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The first ever issue of Barrow Voice was in September 1975 so in this, our 50th year, each issue will find a way of celebrating our birthday.

The magazine started its life as Barrow Upon Soar Community Association (BUSCA) Community Information Circular No. 1 listing all the activities and organisations available to Barrow residents. This included the different churches’ groups; sport and recreational societies; social meetings like the WI, Brownies, a Theatre Goers Club, a Tankard Club and even a Chrysanthemum Society. The circular also listed health services available, mostly based in The Chestnuts in Beveridge Street with GPs Dr JG Shirreffs, Dr E Shirreffs and Dr A J Earl (you’ll recognise these names in street names around the village) and there was a Dr Ahmad in Warner Street. School information was included with the County Infants School located at 69 Cotes Road and an Evening Institute available at Humphrey Perkins. It also listed two free car parks: Three Crowns and Old Station Yard.

In 1971, Rev. Norman Peck (Methodist minister at the time) took an idea to the Council of Churches: the opportunity to create an umbrella for all the 31 groups happening in the village with no particular place to meet. (That sounds familiar in 2025!) This idea went to the parish council which agreed to the formation of a community association to embrace all the groups. BUSCA was born. The first thing they did was to create a diary of events kept in the library and Circular No.1 let everyone know about it. Not long after, Vol.1 No.1 Barrow Voice (Pictured), the official newsletter of BUSCA, was born.

The two sides of A4 paper, typed and photocopied, celebrated the opening of Humphrey Perkins Swimming Pool and ran a competition (top prize £3) to “draw an insignia” for BUSCA. There were over 30 classes you could sign up for organised by Barrow Evening Centre and the Workers’ Educational Association at Humphrey Perkins Community School and you could join the Tennis Club and play in the village at King George V playing field. The ‘magazine’ explained the purpose of BUSCA: to link the whole community by bringing people and organisations together; to organise social and recreational activities for all ages; and to consider amenities not already provided in the village. BUSCA continues to do this. The Barrow Voice was to be published four times a year by BUSCA and each issue was to include details of events to be held in the village. Barrow Voice has broadened its editorial outlook since then and a few years ago stopped listing events on its back page but it encourages all activity organisers to use the Village Diary. You can email details to email@village-diary.co.uk or visit the diary website at www.village-diary.co.uk The details are always there on page three of every issue.

The second issue of Barrow Voice (Pictured) showed the winning ‘insignia’ (or as we say, today, ‘logo’). Interestingly, it also carried an article about dog fouling in the village … sadly, some things never change!

Andrew Speight was the first editor of Barrow Voice and he continued for three years until Christine Webb took over. She was followed by Jan Hind in 1981; David Oldham held the reins for a year between April 1983 until June 1984 then Andy Low and Neil Burden edited jointly for about three years. Liz Higginbotham was editor until Frances Thompson stepped up in the summer of 1991 – she was editor when I started contributing to the magazine. Frances was followed by Gaynor Barton and I became editor for the Winter 2020 issue – though Gaynor was there (and continues to be) for help and support.

The numbering of Barrow Voice, as we know it today, this issue being Number 178 – started in April 1983. Throughout 2025 we’re going to dip into 50 years of Barrow Voices and remind ourselves of what has been happening of interest in the village.

This issue we take a look at some articles that have appeared in the magazine over the years. I have had fun dipping into past Barrow Voices and would sincerely like to thank both Peter Yates, who collected all past magazines and kept them safe until handing them over to Lin Webb who has archived them and let me access her boxes.

Do you remember any of these?

August 1981 (editor: Jan Hind) (Pictured) The cover was a prize-winning entry from artist Peter Franks.

