Extra Features

With everywhere beginning to look a lot like Christmas, we were honoured to play host to Santa’s best friend, the one and only Grandad Elf. He stopped by our office and chatted with us for our Let’s Talk Local feature which you can read in the December 2023 edition. Check out this video, too, where Grandad Elf performs a few magic tricks, and offers some great advice on how to remain on Santa’s nice list!

For more information on this wonderful entertainer, check out www.grandadelf.co.uk.

In The Jungle Book, a sad Mowgli encounters four friendly vultures who proceed to sing to him to cheer him up, and within their tune about what friends are for they mention, “We’ve never met an animal we didn’t like.” Christmas trees are a lot like friends to me, and worthy of a song and dance, too (if only I had the talent). Much like the sentiments expressed by Buzzy, Dizzy, Flaps, and Ziggy in the Disney classic, I’ve never met a Christmas tree I didn’t like. Even when you see in the news about councils putting out sad looking trees, like the 3ft tree with a scrunched up ball of tin foil as its topper that appeared on Scartho roundabout in Grimsby a few years back, I even liked that one!

So when the Christmas Tree Festival at the Sleaford Methodist Church comes around, it’s one of the highlights of the year for me (there are never any Scartho roundabout-esque trees in sight there by the way). Nothing brings that festive feeling as much as wandering around the church hall admiring all the different interpretations of trees presented by clubs, groups, schools, businesses and individuals from our community. Over the 10 years I’ve been visiting, I’ve seen Christmas trees made out of computer components, milk bottle tops, individual decorations made by school children, personal hopes and prayers and Yuletide memories expressed. I’m completely charmed every time I visit.

The good news is that the Christmas Tree Festival returns for its 21^st outing on the Advent Sunday weekend, and only to add to that cheer, we bring you the news that Your Local Lincs will also be entering our tree again. You’ll no doubt remember Noeleen, the tree from last year. Well, this year she’s going to be re-dressed with decorations that include 12 personalised baubles. It’s a number synonymous with Christmas, and an important one for us given that we go out each of the 12 months of the year. So look out for her when you visit.

Until the big weekend, here’s a selection of photos of the festival I’ve taken over the years.

~Rich

The Sleaford Christmas Tree Festival 2023 takes place at the Methodist Church on Northgate on Saturday 2^nd December 10am – 4pm and Sunday 3^rd December 11am – 5pm.

Christmas trees are decorated by people, businesses and societies in the local area. There will also be a raffle, a tombola, jams & chutneys for sale, and a café. Entry is free but donations are welcome.

If you popped into Mrs Smith’s Cottage over the summer, you will have noticed a little exhibition concerning another remarkable female figure from our county, Ethel Rudkin. Much like the resident of Navenby, Rudkin defied expectations for women of her era by forging a remarkable path in life. In her case it was in the world of folklore.

There are many other comparisons between these two ladies; both of them were born in Lincolnshire (within a year of each other), both lived to a late age, both lost their partners in the First World War. Smith’s home became a museum while Rudkin donated much of her collection to a museum in Lincoln.

Rudkin travelled the length and breadth of Lincolnshire in her Morris car, investigating and documenting folklore tales, talking to the people of the county as she recorded their stories and experiences. Before the age of television and the internet, entertainment among the ordinary folk of the countryside would be through song and storytelling, so it was in the evenings after working on the land when these tales would be shared. With the spooky season coming up, those darker and colder nights leading to Halloween, it seems the right time to have a look at some of these folklore tales from our area.

Byard’s Leap
Just down the road from Sleaford (and within our distribution area!) you’ll find the hamlet of Byard’s Leap off the A17. You may well have passed by many times but never stopped to investigate this unassuming place of remarkable supernatural happenings. Rudkin recorded numerous tales concerning wizards and witches, but within this settlement lived an evil witch by the name of Meg who became a bane to the other villagers. A knight from the area (interestingly, the area had strong associations with the Knights Templar) resolved to kill the witch and chose a blind horse named Byard as his steed. Perhaps he selected him because blind horses are less easily spooked, but the witch dug her nails into Byard’s flesh, causing him to leap 60 feet through the air. According to the tale, the knight regained control of Byard and came back around to hack the witch to death. It’s a story that has passed down the centuries, and a 1970s folk band by the name of Decameron even recorded a song about the tale.

