The Village Magazine of

Mattersey & Thorpe

NHS Rainbow at MAY 2020 Mattersey Church 1 Some useful telephone numbers: Commercial Services: Beauty Therapist:(Mobile or Salon), Dermalogica Products-Diane 01777-817639 Boiler/Central Heating Service: Alex Perry 07598-186001, [email protected] Challenge Carpet Cleaning: Martyn Cliff -Taylor, Freephone 0800-3287941 Electrician: Beacon Electrical. Call Richard - 07767-358518 Foot Care: Jane Cavanna 01777-816696 Holmegarth Garage: Jono Hunt 01909-591984 & 07967-823869, Pest Control—Buzz Off: Paul Drage 07706-747073 & 01777-816074 Priory Garage: Dave Phillips 01777-816606 Taxi Service: Bawtry Private Hire 01302-752300 Therapist: Aromatherapy, Massage, Reiki, Reflexology - Katherine 07779-272820

Please email or phone the Editor if you would like to advertise your services Community Services: Alcohol Advice Service:01777-272244, Alcoholics Anonymous:0114-2701984 Bassetlaw DC Councillor: [email protected] 07931-014035 Bawtry & Blyth Medical: 01302-710210 Cat & Dog Re–Homing Centre: Mayflower Sanctuary 01302 711330, Church Warden: Anne Mills 01777-818398 Church Hall Bookings: Julie German 01777-817589 Crimestoppers: 0800-555111 Electricity Emergency: Landline 0800-6783-105 from mobiles 0330-123-5009 Hedgehog Rescue: Seventh Heaven: Sue Smith 01777–701794, 07842-0066318 Mattersey Primary School Head Teacher: Mr. Paul Higginbottom Tel: 01777-817265, e-mail: [email protected] MP: email [email protected] tel: 0207-219-3000 Notts Community Housing: Register at www.alhomefinder.org.uk. Immediately available homes contact lettings.@ncha.org.uk or tel 0800 013 8555 Notts County Councillor: Tracey Taylor, tel work: 0115-804-3177 / home: 01777- 816781 / mobile: 07770-847086, e-mail: [email protected] Police: Beat Manager—East Bassetlaw: PC 3258 Jason Fellows tel 07525-226893 email: jason.fellows@.pnn.police.uk Police Community Support Officer: PCSO 9433 Lucy Campion tel: 07525 989445 email: [email protected] All non emergencies: 101 Power Cut Emergency Number: 105 RSPCA National Cruelty Line: 0300-1234999 Samaritans: 08457-909090 Vicar: Jonathan Strickland 01302-710298, email [email protected]

2 Editorial—May 2020 We are now about a month and a half into the Covid-19 lockdown and life has changed, hopefully temporarily, in ways we could never have imagined only a few short weeks ago. Many more people than you would normally see are taking their permitted 1 hour daily exercise around the village. There are many more conversations taking place, albeit at a safe distance, than previously. “Traffic lights” may become necessary over the old Idle bridge crossing given the weight of pedestrian traffic using it now. We are lucky the weather is pretty good at the moment—just imagine how much worse it would be if it was raining during the day. The gardens wouldn’t have complained though ! My favourite season is here and spring always feels an optimistic time as the natural world regenerates itself. Nature doesn’t stand still for any reason and there are so many sights and sounds to be seen and heard. This issue of Idle Talk focuses mainly on what natural sights can be seen around the area especially as none of the organised events usually advertised are going ahead. For that reason this edition is mainly pictorial with photographs from the local area taken during late March & April. While mostly they have been taken locally, several are from Chesterfield Canal Trust members and are attributed as such. If you have any photos taken during the lockdown, which can be published, please send them to me for inclusion in next month’s edition. Following my request to get more subscribers to the electronic edition another 12 people have signed up. There is still room for more, so if you know people who don’t currently take it please get them to email me at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you We will continue with a nominal deadline date of the 24th of month. Best wishes for your continued wellbeing. Steve Digby (Editor) 3 Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service Message on April 16th

