Community spirit is alive and well in Surfleet with lots of village residents involved in improving life for all.
From Surfleet Community Group and the Friends of Glen Park, which both work to ensure there are good amenities and events in the village, to those involved in St Laurence Church, there appears to be a collective interest in making Surfleet a good village in which to live.
Ruth Scrivener is a perfect example, playing the organ at St Laurence Church for funerals for about 30 years, and organist for the one or two services every Sunday for the past 15 years or so.
The church holds what is called a mini market, with coffee, cake sale and books, every week and it is said churchwarden Annette Rhodes bakes all the cakes, sometimes producing £100 worth of sweet treats.
The Surfleet Community Group was set up four years ago by an enthusiastic bunch of volunteers with the aim of developing an annual village event under the Celebrate Surfleet banner.
Chairman Tony Blissett says: “From the initial concept of one village event our range has widened. Three years ago we launched a village scarecrow competition and in 2012 we organised a weekend programme for the Queen’s Jubilee comprising a teddy bears’ picnic, a flotilla on the river Glen and a party in the park culminating in lighting the village beacon. We have a full programme of events in 2013 with masses of new attractions and free entry for everyone.”
Spokesperson for Friends of Glen Park Fran Healands says the superb play equipment has been in the park for eight years and the team is now raising money for ongoing repairs. Improvements are continuing, with more tree planting, sculptures going in around the park and a new picnic area.
The next development phase of the project is to create a new block containing toilets, changing facilities and a cafe, once funding is available. The village hall is occasionally opened on a Saturday as Barefoot Bistro & Bakery, serving soup, fresh bread and other snacks.
The park development is one of the many changes that 86-year-old Alf Taylor has seen during his lifetime in Surfleet.
Born in Stockhouse Lane, Alf was one of a family of 16.
He says the village was split in half when the Boston bypass was built.