Lincolnshire Pride June 2023

It’s once again time to enjoy the very best that Lincolnshire has to offer as we present our guide to the best entertainment in June and beyond. Of course this month we’re looking forward to the Lincolnshire Show, but there’s plenty going on aside from the county’s flagship event, so we’re delighted to provide a full roundup. In this edition, we’re also going behind the scenes of the Spalding Flower Parade, we pay a visit to lovely leafy Woodhall Spa, and we’re stretching our legs with a guide to the 10 best walks in Lincolnshire. One of them takes place on the East Coast, and remaining in that area, we’re also discovering the story of John Hassall, the artist who created the town’s iconic Jolly Fisherman mascot.

Elsewhere we’re dining at the sublime Hambleton Hall, and yes it is over the border, we admit, but it’s a Michelin-starred experience worth a little bit of a journey. Speaking of good food and drink, June is English Wine Week, and so we celebrate a Lincolnshire vineyard hoping that you’ll raise a glass this summer to wine produced from grapes grown right here in the county. Our best wishes for a wonderful summer!

Executive Editor robin@pridemagazines.co.uk

We’re always looking for scenes of Lincolnshire to feature on our covers and in the magazine. If you’re a budding photographer, email your pictures to the address above!

42 JOHN HASSALL The artist behind the Jolly Fisherman, John Hassall.

93 WALKING Rambling in Lincolnshire.

100 HORSE POWER Heavy horses.

FOOD

58 DINING OUT Michelin-starred dining over the border in Rutland.

62 RECIPES & WINE Strawberries.

64 ENGLISH WINE WEEK Raise a glass to our local winery near Sleaford.

HOMES & GARDENS

70 WELCOME HOME Spalding’s Cressy Hall, on the market for £1.85m.

86 GARDENS The restoration of John Sharpe’s Bardney Walled Garden.

104 MOTORS The Ineos Grenadier.

108 SUMMER FASHION Bold colours.

115 HIGH LIFE Sophie’s Journey.

THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE AREA READ PRIDE MAGAZINE

Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £300,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.

The magazine is also sold in leading newsagents and supermarkets and we also deliver the magazine to local businesses including selected hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs. This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.

Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 45,000 online visitors viewing our magazines free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms. If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in the area, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977.

THE PRIDE TEAM

Managing Director: Julian Wilkinson.

Advertising Director: Zoie Wilkinson.

General Manager: Matthew Deere.

Executive Editor: Rob Davis.

Sales Executives: Helen Eastaugh, Kim Alford, Aisha Joyce, Amy Meader, Mia Garner, Gemma Mills, Yvette Curry.

Accounts Department: Steve Parrish, Margarita Pavlesevica, Chloe Watson, Tamara Gardner, Bethany Freeman-Burdass.

Customer Care Manager: Mandy Bray.

IT Manager: Ian Bagley.

Web Developer: Joe Proctor.

A truly bracing display of artwork

‘JOHN HASSALL AND HIS CIRCLE’ ON DISPLAY UNTIL 23rd JULY 2023...

A selection of the ‘Jolly Fisherman’ illustrator’s work is now on display at Museum of Lincolnshire Life on Burton Road.

The ‘John Hassall and His Circle’ exhibition is on display at the Burton Road museum until 23rd July 2023.

John Hassall was an artist and illustrator who has a strong connection with Lincolnshire. Perhaps his most famous work – with a strong county connection – is the ‘Jolly Fisherman’ poster created in 1908 as part of a campaign by Great Northern Railway to advertise Skegness.

“John Hassall’s illustration featuring the Jolly Fisherman alongside the tagline ‘Skegness is so bracing’ became one of the most famous tourism posters of its time, and the character has become synonymous with the East Coast town.”

“This new exhibition allows visitors to explore a range of works from Hassall’s 50-year career, as well as work from some of his contemporaries.”

Whilst John Hassall’s most famous work was Jolly, the artist also created the 1910 girl who promoted Kodak film, encouraging photographers to ‘take a Kodak with you.’

The latter was constantly updated and used right up until the 1970s, whilst Jolly himself has had a few makeovers in his time, but always with the aim of encouraging holidaymakers to make the most of Lincolnshire’s wonderful East Coast.

n The Museum of Lincolnshire Life, on Burton Road, Lincoln, is open from Friday to Tuesday from 10am to 4pm. See our feature on John Hassall later in this edition!

JET-powered cycling

ANNUAL CHARITY RIDE CELEBRATES

LINCOLNSHIRE’S UNIQUE RAF HERITAGE

An annual charity bike ride which has taken place since 2019 has taken a high-flying turn for 2023 in celebration of the county’s unique RAF heritage.

The 60 and 100-mile routes of the annual JETRide challenge will this year take in eleven of Bomber County’s most poignant heritage sites, including Harmston Hall, which served as a hospital in the Second World War, RAF Wellingore and RAF Swinderby

At each stop, riders will hear stories of endeavour, courage and adversity and they will also have the oppor-

tunity to dedicate their ride to a military hero or veteran.

JETRide is organised by the youth charity Jon Egging Trust, with the ride raising funds to help support disadvantaged and underconfident students to take part in the trust’s three-year Blue Skies programmes.

The John Egging Trust’s CEO Dr Emma Egging, says the charity – founded in memory of her late husband, Red Arrows pilot Flt Lt Jon Egging – maintains strong links with the RAF. JETRide takes place on 24th Sept, from RAF Cranwell. n See www.joneggingtrust.org.uk.

LINCOLN

LINCOLN

Life in The Tower

BOSTON’S MEGAN CLAWSON BASES NEW NOVEL ON A CHILDHOOD IN THE TOWER...

Burghley Horse Trials tickets now on sale...

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials box office is now open. Members’ tickets for the autumn event, which takes place from 31st August to 3rd September, are now on sale. For the first time, the majority of tickets will be issued as e-tickets, rather than in printed form. n See burghley-horse.co.uk.

Boston-born author

Meghan Clawson has just released her debut novel

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard. The author lives with her father Chris Clawson, a Yeoman Warder in the Tower of London, and has based her novel in the landmark. It tells the story of Margaret ‘Maggie’ Moore who lives in one of London’s famous landmarks and has a

chance encounter with Royal Guard Freddie, which causes her to reconsider her previous resolve to give up on love altogether.

Meghan is also a TikToker with 260,000 followers and works as an English tutor and TV & film extra. Her debut novel is available from good independent bookshops, published by HarperCollins. n

Lucy’s back... with a friend!

LINCOLN CASTLE’S FRIENDLY DRAGON RETURNS FOR 2023 SEASON... WITH A FRIEND, TOO!

Friendly dragon Lucy is returning to Lincoln Castle this summer along with a couple of friends. It’s hoped that two new dragon sculptures will join Luxy to amuse visitors to the castle, with the planning application asking for permission them to remain in place for two years.

Lucy was greatly missed when she left the Castle in January, but is set to return from 19th June along with a bandstand to host a series of live events at the Castle too.

Other activities planned for summer 2023 at the landmark include a King Arthur-themed Enchanted Castle event, with outdoor cinema returning in September courtesy of Luna. n

LINCOLN Lincolnshire celebrity Jake Quickenden successfully completed the London Marathon last month, raising £14,500 for Sarcoma, the bone charity supporting research into the condition which claimed his father and 19-year old brother. Jake’s Just Giving page is still active for donations. n

In Brief LINCOLNSHIRE

Number of police officers increases by 166 since 2021... Lincolnshire police has been successful in recruiting 166 new officers since 2012, new figures show.

The government is keen to recruit over 20,000 more officers across the country, and to date 20,951 have been recruited, restoring staffing levels back to 2010.

£14,500

Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones says “The Conservative government’s drive to put more police officers on the streets has made a significant difference to the policing service of residents in Lincolnshire and they deserve huge credit for surpassing, the national target. n

LINCOLN

STAMFORD

BOSTON

Defender

Burghley/Peter Nixon.

New Showroom, New Windows...

NEW WINDOW COMPANY OPENS SECOND SHOWROOM IN STAMFORD

The New Window Company has opened its second showroom in which to show off its range of timber windows and doors, this time in the heart of Stamford.

The new branch on Belton Street in the town will complement the firm’s existing Frieston Heath showroom, and will allow the company to market its high quality and sustainable timber products, including its vertical sliding sash, flush and stormproof window casements, entrance doors, sliding patio and sliding bi-fold doors.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new showroom, held in late April, was attended by chairman Roy Wakeman OBE and general manager Dean Goodwin.

The launch was also celebrated by prize draw competitions featuring lots of local retailers from Sophie

LOCAL NEWS

In Brief APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ON WHEREABOUTS OF STOLEN SPIDER

Have you seen Shelly?

The Mexican Red Knee Tarantula was stolen from Cleethorpes pet shop Exotics Of The World on the town’s Grimsby Road. Owners say that she’s very much missed as they’d raised her from a sling. If you can untangle this web of crime, get in touch with the shop.n

Allport to The White Company, celebrating the company’s new presence in the town.

The New Window Company is the leading

provider of Timber, Timber Alternative, uPVC and Aluminium windows and doors in the East Midlands, installing across Lincolnshire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire,

Helping create a safe Haven

HAVEN SET TO RAISE £1M FOR CHARITY PARTNER THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION...

Leicestershire and Peterborough since 1995. n New Window Company is based on Belton Street, Stamford PE9 2EF. Call 01400 272538 or see www.new-window.co.uk.

SKEGNESS

Following a record-breaking year in 2022, leading UK holiday company Haven raised over £247,000 for its charity partner the RNLI through a series of fundraising events across the country.

The donation surpassed Haven’s target of £125,000 for the year and cemented the fiveyear long partnership and the incredible work it does to keep holidaymakers – including those on Lincolnshire’s East Coast – safe.

Since the start of the partnership Haven has raised an outstanding £655,505.59 for the RNLI, supported by guests, owners and team members. n

STAMFORD

• Superb Family Residence Offering 8 Bedrooms

• Excellent Entertaining Facilities including 50ft Kitchen /Living Area

• Heated Indoor Swimming Pool with Gymnasium

• Atria Games Room, Private Garden Barbecue Area and Extensive Gardens with Lake

• Superb Large Six Bedroomed Detached House in Half an Acre of Gardens

• Impressive Gothic Style House in a Superb Residential Location

• 3 Principal Reception Rooms, Fitted Kitchen with Utility Room and Pantry

• Orangery, Dining Area

• Extensive Gardens including Patio and Barbeque Areas

• Spacious and Well Appointed Five Bedroomed Detached House in 3.22 Acres

• Unique Opportunity to Acquire a Superb Modern Dwelling

• 4 Reception Rooms, Large Modern Fitted Kitchen Diner, Separate Utility Room

• 5 Bedrooms, 2 En-Suites, Integral Double Garage, Mature Gardens, Paddocks and Pond

UPCOMING EVENTS

KENWICK PARK COMEDY CLUB

Saturday 10th June

Four talented comedians from Mansfords Comedy Club will have you in stitches.

£20.00 per person

DIRTY DANCING MEETS GREASE

Saturday 29th July

With all the favourite classics from both shows with a two course meal and DJ. Get ready to have the time of your life!

£42.50 per person

GEORGE EZRA TRIBUTE NIGHT

Saturday 19th August

Listen to George Ezra’s greatest hits including ‘Shotgun’ “Green Green Grass’, Budapest’ and many more. With a two course meal and DJ.

£42.50 per person

JACKSON SOUL

Saturday 23rd September

Motown Nights with Jackson Soul performing the biggest hits from the Motown era. Jackson Soul brings both authenticity and class to every performance. With a two course meal, band and DJ.

£45.00 per person

ROCKY HORROR SHOW

Saturday 21st October

A cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is adored by us all! With a two course meal and DJ. Dammit Janet!

£45.00 per person

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS

Get your dancing spirit on and join us as Kenwick once again hosts four glamorous party nights across December! This is one celebration you don’t want to miss!

Book online or call our reception team on 01507 608806 or email reservations@kenwick-park.co.uk

KENWICK PARK, LOUTH, LINCS LN11 8NR 01507 608806 www.kenwick-park.co.uk

SUMMER EVENTS in LINCOLNSHIRE

Great ideas for a summer spent in Lincolnshire from county shows to gardening events, history and quirky places to stay...

Image: Heavy Horses at the Heckington Show, Rob Davis, Pride Magazines.

SATURDAY 28th - SUNDAY 29nd MAY

LIVING HERITAGE GAME & COUNTRY FAIR

The earliest event in the county show season and held at Burghley House, Living Heritage’s Game & Country Fair’s arena events include horse boarding and scurry driving among other attractions

The show incorporates World of Dogs with the ‘Chase the Bunny’ competition and Waggy Tails fun dog show. Elsewhere there’s a craft village, Food Glorious Food area, falconry and fishing. n

WEDNESDAY 21st - THURSDAY 22nd JUNE

THE LINCOLNSHIRE SHOW

The county’s largest outdoor show, this year’s Lincolnshire Show introduces the Potting Shed for those who enjoy all things horticultural ouseplants, wildflowers and allotments with local experts and more. In the main ring this year, the Shetland Pony Grand National and Squibb Freestyle Motorcross as well as the usual parade of machinery, livestock, hounds and carriage driving. The event will attract over 60,000 people and celebrate the best of Lincolnshire food in the Lincolnshire Kitchen arena. Naturally livestock also remains a strong reason that the Lincolnshire Show remains popular, with 1,800 horses and ponies, 1,300 cattle, sheep, pigs and goats and 11 rings of entertainment arranged across over 200 acres. n

SATURDAY 1st - SUNDAY 2nd JULY

THE WINTERTON SHOW

Arranged over 20 acres, 2023 sees the 151st Winterton Show, with scurry racing, floats, the IMPS motorcycle team and livestock in the main ring. n

SUNDAY 9th JULY

SPILSBY SHOW

Heavy horses and the Fun Dog Show in the main ring plus crafts and models, trade stands and vintage exhibits, plus lots more. n

SATURDAY 29th - SUNDAY 30th JULY

HECKINGTON SHOW

Founded in 1863 as part of Heckington’s 1,000 year old Feast Week tradition, the Heckington Show is the largest village show in the UK and features the oldest cycle race in the world. Attractions include shire horses, aerial wheel and acrobatic displays plus quad bikes in the main ring, as well as Saturday evening’s firework concert this year featuring 90s Spice. n

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST

THE REVESBY COUNTRY FAIR

Archery, clay pigeon shooting, crafts and food, this 30-year old show promises a real emphasis on equestrianism and a country lifestyle. n

The Lincolnshire Show.

Find Out More COUNTY SHOWS

Living Heritage Game & Country Fair: www.livingheritagecountryshows.com.

The Lincolnshire Show: www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk.

Winterton Show: www.wintertonshow.co.uk.

Spilsby Show: www.spilsbyshow.co.uk.

Heckington Show: www.heckingtonshow.org.uk.

Revesby Country Fair: www.revesbycountryfair.co.uk. n

The Lincolnshire Show.

The Lincolnshire Show.

Heckington Show. Heckington Show.

THE COUNTRY HOUSE TODAY

Experts explore interpretation, adaptation and preservation this summer at Grimsthorpe

Castle...

GRIMSTHORPE CASTLE is to host its first ever symposium with a series of lectures linked to its current exhibition of coronation treasures from Grimsthorpe’s historic collection. The Symposium will explore the traditions of British coronations and court culture, and their connection to Grimsthorpe Castle through the hereditary office of the Lord Great Chamberlain.

Amongst a very distinguished panel of historians and art historians, the current Lord Great Chamberlain, Lord Carrington, and the Maltravers Herald Extraordinary will give their unique insights into the organisation and staging of King Charles III’s coronation.

n From 10am, tickets £45-£55, within The Vanbrugh Hall, Grimsthorpe Castle,call 01778 591205 or see www.grimsthorpe.co.uk.

LINCOLNSHIRE’S STATELY HOMES & COUNTRY ESTATES: What’s On in 2023?

Belton House is inviting you to a guided walk on 28th May and 25th June from 10.30am down the East Avenue towards Bellmount Tower, its Grade II listed C18th folly.

n See www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Belvoir Castle’s English Civil War Weekend takes place on 22nd and 23rd July with live battle re-enactments. There’s a Napoleonic Weekend, too, on 5th and 6th August.

n See www.belvoircastle.com

Gunby Hall invites visitors into The Secret Garden with Chapterhouse Theatre who will perform their open air production at the Spilsby property on Saturday 22nd July from 7pm.

n See www.chapterhouse.org.

