With the help of the Rutland & Stamford Mercury Archive Trust, we look back through the newspaper’s archive to find interesting stories from years gone by…
10 years ago
Volunteers help homeless people on Christmas day
Homeless people and emergency services staff enjoyed a warm and tasty breakfast on Christmas Day thanks to the efforts of selfless volunteers.
From left, volunteers Spencer Rollings, Cheryl Carter, Matt Jarrett, Kelly Lilley and Marcus Dugasse outside Mcdonalds 10 years ago.
Every year on Christmas Day morning Matt Jarrett, local McDonald’s franchisee, opens the Glinton restaurant, where volunteers of staff and managers meet to cook breakfasts.
They are then delivered to the homeless in Peterborough, and also those who work in the local fire stations, police, ambulance and Peterborough City Hospital.
Volunteers have been doing this now for the last eight years and the numbers have grown to around 400 bacon rolls this year.
The food and bottled drinks they deliver are kindly donated by Martin Brower, which is McDonald’s preferred supplier.
At the beginning of December Cheryl Carter, people manager for the franchise, calls all the local shelters who are always waiting for her call.
Cheryl said: “It has become a tradition now and it is so rewarding to hear their grateful comments.”
Matt, who has five restaurants as part of his franchise, promised the tradition would continue for many years to come.
He added: “It’s so easy just to give a couple of hours on Christmas day to others less fortunate before we go and spend time with our families.
“We would like to hear of any other shelters we have not yet made contact with.
“We also wish a Happy New Year to all our customers who visit our restaurants in Stamford, Glinton, Eye Green, Wisbech and Haddon.”
Lifesaving equipment installed at rugby club
A lifesaving defibrillator has been installed at Oakham Rugby Club.
Martin Fagan of Community Heartbeat presents a defibrillator to chairman of Oakham Rugby Club Simon Harries 10 years ago.
The equipment was part-funded by the Karen Ball Fund, which has now helped pay for 34 defibrillators in Rutland.
Barbara Crellin, who organised the installation, said: “With the amount of sport played at this facility and the amount of people that visit the ground it has to be an ideal place to put such a valuable piece of life saving equipment.”
She thanked the Karen Ball Fund, Oakham Rugby Club, the Agricultural Society, Royce Rangers, the Rotary Club of Rutland and The Lions Club of Rutland for making the installation possible.
Residents enjoy Christmas pantomime
Residents at a care home in Stamford enjoyed a special pantomime on Christmas Day. Staff at Priory Court Care Home in Stamford put on a special performance of the pantomime Cinderella on Christmas Day for all of the residents to enjoy.
The cast of Cinderella from Priory Court Care Home with resident, Dorothy Cunnington, 10 years ago.
Care assistants, Jessica Beasley and Tara Mclees helped organise the pantomime, which took place after everyone had finished their Christmas day lunch.
Jessica said: “The pantomime was a great success, it went really well on the day.
“All of the residents enjoyed the show and it was great fun to dress up and perform for them on Christmas day.”
Sukies Party Emporium in North Street, Stamford offered to lend the staff all of the outfits for the pantomime free-of-charge.
The leading stars of the panto included Tiffany Waterfall as Cinderella, Stephen Dawson as Prince Charming, Jessica Beasley as the Fairy Godmother and Tara Melees and Agnieszka Cybulska as the two ugly step sisters.
Annual hunt raises money for charity
The traditional Boxing Day Cottesmore helped support a great cause this year. The For Rutland in Rutland charity was offered the chance to collect and raise awareness at this year’s meet in Oakham.
The Boxing Day Cottesmore hunt 10 years ago.
People responded well and donated a total of £1,107.28 for the charity, which was set up to benefit good causes in the county.
Ann named in Queen’s honour list
A village stalwart who has spent her life as a key cog in community life has been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.
Ann Bell, who was on the Queen’s New Year’s Honour list 10 years ago.
Ann Bell, 73, of High Street, Exton, has been given an MBE for services to her community. She took part in her first village event, May Day, aged just 10, and has gone on to hold all sorts of roles, from village hall caretaker to street market organiser.
And there’s a simple reason why Ann and husband Mick continue to be a big part of Exton life.
“We love the village,” she said. Ann took on the role as village hall caretaker and bookings agent in the early 1960s.
From the mid-1970s she took on extra responsibility as an officer on the management committee, and during that time she raised money to save the building.
“I took over the fundraising for the village hall in 1971 after we had a disaster with the roof,” said Ann.
“We raised lots of money through all sorts of things. “I have had assistance from quite a few of my friends from the village, who have been quite a considerable help.”
Ann spent more than half a century on Exton’s parochial church council and served as a governor of Exton and Greetham Primary School for almost as long.
In the late 1960s she was at the forefront of a campaign to keep the school open.
Between 1982 and 2011 Ann and her husband organised one of Exton’s most memorable events in the highly successful street market.
For 30 years, it became a must-attend Rutland event, attracting roughly 10,000 visitors every May.
The fair raised about £10,000 for the church, village hall, Rutland Lions and school every year.
