Tea for two at Vine House Farm Café great signs of Autumn
Welcome
Some will know Theresa Perrin-Brown (pictured centre) for her work as the President of the Rotary Club of the Deepings but that is not her only claim to fame. Her father-in-law was Major Christopher Perrin-Brown, DSO, MC, a notable WWII hero and former Company Commander of ‘T’ Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment. During the exhibition ‘Military LIves’ at Grimsthorpe this summer the family were able to meet Emma Miller, Grimsthrope and Drummond Castle Trust Curator and attend Evensong in the Chapel followed by tea with Lady Jane Willoughby de Eresby and her family.
Major Perrin-Brown had abandoned medical studies to join the fight in WWII and is remembered for his bravery at the Battle of Arnhem where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. His legacy extends beyond his military accolades; after being captured, he was the only prisoner to escape Oflag 79, although he was later recaptured. His story of resilience and leadership was commemorated at the castle where he had been billeted at a camp, particularly resonant this year, the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.
Judy Stevens
Editor: Judy Stevens
Sub-Editor: Susan Hibbins
Designer: Gary Curtis
Research: Joy Baxter, Nancy Titman
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
HOUSE REMOVALS
In-Ctrl IT Support
AFFORDABLE ONSITE PC/IT SUPPORT FOR HOME USERS / BUSINESSES IN THE DEEPINGS & SURROUNDING VILLAGES
call nick: 07719 853633
office: 01775 725755
www.inctrlitsupport.co.uk
nick@inctrlitsupport.co.uk
VERY LOW RATES, NO VAT, NO CALLOUT FEE & A PROVEN 18YEAR EXCELLENT REPUTATION THAT YOU CAN TRUST SPECIALISTS AT TUNE-UPS, VIRUS/MALWARE REMOVAL, INTERNET ISSUES, DATA RECOVERY, BACKUPS, INTERNET SECURITY & GENERAL COMPUTER PROBLEMS ON-SITE OR REMOTELY SOMETIMES THE SAME DAY
Issues resolved from as little as £35 an hour remotely or £45 an hour on-site with nearly all visits under an hour. We also sell refurbished laptops & desktops too so if you’re considering replacing/upgrading ‘hassle-free’ get in touch.
The walking and cycling charity Sustrans is creating a plan for the Deepings, which will hopefully make it easier and safer to walk, wheel (eg by buggy or wheelchair), and cycle. They have been asked to do this by the Deepings Neighbourhood Plan (DNP) Group, with money provided by South Kesteven District Council.
Sustrans have said what they really need is local intelligence. How do you currently travel? Do you wish you could safely cycle to the Deepings Practice, or Tesco? Would you like your children to be able to walk to school? Where are new, safer routes or improvements required?
Please complete a short survey: https://app. onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/sustrans/walking-andcycling-in-the-deepings
The survey link may be found via the DNP web site, search ‘Deepings Plan’
The famous Deeping Duck Race staged by the Deeping Lions raised approx £3000 for 2 charities Facial Palsy UK, which has its head office in Market Deeping, and Pancreatic Cancer UK significant for the Lions members as Tom Felton had died from the disease. The Estate Agents Dash was won by Oakwood, the Shops Derby by Private Kollection (pictured) and the Pub Chase by The Vine Inn.
Local hero of drag cart racing, Jude Gosling-Elliott (13) took to Melbourne raceway coming away with 1st, 2nd and 3rd trophies. With 2 rounds to go he is in 3rd place over all on the points table in his 1st year in competing.
Local man, Kallum Errico, is not only Watch Manager at Market Deeping Fire Station but also a Car and Asset Finance Broker at KE Finance. Kallum says ‘Similar to a mortgage broker I have a panel of lenders I can approach and can finance any car or asset from any dealer or private seller, often saving customers money as interest rates are typically lower than the dealers.’
Image: Nigel Haggerty
NEWS
This picture, sent in by grandson, Dean, is of Syd Mitchell (centre) who with his wife Daisy was the last landlord at the Black Bull in Deeping Gate.Please send us any memories you may have of his time at the Pub!
Nicholas Watts and John Parsonage talked about Cuthbert the Cuckoo and his journey south at the Deepings Community Library.
The Deepings Rock Choir will be performing at the Deepings Sports and Social Club in aid of Sarcoma UK on Friday 18th Oct (tickets £15 from Lizzie Hudson on Facebook). The group meet at the Coronation Hall on Thursdays between 1-2.30pm. Men most welcome!
Inner Wheel presented £500 to Mayor Pam Byrd towards a defibrillator, to be fitted at the Green School.Proceeds were the result of a very successful coffee morning and an excellent raffle in the garden of one of their members.
The new owl house built at Vine House Farm this year has new occupants!
Christmas Menu
Served between 28th Nov to 21st December (excluding Sundays) 12-2pm & 5.30-7.45pm
£10 per head non refundable deposit at the time of booking Pre order 14 days before your booking date
STARTERS
Roasted butternut squash and sweet potato soup served with a warm crusty roll (v,ve,gfa)
Duck and orange parfait, cranberry and apple chutney with toasted bread (gfa)
Smoked salmon and prawn parcel served with brown bread and butter (gfa)
MAINS
Roast Crown of Turkey served with stuffing, pigs in blankets, seasonal vegetables, roasted potatoes and gravy (gf)
Roast Topside of Beef served with Yorkshire Pudding, seasonal vegetables, roasted potatoes and gravy (gfa)
Herb crusted Pan fried Seabass served with new potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a chive and butter sauce
Creamy wild mushroom , chestnut and filo tart with buttered new potatoes and seasonal vegetables (vga,v)
DESSERTS
Christmas pudding and brandy sauce (gf)
Dark chocolate mousse with soaked amaretto black cherries and a chocolate twirl
Baileys Brulee with winter berry compote and ginger shortbread (gfa)
Banana split with vegan cream and vegan ice cream with fresh berries (vg,v)
2 COURSES - £24 & 3 COURSES £29
Children under 12 - 2 COURSES £12 & 3 COURSES £17
GF - GLUTEN FREE - VG - VEGAN - V - VEGETARIAN
GFA & VGA GLUTENFREE AVAILABLE - VEGAN AVAILABLE - PLEASE INFORM YOUR SERVER
Telephone - 01778 421576
Pre orders can be emailed to Clare@horseshoethurlby.com or dropped into the pub
All creatures great and small at the Priory Church Pet Service.
