Rutland and Stamford Mercury Memories: news and adverts we featured 10 years, 25, 50, 100 and 200 years ago
Join us for a look back at what was in our newspaper in June 2015, 2000, 1975, 1925, and 1825.
Our Rutland & Stamford Mercury Memories is produced thanks to the support of the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust.
10 years ago
July 2015
Six friends will walk 27 miles from London to Brighton in memory of a nine-year-old boy who died after a severe asthma attack.
Alana Exton, of Thackers Way, Deeping St James, will be joined by Annie Goddard, Lisa Brown, Kate Aldiss, Sarah Duff and Nick Burn for the challenge.
They will be walking in aid of Zack's Mission, a campaign set up by Alana after her son Zack King died in September last year. The aim of the mission is to raise awareness of asthma and funds for the Asthma UK charity.
Alana said: "It's been a big challenge for all of us. It's Zack that keeps us going.
"If we start flagging we think of him and we keep going."
None of the group are regular distance walkers, but they have all been training hard for the challenge.
Alana said: "The biggest walk we have done so far is 20 miles, so we only have another seven to go. Most weekends we have been getting together and walking.
"It's been quite hard over the past couple of months."
The walk is not the only fundraising event Alana has organised for Zack's Mission. She also encouraged several schools in the area to support World Asthma Day on May 5, raising about £900. A fete in December raised more than £1,400, and a Zumbathon in March which raised £1,000.
Zack was a keen footballer and played for Deeping Rangers.
25 years ago
July 2000
The future of rural post offices looks a lot rosier this week thanks to a Government rescue package.
Proposals to stop cash over-the-counter benefit and pension payments had threatened vital revenues.
But new plans to make the post office a 'universal bank' should save them, says the Government.
And if the reforms are carried out in full, every village post office in this region will have an Internet link and banking facilities.
The Commons announcement by Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers follows the introduction of the Horizon programme to computerise the post office network.
Mr Byers said under the new proposals, post offices will offer the services banks have, although they will not offer overdraft facilities.
Post office workers from this area marched on Westminster in April after the Government announced it wanted to replace post office over-the-counter pension and benefits payments with automatic payment into people's bank accounts in 2003. This threatened to reduce post office income by up to a third.
But under the new proposals, pensioners or benefit claimants who want cash payments will collect them from a post office using a Universal Bank smartcard or receive them in the same way they always had.
Rod Vernum, sub-postmaster at Wansford Post Office, welcomed extra banking work and computerisation. He said: "Too many post offices are closing down because they are no longer viable. The Horizon system is wonderful. We've got to accept new systems and modernisation, it's the only way we're going to survive. But we need to know that the universal bank is a workable and satisfactory system."
Henry Gordon, sub-post master at Wittering Post Office, said the proposals will help village post offices at a crucial time. He said: "I've just had Horizon installed and I welcome advances in technology. I also welcome the work from the banks as Barclays and others hand over business to us."
But John Holdich, Conservative councillor for Glinton, is not impressed. He said: "This is no substitute for taking away 35 per cent of post office business in the form of benefits and pensions payments.
"And with plans for more technology, I think they have missed what a rural post office is all about.
"It's a meeting place which keeps the villages alive. I can't see many older customers wanting to get involved in computer banking."
50 years ago
July 1975
Thirty women workers at BXL Cascelloid, Stamford, are to lose their jobs.
The cuts were announced this week by the company, after months of battling against falling orders.
Those being made redundant are part and full time operators.
More than half will leave in mid-July and the rest in August.
The factory, which makes plastic squeeze tubes, hit troubles in March this year when workers were warned they might be put on a four-day week.
The four-day week was imposed at the beginning of April. The following month work was reduced to a three-day week.
In a statement the company said: "Despite every effort to boost sales and secure more orders, it now appears that the current level of demand will prevail through to the end of the year.
"By reducing the number of people employed the factory will be able to return to a normal five-day working week."
Factory manager Mr John Mason said: "Regretfully three-day working is only a short-term expedient to what is now a long-term problem.
"The demand for our products reflects the state of the industry in general. We have taken all measures possible to avoid a cut back in the numbers employed. This is now seen as the only effective means of maintaining a stable situation."
After the redundancy announcement Mr Mason met the operators involved to thank them for their service.
By Wednesday this week nearly a third of the redundant workers had been found other employment.
And a Stamford Jobcentre representative was at the factory to help find work for the remainder.
Tarmac paving in Stamford is only temporary, the town council has been assured.
Traditional flagstones will replace the Tarmac as soon as possible, the council heard on Tuesday.
