SOUTH KILWORTH NEWS

July 2011 No. 410

DIARY

ADVANCE NOTICE Saturday 3

rd September Kilworth Family Challenge North Kilworth Sports Club

Friday 16th

& Saturday 17th

September

“Fawlty Towers” Village Hall

Saturday 8th

October 10 year Village Hall Celebrations Village Hall

Saturday 5th

November Bonfire Night Village Hall / Playing Field

Saturday 19th

November Safari Supper

Saturday 3rd

December Church Bazaar Village Hall

Saturday 17th

December Children’s Party Village Hall

The South Kilworth News is edited by Ann Saunders

Please send copy for the August edition by 23rd

July to

Ann Saunders Smithy House, Welford Road Tel: 575 338 Email: am.saunders@virgin.net

The South Kilworth News is printed by Colin Olle. Advertising enquiries to

Colin Olle Croft Acre, The Belt Tel: 575 791 Email: colin.olle@tiscali.co.uk

VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS

Contact Michael Murphy on 01788 861877 or 0777 6065385

Fri 1st 19.00 First Friday, White Hart

Mon 4th

18.30 – 20.00 Football, Village Hall / Playing Field

19.00 Parish Council Meeting, Village Hall

Tue 5th

10.00 MaMites, Village Hall

19.00 LPG & Oil Meeting, Village Hall

19.30 Fawlty Towers Rehearsal, Village Hall

Wed 6th

19.30 Zumba, Village Hall

Fri 8th

20.00 Kilworth Korks, The White Hart

Sat 9th

14.30 – 16.30 Tea and Tat, Holyoakes North Road

Sun 10th

09.45 Family Service, St Nicholas Church

Mon 11th

18.30 – 20.00 Football, Village Hall / Playing Field

19.30 Fawlty Towers Rehearsal, Village Hall

Tue 12th

09.30 Weekday Holy Communion, St Nicholas Church

10.00 MaMites, Village Hall

Wed 13th

Mobile Library (School 12.00, Leys Crescent 12.30, North Road 12.50)

19.30 Zumba, Village Hall

Sun 17th

09.45 Trinity 4, Holy Communion, St Nicholas Church

Mon 18th

19.30 Fawlty Towers Rehearsal, Village Hall

Tue 19th

10.00 MaMites, Village Hall

19.30 WI, Village Hall

Wed 20th

19.30 Zumba, Village Hall

Sun 24th

10.30 Trinity 5, Avon Swift Holy Communion, Catthorpe

Tue 26th

10.00 Marmites, Village Hall

Wed 27th

Mobile Library (School 12.00, Leys Crescent 12.30, North Road 12.50)

19.30 Zumba, Village Hall

CLERGY TEAM LETTER

Change? No fear!

Sunday 3rd July is St Thomas Day. Famous for doubting, he is cruelly misrepresented if we only hear that

one story. He inspires us to courage, to questioning, and to faith.

Thomas was all for going with Jesus to the house of Lazarus after Lazarus' death - the others were afraid

that they and Jesus would be stoned by the Jews. (John 11 v7-11) He asked 'Where?' after Jesus said he

was leaving them, and that they knew the way to the place he was going. (John 14 1-6) He inspires us to

admit our lack of proper understanding, and encourages us to ask questions that will help us resolve it-

even at the risk of appearing silly or foolish.

And famously, he doubted. Having heard from the other disciples of Jesus' resurrection, Thomas, hoping

against hope for this to be so, held back until he saw for himself. Then, he was first to recognise Jesus as

Messiah -'My Lord and my God.' (John 20 24-29)

He grew in faith and understanding as he walked with Jesus, and he was a certainly changed man after his

meeting with the risen Christ. As many people are.

Change is something we sometimes seek. We know therapeutic value of a holiday! But we're naturally

wary of changes to deeply familiar things. Rightly so - we need to ponder and reflect carefully about

them. But it is easy to become so familiar with something that we don't see other possibilities, chances to

expand or improve. It's easier to leave things as they are...

I'd like to quote a Prison Governor, who left this thought behind when she moved on: '... it's important to

me that you don't stop believing in what you do, remember how good you are and don't be afraid of

change, as often it's change that takes you where you need to be.'

