Middle Rasen

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AGM  

On the 29 th February 2024 we held our annual Community Awards and AGM evening.   Over 30 members of our communities joined us, including our Community Spirit Award winners, representatives from Middle Rasen Parish Council and Middle Rasen Community Fund, advertisers, the production team and local villagers.  

Julia welcomed everyone and thanked all those involved with the magazine for all their hard work over the past years, from those who put articles etc into the magazine, distributors, advertisers to the hard working, voluntary committee. She said she is always on the lookout for fresh faces to join the committee and asked if anyone would like to join us to get in touch via the community spirit email address. She would also love to hear more from the local schools, nurseries and from the village of Newtoft – if you can help with any of these, please get in touch.

We were delighted to award Angela Mayne, Paul Fuller and Mandy Smith a Community Spirit Award each to say thank you for all the hard work they do within their communities. Each one of our worthy recipients go over and above the call of duty to help their neighbours, friends and our magazine.

The accounts for the year ended 31 st August 2023 were discussed. It was a watershed year for CS. After recording losses for 4 of the previous 5 years a good surplus of £1,400 was recorded. Over the years, advertising income has reduced and although printing costs were controlled it still meant we were operating at a loss on the model that advertising income should match printing costs. So, we decided that we needed to raise £5,000 from new advertising and/or non-advertising fundraising.

If anyone knows of possible advertisers that we could contact, please send us the details, and any fundraising ideas. Individual donations are another way to support the CS and this has served us well in the recent past. Please contact any member of the production team – our contact details are on the Welcome page.  

At the end of the evening, we all enjoyed some delicious refreshments.

Just a reminder that we do provide and deliver (via our 50+ delivery team) 1,700 magazines to the local villages of Faldingworth, Toft Newton, West Rasen, Hainton, East Torrington, Sixhills, East Barkwith, South Willingham, Buslingthorpe, Friesthorpe, Middle Rasen village and the greater Middle Rasen parish.  

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE.

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MIDDLE RASEN METHODIST COFFEE MORNING 

Thank you to all who supported our Coffee Morning and the Big Brunch in February. Due to the generosity of all who came and those who supported with most generous donations, we raised £680.00 in support of Parkinson's UK. This will help with research towards finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease.

 

NEW YEAR'S LUNCH

A very big thank you to all who came and enjoyed St Peter & St Paul's New Year's Lunch at the end of January. We have had lots of lovely positive comments about the event. 

Special thanks to all who contributed and helped in any way, without this help these events couldn't take place. We made a super amount of £484 towards church funds. Please keep a look out for our future events!

Nicola Cartwright

 

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BAUBLES & DECORATIONS AT MIDDLE RASEN CHURCH

Thank you to everyone who helped to decorate St Peter & St Paul's Church, Middle Rasen so beautifully for Christmas. Everyone who visited the Church and all those who attended the services over the Christmas period enjoyed spending time there. Thank you to Angela Mayne for sending these lovely photographs.

CAROLS AT THE WATERMILL 

A wonderful night was enjoyed by those who were able to join the Carter family for carols by candlelight. Delicious festive refreshments were served in the lovely, atmospheric mill. Thank you to Mark and Mandy and their family, to the band who played carols and other seasonal music and to all who came along to make the evening such a success.

REMEMBERANCE DAY

Local collections totals £7,390 .... collectors needed for Middle Rasen in 2024 <<more>>

DECEMBER COFFEE MORNING. 

Stephen and Nicola would like to thank all who helped, made cakes and popped in to support the church coffee morning held at their house in December. Despite the icy cold conditions, it was well attended and made £278.50 for church funds. Thank you all.

MIDDLE RASEN FASHION SHOW 

No there wasn't a disco in the village hall on Saturday afternoon on 11 th November, it was the lively music accompanying the models at the Fashion show hosted by Rase WI. The Ladies modelled a wide selection of clothing which was enthusiastically received by the audience. An excellent raffle was held, then everyone went about the serious business of selecting, trying on and buying clothes and accessories.