Councillors had attacked the use of Tarmac, claiming it was spoiling the town's picturesque streets.
But the county divisional surveyor said in a letter to the council that the Tarmac was only a temporary measure.
He said the situation had arisen because he had been working with a depleted labour force.
Park Air Electronics Ltd of the Stamford Ryhall Road industrial estate entered the second half of the year with their fullest order books ever.
A record month for orders received was reached in June with orders from East Africa, Iraq, Sudan, Sweden, Qatar, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Canada.
The recent upsurge in business has been caused by worldwide acceptance of the company's latest products, a range of advanced technology transmitters and receivers for use in airports.
100 years ago
July 1925
The neighbourhood of Alwalton was thrown into great alarm on Thursday night, June 28th by the appearance of fire, which proceeded from a stack of new hay standing in a meadow near the bridge called the Ferry (leading to Milton), belonging to Mr Higgins, of Orton, and which from overheating burst out in a blaze, and consumed itself, as well as a stack of old hay; the whole estimated at forty tons.
The fire-engines from Peterboro' were with great activity taken, but the mischief was done when they arrived.
The collector of the tolls at Whitewater Gate, on the Wansford district, was convicted, on Friday last, before the Rev R Atlay and the Rev J Serocold, in the mitigated penalty of 40s and costs, for demanding and receiving 4d for each horse drawing in Deacon and Co's London waggon with wheels of the breadth of six inches, instead of 3d for each horse; and, at the same time, in the same sum with costs, for demanding and receiving 1s instead of 6d, for a two-wheel carriage, laden, attached to the above waggon.
In all probability the Grey House, Broad Street, the residence of the late Mrs Herbert Hart, will be the site of the proposed new headquarters for the local Police Force. A definite decision by the Kesteven Standing Joint Committee may be expected shortly.
Negotiations had been in progress for the acquisition of a site in St Paul's Street but these have apparently fallen through, the price demanded for this property being considered to be excessive.
We have now been authoritatively informed that a special subcommittee of the Kesteven Standing Joint. The committee has recommended that the Grey House should be purchased for conversion into a police station and general headquarters. This recommendation will be submitted to the standing joint committee, who, if they sanction the purchase, will ask the Home Office to approve of the scheme.
It is reported that the committee is prepared to give £3,000 for the property, but confirmation of this figure is not available.
Councillor JH Bowman, of Stamford, was appointed chairman of the sub-committee which the standing joint committee set up to inspect sites in the town.
200 years ago
July 1825
A remarkable accident happened last week to one of the sons of a respectable tradesman in Stamford.
Walking in the meadows on the banks of the Welland, he approached a person who was angling in the river, and he stood for a few seconds to look on: the angler drew out his line, and gave it the usual swing with the intention of placing the float in a new situation, when by an extraordinary accident the hook struck the youth who was looking on, and actually fastened together both the lids of one of his eyes, so as completely to close them.
It was feared that the barb had also penetrated the orb of the eye; but on promptly resorting to the surgery of Messrs Merveilleux and Burdett, it was found practicable to extricate the hook by a simple cut of the eye-lids, and that the eye itself was not at all injured, although the hook had pierced and connected the lids just in the front of the pupil, and the very smallest increase of the depth of the puncture must have been fatal to the sight.
It is supposed that the youth involuntarily winked as the line was whirled by the angler, and that at that instant the hook entered and fastened together the two eyelids.
Bainton-Green level crossing, situated on the LMS railway line between Uffington and Helpston, was the scene of a terrible fatality on Thursday morning.
A young man named Percy Lancelot Racey, of Emneth, near Wisbech, after opening the hand-gate, was pushing his motor-cycle over the crossing as a coal train on its way from Peterborough to Stamford was approaching. He was apparently looking in the direction of the mineral train and, failing to observe an express passenger train which was travelling from Stamford to Peterborough, was knocked down. He received shocking injuries to his face, legs and body, and died shortly after his removal to the Queen's Head Inn at Helpston.
Assistance had been rendered to him by PC Chapman, ex-PS Dilworth, and Mr. Davis, of Helpston, and also by D. Stanton, of Market Deeping, who, when he arrived, found Mr Racey in a dying condition.
The deceased's motor-cycle was, of course, extensively damaged, and was carried about thirty yards by the engine. His body was picked up a few yards away from his machine.
Aged 30 years, he was the son of Mr Walter Hugh Racey, a farmer, and at the time of the accident was on a business journey to farms in the Deepings. The Inquest.
The inquest was conducted on Friday at Helpston by Mr WB Buckle, of Peterborough, and a verdict of accidental death was returned.