The Diocese is currently discussing changes in church structure - it's called 2020 Vision. We already have

teams of ministers across groups of Churches, but we need to share more resources in order to maintain

an active church ministry in every community.

Any change shouldn't mean that we lose our individual identity as Churches or Parishes - just that we

open up a bit, and meet others on the same journey, as Thomas did when he went with Jesus in spite of

the known risk.

We can't be certain what the outcome will be, but we shouldn't be afraid to look at change. Thomas was

wary - questioned and was cautious as he went along with the idea. We should go prayerfully, not fearing

change, but seeing where it takes us.

It doesn't mean we'll be changed out of all recognition. We must keep what is good and valuable, and

share it. Maybe we will change others!

Like Thomas, we must keep questioning, keep taking calculated risks - and remember how good we are

together! Let's keep on believing in what we do - in what God does.

In faith, Jane Kennedy

All enquiries regarding Church matters should be directed to:-

The Revd. Emma Davies, The Vicarage, 5 Church Lane, Gilmorton, Telephone:-01455 556 573

The Revd Jane Kennedy, 17 Cromwell Close, Walcote, Lutterworth, Telephone: 01455 554 065

CHURCH NEWS

In a few days work will begin on the installation of toilet and food servery facilities in our church and

running water provided. This will be welcomed not only by our congregation but also by those who so

kindly provide refreshments, tend our flowers and clean the church. Water carrying will no longer be

necessary! The project is expected to take about eight weeks.

A replacement for Cannon Ken Baker, who retired in January, is being sought. Following an

advertisement on the Diocesan website, a short list of respondents will be selected for interview in July.

More information when available.

Sam Lloyd – Churchwarden

‘Crossing the Threshold’ at Launde Abbey and St Martins House Events were recently held to celebrate the refurbishment of our diocesan retreat house, Launde Abbey,

and the opening of St Martins House, the diocesan offices and community space next to the Cathedral in

Leicester. The ‘Crossing the Threshold’ events gave all who came a chance to find out about these two

places which are there for all of us in the diocese and beyond. Do look at www.leicester.anglican.org or

ask Revd Emma or Revd Jane for more information. The weather challenged those at Launde (we have

been praying for rain!) but smiled on the barbeque at St Martins. Here are the thoughts of a few members

of our parishes in Avon Swift who attended the events.

Lavinia Moyes of Gilmorton Church writes: On a wet Bank Holiday Monday Ann and Frank Cooper, Andy and myself packed the car with garden

chairs and a picnic to visit Launde Abbey to see the refurbishments. We arrived in the rain, paid £5

parking and were given a list of events for the day. We decided to visit the house first, a beautiful place.

Flower arrangements by local churches were lovely. Within the house the bedrooms were all nicely

furnished including an en-suite. Lovely views from the windows and no televisions - just the place for

peace and reflection.

We decided to go and hear John Bell from the Iona Community speak. The marquee was packed with no

chairs available so we stood at the back. He arrived in a pink jacket (not what I expected at all). He spoke

for half an hour but it went very quickly. The big sing in the main marquee was next, Pam Rhodes was

there for Songs of Praise, it is to be televised on the 26th

June, but I imagine a lot of cutting and editing

will be needed.

Back to the car, the picnic eaten inside and washed down with elderflower cordial all provided by Frank.

Raincoats and umbrellas up we ventured out to look at the stalls, everything from plants, tombola and

much reduced cup-cakes. The final event, a church service in the big marquee, but by this time, wet and

cold we decided to call it a day.

Richard and Ann Keane of Kimcote Church write:

Having been to the Launde Abbey day of celebration we welcomed the chance to further witness

‘Crossing the Threshold’ by going to the opening of St Martins House.

The cathedral festive service was impressive and well constructed, but quite long, though the sense of an

important celebratory occasion was underlined by some fine organ music. The choir premiered Karl

Jenkins’s ‘The Spirit of the Lord’ which was moving. A lot of thought went into making sure all the

congregation had good visual contact with the proceedings. The flat screens enabled us to see the

ceremony outside St Martins House during the Bishop‘s dedication, as well as being fully involved with

the service inside. The Bishop of Trichy Tanjore, from one of the diocese partners in South India, took

part as he did at Launde Abbey and to underline the diverse community in and around Leicester prayers

were said in a variety of languages. We learnt about St Martin of Tours through an actor, who later

appeared outside the cathedral dressed as a bishop with his horse re-enacting his mission to the world.