In their 50th year as a local firm of solicitors, Hegarty sponsored the Deepings Literary Festival, the Raft Race, the Duck Race and the Dog Show and smashed their target to raise £10,000 for local charities during the year by July, raising £11,000 for charities including for Dementia South Lincs.
was the refrain heard at Braeburn Lodge Care Home when residents visited Hammerton Zoo!
The Pack Horse at Northborough has a new piece of art on the walls - Northboro’ Prospect featuring some of the best buildings in the village as imagined by local print maker, John McGowan. Pictured John with Lesley of The Pack Horse.
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● Emergency supplies: if you need one of your regular medicines in an emergency and you are unable to contact your doctor, we may be able to help.
After a year long fund raising campaign, the Langdyke Community Trust has bought Christ’s College Nature Reserve for £45,000. The reserve, lying on the boundary of Helpston and Maxey alongside the Maxey Cut is made up of 22 acres of restored gravel pits, surrounded by new planting of native trees and shrubs. The Trust is run by volunteers and has other reserves including Swaddywell Pit near Helpston and Etton Maxey Pits. This means it now controls nature on a large swathe of land between the villages of Etton, Maxey and Helpston. www.langdyke.org.uk
Can anyone remember receiving one of these? If so and you can recall the circumstances please let us know!
Madcaps, Artivity and Our Forest School were all venues used for the DSJ Parish Council Summer Playscheme - free for children to attend!
The sun shone for the 2024 Allotment Show in Deeping St James.
Celebrate the coming of Autumn!
Win a voucher for afternoon tea for two at Vine House Farm Café!
Discover the bright, spacious Café at Vine House Farm, where there is seating for 70 inside, with 30 more outside on the deck overlooking the Wildlife Garden & Pond. A range of homemade dishes are on offer using their own, or locally sourced produce, most of which are available to purchase from the Farm Shop. Breakfast, lunch & afternoon tea is served & they’ve plenty of cakes, scones & other treats too!
Just answer the question
What is the name of the Cuckoo sponsored by Vine House Farm currently migrating south and monitored by the British Trust for Ornithology?
Send your answer in an email to idratherbeindeeping@gmail.com including your name and address by October 31st. The first correct answer pulled out of a hat is the winner! Good luck!
Mon-Sat 8.00-5.00pm Sun 9.00-4.00pm
Deeping St Nicholas, Spalding, Lincs PE11 3DG Phone 01775 630244 online Vinehousefarmshopcafe.co.uk
Professions and Progress A history of the chemists of Market Deeping
by Maggie McKay
Modern dentistry is one of the sometimes overlooked wonders of our 21st-century world. Does anyone today expect, when visiting the dentist, to be laid flat on their back, ON THE FLOOR of the surgery, to have the dentist put his knee on their chest, and when he says, ‘Open wide’ to have a pair of pliers, in the hand of said dentist, used to extract an aching tooth by a painful wrench of the tool?
As a child of the 1950s and ‘helping’ my grandpa, Mr Newton, in his sweet-shop (the room of the ground-floor bay window on the left of the door of The Square), I was privileged to hear just such an excruciating account of what it was like to visit the dentist in the early years of the 20th century. For in ancient times – before World War I! (or even perhaps before WWII (1939)), dental treatment was usually in the hands of the local ‘apothecary’, as chemists/ pharmacists were called in the good old days, before there was any sort of scientific medicine. No, the ‘profession’ of dentistry hardly existed, but there were chemists who had to be tooth surgeons when the need arose.
The Deepings had chemists from at least the first half of the 19th century; and the account relayed above was given by an old Deeping man who remembered being taken into a little room up a few steps behind the sweet shop, where he received his tooth extraction ‘surgery’. (My builder father, Arthur Holmes, used that same little room as his office in the 1950s and 60s.)
George Linnell, notable and long-serving chemist, was born in Spratton, Northamptonshire, but set up in business in Market Deeping in 1838. For more than ten years he rented premises near the Market Place (from Mr. Joseph Beecraft Mawby) where he became the town’s respected chemist. He married Mary Barns, daughter of local glazier Francis Barns, in 1845, and in 1851-52, following the sale of his father-in-law’s properties after his death, the Linnells were able to buy several properties on the north side of the Market Place: one, now Double and Megson, ‘Fron House’ – now The Square – and soon afterwards even The Bull Inn with its outhouses behind. The locale at the side of Fron House (now an estate agent’s) became his chemist’s shop and George’s open letter, telling his many clients about the move, gives a fascinating insight into what a 19th-century chemist’s business consisted of. He writes:
George Linnell Chemist and Druggist, Oil and Colour man, begs leave to return his sincere thanks for the liberal support he has received…and to solicit a continuance. Mr Linnell has received a fresh supply of Barclays Wax and Spermaceti candles, an assortment of fine old Havana cigars, pickles, fish sauces, Horse, cattle and patent Medicines of every description. Sheep ointment (warranted) – tooth drawing and bleeding etc. carried out. N.B. A respectable youth wanted as an apprentice: all letters to be post -paid(!)
The chemist’s shop in the 19th century did more than sell just patent medicines and ointments for the human population.
Over the 70 years that followed, quite a few teeth must have been ‘drawn’ in that little room in Fron House; indeed, on 3rd October 1878 George Linnell was officially registered as an authorised United Kingdom dentist!
