THRUSSINGTON october 2018 Life 2 Thrussington Life Volume 26 --8--18 October 2018 Deadline for articles for the November issue Monday 22nd October 2018

Editor Eddie Guest - 9, Ferneley Rise. Tel: 424223

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: search for Thrussington Life & “Like” Website: Thrussingtonvillage.org

Treasurer Reg Morgan - Tel: 424540

Advertising Mike Harrison - Tel: 424527

Thrussington Life is a free magazine supported by advertising and the Parish Council and delivered to over two hundred local households by volunteers –to whom we are always grateful

The views expressed in this magazine, and contents of contributions, are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor.

www.Thrussingtonvillage.org

Front Cover: Jazz on the Green Photos from Tony Gershlick

3 WelcomeWelcome to to the the October September Edition of ofThrussington Thrussington Life Life Well it has been a very busy Summer, unfortunately I couldn't include “Jazz on the Green” results in last months magazine but as you can see it was very well attended and raised an incredible sum of money for great causes. Yet again the Summer Fayre and Scarecrow trial was another huge success, I have included as many photographs as I could into the article and apologies if I have not been able to attribute the pictures to those who took them. It is lovely to see the involvement from the School as well, there were a lot of children who helped on stalls and they even grew some of the vegetables that were for sale. Very encouraging to see such community involvement! Now we look forward to the Autumn and money raising events for the Christmas Tree in October, Big Band Night for the Village in November and Burns Night for the PTFA in January. All great events and worth supporting. As a final note the December / January issue will be published in the second week of December so please ensure anything for early December is in the November edition Ed the Editor.

WANTED FOR THE VILLAGE HALL

NEW MEMBERS TO JOIN OUR COMMITTEE TO HELP RUN THE HALL AND BRING FRESH IDEAS TO THE COMMITTEE If you are interested please contact any committee member or ring Bev Kearns on 424430 or email on [email protected]

OVER 50’S COFFEE MORNING

Are you over 50 and have a Wednesday morning from 10.30 to 12 free every two weeks, then come along and have a coffee and chat. See diary for the dates.

For further information ring or email Bev Kearns 424430 or [email protected]

4 MARGARET ROSE PROUD

1st February 1936 - 27th August 2018

Margaret Proud was an only child, who lived in and was educated at Humphrey Perkins School in Barrow on Soar When she left school she got a job as wages clerk at the Auster Aircraft factory in , which is where she met her future husband, Ken. They married in August 1956. Ken and Margaret moved into one of the terraced cottages on the Ratcliffe Road in Thrussington and there they brought up their three boys, Edward, Alan and Andrew, who all attended the village school. Margaret became involved in almost every aspect of village life. She was a member of the WI, President in 1978/79, and Secretary for many years. She was a member of the WI drama group and the village drama group which succeeded it, and took part in many of the productions. She kept score for the WI darts team, where her ability to subtract rapidly and accurately was greatly appreciated! She was also a member of the Local History Society, and she and Ken were the cleaners at the village hall for a long time, taking endless care to keep it in tip top shape. She enjoyed evenings in the Blue Lion, playing dominoes with friends. She also loved reading and could often be found at home in the afternoons with her nose in a book. Margaret had a very deep faith, attended church regularly and was a member of the PCC, including serving as its secretary. She also sang in the church choir and was a valued member of the village handbell ringers. When Ken's health deteriorated and he could no longer walk, the Prouds left Thrussington and moved into more suitable accommodation in Syston. Ken died in April 2017. Margaret retained her links with the village, coming to the cinema nights in the village hall, and continuing to act as scorer at WI darts matches, until she became ill early this summer. It was eventually discovered that she had pancreatic cancer and she died in hospital on 27 August. Margaret was kind, dependable, a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she had a lovely sense of humour and was a good friend to many. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Jazz on The Green

Jazz on the Green was a great success and the total raised was just under £2000. The money will be split between  LOROS  Rainbows Childrens Hospice ()  Macmillans A fantastic effort and charities are all very grateful to those in the village who sup- ported them.

5 BLUE LION UPDATE

THE BLUE LION

IS NOW UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

AND WILL OPEN ON

FRIDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER

WITH THE NEW MANAGER

JASON LOOKING FORWARD

TO WELCOMING ALL CUSTOMERS

NEW AND OLD.