After the service we stepped out into a carnival atmosphere to the sound of a jazz band. We were made

very welcome with food and drink outside St Martins House and felt part of a wonderful celebration.

Coming from our Church of All Saints at Kimcote, a small community within a large diocese, it was

refreshing and encouraging to learn about all the Christian work happening in the city of Leicester.

Looking around St Martins we were able to get a sense of its mission of outreach encompassing many

activities and all faiths. We were impressed with St Martins’ light and welcoming atmosphere.

Earlier in the service students from Leicester College presented the Bishop with a large cake to be

enjoyed at the party afterwards. We helped ourselves to a piece on the way out. It was every bit as good

as it looked!

LUNCHEON CLUB The May luncheon was held on the 19th in the Village Hall. Eighteen of us enjoyed another of Eileen

Burd’s special contributions. The main course was a delicious chicken pie served with mashed potatoes

and peas. Once again second helpings were enjoyed. The dessert was a rhubarb and custard tart served

with ice-cream and cream. All participating expressed their enjoyment.

On Thursday 23rd

June sixteen of us partook of yet another special meal. The main course was again a

chicken pie served with mixed vegetables and new potatoes. The highlight was the dessert – a sumptuous

trifle made by Eileen Burd. The liberal cream topping was decorated with halved grapes and new seasons

Mount Pleasant raspberries. Many Ooohs! and Aahs! and clean plates denoted the appreciation of the

trifle.

Again, many thanks to the ladies who look after us with such devotion and happiness.

David Burd

The 2011 Kilworth Challenge – Another Triumph Yet another fantastic event ….. and one that was highly appropriate for the 21

st year of the Challenge. It

raised one of the highest amount of sponsorship ever at 85019.24 and took the running total to nearly

950000 over the full life of the Challenge. A truly amazing total. It was also a triumph for North Kilworth

and other local teams over those from farther afield.

This year the event was won by `The Horny Bar Studs VI`, led by John Fish with Matt Soulsby, James

York and Will Swaithest. John spent most of his school years in North Kilworth and his team the `Horny

Bar Studs` has been winners in the past. Second was a team from North Kilworth, the `Eager Belvoirs II`

with Aiden Ellis, Norman Byrd, Tim Grossey and Phil Cooper, and third `The Go Go Squad` involved

more North Kilworthonians with Nick Coles, Tom Gregson, Ed Chilton and Andy Kellet.

The winning female team was `4 Non Blondes` from Market Harborough comprising Lorna, Caroline and

Jennifer Paris with Charlotte Armstrong. Mixed team winners was `3 Locals and a Foreigner` with Laura

and Mike Bent and Polly and Huw Ross. Polly was also the fastest female yomper. Tim Cullinan won the

fastest male yomper title. The over 40s category was won by a long standing team in the competition `The

Kilworth Lions` with Neil Foster, John Linnell, Adam Herring and Stefan Green.

The team that raised the greatest amount of sponsorship was `Running on Carling` with Simon Jones,

Stuart Conopo, Ben Hurst and Jason Wright, all very local to North Kilworth. Their efforts spread almost

over the whole year raised a splendid 6282.24.

All 45 teams competed over the weekend doing nigh on 30 challenges in the surrounding countryside

walking and running about 25 miles. As usual the challenges covered physical ones, puzzles an---d those

that were just plain fun but all with a serious competitive edge. They featured the `Tarzan` course (twice)

and swinging through the trees, raft building, canoeing, word and number puzzles, building a da Vinci

bridge, egg throwing, and using a ducking stool to collect water plus sprinting over a cross country

course. The biggest challenge as per usual was to see how much funding they could raise.

The bulk of this year’s sponsorship will go to Dukes Barn in Derbyshire and to the Leicestershire Clubs

for Young People, but also to many other local charities and good causes in the Market Harborough area.

