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Faldingworth Parish News

FALDINGWORTH NEWS

At the start of the autumn season a Harvest Festival service was held at All Saints Church, where donations were received and taken to the Salvation Army food bank, Market Rasen. Thanks to all who donated. 

The Memorial Hall recently held a race night to raise funds which was great fun. There were plenty of tasty jacket potatoes for sale too. The excess were welcome to keep our hands warm on the walk home. 😆

Remembrance was marked with a well-attended service at All Saints Church followed by procession to the lone soldier memorial to lay commemorative wreaths. Wreaths were laid by representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Parish Council and All Saints Church. In honour of the fallen, the names of persons from this parish were read out and the Last Post was played.

The village Craft Fair on 22 nd November has facilitated many crafters to show their incredible talents. Well done to you all. 

There will be a Carol service on 24 th December, 6.30pm at All Saints Church. Everyone will be very welcome. 

We would like to to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.  Christine and Adrian Bradbury (Church Warden, PCC members, Memorial Hall Chair, Parish Council Member)  (Dec 25)

FALDINGWORTH CHURCH

Please see Faldingworth residence FB page for church activity updates. 

All enquiries to rev.bryan@icloud.com

Faldingworth Scarecrow Festival : A Celebration of Children's Literature! June 2025 <<<more>>>

Faldingworth Coffee Mornings

Coffee mornings take place at Faldingworth village hall every Wednesday from 10am – 11.30am in aid of All Saints Church, Faldingworth.

FALDINGWORTH PAY TRIBUTE TO STEVE BORYSZCZUK

‘A Selfless Heart and a Lifelong Commitment to Others', As I write this, Steve is trekking through the stark and icy terrains of Iceland. Originally planning a journey in the warmer climate of Petra, Steve's plans shifted due to the recent unrest in the Middle East - a testament to his unwavering determination to continue his charitable mission, no matter the obstacles.

Steve has been a tireless supporter of Alzheimer's Research UK, devoting his life to fundraising and awareness efforts. After his wife Michelle was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 38, Steve made the selfless decision to leave his job to care for her, ensuring she was surrounded by love and dignity until her passing at 43. This tragedy was profound, but it only strengthened his resolve to make a difference to the lives of others facing similar struggles. Since 2012, Steve has undertaken 9 treks across the globe, traveling to destinations such as the Sahara Desert, the Great Wall of China, and Peru., raising tens of thousands of pounds for dementia research. At each location visited, Paul left a plaque and a lock of Michelle's hair as a touching tribute to her memory. His upcoming trek to Iceland will be his tenth, with each journey standing as a testament to his boundless generosity and commitment to honouring Michelle's memory by helping create a future free from Alzheimer's.

Through his efforts, he has built a network of support and camaraderie within Faldingworth, raising over £150,000 for dementia research - a truly monumental achievement.

Beyond his work with Alzheimer's Research UK, Steve is a vital part of daily life in Faldingworth. He volunteers on the Village Hall Committee and operates a fruit and vegetable stall in the village, keeping prices intentionally low to help ease the burden on others. Even when the stall has been subject to theft, Steve has chosen compassion over frustration, refusing to let these incidents shake his resolve to help those around him. His heart is big enough to understand that sometimes people are simply in need, and he quietly keeps the stall running as an invaluable service to the community.

In every endeavour, Steve demonstrates a level of selflessness and kindness that is rare and deeply inspiring. He is a true asset to Faldingworth, a man whose actions and character resonate far beyond his words, embodying what it truly means to live a life of service and love for others.

FALDINGWORTH COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS

Fair Acres Federation (partnered with Normanby by Spital Primary School)

In a small village setting with good access, Faldingworth Community Primary School offers the benefits of small class sizes and a nurturing environment. With a recent "Good" Ofsted rating, our well-planned curriculum emphasises enrichment and pupil wellbeing. We are excited to introduce wraparound care before and after school this year. At Faldingworth School, pupils thrive, supported by a high standard of care, ensuring they feel happy and safe, ready to learn and succeed.

Each class enjoys an exciting termly trip! This term, pupils have met author Katherine Rundell, toured the LPAC theatre, explored artefacts at Lincoln's Guildhall and participated in a treasure hunt at Lincoln Library. Our youngest learners will soon be visiting Rand Farm. We foster a love for reading and learning through rich, hands-on experiences!

Our well-organised curriculum goes beyond the basics, offering enriching experiences for all pupils. This term, alongside core PE skills, children are learning fencing! We collaborate with the Lincolnshire Stay Safe Partnership to deliver workshops on online safety, wellbeing and the Mini Police initiative. Pupils also have the chance to take on leadership roles, such as Junior Road Safety Officers, Play Leaders, Reading Ambassadors and Wellbeing Champions, fostering responsibility and community spirit.

