Jo Trotter (clerk to the parish) has drawn our attention to this month Communitylincs.Com website where so much is available to residents of Lincolnshire. This month it is offering grants for local projects, lessons in keeping chickens and how to benefit from bulk purchase of heating oil. Click through and see what you think but dont forget to come back!

Visit ~ this month's events page or make a valentine “POT-ET-FLEUR”

Middle Rasen Parish Council As the Parish Council has put emergency snow clearance measures in place in case of severe weather they would like to remind motorists to kindly park off road where possible so that snow clearing vehicles can get through. Representatives from WLDC and Community Links gave presentations to The Parish Council regarding the benefits of having either a Parish or Neighbourhood Plan. It was agreed that a Community meeting will be held in March 2012 to introduce the idea to Parishioners and gauge interest in such a plan. Details of this meeting will be publicised when a date has been finalised. The Parish Council plan to keep a permanent stock of litter picking equipment to maintain the high standards of cleanliness within the village. Any interested volunteers, please contact the Clerk on the below details. The picture on the left shows Gail and Margret collecting litter from the hedges off the A46 in September. Clerk Details: Mrs J Trotter - 01673 838690 – jotrotter@btinternet.com

A Call for Help

Click to read about Harriet's visit to Tanzania ~~ And here for Bee Keeping news

Panto In Middle?.... O Yes there was! Middle Rasen Young Wives put on a production of Cinderella in the early 1980s. Do you recognise anyone in the photo or have you got a photo of all the members of the cast? Can you shed light on the year of the production? Is it time that Middle Rasen got into production again? Are you, or your group interested in the idea? We would be delighted to hear from anyone who has anymore information about Cinderella, or is interested in discussing the possibilities of going into production again, please contact Anne in the Community Spirit production team.

Local Police PCSO Laura Ingham Laura writes in to say that their online presence is growing! Commenting that they have over 100 people following them on Facebook and nearly 200 on Twitter. They are hoping that the people who are following them are finding the updates useful. For those of you not on Facebook or Twitter, they now publish an online newsletter every Sunday. The website that they use automaticallyso that it will mainly include stories from the Market Rasen and Lincolnshire area, as well as Lincolnshire Police and other Community Safety partner agencies. collates the most popular stories and links from the week that were posted on Twitter. Visit http://paper.li/NPT_MarketRasen/1323428321 Bearing in mind the incentive of reducing metal thefts in the Market Rasen and rural areas, the NPT are available to carry out visits to properties to give advice on security. This includes the use of UV pens and information about SmartWater for marking your valuables. The Lincs Alert system is now up and running; you can contact the team for a registration form or sign up for free online www.lincsalert.co.uk or ring Laura on 07825 100386 for more information. Finally, we'd like to remind you that Lincolnshire Police has a new non-emergency number, 101 . The old number will still contact us, however, 101 will soon be rolled out as a national non-emergency number. Remember that if a crime is in progress, dial 999 .

PLEASE KEEP DOGS ON LEADS It's that time of year again! With many thanks to all those responsible dog owners who made sure that last Spring pregnant sheep were not frightened by loose dogs. Please could you help again by remembering to keep your dogs on their leads when they are being walked near flocks of sheep? Then, later this Spring we can all watch the joyful sight of our springtime fields bursting with happy, healthy, leaping lambs! Carol Ryalls Middle Rasen.

 

Liz's Hot Tips Valentine Love Heart Buscuits Ingredients: 6 oz S R flour; 3 oz Caster sugar; 2 oz Ground almonds; 5 oz Soft margarine or butter; 3 drops of vanilla or almond essence Method: Grease a baking sheet and switch the oven on to 180 o C or gas reg. 4 - Cream the margarine, sugar and essence; Work in the flour and almonds, and knead well; Roll out thinly and cut out using a heart shaped cutter; Bake for around 15 mins. until golden brown; Using writing icing tubes, write your love message on the biscuit.; Icing writing tubes are readily available in supermarkets or you can use your own bag, nozzles and icing if you have sufficient time. Hot Chocolate Fondant Pudding Ingredients -You will need 6 ramekins (greased well) - 50g unsalted butter , 150g caster sugar , 4 large eggs beaten, 1 tsp vanilla essence , 50g plain flour , 350g dark melted chocolate (ideally 70% solids) Method Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the eggs and vanilla essence, a little at a time. Fold in the melted chocolate, then fold in the sieved flour. Pour the mixture into the greased ramekins and bake for around 10 – 12 minutes until firm. Serve hot with cream or cr è me fraiche or ice cream. The outside of the pudding should be like a firm sponge and a thick chocolate sauce in the middle. This sounds like perfect comfort food on a cold winter's day!

The Mill in Middle Rasen was built in 1820 and was a working windmill until 1932, when the sails failed. It was run by petrol motor for some time after that but eventually fell into disrepair and became derelict. When we bought the property the mill was little more than the brick shell. We have rebuilt the cap on traditional lines with the help of a local millwright, Tom Davies. The structure comprises 20 oak struts which sit on a 4" oak wall-plate, which in turn is bolted to a 6" circular steel ring-beam. The struts are first covered with half-inch pine attached horizontally. This is next covered with vertical half-inch planks of western red cedar, a very light and pliable timber which is also quite weather resistant. Here is where we depart from tradition, because a working mill cap originally would have been painted. Since the cap would have rotated so that the overlap of the boards always faced away from the wind the joints between the cedar boards would have been fairly protected from the ingress of rain. In any case, building standards in those days were not as exacting as now. We need a finish which will be reliably weather-proof but provide an appearance which will as closely resemble the original as possible, and for these reasons we have opted for a white fibreglass (or G.R.P.) covering. Richard Harries