Burghley House will of course host this year’s Burghley Horse Trials – the world’s greatest five-star FEI affiliated eventing fixture – from 31st August to 3rd September. n

n See www.burghley.co.uk.

Grimsthorpe Castle.

OPEN FARM SUNDAY: Discover Farming

ORGANISED by the national charity Linking Agriculture and Farming (LEAF), Open Farm Sunday returns this month, since the event was created in 2006, over 1,600 farms have opened their gates to visitors and 2.7m people have visited their local arable or livestock farm to discover where our food comes from, how farming and custodianship of the environment are related and why we should care about the agricultural sector and those who are employed in it.

“Each event is unique based around the farm’s individual story,” says organisers. “Activities during the day may include a farm walk, nature trail, tractor and trailer rides, demonstrations, pond dipping, activities for children, a mini farmers market or farm shop.”

Participating farms in Lincolnshire include Naylor Flowers of Spalding, Beeswax Dyson Farming in Nocton and The Chestnuts in Burgh le Marsh, more farms are expected to be confirmed as Pride goes to press. n For more information see www.farmsunday.org.

SO! FESTIVAL 2023: Art & Culture in Skegness

A CELEBRATION of Art & Culture, Skegness’s So! Festival returns this summer with everything from poetic puppetry and daring dancing, to immersive installations and creative conversations.

Alford Craft Market

LINCOLNSHIRE’S EXCITING PLAY PARKS FOR KIDS...

This year’s carefully curated programme of innovative art and entertainment will take you on a joyous journey of discovery, inviting you to step out of

Enjoy a spring bank holiday of rural crafts at Alford Craft Market from Saturday 27th to Monday 29th May, and again during the August bank holiday from Saturday 26th to Monday 28th August with live entertainment, morris dancing and other entertainment to enjoy as well.

Youngsters are in for a treat this season with three new playparks opening in the county. Burghley House’s playpark is now open with its host Cecil the Mole – named after William Cecil, the spymaster of Queen Elizabeth I keen to introduce children and grandchildren to a range of spy-themed activities involving secret codes and secret missions. Belvoir Castle’s new adventure playground has been designed by Lady Alice Manners with inclusivity in mind featuring a giant castle and pirate ship. The new playground will cover four acres! Skegness’s Butlins has also unveiled Skypark, its brand new £2.5m attraction for day and residential visitors. n

your ‘day to day:’ experience something truly unique and be inspired by talented performers from the local and international circuit.

In between performances, the event will also host Creative Workshops facilitated by local artists, and it will create comfy community spaces to relax in the surroundings of the fresh, balmy East Coast!

n See www.sofestival.org.

Burghley House.

This month there’s a very special birthday to celebrate as the pretty Lincolnshire Wolds reaches 50 years of age... sort of! For whilst the habitat has evolved over many thousands of years, The Wolds was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty back in 1973. The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service Wolds has created a programme of 50 events over the summer to mark the milestone and here, we’re identifying five things we love about the Wolds, one for each decade...!

1

THE LINCOLNSHIRE WOLDS AT 50...

Of course the plateau hilltops, sweeping views, chalk streams and wooded slopes and valleys have evolved over many thousands of years. However, in 1973 the need to protect this unique habitat was formally recognised with Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) status. The Wolds covers 558km2 (216m2), and is home to 568 farmsteads with 798 people working in agriculture, plus 375 businesses. Nearly three and a half million people visit the Wolds each year, 3.18m as day visitors and 250,000+ as residential visitors, contributing £166.5m to Lincolnshire’s economy. n

50 Years of The Wolds

2 CONSERVATION & BIODIVERSITY

The Wolds has 604 hectares of ancient woodland, 32,000 hectares of land in AONB Environmental stewardship, with £2.1m invested in those areas each year. The Wolds is home to 244 ‘Red List’ (threatened) species, and over 26km of chalk stream rivers have been restored since 2006. The Wolds is also home to 17 roadside nature reserves. n

3 HOME TO FAMOUS PEOPLE

Past residents of The Wolds have included the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson who noted the ‘Woods that belt the grey hillside,’ the explorer Captain John Smith was born in Alford whilst astronaut Michael Foale and the comedian Robert Webb were born in Louth and Woodhall Spa respectively. n

4

Lyndsey Trail, and the many other routes available to view at www.lincswolds.org.uk. The area is also home to the Viking Way, which passes through Caistor, Horncastle, Woodhall Spa, and onto Lincoln. n

4

IT’S IDEAL FOR WALKING & CYCLING

With so many footpaths, bridleways, and cycling trails running through The Wolds, it’s little surprise that the area is popular for getting some fresh air. Suggested routes for walkers and cyclists include Hubbards Hills, Willingham Woods, the

ENJOYING THE WOLDS

To celebrate 50 years as an AONB, The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service has created 50 for 50, a series of 50 activities to enjoy in The Wolds throughout 2023. All 50 are available on the area’s website but we’ve also presented a few of our favourites opposite! >>

Find Out More: The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service in conjunction with the Lincolnshire Chalk Stream Project and the AONB Farming in Protected Landscape network have collaborated to produce 50 for 50, see www.lincswolds.org.uk.

The Lincolnshire Wolds was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on 17th April 1973. It is one of 46 AONBs in the UK that are protected by laws created in 1949 & 2000.

FRIDAY 2nd JUNE

DANCING IN NATURE

A free-movement dance activity at Willingham Woods using wireless headsets. No experience necessary but booking is essential via www.wedancefree.com. n

FRIDAY 9nd JUNE

TREES OF HUBBARDS HILLS

A two mile walk around Hubbards Hills, Louth finding out about the trees that live there, and the stories they can tell us. n

SUNDAY 11th JUNE

OPEN FARM SUNDAY

Explore the farming landscape and what farming in the Lincolnshire Wolds entails at Sutton Estates at Stainton le Vale. Take a tractor and trailer ride around the estate, get to meet some animals, learn about farm machinery, have a go at pond dipping and enjoy some local produce. See www.farmsunday.org. n

SUNDAY 25th JUNE

BUTTERFLY & BEE BIMBLE

Four mile walk on private farmland. We will be looking at the role of pollinators, Hallington House Farm, Halfpenny Lane, Louth. n

SATURDAY 1st JULY

LOVE LINCS PLANTS

Join with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union, Sir Joseph Banks Society, Natural History Museum, University of Lincoln and others to celebrate the plant life of the Lincolnshire Wolds at numerous locations over this weekend. n

TUESDAY 4th JULY

TENNYSON AT SOMERSBY

Join with Jean Howard at Tennysons Birthplace to discover more about his home and early life.n

FRIDAY 11th AUGUST

50 YEARS OF THE AONB

Celebrate 50 years of The Wolds’ AONB designation around the fireside– with readings, songs and a jacket potato. Old Church Farm, Great Steeping. Booking required. n

SUNDAY 1st OCTOBER

LINCOLNSHIRE DAY WALK

From 2pm at South Thoresby Warren Nature Reserve. join local expert David Start as he takes on a journey to explore some of the Wolds deserted medieval settlements. n l For information on all of the above see www.lincswolds.org.uk.

50 for 50: A few ways to enjoy The Wolds...

The Lincolnshire Wolds.

Alford Windmill.

SATURDAY 8th - SUNDAY 9th JULY

WOODHALL SPA 1940S FESTIVAL

A return to wartime Britain for 55,000 its visitors...

WOODHALL SPA’S 1940s Festival returned in 2022 for the first time since the event was interrupted by Covid. After a debate about the sensitivity of holding the festival given the outbreak of war in Ukraine, organisers decided that the festival should go ahead but that it could raise money for civilians caught up in the conflict. Last year over 55,000 people attended the event, which is free to visitors and attracts performers of vintage music living history groups, those with vintage vehicles and a festival market. Prizes are available for the Best Living History Group and Military Vehicle, as well as the best dressed window or staff members for local businesses. Drop-in dance classes and concerts are also being hosted by the event’s organisers and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is also planning a flypast during the event. n

Find Out More: The 11th annual Woodhall Spa 1940s Festival takes place on Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th July 2023, see www.woodhall-spa-40s-festival.com.

NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME: Garden Openings in Summer 2023...

SUNDAY 11th JUNE

THE FERN NURSERY

BINBROOK, MARKET RASEN

Wildlife garden with rock features, acid beds, and a sheltered winter garden with a sundial, plus woodland and fern collection, herbaceous perennials and other features. n Grimsby Road, Binbrook, Market Rasen, LN8 6DH .

SUNDAY 18th JUNE

MILLSTONE HOUSE GOSBERTON, SPALDING

Hidden behind a privet hedge is a beautiful wrap-around garden with a wealth of herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs. Fabulous display of pots ferns and a small water feature.

n 7 Mill Lane, Gosberton, Spalding, PE11 4NN.

SUNDAY 18th JUNE

WOODLANDS

FOTHERBY, LOUTH

Mature woodland garden where a multitude of unusual plants available from the wellstocked RHS listed nursery. During 2022 several small areas have been redesigned.

n Woodlands, Peppin Lane, Fotherby, Louth, LN11 0UW

SUNDAY 25th JUNE

HACKTHORN HALL HACKTHORN, LINCOLN

Formal and woodland garden, and ornamental walled gardens surrounding Hall and church extending to approx 15 acres. Parts of the formal gardens designed by Bunny Guinness.

n Hackthorn, Lincoln, LN2 3PQ . See www.hackthorn.com.

ENJOY IRIS WEEK at DODDINGTON HALL

Enjoy the enchanting beauty of Doddington Hall’s Iris display in the West Garden of the Lincoln stately home. Anthony Jarvis, whose family inherited the Hall in 1830, has overseen the cultivation of Irises and these have become very popular for those who enjoy the ornamental plant ever since.

Bearded Irises have drawn thousands of visitors to the romantic walled West Gardens, reorganised in 1900 with the help of experts from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, owners James and Claire Birch launched Iris Week to extend the period of time people can see them, as their bloom is quite short.

n For more information see www.doddingtonhall.com.

SMELL THE ROSES at GUNBY HALL

A celebration of all the beautiful roses from within the garden at Gunby Hall and Estate at their annual Rose Week. Join Gunby Hall, Gardens & Estate to enjoy their annual 'Rose Week'. A celebration of all the beautiful roses from within the Gunby Garden. You'll get a sensory explosion of scent in their vibrant flower displays. Plus, on Bank Holiday Monday 29th May, they will have an array of craft stalls for you to visit during your visit.

Gunby Hall is a Grade I listed stately home created in 1700 by Sir William Massingberd and taken over by the National Trust in 1944. n See www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

BELVOIR FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

GARDEN INSPIRATION and a great day out... what could be better than spending a sunny weekend in the grounds of Belvoir Castle, enjoying 28 show borders and more than 50 trade exhibitors.

The show will also feature talks by TV’s David Domoney, plus Floral demonstrations by Jonathan Moseley, a talks panel including Professor David Stevens, John Stirland, Rosy Hardy, Karen Gimson and Mark Smith.

As well as the show itself, there’s live entertainment, cookery demonstrations, a dog show and the opportunity to pick up inspiration and the meants to bring your creative vision to live with all of the flowers and shrubs you need from leading growers including David Austin Roses, Hardy’s and more.

n From 9.45am to 4.30pm, non-RHS members £12.50/advance, Belvoir Castle, NG32 1PE, see belvoircastleflowerandgardenshow.co.uk.

For more information see www.ngs.org.uk

SUNDAY 2nd JULY

DUNHOLME LODGE

DUNHOLME, LINCOLN

5 acre garden with spring bulb area, plus shrub borders, fern garden, natural pond, wildflower area, orchard and veg garden, RAF Dunholme Lodge Museum within grounds.

n Dunholme Lodge, Dunholme Lincoln, LN2 3QA.

THURSDAY 20th JULY

SECRET GARDEN

WATTS LANE, LOUTH

Blank canvas of ⅕ acre in early 90s. Developed into lush, colourful, exotic plant packed haven. A whole new world on entering from street. Exotic borders, raised exotic island.

n 68 Watts Lane, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 9DG.

SUNDAY 23th JUNE

YEW TREE FARM

GOSBERTON, SPALDING

A lovely country garden, with large herbaceous and mixed borders surround well kept lawns. Wildlife pond with two bog gardens, woodland garden, and stunning reflective pool.

n Yew Tree Farm, Westhorpe Road Gosberton, Spalding, PE11 4EP.

SUMMER in LINCOLNSHIRE QUIRKY

& LUXURIOUS LOCAL ACCOMMODATION

TWO FABULOUS Cider

Huts close to Stamford nestling among 200 apple trees in a wildflower meadow. Beautifully crafted with Premium quality towels and linens, with a cast-iron radiator and log burner, en suite bathroom and kitchenette with kettle and fridge. Ready-made itineraries available, local walks and use of a tandem bicycle too!

ENJOY A SPA BREAK AT KENWICK PARK...

RELAX & UNWIND at Kenwick Park, in one of the estate’s woodland lodges, then enjoy a pampering treatment or just a day by the pool in Kenwick’s adjacent spa.

Each lodge is selfcontained with luxury accommodation for anywhere from two to eight guests, and there are woodland walks, cycle rides, golf and other activities on or

around the site, as well as Kenwick’s bar and restaurant if you’d prefer to let someone else do the cooking. Look out for regular comedy club and music tribute nights such as Dirty Dancing Meets Grease on Saturday 29th July and George Ezra & His Band on Saturday

this edition for more on Kenwick Park! n

STAY IN A LUXURY TREEHOUSE IN WOODHALL SPA

SIX LUXURY TREEHOUSES set amongst 17 acres of rhododendron woodland, each Treetop Hideaway has its own en suite bedroom, kitchen, wood burning stove, and a lakeside location with a private rowing boat. Enjoy the retreats’ outdoor hot tubs overlooking the lake, hammocks and a fire pit. Located just a stone’s throw from Woodhall Spa, these are modern, quirky and really luxurious! n See www.treetophideaways.co.uk.

LUXURY SHEPHERDS’ HUT: Quiet and quirky...!

n Booking via www.ciderhuts.co.uk or call 07432 643872. Find Out More: Kenwick Park is based at Kenwick Park, Lincolnshire, LN11 8NR, call 01507 608806 or visit www.kenwick-park.co.uk.

Stunning family home surrounded by 3000 acres of parkland, gardens, woodland and lake walks, an adventure playground and more. Buy a Season Ticket for 2023 and enjoy unlimited access, on public open days, to the Castle, Park, and Gardens, 5% discount in the Gift Shop, a quarterly newsletter as well as discounted entry to selected events. OPEN FROM APRIL, PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR INFORMATION ON

What’s On...

ALFORD

SATURDAY 27th, SUNDAY 28th, MONDAY 29th MAY

ALFORD CRAFT MARKET

One of the longest standing craft markets in the UK, established in 1974 by two craftspeople Heather & Michel Ducos of Alford Pottery. Proud of their craft, they wished to create a venue where Lincolnshire makers and artists could gather and sell work handmade with love and dedication in a variety of disciplines: ceramic, wood, iron, glass, textile etc. Music, theatre and specialist makers all join the event held around Alford’s Manor House.

n Gardens and marquee around Alford Manor House, 10am-4pm, admission ‘give what you can afford,’ see www.alfordcraftmarket.co.uk.

G4 Perform in Lincoln

CLASSICAL CROSSOVER GROUP PERFORM AT LINCOLN’S NEW THEATRE ROYAL WITH SUBLIME VOCAL HARMONIES

LINCOLN

WEDNESDAY 21st JUNE

G4 LIVE 2023

The UK’s No.1 classicalcrossover vocal quartet extend their exhilarating G4 LIVE tour with more dates into 2023! A well-curated set includes classic hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Creep, My Way, Circle of Life & Nessun Dorma. Enticingly addictive live music entertainment from the group which won the public’s heart following 2004’s X-Factor.

n Doors 7.30pm, tickets from £31.50, VIP tickets available, call 01522 519999 or see www.newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk.

GRIMSBY

SUNDAY 18th JUNE

GRIMETHORPE

COLLIERY BAND

The real stars of the hit movie Brassed Off, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band have won almost every brass band accolade going, and this month, they host a live performance at Grimsby Auditorium.

n Grimsby Auditorium, DN31 2BH, tickets £20, from 3pm, call 0300 300 0035 or see www.grimsbyauditorium.org.uk.