Devilry in Dorrington?
Steeped in history and its strong spiritual associations, its no surprise to find so many churches with curious and creepy tales attached to them. One such tale that has become synonymous with Lincolnshire is of course the Imp, the grotesque little being who reminds us that even in a place as holy as a cathedral, evil can find its place. But we have equally strange tales associated with churches even closer to home. Regarding the church in Dorrington, there is a tale of when the church was built. Workmen took stone from a druid’s temple to build the church, but in the dead of night, all the stone they had collected magically whisked its way back to where they had taken it, perhaps by demons. The same church has a strange legend that if you look through the building’s keyhole at midnight, you will espy the devil playing with marbles… No doubt the ones you’ve just lost. Elsewhere in the village there are numerous tales of ghosts and a strange creature who lives under a bridge. Fascinating stuff; please do not have nightmares, our dear readers over in Dorrington!

The Anwick Drake Stone
Over in Anwick, one finds another devilish tale associated with the village church. Ethel Rudkin herself investigated this tale and documented the moving of the Drake Stones, which villagers believed were associated with the devil. Currently they stand outside the main entrance to the church. Some spoke of the devil’s cave being found underneath these stones, within which is stored treasure.

Tiddy Munn
The fenland areas of Lincolnshire are rife of tales of wil-o’-the-wikes, witches, and boggarts. The legend of Tiddy Munn arose when the Dutch were draining the fens, a wizardly spirit with a long white beard and no taller in stature than a 3-year-old child. He was angered with man’s tampering of the landscape and brought pestilence to the villages. But Tiddy Munn was not too malicious a being and was eventually placated when the folk went to the marshes to wish him well and chant rhymes to him. It seemed to do the trick, as Tiddy Munn lifted the spell and the villages thrived once more.

In the spirit of Ethel Rudkin’s work and continuing the theme of preserving oral history, if you have any local folklore tales to tell us about, particularly those relating to our area, or ones less talked about, then we would love to hear them. Perhaps something relating to a church or historic building? Or perhaps an old custom passed down through the generations? Please drop Rich a line or email him on info@yourlocallincs.co.uk.

Evelyn’s Butterfly Effect was created in memory of our 15-year old daughter Evelyn, to encourage random acts of kindness. Because, let’s face it, the world needs more kindness! The butterfly effect is the idea that if a butterfly flaps its wings on one side of the earth, it is said to cause a hurricane on the other side. It is the scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can have significant consequences. And so it is with kindness. A single, simple act of kindness can have enormous consequences, which you may never see. Every single act of kindness creates a new wave of positivity that did not exist before.

Evelyn was an incredibly kind, thoughtful and generous girl. Even when she was unwell with her mental health, she went out of her way to help others with empathy and kindness. Evelyn quite often had no idea what a wonderful impact she had on other people.

Fancy getting involved and spreading some kindness in your community?

It’s easy to get involved – businesses and individuals – go out and surprise someone with a random act of kindness! It doesn’t have to be anything ‘big’. The small acts of kindness are often the ones that mean the most to people. For example…

• Flowers for a stranger
• Chocolates for a volunteer
• Bake a cake for someone to enjoy
• Leave random gifts for people in your community to find

Evelyn’s butterfly effect cards can be used to encourage the recipient to ‘pay forward’ the kindness too. These are available in the following locations in Sleaford:

• The Hub
• The Pottery Painting Cafe
• Sleaford Leisure Centre

Head to our social media pages for more information and inspiration!

@Evelynsbutterflyeffect

@evelynsbutterflyeffect

@evelyn_b_effect

Share your pics!
We love to see stories and pictures of kind acts on social media – please tag us or use: #evelynsbutterflyeffect
That way we will be able to see the ripple effect of kindness – Evelyn’s butterfly effect in action…

Jenni and Jack, Evelyn’s proud parents x

Kindness is free, sprinkle that stuff everywhere!

If you or a loved one require support with your mental health, please reach out to the following helpline services:

• Papyrus Hopeline (under 35’s) – 0800 068 41 41
• Samaritans – 116 123
• Shout – text 85258
• LPFT mental health helpline (adults) – 0800 001 4331
• LPFT Here4You (children and young people) – 0800 234 6342