The Webmaster would like to express his appreciation to all sources of
information, including Burton and South Derbyshire's biggest-selling newspaper and Arnold Burston.VILLAGE GRAPEVINE 2004
|
The Webmaster would like to express his appreciation to all sources of
information, including Burton and South Derbyshire's biggest-selling newspaper and Arnold Burston. |
 After 11 years at the Jinnie Inn in Rolleston, Phil and Dianne Humphries said farewell by inviting St Mary's Church to come and empty the whisky bottle on the bar. The loose change that had accumulated was donated to St Mary's ACCESS project. On his last day at the Jinnie, Phil handed over £50 to the Rector, Ian Whitehead and his wife, Christine, and Jinnie regular Ivor Bailey.
|
| Stretton Theatre and Revue Society (STARS) joined with the Waterside Players to put on an evening of "mirth, music and merriment" in Rolleston Scout
Headquarters on Saturday 13 November, where they entertained a large audience as part of the latest event organised by the Rolleston on Dove Special Events Committee (RODSEC). The show, called "A Bit of a Do II", provided the first opportunity for the two dramatic societies to work together, and they will again co-operate in a show called "Arabian Knights - El Panto" at Waterside School in Stapenhill from 2nd to 5th February.
The evening in Rolleston included sandwiches and cakes for 110 people, supplied by members of RODSEC and friends, and was the first of two fund-raising events to raise money for a free exhibition to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of VE Day next year. The next event will be "An Evening with Oliver Cromwell" on 5 March, and will follow the lines of the previous very popular appearances in the village of Lesley Smith of Tutbury Castle as "Mary, Queen of Scots" and "Gloriana". This will be a "spuds and puds" evening, and there will be a licensed bar selling beer, wine and soft drinks. For further information, contact the Chairman, on 813457. |
| On 11 November, sixty five people gathered at the Lych Gate of St Mary's Church in Rolleston on Dove for the annual Act of Remembrance, led by the Rector, Rev. Ian Whitehead, who read the names of Rolleston men and women who died for their country in the two World Wars. The Royal British Legion Standard Bearer was Joan Chadfield, and the bugler was Michael Marrison. The Kohima epitaph was read by Mrs. Sybil
Limbert.
The carved oak panels on the eastern side of the Lych Gate had recently been replaced by Rolleston Parish Council as part of an ongoing programme of restoration. The Lych Gate was built as a war memorial by public subscription after the Armistice of 1918. Sir Oswald Mosley, the father of the Fascist, made a generous donation, and also gave seasoned oak from his Rolleston estate for its construction. It was completed in time for the first Anniversary of the Armistice on 11 November 1919. |
 Rollestonians were shocked when John Haynes announced the closure of the village Post Office, but were delighted when it was reopened a few days later (13th September) at the other end of Burnside by our popular newsagent, Tom Starbuck. After extensive refurbishment, the new Post Office which forms one end of Starbuck News, offers exactly the same range of services. The Post Office hours will be
Mon – Fri, 9 – 5.30, Saturday 9 – 12.30.
Tom is the son of Patsy and Andy Starbuck, who had already extended the newsagent's business to include a wide and sometimes eclectic range of goods and services. They are also an invaluable source of local information. Tom, who is a keen sportsman, still finds time to play golf and five-a-side football. His wife Becky, a science teacher at the John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood, has developed a talent for producing personalised greeting cards. The picture shows Tom Starbuck (the Post Master) behind the counter of Rolleston's new Post Office. |
One Penny “Mulready” Letter Sheet
| Rolleston on Dove has been donated a valuable and interesting piece of local postal history, for the village archive, by Mr Christopher Rolleston Riding, a philatelist. This is a one penny “Mulready” letter sheet, dated 15th May 1840 and addressed to Mr Atkinson, Gardiner(sic), Rolleston Hall, Burton on Trent. |
| On Thursday 22 July the BBC bus was at Rolleston Club between 10am and 3pm. An opportunity to have a go on the internet and try out other PC and computer skills, and speak on BBC Radio Derby. <News> |
 On Friday 9 July St Mary's Church resounded to the music of four different groups to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Burton's twinning with Lingen, and the 40th anniversary of Rolleston Choral Society. The Lingener Mannerquartett (LMQ) sang a wide range of religious and secular songs in several languages, and Rolleston Choral Society performed a variety of items, including a magnificent rendering of the Allelujah Chorus. The choirs were supported by "Voce" from De Ferrers Specialist Technology College and by "Beyne Upbeat", a jazz band from the Abbot Beyne High School.
After the concert, the Lingen and Rolleston choirs gathered at Rolleston Cricket Club for an informal social evening, during which County Councillor Frank Bather presented a Stafford Knot lapel badge to the LMQ Musical Director, Eric Even (pictured). The LMQ was founded in 1952 as a double quartet of eight voices, but now numbers thirty singers. They have performed all over the world and celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2002 with a four day festival in Lingen at which eight choirs with 450 singers sang to large audiences. On the morning of Saturday 10 July, from 11 am, the Rolleston and Lingen choirs gave informal performances in Burton's three main shopping centres: Burton Place, Cooper's Square and The Octagon. The climax of the festival was at 7pm at Burton Town Hall, with a concert given by Rolleston Choral Society, the Lingener Mannerquartett, the Needwood Singers and the Gresley Male Voice Choir. This was a unique occasion for East Staffordshire, and an event to remember. After their concerts in Rolleston and Burton, they will perform in St Giles Cathedral and the Castle in Edinburgh, and in Glasgow Cathedral. <News> |
 On Saturday 19 June in anticipation of the Day of Traditional English Events to be held in Rolleston on Dove on 3 July, the Trustees of the Almshouses cleared the garden between the Almshouses wall and the Alderbrook and planted over 500 bedding plants. A group of Rollestonians also took part in a general "village cleanup", organised by Parish Clerk Michelle Willetts, concentrating on the Croft and the Alderbrook. Another group concentrated on getting the churchyard to look at its best for the event.
