Thank you to those who have Punch and Judy, fairground sent in their bluebell photos. organ, stationary engines and Pictures of bluebells always Town Drum Corps! raise my spirits and these are Much of the hard work in no exception. We obviously terms of planning has been have some accomplished done, but as ever we appeal for photographers in the village. your help and support in Diary dates for May We’ve reproduced the photos several ways: so you can choose your Bric-a-brac / books / plants / 1st: May Day Auction, Jubilee favourite and let us know. They tombola prizes – the month of Hall are numbered 1 to 9. Please May in Wellow is a good time 2nd: Maypole Court Bring and select your favourite, complete for a turn out! Please search Buy Coffee Morning, 10.30am, the return slip under the your cupboards for good Maypole Court Community photos and return to Di at High quality bric-a-brac, books, Centre Lawn Cottage by 20th May, for jigsaws, toys, CDs, etc. and 4th: County Council Elections your choice to be included in items for the tombola. (Please 8th: Oil Cooperative, 7pm, the judging. If you prefer, you remember – no clothes or Memorial Hall can email your choice to electrical equipment.) All these 10th: Book Club, 7.30pm, High [email protected] by may be brought to the Lawn Cottage the same date. Memorial Hall on Tuesdays 11th: Red Lion Quiz Night, Don’t forget you can access the between 5.30 and 7pm. Plants 7.30pm newsletter on the village can be accepted over the 13th: Cemetery Tidy, 10am website (www.wellow.me). weekend immediately before 17th: Ladies’ Circle, 7.30pm, Just ring Di for the password on Maypole Day. Memorial Hall 01623 861006. Raffle tickets and programmes 20th: Village Litter Pick, 10am, – will be available before the Bus Shelter Wellow Maypole Day big day, so please come over to 27th: Cemetery Tidy, 10am Monday 29th May the Memorial Hall when the 28th: Maypole Service, 6pm, St 12 noon to 5 pm children are practising in the Swithin’s Church week beforehand to purchase. 29th: Maypole Day, from Cakes – our homemade cake 11.30am stall is justly famous, all thanks to Wellow’s answer to ‘Bake Off’! We know that some Deadline for articles for June people come to our maypole issue is 20th May celebrations especially to purchase these delights! So we [email protected] Time flies and Maypole Day is are appealing again for your There are still a few unpaid almost here again! All the efforts in the kitchen, and if subscriptions outstanding. If children taking part, and you are a natural at scone you haven’t paid yet please let especially our May Queen Elect making – this is your us have your subscription of £4 Imogen Cove, are looking opportunity. We’ve decided to asap by dropping off your forward to the big day. This offer cream teas as well as all completed subscription form year there are some different the delicious cakes, so please with the payment at High Lawn attractions including gun dog get baking ahead of the big Cottage on Road. displays, vintage tractors, day! Acorn Roots folk rock band,

Unlike most events, we do not appreciates everyone’s like to thank all their charge for parking or cooperation. customers for their continued admission. This makes the job Finally, our aim is that Wellow’s support. We, in turn, would of fundraising for the following Maypole Celebrations provide like to thank them for their year even more challenging. fun and enjoyment for all, support for village The raffle, tombola, whatever age. Good weather is organisations through their programmes, cakes and teas always a bonus, but rain or bonus ball draw and for all are the mainstays that help shine, we look forward to their help with the Celebration tremendously, so please welcoming you to Maypole Day committee, cemetery tidy and support us if you can. 2017! litter picking. Stewards and general help – we are always extremely Village tidy St Swithin’s Church Our next village tidy will be on The PCC will be having its usual grateful for all the help offered Saturday 20th May. We meet bottle stall on Maypole Day. beforehand, on the day and at the bus shelter at 10am. Any bottles you can spare (plus afterwards. If you haven't Please come along and help us their contents!) will be volunteered before but would – you’d be surprised how many gratefully received. Please let like to lend a hand, our bags of rubbish we collect from Jean Crofts or Lyn Welsh have Volunteer Coordinator Lisa the roadside verges around the them asap so we can start Hollingworth would be very village. Most of this is rubbish wrapping them for the big day. pleased to hear from you. Tasks jettisoned from passing cars. Thank you in anticipation of are many and varied, and We have some litter picking your support. certainly do not all involve sticks you can borrow but Our Maypole Service will be on lifting and carrying. One area please bring your own gloves. Sunday 28th May at 6pm. It’s a that you may like to consider is District very special start to the to be a steward – keeping a Council provide us with black Maypole Celebrations. We general eye on proceedings sacks and then collect the bags invite all of the Maypole and being a point of first of rubbish afterwards. Your dancers, principals and Wellow contact for the general public. help will be very much Jack performers to come along Lisa (07436 802768) can give appreciated if you can make it. and be together as we you more details of specific celebrate this wonderful jobs, and our Chair Laura Cove tradition in our village. Do (07505 361376) is also more come along and join us to help than willing to talk to you. to get the Maypole festivities Road closure – please off to a good start. remember that Eakring Road between its junction with Cemetery tidy From St Swithin’s Newark Road and with Potter Our next cemetery tidy will be Bellringers Lane is officially closed on Saturday 13th and 20th Ringers' tribute to George between 11am and 6pm on May at 10am. All helpers are Bartle (Rufford) Maypole Day. Potter Lane must welcome to join us. We could There will be tribute ringing on not be obstructed because it is do with someone with another 13th May, the centenary of the the official diversionary route, strimmer to tidy round the death of Private George Bartle so ‘no parking’ cones are grave edges as we mow. For of 1st/6th Battalion North placed along the length of this more information ring Di on Staffs Regiment. George was road. Police have the power to 861006. the second child of nine born issue parking tickets for non- to Henry and Edith. He was The Olde Red Lion compliance. The road safety born at Everton, but the family Congratulations to Michelle measures apply to all lived at for over 10 and Carl Bartle who completed residents, as well as those years, before moving to 10 years as proprietors of the visiting for the day, and are for Wellow by 1911. By this time Red Lion on 29th April this the safety of us all. The George had moved out and year. Michelle and Carl would Maypole Committee was working as a hoseman at Inkersall Grange Farm at at the bus shelter near the Red Speedwatch initiative but as in Rufford. Subsequently Lion. If you wish to join us let Di Wellow, lack of volunteers is George’s parents moved to know on 861006 so that we affecting the efficient Kitchener Drive, Mansfield. can arrange car shares. monitoring of speeding George’s war service took him vehicles. The 30mph speed to Flanders in France, and it Wellow Parish Council sign has finally been moved was in Boulogne that he died of Chairman’s Report, April further up the Newark Road wounds sustained. 2017 closer to the edge of the village Together with 5576 others, he The eleven meetings of but the PC have asked that it is buried in the Wellow PC have been well be moved to outside the Commonwealth War Graves attended not only by my village. section of the Boulogne colleagues but also by District In June, accompanied by Eastern Cemetery, which was Councillor Linda Tift and our Councillor Young, I attended a used for the dead from the outgoing County Councillor licensing hearing at Kelham chief hospital area of Bruce Laughton to whom we Hall regarding Wellowfest Boulogne. George was 25 years express our sincere thanks for 2016 on behalf of some old – he is commemorated on his support for Wellow over residents who had expressed the Men of Rufford War the past years. We wish him concerns about possible public Memorial in St Giles’ Church, well in the forthcoming safety and nuisance. Following Ollerton, the Roll of Honour elections. Unfortunately, open and honest discussion, a plaque now in the Savile District Councillor Mark license was granted. Restaurant at Rufford Country Buttery has not attended any In October I attended the Park, St Michael’s Church War of our meetings. Andrew Annual Parish Conference Memorial, Farnsfield and St Baugh stood down as where discussion took place on Peter’s Church War Memorial, Chairman in May and on behalf devolution of services from Mansfield. of us all I would like to thank District to Parish Councils. RIP him for his commitment to the Wellow PC does not believe Wellow Ramblers Parish Council and the village that this would be in the over many years. We are village's best interests. Lyn and Dave led us on our pleased that he remains a Mr Calladine lodged an appeal April Ramble. After a bit of a member of the PC. I was against NSDC's decision to hiccup at the start, where elected as Chair at the annual refuse his planning application. there was some confusion meeting in May with Eddie The Parish Council maintained about the meeting point, we Meyer elected as deputy. its opposition and objection to set off down Coggles Lane Councillors Alison Bevan and the proposed development of across fields of oil seed rape Aubrey Williams resigned from land inside the village and crossed the golf course to the Parish Council and Paul conservation area and I Rufford, making our way back Hubbard was co-opted as together with Councillor Young through the