SCUNTHORPE

THURSDAY 1st JUNE

CLASH OF THE TITANS: AN EVENING WITH SNOOKER GREATS

Seven-times World Snooker Champion Stephen Hendry takes on his arch rival Steve Davis with your host and referee for the evening Dennis Taylor. Come and join the UK’s favourite snooker stars as they recreate the matches that saw them rise to the top.

n Baths Hall, Doncaster Road, Scunthorpe DN15 7RG. Call 01724 296296 or see www.scunthorpetheatres.co.uk.

WOODHALL SPA

TUESDAY 13th JUNE

IL TROVATORETHE ROYAL OPERA, LIVE SCREENING

Royal Opera House production of Il Trovatore sung in Italian with English subtitles. Enjoy one of Verdi’s finest operas, featuring the famous Anvil Chorus.

n From 7.15pm, £14/adults, Kinema in the Woods, LN10 6QD, call 01526 352166 or see thekinemainthewoods.co.uk.

LINCOLN

FRIDAY 16th JUNE

FLEETWOOD MAC BY CANDLELIGHT IN THE NAVE OF LINCOLN CATHEDRAL

Featuring a cast of West End Singers and a live band, join these talented performers for a landslide concert, jam packed with Fleetwood Mac hits as you have never heard them before! This incredible show will feature best loved songs

including Little Lies, Everywhere, The Chain, Rhiannon, Don’t Stop and many more, performed in the beautiful nave of Lincoln Cathedral, illuminated for the event. So Go Your Own Way, release your inner Gypsy and book your tickets now as this really is the concert of Dreams!

n Tickets from £30-£45, from 7pm, Lincoln Cathedral LN2 1PX, call 01522 561 600 or see www.lincolncathedral.com.

Shakespeare in Stamford

ENJOY PHENOMENAL AL FRESCO PERFORMANCES OF SHAKESPEARE’S WORK AT TOLETHORPE HALL

BOSTON

SATURDAY 24th JUNE

JULIE McLELLAND & THE BAND FROM COUNTY HELL

Sleaford’s Band From County Hell are an original Celtic folk band with seven critically acclaimed albums. Their 2,000 live performances include supporting The Levellers, The Stranglers and UB40. n Blackfriars Arts Centre, Boston, PE21 6HP, from 7.30pm, tickets £14, call 01205 363108 or see www.blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk.

SPALDING

SATURDAY 24th JUNE BEYOND FAITH

Celebrating the music of George Michael with Paul Grant-Reason.

n 7.30pm, £27.50, South Holland Centre, Spalding southhollandcentre.co.uk.

STAMFORD JUNE, JULY & AUGUST MEASURE FOR MEASURE, AS YOU LIKE IT & THE LADY IN THE VAN

Stamford Shakespeare Company formed under the formidable Jean Harley in 1968 and moved to their current home of Tolethorpe Hall, for their first performances there in June 1977. Each year the theatre performs a couple of Shakespeare’s plays but also a ‘wildcard’ and an additional performance by its junior players, Tolethorpe Youth Drama (current).

Send your press releases and events to editor@pridemagazines.co.uk

GRANTHAM

THURSDAY 29th JUNE

LIVE: BARBARA DICKSON WITH NICK HOLLAND

In this special acoustic performance Barbara Dickson and her pianist Nick Holland explore Barbara’s folk roots and classic hits.

n From 7.30pm, tickets £28, Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham NG31 6PZ, 01476 406158 or see www.guildhallartscentre.com.

This year, the theatre will put on productions of Measure for Measure, set in the Hapsburg empire of early-1900s Vienna, plus As You Like It with a 1960s backdrop, and Alan Bennett’s poignant story The Lady in the Van.

The theatre creates its own backdrops, costumes, scripts and choreographs its own fight scenes or stunts entirely in-house. Production values are super and both cast and crew are committed to creating really good entertainment. n For dates of each production, and ticket prices, call 01780 754381, or see tolethorpe.co.uk.

Margaret’s Milestone CELEBRATING 30 BOOKS

This summer Lincolnshire-born author Margaret Dickinson has published her 30th novel with publishers Pan Macmillan, so we chatted to the writer to congratulate her!

Words: Rob Davis.

THREE MILLION, at least. That’s the number of words which have enthralled fans of Margaret Dickinson’s work for over 30 years. Born in Gainsborough, the author renowned for her romantic sagas moved to the East Coast back in 1949 and remained there until recently.

In total, she has written 39 books, but this year sees the publication of The Poacher’s Daughter, which is book number 30 since signing to Pan Macmillan in 1994, where Margaret remains probably one of their most prolific and consistently popular writers.

“I enjoyed English at school and I always knew I wanted to be a writer. At school I’d have to read the classics: Brontë and Austen. Of those I think Pride & Prejudice was always my favourite because it had everything; romance, humour and a strong story...”

For pleasure, Margaret would read novels by Catherine Cookson or Victoria Holt, unaware that she was actually putting in the ground work getting to know her own genre.

Margaret left Skegness Grammar School after taking A-Levels and enrolled in secretarial college, working in the Education Office at Skegness before leaving in 1970 to have the first of two daughters. She had been writing since the age of 14 and was first published professionally twelve years later. “I wrote nine novels published by Robert Hale between 1968 and 1984. These were a mixture of light, historical romance, an action/suspense novel and a thriller. The first novels were much slimmer (55,000-60,000 words) and lighter in content, quite different from my later work. But it’s great that they have now been reissued under Pan Macmillan.

“My books are usually set from the early 1900s to the 1960s, which is a convention of a genre established by Catherine Cookson and similar authors. She took a great deal of inspiration from her background, growing up in the North East of England and it helped to greatly inform her work.”

>> Quite besides the underlying romantic plot which is a consistent theme of her work, Margaret’s books always have a strong historical setting, informed by a fondness for history and a recognition of the importance of getting all of the details of each setting era or profession correct. Margaret’s work has historical accuracy and emotion in equal measure.

“A plot can find you even when you’re not looking for one,” says Margaret. “The Clippie Girls in 2013 was inspired by a visit to the Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire, and the sight of a tramway car damaged during The Blitz.”

“My latest book, The Poacher’s Daughter, was inspired by the old Lincolnshire tale of William Dadley, a gamekeeper who worked near Alford. It’s suspected that he was murdered by a poacher.”

The book is a very different story though, and it sees a poacher’s daughter and a wealthy landowner’s son meet and fall in love, but the setting of the Lincolnshire Wolds in 1910 and the characters’ respective differences provide a backdrop to the story.

Margaret always sets her books in familiar locations, which have over the years included Lincolnshire – Wolds and Fens –plus Nottinghamshire and Sheffield. Each novel is over 100,000 words in length and Margaret’s disciplined approach to writing allows her to work on a book a year. The usual deadline for a book is 1st October, and that’s the point at which the final manuscript is submitted to the commissioning editor to view before a copy editor finesses the text with the kind of forensic detail for which they’re justly renowned.

Margaret says that the early morning is her favourite time to write, and that the process is quite organic. Some writers work with a synopsis and gradually expand it until it incorporates all of the story’s detail and forms chapters.

Meanwhile, Margaret has developed an instinct for pace and gets a first draft down quickly, infilling with details as she goes along. Afternoons are usually preserved for research, interviews with magazines like Pride and for book signings.

It takes about a month from the submission of the final book for any changes to be made,

and then in autumn Margaret starts work on her next manuscript. Rather than juggling a few different novels at once as some authors are known to do, Margaret prefers to concentrate on one at once, although she can’t help but have an idea fermenting at the back of her mind for her next book.

Margaret won’t be drawn on the details of book number 31 for Pan Macmillan, but we can reveal it’s about half complete. No doubt it will be as popular, as romantic and as warmly received as the rest of her work as you’d expect from one of Lincolnshire’s most prolific authors. n

Find Out More: The Poacher’s Daughter is now available in all good bookshops, £7.99. It’s also available as an e-book, for more information on Margaret see www.panmacmillan.com.

“My latest book, The Poacher’s Daughter, was inspired by the old Lincolnshire tale of William Dadley, a gamekeeper who worked near Alford. It’s suspected that he was murdered by a poacher...”

Big Things Happening in Diminutive WOODHALL SPA

It’s one of the prettiest, greenest and most enjoyable villages in Lincolnshire with some fascinating history and plenty to see and do. This month we enjoy a return visit to diminutive Woodhall Spa...

Image: Woodhall Spa’s 1940s Festival.

>> It’s more like a small town, than a large village. Woodhall Spa remains one of the most diminutive places in Lincolnshire with plenty of heritage packed into a compact but perfectly formed community: the 2021 census recorded Woodhall’s population as being 4,126, and the place covers about 13km2

Just a couple of miles down the road, the Cistercian monastery of Kirkstead Abbey was the greater settlement until its dissolution in the 1537 when the last abbot Richard Harrison was implicated in the Lincolnshire Rising. All that remains today is the remains of the south transept.

Woodhall Spa is now home to golf in the UK, with the headquarters of the English Golf Union and its prized Hotchkin course. On the latter stands the Tower-on-the-Moor, now a Grade I listed ancient monument and a folly but once the four-storey hunting lodge of Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell, whose fortified house was Tattershall Castle, rebuilt in 1430 to replace the original medieval fortified dwelling.

A small hunting lodge, Woodhall Spa Manor, was built in the late C18th and became the home of Thomas Hotchkin, Lord of the Manor of Thimbleby and Woodhall; his great-grandson Stafford Vere Hotchkin built the eponymous golf course in 1905. After a spell as the local NFU office, Woodhall Spa Manor reopened as a hotel in 2013.

Before that though, Woodhall Spa enjoyed a bit of serendipity when John Parkinson attempted to dig under the village for coal, only to come across water.

Whilst his mining enterprise was abandoned, Thomas Hotchkin commissioned an analysis of the water in 1811 and discovering it was rich in iodine and bromine, spend a cool £30,000 (about £3m in today’s money) sinking a well and creating a spa, inviting Victorians to ‘take the waters.’ >>

“Woodhall Spa’s quiet tranquillity will be slightly interrupted next month as the town’s fantastically popular 1940s event returns to the leafy village for its 11th year...”

Jubilee Park.

Woodhall Spa’s role as a spa destination was secured, and as well as numerous hotels and guest houses, a railway connection to Woodhall Spa opened in October 1848, closing in 1971, its remaining trackbed forms part of the Viking Way.

Woodhall Spa’s first golf course was created in 1890 but its land was used for building. A second course was also short-lived (18951902) and Hotchkin itself was remodelled in 1911 and 1920, with Bracken added in 1988. But something else was happening in the early C20th, as RAF Scampton, Waddington and Cranwell were created in 1916, the use of aviation warfare of the Second World War also led to the creation of RAF Coningsby and RAF Woodhall Spa (actually Tattershall Thorpe) in 1940/1941.

The Petwood Hotel, was created as a private residence for Baroness Grace van Eckhardstein close to her favourite (or pet) wood. The first modest bungalow on the site was extended in 1905 by Frank Peck, and when Grace married Sir Archibald Weigall a

conservative politician and Governor of South Australia from 1920-1922, the place was extended, becoming a military hospital for convalescence of soldiers during WWI and then the home of the 617 Dambuster squadron after its short-lived spell as a hotel from 1933 when Lady Grace Weigall and her husband left Lincolnshire for their other home Englemere in Ascot, Berkshire.

The hotel’s grounds were designed by Harold Peto, the C19th/C20th landscape architect, and original elements of his garden were restored by the hotel’s current custodians from 2011.

Last year saw the centenary of The Kinema in the Woods, the so-called ‘flicks in the sticks’ created on the grounds of a cricket pavilion in 1922 by Major Carleton Cole Allport.

In its 100 years, the Kinema has had just two further custodians; James Green and now Philip Jones. Today the place has four screens, the latest laser-projection and Dolby 7.1 technology, ensuring that for its 3,000

Left: The Petwood Hotel, home to the 617 Dambusters Squadron in the 1940s. Above: The original projector at Kinema in the Woods back in 1922!

“The Petwood Hotel, was created as a private residence for Baroness Grace van Eckhardstein close to her favourite (or pet) wood...”

screenings a year and 100,000 cinemagoers, the picture and sound quality are on a par with any multinational cinema… but with original cinema memorabilia like the original 1920s projector to admire in the lobby.

The flicks remains in the sticks: specifically the 19 acres of woodland in the centre of Woodhall, comprising oak, Scots pine, beech and birch. Just as green and pleasant is Jubilee Park which opened in 1937 gifted to the town by Lady Weigall.

2014 saw the park’s operation pass from the Parish Council to a non-for profit company who have been very proactive in terms of upkeep and development ever since, not least of the park’s outdoor swimming pool.

8th and 9th July will also see the return of the Woodhall Spa 40s Festival, with 24 entertainers, new acts for 2023 and performances taking place across the village. The 2022 event was the 10th anniversary and attracted in excess of 50,000 visitors.

Speaking of history, Woodhall Spa’s Cottage museum was created in 1987 within a prefabricated building made in 1887 and sold by Boulton & Paul, a major manufacturer of prefab buildings and pre-WWII aircraft. The museum contains the photographic collection of John Wield who lived from 1877 to 1965, and his archive remains the most comprehensive source for those interested in the social history of Woodhall Spa.

Woodhall Spa’s story is about to turn full circle with the continuing development of the old baths house. The collapse of the well in 1983 caused the final closure of the building until 2020 when local firm GN Construction began refurbishing the building with the ambition of creating a £5m spa in the centre of the town. Last year Wendy Griffin and Julie Charles reopened their hair and beauty business, re:new, in part of the building, with ongoing works to restore the rest of the estate.

Once again, it seems, visitors will enjoy visiting leafy Woodhall Spa for a bit of rest and revitalisation! n

‘The flicks’ remains very much in ‘the sticks’ specifically the 19 acres of woodland in the centre of Woodhall, comprising oak, Scots pine, beech and birch...

LEAFY & LOVELY: IT’S WOODHALL SPA

SPALDING FLOWER PARADE

It’s time for Spalding to shine as the town’s Flower Parade returns for the first time since 2013... this month we meed Steve Timewell and his 100 volunteers all working hard to ensure the event, as Pride appears in shops, is a celebration both of summer and of community spirit too!

Words: Rob Davis. Last year’s float images: Jan Whitborn, Tulip Events.

OUR LIIPS ARE SEALED! We’ve had to promise not to give too much away, but as Pride appears in print, up to 200,000 excited visitors will be attending the Spalding Flower Parade to celebrate the return of the event that celebrates the area’s horticultural heritage. It’s set to be the biggest event in the parade’s history, thanks not only to the town’s population, which is larger in number than ever but the fact that this year, an unprecedented 53 floats will begin their parade from Castle Sports Ground on a circular three-mile route.

Over 100 volunteers have helped to bring about the event’s return, and responsible for the event’s homecoming is Steve Timewell, who recalls the moment when an off-thecuff remark on social media led to him undertaking responsibility for the return of a much-loved Lincolnshire tradition.

“As is usually the case on social media there was a lot of negativity about the town, which is sad because Spalding is on the whole a great place to live. I’ve been in the town ever since I met my wife 25 years ago, and wanted to come to Spalding’s defence after quite a bit of negativity about the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations (or lack of same) last year.”

“Somebody remarked that what we needed was the return of the Flower Parade, but they doubted the likelihood of that happening. About half an hour after (perhaps unwittingly) saying that I’d be willing to bring the event back, the comment had gone viral and I was committed!”

Steve reckoned that the event’s return would necessitate about £50,000 and so he set up a Just Giving page which, to date, has managed to secure about £75,000 of funding. In the first week alone about £3,000 was pledged, which Steve thought was a strong indication of how keen the public was to see its return. But funding was only part of the challenge. How do you make the floats in the first place? What other events would turn the parade into a broader celebration for the town? What about road closures, litter bins and loos for the public? And of course, ‘elf ‘n’ safety’ was a much greater consideration than in 1959, when the first parade took place.

Despite pretty much starting from scratch, Steve did have some experience when it comes to organising events, having previously organised antiques fairs and other smaller events. But the Flower Parade is on another level. Still, his magnum opus has been the creation of the 184-page Event Management Plan, which has been meticulously revised over the past year and now constitutes a bible upon which to base future events.

