Golden Jubilee Year in Quorn - A Review of 2002

This year in the village started off on New Year's Day with a meeting of the Quorn Vintage Preservation Group. Following on from small displays at previous Open Gardens, Stan Counsell arranged a 'Crank Up' at Mill Farm. Over 80 visitors came to admire the steam engines and other exhibits, and enjoy a welcoming warming cup of tea!

In the middle of January, Quorn was honoured with a mayoral visit to officially open the Millennium Map at The Cross. The visit started at the Village Hall where the Mayor met a number of villagers, in particular those involved with Quorn's successful entry into the national Village of the Year, Environmental category.

Open Evenings at the Village Hall do not always get the attendance they deserve, and unfortunately the Open Evening at the end of January, to view the possible plans for improvements to the Village Hall, suffered from this. The poor weather most certainly would have contributed to the low attendance. However, since then work has been progressing under the guidance of the Project Group, composed of both local village residents and some Parish Councillors.

The group has met at regular intervals with the architect Jackie Scott. Feedback from the public consultation, together with the ideas and experience of members, has been used to brief Jackie and enable her to formulate a proposal for the Village Hall.

Known as 'Phase 1', the refurbishment scheme will include improved access at the main entrance to the building and landscaping to the front. Budget costs and scheme drawings were presented to the Parish Council at its November meeting.

A possible extension, known as 'Phase II', to provide a foyer and storage rooms, may be considered in the future.

Thanks are due to all members of the Project Group and those members of the community who have helped.

Rawlins Under 5's Playgroup was honoured at the start of the year with a 'Lead Setting Centre for Excellence', award by Leicestershire County council. This was one of only 5 pre-school settings that have been made a Lead Setting by the Council.

At the end of March, Quorn Library transfer to a new computer system, and by now all users should appreciate the new system which enables staff to process books and reservations more quickly. Now customers can have immediate access to the country's stock catalogue.

There are occasions when Quorn makes the news in the area, as reported by the Loughborough Echo and Leicester Mercury. The potential development in Quorn Park was one such occasion. In the Spring issue of "The Quorndon", the proposed plan for potential developments in Quorn Park was put to the villagers for their view.

It all started here when "The Quorndon" asked villagers to become involved in the Rainbows Knit a Marathon scarf - and what did it lead to in Quorn? Look for the answer in July!

Quorn Folk Dance has gained a well deserved reputation for lively Barn dances. In April the first one of the year, was held at Humphrey Perkins School. A good crowd danced the night away to John Riley, the caller for the evening, with music from the 'Stradivarius' Band.

One of the objectives of "The Quorndon" is and was to help clubs and societies in the village. The earliest one which used "The Quorndon" to establish itself was Quorn Sketch Club. 2002 saw the Sketch Club start its 6th season in April. Unfortunately, the last few years have not seen the best of sketching weather during the summer, and this year was no exception.

However, the members have been out and about this year, and we may see some of this year's work at the Art Exhibition in 2003.

One of the changes to local businesses was the opening of the Upholstery Showroom at Corner House Interiors. During the Christmas season last year, this area was a dedicated Aladdin's cave of Christmas goodies, but has been transformed into an elegant display of fine upholstered furniture.

Since 1999, the beginning of May has seen Quorn's May Day celebrations being held in Station Road and The Cross. And what is more for the fourth year running we were blessed with fine weather. The event has grown year and year, due to the hard work of Joan Bloodworth, Phil Child and the other workers.

This year the May Day Celebrations were the first event for the newly formed Quorn Royal British Legion Pipe Band, who made a splendid sight and sound as they led the parade into Station Road. More stalls, more attractions, and more music and a special presentation to Lily Callaghan from the Mayor for her 90th birthday.

The 25th and 26th May saw the annual Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Parish Council, in the Village Hall. As usual there was a wide variety of styles and themes from the artists, from bold oils to delicate watercolours.

At the end of May, Quorn Folk Dance Demonstration team was invited to dance at Calke Abbey on the late May Bank Holiday. They very skilfully and successfully displayed their Playford programme.

This year it seemed to be happening in June. June 3rd was the day when Quorn had its major celebration for HM The Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Concert in the Park was a highly successful event. Organised by Joan Bloodworth and Howard Ketton, the event brought together crowds for a thanksgiving service, fun and games for the children and music of all types for the large audience. Most groups entered into the sprit of the occasion with flags and bunting, and enjoyed picnics, barbeques, and also a formal dinner. In the days before this, a marquee on Caves Field was the venue for a black tie ball organised to raise money for a new building for the Cricket Club. A tea party for village's older residents was held in the marquee and Abbeyfield residents celebrated at Holloway house with their own special tea party.