There was a report on the success of Barrow on Soar Community Association Play Scheme (BOSCAPS) and an advertisement for ‘Barrow Youth Club Barbecue & Disco’. Thinking back to last issue when Andrew Webster shared his unusual bus and coach memorabilia, there were a couple of articles about ‘buses in the news’: Howletts bus and coach fleet merged with Tricentrol with new vehicles being delivered; Kinch bus won (for the 4th consecutive year) both Blackpool and Brighton Coach Rallies and Howletts Tricentrol won the cup for the best coach at the Brighton Rally.

Barrow Community Association Netball Club were champions of the Loughborough Town Netball League division 2. While Barrow Old Boys’ Football Club – playing at Quorn Hall – had recently appointed Chris Brookes as a player/manager.

Roger Forrest wrote about his time in the merchant navy and how his current vessel ‘MV Vosges’ transported fruit and vegetables from Israel to France, from there the produce was loaded onto refrigerated lorries and distributed throughout Europe. He also visited Copenhagen, Athens and saw the first space shuttle in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before its launch.

There were a few words about the Bishop Beveridge Club and the Barrow branch of La Leche League of Great Britain.

The Village Diary included such activities as: a microwave demonstration at the Bishop Beveridge Club; a BUSCA Modern Dance group and a talk by Mrs Whittaker for the WI about ‘Decorated Eggs’.

The issue included a supplement about evening classes available at Humphrey Perkins Community Centre with classes ranging from car maintenance to woodwork; men’s keep fit to winemaking; and flower arranging to yoga.

December 1989 (editor: Liz Higginbotham) (Pictured)

The magazine had grown in size, but it was still typed and manually put-together, then photocopied at the Resources Department, Humphrey Perkins Community School.

David Rodgers wrote about community association news while John Thursby gave an update on church news. Frances Thompson (later to become editor) wrote a gardening feature and a children’s page along with Ginny Willcocks who was responsible for ‘Young Barrow and Children’s Page’. Liz Higginbotham brought some general items and School and Youth Club news while Roy Wheatley gave a round-up of sports news and Helen Lungley compiled the Village Diary.

Children, Jack, Samantha and Nina wrote about visits to Beaumanor Hall for a science day and to Abbey Park and Garfield Street, Leicester to get ideas for their entry to Leicester City Council’s ‘Design a Play Area’ competition.

Helen Lungley wrote about the “great changes taking place in Industry Square”. An off-licence and working men’s club on the corner of Melton Road and Warner Street were demolished for the building of flats. The off-licence had originally been an old farmhouse on land owned by the Lockwood family. Part of it had been rebuilt by Midland Brewery and a Mrs Chapman ran the business with beer delivered by horse and dray from Loughborough. It was taken over by Mr Marshall Brookes who, until 1914, also ran a butcher’s shop in Warner Street. After a few different owners, the final occupiers were Harry and Carole Male who took it over in 1983.

The Children’s Page brought a film review of ‘Oliver and Company’ by Mark Smith; poems from Lousie Woodley, Anna Tonkin, Robert Watson, Gemma Harrington and Rebecca Hart; short stories from Robin Cooper, James Bunny and Mark Lomax; and jokes sent in by Amanda Trasler, Robin Cooper and Ian Willcocks.

Frances Thompson contributed a feature on the new Barrow Baptist Church minister and his wife: David and Margaret Silvester and a Christmas Story ‘Hold Tight To Christmas’ illustrated by Jude Tomkin.

An unknown person wrote about the (then) ten national parks and Roy Wheatley wrote about Parish Rights of Way Footpath Walks (perhaps he also wrote about the national parks). Yet again, the issue of dog fouling was on people’s minds. The parish councillors had voted to “protect children’s health by banning dogs totally from both playing fields”. Comments and suggestions were sought from Barrow Voice readers about this proposed action.

Autumn 2011 (editor: Frances Thompson)

By now the Barrow Voice was being published in colour and looked very much as it does today.