“When I first went to the district council about resurrecting the event, the person I spoke to looked at me with a sense of dread, until I told them that it would be self-funding. At that point they were quite relieved and pledged their support. True to their word they’ve been very supportive and via the Safety Advisory Group they’ve provided some good input, advising on the number of bins, loos, safety barriers and so on.” >>

SPALDING FLOWER PARADE

Because the last event was held in 2013, a few of the floats had ended up in disparate garages, gardens and sheds. Some were scrapped or deemed beyond repair.

Steve and the team have managed to rescue about 10 of the original floats and have purchased a further 14 trailers to use for this year’s event and in the future. They’ve also purchased outright 300 safety barriers and a few village games.

“The idea is that by owning the trailers we can reduce costs next year, and we can create a revenue stream for future events by hiring out those barriers and the vintage games for fêtes, local events and so on,” he says, indicating that he’s already considering future events.

Some floats have been sponsored by companies but made by the team, others have been created by companies themselves, others are on flat-bed trailers.

In total there are 53 floats and a number of them are stored at a secret location near Spalding, hidden from view to help preserve the surprise until the parade. Design began on the floats almost immediately from the point Steve agreed to bring back the event. We joined the team of volunteers on a Saturday morning in late March where the steel frames had already been cladded with polystyrene. Half of the floats’ flowers are artificial or they’ve been covered in knitted fabric panels. The team will pick fresh tulips grown near Terrington St Clements and spend about three days before parade day finishing them off by adding the final fresh blooms. Already 16-year old college student and air cadet Star Perry has been chosen as this year’s South Holland Ambassador, and she will ride the Flower Queen float on the day. Dozens of artisan makers have already signed up to the event’s Craft Market, and a

main arena programme is being finalised as Pride goes to press with live entertainment from 10.30am to 7pm. Large outdoor versions of hoopla, darts, bowling and card games will raise money for local charities, and there will be a classic car and motorcycle event too.

“I don’t like negativity,” says Steve. “There’s a strong sense of community in the town of Spalding, plus a larger and more diverse population than ever, evidenced by the fact that this year there will also be dedicated floats for our Ukrainian and Lithuanian communities.”

“The return of the Spalding Flower Parade has been a year of hard work, so everyone involved wants to see it delivering a really enjoyable, friendly, fun and inclusive day for the whole town. We’re very excited, very grateful for all of those who have helped us bring it to fruition, and now, we’re all getting ready to have a really great time!” n

John Hassall’s JOLLY ICON

We all know that Skegness is so bracing, and that the most bracing figure of all in the town is the Jolly Fisherman himself… you may also know that the artist behind the iconic image is John Hassall. But even in the town, surprisingly little is known about the figure. That’s why we’ve spoken to academic, author and historian Luci Gosling, who quite literally wrote the book on good old Jolly…

Words: Rob Davis.

IT’S THE BRACING East Coast seaside town that hibernates by winter and then springs into life from Easter to remain a Jolly holiday resort throughout spring and summer. Skegness is usually home to about 25,000 people but its population increases tenfold during the tourist season, and the place has been especially popular since the railway arrived in the town back in 1873.

Arguably one of the reasons that Skegness achieved such popularity is a good advertising campaign by the Great Northern Railway. In 1908 the railway used a new figure in its advertising, complete with the catchphrase ‘Skegness is so bracing’ and the architect of this incredibly successful marketing was John Hassall.

Thomas Lumley the 3rd Early of Scarborough was responsible for investing heavily in the town from the mid-1700s and by the end of the 18th century, the gentry were keen to visit the town and avail themselves of what was considered to be a healthy lifestyle of salt water bathing and fresh coastal air.

The seaside was considered the preserve of a posh family but aspiring middle classes soon caught on to the fashionable act of taking the sea air and soon a stagecoach terminus, bathing machines (what we’d know as a beach hut) and lodging houses began to spring up. >>

>> By the time the railway arrived, Skegness was attracting about 20,000 visitors a year, and the late 19th century again saw a flurry of investment, this time from the 9th Earl of Scarborough, Richard Lumley, who funded a grid-aligned settlement comprising 787 homes across 96 acres.

The Earl funded new roads, a sewerage system, the sea wall, gas and waterworks, plus landmarks like the pier and pleasure gardens (1881) and bathing pools (1883), hoping to capitalise on the popularity of tourism and counter the losses the area was making amid Skegness’s agricultural decline.

By the 1890s, Skegness and similar resorts were able to accommodate the working classes, with cheap amusements, street traders and other forms of entertainment. Hence an advertising campaign was launched by the railway to appeal to this new market, and there really was only one man for the job.

Surprisingly little is known about John Hassall in Lincolnshire, but Luci Gosling is undoubtedly the expert, having written Holidays & High Society: The Golden Age of Travel and John Hassall: The Life and Art of the Poster King.

Luci is from County Durham but spend much of her professional life in London working for pictorial archives such as the Mary Evans Picture Library, probably the oldest archive going and the one which also provided services to the custodians of the Illustrated London News.

You might recall from previous features in Pride that the founder of the ILN – one of the earliest and most enduring illustrated periodicals – was Boston’s Herbert Ingram, whose statue remains in the centre of the town.

Luci was part of the team responsible for archiving over a million pages for the publication itself and its other titles, Sphere, The Graphic and Sketch. Before the advent of photography, and before the radio or cinema newsreels, these illustrated titles were incredibly popular and were the only way to quickly convey news stories and political commentary irrespective of the level of literacy or lack of same in their audience.

“Right up to the First World War there was a real demand for illustration,” says Luci. “There were no photographs or moving pictures, and so illustration was important to convey hard news, satire and it was used heavily in advertising like posters and press advertisements.”

There were military connections in Hassall’s family; his father had served in the navy during the siege of Sevastopol and his mother remarried William Purvis Wright, who was a member of the Royal Marines and later rose to the rank of General.

John Hassall, though was not as successful and twice failed his entry exams for a place at Sandhurst. Instead, he and his brother Owen emigrated to Canada, a country keen to boost its farming sector. John would illustrate the landscape and the boys’ farming activities and send his images back home.

By the time John and Owen returned to London two years later, John had already had his work accepted for publication in the title Graphic. Party in the Log Cabin was one such example of his first published works.

Encouraged by this success, he studied art in Antwerp under Charles Van Havermaet, and soon found himself contributing to Sketch, the younger sibling to the ILN, with rather lighter content – perhaps a forerunner to today’s tabloids.

John was successful in this respect and though staff illustrators were rare, he was soon regularly commissioned by such illustrated periodicals. >>

“By the 1890s, Skegness and similar resorts were able to accommodate the working classes, with cheap amusements, street traders and other forms of entertainment...”

Right: Just three examples of John Hassall’s advertising, tourism and theatre images.

John Hassall photographed in his studio on 24th July 1909, Creative Commons.

>> His real talent, though, would prove to be posters, and one of the biggest companies at the time was David Allen & Sons, a sort of Victorian-era Saatchi & Saatchi.

John’s career there began in 1895 and would span five decades. Especially in his early years he would be a prolific artist creating about 200 posters a year, many for theatre and music hall productions.

Though the company was headquartered in Belfast, David Allen & Son opened their British headquarters in Leicester Square in the heart of theatreland. As part of his remuneration the company also paid the rent on his Kensington Park property on Chelsea Road, although by this time John had also spent a few months in Glasgow. It was the home town of his wife Belle, who returned to her family to give birth to the couple’s first baby Dorothy in February 1896.

John was a good husband and a hands-on father, which probably inspired his contribution to Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes and other books of fairy stories. The couple would have another child, Ian, in 1899 but though their third child Isobel survived, Belle sadly died in childbirth in 1900.

John was a member of a number of art and lit societies and having been inducted into the Royal Institute of Water Colours in 1901, and the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, he went on to establish his own New Art School and School of Poster Design in Kensington in 1909, although it closed with the outbreak of the war.

Now one of the most sought-after artists in Britain, commissions were encroaching on David Allen & Sons’ need for a prolific output of posters. Happily they allowed John to take on a variety of work from postcards to advertising materials and even nursery friezes which were sold in the design-led retailer Liberty. John’s reputation ensured he made a frequent appearance in a dedicated magazine for the industry, The Poster.

In 1904, John was commissioned to produce a poster for the seaside resort of Blackpool. By this stage in his career, when he had decided on a creative direction few would argue with him even if his ideas did seem a bit more avant garde that the client was expecting.

Above: John Hassall’s iconic image, 1908, which he updated throughout his career. Opposite: Brands that John Hassall worked with include Colemans mustard, General Electric, Frys chocolate, Nestle, Kodak and the British Vacuum Cleaner Company. In the same year he created the iconic Skegness poster, Hassall was also commissioned to create a series of posters for the Lincoln Underground as part of Frank Pick’s rebranding of the service and the introduction of its map.

JOHN HASSALL: 1868 - 1948

His vision for the poster was a very simple image of a girl standing on the beach with bucket and spade in hand. It was simple, blocky, but incredibly effective with just a single word ‘Blackpool’ prominent at the top.

John Hassall’s approach to ‘less is more’ was a triumph and he had already applied the same bold logic to leading brands at the time like Colemans mustard (1901), General Electric (1904), Frys chocolate (1905), the British Vacuum Cleaner Company (1906) and Kodak (1910), with the established image of a ‘Kodak girl’ enduring in the company’s marketing until the 1970s.

When the Great Northern Railway (now LNER) commissioned John to create a poster for them, his idea for the iconic image of a Jolly Fisherman and the slogan ‘Skegness is so bracing’ was entirely his work, even if we can pick a few holes in the concept.

It’s Grimsby, some way up the coast, which is more well-known for its association with the fishing industry, whilst Skegness’s contribution to fishing had long since become a footnote in history compared to other forms of agriculture and latterly its role as a tourist town.

“John Hassall had never actually visited Skegness prior to creating the poster, and didn’t visit the town in person until 1936,” says Luci.

“Although by the time he did, he was considered a grand old man of advertising, and was issued with a vellum presentation granting him the freedom of the town.”

John created the poster in 1908 and in that same year he was also commissioned by Frank Pick to contribute to the new branding of the London Underground.

Frank was the designer responsible for commissioning the font Johnson, which is still used today, and to promote a original map of the network (prior to its simplification by Harry Beck in the 1930s).

John encouraged the public to consult the map with the slogan ‘No need to ask a p’liceman’ and created other slogans like ‘When in doubt, take the Underground.’

Quite why, among his vast canon of work, Jolly remains his most recognisable image is uncertain, although there are a number of images many people would recognise, even if they don’t make an instant association with John Hassall.

Luci reckons that her own interest in the artist was probably down to a vintage book of nursery rhymes she had a small child, with images influenced by John Hassall’s style, even if they weren’t painted by him.

In digitising the ILN and Sketch titles she soon came across John Hassall’s name and soon found herself researching his career, eventually creating her book in 2021. The book also coincided with an exhibition of his work curated by Luci at the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner. This was attended by another fan: writer and film director Mike Leigh, who wrote the foreword to Luci’s book.

Undoubtedly, John Hassall’s contribution to Skegness’s advertising was a real coup for the town, and has been responsible for its enduring legacy as a quintessential seaside town which remains, even in the 21st century, so bracing. n

John Hassall: The Life and Art of the Poster King by Lucinda Gosling, hardback, 256 pages, is available to order in all good bookshops, or see www.lucindagosling.co.uk. The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is displaying a series of work by John Hassall until 23rd July.

We’ll Meet AGAIN

Lovingly curated by Paul and Linda Britchford, We’ll Meet Again is a wonderful collection of memorabilia from the First and Second World Wars with a great focus on Bomber County’s role in the conflict and life on the home front... definitely worth a visit this summer!

WE’LL MEET AGAIN Just the opening line of the lyrics to Vera Lynn’s 1939 song evoked feelings of hope even amid the joyless life of a country at war and the loneliness of those trying to keep calm and carry on back on the home front.

With conflict still a fact of life in Ukraine and Sudan, it remains as important as ever to remind a younger generation what the true cost of war is. There’s no better way to do that than with a display of artefacts about life in the 1940s, and one of the best privately curated collections of such objects has been on display for the past six years thanks to two local historians.

As my own child wandered around Freiston Shore’s We’ll Meet Again, I wondered how young people today would cope back then, being shut away in our own homes without FaceTime, broadband internet and online shopping, multi-channel TV and central heating. Life on the home front during the war was hard roo... just ask Paul and Linda Britchford.

Paul has been curating his collection of wartime memorabilia from the age of eight, listening to his grandfather’s stories from the ARP home guard and coming into possession of his badges.

Over the years he amassed a huge collection of memorabilia which has grown and grown. From 2009, he and Linda were soon invited into schools to give talks and eventually became peripatetic history teachers.

In August 2017 the two found a permanent home for their collection and established a place for both schools and private visitors to view not just military artefacts, but those from the home front too.

We’ll Meet Again, on land adjacent to the nature reserve of the RSPB at Freiston, near Boston, has two elements.

It’s home to artefacts from the start of WWI to VE Day and beyond, but also items our parents and grandparents may have owned. Youngsters visiting the museum are often confused by a washboard and typewriter, wondering how the latter would connect to wi-fi. The younger generation, eh?

The museum’s closure during Covid was especially galling for Paul and Linda who had to close prior to revealing their newest addition, a Virtual Reality Lancaster simulator.

It’s an engaging experience that will give every visitor the chance to fly the famous aircraft, feeling the vibrations of the four Merlin engines, engaging with authentic controls and experiencing the sights and sounds with sophisticated 3D graphics for state-of-the-art realism.

It’s a modern attraction amid the experience of probably Britain’s best WWII collection anywhere bar the Imperial War Museum.

“We put heart and soul into the place not to mention the huge investment of our own money, and despite having a collection that’s priceless in its importance and all owned by us, we’ve gifted it to Lincolnshire so that it will be available to future generations,” says Paul. Despite the precious nature of their collection, he and Linda remain resolutely of

the opinion that history is most easily passed on when it can be touched, picked up and experienced.

That’s because in his previous career he worked in a school for blind children where tactile learning was important. With a few exceptions, you can touch and feel many of the museum’s exhibits. Youngsters are often delighted to be given a WWI rifle, to feel its weight, try pointing it, to feel its smooth stock and look down its muzzle.

“And why shouldn’t they?” asks Paul when I enquire as to whether that’s wise given the precious nature of the collection.

“If someone can’t feel it, see how heavy it is, touch something with that connection to the soldier who lived or died because of it, they won’t experience history as fully as they should.”

Below: Open for business? This is the museum’s display of wartime groceriesyou’ll see Colman’s Mustard, Oxo, Horlicks and Rowntree’s cocoa.

Despite the precious nature of their collection, Paul remains resolutely of the opinion that history is most easily passed on when it can be touched, picked up and experienced...

“I make a point of only collecting items which have a story because you’re not only passing on knowledge about the objects but about the people who have interacted with them; in this case, survived because of them or died beside them. It’s social history at its most relatable, and I can maintain this philosophy because it’s my collection.”

Relatable is a word that keeps cropping up in our conversation. Indeed, it’s perhaps the biggest selling point of the museum. Many wartime museums major on combat, on shooting bullets. Paul prefers to pass on experiences that are closer to home, like the role of the Home Guard in Lincolnshire.

Even the location is prescient in this respect. We’ll Meet Again is very much in the sticks, but there’s a reason. In the First World War

when the sea came right up to where the museum now stands, there were pillboxes and anti-aircraft placements.

16 of these structures now surround the museum, and as part of a visit to the museum you can see anti-aircraft gun mounts, and the searchlight position which was disguised as a sweet shop, complete with a fake sign that read ‘chocolate, cigarettes, ice creams.’ There are ammunition stores and there’s a rest station for soldiers, with their graffiti still visible.

Built and used in WWII as a coastal defence gun battery, Freiston was also the site of one of the earliest airfields of the Royal Flying Corps from 1916, where magnificent men in their not quite so magnificent Sopwith Camels would engage Fritz in the odd Dogfight, what what...

Linda is equally keen for the museum’s exhibits to be relatable, and loves curating its Home Front displays.

From a grocer’s shop displaying still familiar brands like Oxo Cubes and Colman’s Mustard to a washday display with mangles and possers, We’ll Meet Again has the power to inspire nostalgia in the old... and to baffle the young.