6 7 8 VILLAGE HALL NEWS October 2018

The hall has started the autumn with the start of new bookings for next year with wedding receptions and all day events so if you have an event due in the next year please book the hall early to avoid disappointment. The village hall AGM was held at the end of August and was attended by 2 members of the public who voted in the same committee for the next year. We would like to increase our members and would be interested in anyone who would like to join our small friendly committee especially younger members who might have different ideas that the committee might be able to take up. Our cinema evening continue as follows October 13th Journeys End November 24th Greatest Showman December 8th The man who invented Christmas as part of the double bill. Next month we hope to announce some of our films for the New Year so if you have any ideas please let me know,

Bev Kearns, 424430, [email protected]

A Letter From Our Local MP

Although Parliament was on recess over August, the work for MPs of course went on, with a range of local constituency issues to tackle. One such issue locally was Barclays' very disappointing recent announcement that it plans to close its local branch in Syston in November - a branch which serves a lot of residents from nearby villages including Thrussington - hot on the heels of having done exactly the same thing in a couple of years ago. It represents the loss of another important local service. As on previous occasions the usual reasons are cited: that people's way of banking is changing, with more people preferring to bank online rather than in branch; that the excellent local Post Office can pick up the slack and provide banking counter services; that there are other branches in nearby villages or towns if people want to use them etc etc. But for me these arguments simply don't stand up to scrutiny. What arrangements will be in place for local shops and businesses to deposit and collect cash for their tills? What are the banks going to do to ensure people can get cash at weekends or overnight without remaining cash points running out? There are a large number of elderly people, and others, who rely on the bank and may not have access to their own car. The nearest alternative Barclays branch is in Birstall, or Melton - nowhere near as easy to get to. It may be true that more and more people prefer to bank online, but there are still a large number who wish, or need, to use a branch for business, to get cash out, or simply because, as a customer of the bank, that's how they wish to do their banking. The reality is that a local bank branch is one of those services, particularly in a rural area, that helps keep the community, and that of nearby villages, alive and whose presence helps keep our high streets alive. While banks are private businesses, and there is no legal power to prevent them closing branches if they wish to do so, I believe it is a short-sighted decision on their part, and that this should not just be a business decision - they have a broader responsibility to their customers and the communities they serve. I have recently met Barclays directors locally so they can hear first-hand the reasons for my, and local peoples', strong opposition to what they plan to do - while I fear that Barclays may have made up its mind long ago, its time they, and other banks, started listening to customers about branch closures. Edward Argar MP 9 10 VILLAGE HALL DIARY

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12 13 Thrussington Autumn Fayre & Scarecrow Trail 8th and 9th September 2018

An overcast sky and the threat of rain did not dampen the spirits and the Autumn Fayre kicked off with a fantastic performance from the school choir. This was followed by a gripping demonstration of martial art skills by Taekwondu group, Blue Wave smashing bricks. Mr Twister’s audience enjoyed a lively act of magical tricks as the smell of sausages cooking on the barbie wafted across the grass to the side of the village hall. Local businesses came to sell their food and wares in the hall and our food tent. Our own stalls helped raise money for our cause; raffle; cream teas; hot dogs; tombolas; games; delicious cakes; pickles; and fresh fruit and veg - some sold by Martha Newcombe (class 2) from her gran’s allotment and kind donations from people in the village, the rest grown and harvested by the school children and sold by Class 1 teacher, Ms Oatey. The dog show - judged in formidable style by Dr Chris and Dr Rachel and supported by steward, Patrick Rendall. Providing hilarious afternoon entertainment, as Patrick demonstrated himself how to negotiate each obstacle in the agility course including the tunnel! Against the clock - the owner was required to complete any obstacle the dog didn’t! We raised £1400 for the church and school. This money will go towards the re-plastering of the church walls and for an outside play area ‘trim trail’ for the school. Thank you so much to all those who helped set up, run stalls and to those who came and supported the event; we hope you had a good time. Our special thanks go to the children. Twenty-one came and helped on the day from 4 – 14 years old. They ran all the games stalls including: splat the rats; hook a duck, lucky lollies, lucky dip and lucky eggs Without them and the Brownies on the toy stall, we would not have been able to include them! Well done! They were all very responsible. Each child received a certificate and a merit badge to thank them for their hard work. A-ma-zing!

14 The scarecrow trail theme this year was ‘sports’ which led to some of the most impressive scarecrows the village has seen to date. Cricketers on the green, divers from rooftops, a very clever Usain Bolt...the list goes on! Imaginations ran wild and we would like to say a huge thank you for the massive effort those that took part this year went to! It made it such fun to walk around the village spotting them! The winning scarecrow was the incredible diver at The Hollies. We think you’ll agree it was pretty impressive! Photograph courtesy Mike Harrison Next year’s theme is Blockbuster movies so there’s plenty of scope to bring your favourite characters to life! We’re going to hold a fun scarecrow making day too, so if you’re not sure where to start, or haven’t done one before, this will be a great opportunity to have a bit of fun while getting a bit of help to make your scarecrow! If you’re an ‘arty crafty’ person and would like to lend a hand at this event please do get in touch with Jo at the shop. Sunday saw the second day of the scarecrow trail and the church welcoming a steady stream of visitors en -route for afternoon tea and cake raising an excellent further £80 towards the grand total. What have we got planned for next year? The Autumn Fayre committee have already been busy planning – but we NEED YOUR IDEAS to make next year even better. If you came, please let us know what you would like to see in 2019– fill out a form at the shop. We have already been given some great ideas and will be looking at these shortly. Save the date – Saturday 14 September 2019. Thank you for your support

