District news in Horncastle and surrounding areas

The February meeting of the Women’s section of Coningsby and Tattershall Royal British Legion was held at the Lion’s Den, where chairman Connie Stennett welcomed everyone.

Mrs Stennett thanked all members and villagers who had so kindly given various donations to be used for raffles and sold for legion funds.

The well-attended meeting then spent a pleasant session with Fiona who gave tips on manicures and hand care.

The March meeting will be with the popular cheese lady, Julie Grinstead.

Meetings are held on the first Tuesday in the month, starting at 7pm.

Legion - A general meeting of the Woodhall Spa and district branch of the Royal British Legion was held, when vice-chairman Steve Hall recited the homage.

The 2016 poppy pin badges are now available from the Poppy Appeal organiser, Nina Gaunt, and details of Horncastle branch’s activities and outings were circulated to members.

The monthly branch newsletter will, in future, be bi-monthly. Those members who hand deliver paper copies were thanked for their efforts.

With the business part of the evening over, an enjoyable evening of horse racing followed, which raised £51 for branch funds, plus £21 on the raffle.

The next meeting is in the Conservative Club on Tuesday, March 8, at 7.30pm, when Derek Warner will give a talk on “Waterways and Footpaths in Lincolnshire”.

Wragby

Community hub - Guests will be welcomed with free cups of coffee and a slice of cake when they accept an invitation to join volunteers at Wragby Community Hub on Millbrook Business Park on Saturday.

The venture will be celebrate its official opening and an invitation is extended to everyone to call in between 11am and 2pm.

The hub, which has replaced the former library and is now run completely by volunteers, offers the same services previously available, including library books and the free use of computers for one-hour periods.

During the celebration, a wall hanging depicting the shops and businesses around Wragby Market Place will be unveiled.

Supper club - Jo Critchley will give a talk entitled ‘Twenty-six-point-two in half an hour’ at the next meeting of the supper club at the Methodist Chapel on Friday, starting at 7pm.

The club has no membership requirement and everyone is invited to go along.

The new programme will also be available at this meeting.

The cost is £5 per person, including supper. For more information and to book, call Mo Fricke on 01673 858334 or Sue Johnson on 01673 858265.

Horncastle Family History Group

Geof Lee was the speaker at the January meeting of the Horncastle Family History Group.

His subject, “From Scratch to Brick Walls”, uncovered records and websites not known to his audience.

Travelling the country photographing fonts where ancestors were baptised and scouring record offices and museums for insight into their lives can be a very rewarding pastime.

Actually handling old documents and pouring over ancient maps gives its own thrill.

The next meeting on Wednesday, February 24, will see the return of Chrissie Chapman with her talk on the “Unsung Women of Lincolnshire”.

Meetings are held at WI House in Banks Street. Admission is free. Beginners and advanced researchers are always welcome.

For more details, contact chairman Kath Holland on 01526 354633.