During January 2021, I am participating in Age UK’s ‘Run Your Age’ event by running a total of 51km. It would be great if you would SPONSOR ME to raise funds to support older people across the UK!

Today is New Year’s Day and so I put my best foot forward and ran a 5k from Market Deeping to West Deeping.

Starting on Godsey Lane, I ran along Bramley Road, then through the footpath to the Grove. I then ran up Church Street, past St Guthlac’s church and onto St Guthlac’s Avenue where I literally bumped into a friend from St Guthlac’s church almost knocking her into the hedge. Nothing broken, other than my concentration, and teaching me an important lesson of ‘look where you’re going’!

I then ran round Meadway and Sandringham Way across Tattershall and over to Millfield. The Mill Field is the subject of a long-running and ongoing planning dispute. The field is a popular and accessible open space with a public footpath across the middle. Lincolnshire County Council own the land and wanted to build 270 houses on it. Happily, their application was rejected by the South Kesteven District Council Planning Committee on 28th October after receiving many objections and representations from local people including a five-minute speech from me as Ward Councillor (Previous comments I made about the Millfield village green application, the previous year, can be found on YouTube or at the foot of this blogpost).

After crossing the by-pass, I followed the footpath through to Molecey’s Mill on Stamford Road and then another along the side of a Welland tributary which was muddy, but not too muddy. The sunlight and the birds and the river combined to make one forget that it is ‘bleak midwinter’.

This brought me to the Lane, West Deeping and through to the Red Lion PH which is sadly closed due to current Tier 4 Covid restrictions.

Heading South, I rounded the corner to St Andrew’s Church and slightly beyond to make the run up to a round 5km.

I visiting St Andrew’s a couple of times during runs in 2020. It currently hosts an informal lending library in the porch if you fancy a read. Inside the church is a comprehensive guide to the graves in the churchyard as well as some certificates celebrating successes in the ‘South Kesteven ‘Tourist Church of the Year’ of 20 years ago.

If you would like to know what St Andrew’s West Deeping is like today, I would thoroughly recommend attending one of their regular Sunday ‘Zoom’ services from the comfort of your own home. You will surely receive a warm welcome!