Community is at the core of Faldingworth Primary. We celebrate Christmas, Harvest and Easter with assemblies at our local church, and are currently collecting donations for a Lincoln food bank. Our Friends of School team actively support fundraising with events like quiz nights, pop-up restaurants and wreath workshops at the village hall. The annual Faldingworth Scarecrow Festival, held alongside our summer fair, draws visitors from far and wide, featuring local bands, charities, food stalls and many free family-friendly attractions. It's a fantastic day out, with games and stalls for everyone to enjoy!

Parents seeking school places now or in the future, please contact us to arrange to meet the team and have a tour of the school.

Faldingworth School Tel: 01673 885366 Email:  enquiries@faldingworth.lincs.sch.uk

Little Jesters, an independent preschool located within Faldingworth School, offers a nurturing environment for 2-4 year olds. Rated "Good" by Ofsted, Little Jesters provides high-quality early education with places currently available. For more information, contact 07464 468932.

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Toft Newton Parish News

Whats on / News from Newtoft, Toft Newton

NEWTOFT VILLAGE HALL

Family bingo will start in the new year on 18 th January. Everyone is welcome. Doors will open at 6pm. Eye Down at 6.30pm. Do join us for an evening of fun at the village hall, Newtoft.

Pilates classes at Newtoft Village Hall every Thursday evening.  7-8 pm until the clocks change then it's 6.30-7.30 pm. Everyone welcome.  

Crafting group every Wednesday evening 6.30-8.30pm. Bring all your crafting projects and have a cuppa and catch up.  £3 a session.  

Newton By Toft

ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH AT NEWTON BY TOFT

On 21 st December 2025, St Michael's Church in Newton by Toft was resounding to traditional Christmas Carols by candlelight being sung by a congregation of 40 people – it was a wonderful sight to behold, so many people coming together at the same time to celebrate such a joyous and wonderful time of the year.  

Mulled wine, homemade mince pies and gingerbread people were offered as welcome refreshments to all those who attended the service. A total of £94.35 was collected and, as always, your support is very much appreciated to keep our small, but very beautiful church at the heart of our local community.   We would like to send our heartfelt thanks to Mole Country Stores in Market Rasen, who very kindly donated a Christmas tree, which was proudly displayed in the chancel of the church.  

At the end of December, St Michael's was the venue for our 2nd Wedding Ceremony of 2025, so we would like to offer our congratulations to both couples and hope they are blessed with health, wealth and happiness throughout their married life.  

We will continue in 2026 with events and services – we will keep you all informed, so you can put these dates into your diaries! Don't forget we have a book exchange in the Church, which caters for all genres of literature and has children's books too.  

Please remember our Church is always open – you are very welcome to visit.

NEWTON CHURCHYARD Over the years and well before my time, I have been told that there was a hedge in front of our church, apparently, behind the hedge there was a wilderness of long grass and blackberry briers when the grounds were unattended. Since those days someone in their turns, and not always someone who lived in the village, has maintained the church grounds as it is today.

There are always nice comments of how well the church and grounds look in the centre of the village, which is now open for all to see. The very healthy church grounds donation tin has been going now for two years, this being the third and all donations are kept and recorded. The funds go towards maintenance of the mower and is being saved for the day when the village lawn mower needs replacing! The donation tin originally started when I began cutting the grass after Charlie Mallinson regretfully became unwell and was unable to cut it. I, like many others before me, who have cut the grass, take nothing out of the tin.

I personally would like to thank all of you who have put your donations in an envelope and marked it with your name and address, and delivered it to me, so that the records and yearly accounts can be updated. Finally, for those of you who are unsure, the Churchyard donation tin is totally independent from Church funds. With the Church being in the middle of the village, with your kind donations, I can keep the village looking tidy, so thank you all.
Charlie Albone

WHAT IS A CHURCH?

I took my young daughter into Church the other day to our lending library to choose a book. She asked me “Mummy – What is a Church?” I turned to her, thought for a moment and replied, “It's a religious building; It's where people celebrate births, marriages and death.” 

Since she asked me the question, I have thought about it more and more – What would you say to someone who asked you? Think about the first time you walked into a Church? How did it make you feel? 

A church can be many things and their meanings will be different and personal to each of us. 

I spoke with my daughter about what I thought a church was. We then spoke about the last time she visited. She told me the last time she visited there were lots of people but there wasn't today and that she liked it when there was lots of people there. I like that too I told her. I want our church to be filled with people. 