The Autumn Fayre Committee!! - Sister Mary, Sue Bradshaw, Debbie Brant, Anna Harrison, Sam Hessleton, Jo Meacock and Louise Newcombe

15 16 Recycling clothes and shoes

Help Raise Money for Thrussington Primary School Next collection is Wednesday 14th November 2018

We use a company called Bags 2 who pay us by the kilo for unwanted clothes. In previous years we have raised almost £600 for the school from our biannual collections.

Please bring any clothes, paired shoes, handbags, bedding (not duvets or pillows) for recycling to the school by 9am on Wednesday 14th November. Clothes must be clean and in good condition. The company will not accept damaged or soiled items. More information about what the company can accept can be found at uk.bag2school.com

If you have any items that you would like to gift before the collection date then please leave with Emma Rudkin, at 33, Rearsby Road, Thrussington.

Clothing can be put in bin bags or company bags.

For more information, bags or any queries please do not hesitate to text me on 07831 262202

Thank you for your support

Tracey Moore PTFA SUNDAY 14th October Once again the Full Marathon will be passing through our village from approximately 10.00am and everyone’s support for this event will be most welcome. As in previous years, I have been asked to seek volunteers from our community to act as marshals for this event. This involves being on duty at allocated points along the local route from 10.00 until approx. 12.00 to make sure the runners pass through our village and on towards safely, also to add suitable encouragement to the runners. Please let me know if you can help, or require more details, by telephoning 424527 or emailing me on [email protected] I would welcome responses from those of you who have done it before as well new recruits. Many thanks Mike Harrison 17 Queni ADVANCE BOOKINGS Cabs 4 – 8 Seaters

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18 THRUSSINGTON IN BLOOM

Despite the hottest, driest, summer in years the village planters looked splendid. Again, many thanks to all our helpers for watering, dead heading and supporting the group.

The community as a whole benefit from having the displays, and other projects, like the memorial garden, that the group has taken on since its inception 10 years ago. Alas, a new team is now needed as the current team will not be continuing after next year. It is hoped new volunteers will come forward and take on the work done by this thriving group and continue to provide the glorious displays around the village, which are admired by villagers and visitors alike. Help would be at hand to secure a smooth change-over during the next summer season.

For a friendly chat regarding this please ring David Gamble 07870 194872 or Pauline Alton 424114.

The History Of 7.45pm Thursday 25th October The history of Melton Mowbray by Mick Rawle, a well know speaker and resident of Melton Mowbray

Non-members always welcome (Fee £2) For more details contact Mike Harrison (424527)

19 20 C1 Challenge stars with 24-hour spectacle at Rockingham The Comber family have lived in the village for the past 20 years and Mike has won many race titles in Mazda cars as he runs a Mazda specialist garage in , but together with his business associate Sam Smith, they and members of their garage workforce achieved a memorable victory at the weekend in a little yellow Citroen C1 that Mike built last month from a £400 car bought at auction. Boasting a bumper entry list of more than 30 cars and 100 drivers, the battle for supremacy in the day-long C1 Challenge race proved to jam-packed with drama, with several teams making their way to the lead of the race, be in under sunshine or darkness. Come the end of the race, Citron D’Equipe emerged as the winners to take the chequered flag and stand on the top step of the podium. Clocking a total of 571 laps around the 2.44 mile layout, the team of Mike Comber, Sam Smith, Simon Fleet and Nick Dougill got their heads down and hit the front in the closing stages to pip Team Rockingham by 1:26.328. A staggering total of 19,008 laps were completed over the course of the 24 hours too, with just the top two finishing on the lead lap. THRUSSINGTON RAMBLERS

Dates for our Autumn walks

Saturday 13th October Saturday 27th October

Saturday 10th November Saturday 24th November

Saturday 8th December We meet on The Green at 10am and car share to the starting point. The walks are usually 4/5 miles and are followed by an optional pub lunch. Everyone is welcome – come and join us!