Refreshments of the now famous WI cupcakes and drinks were served and then visitors left with their bags full of bargains, well satisfied with their afternoons purchases. The proceeds from the sale of entry tickets will be divided between two local charities, EDAN Lincs and the Rock Foundation and the raffle monies will cover the afternoon expenses, with the remaining money to go into the WI funds.
A big thank you must go to the organisers and everyone who helped , and particularly to everyone who came and supported the event.

 

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AMAZING CAKES AND SAVORIES AT RASE WI  

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MIDDLE RASEN COMMUNITY GARDEN OPEN DAY

On Sunday 10 th September, the community garden in Middle Rasen opened their doors to the general public to show what they have been doing. Many local people came along and enjoyed a hot afternoon spent learning about their planting, seeing the successful growing and enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of delicious homemade cake. It is impressive to see how much successful growing has been done by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. The hardworking group are always looking for extra help, so if you can give up an hour or so of your time, do get in touch with them. Call Richard on 07711 494676

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A CUPPA' FOR ST BARNABAS HOSPICE

We'd just like to say a massive thank you to all of you who attended ‘Care for a Cuppa' on Saturday 5th   August at The Watermill. Despite the rainy weather, lots of people came for some tea and cakes, and it was a great community feel afternoon! We raised a total of £3,410 for St Barnabas Hospice, which is an incredible amount that will help continue to make a difference to lots of patients and families in our local communities. So, thank you to everyone who attended and supported with cakes/helping/raffle prizes! We've already started planning next year, so make a date in your diaries - Saturday 3 rd August 2024 when we will look forward to hosting you again!

Ellie & all the Carters

COMMUNITY SPIRIT SAFARI WINE TASTING

What a wonderful evening was spent with 30 Middle Rasen residents recently. Each of the Six local householders opened their homes and gardens and served a glass of wine to each participant which had to be identified, the wine was accompanied by delicious, homemade nibbles. Five people successfully identified each of the six wines with Fiona Richards being the overall winner (her name was pulled out of the hat!) Everyone really enjoyed themselves, spending time with friends, old and new. Thank you to all those who organised the event, to all those who opened their homes and to all those who attended. £456.00 was raised. It will certainly be repeated! Shelley and Kelvin messaged saying “Thank you very much for the wine safari – it was such a lot of fun – thank you to all the hosts for their generosity in hosting such a wonderful evening – I do hope there isn't too much clearing up to do!

Thank you, Shelley & Kelvin, it was our pleasure, we really enjoyed the evening too – a good night was had by all. (sept 23 ed)

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Joyce Rhodes kindly hosted this lovely evening on Saturday 8 th July. After several downpours throughout the day, the sun came out and lots of people enjoyed a lovely warm evening in Joyce's beautiful garden. The buffet was delicious and summer punch looked and tasted gorgeous. Many thanks to everyone who provided food for the buffet, donated items for the wonderful raffle, helped to set up and clear away and to all of you who supported the event. £326.98 profit was raised for Middle Rasen Parish Church.

Thank you to all those who ventured out to Buslingthorpe on a sunny, but breezy afternoon for the Methodist summer fayre. There was plenty to keep visitors busy, teas and coffees which could be accompanied by hot dogs, cakes or homemade pizza (or all 3 if you wished!) The raffle, tombola and bric-a-brac stalls were kept busy and there were a couple of games on which to try your luck. Hopefully, the main aim of the afternoon, for people to have time to enjoy conversation and fellowship with others was achieved and enjoyed by all. £665 was raised for Methodist Church Funds.

Brian and Janice Cook

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CORONATION CELEBRATIONS

 

MALLOWFIELD, MIDDLE RASEN Our small cul-de-sac invited near neighbours and friends to a lovely post Coronation gathering. There were lots of flags and balloons. A good mix of young and old met at the gathering, as well as introductions to some new residents of North Street. A penalty shoot-out was organised by Jack and Seth Holvey - we're not sure who won! Fortunately, the weather held up well. Sausages and burgers were consumed as soon as they were cooked along with lots more lovely food, including a coronation quiche and 2 delicious coronation cakes. There was also a good showing of alcohol! We sang the national anthem with gusto and toasted King Charles and Queen Camilla!