George became deeply involved with the local community and the business prospered. In 1879 he donated a stained-glass window to St Guthlac’s in memory of an infant daughter who had died in 1847. The 1881 census records that there were then two chemist apprentices and three domestic servants on the premises. His wife died in 1884 but he continued running the business, and being involved in local affairs: he was elected to the drainage board for Maxey and district, for example, in 1889. This was an issue of vital importance in an era of many serious waterborne diseases, such as cholera, for which there were no cures. His son, who had begun in engineering, but then trained as a chemist in Hampshire, came back to Deeping and started to take over the business after his father officially retired in 1890. Father George remained active, however, and in 1891, together with the Rector and William Holland, he participated in the setting up of a relief fund asking for subscriptions towards the cost of 100 gallons of soup (made on the premises of Fron House) to be distributed to the
poor and unemployed of the parish. He was also, for many years, on the Board of Guardians of the Workhouse, was Chairman of the Bull Sick and Dividing Club, was agent for the Yorkshire Life Assurance and Chairman of the Market Deeping Railway Company. That was no idle retirement!
The 1891 census records that the young George was then assistant chemist; a niece, Emma Ball was their housekeeper, Emma Smith was ‘general domestic’ and Albert E. Plowright was a ‘chemist’s porter’. George Linnell died at Fron House in 1904.
By the time of his father’s death George Linnell junior had been sharing in the running of the business for ten years; he had also been married for the same period to Jane Mary Evans, a singer and member of a prominent Welsh family from Rhyl, where the wedding took place and the family home was situated. Jane sang professionally but, during the years of her marriage in Deeping, she was also very involved in fundraising concerts, at which she sang, for charity.
If the 19th century’s epoch-making development in transport was the steam locomotive and the railways, the comparable invention at the beginning of the 20th century was, of course, the motor car. The ‘young’ Linnells were keen motorists – they drove an eight horsepowered Belize dog-car – and some of the Linnell drive and ambition went into motoring. In June 1903, for example, they invited the Lincolnshire Automobile Club, which boasted over 100 members, to come to Market Deeping. The cars all lined up in the Market Place to be photographed and a reception was held from 3-5pm at the Bull, where a string band entertained the
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guests and wine and refreshments were served. The event was so successful that it was repeated the following year, in May 1904, when the Linnells hosted the meeting and tea was provided by the Bull at the Town Hall. Motorcycles as well as cars were represented then.
George, like his father, was engaged in a number of activities which were beneficial to the Market Deeping community. He was instrumental in getting the water supply for the parish and paid for the erection of a fountain in the Market Place (it was still there in the 1950s). He was a director of the Market Deeping Gas Company, and was also a member of the Primrose League, attending meetings all over Lincolnshire. In 1907 he became Chairman, at the Bull, of the Quoits Club, and he carried out sanitary improvements at the Bull to ensure the renewal of its licence.
George and Jane Mary had just one daughter, also Jane Mary, born in 1894, so when George died, in 1924, the business and all the
properties, except for The Bull, were sold and Jane Mary Evans Linnell moved back to Wales. (The Bull and its outbuildings and yard were not sold until 1933.) The Linnells had thus been the chemists, and pillars of the community of the Deepings, for 86 years –not much short of a century!
A Mr T. Godding took over the business from the Linnells and continued it for ten years before retiring and selling to Mr Cyril Kaye, who hailed from Rochdale and had
started his working life as a cotton dryer. Dissatisfied with that life, Cyril then got an apprenticeship with a chemist and optician and by 1921 had his own business in Worsley, Lancashire. In 1933 he took over the Deeping business, moved to Market Deeping and continued as chemist and optician, on premises in the Market Place (where Private Kollection and Manna Flowers now are) until 1954. He then retired as a chemist but continued with the ‘optical’ work for a while, after which he and his wife removed to York.
Thus, a new era dawned when, on 4th October, 1954, Mr L. J. White, of Shefford, Bedford, took over. Pharmaceuticals had changed out of all recognition since the day when George Linnell, in 1838, opened his shop in Market Deeping. The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, brought about a complete revolution in medicine, but it wasn’t widely available until the end of the 1940s. Penicillin made a dramatic impact on the most dreaded disease of the 19th and early20th centuries, namely, tuberculosis (TB) or consumption, as it was commonly called. People still died of it in the 1950s – including in the Deepings. But chemists did now become purveyors of effective, scientifically developed medicines and many of the old folk remedies fell by the wayside.
Yes, the pharmacy that Mr White took over in 1954 would have its shelves occupied by very different remedies from those that George Linnell stocked in the 1840s. A few of the old cure-alls, such as castor oil and aspirin, might be there – and still are – but no fish sauces nor patent medicines for cattle or horses. For those you will now have to go to another modern invention –the supermarket!
When L.J. White took up the role of a pharmacist as a career he was not following in his father’s footsteps! John Pitt White was in the navy from a very young age, rising through the ranks and ending up as commander of a flotilla of warships, considering himself very fortunate to have come through two wars unscathed. He was heavily involved in the Mulberry floating harbours, designed and built with great urgency for the Normandy landings.
Leonard John (John) came to Market Deeping from Shefford in 1954, buying 8 Market Place from Cyril Kaye, Pharmacist & Optician. Cyril stayed on as an optician for a couple of years before retiring. The Georgian House with its seven bedrooms and magnificent staircase was ample for Peter, Richard and their parents.
