May 2025

 


Welcome……  

Around the village it’s a pleasure  to see all the gardens coming  into bloom again. The drive into  the village from the A15 toward the  church is particularly delightful with that  avenue of trees. It reminds me of a  welcoming green guard of honour.  Our garden is a bit what Monty Don  would call “organic”. I’d like to tell you  that it has been planned that way but  it has a mind of it’s own and me and  the bees love it!  
Did you enjoy the sight of the old  Delaine buses trundling through the  village the other weekend? I’m of an  age to remember a smoky upper deck,  conductors laden down with a satchel  and a ticket machine and drivers who  could double-clutch. Now there’s a lost  art for you!  
Finally, it was my best mate’s birthday  last week so I bought him an elephant  for his room. He said “Thanks!” I said,  “Don’t mention it”.  
Editor  
Useful Contacts  
Parish Clerk - Laura Davies 
rippingalepc@gmail.com 07780496440  
Chairman - Barry Ross  
chairmanrpc4@gmail.com 07740151601  
Vice Chair, Emergency team liaison, Flood  response team - Tony Creek  
tonycreekrpc@gmail.com 07886622349 
th July 2025 - Tickets £5.00 
VILLAGE FEAST 2025 
SATURDAY 12TH JULY 
JUBILEE PLAYING FIELDS 11.30am - 4.30pm l Entertainment /Stalls /Exhibitions /Raffe/Food & Beer tents 
l Vehicle / Classics Show 
This year - including ‘Interesting Machinery’ and also  Cars / Motorbikes / Scooters and Tractors etc 
For details please contact: phillipmclean07@googlemail.com or call 01778 440509 l Competitions  
Baking / Preserves / Garden / Flower Arrangement / Craft / Photography / Art
 For entries please contact: rippingalefeastcommittee@gmail.com DOG SHOW- FRIDAY 11TH JULY AT THE BULL INN  6.30 - 7.30pm 
Best Rescue / Waggiest Tail / Prettiest Pooch / Best Owner  Look-alike / Golden Oldie - Dogs over 7 years 
Best Young Handler - Children under 13 years 
Pre-register: rippingalefeastcommittee@gmail.com or 6.00pm on the day -£2.00 entry  
Stall holder applications contact: rippingalefeastcommittee@gmail.com CEILIDH BAND TICKETS: Adult £5.00 (1 primary school child free then £2.00 - all with  adult) - to buy tickets visit: wegottickets.com - The Elusive Black Dog Ceilidh Band, email elblckdg@aol.com, or call 01778 440444, 07973 711746 (mobile text or phone) 
Digitally challenged?…..  
We’re hoping to run a series of short articles regarding online security. It  will be aimed at those individuals who don’t have a family member or  friend to keep them safe and aware. If there’s anything in particular you’d  like included that would help you, contact us at the Newsletter address  above. 

