SING-A-LONG AT WI PARTY

Scunthorpe Telegraph Wednesday 31st October 2007

More than 30 members and their guests gathered in the village hall to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the formation of Winteringham Women's Institute.

President Christine Wood welcomed members past and present and two ladies from Humberside Federation.The ladies gathered together for photographs and to sing Jerusalem.

The birthday cake had been baked by Margaret Burton and decorated by Paul Cook.

The president invited Peggy Bell, one of the WI's longest-serving members to cut the cake.

The dinner, cooked and served by Steve Lock and his team, was enjoyed by the ladies and, while they finished off their glasses of wine, each lady received a small birthday gift.

The president then introduced Judith Hibbert, an international soprano and comedienne. Judith took the ladies on a musical journey where she not only sung the songs of Stanley Holloway, Gracie Fields and other entertainers, but acted out the songs.

The ladies particularly enjoyed her renditions of Stanley Holloway's monologue Tuppence a Trip and Joyce Grenville's Stately as a Galleon.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and Judith closed with Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye.

The vote of thanks was given by Christine Hammond.
 

Robert Thompson swaps Michelin-starred kitchens in transfer to Cliveden

CatererSearch Thursday 11th October 2007

Robert Thompson, head chef at Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields, is to leave the Lincolnshire restaurant to join Waldo's, the fine-dining restaurant at the Cliveden hotel in Berkshire.

He will take over as head chef at the restaurant, which also holds a star, at the beginning of November after six years at Winteringham.

Thompson, 25, was a protégé of Winteringham's former chef-proprietor Germain Schwab and is regarded as one of the UK's most talented young chefs. Schwab and his wife, Annie, retired in 2005, selling their business to chef-restaurateur Colin McGurran.

McGurran said he was "fully supportive" of Thompson's move. "I wasn't shocked when he told me, because he's been offered so many jobs in the past year, and we could only hold him for so long," he said.

Thompson, who will be replaced by French chef Pierre Gay, takes over at Waldo's from Daniel Galmiche, who left Cliveden at the end of September after four years as executive head chef.

A spokeswoman for Cliveden confirmed that Thompson would have responsibility for Waldo's rather than the entire food operation at the Von Essen-owned hotel. "We were very sorry to lose Daniel, but Robbie is a very exciting young chef and we want him to be the face of Cliveden's fine-dining," she said. "We're all looking forward to working with him."

Galmiche has been linked with the head chef role at the Clermont Club in London's Mayfair.

By Joanna Wood

JOINING TREASURE HUNT

Scunthorpe Telegraph Wednesday 10th October 2007

Metal detectorists in North Lincolnshire have dug up a treasure trove of ancient coins and artefacts.

Members of Scunthorpe Metal Detecting Society were hunting for treasure in Roxby fields at the weekend and amassed a spectacular horde.

The most exciting find of the day was an Edward the Confessor penny.



And the woman who discovered it, but who did not want to be named, said: "It was a real thrill to find it. I also found a nice buckle, but I am not sure if it is Roman or not."

Jean Jacobs (62), of School Road, Winteringham, had discovered a sword hanger for a belt she estimated was between 500 or 600 years old, as well as a Roman coin.

She said: "I got involved in metal detecting because of the anticipation of finding something."

Society chairman Ken Jacobs (60), of School Road, Winteringham, said the group numbered around 45 members who get together every month to share their finds.

Mr Jacobs said: "The kit you need for metal detecting is pretty simple, just a metal detector and a small shovel.

"The detectors work very much like the submarine sonars you see on films. They send out a signal and if it hits something metallic, it beeps.

"Iron creates a crackly beep, whereas non-ferrous objects give a clear, sharp tone.

"The best conditions for searching are on a settled field in slightly damp weather - moisture in the air aids conductivity, making metals easier to find."

North Lincolnshire is rich in history as it is heavily Romanised, said Mr Jacobs.

There is a medieval village at Low Risby which is currently being excavated, as well as three Roman villas around Kirton in Lindsey.

In addition, an archaeological dig is underway at Tong's Farm in Wrawby, where society members have found several 'grots' - collections of bronze coins so called because they look quite grotty.

Everything of interest which is found is recorded by Lisa Staves at Scunthorpe Museum as part of the portable antiquities scheme and photographs are published online.

The society is on the lookout for landowners willing to allow them to search their land.

In return, landowners receive 50 per cent of the value of treasure found. The society also donates a proportion of its subscription fees to a charity of the landowner's choice.

The society meets at the Flixborough Inn, at 7.30pm, on every second Monday of the month.


METAL DETECTING 'NAILED' BY REPORTER

Scunthorpe Telegraph Wednesday 10th October 2007

Scunthorpe Telegraph reporter Jennifer McKiernan was handed a metal detector for the first time and asked to try it out. Here are her thoughts:

The idea of finding buried treasure has fascinated me since I dug up an Aladdin's lamp on a French beach as a child, so I jumped at the chance to try my hand at metal detecting.Jean Jacobs kindly lent me her detector, which was a bit like a sweeping brush and is handled similarly.

We walked on to the field and I started swishing the detector side-to-side, listening out for beeps which would alert me to hidden gold coins.

I honestly could not believe my ears when, after less than a minute of searching, the detector gave off a loud beep. My heart pumping, Jean told me to keep moving the detector over the ground so we could pinpoint the location of the object.

As we narrowed it down, we crouched down to sift the earth over the detector and find the mystery metal.

Eventually we unearthed my discovery - to my great excitement I had found a rusty iron nail. Jean said it could be Roman, but I think she was just being kind, as the rest of the group congratulated me on clearing the field for them to find more exciting things.

Even though it is just a blob of orange metal, I am proud of my first find, and have every intention of going out again in future to see if I can find real treasure.