NFRS are appealing for you to NOT light bonfires during pandemic. Due to an increased number of controlled burns within the last four weeks, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) have seen a rise of 123% when compared to this time last year. The service is advising people NOT to light bonfires in the garden during the Corona virus pandemic. In recent weeks, the Service has seen a rise in the number of calls to bonfire and ‘controlled burning’ in residential areas after reports by concerned neighbours. NFRS recently attended incidents of garden fires spreading to nearby hedges, fences, sheds and even to houses. An incident took place in the area which resulted in a loss of a summer house and resulted in fire spreading to neighbouring properties. Station Manager Paul Gair said: “As the weather gets warmer and people staying at home in line with government advice, we have seen an increase in residents lighting bonfires and we have had to deal with a number of bonfires that have got out of control. “We are now asking Nottinghamshire residents to refrain from having bonfires due to the potential health implications the smoke could have on the respiratory system. “We also ask you to consider the implications this could have on NFRS at this time due to unnecessary demand of bonfire calls.”

Melanie Rozmus

4

Blossom along the path on north side of the Old Bridge

Blue and White Bells 4

Bench outside Mattersey Church with knitted decorations

Weasel “Kittens” (courtesy of Jan Warsop—Chesterfield Canal Trust) 5 Releasing a Jackdaw accidentally trapped in the house. (Courtesy Liz Clark)

Frogs and their ‘spawn (courtesy of Rod Auton—8Chesterfield Canal Trust)

Mother and one week old foal

9 Seasonal message near Old Bridge Looking towards Harwell

over the rape seed field

Baby Coots (courtesy of Jan Warsop—Chesterfield Canal Trust)

10

NHS Rainbow decorated gate

Small Tortoiseshell taking nectar from Hawthorn blossom

11 Broom in full bloom

Nuthatch feeding (courtesy of Gary Hutchinson - Chesterfield Canal Trust) Roe Deer going to the river for a drink

Peacock Butterfly sunning itself MATTERSEY PARISH COUNCIL

www.matterseypc.co.uk Chairman: Mr. R.Kendall, tel: 01777-817072 Councillors: Mr. M Doughty, tel: 01777-817213 Mrs S. McKay, tel: 01777-816471, Mrs E.Skelton, tel: 01777-817845, Ms S Smith, tel 01777-817022, Mr. A. Walker, tel: 01777-816567, Mrs. H. Wilson, tel: 01777-818846 Clerk to Mattersey Parish Council: Mrs. Adele Haddon, Contact Details: Tel: 01909-731565 email: [email protected] Meetings are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month (excluding August) commencing at 7.00pm in the Church Hall to which everyone is welcome. There is a public forum session to air your views.

EXTRAORDINARY TIMES & COMMUNITY SPIRIT The world is living in an unprecedented situation which is putting lives and livelihoods at risk. The Parish Council hopes that you are all heeding Government advice and staying home and keeping safe. It is at times like this that communities come together to support each other and we would like to thank everyone who has been volunteering and helping others. Particular thanks go to Norman and Nicola in the shop who have gone to great lengths to ensure isolating families get deliveries. They have been frustrated by suppliers and have even tried to purchase goods from supermarkets themselves in order to fulfil customers requests. We hope that residents will continue to support their business in the future. Details of support groups, financial assistance, advice from Government and other notices have been published on the Parish Council’s website and Facebook page.

VE DAY - PUT THE FLAGS OUT Sadly we will not be able to host our VE Day party on the Millennium Green, however that is no reason not to mark the occasion. Let’s put the flags and poppies out throughout the villages, drape your houses in red, white and blue, play those old songs from the 1940’s, dress up, have your own picnics – ‘Till we meet again …..’