The following weekend, 13th and 14th, was the regular Quorn Open Gardens weekend. Started in 1987 by Kate Hutchinson, this event has continued throughout the years, bringing in visitors from near and far to look, admire and be inspired by the gardens in the village. This year the event raised nearly £2500 for projects in the village.

That evening, the grounds of Beaumanor hall resounded to the sounds of the Quorn branch of The British Legion's Music for the Royal Jubilee. From the flypast of a Spitfire to the Firework Finale, it was a perfect hot summer evening filled with the sounds of celebration music. The concert this year raised over £18000.

Early in June, a new venture started in the village - the Macmillan cancer relief Luncheon Club. The inaugural meeting at Quorn Grange was highly successful, and a regular monthly programme has been established. It goes to prove that raising money for charity can be most enjoyable!

John Hutchinson being presented with the National Loal Council Award.

The 15th of June saw John Hutchinson receiving the award for the National Council of the Year 2002. Quorn was voted the best Parish Council out of 40 entrants from all over the UK. What particularly impressed the judges was the work on the local environment, the changes to recreation facilities on Stafford Orchard, and the 'Plan for Quorn'.

FOSBA (Friends of St Bartholomew's Association) actively raises money for St Barts School throughout all the year, but the major event has to be the Summer Fete, held this year on June 22nd. Later that evening the Phoenix Entertainers held their Jubilee Concert in the Village Hall. This sell-out show was based on 50 Golden Years of the Queen's reign as reflected by musical shows from these years.

Quorn Townswomen's Guild held a number of events to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, including a day trip to Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. It was a great privilege to view the wonderful treasures there and walk in the stunning gardens - a truly "Golden" day.

It's always encouraging when there are new businesses in the village and in June we saw the first of three new enterprises (well three that we know of, but of course you may know differently). In June, Sarah Nicholson started QT Lifestyle Management offering a possible answer to all of our own lack of time.

The long awaited Internet access arrived in June. Quorn Library now has a computer offering broadband access to the Internet, word processing and other software applications. Computer tutorials and introductory packages are also available.

Open Gardens has been happening for 15 years!! Started by Kate Hutchinson in 1987 when the event raised money for the Abbeyfield project, the event has continued in the capable hands of Tim Harrison and Ivan Bexon. This year over 20 gardens were open during the weekend, and over £2500 was raised for village greening projects. This year the sun literally shone on the event, and it had to be one of the hottest weekends of the summer.

July saw the move to the village of Robert Whowell & Partners (Accountants). They took the opportunity to move from Leicester to Westwood House on Loughborough Road.

Quorn Flower Club organised a most successful Jubilee Flower Festival in the Parish Church, and as a result were able to present Rainbows with a cheque for £1200 at a Jubilee Lunch. Over the long weekend, the Parish Church was ablaze with colour as it seemed like every available surface was covered with arrangements. It was also very pleasant being able to sit at the back of the church and enjoy light refreshments.

Rainbows Knit a Scarf.

13th July saw the culmination of "The Quorndon's" effort towards the Rainbows Knit a Marathon scarf, when a scarf over 750 yards in length was wrapped round the Parish Church 5 times. Over £3200 was raised by Quorn, through the hard working knitters and their generous sponsors.

This was also the day that Central TV came to film the antics in the village, and give a welcomeboost to Rainbows fund raising.

Each summer, Quorn Library hosts an event for children to encourage their reading. This year we say the imaginative "Reading Planet" running through the summer holidays. As well as collecting their stickers, the children were offered storytelling and other events. So successful has this been, that "Reading Planet" will continue through to next July.

1st August was an auspicious day for Quorn Pine, one of the best known businesses in the village, as it celebrated its 20th anniversary. Started by Steve Parker and Steve Yates it has grown from strength to strength, but still offers that friendly and personal service.

August in the village can seem quite quiet, with the schools on holiday and so many families away. This year late in August though, in and around the village you could see children going bananas as they joined in with the United Churches Holiday Club.

The first event in Quorn Country Hotel's new Charnwood Building was the Breast Cancer Research Charity Ball in September. It was nice to see a sell out event, over 200 people attended, christening this new building.

Rainbows was not the only charity in evidence in the village this year. Come the end of September, Geoff Mee organised the first of three RNLI Autumn Events with the Christmas stall outside Bradleys. The RNLI need millions of pounds each year to keep the vital rescue services going, and people like Geoff are to be congratulated on their consistent hard working in fund raising.