FALDINGWORTH VILLAGE Hopefully you have driven through and seen the lovely bunting covering the village? What a weekend. We started the day with a bacon buttie, fresh coffee and the main event on the big screen. Later the village got together for a quintessential afternoon tea, children's fancy dress competition and there was an almighty roar when the Red Arrows did their fly past! On the Sunday we got together again to enjoy the Coronation Concert with a jacket potato supper ending the night with singing and dancing. It was fantastic to see the village come together for such a huge occasion! A huge heartfelt thanks to everyone that made it happen.  God save the King

SOUTH WILLINGHAM Our Coronation Celebration lunch on Sunday 7 th May was most enjoyable with friendly company, a super buffet starting with canape´s outside in the warm sunshine and finishing with a patriotic cake made by Jo. Held in the lovely setting of Virginia and Marcus Edmundson's Garden and home. As is usual with events like this, sincere thanks must be extended to all who helped in various ways in advance, on the day and clearing up afterwards. Virginia spent countless hours planning, organising and preparing with Glynis and Lesley as main assistants. Thank you all from Jan (Chair of the Parish Hall Committee).

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MOTHERING SUNDAY

Middle Rasen Church held a lovely service on Sunday 19 th March, celebrating Mothering Sunday. It was lovely to see a full Church, many of whom were clutching photos and memorabilia of their mothers or someone special who assisted them throughout their lives. Candles were lit, joyful hymns were sung and pretty posies of flowers were presented to members of the congregation. After the service, delicious coffee and cakes were served. Thank you to all those who prepared the posies and made & served the refreshments afterwards.

MIDDLE RASEN LITTER PICK 

Thank you to the 9 people who litter picked on Saturday 11th March. We collected over 20 bags of rubbish from the A631, Manor Drive and Gallamore Lane. People go out throughout the year keeping rubbish at bay, but the problem seems to be getting worse. I have just received some extra picking tools because on Saturday we only had 8 available.   Please will the people who no longer need the pickers they have collected from me in the past return them to me at 12 Naylor's Drive so next time I arrange a litter pick we have enough for more people to join us.   Gail Dennis

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TOILETRY BAGS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED BY REFUGEE WOMEN

Last year, a dedicated posse of CAMEO crafters made some superb tote bags in which to put women's toiletry items kindly donated via the foodbank collection point at the back of St Peter & St Paul's Church. These, along with some good quality toys were given to ‘Support for Refugees East Midlands', who distributed them among resettled refugee families during December. The women send warm greetings and grateful thanks for these very welcome gifts. Toiletries are also donated regularly to food banks in Market Rasen to help local communities. If you would like to make bags or get involved in future projects, contact Helen on 07443 415542. Many Thanks, Helen

‘TOOLS WITH A MISSION' COLLECTION 

Our Thanks must go to everyone who came along to the Middle Rasen Methodist coffee morning on Saturday 14 th January. Thank You also to all of you who kindly donated your unwanted tools for the wonderful charit, Tools with a mission, ‘TWAM'. All donated tools will be refurbished by ‘TWAM', in Ipswich and sent to Skills centres in Africa. The trailer was full when it left the Methodist Church! Thank you to all who helped with the morning, both from the Methodist Church and the Market Rasen Rotary Club. Brian & Janice Cook

CARRY ON SINGING NEWS

The Carry-On singing group and friends enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner at Middle Rasen Church Hall in December. This was the first time we had been able to do this since the pandemic. Our sumptuous meal consisted of traditional turkey with all the trimmings of course. This was followed by Christmas pudding and trifle. All of this was provided for us by Eve and her assistant. To help burn off the calories, we then sang lots of Christmas songs and carols and generally enjoyed a fun afternoon together......I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have faithfully supported us over the years and continue to do so. We meet on the 1 st and 3 rd Wednesdays in each month, 1.30 – 3.30pm. (The next meeting is on Wednesday 1 st February, then on Wednesday 15 th February). We always look forward to meeting up for a good old singsong and some friendly company....New members are always welcome, and we particularly welcome people living with dementia and their carers. Rosemary Walker