We feel that Dukes Barn epitomizes what the Challenge is all about ……… it provides facilities that

allow handicapped and disadvantaged kids to experience the thrill of doing all sorts of outdoor pursuits

that are normally not open to them. A recent visit allowed us to see what has been provided by the

Challenge over the years and included support to build an obstacle course that can cope with people in

wheelchairs, specially fitted canoes, and an all weather sports arena for tennis, basketball and other ball

games. As ever we continue to be really impressed by the dedication of the staff there and the welcome

and appreciation that they have for the efforts of the Challenge. This year financing will be made

available for a replacement of their mini-bus ……. this is coming to the end of its life and is essential to

ferrying people the kids around.

We, the organizers (Colin Clarke, Paul Whitehead, Mike Lawrence, Bruce Phillips, Nick Otter, Duncan

Moss, Mick Faulkner, Chris Mitchell and Manfred Morris), would like to express our appreciation to

everyone that took part, the Sports Club, the marshals, landowners, and the sponsors that helped in

ensuring such a successful event. We look forward (hopefully) to hitting the million mark in 2012. That

will be a truly memorable achievement and will merit some serious celebration. Please help us to get

there.

Nick Otter

OIL & GAS PRICE UPDATE – GOOD NEWS! LPG Thank you to those who came along to the LPG meeting on 2nd June – we even had representation from

North Kilworth, which is great news for our buying power!

No final decision was made on the night, as the attendees had some questions for the suppliers, but they

have now been answered and the end result will be communicated at a second and FINAL DECISION

MEETING on

TUESDAY 5th JULY, at 7pm,

at South Kilworth Village Hall

to decide which supplier gets your business.

IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO GET INVOLVED! If anybody is unable to attend but would like to get involved, please let me know as soon as you can.

Once again, this is not a profit-making venture, just a group of villagers who want to get together to get

a better LPG deal.

Email me and let me know you’re interested on sarah@360degreebusinesssolutions.com

OIL This is advance notice that I shall be picking up the oil ‘baton’ in August.

The plan is to co-ordinate the bulk-buying of deliveries at set points in the year, with the hope that we can

beat the YOBCO prices. Many of you have already expressed an interest in doing this and a huge thank

you to the person who has offered to help me with this one.

Watch out for August’s issue for more details, but please bear in mind what we have planned before you

fill up your tank and feel free to get in touch now to let me know you’re interested in an oil deal.

Thanks for your continued support.

Sarah Langeveld Email: sarah@360degreebusinesssolutions.com / Tel: 575227

ANY NEWS OF CHUCKY ? Suzanne, Jon, Max and Zak Taylor have been missing their cat Chucky since the weekend of the 11th

June. On the Sunday it rained all day, could we please ask people to check their garages, sheds and out

building it is not like him to wander. He is 12 years old, short haired, mostly Tabby from his tummy to his

tail, then white on his chest with a Tabby face. Could you please contact us on 07889449180 even if it is

bad news. It is the not knowing what has happened to him that is the worst feeling. Thank you for your

help.

NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL We have now entered the final few weeks of the school year and much is going on. We are very pleased

with our woodland walk along the bank and look forward to developing it further in the coming weeks.

We also have a new wildlife pond with a dipping platform. Our new garden has been very successful and

we are busy harvesting our produce.

Reception and Key Stage 1 have had a wonderful visit to a private wood at Ulverscroft Manor where they

climbed trees, made shelters, studied birds and hunted for minibeasts.

By the time you read this the Key Stage 2 annual ramble will have taken place and the older children will

have been camping on our school field, a much anticipated event.

On July 5th we will be celebrating 200 years of Church schools with a service at Church where we will

receive a carving that is being passed from church school to church school to mark the event. You are

very welcome to join us at the event which will be at 9.15am and then back at school for refreshments.

Angela Dewes Headteacher

EATING AT THE WHITE HART Last night, 20

th June, four of us paid a visit to the White Hart for dinner. It was extremely good - all four

of us enjoyed our meal thoroughly. Would recommend a visit! We have a local pub with very good food

- we need to make use of it! Mary Guppy

WHISKY APPRECIATION SOCIETY OF SOUTH KILWORTH It was with great anticipation that the Society met for the 3

rd time.