Every city, town, or village that you pass through has a Church – a place where people can gather together. 

How much do you know about the church where you live? Do you visit regularly? Do you keep up with regular events that are going on? 

Churches need a community to keep them open. Please support events at your local church. Please donate where you can. Learn about your local community and make new friends or reconnect with old ones. 

Follow us on Facebook – St Michaels Church Newton by Toft for all upcoming events

Community Camp out on Newtoft playing field in August '24

Many campers got together at the Newtoft Social Club on a lovely summer evening. A wonderful evening was enjoyed by all. Thank you to Pat Macrae for sending the photographs into us.

Caravans, campervans, tents or anything you fancy sleeping in was welcome.

We wgot there for 10am on the Saturday to set up camp and sit to picnic about 12.30.

There were games for the kids and adults in the afternoon, swing ball, rounders etc. and for the night a fire pit for chilling and guitar playing

Toft Tots – Thursdays, Toft Newton Community Centre, 9.15– 11.00, Term Time only

Football .......

Walking Football –Tuesdays, Newtoft Community Centre, 7.30-8.30pm, 16yrs plus

Children's Football – Fridays, 6-7pm, Newtoft Community Centre, Trainers / Footie Boots needed, Outside Play!

Newtoft Pups .... Come on you Pups!

Fitness by Dance ~ A class every Tuesday 6.30-7.30 at the New Toft Village Hall .... £ 2. New dancers always welcome. Contact is Steph Orr 01673 885573

Friesthorpe Village

Wragby & the Torringtons

WRAGBY APPLE DAY

Watch out for our Apple Day on a Sunday in September , 11am to 4pm at Wragby Town Hall, Louth Road, LN8 5QX. Free Admission .

Come along for a day all about apples. Get your mystery apple(s) identified and sample different types of apples. Free Apple juicing will be available (10kg limit, apples to be clean and please bring containers).  There will be a pruning and grafting demonstration, a LOGO produce and information stall, along with displays by other associated organisations being present. Delicious homemade refreshments will also be available, cash only.

Hainton Village

HENEAGE ARMS, HAINTON, LN8 6LX

 BARKWITH GROUP QUIZ Sunday 9th November 2025, at The Heneage Arms, 6pm for a 6.30pm start. £7 per person, including refreshments and the bar will be open. A room raffle will be held too. Teams of no more than 6 people. Everyone welcome.

SOUTH WILLINGHAM

VILLAGE NEWSWHAT'S ON IN FEBRUARY 2026

Wednesday 4 th – Coffee and chat & Willingham Winner draw 1030 to noon

Wednesday 4 th – Art & crafts group 2 - 4 pm (Cecilia 07799156118)

Wednesday 4 th & 18 th – Ballroom Dance group 6.50pm. (Paul 01507 313601)

Thursdays 5 th , 12 th ,19 th & 26 th - Tai Chi 11.00 to 12:10 then Qigong 12.10 to 13.10 (Carol 07592071523)

Tuesday 10 th – Reel Issues FILM night 7pm. (Roland 07946259053)

Wednesday 18 th - Coffee and chat 10.30am to 12 noon.

Future event:

Friday March 20 th Quiz and supper - see posters & fliers nearer the date.

Plans include an evening of live music & music quiz, afternoon tea and their life stories told by villagers (if you would like to give a talk/presentation please contact Jan 07834598703), a Mediterranean supper and a curry night. A games evening/afternoon.

To book the hall call Roland on 07946259053

BARKWITH.

BARKWITH GROUP

Coffee Morning at St Mary's Church, East Barkwith . This will be held on Wednesday 25 th February between 10.30am and 12 noon. Do call in and enjoy our tasty treats, we look forward to seeing you.

Christmas Services 2025 - Rev John and Rev Paul led the beautiful services which were well supported by our congregations. What a fantastic Crib Service, the Church was full of families and friends taking part in the dressing up, helping to build the nativity scene. The carol service at South Willingham and the Bethlehem service at Sixhills were both very well attended in beautifully decorated Churches with fabulous organ music, great singing, ponderous readings and tasty treats to finish the evenings. Thank you all. 

LOGS FOR SALE - The Barkwith Church Community are selling fully seasoned hardwood logs and kindling.   All proceeds will go to local good causes. £2700 was distributed last season from this venture.   Please contact Andrew on 07770667632 .

Thank you, Dave Cotgrave, for sending the stunning photo of St Mary's Church, East Barkwith with Star Trails. The image is a composition of 360 individual exposures, blended together and edited using a combination of Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and Star Stax. The photos were taken on an extremely cold evening in January over a 2½ hour period between 6.45 and 9.15pm. The exposure time was 15 seconds, with a 5 second interval between shots. Thanks must go to Chris Wilson for switching off the outside lights to allow Dave to get the shot.

