February 2026
RIPPINGALE NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY
2026
Contact: rippingalenewsletter@outlook.com
Editorial:
We had 3 rounds to cover last month due to some of our team taking well deserved
Christmas breaks. I would like to thank Aimee Hooper for taking on the round
covering Station Street and Dovecote, thus ensuring the January Newsletter was
delivered on time.
Liz Houlden of Lincolnshire Libraries has emailed a reminder about the monthly visit
of the Mobile Library to Rippingale and says that footfall has dropped lately. It would
be a shame to lose such a service so we hope that residents will make a note of this
month’s schedule (see Diary Dates on page 3) and pay the mobile library a visit! No
need to worry about transport into Bourne and they really do have a good selection
of books. You can also order books for pick up next time or from the main library in
Bourne.
By the way, I don’t always tell dad jokes, but when I do, he laughs….
We look forward to receiving any items for the March Newsletter by Friday 20th
February.
Parish Council News for February:
Last month’s Parish Council’s appeal for Councillors produced a great response! So
much so that we now have a full council with 7 Councillors, and may even have
some reserves!
Thanks go to David Warcup, Sarah Nichols, Sarah Earl and Louise Lambord who
have stepped up to help maintain and improve our village. You do not need to be a
Councillor to help in village activities. If you feel that you have experience or
enthusiasm in a particular field, such as HR, teaching, health & safety, first aid, etc,
then please get in touch. We can set up separate “committees” to deal with various
aspects within the village, as we have with the Feast and the YETI teams.
Our New District Councillor – Following the resignation of Richard Dixon-Warren
and the subsequent election, we now have a new representative in SKDC –
Councillor Kyle Abel. Kyle has already shown a keen interest in Rippingale and
has visited the village to hear concerns from residents, particularly about flooding
issues. Kyle can be contacted on kyle.abel@southkesteven.gov.uk or via SKDC’s
website. Please let him know of your concerns and how you feel he can influence the
way in which SKDC operate, particularly with regard to how it may allocate spending
within our area.
Parish Council Meeting Dates for 2026 – held in the Village Hall at 7:00 pm on:-
9th February - 9th March – 3rd April - 11th May - 8th June - 13th July - 10th August -
14th September - 12th October - 9th November.
Parish Clerk Vacancy
The present Parish Clerk, Laura Davies, has tendered her resignation and is due to
leave her post by the end of April 2026, so the Parish Council needs to find a
suitable replacement with some urgency.
The Role may be summarised as follows:-
Title: Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer
Hours: Part time (Average of 9 hours per week) working in close liaison with the
Chair & Vice Chair.
Salary: Average of 9 hours per week - In accordance with National Joint Council Pay
scales and candidate experience. Reasonable expenses will also be recoverable.
Job Requirements
(i) The Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer predominantly works from home, with
attendance at Council Meetings (usually from 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday of
each month) plus other special meetings that may be called through the year.
(ii) The candidate must be able to work both independently and as part of a team. He
or she must be self-motivated, highly organised, possessing excellent IT (Microsoft
Office etc), interpersonal and communication skills.
(iii) The role also entails liaison with Parish, District and County Council
representatives, members of the public and third-party organisations both in writing
and verbally.
Additionally, the candidate must have a proven record in bookkeeping and budget
planning, be able to meet deadlines and be proficient on social media and website
platforms.
NOTE:- Two of our neighbouring parishes also have vacancies for a Parish Clerk, so
the position may expand to around 13 hours per week.
The 2026/27 Parish Council Precept…
At the January meeting of the Parish Council, the Level of Precept to meet the
coming years budget was agreed.
The precept is that element of Council tax which is collected by SKDC on behalf of
Parish Council and returned to allow us to carry out the activities set out in our
budget. There are other revenue streams such as allotment rents etc., however the
precept is the vast majority of the funds available to us.
We are proposing that the the precept in the coming year is increased by an average
of about £6 per year, based on a band D household, which is still marginally less
than the average in England last year.
This will increase the average household contribution from £60 to £66 per year. The
Parish Council believe
that this is reasonable and appropriate, given that we currently spend more than we
receive and need to reverse this trend and build the contingency gradually back up
to the recommended amount, in the future.
This has been carefully considered but not without risk, as we are balancing what we
receive against what we are being asked to do by the community.
To illustrate the precept spend, the average household contributes £66 per
year, or less than 2 coffees a month and can be allocated as follows:-
Cost
(£)
Purpose
26 Administration which covers Clerk’s salary, insurance, subscriptions and memberships
17 Grounds maintenance, including hedge & grass cutting, casual labour, etc
11 Jubilee Playing Field equipment & tennis court maintenance, dog waste disposal,
vandalism, etc
8 Village activities such as War Memorial, tree works, flood measures, etc
3 Newsletter, compilation, printing & distribution
1 Everything else
0 Your Parish Councillors, who are all volunteers & give their time freely.
Flooding – The Emergency volunteer group has continued in its selfless activities,
keeping flood waters flowing in our dykes and drainage system. They would
welcome anyone willing to help in this vital work. Please contact Cllr Creek if you feel
you can add to the team.