Throughout the year, we all receive charity bags dropped on our doorstep asking for items to be sold in the charity shops. Do you ever wonder what the response is like? The Help the Aged collection in October, produced this comment from the collection driver, as he was making his fifth visit to the village that day - his van was filling so fast, "Quorn is the most generous village. You always get such a wonderful response." So next time a bag pops through your letter box from a recognised charity - let's keep the generosity going.

Best Kept Village Award 2002

Quorn just keeps on doing it! Winning that is. Yet again Quorn won the best Kept Village (Large village category) competition organized by the Rural Community Council and the Leicester Mercury. The presentation for The Best Kept Village was made on 21st September, in a short award ceremony at the War Memorial. Not only did the village gain another award plaque but a useful contribution of money towards village projects.

John Hutchinson received the award on behalf of the village from Sue Hollings from the Leicester Mercury and Simon Ravenscroft from Calor Gas, the sponsors of the competition. Representatives from Charnwood Council, the Judging Panel, and Leicestershire and Rutland Community Council also attended. Richard Shepherd, Borough Councillor, felt that this was one of the most significant events for the village in Jubilee Year.

John Hutchinson took the opportunity to thank the many people in the village who had contributed to this award, in particular Jo Backus and Jane Hollingsworth.

The Brook Clean took place on Sunday 13th October on the local park and was carried out by the young people of Rawlins Youth Club and the British Trust Conservation Volunteers.

The end of October saw the first major performance by The New Shakespeare Company, with their production of "Romeo and Juliet" at Rawlins. Formed but a few months before, the Company has already received Lottery funding, and looks like going from strength to strength. Watch out for the next production.

For the first time, Quorn Library played host to an author's evening when Rebecca Shaw, the popular saga writer came to the village to talk about her work. An attentive audience was entertained and enlighten by her lively talk. Maybe it will inspire some budding writers in the village? Quorn Library is to be commended on this, and we hope that similar evenings will follow.

Already famed around the area for its wonderful and varied restaurants, such as The Thatch, Ferrari's, and Ginos, Quorn now has a Japanese Thai restaurant.

The 3rd Annual Beer Festival in the Village Hall was, yet again, a success! The right beers were selected (little was left at the end and some sold out early), the bands turned up and were in tune, the catering was spot-on - and yes, people turned up to enjoy themselves.

Congratulations to David Cawdell and CAMRA for another successful event.

Another website was launched in the village in October. With help from "The Quorndon's" own website Cancer Research UK Loughborough and District Group now has their own website for activities in the area, and useful information.

The earliest pantomime in the area, that was the offering from the Quorn Phoenix Entertainers when they presented Dick Whittington to full houses in the Village Hall at the end of November
The Rawlins Arts and Crafts Festivals have provided very popular over the last years. In addition to an excellent retail therapy opportunity (particularly with Christmas presents in mind), there were adult workshops in various arts and crafts. The children were not forgotten with their own craft workshops, and drop-in centre.

The Quorn Folk Dance Club's final public dance of the year was held on 30th November at Humphrey Perkins School. The caller and band for this night were all local talent, with Jean Bailey doing the calling, and "Bang on the Wall" the lively accompaniment.

While all these special events were going on, life in the village continued with many other organisations working hard for us. The village website, www.quorndon.com completed four years of successful operation and continues to provide facilities for residents and businesses alike.

The Charnwood Forest Oil Action Group has continued to provide information about, and to oppose, the proposal by Technology Investment & Exploration Ltd (TIEL) to explore for oil close to the villages of Quorn, Woodhouse, Swithland & Woodhouse Eaves. The Group has prepared briefing papers and encouraged scientific comment on the possibility of oil being present. During the year, several successful publicity campaigns have been run to raise awareness of the situation in the area. If it all appears to have gone quiet, keep in touch with the Group's activities through the village and "The Quorndon's" websites.

During the year, businesses have come and gone, and it is sad to see that a double fronted shop in Station Road still standing empty after many months. There must be a business somewhere that would love to serve Quorn and the surrounding areas, and "The Quorndon" hopes that it is not long before this shop is properly used.

With this issue "The Quorndon" now enters its 8th year of publication. In the four issues produced this year we have managed to further improve the standard of the magazine, with more colour pages and front covers.

The range of articles has been varied, and we hope interesting. From regular news and events coverage, we have been pleased to include emotionally moving pieces on Alzheimer's Disease, a series on St Barts School through the 20th century (which produced the biggest response of any article), information from the Parish Council, review of places of interest around the area.

The Virtual Reading Club is now well established, and we are pleased to continue this is conjunction with Quorn library.

There are certainly more events in the village that we could have covered, and maybe should have included . But we hope that this colour supplement gives you a flavour of what it was like in Quorn during this special year. In some ways though, you could say that every year is a special year in one way or another, particularly in you live in Quorn .