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An Afternoon Walk with Beryl

Today, for the second time this week, I set out for an afternoon stroll. Unusually, I ‘bumped' into two village personalities out walking their four legged friends, braving the weather which was overcast, mizzerly and damp, but on the plus side it was sharp with the cold so I found it quite pleasant! At one point, I thought where are you sun, just to see your brightness and warmth and send the gloom away, but then, I rounded a bend and there it was! The sun - NO - but a sight to cheer me up, so with a little more lightness in my step I continued a little further! On my way back I rested by the bridge to relax, watching the gentle flow of the water. It was a lovely 5 mins and in the afternoon quiet, I could hear the sound of the flowing water like a babbling brook, so, feeling at peace, I finished my walk.  No sun or blue sky, but everything was ok in my world!

Beryl Reynolds (early 2020)

~ Mary Jordan Remembers ~

It is over forty years since I came to East Barkwith, and there have been many changes in the village since then.  One of the shops became a cafe, then a private house. The chapel ceased to be used for worship, and joined its two predecessors in private use. The YMCA hut was taken down just before it fell down, and was replaced by the Village Hall, which has itself been extended and modified. The reading room, where the Scouts paraded for Baden-Powell, was used as the school dining room, and has gone, replaced by the Play Area. The school and school house, where I kept a bucket on the stairs to catch the rain leaking through the roof, has been converted to a house on sale for over half a million pounds. The pub has gone up-market. The doctor's surgery moved from one bungalow to another, and eventually went to Wragby. The garage has disappeared.  The seed store has been converted into a desirable residence, and the fertiliser factory has been demolished and replaced with another large house. New houses have been built on fields and former gardens - some shoe-horned into spaces which seem impossibly small. Hedges have been grubbed out, then replanted. Farming practices have changed, the machinery has got larger, and tourists have become one of the crops.

However, some things don't change. The people in the village have inevitably changed over forty years, but the present inhabitants are as neighbourly and generous as their predecessors. The Post Office is still there, as is the church.  The response to the restoration appeal shows how much the church is valued by the people of the village - valued for what it represents, and as the village's outstanding building.

Mary Jordan

Churchyard Regulations

................. for the Parish of Barkwith

Comprising the Churchyards of: East Barkwith, East Torrington, Hainton, Sixhills, South Willingham, West Barkwith and West Torrington .

The Chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln, His Honour Judge Mark Bishop QC, issued regulations as to the control and use of churchyards in the Diocese of Lincoln in 2008 updated in 2012. These regulations are legally binding and differ from cemetery regulations, which are made by local Authorities.

The regulations are available to read in full via the Diocese of Lincoln website.

Below is an extract of the regulations, to help manage our local churchyards.

Parishioners, and those who die in the parish, have a right to be buried, or have their ashes interred in a churchyard in the parish. Other people may be buried there at the discretion of the Parish Priest, providing there is room. Once buried, there is to be no disturbance of the remains except for exceptional and legally authorised reasons. Burial is a symbol for our entrusting of the person to the eternal love of God. The burial fee does NOT buy the burial plot, it pays towards the general maintenance of the churchyard.

Memorials

Anyone wishing to erect a memorial stone should consult the Parish Priest as soon as possible, to ensure that the memorial conforms to the regulations. If the memorial does not conform to the regulations, or the Parish Priest refuses consent, an application for a faculty to the Chancellor of the Diocese is required.

Headstones should be between 2'6” and 4' high, 1'8” and 3” wide, 3” and 6” thick. They may be of natural stones, teak or oak, cast or wrought iron. Some stones such as black or grey granite, marble, synthetic stone or plastic are not normally permitted. The base of the stone may include a flower holder, but should enable ease of mowing. Monumental masons have full copies of these regulations, and will give advice on what is permitted.

Designs containing open books, hearts, figure statuary and photographic representations are not permitted. Neither are kerbs, chippings or glass shards. Any application for these must be by faculty application to the Chancellor of the Diocese.

Inscriptions should contain only the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death or age and date of death. Epitaphs must be simple and reverent, preferably from the Bible, Book of Common Prayer or Common Worship

Vases should not be more than 12” x 8” x 8”

Ashes

It is preferred that ashes are placed in the ground without a container, but if a container is used, it must be of a perishable nature.

Flowers

No artificial flowers should be placed in a churchyard except Remembrance day poppies, traditional Christmas wreaths, and good quality seasonal silk flowers. All should be removed within 3 months. The Christmas wreaths are to be removed by January 31 st of the following year.