As uncomfortable and as inescapable and as important as it is to acknowledge the tragic losses and reality arising from the impact of Two World Wars, We’ll Meet Again deftly and respectfully points out two realities.

Firstly, war didn’t happen just in Ypres, or on the shores of Dunkirk, but right here in Lincolnshire. Secondly, as the horrors unfolded, life back home had to continue.

WE’LL MEET AGAIN

Right: Paul and Linda took their passion for collecting memorabilia and for educating children and made their collection available to everyone at their museum in Freiston.

“There are lots of really good museums and sites to learn about war in Lincolnshire - in Bomber County, but all focus on our aviation or military heritage,” says Linda.

“What we wanted to do, again in the interests of engagement, is to teach children but ensure adults, too, remember that at home people held their ration books close as they visited their local grocer; that they dug for victory; that their fathers would be off fighting and that their grandfathers would look out over the Wash, cautious that Zeppelins or the Luftwaffe would be planning an attack.”

“It’s also important to us to be able to tell real stories about real people,” says Paul. “My favourite item in here is a jumper knitted by Andrew Dickinson from his POW camp during WWI, where he was placed following his part in the Somme. He picked apart pairs of Red Cross underpants and used barbed wire as knitting needles!”

It’s the kind of item that has a story all of its own, part of an entire collection that necessitates a visit especially with children or grandchildren to ensure that we’ll never forget that war isn’t simply something that happened in history books, but a fact of life that, sadly, still persists today.

n We’ll Meet Again, is based at Shore Road, Freiston, Boston PE22 0LY, and open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am. Call 07903 529614 or see www.wmamuseum.co.uk.

“War didn’t happen just in Ypres, or on the shores of Dunkirk, but right here in Lincolnshire. And as the horrors unfolded, life back home had to continue...”

Lincolnshire Schools

Here, we profile some of the best independent schools across Lincolnshire, offering the very best education the region has to offer...

St Hugh’s School

Based in the idyllic village of Woodhall Spa, we are a leading independent Nursery, day and boarding Preparatory School for boys and girls aged 2-13. Set in our own beautiful grounds, we have exceptional facilities. The enviable learning environment at St Hugh’s provides a space where classrooms and playing fields provide equal opportunities for all – be it in a lesson, a match, a concert or a play, there are opportunities for children to develop, encouraged by caring professionals who are proud to be part of the school and who love what they do. From day one, even our very youngest children benefit from specialist teaching in French, Music and PE, as well as Swimming in our heated indoor pool.

Underpinning what we do is the care and support needed for every pupil to thrive throughout their education and wherever

their aspirations take them. As part of their learning journey, we prioritise wellbeing, happiness and exciting learning.

In our last ISI inspection we achieved ‘excellent’ in all areas and our Nursery was deemed ‘outstanding’. While in the Independent Schools Awards 2022, we were proud to be shortlisted for Small Independent School of the Year and Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing. We were a finalist in the Lincolnshire Sport & Physical Activity Awards and most recently won the School category for the Lindum Lincolnshire & LTA Tennis Awards.

n Visit us on our Open Day on Thursday 18 May to see the opportunities on offer: Tel: 01526 352169

Email: office@st-hughs.lincs.sch.uk

Website: www.st-hughs.lincs.sch.uk

Lincoln Minster School is an independent co-educational HMC day and boarding school for pupils aged 4 – 18 years. The school, which is situated in the idyllic Bailgate area of the City of Lincoln, includes Preparatory, Senior and Sixth Form teaching as well as an extensive offering of out-of-hours support, activities, and clubs. The school provides an enriched education that consistently creates high achievers with purpose, ambition, and character. The small class sizes provide each student with the attention and individualised nurturing needed to support their development as they reach their full potential. One of the main priorities for the school is to nurture the academic abilities of their pupils. Their Aspire Programme is designed with this in mind, providing opportunities that aim to extend knowledge and

understanding, provide stimulating and demanding academic challenges, and, ultimately, inspiring students to apply for the most competitive courses at the most prestigious institutions. The Preparatory school was recently ranked in the UK top 40 Prep Schools (The Times Parent Power Guide 2023) and became a finalist in the national Independent Schools of the Year Awards (2022) for Student Wellbeing.

The Senior school’s sports offering was also shortlisted in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards (2022) for Sporting Achievement and ranked in the UK's top 70 sporting schools, placing 63rd, in School Sport’s Top 200 Sporting Schools of 2022. To find out more, families can book an individual tour of the school online.

n For more information visit www.lincolnminsterschool.co.uk or call 01522 55 1300.

“An ‘excellent’ rated school with great facilities!”

Lincoln Minster School

“Providing an inspiring education for life...”

Poached fillet of halibut with smoked bone marrow, watermelon radish and clam chowder.

Roast Merryfield farm duck with smoked beetroot, yuzu and salty fingers.

Dining Out in Rutland at HAMBLETON HALL

It’s a short journey over the Lincolnshire/Rutland border, but a visit to the Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall – one of the best restaurants in Britain – makes it all worthwhile!

Words: Rob Davis.

Some things in life just fill you with an overwhelming sense of happiness. A warm summer day, for instance. A really nicelooking garden or time spent with family or friends enjoying good food and drink.

Since 1980, Hambleton Hall has offered all of the above and more. It has also managed to remain consistently and unequivocally at the top of its game ever since it first opened its doors, obtaining its Michelin star in 1982 and retaining it ever since under its first head chef Nick Gill (brother of food writer A A Gill) and then Aaron Patterson who remains at the helm today.

Hambleton Hall has also incubated some of the best talent in the industry today from its own Julian Carter, co-founder of Hambleton Bakery, to Ben Jones & Sean Hope (co-founders of The Olive Branch at Clipsham), to chef Neil Hitchen of Hitchen’s Barn and former pastry chef Fiona Cairns who went on to make Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake. We could continue, but suffice to say a position within the kitchens of Hambleton Hall is a coveted opportunity to learn from the best.

Tim & Stefa acquired the former hunting lodge, dating back to 1881 and once owned by Eva Astley Paston Cooper who would entertain the likes of Noël Coward, Malcolm Sargent and Charles Scott Moncrieff.

Hambleton Hall’s country house hotel feel and its 17 bedrooms were created by Stefa Hart, a creator of fine country house interiors in collaboration with former colleague Nina Campbell. And of course, general manager Chris Hurst, restaurant director Graeme Matheson and sommelier Dominique Baduel have between them a combined 70 years of experience at Hambleton Hall.

The hotel remains synonymous with very good dining, but it would be remiss to overlook the time and attention to detail that all of the above have invested in creating the overall Hambleton Hall experience of warm and professional service in a great setting.

To its credit Hambleton Hall never ever feels intimidating despite the grandeur of the setting or the knowledge of its customers that they’re walking through the door of one of Britain’s best restaurants. >>

MEET THE CHEF

Aaron leads a brigade of 16 chefs to create meticulous dishes which reflect Hambleton Hall’s four AA rosettes, and its Michelin Star. He has served as the hotel’s Head Chef since 1992. n

AARON PATTERSON DIRECTOR & HEAD CHEF

Hambleton garden salad with baby vegetables and truffle dressing.

on the MENU

Starters

Poached king prawns, ponzu, avocado, seaweed.

Paté of chicken liver, crab apple purée, Calvados.

Terrine of heritage carrot, spiced carrot ice cream.

Slow cooked octopus, chorizo with lemon & ginger sauce, squid ink pasta.

Main Courses

Roast quail, mushroom risotto, salsify, sauternes sauce.

Loin of Launde Farm lamb, sweetbread, aubergine with chickpea & black garlic.

Rib eye of Red Hill farm pork and braised kohlrabi with apple & crackling.

Poached fillet of turbot with clams, cucumber, oyster leaf sauce.

Gourmet Corner

Sturia Oscietra caviar, potato ice cream, buckwheat (starter £5.00 supplement).

Fillet of beef, oxtail, eryngii mushrooms, yam bean & red wine sauce (main course, £8.00 supplement).

Desserts

Hambleton’s tiramisu.

Calvados chiboust, blackberries, apple sorbet

A selection of farmhouse cheeses with Hambleton Bakery bread, grapes & celery.

NB: This is a sample menu, and featured dishes are subject to availability and change.

>> During lunchtime service there are two options including a Lunch for Less menu with two options per course for £54/two courses plus an optional third course and/or coffee and chocolates. A three course à la carte lunchtime menu provides four choices per course at £115/three courses.

A dedicated Sunday lunch menu provides three courses for £84, and during both lunchtime and evening service a Gourmet Corner addition to the menu provides the option of enjoying a couple of rather special dishes whose components are particularly indulgent.

Dinner at Hambleton Hall is £115/three courses and changes on a daily basis with Aaron and the team keen to design dishes mindful of whatever ingredients are proving particularly good at the time.

Aaron’s one-acre kitchen garden adjacent to the hotel provides the chef with a range of produce and enables him to teach his 16-strong brigade that growing and using fresh ingredients is integral to the creation of their dishes.

The garden is also integral to Hambleton Hall’s provision of a dedicated plant-based menu with several options available to diners, ensuring they don’t feel like an afterthought.

Hambleton Hall’s gardens are also open on Wednesday 21st June as part of a Garden Day & Lunch event. Following morning coffee, guests will enjoy a tour of Market Overton’s Old Hall, Cottesmore’s Chapel Farm and then a tour of Hambleton Hall’s own kitchen garden, prior to a three course lunch and a tour of the garden itself afterwards.

“Hopefully, the best compliment and the most honest appraisal I can give of Hambleton Hall is that whenever I walk through the door I feel welcome, and profoundly happy...”

Other ingredients are carefully sourced, locally where possible, and of course Hambleton Bakery provides the hotel with its bread.

The latter is a success story in its own right, established in 2008 with six shops and two more due to open in Rothley and St Ives, plus a new 24-hour bakehouse which opened in 2022 to accommodate demand for its flagship Hambleton Sourdough loaf.

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on Hambleton Hall’s website and to sign up to the hotel’s newsletter to ensure you’re kept up to date with events such as wine tasting evenings and foraging events plus partnerships with companies like luxury small ship cruise specialists Silversea, motor racing company Palmersport and Nevill Holt Opera.

Whilst the hospitality profession has doubtless faced myriad challenges in recent years Hambleton Hall has remained rock solid.

It’s little surprise given the quality, warmth and consistency that the company offers its diners and guests, and its keenness to remain one of the most welcoming and enjoyable experiences not just in the area but nationally.

It’s easy to gush about Hambleton Hall and make reference to Michelin-starred cuisine and the very beautiful environment.

But hopefully the best compliment and certainly the most honest appraisal I can give is that whenever I walk through the door, I feel welcome and I feel happy.

Hambleton Hall’s team works hard to ensure it’s a place that makes everybody smile, every single time. n

DINING OUT AT... Hambleton Hall

The Pitch: Hambleton Hall is your luxurious home from home, renowned for impeccable service with elegantly-designed rooms and Michelin-starred cuisine.

Lunchtime Service: Monday to Sunday 12noon – 1.30pm.

Evening Service: Monday to Sunday 6.30pm – 9pm.

Hambleton Hall, Ketton Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.

Rhubarb and white chocolate cheesecake with tastes of Yorkshire rhubarb.

In the KITCHEN

Enjoy a delicious homemade Strawberry Shortcake with the sweetest, juiciest strawberries of the season!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Chilling Time: Six hours.

250g plain flour • 50g cup granulated sugar • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 115g unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces • 180ml double cream • 250g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar • Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter pieces to the bowl, and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Add the double cream to the bowl, and stir until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it gently a few times to bring it together. Pat the dough into a circle that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, and use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut out circles of dough. Place the circles on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. When the shortcakes are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

While the shortcakes are baking, toss the sliced strawberries with two tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside to macerate for a few minutes.

To assemble, split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon a generous amount of macerated strawberries onto the bottom half of each shortcake, and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Place the top half of the shortcake on top, and serve immediately. n

Wine Enjoying Local

From being regarded with a sense of derision on the continent, in recent years the English winemaking profession has come of age. It is now producing some really good award-winning wines to rival even the finest appellations of France... and there’s no better time to enjoy English wine than during English Wine Week, which takes place this month!

Words: Rob Davis.

FEW EXPERIENCES are quite as satisfying as silencing your critics. So the owners of England’s 897 vineyards must be feeling very satisfied right now.

Of course we’re not suggesting that there’s an upside to climate change, but with the warming of the planet, the climate traditionally associated with the Champagne region of France has moved gradually north to England. And with a need to adapt, and to diversify as a reaction to the fact that consumers would rather import food these days than support our own farmers, some landowners are looking to diversify into producing grapes to create English wine in a market that’s really going well.

One such conservation farmer is Fraser Key of Mayfield Vineyard who lives and works on his 100-year old family farm at Burton Pedwardine near Sleaford.

The fourth generation farmer was always fascinated by viticulture and enrolled at the Ecole de Viticulture de Dijon before taking the plunge in 2011 and planting his Phoenix, Villaris, Bolero and Regent vines, which yielded their first full harvest in 2017, resulting in the vineyards first wines in 2018.

Fraser’s love of watching owls swoop down on the farm informed the branding of his Little Owl dry white, Short-Eared Owl medium white, Tawny Owl full-bodied red and Barn Owl sparkling white, but mention must be made, too, of Mayfields Vineyard’s Rhubarb Fizz.

Bottles are from £14 at the farm gate, and the vineyard offers tasting sessions in Fraser’s shepherd’s hut as well as staycations in the farmhouse and its adjacent barns. Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, Louth-based Oven’s Farm produces Bacchus and Solaris wines and its sparkling Brut.

Meanwhile, Somerby Vineyard near Barnetby was established in 2006 and now has about 9,000 vines across seven grape varieties.

Its first sparkling wine was produced in 2018 and the vineyard now supplied three-Michelin star restaurant Sketch in London. Recommended retailers for its Magna Carta-branded Great Charter red, Solaris or Bacchus white and Rosé include Sandhams of Caistor.

n For more information on Lincolnshire’s vineyards see www.mayfieldwine.co.uk (01529 460230), ovensfarmvineyard.com (07919 320290) or www.somerbyvineyards.com (07523 968341).

Fraser Key, Mayfield Vineyards.

Top of the Drops: English Wine in Numbers

n There are now 3,758 hectares (9,285 acres) under vine in the UK, an increase of 70% compared to five years ago.

n There are now 897 vineyards in England and Wales, plus 195 wineries in England, with a further two in Wales.

n The five most popular grape varieties planted in Britain are Chardonnay (1,179ha); Pinot Noir (1,164ha); Pinot Meunier (327ha); Bacchus (264ha) and Seyval Blanc (117ha). Less common varieties include Solaris, Reichensteiner, Rondo, Pinot Gris and Müller-Thurgau.

n The most popular English counties for cultivating vines are Kent, West Sussex, East Sussex and Hampshire.

n British wine sales in 2021 totalled 9.3 bottles, up from 7.1m bottles in 2020. 63% of the bottles produces were sparkling; 37% were still.

n 38% of British wine is sold at the cellar door (i.e.: direct), 19% via producers’ websites. 13% is sold by multiples, 12% by independent retailers, 14% is sold to trade and 4% is exported.

n 98% of British wine is produced using the Traditional Method (i.e.: it’s Champagne in all but name), 81% is white. 68% of still British wine is white; 17% is rosé; 14% is red.

n The British wine industry employs 10,318 people full time, 41% female, 59% male.

Ovens Farm Vineyard.

Pinot Noir Premium Gin from Essendine

A limited edition offering from Andrew & Fiona Beamish of Mallard Point in Essendine

It was a long-standing dream of Andrew and Fiona to establish a distillery and vineyard in the area, having toured Australian vineyards in their youth. The two purchased Church Farm in 2012, established Mallard Point in April 2019 then planted and nurtured their vines for three years. Today the couple offer their London Dry gin redolent of jasmine and honeysuckle, plus this limited-edition gin steeped on pressed Pinot Noir grapes. Look out for English Rose, a third, blush edition to Mallard Point’s range. n £44 / 70cl / 42% ABV, www.mallardpoint.co.uk.

The Wine Cellar

BRITANNIA RULES: Great British premium fizz to embarrass our continental chums!

The signature wine of Nyetimber is a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, created by the traditional method: it’s elegant,intense and sublime, £36 / 75cl / 12% ABV.

