North Somercotes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Somercotes is a large coastal village with a population of approximately 1800 people, located in the Marshes area of Lincolnshire, England.
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[edit] General
The village's name means "North Summer Grazing Area" as only in Summer would it be dry enough for sheep and cattle to be able to graze in this area. It is located midway between the towns of Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes, and is the home of two public houses, (the Axe and Cleaver and the Bay Horse) two convenience stores, (Spar and H's Costcutter supermarket) a number of take-away establishments (a Chinese take-away and a Turkish kebab takeaway, also serving fish and chips), a restaurant (The Travellers' Joy) and a tile shop. There is a youth club for 12 to 17 year olds, which meets in the village hall twice a week. There are two schools, North Somercotes Primary and The Birkbeck School. The Primary School is one of the oldest primary schools in the entire East Midlands region, dating back to 1691.
[edit] Traditions
North Somercotes was famous throughout the county of Lincolnshire for its village carnival in which brightly decorated floats with both children and adults dressing up wound the streets of the village once a year, usually in mid July. A young teenage village beauty was traditionally chosen to be the Rose Princess and a much younger girl was chosen to be the Princess's attendant. The Princess was crowned during the event. The last of these carnivals took place in 2000. All events were banned the following year, due the efforst by Lincolnshire County Council to keep the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis out of the county and the event has not taken place since.
However, one surviving tradition for which North Somercotes is well known is that of its Pancake Races, which takes place annually on Shrove Tuesday at the Birkbeck School and Community Arts College. There are races for different age groups and the winner of the adult race has their name inscribed on the trophy. The present adult champion is the former Headteacher of the Birkbeck School, Mr Gary Loveridge. The present children's champion is 10 year old Ben Wells.
[edit] Royal Air Force
North Somercotes is home to the RAF Donna Nook. The beach at Donna Nook is used by the RAF for target practice and bombing is carried out at limited times during the week and outside the main seal breeding season of November and December.
[edit] Lakeside Lido
There is a caravan park known as Lakeside Lido on the edge of the village, with both static caravans and room for touring caravaners, many of whom travel to the village from Sheffield and other parts of South Yorkshire, as well as the nearby larger town of Grimsby. The camp comprises a large lake, suitable for fishing, tennis courts, a swimming pool a bar, a fish'n'chip shop and woods with public footpaths. Local residents may also the park's facilities for a small charge.
[edit] 'The Ark'
North Somercotes is home to a dog rescue centre, known as the Ark. This is located outside the main village on the way to Donna Nook.
[edit] Seals
In November and December North Somercotes loses its calm air as it is home to many tourists, who come to see the seals at Donna Nook, the beach located a 1½ miles from the village. While there is some dispute as to whether this is the largest seal breeding colony in England, it is certainly the only one where visitors can be within a few inches of the seals. Children particularly delight in seeing the new seal pups at such a close range. Wardens are there to offer information and anecdotes about Grey Seals, and the seal population generally.
[edit] Worship
The village is served by two churches, the Church of England parish church and the Methodist church. It is a part of the Diocese of Lincoln and the Methodist circuit of Louth. While both churches are still regularly attended, neither of them has a junior church nor Sunday school. There is also a Pentecostal Church which meets in the village hall every Sunday morning.
[edit] Anthony Weeden
North Somercotes is home to the famous eco pagan and author Anthony Weeden, who wrote the bestseller Artichokes with Alice. The story takes place in Anthony's native Suffolk and explores the relationship of man towards nature and the spiritual dimension.
[edit] Luke Walmsley
The village was thrust into the spotlight of the media in November 2003, when schoolboy Luke Walmsley was murdered by another pupil in the Birkbeck School, the only time that such an event has happened at a school in the United Kingdom. After Luke's death, his parents set up a Sports Foundation in his memory. To date, the Foundation has raised over £130,000. The money is to be used to build a new pavilion on the village playing fields, to upgrade the sports changing area and to build two brand new full size sports pitches and a mini soccer pitch. The work is expected to be carried out in 2008.
[edit] Facilites
There was previously a petrol station at North Somercotes. However, since it closed, in early 2001, residents have had to buy their fuel in the neighbouring village of Saltfleet, or at the cheaper larger chains in Louth (11 miles from North Somercotes inland) or Cleethorpes (Tesco supermarket 13 miles north).
North Somercotes is served by its own Fire Station, manned entirely by volunteers. The nearest police stations are in Louth and Mablethorpe, both about 11 miles distant. The nearest ambulance stations are also in Louth and Mablethorpe. The village has its own Medical Centre (Marsh Medical Practice), comprising four GPs, who divide their time between the surgeries in the village and in the neighbouring village of Manby. The Medical Centre has its own dispensary, negating the need to travel to chemists in Louth or Mablethorpe.
[edit] Transport links
The village is served by a bus link to Louth, which runs three times a week on Louth Market days, i.e. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There are more frequent buses to Grimsby and Mablethorpe at certain times of year. The village is served by Cleethorpes railway station, 16 miles distant. The station is operated by TransPennine Express, and is also served by Northern Rail and East Midlands Trains.
[edit] New Developments
Although many new houses have been built during the last decade, the village retains a rural charm, which has been lost in many parts of the country. Pleasant footpaths in the fields around allow walkers to enjoy the calm of this rural location.
[edit] Communication
The village has its own local directory called Communication, which is distributed amongst villagers free-of-charge.
[edit] External links
