West Rasen Heritage Centre Group Membership
President ..........................
Chairman ..............................
Secretary .......................... ( tel )
Treasurer ...........................
There will be no Tuesday meeting or Saturday Coffee morning during January 2010
It will be open again in February, and throughout the rest of the year, on the first Saturday of the month 10am till 12 noon, and on the first Tuesday evening of the month at 7.30pm when we have a programme of guest speakers and social events lined up.
The new programme of events is now available from Liz Margrave (844047) or May Bennett (843206).
In praise of the Centre, older resident Jean Cooper writes,
“ I was very pleased to come to the West Rasen Heritage Centre to see old friends and have a chat. I really was overwhelmed coming to see and admire the changes. What a lot of hard work and thought has gone into the centre and such a lovely friendly atmosphere, very good coffee. So relaxing to be there. I do hope I can come many more times. Long may it go on and do well ”.
So why not make a date in your diary to pop along on Tuesday 2 nd Feb at 7.30pm and Saturday 6 th Feb at 10am.
Meetings at 1st Tuesday of the month
Commencing at 7.30pm
West Rasen Centre
Entrance £1.00 plus a raffle.
Annual Show & Fete
Bank Holiday Monday, 3th May 2010 between 1 and 4pm West Rasen held their 9th Green Man Day.
Many thanks to all who came along to support the West Rasen Heritage Centre on its annual Green Man fund raising day last month. Despite the chilly overcast weather it was still a wonderful day of fun and fund raising, with plenty of games of skill to try, as well as tasty produce and plants to sample and purchase. The day raised £1,667 for the Heritage Centre, an increase on last year. So well done everyone who helped, it was a tremendous effort, but well worth it, and the rain held off till the end.
The event offered visitors and residents a fun event with games, cakes, tombola, raffles, plant stalls and lots to do as well as the chance to seethe famous "Green Man" sculptures.
The Green Man or Woman are usually created on willow frames and decorated with greenery. Seen in winter, it signals the comming spring, but when decorated it becomes symbolic of regeneration in the yearly cycle.
HALL FOR HIRE
West Rasen Village Hall & Heritage Centre is now available for hire. It can accommodate up to 45 people for parties and functions and up to 30 people in a theatre style layout. Display boards are available for exhibitions. There are modern kitchen and disabled toilet facilities and access for the disabled. It is centrally heated with ample car parking. For further details and prices contact Liz Margrave (844047).
Annual General Meeting
West Rasen Centre.
Contact Maureen Sowray.
West Rasen & Heritage Centre
HERITAGE OPEN DAYS AT WEST RASEN
No one knows the origins of the Green Man image but they can be found in many churches and cathedrals around the country. There is even one on the font at Snarford Parish Church.
It is a symbol of renewed life and one which West Rasen Heritage centre used for their project of renewing the old school building into a centre of community for West Rasen residents and to celebrate the amazing heritage of this small village. Each year they hold their Green Man Day to celebrate their achievements and to raise funds for their ongoing project. Do get along on May Bank Holiday Monday between 1pm and 4pm, where there will be plenty of games, stalls selling local produce, and refreshments. There will also be a chance to look at some of the local history from West Rasen which local historian Maureen Sowrey has been discovering. It promises to be a fun day. See how many Green men you can spot!
THE HISTORY OF WEST RASEN .
Maureen V. Sowray explains how she became interested in the history of West Rasen .
I have always been interested in history and find it amazing that we human's who have made so many mistakes through out history, are still making mistakes. When I moved to West Rasen and received the deeds to our house, I decided to read them. Being the old type of deeds, with the history of the property recorded, all the previous occupiers and owners of the property were listed. So imagine my surprise when I read the name - Dowager Duchess of Norfolk . I wanted to know more. Having got to know Dorothy and Derek Fussey, I enquired about the Duchess and that is where it all started. Dorothy was very keen on the history of West Rasen , particularly the church and got excited every time I found out something new. On telling Brian Ayre about my research he looked at me and said, “I have just the book for you”. The book of course was the historical novel, “Like a Rasen Fiddler.” He also lent me numerous Kelly's Directories, and so I began listing all the farms in the area. At which stage Derek Fussey lent me an estate map to copy, which was produced for the sale of West Rasen in 1937. Once I got into the Paynell's family history, it became a challenge to find out more. A search that has led me to the House of Lords as well as, numerous archives throughout the country.
Everingham in Yorkshire, was the Country Seat of the families who through various marriages owned West Rasen up to 1937, besides various other estates. As all these families were Roman Catholic's, most of my research has been about the Roman Catholics of West Rasen . Up to the turn of the 1800's, there was a period of persecution of Catholics throughout the British Isles, affecting some of the people of West Rasen . Before the Roman Catholic chapel was built in 1872, the local Roman Catholic's met in a special room at the old Manor House. Fortunately after the First World War a lot of things changed. Father Bailey, the RC priest at Market Rasen, whose historical knowledge of the area was amazing, was a tremendous help and always had time to talk to me and put me straight. There was also a Methodist congregation in the village whose services were held in a special room at Poplar Farm. But it is really two buildings that tell the complete history of the village and make West Rasen what it is - The historic parish church of “All Saints” and Roman Catholic Chapel. Which is one of the reasons why we, the residents of the area, went to the trouble and all the hard work of restoring the Chapel. It is also why we altered the name of the village hall to West Rasen Village Hall and Heritage Centre.
We have a Heritage weekend every year so that anyone who is interested can come and see the Chapel and the Church. They can also see the endeavours of the people of West Rasen and the surrounding area, who are of various creeds and beliefs, trying to do their utmost to preserve these buildings.
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