It was most encouraging to see our 7 founder members in attendance. In order to replenish our dwindling

stocks, David Burd came armed with an excellent 21 year old offering from Orkney following a recent

expedition North of Hadrian’s Wall. Two new members, David Hinchley and Graham Clarkson were

inducted into the Society following the usual procedures and approval of their offerings of a fine 12y.o.

Old Pulteney and a noble 10y.o. Glenfarclas.

Members found it truly humbling to be able to give something back to the community by allowing 2 local

non-whisky drinkers to be in attendance (Simon Vincent and Tim Holmes). We hope they took

something out of the experience and learnt from it.

To the delight of the more serious minded members of the Society we managed to establish our raison

d’être ‘ The desire to achieve an intellectual appreciation of Single Malt Whisky’. All members agreed to

give this their best effort at all times, notwithstanding the risk of personal injury.

Highlights of the evening included an impromptu presentation by David Burd of ‘This is my Life’, and

calculations concerning the curvature of the earth and its implications for Wind Farm Watchers, by new

member David Hinchley, whether there was a grain of truth in it we are not sure?

The Society did not stop at agreeing its purpose in life; we also agreed our first action. We propose to

organise a Burns Night Supper in the Village Hall towards the end of January 2012, to which all will be

welcome. We will publish further details in a future issue of the SK News.

The group is happy to welcome new members who enjoy a tipple and can provide a bottle of single malt

on arrival. The venue and time of the next meeting will be confirmed in the next SK News.

Until next time.......

Matt Rogers

ART CLUB There are no meetings in July and August.

The South Kilworth Art Club meetings will recommence on Thursday 1st September at the Village Hall

at 7pm.

New members will be welcome.

Contact Stephen Agar 01858 575520.

ZUMBA AT THE VILLAGE HALL A Zumba Class is coming to South Kilworth Village Hall,

Every Wednesday as of 6th July 7.30-8.30pm

Burn fat the fun way, in this easy to follow exercise/dance class

£3.50pp Any Enquiries call Nikki 07896688118.

TEA & TAT ON THE LAWN AT HOLYOAKE

Saturday 9TH

July (weather permitting) 2.30 – 4.30pm

In aid of the Menphys Nursery at Hinckley.

“Caring for local children and young people with disabilities…supporting the family.”

As many of you will know our little Mollie is very Special and has been attending the Menphys nursery

for sometime. Apart from their fantastic help in encouraging Mollie they provide transport to and from

the Nursery every time she goes.

Mollie is due to start “big school” in September and will move up to the Dorothy Goodman School, also

in Hinckley. We would like, therefore, to thank Menphys and help them to continue their work by

making a donation to their funds – so we hope you will come along and have a cup of tea and cake with

us and see if there’s anything you fancy on our TAT (This And That) table.

Nicky & Tina Mathias.

MONDAY NIGHT SPORT This will close on Monday 11

th July for the summer and re-start on Monday 5

th September.

We are still a set of goals short, but while it is known who caused the damage – either by a deliberate act

or by accident – it has been a pity that no-one has come to apologise.

During August there could be one or two sessions arranged if sufficient numbers are available.

Michael Murphy

“THE KILWORTH KORKS” On Wednesday the 15

th of June, the “Kilworth Korks” were formed. This was a very good meeting with

seventeen attending and eighteen apologies/expressions of interest. However it is not too late to be

involved if you wish at any time throughout the year. Just contact Claire Hubbard who is coordinating

membership.

As predicted this was a very lively meeting with lots of discussion and debate, particularly over the name

of the group. There was a brilliant presentation from the Swinford Skirts representatives and we would

like to thank them very much for their invaluable input.

It was unanimously agreed that no one person would organize all the events, however a planning meeting

would be held in January to discuss and agree the follow year of events.

Please look out for the date of the January meeting, so you can be involved and share your ideas and

thoughts.

We start in earnest in September with events planned until the end of the year, but have planned to meet

at the White Hart in July and August to cover the holiday period and give everybody the opportunity to

meet and mix with new friends.

September through to December events have also been planned and are detailed below,

Kilworth Korks High Level Plans for 2011 Month Date Event

July Friday 8 July Pub meal at the White Hart Pub from 8.00pm

August Friday 12 Aug Pub meal at the White Hart Pub from 8.00pm

Sept Week

commencing

5 Sept (date

tbc)

Boat trip & picnic at Foxton Locks

Oct Thursday 6

Oct

Bring your dancing shoes to the village hall!