Heavily persuaded by their father to enter the trade, both sons attended the School of Pharmacy in Leicester, Peter qualifying first and then Richard in 1971. During his apprentice year at W.T. Hind of Leicester, Richard met Lorraine who became his wife in 1974. Peter soon realised that retail pharmacy was not for him and took up a role at Leicester Infirmary in the Sterile Products Department. Richard took over at the Market Deeping shop, his mother and father retiring to Lyndcroft, a large old house with two glorious cedar trees at the top of Broadgate Lane. Richard and Lorraine ran the shop; Lorraine a dispensing technician, who would make up ointments, indigestion cures and cough medicines herself which would be supplied with handwritten labels. The pair wore white lab coats as was the custom of the day, while the staff, who included Eleanor Sharpe, Pat Asplin and the Thomas girls (Pam, Jill and Jean) wore grey uniforms.
R.C White
In the bow-fronted windows were the traditional carboys, one red and one blue. Sadly when the wooden windows and their curved panes had to be replaced the red one was broken.
It had been usual for customer service to be provided on a one-to-one basis but Richard, wanting to modernise the system, had introduced self service, mindful that some products needed to be kept behind the counter.
These were the days when the market took place once a week in the middle of the Market Place which was at that time the car park. Mary Shepherd, a resident of one of the riverside cottages at the top of Stamford Road, would quite often feign a faint – causing maximum impact, scattering the contents of her purse amongst the oranges as she fell in front of the grocery stall. The Pharmacy was not spared her antics and on one memorable occasion, having been to Freemans, the butchers next door, she fell to the floor clasping a cut of lamb to her neck! Viewed from behind the counter the scene appeared to be much gorier than thankfully it was! The remedy as always a cup of tea and a little sit down.
Quite often customers would come into the shop and avail themselves of the cosmetic testers to ‘do themselves up’ before a night out and on one occasion used the customer w.c. to get completely changed into their glad rags. The business was not without its chancers: the customer who would buy a pair of Scholls sandals at the start of the season only to return them ‘accidentally’ damaged at the end. Shoplifters would come under the watchful eye of Lorraine who, having noticed a customer secrete away various items, would ask them for their return. ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were watching me!’ came the retort.
After his father sold the premises to pay for his retirement (no private pension schemes then!) Richard and Lorraine moved their home to Willow Lodge, Frognall, and the business first to the shops opposite the end of Godsey Lane on the High Street. When the larger dress shop opposite run by Mrs Hand came up for sale, Richard seized the opportunity and bought it. Inside modifications were made and a wider range of goods, including baby clothes, were stocked. At about this time the National Pharmaceutical Association came up with the idea, for accuracy, of computerising prescriptions and Richard embraced this, using a BBC Acorn computer which was all that was available at the time.
Meanwhile the Royal Infirmary at Leicester decided they wanted to outsource the Sterile Products Department and Peter rose to the challenge and set up his own company, Nova Laboratories, to provide this service. At this time, with the family now moved to Cranleigh Farm, Richard decided to sell his business, first to AAH, who then sold it on to the Co op, and he became self employed, manufacturing precision instruments for Nova Labs. No longer tied to shop hours he had more time to devote to his hobbies of playing the violin in a Ceilidh band, ‘The Waggon Load of Monkeys’ now ‘The Fruitcake Band’, and restoring two pre-war Rileys. His 1934 Riley Lynx won Best Pre War Car in the Maxey Car Show recently.
None of their sons have entered the Pharmaceutical trade; Matthew teaches classical guitar, Tom is a curator at the National History Museum and Jonathan makes violins as well as teaching English at schools in Barcelona where he lives with his family. With four grandchildren and two lurchers the days of being tied to the shop from 8.30am to 6.30pm are a distant memory!
Art for Art’s sake!
To stumble over an artwork that can lift our sprits every time we catch a glimpse of it is not to be underestimated. My personal favourite is a ‘wonky’ windmill picked up at a coffee morning from local artist Peter Scott! It reminds me of that children’s song ‘ A Windmill in Old Amsterdam’ and that reminds me of Children’s Favourites which takes me back to my childhood …. so not ‘just’ a picture at all! Whether it happens to be fresh off your easel, carefully selected in a gallery or at an exhibition there is no question that the art that you chose to put on your walls is the icing on your home decorating cake!
Now more than ever there are plentiful opportunities to create or buy art. The important thing is to follow your heart – best not follow trends or please others – the art that you choose more than anything is a reflection of your inner soul!
And the possibilities are endless. The advancement in technology is such that photographers can manipulate their images to fit their artistic expression. Filters, studio lighting, various darkroom processes and digital enhancement add even more tools to allow this to happen. With online content readily available to purchase, a whole new selection of work has opened up! But where better to start than locally? This month on 26th and 27th October the Deeping Camera Club will hold the annual exhibition of their work at the Deepings Community Centre where some work will be for sale.
Art at the Priory
Print from Anna Blatman
Says Jessica Wall of Stamford Auction Rooms, ‘Artwork to suit everyone’s taste and pocket can be found at auction, from contemporary art to Old Masters, and buying at auction has never been easier!’ (see issue 103 for our handy guide for buying and selling at auction).
But if you prefer the less frenetic approach and like to see an artwork displayed on a wall, then a gallery might be the way forward for you.
And what a great time it now is to be able to view paintings in a variety of room settings with the recent opening of Gladwell and Patterson’s elegant gallery in Red Lion Square in Stamford. For Glenn Fuller of Gladwell’s, ‘It is not just about exhibiting works of art; it’s about creating room settings in which the works can live and breathe, and which will inspire clients to
see exactly how a work of art might delight them in their own home. It is the embodiment of our belief that art is the single most transformative element in designing a space.’
Art at the Priory is back this year on Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th October, when local artists exhibit their latest work in the beautiful setting of the Priory Church to the accompaniment of music and in the company of friends. A purchase not only helps raise funds for this building, for centuries the hub of village life, but it also supports artists and ensures the continuation of an artistic tradition in the village.
Images: Tim Steele Photography
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
Prints are readily available at the galleries that we visit on day trips, and it is possible to pick up a Victorian watercolour on eBay for not very much! It’s always worth rifling through the pictures stacked up in a dusty corner of a charity shop or propped up in a car boot sale – there’s treasure in those stacks! The key to making a relatively inexpensive purchase look sensational is in the framing and in Deeping St James we are blessed with an intuitive and experienced framer in Michelle at Black Cab Framing.