Country Park Alison's replacement and and her husband Andrew, ably where we were refreshed with joined us in September. supported by some residents coffee and bacon butties etc. Throughout the year I have put a strong case to the before making our way back to attended village safety group inspector at the appeal hearing Wellow. It was a lovely circular meetings at Kelham Hall where in November. We heard earlier walk on a beautiful spring day representatives were able to this month however, that the with excellent company. Many discuss with district council appeal had been granted. thanks to Lyn and Dave for and police officers, issues Conditions have been placed leading – we all had a lovely affecting their villages. It is regarding development of the time. Next month our walk will interesting to note that site and the PC will be closely be on Friday 26th May when increased traffic, speeding and monitoring to ensure Pip will lead us on a walk along the lack of monitoring are conditions are adhered to. A the Trent from Muskham ongoing issues for us all. Some copy of the inspector's report Ferry. We will meet at 10.30am villages have adopted the is available on NSDC's planning website. At this point I must initiatives that could adversely express thanks on behalf of us affect the village's character all to Councillor Young and her and the life of its residents. husband Andrew for their My thanks to you all for your sterling efforts on behalf of the continued support. My thanks village to prevent this to my colleagues, and to Linda development. Tift for her wise counsel, to In March, two defibrillators Bruce for his endeavours on were installed at The Memorial behalf of the village and last Hall and Maypole Court. They but by no means least our Ladies’ Circle were donated free of charge by wonderful clerk Karen who we We met on a cool spring April the British Heart Foundation could not manage without! evening. Our speaker, James and I want to thank Councillor Pamela Axworthy, Chairman Raymond Barker, whose hobby Young for her prompt is spinning, related the history application which secured the News from Wellow House School of the craft. Spinning has a units for us and also for history going back many As we’ve been on holiday for organising training sessions for centuries. Sheep were first most of the time since writing the residents. Generous public plucked for their wool rather last month, there is very little donations will ensure that the than being sheared. James told to say except that as part of units can be regularly us how spinning developed our mission to bring the school maintained. A donation of £60 and showed us many artefacts. into the heart of the Wellow was sent to the British Heart His own spinning wheel came community we are hosting a Foundation. from Belgium and several Ladies’ Night and Fashion A new litter bin was purchased members tried their hand at Show at Wellow Village Hall on and installed outside the play this ancient craft. Thursday 18th May at 7pm. area but later moved to inside Carrie and Nicola were our Tickets are £5 each and are the playground as it was hostesses and Laura won the available from Nicola considered a more appropriate raffle. Matthews or through school location. The annual inspection We meet next on Wednesday (861054). There will be some of the playground revealed no 17th May. Our speaker will be big name brands featured major problems however Shirley Whitfield. During her during the evening and all regular monitoring is ongoing. working life Shirley worked in clothing is at substantial Work was carried out to theatres as a milliner. She will discounts. Clothes will be remove overhanging branches bring many of her hats and available for all ladies’ sizes in the play area and we took describe how they were made from 6 to 30. Please do come the decision to have the grass and the shows they were to join us – all are welcome! cut fortnightly in May and designed for. June. Regular inspection of the Answers to last month’s Sounds fascinating so do come Dyke continues with work quiz and join us. being undertaken as required. In May we will have a new 1. After Eight County Councillor who we look 2. Mars Bar forward to working closely 3. Black Magic with to address the issues that 4. Milk Tray affect our lives here in this 5. Matchmaker St Swithin’s 100 Club unique 6. Roses Winners this month: village. As the traveller appeal 7. Flake £20: L Ragsdale verdict has shown, 8. Moonlight £10: C Watson conservation area status is no 9. Kit Kat £5: J Atkinson, G Cuddy, L guarantee against future 10. Quality Street Jones, S Lewis, R Bennett, P development and we must be 11. Galaxy Lawson proactive in challenging 12. Milky Way Wellow Church and signifies the end of winter, Schoolroom – update which this year seems to have dragged on for far longer than it should have! In all, around 50 bird species arrive in the UK every spring, 1st: Daz, Keith Hilton, Dave and there is no better time to Davies, Sherry