A superb rosé from His Majesty’s back garden, Great Windsor Park. Doubtless a few bottles of this were consumed at the Coronation, with aromas of fresh, British strawberries and red berries. A lovely mousse and lasting finish, £55.19 / 75cl / 12% ABV.

Wine of the Month

Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2019

£45 / 75cl / 12% ABV

Gusbourne’s vineyards are located in Appledore, Kent and near Goodwood in West Sussex. In 2017 the sites were unaffected by frost and there was an early, fruitful flowering in mid-June. The 2017 vintage was thus a beautiful example of Gusbourne’s Brut Reserve: light golden in colour with a fine, delicate mousse and aromas of green apple, and nectarine. Fresh, fruit-driven with peach and nectarine with baked pastry.

n Purchase by bottle or case (£270/six) at www.gusbourne.com.

England’s Best Non-Alcoholic Wine

A non-alcoholic tipple from London-based Nine Elms, No.18 Ruby Velven is the first in a series of releases from the brand specially designed to complement food. It takes the juices from four different varieties of berry and botanical infusions from 20 different flowers, herbs & spices. It’s quite the cocktail of botanicals. The idea is to sip it neat alongside a good meal, though a dash of tonic wouldn't go amiss either. n £15 / 75cl / 0.3% ABV, masterofmalt.com.

Kit’s Coty is Chapel Down’s best area of vineyard, yielding this ‘premium’ range of 100% Chardonnay wine. Rich and elegant with incredible purity, £720 / Six x 75cl / 12.5% ABV.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.

ENJOY SOME FIZZY-OH!-THERAPY THIS MONTH AS WE CELEBRATE SOME PHENOMENAL ENGLISH SPARKLING WINES THAT ARE PUTTING EVEN THE BEST CHAMPAGNE TO SHAME

GOSBERTON’S CRESSY HALL

Built in 1794 and carrying a Grade II* listing, Cressy Hall at Gosberton near Spalding is a beautiful example of Georgian elegance, a unique country property now on the market with estate agency Savills...

Words: Rob Davis.

THE DETAILS

Cressy Hall, Gosberton, Spalding

Location: Gosberton 1.8 miles, Spalding 6.6 miles, Peterborough 26.2 miles.

Provenance: Grade II* listed

Georgian hall dating back to 1794 with 6,300ft2 living space set in nine acres of grounds.

Rooms: Three receptions, currently arranged as drawing room, dining room and sitting room plus second floor billiards room. Studio, study, seven bedrooms.

Guide Price: £1,850,000.

Find Out More: Savills, Stamford, 01780 484 694, www.savills.com.

CRESSY HALL could very well play a part in a novel by Austen or Brontë, a backdrop to a love story from the Georgian era, for example. It’s a beautiful example of the period with a symmetrical facade and lovely large sash windows flooding its interiors with lots of natural light.

Located near Gosberton, the property is sufficiently close to Spalding and within easy reach of Peterborough railway station ensuring that you’re not cut off from civilisation. However, nestling in nearly nine acres of grounds it’s as tranquil and pretty as you’d expect from a traditional country home dating back to 1794 and carrying a Grade II* listing.

The property is already very attractive, but for the past 30 years since its current owners have lived at Cressy Hall, the gentleman of the house has worked hard to plant and maintain more than 100 examples of topiary. The property’s attractive appearance was not lost on the magazine County Life when it visited the property back in March 2022, appearing on the magazine’s front cover.

Top/Main: Cressy Hall near Gosberton offers 6,300ft2 of accommodation arranged over three floors. It was built in 1794 and carries a Grade II* listing.

Later in the year, too, the property’s topiary will also feature in an episode of BBC Gardener’s World.

Cressy Hall itself is believed to have once been part of a larger farming estate and the plasterwork in the drawing room has various farming motifs which are replicated on the room’s fireplace, too.

The drawing room is one of three principal reception rooms currently arranged as a drawing room, dining room and sitting room, and there are two studies as well as much larger room in the west wing of the property which is currently used as an artist’s studio.

Located in the east wing of the house, the kitchen is faithful in appearance to a Georgian kitchen, although there’s a couple of slight concessions in the form of terra -

cotta tiled flooring and an Aga located in one of three arches – the other two have a bread oven and open fire within them.

Another feature of the kitchen which is a rather beautiful alternative to a more modern kitchen is the built-in dresser complete with candle holders and plenty of space for crockery.

The kitchen is the hub of the house, say its current owners and like the rest of the property, despite its size the kitchen never feels too vast, wrapping around its family and never failing to feel quite cosy.

On a practical point there’s a separate utility room and no fewer than eight individual rooms in the property’s cellars, plus a linen cupboard on the second floor... suffice to say the property’s next custodians are unlikely to run out of storage space. >>

>> On the first floor of Cressy Hall, you’ll find four bedrooms plus a Jack & Jill en suite bathroom, as well as a family bathroom. The second floor has three further bedrooms plus a billiard room. The property has a range of outbuildings, not least among which is a substantial barn, but adjacent to the house itself is a cottage for which consent has been obtained for a separate self-contained cottage, ideal for inter-generational living.

The gardens and land are largely arranged to the south and west of the Hall and comprise sweeping lawns, with a haha to the paddocks, and topiary yew-hedged walkways leading between rose and fruit orchard gardens, and a large and productive walled kitchen garden. With many native species specimen trees, the gardens are beautifully secluded, whilst the southerly aspect provides superb natural light.

The decision to downsize and to move closer to family has meant the property is now on the market for the first time in 30 years, but its current owners admit that they’ll be heartbroken to leave it. You’re never really the owner of an old property, just a custodian for the next generation, and the next generation will certainly enjoy living in such a graceful country home! n

n Aswardby Hall

Guide Price: £2,250,000

This hidden gem has been constantly updated and maintained, it now comprises beautifully presented accommodation with 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms plus five receptions. Situated in over 12 acres, with Bunny Guinness-landscaped gardens. www.knightfrank.co.uk

n Old Rectory, Boothby Pagnell

Guide Price: £1,950,000

Grade II listed rectory in a beautiful location, with seven bedrooms and five bathrooms, as well as a formal drawing room, dining room, sitting room and snug. Set in four acres, with landscaped gardens and lake. www.kingwest.co.uk.

n Heath Farm, Sudbrook

Guide Price: £1,950,000

Substantial six bedroom period residence with separate two-bedroom cottage, in an elevated position with outstanding views across rolling countryside. Eight bedrooms, parkland of 10 acres, swimming pool, tennis courts and water gardens with lake and stabling. www.mooresestateagents.com

Peter Jackson Cabinet Makers Ltd

Devereux Way, Horncastle LN9 6AU

Tel: 01507 527113

W: www.peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk E: info@peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk

SAGE ADVICE

This month we’ve summer 2023 fabrics and furnishings from William Yeoward, and central to the designer’s newest ranges is its use of light sage hues...

Morris Buffet table, Greyed Oak, £6,545; Pentle Jade Grey Rug, 300cm x 425cm, £3,450; Limpton Side Chair, from £1,990.

To make the best of these fabrics, seek out one of the county’s leading interior design specialists to create bespoke soft furnishings and decoration for your interiors...

Kristiana Table Lamp in Sage, £495.

Top/Right: Belleville Cabinet in Washed Acacia, £3,750.

Right: Nyla Sage Table Lamp, £990; Ariana Sage Table Lamp, £1,350. All William Yeoward.

Various cushions ranging from £85 - £125.

Lincolnshire Interiors: Delcor: 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. H-Works: 01780 754605, www.hworksdesign.co.uk. Richard

Interiors: 01472 268377, www.richardsuttondesigninteriors.com. Stevensons: 01472 233111, www.stevensonsgroup.co.uk. n

Sutton

Longwood Table in Greyed Oak, £4,650; Ariana Sage Table Lamp, £1,350; Mattone Ocean Rug, 300cm x 425cm, £2,695.

Crafting bespoke hardwood conservatories and orangeries, roof lights & timber windows...

An Open Invitation at Bardney Manor’s

WALLED GARDENS

Lincolnshire’s Lady Samantha Bardney is the custodian of one of the most important gardens in the county, and is busy working alongside world-renowned garden designer David Stevens to preserve the site for future generations to enjoy… this month, we visit the garden just as things are starting to get very interesting!

BACK IN 642, King Oswald of Northumbria was having a bad day. The Battle of Maserfield in Oswestry wasn’t going entirely to plan for the ruler of Mercia. In fact that’s somewhat of an understatement because after first falling in battle he was subsequently mutilated, with his head, hands and arms detached from his body, displayed on stakes and then taken to Northumbria to be venerated as holy relics.

According to the historian Bede, his niece Osthryd founded Bardney Abbey in 679 and apparently wanted some bits and pieces once belonging to Oswald (including an arm, Lady Samantha Bardney reckons) placing in the Abbey.

Unfortunately, the monks weren’t all that keen, perhaps bearing a grudge for the fact that Oswald had conquered most of Lindsey, comprising part of modern-day West Lindsey, where Bardney is located.

They refused to accept Oswald’s bones until, in the night, a bright pillar of light shone from the coffin reaching right up to heaven, unimpeachably witnessed by a single half-

asleep guard on the night shift who had consumed a few jugs of mead (probably).

And with that miracle left entirely unquestioned, the monks finally had to accept that Oswald was a legitimate saint and accept him into the abbey.

They opened the doors to Saint Oswald and thereafter the gates – and soon the whole village – remained open, we guess as a sort of assurance that Bardney would remain open to those of virtue.

The abbey was refounded in 1087 as a Benedictine site for both monks and nuns. In 1537, six of the Bardney Abbey monks were executed for their role in the Lincolnshire Rising and in 1538 as Henry VIII threw a hissy fit with the church, the place was disbanded and seized.

In 1434 Bardney’s Parish Church of St Lawrence was built on the site of the abbey using some of its original stone. Today, it remains open, maintaining the tradition of Bardney’s Open Door policy. >>

Words: Rob Davis.

>> Still today, we use the expression ‘do you come from Bardney?’ to tick someone off for leaving the door open, and it’s possible that the phrase ‘were you born in a barn’ was also a distortion of that expression.

In true Bardney fashion, Lady Samantha is extending an open gate policy for her garden, already opening part of the site on Sundays in June. She’s hoping to soon embark on a restoration of the rest of her historic five-acre site, adjacent to the church.

“We’ve already done lots to the house and we’re really keen to get started on the garden. It’s an exciting time but before we restore the walled gardens, we wanted to open so that everyone can come and see what was here already.”

“John Sharpe Senior founded Sleaford’s Sharpe’s Seeds and the company rapidly became one of the largest and most important seed companies in the world, floated on the stock exchange in 1920...”

BARDNEY MANOR WALLED GARDENS v

Above: John Sutton Sharpe’s resting place in the grounds of the church adjacent to Bardney.

One of the nicest things to witness is the gradual transition of a garden, so we want everyone to be able to watch it evolving over the next few years.”

The Manor House’s fate was undecided 18-months ago until Samantha and Martin (the latter from a farming family) moved to the property and began to learn more about its history.

The property’s previous owner had done a great job of restoring the house, but the walled garden remained untouched and Samantha’s keen interests in heritage and horticulture were just the catalyst needed to inspire their reinvention.

The property was nearly going to be a recording studio or a residential home, with an eco-house planned adjacent to the property where the walled garden will now be reinstated instead.

During the pandemic, keen gardener Samantha began trading seeds with others and eventually created a website for the purpose, under the name Seedsology, specialising in open pollinated and non-GMO wildflower and cottage garden flower seeds.

In 2020 Samantha was invited to submit a design for a show border at BBC Gardener’s World Live, only for organisers to request her exciting design was elevated to a whole show garden. That garden attracted a silver merit award but also the attention of world-class garden designer David Stevens, who during his 50 years has created a garden for footballing legend Bobby Moore and has re-designed the Duchess of Rutland’s rose garden at Belvoir Castle. Samantha reckons he’s one of the world’s best garden designers and was quite giddy when David spoke to her and expressed great interest in hearing about the new plot she had purchased at Bardney. In the late-19th century it was home, she remarked, to Lord John Sutton Sharpe who… “STOP!”

David knew exactly who John Sharpe Junior was. In the 19th century, John Sharpe Senior founded Sharpe’s Seeds in Sleaford and the company rapidly became one of the largest and most important seed companies in the world, floated on the stock exchange in 1920 with over 300 employees at its height. The company was eventually sold to Advanta Seeds in 1986. >>

LOOKING AHEAD: A 21st Century Walled Garden...

David Stevens is an world-renowned garden designer with over 50 years experience. His vision for the site, co-developed with Samantha, will see visitors enter via a pedestrian gate to the south west of the garden (the right hand side of the visual above), with the first part of the garden a tribute to Tennyson then a winding path around magnolia trees and yew hedging. Raised beds created in corten steel will

provide plenty of space for David and Samantha’s detailed planting schemes, and visitors will continue towards under a timber pergola towards a pavilion. From this point you’ll enjoy a view right down towards the south west aspect of the garden past salads and vegetable crops, a dipping pool, and a kitchen garden. It’s hoped that work will begin in spring 2024, and will take up to three years to complete.

>> Sharpe had two sons. Charles would go on to run Sharpe’s Seeds in Sleaford but his brother fell in love with Marianne Sutton, the daughter of rival seed merchant Sutton Seeds. Disowned by his father and brother, John, later known as Lord John Sutton Sharpe, moved to Bardney and became in his own right one of the most important seed merchants in the world, using Bardney Manor’s Walled Gardens as his trial grounds.

The Walled Gardens at Bardney became one of the largest and most important of all such gardens in the 19th century and they were even visited by Queen Victoria, whose carriage passed through the now long-gone rows of walnut trees that led up to the property’s main gates.

The Queen loved fruit and was fascinated to see The Walled Garden’s glass houses growing vines with 12lb grape bunches, and those 300-year old vines still wind their way over Samantha’s pergola today.

David, too, insisted on visiting Bardney and was overjoyed to see the site for himself. He went to bed that evening and according to his wife, didn’t sleep a wink, bristling with ideas for the garden’s development. He asked to devise Samantha’s 21st century walled garden and has subsequently created a beautiful design for the space. With no photographs or plans in existence, faithfully replicating the garden’s original layout was impossible.

Instead, he and Samantha have worked collaboratively to create a new space which is at the same time an expression of the property’s heritage, a tribute to the traditional Victorian walled garden, but also a space that serves to celebrate everything that Lincolnshire has to offer from its links to farming to the poet Tennyson who will have his own space in the garden.

Samantha is currently in the process of securing funding for the development of the garden and will run the site as a Community

JUNE IN THE GARDEN

One of the most important jobs in the garden during June is watering. With the warmer weather, plants and lawns will require more water to stay healthy. It is important to water in the morning or evening to avoid evaporation during the hottest part of the day. Be sure to water deeply to encourage strong root growth.

Another important job in June is deadheading to help to keep plants looking tidy and prevent them from becoming leggy.

June is a good time to prune shrubs, roses, and hedges. Pruning will encourage new growth and help to maintain a healthy shape.

This month is an ideal time to plant summer bedding plants such as petunias, marigolds, and impatiens. These plants will add colour and vibrancy to the garden throughout the summer months.

Spreading a layer of organic material such as bark, compost, or leaves over the soil surface –mulching – will help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and improve soil fertility. Mulching is particularly important in the warmer months when the soil can dry out quickly. Gardeners should keep an eye out for pests and diseases as June is a peak season for many pests such as aphids, slugs, and snails.

Finally, June is a good time to harvest strawberries, peas, and broad beans. These crops will be at their peak in June and should be harvested regularly to encourage further growth. n

Interest Company (CIC) which will open to raise money for the NGS, support the village and its church, host art exhibitions and community events. It will also provide a working therapy space for armed forces veterans and those suffering from mental health conditions.

Samantha has already created her private gardens to the front of the property. During our visit we enjoyed the cheery sight of narcissus and primrose, but by the time this edition is in print, some impressive heritage mullein foxgloves, dwarf buddleia and snapdragons will create a spectacular sight to enjoy every Sunday throughout May and June.

“To the front of the garden we’ve borders of David Austen roses. We’ve been really well supported by several really great companies,” says Samantha. “David Austin is keen to see our roses in the garden and have supplied us with some beautiful varieties, as have Taylor’s Bulbs, based in Holbeach. We’ve also lucky to have a working partnership with Plantgro, which has pioneered a wonderful 100% organic peatfree compost which is chemical-free and eco-friendly. Honestly it’s the best I’ve ever used and I’m very happy to sing its praises!”

