Editorial policy Roundabout aims to promote local events, groups and businesses and to keep everyone informed of anything that affects our community. We avoid lending support (in the form of articles) to any social, political or religious causes, and we reserve the right to amend or omit any items submitted. The final decision rests with the editors. While Roundabout is supported by Woodhouse Parish Council, we rely on advertisements to pay production costs, and we accept advertisements for local businesses as well as those that publicise charitable and fund-raising events. Brief notification of events in the ‘What’s on’ schedule is free. Copyright in any articles published is negotiable but normally rests with Roundabout. We apologise for any errors that might occur during production and will try to make amends in the following issue. Roundabout needs your input. For guidelines on submission, please see inside the back cover. Management and production Roundabout is managed on behalf of the community and published by the Editorial and Production Team comprising Richard Bowers, Evelyn Brown, Peter Crankshaw, Amanda Garland, Andrew Garland, Tony Lenney, Rosemary May, Neil Robinson, Grahame Sibson and Andy Thomson. Content editor for this issue: Evelyn Brown Cover: Neil Robinson Advertising managers: Amanda and Andrew Garland Desk-top publishing (page layout) for this issue: Richard Bowers Printing: Loughborough University Printing Services Roundabout is available to read or download from the parish council website at www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/roundabout.html Distribution: Roundabout is delivered by volunteers to every address within the parish boundary – just under 1000 households and businesses, including all the surrounding farms. Please let us know if any house or business in Woodhouse Parish is not receiving Roundabout, or if you can help out with deliveries. 2 Roundabout March 2012 Contents Page Editor’s note 5 Parish council news 5 News in brief 7 A Wren in wartime 13 A Woodhouse Eaves village quiz 17 Tales of the doctors’ surgeries 18 The Diamond Jubilee draws closer 22 Look behind you! The long awaited village ‘panto’ 24 Access to paths and the countryside: notes from your heritage wardens 27 Garden matters for March 31 Local History Group 32 The last word 34 Contributions to Roundabout Inside back cover What’s on in March Back cover Deadline for submissions to the April 2012 issue: Saturday, 10th March Email to [email protected] or hand in at the post office Content editor for April 2012 issue: Peter Crankshaw Roundabout March 2012 3 4 Roundabout March 2012 Editor’s note This month’s issue of Roundabout is full of nostalgia, with Hilary Selby and Sue Dryden looking back to a time when there was no dedicated doctor’s surgery in Woodhouse Eaves and so ad hoc arrangements had to be put in place if patients wanted to see a doctor locally (p.18); then even further back to the whole-community celebrations held in the village to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (p.22). Meanwhile, Dorothy Jones recalls her life as a Wren during World War II, assigned to dangerous wartime work that required competency, a steady hand and a great deal of courage (p.13). Moving to the present day, tribute is paid to the cast, producer and behind- the-scenes members of The Beacon Players for producing yet another fun- packed pantomime at the end of January to entertain large audiences (p.24). Finally, with the prospect of spring on the horizon, our heritage wardens take a look at the various sorts of public rights of way and permissive paths that allow us to gain access to the beautiful Charnwood countryside (p.27). Evelyn Brown Parish council news Return of the village stocks? A resident has asked whether the parish council could replace the village stocks that used to be on the triangle outside St Mary’s Church in Woodhouse, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Members expressed the view that, although this was an interesting idea, there were no plans to replace them. Goodbye to the piano Following advice from a piano tuner, who came along in preparation for the Beacon Players’ pantomime, the council reluctantly agreed to dispose of the village hall piano as it was thought to be beyond tuning, unless a lot of money was spent on it. The piano was bought second hand in 1994; however, with the rise in the quality of electronic keyboards, it has been little used in recent years. If you are willing to take it away and work on it, please get in touch with the clerk as soon as possible: tel. (01509) 890 050 or email: [email protected] Health and safety checks One of the jobs on which the council spends parishioners’ money