Don’t forget to check our Events Diary for more information on events in all our villages and surrounding area.

PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS…

From the Headteacher…

We are fully back into the swing of things after what was hopefully a restful Easter break and it’s wonderful to see all the pupils engaged in their learning once again.

We had a very busy Spring term and especially during the last week. On Thursday 6th March we had an incredible World Book Day, one that included some fabulous workshops and fun activities for children to take part in. I know both children and teachers said it was a day to remember. Thank you to Jenny Wilson for the super drama workshops and the grand finale, where all classes performed their own twisted fairytales to the whole school, which were amazing!

The whole school took part in World Science Week and we really enjoyed being young scientists. We looked at the topic ‘Adapt and Change’ and did lots of investigating, researching, experimenting, making predictions and saw plenty of new learning happening around our school to mark this important event. At the end, each class explained their findings in our celebration worship assembly.

During March we also held a dress down day to raise money for Comic Relief; we wore silly socks and had funny hair. We’re extremely grateful for your donations and proud to play a small but important part in this wonderful cause.

Thank you to the parents who could join us for our seasonal walk. We really did pick a beautiful day and the children were full of energy, excitement and enjoyment! It’s such a privilege to be surrounded by such a stunning environment.

The final couple of weeks were full of Easter celebration! Thank you to our Reception and Year 1 team for putting together a super Easter Bonnet Parade. I’ve had many comments from parents, staff and pupils expressing how magical it was to be celebrating together.  Air House won the Spring term house points and for their treat we had a Karaoke morning and Easter egg hunt. Air house blew us away with wonderful singing and completed the Easter egg hunt in record time! All had a wonderful time celebrating their win.

Please remember, if you need any information about what’s happening at Guilsborough Primary we have lots of information on our website – www.guilsboroughprimary.co.uk or you can keep up to speed via our Facebook account – Guilsborough C of E Primary School (a closed group for parents, guardians or carers) or through our Twitter profile – @guilsboroughpri/x and our Instagram account - Instagram.com/guilsboroughprimaryschool.

MMM

Monday Morning Meet

Guilsborough Village Hall

9 – 11am every Monday (excluding Bank Holidays)  

All welcome, baby – OAPs.

£2.50 per Adult, Children Free

Meet for a chat, knit,

hot drink & cake.

For more information contact
Janet 01604 740640

Tennis for All at Guilsborough Tennis Club!
Join our friendly community tennis club at Guilsborough Academy courts. We meet regularly on Tuesday evenings at 6pm and Sunday mornings at 10am.
Players of all abilities welcome! Just bring your racket and enthusiasm.
First session is completely FREE. Annual membership costs just £10 for individuals or £20 for families.
Members enjoy court access during daylight hours (outside school times).
Whether you're looking to improve your game, get active, or simply make new friends, you’re very welcome on court!
For more information, please contact Graham on 07894 424328 or Chris on 07857 707503.

We are also making progress with securing long-term funding by increasing the use of the Playing Field to the benefit of the community. Watch this space.

Finally, a heads up that we are having a Millionaire’s Evening in late September. Be ready with party clothes and hone your skills at blackjack and roulette.

Football News

West Haddon Junior Football Club

U13s Girl’s Football

Congratulations to WHJFC U13s on completing their first season as a squad.

This team formed in February 2024 and commenced playing fixtures in September 2024. They play all their home fixtures at Guilsborough Playing Field, with visiting opponents often commenting on the idyllic surroundings.

PAST & PRESENT ON PARADE

The 80th Anniversary of VE Day, organised by the local branch of the RBL was held in Guilsborough Village Hall on 8th May and was supported by over 100 people. Entertainment was provided by GMADS which included several Churchillian moments. Live 1940's music was provided by Jim Carroll and included a singalong of popular wartime songs. Memories of VE day were shared by three locals, Ann Moss, Pauline Boyes and Pam Cook. A 13-page booklet covering Guilsborough during the war years is available from David O'Neil and is also reproduced on it’s own page here.

Click the pictures to see them enlarged

Frank Letts handing over the British Legion Standard to Tony Letts after over 20 years of service. Whilst they have the same surname they are not related. Tony Letts' father Rio Letts was the Standard Bearer before Frank Letts.

GMADS recreation of the BBC announcements beginning with the declaration of war, significant events during the war and Churchill's declaration of the end of the war.

Singers Jim Carroll and friend leading the sing song of favourite wartime songs including of course: “There’ll be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover” and, “We’ll meet again”.

Nationally, church bells were rung at 6.30pm to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Merrick, Julie and the gang rang them in Guilsborough before our village hall celebration.

Pam Townsend as a roving reporter interviewing three women in the audience who remember VE Day.Moss (pictured speaking to Pam Townsend) was there at Buckingham Palace and was among those who climbed the Victoria Memorial (b/w photo courtesy of the National WW2 Museum).

Ron Boyes turns 100!

Ron was born in Rugby on 1st April 1925 and attended Lawrence Sheriff School. He started as an apprentice at British Thompson Electrical Holdings in Rugby (later became AEI / GEC) and became an Electrical Engineer specialising in power trains for the paper making machinery.