Ann also founded the village WI, which later became the Ladies Circle, and she remains both an officer and a staunch supporter.
She raises for a host of other charities and has organised a Macmillan coffee morning since 1998, donating about £500 each year.
She helps organise the Christmas bazaar every year, raising money for school and church. And she also helped set up a scheme to give people over 65 in the village a gift every Christmas.
This year the team gave vouchers to 56 people. Ann intends to remain a big part of Exton life.
She said: “When the weather is like this it can become a little bit of a chore, but I have no plans to slow down.”
25 years ago
Pub wins top award
Good food and real ales has won a Stamford pub a prestigious award.
Chairman of the Daniel Lambert Dining Club Paul Johnson hands over their plaque to Periwig landlord Will Fry 25 years ago.
The Daniel Lambert Dining Club award goes to the pub serving the best food and drink in Stamford – and The Periwig in Red Lion Square has won it for the second year running. Landlord Will Fry, who was presented with a plaque at The Periwig, said: “We certainly had a few drinks to celebrate when we were given this award “The pubs are tested in secret by people from the dining club, who act as customers.
“This means we keep up our high standards throughout the year, and we will carry on as we are to maintain them in the year to come.!
But Will added he thought a lot of it had to do with the superb real ales he serves, including Oakham Ales, such as JHB.
Business donates over £300 to charity
The spirit of Christmas struck Newage International last Friday when the company donated £350 to the Charity Homestart.
Steve Zeller, managing director of Newage International and Guy Peverell, chairman of the charities committee at Newage International, 25 years ago.
The money paid for a Christmas party held last Thursday at Rascals Fun Factory on West Street for families under stress and with young children.
Guy Peverell, chairman of the charities committee at Newage International, said: “We reviewed a lot of requests from local and national charities and Homestart was one of those charities requesting help.
“We try to help as much as we can but it is impossible to help everyone.”
Sweet stallholder says goodbye after 30 years
One of the faces of Stamford market bid an emotional Christmas farewell to customers this week.
Isabel Jackson, who said goodbye to her sweet stall after 30 years, 25 years ago.
Isabel Jackson (59), packed up her sweet stall on Christmas Eve after 30 years trading on Stamford market. Isabel, who lives in Middleton near Market Harborough, has run the stall single-handedly since her husband died, but she is packing up shop to concentrate on her family.
She said: “I’ve really enjoyed it over the years, the summers more than the winters.
“I love the banter which goes on between traders and the way they all help each other out. “I’d like to thank my customers for their help and support over the years and I will miss them all, especially the children.”
Offers come together to celebrate
The Officers’ Mess at RAF Wittering was filled with Christmas celebrations last Monday as 110 elderly people joined the ranks.
Gp Capt Andre Dezonie swoops in to serve Betty Smith from Wansford 25 years ago.
The air force base invited senior citizens from Wittering and neighbouring villages to their annual Christmas party.
On arrival the guests were welcomed by the station com-mander, Grp Capt Andre Dezonie, and were entertained by the voices of the Beavers and Cubs of the 2nd Wittering Harriers group singing a selection of traditional carols.
Officers dived in to serve dinner with the help of their wives and several personnel of junior rank, led by the station commander and his wife Linda. The evening was brought to an end with a song led by padre John Coyne and the assembled service personnel and their wives.
New project aims to save woods
Outside the temperatures are falling in Mercury Country but inside people can snuggle up in front of a festive blaze with a clear conscience.
Tina Favell the Rockingham Forest Trust log lady warming up by a roaring Rockingham firewood blaze 25 years ago.
Rockingham Forest Firewood is now being launched and stocked in Nassington, Kings Cliffe and Bulwick.
The logs come from a conservation wood and are part of a project led by Rockingham Forest Trust to save the area’s woods.
Tina Favell, the trust’s project administrator said: “Not only does the firewood have ‘green’ credentials, but with the kindling included, it’s com-petive with other bagged logs.”
The firewood is available from Griffin’s Coal Merchants in Nassington, Londis in Kings Cliffe and other outlets in the Rockingham Forest area.
It is sold in 10kg bags, including a bag of kin-ding, priced at £3.75 (RRP). Kindling is also sold separately at 75p. All money goes back to the trust to improve conservation.
50 years ago
A soldier on leave from Germany was admitted to hospital with his wife, when his Volkswagen car went off the road near the Al Carpenter’s Lodge roundabout, at 9.45 am, on Saturday.
150 years ago
Soup Kitchen – This institution is now in full operation, and has been since Tuesday last.
All applicants from the parishes of All Saints’, St. John, and St. Mary are supplied on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and those from St. George, St. Michael, and St. Martin on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
200 years ago
On Thursday the 30th, a pig was killed at Mr. Catlin’s, in Uppingham, and on opening it, an iron skewer, six inches long, was discovered in that part of the belly vulgarly called the tom hodge, to the no small surprise of the butcher and all present. The pig before being slaughtered did not appear to be much affected by the presence of so unwelcome a visitor.