A look at stories in the Rutland & Stamford Mercury archive from 10, 25, 50 and up to 200 years ago
With the help of the Rutland & Stamford Mercury Archive Trust, we look back through the newspaper's archive to find interesting stories from years gone by…
10 years ago
Table top sale for NSPCC
A table top sale raised £268 for the NSPCC.
Janet Stubbs has been running events in aid of the children’s charity for 30 years and she said her most recent veent, which was a table top sale on Sunday, November 24 at Bourne Corn Exchange, was fully booked with 32 tables.
She said: “It was a good event, even though the weather was against us. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.”
Couple nearly reaches £100,000 mark
A coffee morning raised just shy of £4,000 for a cancer charity, bringing the couple behind it ever closer to the £100,000 landmark.
Dr Michael and Margaret McGregor held the event at Bourne Corn Exchange on Thursday last week. Plenty of people turned up to support them and helped raise about £3,900. The money will be given to Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. The couple have been supporting the charity since their son John battled leukaemia and died in 1985.
Fund helps skatepark campaign
A fund set up in memory of a murdered police officer has donated £500 towards a skatepark campaign.
Derek Ward and his wife Jilly set up a trust in memory of their daughter Melissa.
Melissa, 28, who was a police officer in Oakham, died at her home in The Sidings in 2007. Derek and Jilly set up a memorial fund for Melissa with the aim of raising £600 for a memorial bench, which is now in Braunston.
But they were overwhelmed to raise £6,000 and decided to keep the remaining funds in trust to be used for projects for the benefit of children and young people.
They heard about the campaign in Exton from Charlotte Maiden, who they work with at Greetham Valley Golf Club, to raise funds for a new skating ramp and decided to donate £500.
Derek said: "I think the fundraising efforts in Exton have been absolutely fantastic, they have done very well to raise so much money and when we heard about it, we wanted to help.
"Mel loved children and we lived there with her in Exton for many years so we have a close connection to the village.
"We thought it would be nice for people in Oakham and the surrounding community to know where the money they have so generously given in memory of Mel is being spent."
A group of 12 teens from Exton organised a bazaar to raise funds for the half-pipe they wish to have built.
The group had been told that if they could raise a quarter of the £10,000 needed, they would have a better chance of being successful with grant applications.
With this donation, the total raised so far is £2,225. Items have also been donated which will be auctioned to raise more money.
Autumn fair helps continue good work of charity
People donated more than £600 at an autumn fair to help a charity continue its good work helping the elderly and vulnerable.
Age Concern Deepings held its annual event at the Open Door Church in Deeping St James last month.
A good crowd turned up to browse the range of stalls, which featured bric-a-brac, books, DVDs, clothing, cakes and homemade bread and refreshments.
Age Concern Deepings chairman Chris Knight said: "We do it twice a year, once in the autumn and once in the spring.
“It's all to help with funds and to give us a bit more advertising.
"The more people that know we are there, the more people we can help."
“The charity runs a range of services around the Deepings. There is a lunch club, which has about 40 members, and a day care service for more vulnerable people, which has about 10 clients.
“The charity also runs a minibus service in and around the Deepings.
"We used to be funded by Lincolnshire County Council but not any more, so we are having to raise more.
"We are very thankful for all the support we get."
Christmas light display in aid of hospice
Christmas might be a couple of weeks away but one man is making sure villagers in Langtoft are well and truly in the festive spirit.
Peter Roffe, with his granddaughter Melanie Riley and her daughter Zoe, six, has decorated his home in West End, Langtoft, with an array of lights and festive decorations.
And in keeping with the season of goodwill, he is raising money for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, which cared for his wife who died in 2011.
After weeks of decoration the lights were switched on for the first time for delighted villagers on Wednesday.
This year Peter is also supporting the hospice's Lights of Love campaign.
25 years ago
Christmas school bazaar raises over £900
A staggering £980 has been raised by children at their school Christmas bazaar. Pupils at Northborough Primary School in Church Street, Northborough, raised the cash for school funds through stalls and games, including white elephant, a toy stall, splat the rat and a tombola.