Ron married Pauline, also from Rugby, in 1947, setting up home in Bilton, where their three children, Lydia, Elizabeth and Ian were born.

In 1964 the family moved to Manchester for Ron's work, returning back to Rugby at GEC in 1968 when the family moved to Church Mount, Guilsborough, where Ron and Pauline still live today.

During his working career, Ron travelled the world widely for his job including to Russia and China in the 60's and later on to South America, America, Australia and New Zealand.and Pauline lived in South Africa in the 80's for several years for Ron's work.

Ron and Pauline have enjoyed many happy years in Guilsborough and have fond memories of many friends and neighbours in the village over the years. Ron has always been keen on sports, especially Rugby and cricket which he still follows closely today.

The day of his birthday was celebrated with Pauline and their three children at his daughter’s home in Leicester. On Saturday 5th April a party was held at Guilsborough Village Hall where all the family, including Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren and close friends joined to mark this exceptional event. He would like to thank everyone for the cards and good wishes he received on his special birthday.

Successful NGS Open Gardens

In spite of the unseasonable cold weather, we had a very busy day in Guilsborough and met some lovely people. We made the sum of £3009 for our nursing and health charities. Thank you to the owners of the ten gardens for welcoming visitors and putting in the hard work to make their gardens look so beautiful. St Etheldreda's would like to thank everyone who donated delicious cakes and the whole team in the village hall, who worked so hard.  

Gay Webster

Joint County Organiser

Guilsborough Friends

Are a local friendly group for ladies and gentlemen, usually meeting at 7.30pm, at Guilsborough Village Hall, the second Thursday of the month. We welcome new members.

Our June and July meeting are:

• Thursday 12th  June: Visit to 3 local gardens, which, are opening for the first time for the National Garden Scheme.
• Friday 11th July  Summer Supper, Hollowell Sailing Club.

£3 per meeting, unless otherwise stated, which is used to cover refreshments, costs and make charitable donations.                                             

For further information contact:  

Janet Minney 01604 740640   

Elizabeth Southgate 01604 740064

The photo was taken following a talk by Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service. NDAS were guests at our April Meeting and were incredibly grateful that they had been chose as our Charity of the Year. £500 was raised at the Supper in February for this charity.

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

The Parish Council has been made aware of work being carried out to the bridleway between West Haddon Rd and Cold Ashby Rd with no prior notification. Guilsborough Academy are reinstating the bridleway to its original route and we have been, and still are, talking to them regarding the width.

Our local PCSO has contacted us to invite us to have a walk about the village with her in the near future. It is seen as a way to interact with a local community and an opportunity for any concerns to be shared.

We have just held the Annual Parish Meeting where several local organisations either brought or sent their annual reports.

Leaving the best till last…

Guilsborough Academy Celebrates Careers and Wellbeing Achievements

Guilsborough Academy is proud to have been awarded the prestigious Quality in Careers Standard, recognising its outstanding careers education and guidance for students. This national accreditation confirms the Academy’s strong progress towards fully meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks, with personalised career coaching, work experience opportunities, and dedicated resources for both students and parents/carers.

In addition, the Academy has received the West Northampton Council’s Healthy Schools Silver Award in recognition of its commitment to student wellbeing. This reflects ongoing efforts to promote healthy lifestyles, emotional resilience, and a supportive school environment.

These accolades highlight Guilsborough Academy’s dedication to preparing students not just academically, but also for life beyond school.

Fundraising News

The GPFA ran a successful Pop Up Pub in the Village Hall on April 11th.  Many thanks to the volunteers who helped run the evening.

Caroline Houghton posted:

“Thank you so much to everyone who came to the village hall last night… what a wonderful evening! Thank you all for your support. More people than we could have ever hoped for! Guilsborough at its best! We raised around £450 for GPFA. Look out for the next one…. We will be holding another Pop-Up-Pub soon (date to follow) so we can do it all again!” Caroline may send us a date before the end of the week

The second Safari Supper held on May 10th was a great success, with 20 couples touring the village for different courses of delicious food. Caroline and Jim did a great job organising it and raised over £1000 for GPFA funds—thanks to all who participated.

Hollowell Steam—GPFA will be running the Bottle Stall again and would appreciate any donations of bottles of wine or spirits before the end of June—contact Katie 07747604067 if you have bottles you would like collecting or want more information.

The team finished fourth in their league and celebrated with a fantastic and well-deserved end-of-season gala meal at The Pytchley in West Haddon.

The group will now take a break but eagerly await the start of next season and will once again base themselves at Guilsborough Playing Field. In September they’ll be moving from 9-a-side football to playing 11-a-side, meaning there is space for 3 or 4 more girls to join their merry crew. If you’re going to be in Yr9 in September and are interested, please contact www.westhaddonjfc.org.uk

U18 Football

Congratulations to WHJFC U18s on completing their final ever match as kids football. This group started training together in September 2012 and over the years players have joined and others have left, however five of the original squad are still with the team having completed 13 consecutive seasons. For the past year, some of the squad have been blending junior football with playing for the village men’s team and we hope others will continue along this pathway.