Did you get April Fooled?!

Today, the first day of April, is famous for being a day for getting caught out – did you fall for an April Fool joke?

The Lincolnshire Echo had fun with a story about a new waterslide coming out of the Waterside Centre… and reported another first for April 1st (but this time not a joke): the first anniversary of the re-opening of Lincoln Castle.

Lincoln Castle

Lincoln Castle (by DncnH CC BY 2.0)

Lincolnshire County Council held a first birthday party at the Castle, which was re-opened last year following a £22m refurbishment. Apparently, King John was even in attendance, just in time for the birthday cake.

Birthday cake sounds much tastier than what was on offer for some children in Louth on April Fool’s Day in days gone by. In Folklore of Lincolnshire, Susanna O’Neil recounts a story (from Widdowson) of how one lady remembered that, as a child,

“We always got a small piece of coal wrapped in a toffee paper in our lunch. Believe me, we should have been very disappointed if it had not been there!”

The joke was on you though if you played a trick in the afternoon – unless you played your trick in the morning then you might have been rebuked with:

“April Fool’s Day passed and gone and you’re the fool for making me one!”

Hopefully you’ve had fun today. If you have any memories about April Fool’s Days gone by in Lincolnshire, or any other memories about tales of Lincolnshire more generally, you can still take part in our survey, where you can let us know what you think about heritage – which includes our stories about the past, memories, and folklore.

Perform for Our Lincolnshire!

Interested in performing? Have a view on heritage? Come and join in!

Coming up: workshops in four venues across Lincolnshire as part of the ‘Our Lincolnshire’ project. A series of six weekend workshops are planned in Grantham, Louth, Pinchbeck, and Gainsborough culminating in final performances in late March and early April.

Two theatre companies, Egg Box Theatre and Flickbook Theatre, will be working with volunteers across the county to develop and perform shows informed by what people from Lincolnshire think about heritage.

If you’re interested in taking part, or coming to watch the final performances, find out more below…

What is #heritage? Lea woods, near Gainsborough

What is #heritage? Lea woods, near Gainsborough

The ‘Our Lincolnshire’ performance opportunity is open to absolutely everyone in the county, and the aim is to connect the people of Lincolnshire with their local heritage and the issues relating to heritage that matter to them.

And the best bit? It’s completely free!

You will get to explore, create and perform alongside the theatre companies in your own piece of theatre that will be shown in the final week to a live audience. All you need to take part is an interest in theatre and an open mind…

GRANTHAM

Dates: Every Saturday from Saturday 20 February – Saturday 26 March 2016, 10am-4pm

Venue: Guildhall Arts Centre, St Peter’s Hill, Grantham, NG31 6PX

To find out more or to get involved contact Phoebe at phoebe@flickbooktheatre.com or by phone on 07796384102.

Final performance: Saturday 26 March 2016, 6.30pm

LOUTH

Dates: Every Sunday from Sunday 14th February – Sunday 20th March 2016, 10am-4pm

Venue: Louth Playgoers Riverhead Theatre, Victoria Road, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 0BX

To find out more or to get involved contact Phoebe at phoebe@flickbooktheatre.com or by phone on 07796384102.

Final performance: Sunday 20 March 2016, 4pm

PINCHBECK

Dates: Every Sunday from 21 February – 20 March 2016, 10.30am – 4pmVenue: Pinchbeck Church Hall, Rose Lane, Pinchbeck, PE11 3NR

To find out more or to get involved, visit Egg Box’s contact us page, email info@eggboxtheatre.co.uk or call 07712231326.

Final performance: Sunday 20 March 2016, 6.30pm start, then tea, cake and interviews at 7.00-7.30pm

Dates: Every Saturday from 27 February – 2 April 2016, 10.30am-4pm

Venue: Old Nick Theatre, 31 Spring Gardens, Gainsborough, DN21 2AY

To find out more or to get involved, visit Egg Box’s contact us page, email info@eggboxtheatre.co.uk or call 07712231326.

Final performance: Saturday 2 April, 6.30pm start, then tea, cake and interviews at 7.15-8pm

Is this #heritage? Sign reads: Ancient Wall No Ball Games

Is this #heritage?

Lincolnshire’s Cricket Heritage

The first record of cricket played by a Lincolnshire county side is in 1828, when a Norfolk v Lincolnshire match took place at East Dereham. (Lincolnshire won by an innings!)

We know, though, that village cricket in Lincolnshire dates back further than this. The first mention of Stamford Cricket Club, for example, was in 1770. A Spalding v Boston match took place a few years later, in 1792. It rained (nothing changes!), and sadly this “occasioned the grass to be slippery, and one gentleman by a fall dislocated his knee, another had a broken leg, and one a black eye”!!

From these slightly uncertain beginnings, Lincolnshire cricket has grown into its present day state where there are 29 ECB ‘Focus Clubs’ in operation and many more besides, as well as a number of flourishing leagues. International cricket even came to Lincolnshire in 2013, when England Women played Pakistan at Louth Cricket Club, thanks to the efforts of one Arran Brindle.

Lincolnshire Cricket therefore has a rich history – and the ‘Our Lincolnshire’ project wants more people to know about it! For that, we need your help…

050812-0088-Brindle-Arran-Eng

Arran Brindle, one of England Women’s star performers of recent years, hails from Louth in Lincolnshire. Photo credit: Don Miles.

Are you involved in cricket in Lincolnshire? We want to tap into your expertise. Have you or someone else at your club done research into its history? Have important things happened at your club which you think we should know about? Share it with us!

Would you be prepared for us to come and visit you at your club and interview you or any of your club members about your experiences of Lincolnshire cricket? Who are the stalwarts of Lincolnshire cricket that we should be speaking to? Let us know!

Ultimately our aim is to produce a website with information about the history of cricket in Lincolnshire. We’d love to work with you on this, and hear your ideas about what you think should be included on the website. Get in touch!

You can also submit images of any objects which you have at your club relating to cricket history – such as old bats, balls, or caps – for inclusion in the ‘My Lincolnshire Collection’.

For more information on the cricket heritage section of the ‘Our Lincolnshire’ project, or to share information about the history of your club, contact Dr Raf Nicholson at the University of Lincoln – rnicholson@lincoln.ac.uk (telephone number: 01522 835 117).