Remember the post office? Well, in 2011 Sandy Mohindra and her family took over its running. Inkubus, the mobile tattoo studio started and Judith Rodgers interviewed Simon Dalby who had just realised his dream of opening a mobile tattoo parlour. Dave Mitton Electrical Ltd was offering free assessment and site surveys for the latest solar panels and 30 of Mairi Taylor’s FABfitness members ran the ‘Race for Life’... at Prestwold Hall to raise money for cancer research.

There was a circus-themed Summer Fayre at Hall Orchard Primary School with entertainment from Mr Dipple’s recorder group; and Pillings Lock Rotary Club was established and looking for new members.

In the arts scene – all held at Humphrey Perkins Community Centre – yes, BUSCA (and Barrow) still had a community centre then): Barrow Youth Theatre was producing ‘Beauty and the Beast’; theatre group Centre Stage advertised their productions of ‘A Roll in the Hay’ and ‘Shoo Shoo Baby’s Christmas Party’; and Barrow’s Got Talent raised £1,869 for ‘Help the Heroes’ charity. The talent show was won by teenagers Jo Harrison and Joseph Halliday with their self-scripted skit set in a police station.

 

Do you remember any of these articles?
Do you have any updates on any of the people or events that have been featured in this random look at previous Barrow Voices?
What’s happened to the bands mentioned?
Do you know the children mentioned in the articles? Or are you one of them? What are you doing now?
Are you still resident in Barrow, or have family members still living here? Contact: editor@barrowvoice.co.uk with your memories and updates. We’d love to hear from you.

Gaynor Barton spotlighted two local bands: Megadub and Soundogs. Megadub, with guitarist Jon Page, was described as “reggae dub – hip-hop”. The band came first in Leicester competition Battle of the Bands. They were about to release their second album and their autumn was booked with dub reggae gigs. Soundogs came together from the notice-board at Quad Recording Studios in Leicester. Soundogs was fronted by Barrow resident and “the only two-legged occupant of ‘Wash and Wags’, Vicki Wallins on vocals.

Two Barrow authors published books: ‘Tears of the Firstborn’, an autobiography by Carol Small and ‘The Candidate’ by Will Hamley which he described as “involving the black arts of political intrigue”.

There was a feature about the relatively newly-formed Neighbourhood Watch and Val Gillings introduced us to the oldest living Barrow sisters still resident in the village at the time: Joyce Sutton and Doris Hammond (nee Williamson) – both of them living in Grays Court. There were five generations of Joyce’s family still living in the village.

What is now known as Poppy Fields, was first written about as Jelson’s proposal to build 300 homes. The plan was first rejected by Charnwood Borough Council and Jelson was required to submit information about traffic flow in the village; there was talk about the installation of electronic message boards to inform motorists of flooding in Slash Lane; and suggestions of free travel passes on public transport and the appointment of a Community Travel Plan Coordinator. Traffic has got worse; the display signs are up but what’s happened to the Community Travel Plan Coordinator?

There was a bit of a focus on young people in the village with articles on BUSCA and the parish council’s plans for a youth group on Tuesdays. BUSCA had been awarded a grant by the Positive Activities for Young People fund and this funded a second group to meet on Thursday evenings. Barrow Youth Action Group ran a coach trip to London and were making plans to host a Picnic in the Park celebration for the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012. Genevieve Silk, who has written several articles over the years for Barrow Voice, wrote about her experiences at Grootberg Primary School in Namibia – BUSCA gave her sponsorship money for this school experience when the teenagers renovated and painted dormitories, classrooms and the staffroom; and built a polytunnel for growing vegetables.

Barrow Town Football Club – now based in their clubhouse at Riverside Park – offered use of their facilities for beat police officers after Quorn police station closed down.

BUSCA welcomed new residents from the Willow Road estate to an informal evening to help residents to get to know the village better.

Karisa Krcmar

Next issue:
We’ll look at some more old copies of Barrow Voice – do you have a memory of an event or person you would like us to mention?
I’ll be talking with the previous two editors of Barrow Voice (Gaynor Barton and Frances Thompson) and we’ll find out what, if anything, has changed over the years.