Jubilee Playing Field Committee (incl. YETI) – Richard Shuttlewood and his
(small) team is continuing to drive forward with ideas to make more use of our
playing field and once again, appeals to anyone in the village who feels that they can
help in this endeavour. We need a broad cross - section of people to help Richard,
so ask that the youth in the village also step up to add their ideas to the pot!
Dog Waste – Residents are reporting that there has been an increase in dog waste
not being picked up by dog owners. Will all dog owners please ensure that they pick
up their dogs’ waste and dispose of it in a dog waste bin, a general waste bin or their
own black bin. Remember that if anyone is found to have not done this, then they are
liable for a significant fine.
Allotments – We have had further uptake of plots on the site so are reaching a point
where we may even have a waiting list! In conjunction with the RGAG, the Parish
Council is investigating the effectiveness of rainwater harvesting stations around the
field, so that the installation of a piped supply can be avoided, as it would have been
at a significant cost to the Parish. All plot holders have been asked to make
comment on this proposal so that it will hopefully meet the needs of the majority of
tenants.
Cllrs Barry Ross & Tony Creek
Planning Applications and Updates
Rippingale Parish Council is holding a meeting with South Kesteven Planning
Department on12th February to discuss a range of planning issues.
List of current major schemes:
S25/2254 - 1 house - open countryside - consultation closed 1st Jan in Lieu of class
Q S25/1654
S25/2183 - 10 houses - edge of village - consultation closes 19th Jan Brambling
Walk
S25/1705 - 5 houses - High Street edge of village - awaiting decision
S25/1685 - 5 houses East Street withdrawn - edge of village - withdrawn
S25/1695 -10 dwellings class Q - open countryside - approved
S25/1654 - 5 dwellings class Q - open countryside -approved linked to S25/2254
S25/1476 - 2 houses - infill - approved conditionally - Station Street
S25/1769 - 5 houses - infill - in progress - East Street
S25/1272 - Car storage - sensitive historic part of the village - awaiting decision
S24/1278 - Traveller site - sensitive historic part of the village - awaiting decision
Councillor Lumb
Friends of Rippingale Church Twixtmas Ceilidh
“Doors open at 7:30pm and the dancing starts at 8:00pm!”
…so said the posters and fair enough, bang on 7:30, the doors opened and people
swarmed in, waving tickets and carrying bags of left-over Christmas grub. The
elusive Black Dog Ceilidh Band had arrived earlier, set up their gear, making sure
Christmas background music was playing and were now seated in a corner watching
the excitement build.
At 8pm precisely, the music started with a lively tune, then the first dance came in
with a traditional Lincolnshire dance - the Farmers Jig! From then onwards, the floor
was packed with people wanting to join the fun of a good old barn dance. Tables
were loaded with seasonal nibbles, the raffle ticket sellers accepted no excuses and
the bar did a roaring trade. Santa had left a sack of goodies for ONE lucky raffle
ticket winner. Once the break was over, dancing resumed until the final, traditional
“Circasian Circle”, was executed.
With tables cleared and floor swept, tired but happy people set off home. With a
“thank you” wave, the band’s van drove off into the mist and the village hall was
locked up.
This was the last event of the year organised by FORC (Friends Of Rippingale
Church) earning a further £275:00 for improvements to the church facilities.
Chris Petz
St Andrews Christmas Carol Service
It’s a long time since our church had experienced such a joyous carol service!
There were signs that this year’s celebration would be memorable. Rev. Tim Wright
was already at the lectern as people swarmed in; not delivering a sermon but tuning
up and practising a hymn on his guitar. By six o’clock every pew was filled with
happy, cheerful people.
To say we were led though the service would be an understatement; we were
positively encouraged to sing out loud with great enthusiasm. Before each carol, we
were given an explanation behind its creation, making it even more pleasurable
knowing its history.
The focal point was an empty stable so younger members of the congregation had to
embark on something of a treasure hunt to find the missing characters. Of course,
the three kings could not be instantly found because, as we all know, they arrived
much later!
Tim’s “patter” between carols enlisted groans as he doled out crummy Christmas
cracker jokes. It was not all trivial frivolity, though. Tim’s address really made us all
consider what Christmas was about.
Having been ably assisted by Shaun on the organ, Tim’s wife, Elaine and three fine
readings, the service drew to a close with the departing congregation having come
together to experience the happiness of Christmas along with its meaning and
truthfulness.
Jonathan Newell
Seasonal Harvest Student Accommodation Required
From: Tom Eve (Farm Manager, Atkinson Farming, Rippingale)
We are seeking accommodation for our seasonal harvest students in homestays or
may ideally suit somebody who has a self-catering annex they are looking to let out
for the summer.
The period the accommodation would be needed for is July – Mid September. Any
accommodation offers would be greatly appreciated.
We are obviously willing to reimburse the cost of accommodation.
Please contact: Tom Eve tom@atkinsonfarming.co.uk Mobile: 07908 491217
Dates for your February Diary
RADWI: Paint-a-Pot in Bourne at 2pm on February 5th. (Janet: 07552 699848)
Parish Council Meeting @ Village Hall, Monday 9th February, 7pm
Coffee and Natter Morning @ the Willows, Wednesday February18th, 1015 - 1145
(Hayley would like to thank all those who attended last month’s Coffee Morning on
21st January)
Mobile Library, outside Church, Wednesday February 25 th 1345 - 1415