is a series of health and safety checks each year on items such as fire extinguishers, toxic materials such as asbestos, gas supplies and fittings, electrical systems and water systems. The checks are not cheap because the council Roundabout March 2012 5 has to employ appropriately qualified professionals. This year some important electrical and water system work will be carried out in all the parish council buildings. As it isn’t always possible for staff to work during hours outside those of regular group bookings, the council hopes that this work won’t disrupt community activities going on at the time. Car park closures With so many visitors coming to Woodhouse Eaves, the car park is sometimes congested at periods other than school-time. The car park is owned by the parish council but is a Charnwood Borough Council public car park during weekday office hours, for which a small annual contribution of £100 is paid to the parish for upkeep and lighting costs. The parish council has decided to have two sets of road signs made, which can be used for big local events, e.g. the May Day Challenge, the Horticultural and Craft Show, Open Gardens weekend, and the Scarecrow Festival, so that event organisers can restrict who has access to the car park. One of these sets will be used to warn the public during the weeks ahead of an event. This might encourage people to walk, or other groups of visitors to consider using different parking locations. The second set will be used on the day of the event. Scout hut The Woodhouse Eaves Scout Group is making great progress in fundraising for new accommodation (see, also, p.17). The council has now received architect’s plans and a quantity surveyor’s costings for a village hall extension to house scout group meetings and also those of other groups and societies wishing to meet in the parish. The estimated cost of the extension, which includes re-modelling the rear access to the car park, is around £160,000. Planning and external funding applications are underway but if, in a couple of months’ time, it looks unlikely that this amount can be raised, there is a ‘Plan B’. Meanwhile, hearty congratulations to all scout group members and parents whose fantastic efforts have already generated funds which continue to rise in total. Next meeting See ‘What’s on’ for details of the next parish council meetings. If you would like something to go on an agenda, please get in touch with the clerk a week before the meeting; email: [email protected] or tel. (01509) 890 050. Ann Irving, Clerk to the Council For Parish Council information, including meeting dates and minutes, see http://woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/ 6 Roundabout March 2012 News in brief Woodhouse Eaves in bloom Following the outstanding successes of the annual Woodhouse Eaves Open Gardens in June, the Horticultural and Craft Show in September, the scouts’ Scarecrow Festival in October, and the Beacon Players’ pantomime in January (see p.24), a small committee from the village has entered Woodhouse Eaves in the ‘East Midlands in Bloom’ competition. No expense will be incurred and the village will be judged in July. Pamphlets giving more details are available from shops in the village; alternatively, telephone Eric Allsop on (01509) 890 054. Eric Allsop Things that go crash in the night Just after 7.00am on Saturday, 21st January, while it was still dark, the residents of the row of cottages to the right of The Wheatsheaf on Brand Hill were woken by a whoosh, a crash and a dog barking. A large beech tree, situated in the side garden to no.80, had been felled by the wind, its fall broken to some extent by the stone wall The tree blocks Brand Hill (courtesy of Sarah Morley) which it demolished. Sarah Morley, who is training for the London Marathon, was on her way back from an early morning run when she saw the tree, which she describes as having fallen squarely across the road. As she comments, ‘Luckily it had missed the nearby buildings and any traffic.’ Inspecting the damage (courtesy of Carl, who lives at no.80 Brand Hill, told Peter Crankshaw) Roundabout how his son went out to flag down approaching traffic. One car coming at speed had a near miss, as did Carl’s son, when the driver appeared oblivious to the blockage and only just managed to stop in time. By the time Sarah arrived, a policeman on a mountain bike had turned up to assume control and representatives from the council were waiting for a team of tree surgeons to arrive. Roundabout March 2012 7 8 Roundabout March 2012 Roundabout co-editor Peter Crankshaw photographed the clearance operation while Carl helped Col Martin, on whose land the tree had been growing, to load the cut logs into a trailer.