Barnack Fun Run Returns in Style with Over 300 Runners

BARNACK, Saturday 3rd October 2026
More than 300 runners took to the streets of Barnack for the 2026 Barnack Fun Run, celebrating the return of a much-loved community event.
Runners of all ages and abilities took part, with families, friends and local residents coming together to run, volunteer and cheer participants along the route.
The event which has been running for over 20 years was proudly sponsored by Grace and Parry Estate Agents, whose support helped make the event possible.
After last year’s cancellation due to poor weather, locals were delighted to see the Fun Run return so successfully, with the most amazing atmosphere.
The Fun Run raises money for Barnack C of E Primary School, helping to support the school and its pupils. The event, which is supported by the wider community, is an important fundraiser for the school and this year raised over £2000.
This year’s Schools Challenge was exceptionally competitive, with six schools battling it out for the title. Pupils proudly represented their schools, adding an extra sense of excitement and friendly rivalry to an already lively event.
A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to make the Fun Run possible. The dedicated marshals and volunteers played a vital role throughout the event, helping runners around the course, keeping everyone safe and ensuring everything ran smoothly. Thank you!
We also had some amazing local photographers documenting the day – thanks to The Country Fella & Kristi Harrison.
Please visit their websites and contact them next time you need a photographer for gorgeous family and pet portraits – a brilliant gift!
www.kristiharrison.co.uk
www.countryfella.co.uk
Barnack Fun Run returns next year on Saturday 2nd October 2027 and is an event not to be missed!

Thanks to Margaret Broadbelt

Margaret has faithfully kept the Parish News online calendar up to date every month for many years.
Because so many people now use Facebook or WhatsApp or the printed copy of the magazine (which now has an events listing) to keep up to date with local events, it has been suggested that the online calendar is now redundant.
Many, many thanks Margaret for your help with the calendar over the years

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS – COFFEE STOP CHRISTMAS SING ALONG

The planning has already started for our fifth Coffee Stop Christmas Sing Along which will be held on Wednesday 16th December (10.30-12 noon) in Barnack Church. As usual, hot drinks and mince pies will be ‘on the house’.
You will receive a warm welcome at this great informal event which is open to all those in our community and neighbouring villages. It’s a great opportunity to get you in the mood for the Christmas season! You can expect a mix of the usual seasonal singing and other secular favourites, together with opportunities for lots of hilarity with some awful Christmas cracker jokes and Christmas quiz.
We are pleased that our resident musicians are again available to play for us. However, we would want to encourage any other folk to come and join us who play musical instruments or who may even be up for singing a solo! (If you would like to be involved in this event please would you contact me asap).
To be assured of a table we would encourage people to come a little earlier than 10.30 am if possible. Disabled access and assistance is available and some tables will be reserved near the entrance for those who have mobility issues.
As in previous years there will be a collection for a charity as you leave the church, donations can be made by cash or card. This year we have decided to donate to a local charity called Second Helpings which operates out of Barnhill Methodist Church in Stamford. This is an environmental initiative driven by the belief that the needless waste of food must come to an end. By providing local residents with access to this surplus food, their aim is also to strengthen the bonds within the community. On Saturday’s donated food is cooked for anyone who would like a lovely hot meal for free, although donations are welcomed. You can find out more at secondhelpings.org.uk
(Coffee Stop meets every Wednesday at the Millstone Pub in Barnack, 10.30-12 noon. It would be lovely to see you there, please feel free to join us). Carol Pickering 01780 740438

The Arts Society Peterborough’s monthly talk

The Fleet, Community Centre, PE2 8DL
November12th 2026
‘A Bit of a Carry on’, withTyler Butterworth
The remarkable untold story of the Carry-On actor Peter Butterworth and his wife, Janet Brown. Janet was Britian’s first female impressionist, best known for her impressions of Margaret Thatch. This lecture uses classic film and TV clips, personal mementos, and rare photographs and letters from the family’s unseen collection.
The talk starts at 10-45am and lasts an hour, all are welcome, so why not come and join us?
Parking free.
For more information and details of how to join the society, visit: www.the-arts-society-peterborough.org.uk

EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS CRACKER RAFFLE 2026

The Evergreen Care Trust is an award-winning Stamford charity providing a wide range of free, practical, volunteer-led services for older people in our community. From befriending and friendship lunches to soup deliveries, help with application forms and tricky official letters, lifts to hospital and small DIY jobs – basically everything except sky diving and tattoo removal. But give us time!
But free to use doesn’t mean free to provide. As a small local charity, we work hard to raise the funds needed to keep our services running, supporting older people who may be vulnerable or isolated, particularly during the winter months.
That’s where our Christmas Cracker Raffle comes in! Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and individuals, we have 25 fabulous prizes to be won, with a winner drawn every day from 1st December to Christmas Day. And this year, as we’re in a generous festive mood, there may even be some additional prizes announced along the way!
We’re especially proud to have recently been voted the Best Social Enterprise at the recent Stamford and Rutland Mercury Business Awards Evening. With your support, we can build on that success and continue making a real difference locally.
Please scan the QR code on the enclosed flyer and buy a few tickets. You could win a wonderful prize while helping us reduce loneliness, promote wellbeing and strengthen community connections for older people who need it most. Let’s make this our biggest and best raffle yet! But please be aware that ticket sales must end on 22nd November.
With our best wishes – and, of course, good luck! From us all at Evergreen.

Barnack Hills & Holes National Nature Reserve (NNR) – October Update.

Our volunteer team recently installed 2 new benches,the benches were kindly supplied by the Parish Council. We have also replaced the old wooden bench in the middle of the NNR.
The flock of sheep will be moved onto site in the second half of November, once we have a firm date it will be posted on the notice boards around the NNR & on social media. They will be on for a reduced amount of time this winter, due to a lack of food. Each compartment will again be locked while they are grazing it.
The summer closure of Compartment 1 (southwest corner) on site allowed paths to partially recover. It would take much longer for a path to fully disappear, each path counts as a percentage of damage on the NNR. One of the negatives of grazing the NNR with sheep is that they create new paths, these new paths are then used by visitors & it’s difficult to stop this happening. A positive from the compartment closure was the number of rare wildflowers that grew on these areas, something we don’t see when the whole site is open in summer.
The main rare wildflower surveys that we do through the summer are either full site surveys, or surveys in fixed plots that have been surveyed since the mid 1970’s. These plots are marked by the yellow (feno) markers you may have seen around the NNR. We have added quite a few of these recently & have recovered some that disappeared in the vegetation. Most of them protrude from the ground, otherwise we’d constantly be losing them.
Our next volunteer day is on Tuesday 27th October. If you would like to join us to see what we do, please contact me. Ross.Edgar@naturalengland.org.uk

Buttercross Meeting October

7th October 2026 Pottery and Ceramics by Steph Bowden Hughes
Steph started her talk for the uninitiated such as myself with the question: what is pottery? You start with a lump of clay ( and she had brought many balls of clay for anyone who wanted to have a go), you shape it, dry it and fire it in a kiln. Earthenware (terracotta) is fired at a low temperature, stoneware at a higher temperature for a strong and durable every day product and porcelain, very fine, beautiful and smooth, fired at an even higher temperature which proves to be quite challenging. She explained that greenware was unfired clay and became bisque after firing and that every firing teaches you something.
Steph went on to relate how she became a potter as a result of becoming redundant in her early fifties. In 2019 she followed a course at Peterborough College and made her first pots there. After that she went on a 3-day course in the New Forest where she learned more than in all her time at the College with the added bonus that on her way home she happened upon someone who was selling a brand new kiln at a bargain price. She then converted half the garage into a studio and began experimenting with glazes on her pots, bowls and plates.
In one corner of the Reading Room, Steph set out examples of her wares, beautiful berry bowls, plates and smaller pots in vivid glazes of green, orange, blue etc. She pointed out that her maker’s mark consists of a stylised tree that she has based on a beloved oak? seen from her garden window every day.
Steph had a lucky break when Eddie Scott, master chef winner commissioned her to supply plates and bowls for the Pig and Whistle in Beverley. She went on to know success at the York Ceramics Fair. She now has a new kiln called Scarlet in her shed and has converted what began as a side hustle into a successful business.
Steph exuded warmth, enthusiasm and sincerity in the way she delivered her talk so it came as a surprise to learn that this was the first time she had addressed a public event and was feeling rather nervous. She need not have worried as she was a natural and received well deserved applause from us all.
For those who were unable to attend and would like to view Steph’s work, she will be exhibiting at the Frost Fair at Molecey Mill near Deeping on 7th/8th November from 10 to 4pm.
The next Buttercross meeting on 4th November will feature Jo Keogh MBE talking about 28 years in the Met.