And the children also received a present from Father Christmas who stopped off at the event last week.
School secretary Margaret Morgan said: "Parents have been very supportive and have helped bring the money in for the school. And the children all thoroughly enjoyed the day."
Money raised for cancer charity
A Christmas bazaar and raffle raised more than £230 for a cancer charity.
The event, at the United Reformed Hall, Broad Street, Stamford, was organised by the Stamford and District Friends of Imperial Cancer Research.
And it helped raise cash for the national charity's main fund through a variety of stalls selling cakes, toys and books, and a raffle for bottles.
Vice-chairman of the group, Brenda Mee said: “We try to hold an event each month to raise money, but what we could really do with now are more people joining our group.
“Everyone had a wonderful time at the bazaar on Saturday, but without more people we might have to stop holding events like these.”
What a clanger!
A special peel of the old bells of St Benedict’s Church, Glinton, rang out last month when the bells notched up their 200th anniversary.
Used to herald weddings, church services and funerals, the bells have resounded over the village since the 1790s.
And to mark the double century of the old clangers, a group of present day Glinton Campanologists got together to give the bell ropes a celebratory pull.
Glinton bell ringer Pete Marshall, said: “It was good to mark the anniversary of the bells.
“We have about 15 bell ringers now. Bell ringing is great fun, and is more about timing than strength.”
He said the Glinton bells will be given another clang and chime on January 1, 2000, to mark the new Millennium.
“Church bells up and down England will be run to mark the occasion and Glinton will be taking part,” Pete added.
Santa makes early appearance
Santa made an early appearance at a Market Deeping school on Saturday to meet pupils at a Christmas fair. The annual event, organised by the William Hildyard parents and teachers association, was said to be one of the best for many years.
Festive attractions such as a Santa's grotto, a raffle, tombola, the sale of refreshments, and a number of games added to the party atmosphere and helped swell the amount of money raised to around £1,450. Acting headteacher Mandy Wilding, said: "It was a good Christmas fair this year and well supported by parents and teachers.”
Scarecrow raises money for charity
A scarecrow in the window of a Stamford fruit shop has raised £57 for the charity NSPCC. William the scarecrow has been sitting in the window of Pacey and Canham fruit shop in Ironmonger Street for a number of weeks.
He began to attract interest from passing children who wanted to know whether or not he had a name.
At the time he didn't, so a competition to raise money for the NSPCC was thought up.
Jennie Link, of Pacey and Canham, said: 'The owner of the shop decided to call him William and we organised a guess the name competition for the children.
“They paid 50p to enter and a lucky winner who guessed his name correctly could win a chocolate teddy bear.
"The competition went really well and we got a good response from the children."
Gill Stafford, of Andrew Road, Stamford, was the winner and all the 50p's added up to more than £50 for the NSPCC.
Jennie added: "William has been in the window for a long time but he will be taken down to make way for the Christmas decorations.'
50 years ago
The former "Mercury" offices in High Street are now open for the receipt of parcels for the annual appeal by the Old People's Welfare Committee, for Christmas parcels for the elderly.
100 years ago
Band Activities - A company of 120 attended a dance in the Drill Hall, on Saturday, in aid of the funds of the Stamford Town Prize Silver Band.
Competition winners were Mr. Bruce and Mrs. Rice (waltz statue), Mr. E. Winterton (skittles), and Miss L. Frisby (lucky door ticket). On Sunday evening a concert was given, on behalf of the same object, in the Assembly-rooms.
150 years ago
Two beautiful prize oxen, one heifer, and five sheep, belonging to the Marquess of Exeter, were put on board Deacon, Harrison, and Co.'s fly-boats at Oakham on Wednesday last, to be conveyed to the City Basin, London, for the approaching Christmas show.
200 years ago
Stamford Infirmary - The treasurer has received the amount of a collection at Morcott church, 17s.
Among the visitors at Burghley House last week were Sir Garnet and Lady Wolseley. There was excellent sport in the Upper Park and game preserves, in which several of Lord Exeter's distinguished guests participated.
