WHAT’S ON: Bawtry

ANNUAL DRIVERS PAGEANT: Bawtry stages its third annual Respect Drivers Pageant on August 30 10am-4pm. The family event is organised by town businessman Gordon Tulley and his team and will provide owners of unique classic, historic and super cars with an opportunity to show their vehicles in action. As well as around 100 cars of all vintages, some of which will be giving charity rides, there will be free classic double decker bus rides running all day ferrying passengers to and from Respect Green Burial Park, Bawtry, at Hawkes Nest on the junction of the A614 and A638 roads south of the town. There will also be static displays of Formula One racing cars plus stands manned by members of the charities Pilgrims Bandits, Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. Entertainment will include 1940s/50s/60s music. There will be folk dressed in period costumes of the 1940s and 1950s, a vintage clothing market and vintage fashion show 12.30-1.30pm. Vehicles will be based on the south side of the town’s Market Hill car park. Contact 07836 202158 or [email protected].

MEET YOUR COUNCILLORS: Residents can raise matters of local concern with Rossington and Bawtry ward councillors from DMBC. Bawtry resident Cllr Rachael Blake holds her advice surgeries on the second Friday of every month 10am-noon in Bawtry Community Library and on the last Saturday of the month 10am-noon in Austerfield Study Centre, contact 01302 710251 or [email protected]. Cllr John Cooke can be contacted on [email protected] and Clive Stone  at [email protected] – they hold their surgeries on the third Saturday of the month in the Turnpike pub, High Street noon-1pm.

FURTHER EDUCATION: The Doncaster branch of the Workers Education Association (WEA) has organised two art history courses led by Rachel Holland-Hargreaves. The first, entitled Renoir: Life, Works and Impressionism, starts at the Bawtry Phoenix Theatre on September 22 1.30-3.30pm and runs for 11 weeks. The second, entitled Gardens in Art at the same venue, starts on January 5 1.30-3.30pm for 11 weeks. Contact 01724 844245 or emailing [email protected].

COUNCIL MEET: Bawtry town councillors return to the New Hall on September 8 7pm when they gather for their monthly meeting. A full agenda includes a discussion on dispensing with council committees and replacing them with two full council meetings each month. Mayor of Bawtry Cllr Alexander (Sandy) Young will be in the chair and councillors welcome members of the public to proceedings in the Peakes Croft, Station Road community centre.

TALKING BOOKS: Bawtry Community Library volunteer Elizabeth Hancock has put together a programme of authors who will be calling in to talk about their work. The series of talks starts on October 1 with local crime author Michael Fowler. Historical fiction writer Linda Berryman will be there on November 19, fantasy fiction novelist Alan Principal on January 14, new Doncaster author A E Staniforth on February 12 and crime writer Peter Lovesey in March. All the events start 6pm and tickets are £1 for each talk. Call in at Bawtry Community Library to book.

HANDY PLAYERS: Betty McHugh, Evelyn Adams, Shirley Moorman, Ken Collins, Bill Osborne, Pat McGillan, Fred Pollard and Elsie Foote came up trumps at the latest Thursday evening whist drive in the New Hall. Carol Dey and Alma Beresford went home with raffle prizes.

SHORT PLAYS: Two new short plays will be staged at Bawtry Phoenix Theatre September 10-12 courtesy of Not Quite Ready Productions. William Perkins is the writer and Skall Bonham the director of Rocket Fuel. Samuel Smithson is the writer and director of Venus Cloacina. Both productions are only suitable for over 16s. Tickets  by emailing [email protected] or 07985 725807.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: Churchgoers in Bawtry, Austerfield, Misson, Everton and Mattersey come together on September 6 to celebrate the first anniversary of three parishes becoming five. It was 12 months ago that Everton and Mattersey came under the leadership of Rev Jonathan Strickland and to mark the occasion an eight-and-a-half mile prayer walk will take place. The starting point is St John the Baptist Parish Church in Misson and after visiting St Helena’s in Austerfield, St Nicholas in Bawtry and Holy Trinity at Everton the walk finishes up at All Saints, Mattersey. The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham Rt Rev Paul Williams will be a member of the walking party.

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE CELEBRATION: The ladies of the Bawtry branch of the Women’s Institute will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the WI at a special event on September 16. The National WI Day is being marked by a walking treasure hunt around Bawtry 11am-3pm. Bawtry Community Library is the base for this free entry event that is open to the public.