So rather than a blank canvas, a wall offers endless opportunities and the great thing is when you tire of what is there now, well, ring the changes! As Henry David Thoreau said, ‘it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.’
Fri 8th Nov 5-8.00pm Sat & Sun 9th & 10th 10-4.00pm
Judy Stevens
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
Gladwell & Patterson, Stamford
A Year in the Life of UK’s Best Independent Pet Retailer
In amongst our amazing business community, one local retailer has held the incredible national accolade of the UK’s Best Independent Pet Retailer for the last 12 months.
If you’re not already one of their Loyalty Card Members then we’ll introduce you to Pet Stop.
Owner Paula Machin opened Pet Stop in May 2017 having worked in pet retail for some years. Paula wanted to bring something different that many chain stores can’t: variety. As an independent Paula loves to seek out new brands and new products. So much so if you follow their Facebook page you might see the team having to protest at how many new harnesses, collars, coats and beds arrive!
And there is the essence of Pet Stop: fun. The business is run by Paula and her team, and Mr Pet Stop is always close behind the scenes.
After seven years in business Pet Stop has won many local business awards and has been nominated and finalists for national awards. In November 2023 at the PIF Awards (Pet Industry Federation Awards, also known as the Oscars in the Pet Industry) Paula and the team were awarded one of the highest accolades of being voted the UK’s Best Independent Pet Retailer.
To say the team was overjoyed is an understatement. So why did a local independent pet retailer receive this national status?
When you meet Paula you’ll see the cup is always half full, and fuelled with a strong mindset towards ‘putting in the work’
Many small businesses fail within the first 12 months and some by year 3. Paula recalls when she first opened the shop she had high hopes of pet owners flooding through the doors, then realising it would take months, then years, to experience the growth. In the last three years with the business established, Pet Stop became well known for pets’ welcome, free harness and coat fittings, and having one of the largest selections of coats and raw food selections in the area.
Paula’s vision always looks at improving the pet owner experience. Paula invested and introduced a new website and then own-brand dry food and treats. Next saw the launch of the Pet Stop Loyalty Card. Every month members are entered into a free prize draw to win one of three gift vouchers to spend in the store.
With more products and ever-growing customers, Paula needed more space! Next came the shop refit, plus a new onsite storage container (for more beds!). And with regular newsletters connecting with customers, Pet Stop developed a series of local dog walks with Paula and her dog Wilson. Wilson’s Walks are all available to explore on their website.
or anywhere at any time, and have your order available to collect in store.
Is there anything else this pet retailer can do? Paula says there is, and there is more to come next year.
The next step for Pet Stop was to develop the online experience and now customers are able to Click and Collect. You can shop for your pets from home
At the time of printing Pet Stop is currently a Mercury Business Awards Finalist in the Independent Retailer Category, with the Awards Gala Evening 27 September 2024.
• Backache and back pains
• Frozen shoulder
• Sciatica
• Sports injuries
• Repetitive strains
Don’t
www.deepingosteopaths.co.uk
• Tennis elbow
• Rheumatic / Arthritic pain
• Arthritic Conditions ...and every muscle and joint in between
The Cross School
When the old sheds on the site were no longer used DSJ United Charities set to work to create 4 modern studios to respond to the small business growth in the village.
At the Town Hall, we are already collecting Tombola prizes for the Mayor’s Tombola at the Christmas Market. When possible, please could you sort through your cupboards and drop anything suitable into the Town Hall during mornings Monday to Friday. Thank you in advance for supporting this event.
Keep handy for future reference
The Grass verge cutting contract has now been revised and hopefully all previous issues have been rectified. If there are still problems in your area, please let Emily our Market Deeping Deputy Clerk know about it at deputyclerk@ marketdeeping-tc.gov.uk or Julie at clerk@deepingstjames-pc.gov.uk
Deepings Age Concern goes from strength to strength. Attending the Deeping’s Age Concern Annual General meeting recently on behalf of the Town Council was a real pleasure. This group of well-coordinated volunteers provides an exceptional range of services for our older residents and makes a considerable contribution to the well-being of vulnerable pensioners. Services include: Lunch club, day trips, Befriending service, library group, Sunday club and others. Their two mini-buses are in frequent use and most services are dependent on the time and energy of dedicated voluntary drivers to provide the transport. To support all those who could benefit from Age Concern provision, more volunteers are needed to help across all the activities. Please call 07368 256898 or 01778 343722 to register your interest in joining this outstanding organisation.
The Deeping Walking and Cycling survey is now open for contributions. This survey is organised by the Deepings Neighbourhood Plan Group in conjunction with Sustrans. The survey enables you to have your say on how the Deepings can develop as a healthy neighbourhood by improving our walking and cycling infrastructure. Please visit www.deepingsplan.org to follow the link on the home page.
‘Squabbling amongst Councillors at SKDC.’
By now, you may have read local news reports about the high number of internal Formal Complaints received by the district’s Monitoring Officer last year. The annual summary shows that there were several disrespectful interchanges between members of the Opposition and the Independent Administration. I would like to reassure everyone that this was largely due to the introduction of a new robust Code of Conduct and the total number of complaints arose from the inappropriate behaviour of a very small number of Councillors. Overall, your Council is performing well and working diligently to introduce and improve local services.
Kerbside battery collection is now available. The SKDC waste team are introducing the next phase of their recycling scheme by offering to collect used batteries. They should be separated from regular waste and left in a clear, see-through bag on everyone’s regular bin day, whether it’s recycling or black bin week. The idea is to reduce the risk of fires in bin lorries, keep bin crews safe, support SKDC’s climate action goals, and improve recycling.
