roots, their feet are gentle, so they don’t pull out the grass roots. They are part of the Camelid family of Llamas and Camels; they are much smaller than a Llama and generally won’t spit at a human on purpose. Alpacas need to be sheared annually as their fleece grows so strong that they could overheat during summer. Their fleece is hypo allergenic, waterproof and fire resistant, it can be spun into yarn to make beautiful items which is very popular due to the value it brings. Their poop (also known as Alpaca Gold), is highly popular with gardeners and veg growers. It’s great because you don’t have to leave it to dry out before spreading it in your beds, and you make fertiliser for pot and house plants. It’s also great for turning into fire bricks for a log burner. They have become very popular for Alpaca “trekking”, used as therapy animals, children's parties, and the latest is being used in the photos at weddings due to their cuteness. The Maltby Alpacas are just lawnmowers and pets, but they entertain us daily with their antics and at playtime. They eat grass, veg and fruit, they enjoy foraging so you need to be careful they do not access toxic plants. They also are good guards for chickens as they will chase or kill a fox if they have to. Beesby village has their own herd of 11 lovely Alpacas, so if you wish to walk an Alpaca, or learn more about their different experiences, please visit them at www.bigskyalpacas.co.uk Phil Scurry
Village Hall Facebook Page.
On the MALTBY-LE-MARSH Facebook page there are details of how residents of the village can assist the hall by fund raising by purchasing through Amazon. Search for smile.amazon.co.uk to join. The chosen charity is Strubby Beesby and Maltby Village Hall. For each purchase the hall receives 0.05% of the net purchases. The hall is a charity and we need the help of residents to keep the maintained and ready to fully open when we can safely do so.
WI News.
We managed to squeeze our Annual Meeting in just before lockdown and we were pleased to welcome Susan Proctor and Pearl White as new committee members. We have not been able to meet as a group since, as the pandemic as so unpredictable. During lockdown we have kept in touch by phone, and we have been receiving LNWI News and the WI Life magazine. The Alford Group of WI’s have postponed their planned meetings for this year and are hoping to hold them in 2021 on the equivalent dates. Our members will be contacted as to our situation as things change. Maureen Walters
Nimble Fingers.
Just managing to have a meeting on the 11th September before changed restrictions were enforced, 10 members attended to enjoy an afternoon of crafting and knitting. Social distancing was observed with Mo checking temperatures on arrival. Tea and cakes were served during the afternoon as usual. Well done Mo for the afternoon.