“We want the garden to become a part of the community, somewhere that puts Lincolnshire on the map and celebrates community and history. A little shop and tearoom will provide local craftspeople and artists with the opportunity to show off their talent, too.”

Already the areas of the garden that Samantha has worked on will look beautiful this month, but it’s also worth a visit to see what the rest of the site looks like in summer 2023. Bardney Walled Garden is set to evolve when work begins – hopefully in spring 2024 – and we’re confident that it will soon become not only one of the most impressive-looking gardens in Lincolnshire, but one of the most important heritage gardening sites in the whole country. n

Find Out More: Bardney Manor Walled Gardens will open every Sunday in May and June. Visit the site now to enjoy summer gardening interest but keep an eye on the site too over the next few years as its evolves into one of the country’s most important walled gardens; entrance £5/adults, Church Lane, Bardney, Lincoln, LN3 5TZ. Call 07704526807 or see www.bardneymanorwalledgarden.com.

BARDNEY MANOR WALLED GARDENS

WHERE TO GO WALKING in LINCOLNSHIRE

Ten of the best routes for summer days full of fresh air, great scenery and culture...

Image: The Rambler’s Church, Walesby.

1 Castle Walls

UPHILL LINCOLN

WE’LL START our walking adventures in the heart of Lincoln. Following a substantial £22m investment, Lincoln Castle back in 2015, the landmark reopened with a new vault to show off its Magna Carta, one of only four surviving copies of the document in existence.

As part of the project, major work was completed on the fabric of the landmark both for archaeological research purposes but also to facilitate its preservation. The walls of the Castle were also renovated and upon reopening, the work facilitated the ability to walk the whole 360° perimeter of the building.

The route is a third of a mile in length, which sounds modest compared to some of the routes we’re featuring here... but remember that there are steps right around it, especially if, as we recommend, you climb the steps of the Observation Tower for spectacular views of the city! n

Lincoln Castle

Spires & Steeples, North Kesteven

HERITAGE ROUTE

STRETCHES FROM LINCOLN TO SLEAFORD

SINCE 2008, North Kesteven has combined art and heritage in its Spires & Steeples route, which in total stretches 26 miles from Lincoln Cathedral to St Denys’ Church in Sleaford.

Fortunately, the route is split up into 12 different sections, meaning you can pick up the challenge over a few successive visits. From 2008, there has also been a charity walk and run which this year takes place on Saturday 17th June and leaves from Castle Square in Lincoln form 8.30am.

Whenever you tackle the route, though, you’ll enjoy the best of Lincolnshire heritage, taking in the villages of Washingborough and Branston then Potterhanworth, Nocton and

Dunston plus the villages of Metheringham, Blankney, Scopwick, Digby, Dorrington and Ruskington before ending up back in Sleaford, entering the town along the Sleaford Navigation.

If you only tackle one of the 12 different routes, make it the six mile Ruskington to Sleaford leg, which will enable you to enjoy the Navigation along the way, which opened in 1794, as well as Haverholme Priory, St March’s Church in Evedon as well as Cogglesford Mill (which hosts milling days on the second Sunday of every month) and the very pretty Lollycocks Field. Navigation House and The Hub are also worth a look.

n For each route, see www.heartoflincs.com.

Sleaford Navigation.

Visiting Lincoln Castle? Be sure to enter The David P. J. Ross Magna Carta Vault to view one of just four copies of the document still in existence, and the subsequent Charter of the Forest too.

3 Limewoods

60 SQUARE MILES

COVERING more than 60 square miles, Lincolnshire’s ancient limewoods are now designated the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve and they contain the largest concentration of small-leaved limes in the country.

Comprising of nine separate areas, dating back to the 11th century, a good starting point for walking is the six mile route between Southery and Scotgrove. n See www.lovelincolnshirewolds.com.

4 The Lindsey Trail

RASEN TO HORNCASTLE

MARKET RASEN’S Willingham Woods covers about 1,146 acres of countryside, mostly comprising pine woods.

The Willingham Woods Circular trail (www.alltrails.com) takes about two miles to complete, about an hour, depending on your pace.

Alternatively, the Lindsey Trail starts at Willingham Woods and reaches all the way to Horncastle, a distance of about 17 miles. It’s a route created by Lincolnshire County Council.

n See www.lincolnshire.gov.uk.

7 Walesby & Tealby

A FAVOURITE ROUTE!

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR walking routes in Lincolnshire is the one from Tealby to Walesby. The route is about eight and a half miles from Tealby to Walesby and Normanby le Wold, but takes in the pretty 12th century All Saints Church, known colloquially since the 1930s as the Ramblers’ Church.

A route created by BBC’s Countryfile (www.countryfile.com) sets off from Tealby whilst the Ramblers Association also has a slightly longer route, too.

n See www.ramblers.org.uk.

The Viking Way, Lincolnshire 5 FROM THE HUMBER ESTUARY TO RUTLAND

FANCY A CHALLENGE? If all of our other suggestions for walking routes seem a bit short and sweet, The Viking Way is a 147 mile route that will leave even the keenest long distance rambler challenged and rewarded with each successive leg.

The route follows roughly the path of the Danish invaders of the 9th century, and many villages and towns whose names have ‘by’ or ‘thorpe’ at the end of them were probably named by the Vikings at this time. From the River Humber banks, the route crosses the Lincolnshire Wolds towards Lincoln’s Steep Hill and High Street, and out the city past South Common.

From Lincoln, the route enters North Kesteven and takes field-paths and lanes past Greetham, Exton and then Rutland Water ending in Oakham. For a full route, see www.visitlincoln.com. n

The Rambler’s Church, Walesby.

Hubbard’s Hills.

The Viking Way/ Humber Bridge.

7

Hubbard’s Hills LOUTH’S GLACIAL VALLEY

THE GLACIAL VALLEY of Hubbard’s Hills was gifted to the townspeople by Auguste Alphonse Pahud after he took his own life, unable to live any longer following the loss of his wife Annie.

Out of the sad story comes the 35 acres of pretty countryside which future generations have been able to enjoy, now managed in trust. A 1.2 mile circular route from the town’s Crowtree Lane will make the most of the valley but watch out for some pretty steep gradients.

Join The Ramblers

The Ramblers’ Association was founded in 1935 and now has a network of 485 local groups plus 100,000 members. See ramblers.org.uk for details.

Nature at Whisby’s Natural World Centre

ENJOY A WILDLIFE WALK AT THE LWT-OWNED RESERVE...

WHISBY’S Natural World Centre within Whisby Nature Park (formerly Whisby Moor) was opened in 1989 having been created as a nature reserve in 1985. The former sand and gravel pit site covers about 150 hectares in total, and are managed in partnership with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Today the centre attracts over 100,000 visitors a year keen to spend time around the reserve, which is home to a wealth of species that live within the grassland, marsh and scrub environments.

The reserve has six waymarked trails ranging in length from just over one mile to three miles. The paths are made of compacted

limestone too, so if you’ve a buggy or wheelchair to take along, it’s probably one of the better routes featured here.

The reserve is dog-friendly too, so you can take your four-legged friend along, and at the end of each route you can grab a coffee and a bite to eat at the centre’s café.

Nature highlights? At this time of year you can expect to see tits, finches and ciffchaffs, and the park has become synonymous with nightingales too. In winter there’s wildfowl, and murmurations of starlings.

Keep an eye out for Kingfishers as the reserve is also one of the better places in Lincolnshire to spot the species!

n For details, see www.naturalworldcentre.org.

Belton Park

NATIONAL TRUST

GRANTHAM’S BELTON HOUSE was built between 1685 and 1687, later becoming a temporary encampment during both World Wars as well as hosting King Edward VIII during the abdication crisis of 1936. Happily today the 1,300 acres of parkland is a bit more peaceful these days and since the National Trust took over its custodianship in 1984, the charity has created two routes in the parkland for walkers.

The first of which is a 3.2 mile/one hour route through the parkland, passing through Belton House’s ancient woodland with great views of Bellmount Tower. The second is a 1.4 mile riverside walk of about half an hour.

n See www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Lincolnshire’s East Coast Walk 9 BRACING SIX HOUR WALK ALONG THE COAST

BRACE YOURSELF for a walk along the East Coast. This walk is about 17 miles in length and will take about six hours, depending on your pace. It’s worth it though!

The route, from Skegness to Mablethorpe, is part of a large ‘official’ route around the coast of England and Wales, which comprises about 3,000 miles of individual routes. From Skegness, the walk proceeds via Chapel St Leonards, and on to Mablethorpe.

Highlights along the way include the (very busy in summer) resorts of Butlins and Fantasy Island, Anderby Creek with its Cloud Bar, Structures on the Edge art installations and the North Sea Observatory at Chapel Point... and the Ferry Boat Inn, a pub conveniently located at the end of the route!

n See www.walktheenglandcoastpath.co.uk.

Horse Power

Lincolnshire has a rich history of heavy horse breeding and usage. From the famous Lincolnshire Cart Horse to the powerful Shire, these majestic animals have played a vital role in the county’s agricultural heritage...

IN THE VAST arable fields of Lincolnshire, heavy horses have played a vital role in the history and development of farming. For centuries, these powerful animals were a fixture on farms and in transportation, shaping the landscape and economy of the region.

The history of heavy horses in Lincolnshire can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when horses were the primary means of transport and agricultural work. These early horses were small and sturdy, able to pull ploughs and carts through the heavy, clay-based soil of the region.

Over time, selective breeding and advancements in agriculture led to the development of larger, stronger horses that were better suited for heavy work. By the 18th century, the heavy horse had become a common sight on farms throughout the county, with breeds such as the Shire and Suffolk Punch being particularly popular.

In the 19th century, the industrial revolution brought new opportunities for heavy horses in transportation. The growth of canals and railways created a demand for powerful animals that could haul heavy loads over long distances. Lincolnshire, with its rich agricultural resources and strategic location, quickly became a hub for the breeding and trading of heavy horses.

One of the most famous breeders of heavy horses in Lincolnshire was Joseph Foljambe, a landowner and agricultural innovator who was the master of the Burton Hunt and

lived near Retford, but spent much of his time in Lincolnshire. Foljambe was a passionate advocate for the use of heavy horses in farming, and he made it his mission to develop the perfect working animal. To achieve this goal, Foljambe crossed several different breeds, including the Shire, Suffolk Punch, and Belgian draft horse. The result was the Osberton Horse, a large, powerful animal that was capable of pulling heavy loads and working for long hours in the fields.

Foljambe’s breeding program was a great success, and his Osberton Horses became widely known for their strength and endurance. They were exported to countries around the world, including Australia and Canada, where they helped to open up new agricultural frontiers.

In addition to breeding heavy horses, Lincolnshire also became a centre for the training and showing of these magnificent animals. Rural horse shows and ploughing matches were common events throughout the county, where breeders and farmers could showcase their finest animals and compete for prizes.

One of the most famous of these events was the Lincolnshire Agricultural Show, which was first held in 1869. The show quickly became a highlight of the agricultural calendar, attracting visitors from across the country to see the latest innovations in farming and animal husbandry. >>

Left: Heavy Horses on show in the Main Ring of the Lincolnshire Show.

At the show, heavy horses were the stars of the show, with classes for different breeds and competitions for ploughing, harness, and carriage driving. The sight of these majestic animals, with their gleaming coats and impressive strength, was a testament to the importance of the heavy horse in the history and culture of Lincolnshire.

As the 20th century prog ressed, however, the role of the heavy horse began to change. The advent of motorised vehicles and agricultural machinery made it possible to do the same work with less labour, and many farmers began to shift away from horses towards tractors and other machines.

Despite this, however, the legacy of the heavy horse continued to live on in Lincolnshire. Today, there are still breeders and enthusiasts who are dedicated to preserving these magnificent animals, and

events such as the Lincolnshire Show, Heckington Show and Revesby Country Fair continue to celebrate the history and culture of the region.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of heavy horses for sustainable agriculture and forestry. Heavy horses are still well-suited to working in fields and forests where heavy machinery would damage the soil or the trees, and their low carbon footprint and gentle impact on the environment could still make them an attractive option for farmers and landowners who are concerned about sustainability.

From their humble beginnings as small, sturdy animals pulling ploughs in the Middle Ages, to their heyday as the workhorses of

the industrial revolution, these magnificent creatures have played a vital role in the culture of the English countryside.

While the use of heavy horses in agriculture and transportation may have declined in recent years, their popularity lives on in rural communities like Lincolnshire.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust estimates that there were just 250 Shire, 199 Clydesdale and 25 Suffolks registered last year, and that from the start of the 20th century, the number of heavy horses has fallen from 2.6m in Britain alone, to fewer than 3,000 worldwide today, fewer still that are working.

Concerns are that without continuing support from breeders, trainers, enthusiasts – and the public at county shows – the animals could be extinct in just a decade, losing forever a legacy of the countryside. n

Above/Right: Heavies at the Heckington Show and the Revesby Country Fair.

Northcote Heavy Horse Centre...

The home of heavy horses in Lincolnshire since 1989

SINCE 1989, Northcote Heavy Horse Centre has been championing the rights of Shire Horses, serving as a sanctuary which also opens its doors to visitors in order to raise awareness of the plight of abandoned equines and to provide care and support for those they take in.

“Our mission is simple: where possible we provide a sanctuary to animals whatever their condition is,” says the charity. “Our centre first opened in 1989 and since the beginning we have provided hundreds of animals with a loving, safe ‘forever’ home.”

“The animals that come to live with us all have a variety of backgrounds and their own unique story to tell.”

“We believe every animal has the right to a happy and loving home and we will always commit ourselves to ensure they do.”

Northcote Heavy Horse Centre was the original idea of Keith & Ruth Sanders in 1988. Today, there are opportunities to volunteer at the centre, to sponsor one of the charity’s horses or to enjoy special events at the centre such as the Medieval Banquet evening on Saturday 22nd July. n

n Northcote Heavy Horse Centre is based near Spilsby, PE23 5PS. Call 07899 815960, or see www.northcotehorses.com

Image: Gill Kennett

A Spiritual Replacement for the Defender? Ineos Grenadier

Rarely have form and function come together as successfully... billionaire businessman Jim Ratcliffe reboots his beloved Defender for the 21st century and the results are impressive!

LAND ROVER’S new Defender is impressive. We love it, not withstanding the company’s reputation for questionable reliability. However, with its microchips, driver aids and styling packs, with its V8 engine and with six-figure price tag on top versions, it’s hardly the back-to-basic workhorse that farmers and estate managers and those in the construction industry were craving.

In fact, it’s just another luxury SUV, like all the other luxury SUV models in the company’s lineup.

Jim Ratcliffe, the chemicals billionaire behind Ineos and apparent the richest man in the country had something different in mind, and begged Land Rover to sell him the rights. They refused. Jim went ahead and commissioned his own replacement and give or take a few court battles, the Ineos

Grenadier (named after Jim’s favourite pub) is the result. On sale now, from just 23 ‘retail partners’ – typically farm machinery dealerships – it’s yours for £69,000, and promises to be a bit more rugged than your Land Rover Defender, just as capable, but a bit tougher with fewer gadgets.

Jim was able to pick ‘n’ mix his favourite car parts and so the Grenadier is available with one of two BMW six-cylinder engines, a petrol for power and a diesel for torque. The vehicle’s eight-speed gearbox with its low range provision is from ZF, whilst Carrero beam axles hold up the ladder-frame chassis... even the seats have been sourced from racing seat manufacturer Recaro.

Two seat and four-seat utility wagons are available, and the range-topping Trailmaster and Fieldmaster versions add a rear-view camera, front parking sensors and heated seats to the standard roster of equipment. The thing will tow 3,500kg, it has 2,000kg of loadspace, and its boot is shaped to accept a standard Euro pallet. There’s 5.5 tonnes of winching grunt, diff locks, and pre-wiring for lights, off-road accessories and so on controlled via an overhead console a bit like the one you’ll find on a commercial aircraft.

Surprisingly, the car is pretty comfortable off-road, a much better prospect than the old Defender, but the new Defender definitely has the edge on-road. Still, as a functional, farm-friendly utility vehicle, the Ineos Grenadier is a formidable prospect indeed!

THE DETAILS

Ineos Grenadier Fieldmaster

Price: £69,000 (available now).