Dates for your diary:
Opening of the Remembrance Gardens at the Boundary 3.00pm Sunday 3rd November
Closing of the Remembrance Gardens at the Boundary 3.00pm Sunday 17th November
Deepings Christmas Market and Tree Lights switch on 10.00am-4.00pm Sunday 1st December
The Deepings Patient Participation Group (PPG) called an additional meeting in September for local Councillors to discuss patient concerns about access to primary health provision. This meeting was arranged at the request of Town and Parish Councillors from across the locality and enabled us to ask questions directly to representatives from the Deepings Practice. It was acknowledged by Practice staff that it was not possible for them to meet everyone’s needs or expectations within the time and resources available. Whilst we all have a better understanding of the limitations of the service available, it seems that Practice staff are clearly working hard to do the best they can within the budget constraints. There will now be a Town Council representative on the PPG who is able to take forward matters of concern and also suggestions for improvements to the service.
Adventure summer for the Guides!
Says Hollie Martin
Adventures of all shapes and sizes from our youngest 4 year old Rainbows to our 17 year old Rangers and even our Leaders!
Summer began with Stamcamp for the Guides in May on the Burghley estate. Starting rainy the Guides woke up to a beautiful sunrise and lovely weather and took the opportunity to go paddleboarding, kayaking, rifle shooting and bubble making. Camping is such a beloved experience in Guiding! They also went to Boston Wings Meadow in July for what turned out to be a very soggy weekend. The Guides took it all in their stride and enjoyed a range of nature-themed crafts, such as drinks jar decorating and dyeing tote bags with leaves and flowers while learning the traditional camp skills of gadget making and fire building.
Who doesn’t love an end-of-year trip? Well, our units have been getting out and about with 1st Market Deeping Brownies going to The ActiveAcre obstacle course, having a fantastic time sliding and jumping through mud and obstacles with the biggest smiles on their faces. The Guides also took part in The Forest Facility’s 5km obstacle course, throwing themselves into it and giving it all a go. As for the Rangers, they also went to The Forest Facility, where they chose the assault course, laser tag and escape rooms.
The memories and experiences our young members gain through Girlguiding truly stay with them through their lives: the friends made, the laughter and smiles and the fears conquered. Behind the activities and photos you see are Leaders and volunteers
who believe in this philosophy and make everything possible. We sadly received the news earlier this year that Janet Rowland, who was a Guide and Ranger leader in Deeping, had passed away, but her legacy will live on, through an activity day in her memory. She left some money to Girlguiding and knowing her love of the outdoors it seemed only fitting that it is used to give our young members the opportunity to experience a range of activities they may not otherwise have access to. While they may not have known or met Jan they will know her generosity and love of adventure through the activity day they take part in at the end of September in her memory.
Girlguiding may just look from the outside like a place to see friends and spend a few hours a week as a kid but it’s so much more. It’s a place to be free to make decisions and grow opinions, to try something new and maybe scary, to encourage others and for them to encourage you and not just see friends but make new friends too.
We currently have a short waiting list to join Rainbows 4-7 year olds, and space in Brownies 7-10 years old, Guides 10-14 years old and Rangers 14-17 years old, as well as places for volunteers.
If you know someone who would like to get involved with Girlguiding contact us on thedeepingdistrcit@hotmail.com or register at www.girlguiding.co.uk and follow us on Facebook.
Deeping Ploughing Match
Will be held on a site at Meadow Road, Langtoft, PE6 8GX What3Words; tricycle.vitals.late (by kind permission of A&R Ivatt and E&E Whitfield)
SATURDAY, 26TH OCTOBER 2024 Ploughing from 9.15am to 1.15pm
Bring the family along to see and enjoy;
• Magnificent Horse Ploughing Teams
• Vintage tractors from the bygone years in fine working order
• The present day high tech tractors and ploughs in action
• The garden tractors with versatile ploughing facilities
• Demonstration plots displaying the latest tractors and ploughs
• Cereals, Pulses and Roots Show with exhibitors young and old
• Trade Stands
Free Car Parking
Refreshments & Licenced Bar
Entrance Fee;
£5 Adults, Under 16 Free
Words and Pictures by William Bowell BIRDS
Eastern Promise
I love October — the change in season, the shift in weather, and the transformation of our landscape. Birds begin arriving from the far north, while our summer visitors head to the warmer climes of Africa. Leaves turn orange, fittingly reflecting the deeper orange hues of the lower autumn sun. It’s one of my favourite months.
You may recall, dear reader, how I usually escape to Shetland at the start of October. However, after enjoying a ten-day family break on the magical isles this summer, I won’t be heading there this autumn. I’ll save the details of that action-packed holiday for another time — stay tuned for ‘I’d Rather be in Shetland’ in a future edition of ‘I’d Rather be in Deeping’.
Staying closer to home this autumn has made me nostalgic for some past October adventures. There was the time, for example, when just a week after driving back from Aberdeen, I drove to Cornwall and back in a day.
Kernow, as the locals call it, is my favourite of all the English counties. That wasn’t the reason for the trip, though;I was there to see Britain’s second-ever Gray Catbird (yes, the American spelling, as the bird is from the USA). It was one of those rare balmy October days, almost hot, and the bird showed remarkably well, giving its odd cat-like call that explains its name.
Another October adventure took me to St Mary’s, one of the Isles of Scilly. It was another mad day trip, this time for another American bird.
October
be quite so
mainly because my
has filled the calendar for every weekend (she thinks I haven’t noticed). Still, perhaps I’ll get a day on the Norfolk coast, which can be just as magical as Shetland or Cornwall in October, especially if the winds swing east, bringing the promise of rare birds.