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Parish Council News…  
1. VE 80 – (See report on back page). Congratulations  to all those involved in the organisation leading up to  the VE80 events and we hope that those that took part  enjoyed it.  
2. Emergency Plan – Cllr Creek has completed the  update to the Emergency plan and it will be updated  on the Parish Council Website after some formatting.  This is a live document however, it is generally updated  on an annual basis. Thanks to all that helped with its  compilation.  
3. Road Safety – The Parish Council was disappointed  with the decision that the stretch of East Street between  Doctors Lane and Station Street did not meet the  criteria to make it a 30mph zone, especially as it would  be simple to do, just by removing 2 signs! This stretch  of road is used by walkers, with and without dogs on a  regular basis. Needless to say that the Parish Council  will continue to lobby for this to happen, along with the  entry to the village by the allotments, which is also a  hazard in our opinion. Please can ask residents to be  mindful of the speed limits within the village, as they  are there for everyone’s safety.  
4. Village Maintenance. - As you probably know a  large part of the budget that the Parish Council manage  is used for village maintenance. This ranges from  hedge and grass cutting, to dog bin emptying and  even play equipment. The finance committee has  ensured that the budgets are in place to do the  planned works throughout the year. Now that the finer  weather is with us and everything seems to be growing  at rate of knots, we will ensure that the village is  properly maintained. However, activities like hedge  trimming and tree pruning are restricted during bird  nesting season (roughly March to September) to  prevent disturbance to nests and eggs.  
5. Rippingale needs more Councillors - At the last  Parish Council meeting, we were saddened to  announce that Cllr Catt had tendered his resignation  due to personal reasons. Although Chris will be  
remembered for organising the Christmas Tree at the  church, there were many other actions that he was  responsible for and he will be greatly missed.  
Rippingale Parish Council has vacancies for  councillors therefore, if you: 
·       are looking to do something rewarding  ·       care about our community  
·       want to make a difference  
·       wish to represent Rippingale residents  
then please consider joining us as a councillor. No  qualifications or experience are required.  
Parish Councillors are volunteers who give up their time  to represent their community; manage buildings and  community spaces; decide finances to deliver services;  influence and shape development policies for the  parish; comment on Parish planning applications;  improve the quality of life and the environment in their  local area; work to identify issues which are important  to the lives of the residents; work to bring about  improvements through local projects; lobby other  service providers; work in partnership with other  parishes and agencies, and, most importantly, work  with the community and residents they serve.  
Although unpaid, training is provided, and expenses  can be claimed in certain circumstances.  
For further information, eligibility criteria, and an  application form, please contact Ms Laura Davies,  Clerk to Rippingale Parish Council by email:  rippingalepc@gmail.com  
6. Next Parish Council Meeting - The next Parish  Council meeting will be held at the Village Hall on the  9th June at 7pm. All village residents are welcome.  
Tony Creek 

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St Andrew’s Church…….  
Since writing the last article for the Newsletter I have  had a spell in Boston Hospital of just over a fortnight. I  would to thank everybody who offered help support,  prayers and best wishes at this moment in time. It was  greatly appreciated. Now all I have got to do is make a  recovery which is going to take longer than I  envisaged. Again very many thanks, Jonathan.  (Churchwarden)  
Community Coffee Morning 6th May 
The latest Coffee Morning continued the trend of a  very enjoyable morning of drinking coffee and eating  cakes! As usual we had fresh vegetables on sale at very  reasonable prices, the highlight being the first new  potatoes of the year, lovely! We were pleased to see  some new faces and would encourage any village  residents to pop in to a coffee morning - we’re sure  you’ll enjoy it  
VE Day Service 8th May 
Our most recent service was a VE Day service held on  the evening of VE Day itself, 8th May .  
The Church was looking resplendent with bunting  both inside and out, as well as two Union Jack VE Day  Banners, one each side of the entrance door. It was  truly decorated for the occasion!  
The Rev Tim Wright took the service and made it such  an interesting and moving occasion, from his  leadership of the Hymn singing to the introduction of  short, real stories of those involved and affected by the  War. Overall, it was a lovely service which all in  attendance will remember for a long time. Thank you  Tim .  
The Service was followed by refreshments provided by  the Parish Council, the cakes were truly delicious!  Thank you to all involved for making this such a  memorable occasion. It was a real pleasure to be a  member of the congregation at this service .  
Quiz Night 10th May 
The VE Day quiz held on Saturday 10th May in the  Church, was a good night of entertainment and  
enjoyed by all who attended. Seven teams took part  and gave their brains a good workout to answer  questions set by quiz master, Chas Mayhew. Subjects  included Music, Sport, Geography, General  Knowledge and more, with two rounds based on  World War Two. It was a very close competition with a  nail- biting finish!  
The team called Can’t Remember (and that’s not being  forgetful, that was their name!) won on a tie-break  question.  
Make sure you join us for the next community quiz to  be held in the Church. It is open to everyone and you  may be amazed at how much trivia you remember!!  
Reminder of coming up events 
• Annual Parish Church Meeting (the AGM) will now  take place in Rippingale Church on Thursday 29th  May at 7.30pm. (This is a rearrangement following  the cancelling of the 1st May meeting.)  
• Community Coffee Morning at the Church 10.15  Tuesday 3rd June (and every first Tuesday thereafter)  come on down!  
• Meeting of the Friends of Rippingale Church (FORC)  7.30 pm, Tuesday 3rd June  
Jonathan Newell 
Books of the Month…..  
Recent 99p reading bargains on Kindle:  
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom - an emotional roller  coaster of a journey from Greece to the killing camps in  Poland. How one young boy, who never lies, gets it all  wrong and then sets out to put it right. A frighteningly  brilliant story from the author of “Five People You Meet in  Heaven”. 
Hope Street by Mike Gayle - a missing mother, a home  and community that’s about to be demolished for a new  “development” and the son’s concern that his mum won’t  know where to go when she comes back. Enter a journalist  on a mission and we have a heart warming story. 
The Broken River by Chris Hammer - Australian crime  thriller from one of their best authors. Great characters, an  atmospheric small town Australia and lots of twists and  turns. Who’s the baddy? Who’s your daddy? You might  need a couple of ready meals handy so you don’t have to  put this down! 
Paige Turner