Powertrain: BMW-sourced 3.0 24V straight six diesel, 249ps, 550Nm torque, 8-speed auto, low range gears.

Performance: 0-60mph: 9.9secs, top speed 99mph, 23-27mpg.

Equipment: Leather interiors, heated front seats, utility flooring (carpets optional, carpet floormats standard), 30/70 split rear door, off-road navigation, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, air con, F/R park distance control, rear camera. n

La Nuova Dolce Vita with Ferrari’s Roma Spider

If this isn’t the most beautiful car on the market today, we’ll throw down our driving gloves. Ferrari does open-top motoring for summer 2023... and we’re very impressed indeed!

BEAUTY, they reckon, is in the eye of the beholder. Nope. It’s in the sole possession of Ferrari, if the Italian firm’s new Roma Spider is anything to go by.

Have you ever seen a car quite as beautiful as this? The Roma was revealed in 2020 and it was beautiful, too.

Add to the silken lines and muscular bulging bonnet open-top motoring and the Roma becomes nothing less than joyous, with a folding roof giving way to a swooping deck... every line, crease, and panel is absolutely breathtaking.

But its beauty isn’t simply skin deep. Under the bonnet is Ferrari’s all-aluminium V8 twin-turbo engine displacing 3.9 litres and generating 760Nm torque which is deploys via an eight-speed F1 automatic gearbox.

The car’s use of a folding fabric – rather than metal – roof manages to save weight and ensures the car has a near-perfect 48/52, rear-biased distribution of its 1,556kg weight.

The Roma Spider’s spoiler, too, retracts and deploys to vary the amount of downforce employed to ensure optimum handling, especially on a track. The chassis and styling of the car ensures the Roma Spider is always aerodynamically balanced and able to deliver the same driving exhilaration. Huge attention was lavished on aerodynamic comfort on board with the top

down, with particular focus on minimising both turbulence and wind noise in the cabin. Speaking of the cabin, Ferrari reckons the car is a 2+2, but forget that... it’s a two seater, really. For driver and passenger though, the car is a formidable GT in terms of its comfort. A digital instrument cluster and central display measuring 8.4” provides plenty of modern tech... although Ferrari’s Manettino switch is still a physical control mounted on the steering wheel and is designed to change the vehicle’s handing characteristics.

Achieving 60mph in 3.4 seconds and with a track-day speed of 198mph, the Roma Spider offers style, comfort... but because its still a Ferrari, plenty of drama and performance, too...a bella figura indeed! n

THE DETAILS

Ferrari Roma Spider

Price: £180,000 (estimated).

Powertrain: 3.9 eight-cylinder petrol engine, eight-speed F1 automatic gearbox.

Performance: 0-60mph: 3.4secs, top speed 198mph.

Equipment: Leather interior, electrically adjustable heated seats, five-layer electrically operated roof, electric windows, 8.4” infotainment screen, five-position Manettino switch, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. n

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL

Shorts, tops and playsuits for high summer with bold colours and a bright outlook!

White Jacquard Blouse, £79, Cream Denim Shorts, £59, www.mintvelvet.co.uk

1. Alexandra Farmer Premium Printed Blouse & Shorts, £139 & £79. www.coastfashion.com. 2. Ombré T-Shirt, £69 & Denim Shorts, £59. www.mintvelvet.co.uk. 3. Bermuda Shorts, £175 & T-Shirt, £95. www.maxmara.com. 4. Ayaaz Tailored Shorts, £95 & Myyia Blazer, £195. www.tedbaker.com. 5. Linen Viscose Woven Short, £89 & Ribbed Vest, £45. www.karenmillen.com >>

1. Linen Belted Playsuit, £89. www.karenmillen.com

2. Cheesecloth Blouse & Shorts, £60 & £50. www.boden.co.uk

3. Meryl Jersey Wave Print Playsuit, £79. www.phase-eight.com

4. Mosaic Print Shorts & Top, £45 & £45. www.monsoon.co.uk

5. Silk Shantung Short, £655 & Crewneck Jumper, £1,175. www.ralphlauren.co.uk. 6. Halle Top & Christie Shorts, £59 & £65. www.hobbs.com n

UP & RUNNING

Smart, comfy trainers for summer walks and days out with the family...

LK Bennett, £189

Ted Baker, £110

Jimmy Choo, £425

Christian Louboutin, £825

Vivienne Westwood £185

Allsaints, £83 Amiri, £510

Steve Madden, £110

Gucci, £775

Chloe, £595

Nike, £110

Veja, £150

Kurt Geiger London, £169

Golden Goose, £460

Alexander McQueen, £199

Axel Arigato, £255

Burberry, £485

Balenciaga, £735

Supporting Young People in Lincolnshire with The Sophie’s Journey Ball

OVER 140 GUESTS recently enjoyed a Las Vegas themed ball at The Bentley Hotel in South Hykeham to raise money for local charity Sophie’s Journey. Stacy Southwell and Ben Robinson founded the charity in memory of their daughter, Sophie Robinson from Lincoln, who sadly passed away in January 2016, after a two-year battle with medulloblastoma –an aggressive tumour in her brain. Today the charity provides free holidays to local children living with cancer and their loved ones, enabling them to enjoy a holiday and create special memories together. In memory of Sophie, her wonderful smile and her amazing spirit and inspiration, Sophie’s Journey was set up to help children remember what it’s like to be children and spend time with their families. See www.sophiesjourney.org.uk for details. n

Words & Images: Rob Davis.

ALL ABOUT REIKI

Healing Energy

REIKI is a form of alternative therapy that originated in Japan in the early 20th century. The word Reiki is derived from two Japanese words: Rei, which means universal life force, and Ki, which means energy.

Reiki is based on the principle that there is a universal life force energy that flows through all living things, and that by harnessing this energy, we can promote healing and balance in the body, mind, and spirit.

Reiki practitioners believe that this universal life force energy can be channeled through their hands to promote healing and balance in their clients.

During a Reiki session, the practitioner places their hands on or near the client’s body and channels this energy to the areas that need it most. Reiki is a non-invasive, gentle therapy that is often used in conjunction with other forms of traditional and alternative medicine.

One of the primary benefits of Reiki is that it can promote relaxation and reduce stress. Many people find that they feel calmer and more centered after a Reiki session, and that they are better able to manage their emotions and cope with the demands of daily life. In addition, Reiki can help to reduce physical symptoms of stress, such as muscle tension, headaches, and digestive issues.

Another benefit of Reiki is that it can promote physical healing. Some people use Reiki to help alleviate symptoms of chronic pain, while others use it to help promote healing after surgery or injury. Reiki is not a substitute for traditional medical treatment, but it can be used as a complementary therapy to help support the body’s natural healing processes.

Reiki can also be used to promote spiritual growth and development. Many people find that Reiki helps them to connect with their inner selves and tap into their own intuition and inner wisdom. Reiki can help people to feel more connected to the world around them and to develop a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.

There are many different forms of Reiki, each with its own unique approach and philosophy. Some of the most common forms of Reiki include Usui Reiki, Karuna Reiki, and Tibetan Reiki.

Each of these forms of Reiki has its own set of symbols and techniques, but all are based on the same fundamental principles of channelling universal life force energy to promote healing and balance.

If you are interested in trying Reiki, it is important to find a qualified and experienced practitioner. Look for a practitioner who has been trained in a reputable program and who has a track record of success in helping clients to achieve their goals. Many Reiki practitioners offer introductory sessions or packages, so you can try Reiki and see if it is right for you before committing to a full course of treatment.

Reiki remains a gentle and non-invasive therapy that can be used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and support physical and spiritual healing.

Whether you are looking to alleviate symptoms of chronic pain, promote emotional balance, or deepen your spiritual practice, Reiki may be a valuable tool to help you achieve your goals. With the guidance of a qualified practitioner, Reiki can be a safe and effective way to support your health and wellbeing. n

Reiki may be ancient in origin, but it’s as relevant and as useful in the 21st century as a potential treatment for reducing stress and anxiety...

LOCAL PRACTICES

Reiki in Lincolnshire...

n Elysian Holistic Therapies, Lincoln:

Elysian Holistic Therapies is based in rural Lincolnshire and offers a range of therapies including Reiki, Crystal Therapy, Indian Head Massage and Aromatherapy.

“Crystal Therapy and Colour

Therapy work beautifully in harmony with Reiki and I regularly combine all three therapies in a single treatment. Aromatherapy can also be incorporated into any of the therapies, particularly in the massage oils for Indian Head Massage.”

“Reiki can also be beneficial to animals. In recognition of this, I now offer the therapy to a wide range of animals, particularly our canine, feline and equine friends. Further qualification to support this include ‘Animal Reiki Diploma’, ‘Canine Communication Diploma’, ‘Equine Psychology Diploma’, and ‘Feline Behaviour and Psychology Diploma’ . Again, all approved by the ‘Complementary Medical Association’ (CMA). Call 07803 800441 or see www.elysianholistictherapies.co.uk.

n Carre Street Clinic,

Sleaford:

Based in Sleaford town centre, Carre Street Clinic is a multidiscipline practice offering a range of treatments in a comfortable, professional environment. Established by registered Acupuncturist, Helen O’Connell, and Marianne Langley. The centre offers reiki, reflexology, therapeutic massage, acupressure and acupuncture, as well as counselling and emptional freedom techniques (EFT). Call 01529 414121or see www.carrestreetclinic.co.uk

Here Comes the Sun

PROTECT YOUR SKIN and ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE SOAKING UP THE SUMMER

1. The Scent of Summertime...

Gucci’s first haute line includes this scent within the Alchemist’s Garden collection. It’s known as The Last Days of Summer, somewhat pessimistically, given that we haven’t had a single day of summer yet, but never mind.

Cedarwoods, cypress, patchouli, vetiver and other woody notes make this a joy to wear all summer long.

£255 / 100ml, www.gucci.com.

2. Moist &

Dior’s Moist & Perfect Cushion Dreamskin foundation features a powerful moisturising agent and SPF50 to provide an on-the-go foundation and skincare product that helps the appearance of pores and redness leaving skin tone even, £27/1g, www.dior.com.

3. Cellular Protection

La Prarie’s lightweight Cellular Swiss UV Protection formula provides protection against UVB and UVA with SPF50 worn over your moisturiser,delivering prolonged hydration for healthy looking skin all summer long, £180/50ml, www.laprairie.com.

4. Sunkissed & Subtle

St Tropez remains our go-to self-tanning lotion often emulated but never bettered. It’s easy to achieve streak-free results, there’s a pleasant scent, it’s non-sticky and realistic. Build up in layers, and enjoy a realistic healthy tan, no sun required, £18/200ml, www.sttropeztan.com.

5. Protection from UV rays from La Mer...

La Mer presents this SPF50 sun protection milk which can be applied under your moisturiser to help defend skin against everyday exposure to UV rays, helping to prevent future discolouration.

A soothing and lightweight formula supplements the skin with healing properties to help protect skin.

£95 / 100ml

www.cremede lamer.co.uk

6. Protection for Lips this Summer...

Ultrasun’s Ultralip Balm isn’t the sexiest looking product compared to, say, Elizabeth Arden’s Cream Lip Protectant Stick, but the latter has an SPF rating of just 15, whilst Ultrasun’s alternative offers SPF50 and a shea butter for a moisturising base, preventing dry lips throughout summer, £8/4.8ml available at www.ultrasun.co.uk.

n All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

DN20 8BS

Feeling the Love

It’s been a busy time for Steph and Alex as the couple have planned their wedding, discovered they’re expecting their first child and have moved house, too... fortunately there was a little bit of time to relax when the two married at The Granary in West Deeping...

Wedding Photographer: Jessy Jones Photography, 07947 514456, www.jessyjonesphotography.co.uk.

“IT’S BEEN a busy year or two,” says Alex, this month’s groom. That’s a bit of an understatement. He and Steph planned their wedding and finally married in August, enjoyed their first Christmas as husband and wife, then discovered they were expecting their first child in January, moving house to accommodate their growing family in March.

Steph is a primary school teacher, Alex is an electrician working in schools and the couple live in Peterborough.

The two met at the Open Door church in Gunthorpe back in 2015, and quickly became good friends, eventually reaching the point whilst cuddled up on the sofa that they had to concede that, in fact, they were as good as in a relationship already.

During Covid, the two co-bubbled together and began looking for a house. Steph had remarked before that the ring her late aunt gifted her would one day be her engagement ring and so Alex sought his future father-in-law Ken’s permission, securing the ring in the process.

September saw Steph’s older brother getting married and so Alex delayed his proposal until October. The two had just picked up the keys to their first house and went to look around the empty property. In the living room, Alex surprised Steph by dropping down on one knee and proposing. Nicely done, we think!

As a youngster, Alex would often drive past The Granary at Molecey Mill, West Deeping, and even did a bit of work there as an electrician. He and Steph were looking for wedding venues when someone pointed out that the place was now a refurbished country house with land to the back and a pretty millstream, an ideal place to host their special day.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

STEPH & ALEX

“We had in mind a really enjoyable event, a big party with friends and family… with a little bit of a wedding thrown in too!” says Steph. “We went to look around in December, and it was really cold, but the place was still beautiful. Glenn who helped organise the day met us in shorts and a Santa hat! He took us around the place in a golf buggy and we thought it was phenomenal with plenty of history and character. What they’ve done to refurbish the place has been phenomenal. More than that, we really got to know them, they were so welcoming.”

The venue was, in fact, the second element of their wedding that the couple confirmed. The first was the song they’d have for their first dance: Islands in the Stream. It suited the venue perfectly, given the millstream running through the estate. However, after viewing The Granary they got back in the car and turned on the radio only for their song to be playing… a sign, for sure.

Wedding Venue: The Granary at Molecey Mill, West Deeping, 07855 242356, moleceyestates.com.

Marquee/Furnishings: Dottie Events and Hire, 01945 773368, www.dottieeventsandhire.co.uk.

Wedding Dress: Heart Brides, 01353 775212, www.heartbrides.co.uk.

Wedding Hair: Zuri Hair & Beauty, 01733 571253.

Groomsmen’ Attire: Cavani by Maysons, 01733 898155, cavanibymaysons.com.

Catering: Vines, 07856 999820 www.vinescommunities.co.uk.

Floristry: Manna Flowers, 01778 347428, www.mannaflowers.co.uk.

DJ: DSL Productions, 07960 192097. n

The idea was to create a rustic country vibe, with a marquee and furniture in the grounds of Molecey Mill courtesy of Russell and Amanda Carter at Dottie Events and Hire, who provided hessian, fairy lights and everything the couple needed to achieve their look.

Steph chose her dress from Heart Brides of Ely, whilst the groomsmens’ suits were from Cavani by Masons in Peterborough. Bridesman Jonathan also managed to source burgundy tailoring to match bridesmaids Jenna, Sophie and Ellen. Alex’s groomsmen included his brothers Joel and Zack, the latter performing Can Your Feel The Love Tonight on the keyboard as the couple walked down the aisle.

Another sartorial point worth noting is that Steph wasn’t going to be limping around in heels on the big day, wincing in pain, and so

she and Alex both opted to wear Converse sneakers which proved more than comfortable for a long night dancing in a rustic marquee. Peterborough-based Vines Catering kept the guests’ tummies full with a stone-baked pizza oven in the evening, and the couple made their own wedding cake with a tier of carrot cake a must-have, given that it’s Alex’s favourite. Manna Flowers provided the couple’s floristry, and wild flowers for the table decorations in vintage jars and bottles from Dottie Events.

Also making an appearance was Alex’s vintage Mini, which is brought out of the garage on special occasions, for which their wedding definitely qualified. The couple’s photographer, Jessy Jones, was also brilliant, the couple say. They’ve already enjoyed an engagement shoot and wedding photography courtesy of Jessy, and now have her on standby for maternity pictures and a newborn shoot, too!

“One of the nicest things about the venue was the ability to have about 30 people staying over on the night before the wedding,” says Steph. “We had fish ‘n’ chips delivered the night before and we all enjoyed them with a few drinks at dusk, it’s a great setting and again, really just allowed us to spend time together, chilled and happy, which was just the feel we wanted for the day!”

Wedding Photographer: Jessy Jones Photography, 07947 514456, www.jessyjonesphotography.co.uk.

“Manor Farm Flowers provided the couple’s floristry, and wild flowers for the table decorations in vintage jars and bottles from Dottie Events...”

To advertise here call our friendly team on 01529 469977.