13 OTHER CANCELLATIONS The Annual Spring Clean and the Annual Village meeting are both cancelled.

GULLY CLEANING – PLEASE MOVE YOUR CARS IF POSSIBLE The Parish Council has been asked to contact village residents to advise that Nottinghamshire County Council Highways’ regular gully cleansing programme begins this week and runs for a period of weeks in this and neighbouring villages. Due to the current lockdown restrictions, NCC recognise that more residents will be at home and therefore parked on our village streets than would normally be the case. Residents are asked to be aware that the gully cleansing teams will be out in our village and to avoid parking their vehicles near gullies where possible. We realise that this will not be possible at all locations, but the contractors will make best efforts to complete the works as scheduled. Any queries or concerns whilst works are underway can be raised with our County Councillor, Tracey Taylor at [email protected] or by telephone 07770 847086.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGS The Government have introduced new short term regulations permitting necessary Parish Council meetings to be held via video conferencing. Meetings will only take place to discuss time pressured and urgent issues but they must still comply with the Statutory Regulations regarding transparency. It is hoped that the meeting on Wednesday 6th May will be held in this way via Zoom conferencing facility at 7pm. If this is confirmed then details of the agenda will be published in the usual way on our website. Those wishing to participate or briefly raise an issue will be admitted to the meeting but comments must be kept to a minimum to ensure the necessary business can be completed within 30 minutes. Confirmation and details of how to access the meeting will be published after 30th April. This may well be the last meeting for Cllr Sian McKay and the Parish Council would like to thank her for her services to the villages and wish her good luck in her move to Derbyshire.

14 AND FINALLY...... W.I. UPDATED GUIDANCE FOR ISOLATION Right ladies. Judith Bickerstaffe has kindly emailed the crochet patterns for the face masks and matching underwear sets. Anyone who runs out of wool should message Delia who will leave fresh supplies in a vacuum sealed sandwich bag on your doorstep. She will knock the theme tune to Miami Vice on your door so you know it's her, you'll have to take pot luck on colours, but I do know there is a particularly lovely shade of burnt copper. Mavis has drawn up a rota for the Haz Mat suit and WW2 Gas Mask, it is one size fits all so please don't specify size requirements. If any of our less able members need provisions such as bread, milk, wine, Gin or pickled walnuts please contact Cynthia, who will pop to the shops for you providing her moped isn't being used by her grandson for pizza deliveries. Laura will go ahead with her useful and inspirational talk on Christmas and other gifts made from J-cloths via Skype. Currently we will have to abandon our collection of soft toys made from used hosiery, particularly after that unfortunate incident when Derek Malmsbury was found doing unspeakable things to the elephant made by his wife, Nora. I'm sure we all support Nora at this upsetting time. Apparently they WERE Derek's fishnets, which is why he was confused and why he wanted them back. Still that should never be done to a child's soft toy. Connie is finishing off the template for making an emergency face mask and draft excluder from a spare bra. I know some members have raised concerns that as Connie is a 46GG she has more material to work with than most, but she assures me her template will be scalable from 32A upwards. Audrey wants to apologize for the mix-up with the medication run, but please be rest assured Joan suffered no side effects from taking Marjorie Butterworth's husband’s Viagra and haliborange. And likewise Marjorie's husband seems to have responded really well to the HRT. Marjorie says they even agreed on the pattern for their new curtains. Sad news because of the Government announcement, the trip to Leeds and 'Miss Fifi's Private Dungeon and Macrame club' has been postponed and at this moment we don't have a rescheduled date. Great news: we have already started collecting prizes for the summer fayre raffle. It looks like the star prize this year may well be a pack of 9 Andrex Quilted Aloe Vera toilet rolls. Shortly followed by a complete set of knitted Nolan Sisters toilet roll covers. Mavis says any resemblance between Colleen and Anne Widdecombe is purely coincidental. Right Ladies I must dash, I hear Springitts has just had a fresh delivery of tinned prunes. (with apologies to JOYCE GRENFELL) 15