The pump outside the Almshouses will be the site of Rolleston's first well dressing, and on the brook there will be the "Alderbrook Armada", a flotilla of small boats made by John Underhill and sponsored and decorated by village organisations. The picture shows Almshouses Trustee, Tom Martin, weeding the Alderbrook in front of the Almshouses. |
Churches Heed the Prayers of Football Fans (taken from Sunday Telegraph article)
| Churches across Britain are rescheduling their services and even screening live football matches in an attempt to bolster attendances during the month-long Euro 2004 championships. Dozens of churches are planning to embrace the fervour surrounding tonight's (13 June) England v France clash in an attempt to keep up their congregation numbers. Many vicars admit that they have been lobbied by their congregations to ensure that there is no clash between traditional evensong services and the big game.
The Rev Ian Whitehead, the rector of St Mary's Church in Rolleston-on-Dove in Staffordshire, said: "I've been petitioned by the choir to choose the shortest hymns I can and also the shortest psalm. I've chosen Psalm 117 which only has two verses and I will probably make some reference to the England-France game in my sermon. The service runs from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, so it will be a tight rush for the choristers." |
 In an attempt to try and save the former college playing fields at the back of the Westbury site
(Village move to save playing field - Burton Mail article) a special meeting of the parish council, open to the public, was held on 21 April after Rolleston Civic Trust raised fears about the possible future development of up to 260 homes on the land. The Trust stated the Government has already said the field should be protected from housing development and they want to see it reinstated as a sports field for the benefit of the people of Rolleston. Parish council chairman John Morris, said: "Following a vote, we have decided to go and talk to the college principal, Keith Norris. We discussed the pros and cons of what the village would be likely to get if planning permission was granted. The parish council are still very much against the housing development and we always have been, but the public opinion seems to be that there is going to be some sort of housing development and that we should benefit from it in the shape of a Section 106 agreement." Further details can be read in the Burton Mail
(Parish council slammed over field sale
'shame') article and here. <News>
|
Local Student Stars in UCE Advertising Campaign
 Natalie Hinchley, from Rolleston, has been swapping textbooks for photo-shoots and has become one of the faces of the University of Central England (UCE). She has been helping the Birmingham based university with their 2004 advertising campaign, appearing on advertising boards across the city. Natalie, who is in her second year at UCE, is one of several students involved in the campaign. <News>
|
 This picture was taken in Rolleston on 26 March. Can you tell what it
is? <News>
|
 The weather - snow, hail and gale force winds - will certainly make it a day to remember. The picture was taken in Rolleston at about 4.30pm. <News>
|
Rolleston Civic Trust Award 2003
 The latest Rolleston Civic Trust Award was presented to Tom and Sylvia Martin at the Annual General Meeting at the Spread Eagle
by Committee member Heather Taylor, who gave a short account of all the work that they have done for the village over many years. Each year, the Trust makes a presentation to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to village life. This year's award took the form of a watercolour painting of St Mary's Church and the Spread Eagle by local artist Glenys Tunstall. The picture shows Sylvia and Tom Martin receiving their award from Heather Taylor. <News>
|
 Members of Rolleston Civic Trust are continuing their efforts to maintain and improve the woodlands in Brook Hollows. They have been resurfacing muddy paths with wood chips left over from recent work on thinning and pruning the trees. The youngest volunteers were Alex, aged five, and his three-year-old sister Lucy (pictured), who worked hard on filling wheelbarrows, as well as enjoying being given rides by their grandfather, Tom Martin, the former Chairman of the Civic Trust. <News>
|
 A quiet Saturday morning (13 March) was disturbed
by the sirens from three fire engines racing to the rescue of a lady in
distress. Whilst the Rolleston householder was comforted by a lady firefighter
the crews swung into action and soon had the situation under control. They were
out again, two days later, to a roof fire in the village, spending more
than three hours fighting the flames. <News>
|
Christmas Quiz 2003 Winner Announced
Congratulations go to Mr N. Kelly who won with a score of 99pts. Brendan Walsh was second on 98pts. Tied for third on 97pts were B.D. Hunt, Roger Brown, Dr M. Staley and the Bush family (one point better than last year!). The results along with all the answers can be found in the Spring issue of the Rollestonian and in church. <News>
 On
Saturday 31 January one hundred and forty people turned out on a very wet
evening to listen to a 'lively' talk by Elizabeth I. This joint event organised by RODSEC and Rolleston on Dove
WI also included
a wonderful supper of soups and puddings after
the talk. Read more here.
|
The Rolleston Gallery Group had a very successful exhibition at the Hatton Jubilee Hall on Saturday 10th and 11th of January. Over a hundred paintings were on display during the weekend as well as cards and prints. They would like to thank the many people who came and supported them. The proceeds from refreshments enabled a substantial donation to be made to the Tutbury branch of the Macmillan Charity. <News>
On 10 January, following an excellent lunch at the Albion, a group of thirty or so Rolleston WI members and friends set off for a guided tour of this historic building. We were given a very warm welcome by the owner Kate Newton, her four big dogs, cats and assorted livestock. Read more here. <News>
Return to Home Page or Main Grapevine Index
© This site was created by Richard Bush
Last updated: 19 December 2004