Nov Wednesday 2

Nov

Theatre Trip to see Calendar Girls (Ticket price approx. £25 -

£30)

Dec Provisionally

Friday 9 Dec

Christmas Gathering

Jan

2012

Friday 13 Jan All Kilworth Korks to get together for 2012 planning meeting

(venue tbc)

The Kilworth Korks will use the SK news to keep everybody posted on the high level plans for the

coming months. However, the organiser of each event will need to e-mail out details of each months

event (venue, price, date, travel arrangements etc) so that you can decide if you would like to be involved

in that particular activity. For this reason (if you haven’t already done so) can you please e-mail Claire

Hubbard with your e-mail address by 15 July. (Email to chris_hubbard8@yahoo.com). E-mail addresses

will only be shared amongst other Kilworth Kork members. For those people without an e-mail address

please give your name and address to Claire so that the e-mails can be posted to you instead. (Claire

Hubbard, Little Acorns, North Road, South Kilworth).

To finish can I thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm and here’s to many fun packed years.

Eileen Burd

W.I. MEETING The July meeting on Tuesday the 19

th at 7.30pm is an open meeting to which all (including men) are

invited.

James Perowne will be giving a talk on “Peacetime Submarine Accidents”

THE KILWORTH FAMILY CHALLENGE 2011

Saturday 3rd

September 2011

The 2011 Kilworth Family Challenge will be held on Saturday 3

rd

September 2011. It will start at 0930 and finish at around 1530 and be

followed by a BBQ. It will be based at the North Kilworth Sports Club where it will start/finish and

involve doing various challenges in the local immediate area. There will be medals, prizes and trophies up

for grabs.

We are looking for 12 teams to enter. Cost of entry is 25 pounds/team. A team should comprise at least

one supervisory adult with a maximum of 6 children in the age range of 5 to 16.

lease register your interest or seek additional information from thekilworthchallenge@hotmail.co.uk or

ring 01858 880632.

SOUTH KILWORTH BIRDS – JUNE 2011 Did you drive through the village on the afternoon of the 4

th June and wonder what all of those people

were doing with long lenses, peering into gardens? Here’s the reason.................

Saturday morning the 4th June dawned and an extensive job list lie ahead mostly focused on the garden.

At around 10.30am I returned to the house just as the home phone rang. It was Ian Peron calling to say

that he had seen a hoopoe whilst out running somewhere near to the small copse on the corner of Dog

Lane. Unfortunately he thought it had probably flown into one of the large gardens along this road or may

have gone further afield.

I immediately ditched all plans and raced up to the area. As I arrived Lucy Eperon was also looking for

the bird and she informed me that their daughter had also seen the hoopoe earlier in the day somewhere

near the playing fields behind the village hall. All of a sudden the task of re-finding this bird had become

more challenging given its wide range (and bearing in mind the number of hidden gardens in between

these locations). Two hours later there was still no sign. At this point I contacted a fellow birder who

joined me in the search. At around 2pm I returned to gardening duties contemplating what could have

been.

However, my focus was not on cutting lawns but on the fact that a hoopoe (around 15 records in

Leicestershire since 1940) was probably still somewhere in my village and I hadn't seen it!!

I therefore ditched the lawnmower and set off on my bike with my binoculars to give it one more go.

Having searched the immediate area around Dog Lane I set off to go down the Belt. Hoopoes are

renowned for loving fields and manicured lawns and thought this might be a good area. There was even a

chance that the bird had re-located to the golf club.

However, for whatever reason (call it birders instinct if you like) I had a change of plan and decided to

head to the village green to check there and around the school. As I cycled down towards the green the

hoopoe flew across in front of me being mobbed by a blackbird. Having rapidly dismounted from my

bike I was now watching a hoopoe in South Kilworth - a very rare bird for Leicestershire that a lot of the

top county birders would definitely want to see.

It was now feeding on the lawn outside Langton House so I ran back up the road to alert the Scott family

who I knew were keen to see it. I then put the news out via the Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological

Society Twitter service (a very reliable way of getting information on rare county birds out to the masses)

and called Neil Hagley who had helped me search for the bird earlier.

