FULL HOUSE: Sutton church was full to capacity on Monday 27th January when family, friends, neighbours and colleagues gathered to give thanks for the life of village resident Jean Heason. A popular and prominent figure in the village, Jean was well-known in Nursing Circles locally and further afield and was held in high esteem during her many years in the profession, with many of her colleagues in attendance to pay their respect.
She was also well known for her charity work and supported many worthwhile causes locally. Being a member of so many clubs and societies kept her very busy and she never really retired and was ready to help others when required. The Soroptomists, Ladies Luncheon Clubs, Women’s Institute, WRVS, Floral Society and the Village Hall Committee all benefited from Jean’s input over many years. Baking, jam making and flower arranging were amongst her many hobbies and pastimes and her produce often found its way to stalls and displays for charities in and around the village and in Retford. Her Lemon Curd recipe became legendary.
A big supporter of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice Jean wrote and published a book of stories, recipes and anecdotes with the proceeds from sales going to her favourite charity. Donations received in lieu of flowers were also destined for the Children’s Hospice.
Her passing will leave a large void in the rural communities.
ST.BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH: On Sunday 2nd February a “Candlemas Service” will take place at the local church. Candlemas is the Christian festival of lights.
This ancient festival marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox. February 2nd, or Candlemas, was the day of the year when all the candles that were used in the church during the coming year were brought into church and a blessing was said over them – so it was the Festival Day (or ‘Mass) of the candles. People believed that Candlemas Day predicted the weather for the rest of the year. Weather proverbs evolved: If Candlemas Day be fair and bright – winter shall have another fight!
The service starts at the usual time of 9:30am and everyone is welcome.
NETWORK RAIL: Network Rail have announced that essential improvement works are scheduled to take place on Saturday 1st February 2014 at 10:00pm until Sunday 2nd February at 10:00am at the Sutton / Barnby Moor level crossing.
Drivers should note times and dates of crossing closure.
FUNDING GRANT: The Village Hall Committee were proud to receive a grant of £400 from the Mansfield Building Society. The grant was to assist the hall committee replace or replenish items of cutlery and utensils as they strive to upgrade the hall for the benefit of the community at large. These items will be used on a regular basis at functions in the hall, mainly for fund-raising events.
Mr Brian Seddons representing the Mansfield Building Society was on hand to present the cheque just before the commencement of the Burns Supper held last Saturday night, 25th January.
CRAFT CLASSES: Craft classes continue to operate in the Village Hall on the first Wednesday of each month. The next session is scheduled for Wednesday 5th February 2014 from 7:00pm until 9:30pm. The new sessions are £10.00 per visit.
Booking is advisable due to limited places. To book or find out more please ring 07788 722 099.
POLICE ACTIVITIES: Police have increased their presence in the village over the last week after various incidents were highlighted in the area. PCSO Aaron Stocks has been seen in different parts of the village and acknowledged residents as they went about their daily business.
SCHOOL NEWS: Our regular Community Lunches have been postponed for the time being until the current building works are completed.
If anyone has started spring cleaning , your good quality second hand clothing and household linens can be left in the clothing container to the rear of school building. Not only does it mean that items are recycled, it also is a way of raising funds for the school, which is greatly appreciated. The next Ragtex collection will be on February 14th, thank you for your continued help in this way.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: The committee met as scheduled on Wednesday 29th January and a full report will follow.
SUTTON GARDENING CLUB: The next meeting of the club is on Tuesday 4th February at 7:15pm in the Village Hall when Mr and Mrs Cocks of Taylor’s Clematis nursery near Doncaster will deliver an illustrated talk entitled ‘Clematis through the seasons’. This promises to be an excellent evening provided by clematis experts with a national reputation– all welcome.
VILLAGE VENTURES: Village Ventures is proud to present a new Perspective Theatre production of: “HIM WITH HIS FOOT IN HIS MOUTH”. A hilarious one-man show about saying the wrong thing. The performance will take place on Sunday evening 16th February at 7:00pm for 7:30pm start in Sutton Village hall. This is the first ever UK stage production of a work by Saul Bellow, 3-time winner of the National Book Award and winner of the Nobel prize for literature. So we are quite proud that we have managed to secure for our village what is probably the best offering from the latest Village Ventures Catalogue.