Pastry I can bake cakes, cook edible meals but I have never had much success making pastry! So, I asked Liz where I was going wrong. Following her recommended recipe my mince pies are now fit for human consumption. Ingredients 4 oz Plain flour + 4 oz S R flour , 2 oz Lard cut into small pieces + 2 oz Margarine cut into small pieces , Pinch of salt , Cold water Method Mix the flours and salt together, add the lard and margarine and rub between fingers crumbing to a fine texture, or pulse for a few minutes in a food processor. Add sufficient cold water to make a dough (too much water will make it sticky). Wrap up in cling film or a plastic bag and leave in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes. Roll out to the required thickness and cook for 25 to 30 minutes at 200 0 c. I have used this recipe for mince pies, fruit pies and savoury pies, they have all been successful. Liz Margrave .

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Donate a Coat

On November 21 st 2011, Daybreak launched an appeal encouraging viewers to Donate a Coat. The idea behind the project is quite simple. Recent research shows that more than 1.2 million people over 60 in the UK agree that having a warm coat is a good thing during winter. The appeal is aimed at encouraging viewers to rediscover their community spirit, without the financial burden. Daybreak will be asking viewers to give their unwanted coats to help spread the warmth to those less fortunate through the winter months. Donations of coats will be accepted at more than 150 Salvation Army drop off centres around the UK. People can also donate coats to 340 ASDA stores that have Salvation Army-branded clothing banks. So, check your wardrobes and donate all the coats that don't fit you any more or maybe you don't wear any more, make someone happy and help keep them warm.

RAISING FUNDS FOR WEST RASEN PARISH CHURCH

West Rasen Parish Church is a Grade 1 listed building, with Saxon foundations, Norman arches and Medieval pews. The cross in the church yard is a listed ancient monument. The chancel roof needs renewing and there are also some other necessary repairs. The Parochial Church Council at West Rasen has undertaken to proceed with this essential work and have obtained several quotes for the work. The lowest quote to date is for £55,000 from Paul Mendham of Kirton, Near Boston. As the church council does not have sufficient funds to meet the cost of the repairs they are looking for ways of raising the shortfall, and are looking for grants. In addition to this any donations towards the cost of the work would be most gratefully received. If you require any further information please contact Helen Hansard 01673 878478

Acis Group, which owns & manages homes across the county, is inviting organisations to apply for a small grant.  The type of bids eligible include support for community resources & support for people experiencing social exclusion.  Go to www.acisgroup.co.uk or call Rachel Cook on 01427 675753

THE MIDDLE RASEN PARISH COUNCIL~ PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE ........ A history and news >>

Middle Rasen is situated in the district of West Lindsey in the county of Lincolnshire, about 16 miles north east of Lincoln in the lea of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Although the village is mainly contained to the north of the A631, sitting astride the river Rase, the Parish is much larger covering 3622 acres. The middle settlement between East Rasen, now known as Market Rasen, and West Rasen, it was the most important village of the three in the latter part of the Middle Ages. Indeed much of the northern area of Market Rasen town is in Middle Rasen Parish. ....... Continued >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>To make an application for a Grant from the Middle Rasen Parish Council <<<< CLICK HERE >>>>

Middle Rasen Parish Council - Chair and Members

Chair of he Parish Council Elected ...... Cllr Michael Stamp	Vice Chair Elected ......Cllr David Pattison
Councillor Elected ...... CllrPeter Dawson.	CouncillorElected ...... CllrGordon Dixon
Councillor Elected ......CllrJohn Padley	Councillor Elected ......Cllr Sue Smith
Councillor Cllr Jane Ranby - Co-opted	CouncillorCllr Gail Dennis - Co-opted
Councillor Cllr Mike O'Connor - Co-opted	Clerk to the Parish Council Mrs Jo Trotter [jotrotter@btinternet.com] Wingates, Tealby, LN8 3YB 01673 838690

The Council

WHAT EXACTLY DO PARISH COUNCILS DO FOR US?

There are over 8,700 parish and town councils representing around 16 million people across England and are the most local part of our democratic system. The only difference between a town and parish council is the size and name, and towns have their own mayor. Although they have the same powers and can provide the same services, parish councils don't usually have the same level of facilities to look after. The size of the council depends on the size of the village or 'ward'. Here in Middle Rasen there are nine voluntary representatives, known as Parish Councillors, who are elected every four years. Some go on serving for many years. The next election is in 2010, so if you are over 18, meet the criteria and you can find two people to nominate you, your name can be put forward.

Serving as a parish councillor is a responsible position, as the parish council has a responsibility for the well being of the local community it serves. Their remit has three main strands - representing the local community, delivering services to meet local needs, and striving to improve the quality of life in the parish. As such they are allocated a certain amount of money from council tax revenues to improve services and facilities in the following areas: burial grounds, bus shelters, open spaces, village green, cutting the grass on the playing field, and planning.

With regard to planning, the council is consulted by West Lindsey District Council on all applications, but the final decision rests with the planning department and Planning Committee at WLDC. The council also acts as a representative voice for the community, communicating with councillors and officers at district and county level. All this makes for quite a few hours spent in meetings, discussing and deciding which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered, and what policies should be implemented. They also liaise with the local Police over crime reduction measures.

Parish councils do a vital job and deserve our thanks for the improvements they try and bring to our communities. So thank you all for your time and effort on our behalf.

For more information about the work of this parish council, please contact Helen Pitman the clerk to Middle Rasen Parish Council at Little Beck, Normanby Road, Nettleton, LN7 6TA (01472 851679) hs.pitman@tiscali.co.uk