Unfortunately, the Wilson’s Snipe I’d gone to see failed to appear during the four hours I had on the island. However, I did manage to spot my first Olive-backed Pipit (from Asia) and Upland Sandpiper (from America), which helped ease the disappointment. My designated driver and friend, though, who had seen these birds before, wasn’t particularly chatty on the long drive home…
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be in Norfolk when easterly winds brought a ‘fall’ of birds to the coast. In birding terms, a fall is when birds, exhausted after a long journey, seem to drop out of the sky, forced to land. This particular October day was one of those special moments.
I headed straight to Sheringham, where a rare Isabelline Shrike was waiting for me. Shrikes are fascinating birds that hunt rodents, lizards and small birds, despite being the size of songbirds themselves. It was a confiding bird, offering fantastic views — a great way to start my day. The bushes in the scrubland where it had temporarily settled were alive with birds fresh in from the continent. Even a Long-eared Owl had arrived, roosting after its sea crossing.
Next, I headed to Kelling, where an Olive-backed Pipit was feeding among the bracken and leaf litter. Its old name, Indian Tree Pipit, sounds much more exotic and fitting for this stripy bird that usually flits among the trees of Asian forests. Perhaps
This
won’t
extravagant,
clever wife, Amy,
Isabelline Shrike
Olive-backed Pipit
it had never seen a human before, until it got lost on migration and ended up in Norfolk!
So far, so good — rare birds from far-off lands and a smattering of common migrants from Europe. But the day wasn’t over yet! I arrived at Wells Wood, which was teeming with birds. Birders were reporting exciting sightings all around, but I chose patience. Instead of rushing, I waited by the famous pond in the Dell, knowing this was the best spot to catch sight of a Red-flanked Bluetail, a rare, robin-sized bird from Siberia.
My patience was rewarded with a flash of blue — a perfect view of the Bluetail. I was also treated to two rare Asian warblers: a Pallas’s Warbler, with its striking stripes and lemon-yellow rump, and my second-ever Hume’s Leaf Warbler!
As I sat peacefully by the pond in north Norfolk, surrounded by birds from the east, more and more common migrants appeared: Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs, Brambling wheezing overhead, and newly arrived Pink-footed Geese honking in the distance. This magic can only happen in October, which is why it’s my favourite month.
What will this October bring? Well, according to Amy’s well-filled diary, a visit to London to see my brother-in-law, a game night with our parents, and a trip to York.
But if the winds swing east...
Will works at Grasmere Farm in Deeping St James (with a butcher’s and deli in Market Gate, Market Deeping) but in his spare time enjoys wildlife watching locally and across the country. He is also a keen photographer. Many of his images can be found at Just Wild Images, and photo cards are available at Market Gate Deli in Market Deeping or on Etsy under Just Wild Images.
We’re specialists in high quality bird food, growing much of the bird seed we sell here on our farm. We also stock a wide range of bird feeders & accessories. We are always available to offer advice on how to feed your garden birds
8AM - 5PM SUNDAY 9AM- 4PM
The seasonal change is well underway & we now have an abundance of autumnal produce
Warm up in the Café with lunch or tea, a pumpkin spiced hot chocolate or why not try our delicious milkshakes?
Follow our pumpkin trail in the wildlife garden & learn how we’ve planted it with wildlife in mind
Red-flanked Bluetail
Harvest
Now is the time of year for ploughing championships and while the British National Championships are held on the Thoresby Estate near Newark on the 12th &13th Oct., the local Deeping Ploughing Match is on 26th Oct in Meadow Road, Langtoft, 9.15- 1.15. If a rousing rendition of ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’ is more your way of appreciating the harvest season, then the Harvest Festival is being held at The Priory Church on Sun Oct 6th at 10.00am and on 13th Oct at St Guthlac’s at 4.00pm there will be a Songs of Praise with favourite hymns chosen by the local community with cakes and drinks served afterwards!
Autumnal displays
Look out for the fabulous displays in our local cafes and shops as they warm up to the season of pumpkins and hot chocolate! Chai latte anyone? Everything possible for your little trick or treaters at InsideOut Home Store – chocolate treats at the Grasmere Deli, and pumpkins and gourds in all shapes and sizes in the farm shops!
Autumn Colours
GreatFive
signs of Autumn
Group Talks
Not just the preserve of New England, it is also possible to go out ‘leaf peeping’ in the Deepings! Whether you take to the car and notice the colours as you drive by, pictured are the colours along Stamford Road, Market Deeping, or join up with one of the local walking groups. The Deepings Walking Group meets most Thursdays at the Deepings Community Centre at 1.30pm - (two levels of fitness) -the walks are about an hour in length. The Stamford, Bourne and The Deepings Ramblers’ group walk, part of Ramblers.Org, organise weekend and some weekday walks of between 5-6 and 8-9 miles. You can join up to three walks free of charge before joining Ramblers. Membership is just £3.42 per month. Contact: susanmitchell2003@gmail.com
Now is the time that the local groups start their autumn programme of talks and there is an abundance of riches this year! On Sat 19th Oct 1-5pm West Deeping Heritage will host a display of artefacts found on the gravel extraction site on King Street in the Village Hall with archaeologists to explain what these discoveries reveal about the earliest inhabitants of West Deeping – from the Neolithic period, through the Bronze and Iron Ages, with significant evidence of Romano-British occupation. At 6.30 there will be a talk from Hannah Barrett, Project Officer for Cambridge Archaeological Unit. Tickets available in advance via email at wdheritage@hotmail. co.uk or by text message to 07808 585189. On Tues 15th Oct, 7 for 7.30 p.m. in West Deeping Village Hall, Chris Carr presents ‘No mere Cipher’ … the lives of three medieval women of Lincolnshire. £3 admission at the door, including light refreshments. At Swines Meadow Farm Nursery (PE6 8LQ) Colin Ward will be giving a talk for the Hardy Plant Society ‘Foliage First, Flowers a bonus’ on Sat Oct 19th at 2.30pm (non-members welcome £4) Check out the What’s on pages for more talks!