get out and about 10th: Gemma Cuddy birdwatching because they all 18th: Jemma DeLooze want to be noticed – not by us, 23rd: Ray Lilliman of course, but their 25th: Rennie Walters exhibitionism at this time of 26th: George Kilby year does help when it comes After yet another successful Nature Notes to identifying them. Easter raffle we’re pleased to announce that the total sum raised was £750. We'd like to thank all those who bought tickets, donated raffle prizes and who sold tickets for us. The prizes were drawn straight Our migrant birds are back and after the Easter Sunday Service Quiz time singing their hearts out across by Reverend Anna Alls and a Who are these celebrity the countryside. Joining our list of the prize winners was biographies written by? resident species in May are a put up as usual the following 1. Dear Fatty cast of not just thousands, but day on the Church door, the 2. I Don’t Mean to be Rude But millions of migrants. These Eakring Road bus shelter and 3. The Sound of Laughter range from cuckoos and Maypole Road’s noticeboard. 4. Humble Pie nightingales to warblers and With appreciation to you all. 5. Moonwalk seabirds, all at their brightest, 6. My Side Elderflower wine boldest and most vocal as they 7. A Whole New World Four elderflower heads compete for territories and the 8. The Woman I was Born to Be 1½ lb sugar attention of mates. 9. My Booky Wooky 2 tbsp white wine vinegar It’s hard to believe they have 10. Learning to Fly 8 pints cold water enough energy to think about 2 lemons breeding after the vast The May-Pole, by Robert 1. Put the elderflowers, sugar, distances some of these birds Herrick vinegar and water into a large have travelled. But that is why The May-pole is up, bowl. they’ve come. From March to Now give me the cup, 2. Halve the lemons and May, they sweep into Britain I’ll drink to the garlands around squeeze the juice into the from their southerly wintering it; bowl, then cut up the lemon grounds, a vast tide of But first unto those halves and add them too. swallows and swifts, pipits and Whose hands did compose 3. Cover with a clean cloth and flycatchers, whinchats, The glory of flowers that leave to stand for 24 hours, whitethroats, wheatears and crown’d it. stirring occasionally. wagtails….typically journeying A health to my girls, 4. Strain and pour into screw- by night to avoid predators and Whose husbands may earls top cider or beer bottles. the heat of the day. Their Or lords be, granting my This is ready to drink in 5 or 6 reassuring annual return, an wishes, days, and is light and inspiration for so much poetry And when that ye wed effervescent with a delicate and folklore down the ages, To the bridal bed, flavour of Muscat grapes. heralds warmer days ahead Then multiply all, like to fishes. What’s on Park in need of TLC on our Wellowfest 2017 monthly Family Task. All you 14, 15, 16 July need to bring is yourself, wear Wellowfest 2017 is fast suitable clothing and footwear approaching and there are free and don’t forget some energy. tickets for the residents of Wellow (two free tickets per The Great Nottinghamshire household). To get your tickets Local History Fair email your name and address Mansfield Central Library to [email protected] and Sunday 7 May, 11am to 3pm, you’ll receive a code to claim free Wellow Maypole Celebrations your ticket. Monday 29th May, 12 noon to Explore local history displays, 5pm enjoy craft demonstrations Join us for maypole dancing and activities, browse the performed by children from books for sale and experience the local area around Wellow’s the White Post Farm Animal splendid 17 metre high Roadshow as this fabulous free day out for all the family maypole. There is free entertainment all day including returns for the fifth time, Norwell Nurseries – Open live music, classic vehicles, showcasing Nottinghamshire’s Garden for NGS Punch and Judy and children’s heritage. Norwell Nurseries, Notts swing boats. Lots of stalls, History Talk: The Rufford NG23 6JX crafts, games and rides, Poachers Scandal Sunday 14th May, 2pm to together with homemade Rufford Abbey Country Park 5pm, admission £2.50 cakes and hot and cold food. A Thursday 11 May, 2pm to (children free), home-made great family day out! 3.30pm, £10, booking teas (01636 636337) essential (call 01623 821388) Jewel box of over 2500 Hedgehog Happenings A fascinating talk by local different, beautiful and Sherwood Forest Country Park author and historian Sam unusual plants sumptuously Visitor Centre Millard on the famous ‘battle’ set out in a 1-acre plantsman’s Saturday 6 May, 2pm to between a gang of Mansfield garden including shady garden 3.30pm, free, no need to book poachers and the with orchids, cottage garden Hedgehog Awareness Week gamekeepers employed by borders, alpine and scree runs from Sunday 30 April to Lord Savile to defend Rufford areas. Pond with opulently Saturday 6 May – why not Abbey’s game. The incident planted margins. New borders come along to Sherwood to was reported in