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As 2022 comes to an end, we can reflect on all the positive post Covid events that Rase WI have happily enjoyed and taken part in. With restrictions lifted we have engaged in new activities, had interesting speakers, met and made friends with new people, gone on organised excursions and welcomed new ladies to WI, but above all there has been much fun, laughter and friendship.

A jubilee afternoon tea, fashion shows, ladies luncheons, raising funds for local charities, collecting towels, toiletries and warm clothing for Ukraine and latterly having a craft stall at Middle Rasen craft fair, to name but a few of the things we have been engaged in.

We are delighted that the last three fund raisers resulted in a magnificent £604 being made and would like to thank our supporters and those who have made generous donations to our causes, and also to all the people who have come along to our events. The £604 was divided equally between the Salvation Army for children's Christmas toys and The New Life Church for their food bank. None of this would have been possible without the WI committee's organisation and the support of the members.

We look forward to another busy year making more friends and having lots more fun and with this in mind may we wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Healthy 2023.

Rase WI

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COMMUNITY SPIRIT SAFARI CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

 

On Sunday 11 th December from 2-5pm , members of the Community Spirit Team held their Safari Christmas Bazaar in Middle Rasen where they sold various Christmas goodies - cards, jewellery, leather goods, delicious cakes, jams and chutneys, they provided festive refreshments and had a raffle and tombola. There was a ‘safari quiz' for the children with all those taking part receiving a lovely wooden Christmas tree decoration. Santa also visited and spent time chatting to the children and giving them a gift. The weather was awful, but the stall holders wrapped up and braved the conditions. Not as many people visited the bazaar as we had hoped, but those who did support the event really enjoyed themselves, chatting to friends, buying a few bits and looking at the various advent windows as they walked around the village! Thank you to all of you who braved the weather, to the stall holders who had been busy for weeks making the items being sold and for freezing for several hours! We were thrilled to have made £650 – which will go towards keeping the Community Spirit going for a while longer.

 

MIDDLE RASEN CHRISTINGLE 

? What a lovely start to Christmas the Christingle service proved to be. A happy atmosphere and joyful singing! The organisers should be congratulated, especially Michael and Helen who explained the meaning of the Christingle and its relevance to everyday life. What a pity there were only three families with children but never-the-less the church was quite full with us older members of the community who loved every minute of the service.

Valerie Wright {JAN 23}

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CHARITY FASHION SHOW

On Saturday 5 th November Complete Clothing held a Fashion Show at Middle Rasen Village Hall. Some ladies from Rase WI organized catering and a raffle to cover the costs of the hire of the hall. It was delightful to see all the seats were full ready for the show to begin. The organisers had brought a wide range of clothing suitable for all ages and sizes that were arranged around the hall. At 2pm the show started to a background of lively music. Six ladies had volunteered to model and they were absolutely amazing, strutting down the catwalk to the beat of the music, hands on hips, thrusting heads from side to side entertaining the audience. A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the catering, selling tickets, organising the raffle, setting up and clearing the hall at the end of the afternoon. An even bigger thanks for the support from the local community as the sales of tickets raised £300 for the ongoing fundraising for Children's Christmas presents and food for local families. As this was a very successful event, bookings have been made for Spring and Autumn Fashion Shows.