The bird continued to show on and off the next 3-4 hours initially working its way down the roadside

verge and then into paddocks and fields just beyond the school. Later in the day it put an appearance in

around the church.

A number of county birders as well as interested villagers were able to see the bird really well. As I

mentioned earlier this is the 16th record since 1940. More significantly was the fact that the bird was the

first that a number of birders had managed to get to see. This is largely down to the fact that hoopoes have

a tendency of turning up in private gardens or being seen and photographed by people who don't identify

it until after the bird has gone (one had been photographed in Whitwick the week before but no

birdwatchers had seen it). This is somewhat surprising when you actually see the photographs of the bird

(colour version on the SK website -thanks to Richard Bayldon for letting us include this). They are very

distinctive when seen well and could probably only be confused with a jay.

Thanks to Ian Eperon for alerting me in the first place

and to Mr and Mrs Tebbutt for letting us view the bird

from their garden after I had initially re-found it.

In birding terms a great day and one that I will not

forget in a hurry!

Next month – a morning spent with the Stanford

Ringing Group and an update on latest sightings.

Chris Hubbard

EDITORIAL Only heard about the Hoopoo on the Saturday evening so it’s good to see what it looked like. Frankie

Scott sent me a photograph but unfortunately it will not reproduce well enough to include here; however

Chris Hubbard emailed me that these have been sent to Emily to upload to the South Kilworth web site

www.southkilworth.co.uk . I cannot find them there yet but the site is being restructured and that should

be complete by the end of the month. Also, my broadband connection is so slow at the moment that I lose

the will to keep looking for things.

Talking of broadband connections, I assume it was all of South Kilworth which was so badly affected last

Sunday and Monday? I spent three hours on Monday morning trying to get some sense from Virgin and

various neighbours were doing the same with their service providers. Needless to say, a vast amount of

frustration was experienced by all and we still don’t know the truth of it. One suggestion is that work was

being done at the Welford exchange and that bandwidths had been reduced so far that no data could be

transferred. Look forward to the parish council / Jessica Williams’ article on broadband availability which

may spread some light on this.

I am also looking forward to the Kilworth Korks activities. Doing fun activities whilst getting to know

fellow female villagers better seems like a good way to spend an evening. Unfortunately I am already

busy for the first two meetings but will try to do better from September. I’ve got a few ideas for the

January meeting too. Well done to Eileen Burd for spurring us all into doing something.

From the talk at Eileen’s at the Kilworth Korks inaugural meeting quite a few people are planning on

Zumba’ing on a Wednesday night (starting on the 6th

July). I wonder if this will also be a female only

event? I go to a Zumba class in Market Harborough where some men regularly come along, but maybe

the men of South Kilworth are not so brave? Although I expect some will be brazen enough to say that

they would go but for the need for them to stay at home to look after the children.

I am not brazen enough to ramble on for another half a page to fill the spare space in this months SK

News so will fill the space with some puzzles. I’m sure you will manage them but the solutions are at the

end of the parish minutes if needed.

Ann Saunders

THE WORM IN THE MANUSCRIPT A ten-volume manuscript is stored in the correct order on a library shelf. Each volume is 4.5cm thick,

including two covers, each 0.5cm thick. A worm starting on page 1 volume 1, eats its way in a straight

line through the complete set and finishes on the last page of the last volume.

What distance does it travel in the course of its journey ?

CANDLES Friar Luke is the steward of the abbey. Very economical, he recycles the stubs of used candles to make

new ones. He is capable of reconstituting a candle from three candle stubs which he melts together. How

many candles can he make from the nine candle stubs which he has recovered this morning from the

abbey’s chapel ?

TWO BROTHERS Peter and John are two brothers. They want to find out which of them is the better horseman, but they

only have one horse.

To test themselves they decide to make a circuit of the town’s defensive wall, which comprises twenty-

four towers placed equidistantly from one another.

Peter rides the horse to begin with, from the first to the twelfth tower, while John, sitting behind him,

times him with the help of an hourglass.

Next from the twelfth tower to the twenty-fourth tower, it is John who holds the reins, with Peter behind

him as timekeeper.

Peter wins easily. Could this result have been predicted from the start ?