national every year. find out a bit more about newspapers all over Britain at wonderful hedgehogs and take the time and became so Book, Music and Ephemera part in a few crafts and infamous that there is a folk Fair activities. song and even a Morris dance Saturday 20th May, 9.30am to 3pm, Lowdham Village Hall, Family Conservation Task named after it! Hear the story free Sherwood Forest Country Park of the violent clash and why it For all book lovers – come Visitor Centre happened. Find out how Sam along and pick up a bargain. Sunday 7 May, 10am to 12.30, researched the subject using We’ll have paperbacks, £2, booking essential (call family history techniques to hardbacks, maps and audio 01623 823202 between 10am cast a new light on the books for sale from 50p. and 4pm) poacher’s local background. Lowdham Horticultural Society Learn new skills and take an Includes many helpful hints to will be holding a plant sales day active role in your local help research your own family in part of the front car park on community by joining the history. this day. There will also be Sherwood Ranger Team in Price includes cream tea in refreshments available. tackling an area of the Country Lord Savile's Kitchen. To all my friends in Wellow. I would just like to say a very big Thank You to you all for all my cards, gifts, wine, beer, champagne and vouchers and the amazing collection I received on my retirement. It was so very kind of you all. Thank you all for coming to see me off on Friday. I have been overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity. I have very much enjoyed delivering the mail for the past 33 years and will miss you all. Thank you all once again with Best Wishes from David xx Vicar’s letter Dear friends As I write this letter, spring has made its presence known in a little heat wave and all the closed buds on my garden trees are opening up to reveal some of their inner beauty within. These little hopeful signs encourage me, warm my heart and lift my spirit. These little hopeful signs are a foretaste of what is yet to come and for me, they point to the Creator God who is making all things beautiful in their time. Hope is a precious gift and without it, life becomes unbearable and pretty dire. I am reminded of hope in story that went like this: a family home once caught fire and the family escaped with only the clothes on their back. The family lived in the middle of nowhere with no help in the immediate vicinity. The father and son walked to a distant village to get supplies. As they returned home, they saw something which stayed with the son his entire life. Beside the charred remains of what had been the family home, his mum had laid out a lunch on a log. She had placed a tin filled with wild flowers on the log. The gifts on the log because symbols of hope in the midst of a tragedy. The mum didn’t try to cover up the disaster with flowers but in the midst of that gloomy scene she placed a symbol of hope. For the family who had lost their home, there is hope of rebuilding their home or getting the supplies they need to carry on Hope gives the desire or longing for life to be better than it is at the moment. There are people in the world who hope to be freed from poverty or those living in a war zone to experience peace and justice; people who hope to get the grades needed to move onto the next stage of education, to pass driving tests, to get a job, to see our children grow up fit and healthy and be happy and so on. In the Church calendar, we are still in the Easter season and as Christians we are reminded that Jesus death, resurrection and glorious ascension became a gateway whereby he took his humanity into heaven opening the way for all humanity to experience a new way of life which goes beyond death and lasts for all eternity. But we don’t have to wait until we die to experience this way of life, He invites us to join him in living his new way of life now – we are given a foretaste here on earth of what is yet to come. Jesus offers this as a gift but like any gift we have to choose to unwrap it to discover and encounter a way of Life which is meaningful and purposeful; a way of life which is full of potential and endless possibility and consequently, a way of life which offers a hopeful rather than hopeless future. I wonder, what are you hoping for? Many blessings Zoe

Date Time Church Service 7th May 9am Kirton H.C. 10.30am Kneesall / St Giles Ollerton H.C. 10.30am Bilsthorpe Worship for All 4pm Eakring Dedication Service 14th May 9am Walesby / Eakring H.C. 10.30am St Paulinus/ Laxton / Bilsthorpe H.C. 4pm Egmanton Evensong 4pm Wellow H.C. 21st May 8am Walesby H.C. 9am Egmanton / Eakring H.C. / Morning Prayer 10.30am St Matthews Boughton H.C. 10.30am Bilsthorpe M.P 10.30am Laxton Common Rogation Sunday 25th May 7.30pm St Paulinus Ascension Day H.C. 28th May 9am Moorhouse / Eakring H.C. 10.30am St Paulinus / Kirton / Bilsthorpe H.C. 6pm Wellow Maypole Service

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