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29 Wreake Drive, Rearsby, Leicester, LE7 4YZ 30 WI REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2018 At the start of our meeting on the 13th September, members kept a minute's silence in memory of Margaret Proud who died on 27 August after a short illness and whose funeral had been held that day, attended by several WI members. We were given advanced notice that the Subs for next year would be £42 (payable in January) - half of which would be kept by the institute. Our Annual Meeting is in October and members were asked to contact Sue Bradshaw if they would consider joining the committee. We were also told that the Annual Council Meeting would be on 9 March next year, at Leicester Grammar School, tickets £12. Numbers are restricted, and Sue would let us know, in due course, how many tickets we have been allocated. Darts: The team lost both their matches in August (wish the heat could be blamed!) - 1-6 versus Melton WI and 2-5 versus New WI. However, our opponents were friendly and a good time was had by all. Our speaker was Derek Holloway whose subject, “Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey and Operation Dynamo - The Miracle of Dunkirk” was, said Derek, a much truer version of events than that portrayed in films on Dunkirk. Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsey, KCB, KBE, MVO, (20/1/1883 - 2/1/1945) was the man who saved Britain from defeat by the Nazis in 1940. He served in the Navy all his life, was a logistics man and knew the topography of the English Channel very well. He was appointed as C in C at Dover Castle by Churchill, setting up the underground command centre from scratch. It had everything, including a hospital. In May 1940 when the army was forced to retreat to Dunkirk, Churchill gave Ramsey orders to plan the rescue of the army. Thus started Operation Dynamo (so named because the meetings were held underground in a room used for storing emergency electric dynamos!). A request went out to owners of small ships to assist and these assembled at Sheerness Docks. Destroyers and ferry boats would remain out at sea, while the little boats would go into shore to pick up the soldiers from the beaches. Another naval man, Captain William (Bill) Tennant was deployed to Dunkirk to command the evacuation from there and he stayed until the end (nicknamed “Dunkirk Joe”). The German army had taken Boulogne, Calais was evacuated, and the British army had retreated to Dunkirk, stranded on the beaches, with no food, no water, nothing. For some inextricable reason, Hitler halted the German Panzers, who were bearing down on Dunkirk, for two days between 24 & 26 May, which gave Ramsey time to finalise plans and on 26 May Churchill issued the order to evacuate. The evacuation took NINE days, 26 May to 3 June 1940 - with the RAF providing overhead cover, to keep the Luftwaffe at bay. NINE days to save the army and the war. The evacuation was chaotic, unpredictable; there were many casualties of men and boats (some torpedoed by the Germans), but eventually, by 3 June, 338,226 troops had been rescued. Sadly, Ramsey was killed in an air crash in early 1945, and it is perhaps for this reason that his heroic efforts in 1940 have largely been forgotten. Thank you very much, Derek, for your moving and remarkable talk on Sir Bertram Ramsey, the forgotten hero of World War II.

Next Meeting: 11 October 2018, 7.30 pm, Village Hall ANNUAL MEETING Hostesses: Pat Ball and Paula Jinks 31 CHURCHWARDEN’S NOTES

It’s funny how the seasons change! It only seems a few weeks ago that we were experiencing cold weather – the Beast from the East; then the glorious hot days when we thought that the good weather would go on for ever. Now it is back to the good old British weather forecast of good one day and not so good the next! So here we are, the Village Summer Fayre and Scarecrow Trail has come and gone; I understand that it was enjoyed by all, although we do not know the financial result yet ! On the same day the Annual Ride and Stride event took place. Not well visited by cyclists – only 11 – but it was busy for most of the day with interested people from the village, who as the church was open came along to see what we were up to? Although they do not come to church on a regular basis, they were genuinely interested, - needs to be encouraged! Now we are looking forward (already!) to our Winter events. To start with this week-end is Harvest and we celebrate the Festival with a Songs of Praise Service. All the well known Hymns are sung and we shall be pleased to see you even if you haven’t been to church for sometime. Then on the 1st December there is our Annual Christmas Market (only 61 days to go) when we shall be requesting the usual donations – more details next month. Then on to our Christmas Festivities, the choir are already practising. Meanwhile the daily chores have to be dealt with! Bev Kearns has already taken over the cleaning and flower arrangers rota. We could do with some new names as the present ones are all getting older, how about volunteering. It takes under an hour a week, and comes round every 12 weeks. Then there is the Sidesmen’s Rota just to remind people of who is on Duty and what to do, not an onerous task, but a regular one and it helps me and spreads the load. Lastly, I am having a clear out – there are 3 Gazebos in my garage, if anyone has a use for them please let me know. May the God of peace provide you with every good thing you need in order to do his will, and may he, through Jesus Christ, do in us what pleases him. And to Christ be the glory for ever and ever! (I’m back)

God Bless

Reg Morgan - Churchwarden

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