With our Best wishes for peace and joy this Christmas

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MIDDLE RASEN CHURCH HARVEST FESTIVAL

Middle Rasen Church was decorated beautifully with flowers and produce for this year's Harvest celebrations. Our Harvest Service was followed by a cold meat and salad lunch with a selection of desserts. The event was well supported and enjoyed by all those who came. Special thanks to those people who decorated the church and porch and also thanks to those who helped at the lunch both providing food and cleaning up. £300 was raised for Church Funds. The produce left in church was donated to the Salvation Army.  Nicola Cartwright  

HARVEST MEAL IN MIDDLE RASEN CHURCH HALL 

We had a lovely gathering and meal in the Middle Rasen Church Hall on the 16 th October. It is a truly village event where you see a variety of church and non-church people enjoying a lovely meal and chat. I have attended a variety of these events over the years and would encourage anyone to attend. They draw the village together; you meet old friends and make new ones. A sense of community is so important and is why I love living in Middle Rasen. Thank you again to the organisers and cooks and I look forward to the next event.   Gail Dennis

 

 

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MIDDLE RASEN LADIES LUNCH  

Another successful lunch with good company and excellent food – thank you Janet! Many thanks to everyone for the very generous donations of prizes, well done Cassie and Rosie for selling tickets raising £114 for Christmas presents for children and food hampers for families. Also, many thanks to the Salvation Army and New Life Church who will be distributing the presents and hampers in December.

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THREE LADIES ON A SHOPPING SPREE!

Having raised £138 from the “Tea and Cake On The Lawn” in September it was time to buy things that were desperately needed in Ukraine. So, armed with a shopping list and lots of bags and an empty boot off they went to Lincoln. Most of the items were available in the first supermarket and the remaining items were found in other shops. Eventually the three worn out ladies made it back to Middle Rasen. The following day everything was dropped off at the Ukraine Appeal Warehouse along with other items donated from the local community. Many thanks for the generosity of the local community who have supported Anne and Valerie's appeals and events since the beginning of the terrible situation in Ukraine. As Christmas is approaching the focus is now on local families who are struggling financially and they have made the decision to raise money for children's Christmas presents and food hampers for families. Well done ladies!

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THANK YOU FROM THE CARTERS & ST BARNABAS HOSPICE

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who attended our ‘Care for a Cuppa' on 6 th August in support of St Barnabas Hospice. It was an amazing day, which saw over 200 of our friends, family and local village community come together and enjoy tea, cake and catching up! We raised an amazing £2,164.05 which will cover the cost of 60 hours of Specialist Inpatient Care. We would personally like to thank all our amazing local businesses who so kindly donated raffle prizes, and also everyone who attended for donating so generously. 

As a family, we are looking forward to hosting a Care for a Cuppa annually and we hope you will all join us again to raise vital funds for St Barnabas Hospice. ..... With our love, The Carters.

STROLLING DOWN LOW CHURCH ROAD TO THE WATERMILL

On a glorious sunny morning we strolled down the road to the Watermill for “a cuppa” in support of St Barnabas Hospice, expecting to stay for maybe an hour or so. What a fantastic event, it can only be described as perfect, hot and cold drinks and cakes all at very reasonable prices. An amazing array of raffle prizes and tombola. We arrived just after 11am, met up with friends and left at about 2.30pm - it was so friendly and relaxing! Thank you to Mark, Mandy, their family and all those involved for all your hard work. Well done raising over £2,000.

Anne and Geoff Crawforth

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SUMMER FAYRE

A huge thank you to all who helped in any way with the preparations and the running of the Methodist Church Summer Fayre at Buslingthorpe and to all those who supported the event.  It was wonderful to see so many happy and smiling faces having chance to catch up with friends from near and far. Brian and Janice Cook

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VALERIE

Friends and family helped Valerie to celebrate her 80 th birthday on a sunny day in June, what a fabulous day! Guests taking shelter from the sun under the gazebo in her garden with an abundance of foliage and flowers. It was great to catch up with Valerie's friends and meet some of her relatives. The birthday girl was very glamorous in her colourful floating outfit. The whole day was perfect, fabulous food, good company. Thank you, Valerie and your family, for inviting us to celebrate your very special birthday with you.