Suitable for ages 14 plus. Tickets are £8.00 (£4.00 for 16 and under) and are available from:
- Nigel Johnson: 01777 948320, 27 Portland Place
- Pick’s Store in the village
- Frank Bradley 01777 705060, 55 Station Road
- or can be reserved online at www.suttonvillagehall .net
BURNS SUPPER: When the twelfth Annual Burns Supper took place in the village hall on Saturday 25th January all sixty allocated places were filled, (Burns’ official birthday being celebrated on 25th January) the local event had been sold out many weeks previously.
Once again the hall was tastefully decorated with the tartans of the many Scottish Clans. The Scottish Standard and the Saltire were also on display.
On arrival the guests were greeted with a skirl of the pipes, courtesy of local piper Andy Jones and invited to join in a sherry reception, the ladies receiving a sprig of Heather. After a formal welcome and the usual health and safety brief, the gathering were asked to stand for the Selkirk Grace prior to the starters being served. This was conducted by Gail Bradley chief hunter for the evening.
After the first course chairman Frank Bradley gave the usual warm welcome and outlined the evenings programme and introduced the evenings’ entertainment in the form of friends and fellow Scots Graham Bonnyman and Bill Burgin.
The Haggis was piped in by Andy Jones and delivered to the top table by the catering staff, where it was duly addressed by the chief hunter. Diners were upstanding to toast the Haggis, the piper and chef being offered the traditional libation. A few words about the Bard himself followed, outlining his greatness, if only for a few short years, but still remembered the world over today.
Diners continued to enjoy an excellent meal provided by Joan Goodman Catering. After the meal and during a short break for teas and coffees, a short survey was carried out to ascertain the gatherings knowledge of Scotland and place names therein.
People being well travelled today and the many Anglo-Scots present resulted in high-scoring all round with only one point separating the winning table from those in second place. More stories and poems followed, some true, some hard to believe.
Certificates were presented those attending a Burns Supper for the first time here at Sutton. A grand raffle and more banter took the event nearer a close when resident piper Andy Jones played a short medley of tunes for those present.
A vote of thanks was given to all those who helped in any way. A communal sing-a-long followed led by the evening’s main entertainers.
A final toast was proposed to the immortal memory of Robert Burns Scotland’s most famous Bard. The piper brought the evening to a close with an another offering from the Bard himself, “Auld Lang Syne” which is sung at the end of events all over the world.
This brought a very enjoyable evening to a close, celebrating twelve consecutive years of Burns nights here in Sutton, and thinking about the next. The Burns supper once again proved to be a great success, mainly due to the efforts of the organisers and friends who gave of their time so freely to make it so.
The format for the supper was arranged and coordinated by Sharon Dyson and Gail Bradley with support from the Village Hall committee and loyal friends. Profits raised by the event is destined for Village Hall funds. Thanks go to all who assisted in any way.
VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEE: The Village Hall committee met in the hall on Wednesday night (22dn January) with Sharon Dyson taking the chair. A report will follow.
SUTTON AND BARNBY MOOR W.I.: The WI ladies met on Wednesday 15th January at 7:15pm in Sutton Village Hall for the first meeting in 2014 which was also Member’s Night. This was the opportunity for the members to catch up on all the happenings that took place over the festive season.
The meeting began on a sombre note when members observed a minutes silence for fellow member Jean Heason who recently passed away.
After opening the meeting proper with the singing of “Jerusalem” the official business took place. The President Jackie Payne was pleased to welcome 3 new members to the group and some prospective members who were visiting for the first time.
The previous minutes were read by Secretary Michelle Jaafar and were approved by those present. Jackie Payne gave out the official notices.
This being “Members Night” Val Moore brought in a box of 40’s Memorabilia and encouraged members to choose an item from the box and identify what its use was. For some this was no problem, whilst others were unsure and this certainly gave some ladies ages away on the night. Lots of memories of bygone days and lots of banter amongst the members on the night. An entertaining evening, enjoyed by most present. The President gave the vote of thanks at the end of the evening; refreshments were in the capable hands of Sally Palmer and Mavis Bradley.