Image: John Parsonage
Image:Paul Bragg
Lilli’s Tearoom & Cakery
Farms for Kids
Host to the largest pumpkin grower in Europe, David Bowman Pumpkins, there are always lots of opportunities to take the family pumpkin picking! Moor Farm (pg 47) will be opening their patch. There is also the chance for your little ones to see a farm-themed puppet show full of interactive fun, beautifully written original music and a cast of stunning and adorable animal puppets. Barmpot Theatre are returning, following their popular puppet performances at Storyfest! This time the company are bringing their full-length theatre show, ‘Nature Elly’ created for 2-5 year olds to The Deepings Community Centre on Sat 26th Oct. There is also a free, interactive workshop before each show, and both shows and workshops include integrated British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation. Elly runs the best farm, but all the food has vanished! Help Elly, Grandma and Bob save the Harvest and discover the mystery animal hiding in the hay! Tickets for children and their adults for this FREE production must be booked for either the morning (10.00 -11.30 incl workshop) or afternoon (12.30 -2.00 incl workshop) session. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Book online at bit.ly/TheDeepings or in person at The Deepings Library. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
what’s on
Jazz at the Priory –James Romaine Quartet
Sun 13 th Oct at 4pm. Priory Church, Deeping St James Tickets £12 (children free) incl. glass of wine/ soft drink
J Astle 01778 346879, V Worthington 01778 343860 or at the door.
Deeping educated professional saxophonist James Romaine brings his Birmingham based quartet to the Priory with a cool mix of jazz standards and more recent material.
Deepings Heritage
11th Oct 7.30pm Community Centre, Market Deeping
Having moved to Market Deeping five years ago, Yvo has been surprised to discover his family’s long connection with Lincolnshire and going back over 700 years. In this presentation at Deeping Heritages’ October Meeting he will outline his journey of discovery taking in Grimsthorpe, Edenham, Uffington and Spilsby. He is fortunate to have a wealth of original material available and will be sharing some of the history in an informative tour of the area and its links to his family.
Coffee & Cake
Priory Church Hall DSJ
Stayawhle and visit Art @ the Priory
Sat 26th Oct 10-12.00pm
From twang to bang talk with Mike Wabe
Oct 2nd 7.30pm. Deeping Mens Group. Masonic Centre, New Row, DSJ Beer avaialable. Non members £4
‘Great
British Parks’ with Paul Rabbitts
10th Oct. The Arts Society Peterborough’s monthly talk is at The Fleet, PE2 4 DL
A fascinating insight into the Great British Public Park. A highly illustrative lecture accompanied by slides with examples of parks from across the UK and their designs and architecture. 10-15am for coffee and a chat, the talk starts at 10-45am and lasts an hour, www.the-arts-society-peterborough.org.uk
Rotary Quiz Night
Deeping Community Centre Sat Oct 19th, 7 for 7.30 start Teams up to 6 - £5 per person
Call Mary Martin 01778 343927
Citizens Advice Talk
10:30am Tues 15th Oct. Free event
Oddfellows Hall, 57 Church St. Market Deeping. PE6 8AN.
Janey Lee Grace Talks about her career in the music business
Bookmark, Spalding. Weds 30th Oct 7.00pm
Tickets £10 incl glass of wine or juice 18-20 The Crescent PE11 1AF Tel: 01775 769231
Please confirm attendance with the office on 01778 342006 due to limited spaces. A poetic sideways look at life with Toby Wood
Deepings Library. Thurs 3rd Oct 7.00pm £5 incl refreshments
Tickets from Library M-F 10-5 (closed
Peregrine Bertie
Annual Exhibition
Deepings Camera Club
Sat 26th Oct 10am - 5pm Sun 27th Oct 10am - 4pm
Deepings Community Centre Douglas Road, Market Deeping, PE6 8PA
Tea, coffee and cake and the popular draw to win your favourite print! Free Admission www.deepingscamera.club
Nicola Tallis talks about the Young Elizabeth 1
Bookmark, Spalding Mon 14th Oct
7.00pm
Tickets £10 incl glass of wine or juice
18-20 The Crescent PE11 1AF Tel: 01775 769231
Our Wonderful World
An exhibition of embroidery, needle craft and textile art by
Stamford Stitchers 2nd - 23rd Oct
12-5.00pm Tues- Sunday Admission free
Willoughby Memorial Trust Gallery
Moreley’s Lane, Corby Glen NG33 4NL willoughbygallery.com
Christmas Wreath Workshop
Just £35.00 to include an assortment of freshly foraged greenery and seasonal foliage and some items from our wreath bar selection of pine cones, dried fruit and decorations. Bows are available to buy. Welcome drink,seasonal snack and complementary refreshments throughout the session. Also available for private group bookings. Contact us for more information
83 High Street, Market Deeping, Peterborough, PE6 8ED www.riversidebeads.co.uk 01778 344550 www.riversidecrafts.co.uk
DEEPING’S FIRST AND ONLY MICROPUB
Up to 8 real ales 30 traditional ciders Good quality wines (no rubbish!) A small selection of foreign beers Crisps and snacks A smile... probably...
Why do I need a will?
Wills are important to ensure that your assets pass to those you would like. If you are not married, your partner will not automatically inherit your estate. If you have children, you can also use a will to nominate guardians to ensure they are looked after if the worst may happen.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
What are they?
Lasting Powers of Attorneys (LPAs) are documents that allow someone that you nominate as your attorney, to deal with your financial or health affairs on your behalf.
These are used when you lose mental capacity but must be created while you can still make decisions. If you do not create these in time, then unfortunately the solution is more costly and time consuming.
Probate
What is it?
When a person sadly passes away, some banks and institutes require a Grant of Probate to enable you to collect in their assets. If you are selling a house, a solicitor will require this to complete the sale. We are licensed to assist with the probate application on your behalf, as well as distribute the estate, making everything simpler at this difficult time.
