Panto Day Has Arrived!

Last night saw the final rehearsal for this years pantomime. What an evening that was! The cast were on tip top form and the first ever full run through with lights and sound showed that everyone was ready for this evening at one level or another! Tonight will see another fantastic performance I am sure and we can’t wait to give you North Luffenham’s second pantomime. There were those who said it would never happen again. There were an awful lot more who said it should never happen again! We have confounded them all and 7.00 tonight in The Fox car park we will see a rebirth of some of the finest theatre you will see this year. We have even made national radio this morning with the news!

We look forward to seeing you all this evening for a festive night of fun and frolics!

Bin collection days over Christmas and the New Year


People living in Rutland are being reminded to check changes to their bin collection day over the festive season.

Usual collection dayNew collection day
Monday 25 DecemberSaturday 23 December
Tuesday 26 DecemberWednesday 27 December
Wednesday 27 DecemberThursday 28 December
Thursday 28 DecemberFriday 29 December
Friday 29 DecemberSaturday 30 December
Monday 1 JanuaryTuesday 2 January
Tuesday 2 JanuaryWednesday 3 January
Wednesday 3 JanuaryThursday 4 January
Thursday 4 JanuaryFriday 5 January
Friday 5 JanuarySaturday 6 January

For further information please refer to www.rutland.gov.uk/my-services/waste-and-recycling/, your full waste guide can be found under ‘Find your bin collection day’.

Rutland County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and the Environment, Cllr Christine Wise said:

“Our contractors are going to be working hard this winter to ensure that all bin collections are completed so we would please ask residents to ensure that they take a couple of minutes just to double check when their collection day is over the Christmas period. We would ask residents to please also keep in mind that this time of year can also cause disruptions to collections due to severe winter weather, like snow and ice, as well as delays caused by the sheer volume of seasonal waste. If collections along your street haven’t taken place on the expected day, please leave the bins out and our contractors will return to collect them as soon as possible.”

Rutland County Council is encouraging people to try and reduce the amount they throw away as waste over the busy Christmas period. On average, food waste makes up 50% of the material in Rutland’s black household waste bins. This is costly for households and bad for the environment. Love Food Hate Waste is a national campaign providing handy tips and advice to help everyone waste less food: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Households in Rutland will get an extra blue bag for additional recycling over the Christmas period. Once full, residents are asked to place this bag next to their grey recycling bin on collection day. Collection crews cannot remove any other side waste. For information about what items can and can’t be recycled in Rutland, visit: www.rutland.gov.uk/recyclingaz.

Residents are also advised to check opening times before traveling to use Rutland’s recycling centres at North Luffenham and Cottesmore over Christmas. Operating hours for the two sites can be found online at: www.rutland.gov.uk/recycling.

Sinderella’s Despair Deepens!

With only one more rehearsal to go on Thursday, Tuesdays rehearsal saw The Two Ugly sisters turn on their worst powers to reduce Sinderella to the depths of despair! It’s hard to tell whether it was their interpretation of the script or just their acting that caused Sinderella to break down, but I fear it was probably the acting! Nevertheless the pantomime is looking truly amazing this year and I know we have a wonderful treat for you all. All the cast are literally itching to show you their thespianic talents. We hope to have found the cause of the itching by Friday!

So with just hours to go, and Lin brewing up the mulled wine for everyone to indulge in, we are looking forward to seeing you all on Friday. Don’t forget the pantomime starts at 7.00pm but there will be much merriment beforehand. Please remember to bring your spare cash along to make a contribution as we are not selling tickets. If you no longer use cash then please visit Lin’s mulled wine emporium where she will be able to take card card contributions as well.

The cast have been so dedicated this year and this year pantomime promises to be even better than last years. According to one theatre critic this will not be an overly difficult task to achieve. Please come along and judge for yourselves! The weather looks to be positively balmy!

Only Two More Sleeps to go before the Sins of Sinderella…

The ‘Pop Up’ Mulled Wine stand will again be appearing alongside the Panto Performers in the car park at the Fox this Friday 15th December. Hosted by Lin Burrows & the amazing Adele this year, we will be selling Jason’s finest mulled wine, festive stars made by the AgeUK Charity ‘Men & Women in Sheds’ and taking donations by card & cash for this annual extravaganza.

Hot mulled wine available from 6.30pm, Panto starts at 7pm prompt(ish)… See you there 🎄✨🎪

Literary Lectures Spring Programme – Stamford Arts Centre

Below is the Spring 2024 programme of Literary Lectures at Stamford Arts Centre

22 Jan. ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams: Never Rely on the Kindness of Strangers.
29 Jan. ‘The Wife of Bath’ by Geoffrey Chaucer: The Most Emancipated Woman in English Literature?
5 February: ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fizgerald: Who is the Mysterious Jay Gatsby?
19 Feb. Shelley and Byron: Young Romantics Writing Romantically?
26 Feb. ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley: My Hideous Progeny.
4 March: ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare: Motiveless
Malignity?
www.facebook.com/Lit.lectures/
10-11am Entry £8

This Post will expire at 4:17pm on Tuesday April 30th, 2024.