Next meeting of the group is scheduled for Wednesday 19th February 2014 when local man Richard Rogers will talk about Pottery – Hands on! Don’t miss it.
MEET THE NEIGHBOURS: The Meet the Neighbour’s Group met on Tuesday 14th January in the Village Hall at the usual time of 2:00pm.
A larger turnout than usual for the first meeting of the year, with organizer Joan Reiter and her team on hand to welcome friends and neighbours’ old and new to the event. Villagers socialized for the session whilst taking afternoon tea and catching up on all the news from in and around the area. Apologies were received from County Councillor Liz Yates who was attending a full council meeting in Nottingham.
A uniform presence was warmly welcomed by those present when PCSO’s David Airey and Aaron Stocks turned up and circulated with the gathering. The officers brought residents up to date with the latest reported incidents and advised them to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious on 101. Challenge anything out of the ordinary, without being confrontational.
The usual notices were given out and the raffle took place. During the afternoon session numbers fluctuated but a total of 32 villagers and friends made the effort to “Meet the Neighbours”. More next month.
SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS: The Safer Neighbourhood Team under the jurisdiction of the of our local Beat manager PC Jason Fellows assisted by PCSO Aaron Stocks are conducting a survey in our area and require your assistance Entitled “Have Your Say” the survey allows residents to tell the team what issues affect them most in their area and what action they would like to see taken to remedy the situation.
Visit www.neighbourhoodprioritysurvey.co.uk to take part in the survey, remember your input is important! To speak to your local beat team call 0300 300 99 99 or visit your local Police Station.
SUTTON ART GROUP: The group meet every Friday morning in the Village Hall and will continue throughout the season. Further details of the group and their activities are available from either:
- Maggie Beare on (01777) 710 589, mags@maggiebeare.co.uk
or
- Joan Reiter on (01777) 702 137, joan.reiter@tiscali.co.uk
COUNTY COUNCILLOR: With all the talk of planning applications for quarrying for minerals and sand and gravel in the surrounding area plus applications for Solar parks or farms which may affect those living in the rural communities your County Councillor Mrs. Liz Yates has some information on these subjects and is available for consultation on these matters and others.
If you have any issues or concerns then your County Councillor Mrs Liz Yates can be contacted at any reasonable time on 01777 860 219.
DISTRICT COUNCILLOR: Tracey Taylor, District Councillor for Sutton Ward can be contacted at any reasonable time on 01777 816 781 or mobile 07771 629 380.
PARISH COUNCIL: The re-scheduled Parish Council meeting was held Thursday 16th January 2014 in the Village Hall at the usual starting time of 7:00pm. Five councillors and the clerk to the council were present along with eight members of the public with apologies being received form absent councillors. District Councillor Tracey Taylor was on hand to help and advise if necessary.
Various agenda items were debated during the evening many to the satisfaction of the members of the public present.
The Parish Council normally meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Village Hall. There is a public participation period and all residents are welcome to attend. For further information please contact the Clerk at clerk@suttoncumlound.net or call the Sutton Central number: 07092 985 871.
POLICE: The local Beat Team for the BERL beat ( Bassetlaw East Ranskill / Lound) are as follows:
PC 3258 Jason Fellows Tel: 101 ext. 8077 364, Mobile: 07525 226 893
PCSO 4778 Aaron Stocks Tel: 101 ext. 8077 364, Mobile: 07824 457 397
VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS: Enquiries with regard to the booking of the Village Hall should be made by contacting 07092 985 831. Anyone making enquiries please note that the number is not manned on a permanent basis, but calls are re-routed to one of three points for their attention and will be dealt with as soon as possible. Please be patient and your enquiry will be dealt with. Thanks for your cooperation.
The Village Hall web site is available at www.suttonvillagehall.net or email: bookings@suttonvillagehall.net.
POSTAL SERVICES: The Post Office in the Village Hall will be available as usual on two occasions each week. On Mondays 9:30am to 1:30pm and on Thursdays 9:00am to 1:00pm. The local office can supply residents with: Pensions, Foreign Currency, Travel Insurance, Car insurance, investments and Savings.
WHEELIE BINS: Residents are reminded that Blue bins should be put out for collection late on Monday night (3rd February) or early Tuesday morning (4th).