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Our VE 80 Celebrations….  
The weather was cold but that did not  stop our community coming out to  celebrate VE 80. Bank holiday Monday  saw families, neighbours and friends  enjoying picnics and traditional games  on the Jubilee Playing Fields. A full  church celebrated VE 80 day on  Thursday with a joyful service of  celebration, remembrance and thanks  led by Tim Wright. This was followed  by eating delicious, mouthwatering  cakes and pastries baked by the lovely  ladies of our village. The event  culminated in the lighting of the  beacon by Ben and Tim of J E Atkinson  & Sons Farmers. Lastly, on Friday many  of us ate traditional fish and chips at  the Bull Inn and Leo did a sterling job  keeping the village fed. Lots of lovely  memories were made and a big thank  you to everyone that volunteered to  make it happen.  
Annette Lumb 
Rippingale and District Women’s Institute  Life Savers and Big Prizes…….  
Rippingale Village Hall was being used for voting this  month so we held our meeting at the Five Bells in Morton  instead. Charlotte prepared a lovely buffet for us which we  all enjoyed, especially as it was a free treat for our  members! We were also able to buy our preferred drinks  to go with it. 
Our job this month was to discuss the resolution, chosen  from 90 thousand submitted by WI members nationwide,  entitled 'Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers’. This proposer  would like to see an increase in public confidence and  training in CPR and to see an improvement in the access to  d e fib r i l l a t o r s . T h e r e w a s a l i v e l y d i s c u s s i o n  among members which resulted in everyone voting for our  delegate to the WI Annual Meeting to vote for the  resolution. 
A £10,000 prize in the WI Lottery was the incentive for  members to buy a ticket though some would be quite  happy with other prizes including a cruise for two, a  cordless hand and food mixer, a heated airer from  Lakeland, theatre tickets for two etc,. Let's keep our fingers  crossed! 
After some notices and reminders of future events the  raffle was drawn and the meeting was closed. Our next meeting will be on 5th June in Rippingale Village  Hall from 2-4pm when we will be flower arranging with Pat  Gray. If you would like to join us or would like more  information call Janet on 07552 699848 or go to our  website radwi@btinternet.com 
Janet Morris  

F.O.R.C. Friends Of Rippingale Church… Family Easter Egg Treasure Hunt  Quiz……  
The church was well prepared for an afternoon of family fun with two chaps in frilly aprons manning the refreshment  stall. There was also a second hand book stall, craft stall, children’s activity table and a plethora of cakes to buy and  take home for afternoon tea. Sixteen family teams turned up to collect a village quiz pack and set off to try and  answer the questions and clues from different locations marked on a Rippingale map. Upon returning each team  handed in their answer sheet for marking and were presented with a goody bag of chocolate Easter eggs.  
Our very own Rose Royal, Soren Grew, presented prizes to the winning team, the second place team and there was a  special prize for the team scoring the least points, for their sportsmanship. 
There were so many positive comments about the number of families coming out for the afternoon and enjoying  themselves. Full marks to those who contributed, books, cakes and of course, their time to ensure the event was a  success, both socially and financially, with a final profit close to £430.  
Chris Petz