Category: Editorial

Fifty Ways to Love England (Not the Football Team)

In preparation for our 50th birthday celebration - which is now less than two years away in April 2028 - we would like to acknowledge everyone who has been involved in this publication, including management, compiling, lay up, checking, proofreading and subsequent distribution during the last 48 years.

There has been a change on the island in the centre of the village which many of you will know about, I am sure, through the usual social media channels, however this is not apparent yet when looking at the buildings. Lighthouse Indian Paradise has been taken over allegedly by new owners and is now Kalcutta Brasserie.

Fifty years ago, as a now-famous computer company was just starting out in a garage in California, the wonderful people of Kibworth were getting ready for the Kibworth Festival 1976. It was a celebration of community for everyone, no matter their age or abilities. Before computers were common in homes, before smart TVs and streaming, even before the ‘Kibworth Chronicle’ came along, the festival featured things like inter-street rounders matches, band concerts and all sorts of fun activities.

When writing an editorial one often wonders if they are read! In January I wrote the shortest editorial ever and ended it with a request to keep sending us your thoughts in letter form. We were completely unready for the deluge of letters that arrived ready for February’s publication. Thank you!

I am sure I’m not alone in being able to recall my grandparents and parents gazing wistfully across a huge new housing estate and sighing “I remember when this was all green fields”. The ‘Green and Pleasant land’ of William Blake and Hubert Parry has always been prized, whether as an ideal or as a reality for those fortunate enough to live in an area like Kibworth and its surrounding villages. It is a fair assumption that people who move to this area are not, in the main, hoping to find nightclubs, Sushi bars and multiplex cinemas. The beauty and peace of the countryside with its walks and wildlife has to be a strong magnet for those who are lucky enough to have choices.

I recently read an article about the particles of plastic in the material used to make tea bags. It figuratively stopped me in my tracks! Plastic! Oh no! Would I have to start making my own tea bags from muslin! The thought of all that cutting out, sewing up, filling with tea leaves, and sewing again was very off putting. I had made lavender bags in the past and some were still inhabiting the corners of my chest of drawers! But tea bags!

There has been considerable discussion recently about the nature of nationalism and patriotism. This has prompted reflection on symbols of unique and inextricably British identity that I have personally embraced.

As a loyal subscriber to a national monthly magazine, I recently received an email asking me to fill out a questionnaire. One of the questions was about my thoughts on current car driver behaviour. It really stuck with me: did I think road users’ behaviour had become worse since Covid, stayed the same, or improved? I answered honestly, and I’m curious if many of you would agree that it’s definitely deteriorated. It seems drivers are becoming increasingly disrespectful and careless.

At the commencement of last month, the nominations for the County Council elections were officially closed. The entire county of Leicestershire, comprising 55 seats, was subject to the electoral process. The Kibworth & District Chronicle solicited written hustings from all local candidates, with the intention of publishing them in the April edition. Regrettably, only two candidates endeavoured to provide a hustings of approximately 250 words, which was subsequently printed. This begs the question: are these candidates heavily reliant on social media platforms or leaflet drops for disseminating their messages?