1 week to go before Sinderella cops it! Can the Ugly Sisters triumph?

The cast all came together for their latest rehearsal today. Given the weather we did wonder whether this should be a synchronised swimming demo rather than a pantomime! But the weather forecast for Friday looks almost balmy so the panto gods are smiling on us!

Just to remind you all the pantomime is in the car park at The Fox on Friday 15th at 7.00pm. There are no tickets for this but we are asking for donations on the night so p[lease do come armed with some cash to donate to this annual extravaganza. Foer those who no longer carry cash there will be an opportunity for you to donate using your plastic or phone via sum up.

The proceeds will go to cover basic panto costs but in the main will go to the village good causes so please do consider donating generously to help these highly worthwile causes.

The cast and panto supporters have worked so hard this year and can’t wait to wow you with another thespian feast next Friday. See you at The Fox. There is no better way to kick off this years festive season!

Just a reminder from last year!

Christmas Greetings to Friends & Neighbours… via our very own Festive Tree in North Luffenham Church

Last year the Parish Church was given a wonderful large wooden Christmas Tree made by Men & Women in Sheds, Rutland. This year we would like to start a Community Christmas Card Scheme for the residents of North Luffenham whilst raising funds for the Church & making our parishioners’ lives simpler.

To share festive greetings with your friends & neighbours in the village, please drop your Christmas card, along with your donation for the Church to Dove Cottage, 4 Church Street, North Luffenham before 22nd December (date of our Carol Service).

Your cards will be displayed on our unique wooden Christmas tree in the porch of the Church which will be specially lit for the occasion.

Thank you for joining in our new village ‘tradition’ 🎄

for any information, please contact Janet Whittaker on tel 01780 721216 or email rutlandwhittakers@outlook.com

Rural Coffee Connect

Will be in North Luffenham on the 13th and 20th December 2023 and 3rd January 2024 10:00 – 15:00 at the cricket pavilion.

Citizens Advice Rutland is delighted to have re-launched Rural Coffee Connect in Rutland which will pop up around the county providing free barista coffee and drinks, along with information on local services, every Wednesday.

The team will be on hand from 10am until 3pm, with hot drinks served from 11am, to provide signposting and referrals to Citizens Advice Rutland and a range of support services and community organisations.

To keep up to date with Rural Coffee Connect follow @CitizensAdviceRutland or @YourRCC on Facebook or contact Citizens Advice Rutland on 01572 725809 or cdo@citizensadvicerutland.org.uk

Free December Bus Travel

Rutland County Council will be offering free one-way and return travel on all its local bus routes in December – including Saturdays – when passengers board in Rutland after 9am.

This means that all bus journeys starting in Rutland after 9am will be free, whether they end inside or outside the County. Tickets for journeys bought anywhere outside the County and finishing in Rutland will be priced as normal.

Free Christmas shopping bus

There will also be free return travel on three city buses to Nottingham, Peterborough and Leicester on the following dates:

• Saturday 9th December – Nottingham

• Saturday 16th December – Peterborough

• Saturday 23rd December – Leicester

Each of the three buses will collect passengers from Langham, Barleythorpe, Oakham, Gunthorpe, Preston and Uppingham, before travelling on to their destination. Dates for these buses are as follows, with specific timetable information to be published on the RCCs website and at bus stops in the near future.

Free parking for Christmas markets and Small Business Saturday

• Saturday 2nd December – Small Business Saturday (all car parks, all day)

• Thursday 7th December – Uppingham Christmas Market (Uppingham car parks only, 3.00pm onwards)

• Monday 11th December – Oakham Late Night Shopping (Oakham car parks only, 3.00pm onwards)

This initiative forms part of Rutland’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which was approved by the RCC Cabinet in September and has secured national funding specifically intended to encourage greater use of public transport.

Any residents who have questions about these initiative can direct them the Transport Team at RCC by emailing: transport@rutland.gov.uk or for parking parkingmanagement@rutland.gov.uk or by calling: 01572 722 577.

Pantomimne 2023 – Can one person cause so much chaos?

I felt it was time to update everyone on the progress of this year’s pantomime. We have now had some rehearsals and I can’t believe the quality of this years cast!!

This years pantomime features some burning topics that have hit the village this year, and quite possibly might reveal the miscreants behind those topics, so you just can’t miss finding out more!

The cast and backstage team (yes, we have one of those this year) will endeavour to make this years pantomime even better than last years (not difficult I hear some of you cry!) and, so far, judging by the dedication this looks to be a real blockbuster.

So, make sure it’s in your diary, 15th December at The Fox at 7.30. Start your Christmas with a bang!

See you there, and I will keep you posted.