Anne and Maureen, AKA “the pudding girls!” July 22

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JUBILEE AFTERNOON TEA

It was agreed that we would host the afternoon tea a week before the jubilee celebrations started so that we wouldn't clash with other events. It was lovely to welcome so many party goers from Middle Rasen and from other surrounding villages, thank you all for your support! There were so many trusty volunteers who made it happen on the day, so thank you all for your help! After welcoming everyone before the food was served, everyone stood and sang the National Anthem with enthusiasm, followed by David initiating the loyal toast. The quiz about Queen Elizabeth II was popular, although we were offered a few saucy answers! The prize went to the Fritzsche family and Gail for winning the quiz with 16 points. Many thanks for all the donated raffle prizes! Was it a success? Considering the amazing feedback we have received, it was declared a very successful afternoon. The profit from the event will be presented to Middle Rasen Nursery, the Maternity Unit at LCH and a small donation to go to Rase WI. Thank you one and all for your generosity and support.

Pauline Forway adds –

What a great celebration we enjoyed for the Queen's platinum Jubilee. 50 or so of us got together to enjoy a great ‘Jubilee afternoon tea' at Middle Rasen Village Hall on Friday 27 th May. The atmosphere was so happy and exciting with flags flying and displays of royal memorabilia to look at. Lots of chatter and laughter could be heard. The National Anthem was sung in respect of our wonderful Queen. We all tucked into the goodies – sandwiches and delicious cakes - which were plated on beautifully decorated tables. We all tried our best at the ‘royal quiz'!

A BIG thank you must go to the committee and ladies of Rase WI who worked so hard to give everyone a lovely, memorable afternoon!

IN MALLOWFIELD, MIDDLE RASEN

Some 20 neighbours and friends of Mallowfield gathered for an afternoon of fun and celebration - and lots of cakes! There was also a BBQ and music. Everyone brought something to the party! A few games were played later in the afternoon. It was a lovely occasion, a time for friends and neighbours to mix socially. “God save the Queen.”  Ron Myland

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LADIES at LUNCH

The lunch was held at Market Rasen Golf Club on Thursday 17th March, with the weather an amazingly similarity to a summer's day as the sun was shining down and it was lovely and warm! The dining room was out of bounds due to renovations, so the lunch was served in the lounge. Having forty-seven bookings, the tables were much closer together than usual, but not uncomfortable. The waiting staff had a long walk from the kitchen, into the lounge to serve everyone, always with a smile on their faces, nothing was too much trouble! Thank you for a job well done! Good company, good food and lively chat, overall, another successful lunch. Thank you to everyone for making it so memorable and for understanding about the dining room renovations. The raffle was a great success, many thanks for the donations of prizes, raising £196 for Breast Cancer UK (made up to £200) which was paid directly into their account. As the money was transferred

from a personal account, gift aid was claimed, so the charity will benefit from an extra £50! Details of the next Lunch to follow. Facebook: Rasen Chat, select Middle Rasen Ladies at Lunch.

Anne and Valerie 

 

AMAZING MODELS AT MIDDLE RASEN FASHION SHOW

Unfortunately, the day before the show, three models had to cancel because of illness, so we had to QUICKLY find some more models. Fortunately, on the day, four ladies “volunteered” to help, thank you! Eight ladies and one 10-year-old modelled a range of clothing to a packed and enthusiastic audience. The star of the show was Annabelle, a very confident and amazing young model who was presented with an Easter Egg at the end of the show. Many thanks to all the models, especially for their unique and entertaining walks down the catwalk to jaunty music. Drinks and cupcakes were served immediately after the show finished and then it was time to buy clothes and accessories. Thanks to Katheryn and her helpers who came from West Yorkshire to host the show. Thanks to the WI ladies who organized the refreshments and raffle and a huge thank-you to everyone who supported the event and for buying all those clothes, scarves and brooches!! The sale of forty-nine tickets raised £245 for the Maternity Unit at Lincoln County Hospital. The raffle raised £125 to cover the costs (hire of the village Hall and refreshments) and a small donation went to Rase WI. The next show is on 12th November, save the date! 

Middle Rasen Ladies