Barnack Community Association Quick Update What the Team are Up To…

So we have now fully emerged from our post Summer reboot and our September AGM kickstarted our plans for the year ahead.
Our current team of six are: Sally Hullock (Chair), Mark Beaver (Secretary), Paul Doubleday (Treasurer), Ian Betney (Health & Safety), Ruth Beaver and Tim Rowlands (Committee members). Mary-Clare Miller sadly had to step back from the team for now, but is always welcome back at any time.
We are in the process of renewing our village hall lease with Burghley Estates – deadline April 2027 – and we intend to continue to include a 5-year break clause within it. This allows for the hall’s usage to be reviewed, at this regular interval, to ensure it remains a viable asset to manage and maintain.
With regards to our community socials, we unfortunately have had to postpone our Mexican Fiesta Evening, that was set for the 9th October this year, to February 2027 due to low ticket sales. Exact date to be confirmed at our next meeting. We had the same issue with our 80s disco set for October last year, but then sold out the following February. We are taking on board that early Autumn scheduling seems a busy time for people: perhaps post kids starting school and teens off to Uni – there’s a lot going on!
We do, however, plan to hold another Festive Lunch at the Village Hall, before Christmas, which was a big success last year. Sally Hullock just needs to start with a visit to Coffee Stop at the Millstone on Wednesdays,agree a date there, as the majority of “Coffee Stoppers” tend to be our main supporters and promoters. Look out for a visit!
Date for Diary: Saturday 5th December – The Annual Christmas Tree Light Switch-On – The Square, Barnack from 5.30pm. Santa’s Sleigh will hopefully make an appearance on its travels.

HOUSING STRATEGY FOR BARNACK NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA: A QUART IN A PINT POT?

In 2021, following consultation with residents, Barnack Neighbourhood Plan was ‘adopted’ as part of Peterborough’s planning framework. One of the central policies in this Neighbourhood Plan (see Neighbourhood Plan – Barnack & Pilsgate Parish Council) was that future housing development should be confined to small infill sites within the villages and that building in the countryside, outside the existing settlement boundaries of Barnack and Pilsgate, should not be permitted. In December 2023 this approach was endorsed by the residents’ positive response to a questionnaire circulated by the Parish Council.
Peterborough City Council is currently putting the finishing touches to a new Local Plan,which is due to come into force in late 2027. Policy LP57 of this Plan requires a minimum of 91 new dwellings to materialise between 2024 and 2043,using the Neighbourhood Plan of Barnack Parish Council as a vehicle to decide on the development sites. This requirement immediately raises the question: “Is there sufficient space inside the village boundaries of Barnack and Pilsgate to accommodate 91 new dwellings?”
There are four farmyards and other small sites within the villages of Barnack and Pilsgate that will become available for development over the next 17 years,but there is insufficient land to accommodate 91 new dwellings. The City Council therefore leaves the Parish Council with no alternative but to change the approach set out in the original Neighbourhood Plan and to identify potential building sites in the countryside to make up the shortfall. However, given the choice, brownfield sites will always be favoured over greenfield.
All this is a long-drawn-out process. Barnack Parish Council has until 2029 to identify potential development sites,to complete the review of the Neighbourhood Plan and to submit it for adoption. During the process the Parish Council will issue progress reports and circulate questionnaires,to enable residents to express their opinions.
Margaret Palmer (on behalf of Barnack Parish Council) 20/10/26

91 Houses for Barnack Parish in Local Plan

By Stuart McCarey, Banack resident.
The final draft local plan is now available to read on the City Council website and is open for consultation until the end of November.
Regardless of the impact of the (now deferred) Local Government Reorganisation, planning authorities have been instructed to complete their Local Plans. These will be the planning basis for reorganised local government, as and when implemented.
The final draft plan includes 91 houses for Barnack. The Parish Council has worked hard to ensure new housing developments are in keeping with the villages. The original proposal was for 91 houses plus infill opportunities which, in Barnack and Pilsgate, could be significant. This has now been modified such that the total number of new houses for Barnack and Pilsgate is 91 including infill opportunities.
The new figure requires a Neighbourhood Plan with the 91 house commitment to be put forward within the next two years. This Neighbourhood Plan is of crucial importance and the Parish Council has started the updating task.
Council chair Jonno O’Shea said:
“The Council understands the need for additional housing, and we are delighted that the latest plan makes the location and style of future housing the Parish Council’s responsibility, through our Neighbourhood Plan”.
Margaret Palmer has volunteered to lead the Working Party tasked with producing the new Neighbourhood Plan. Margaret says:
“The existing Neighbourhood Plan has resulted in clear policies for the villages’ maintenance and development. Producing the plan is a major task, and I am pleased that councillors O’Shea and Nelson-Smith have experience in planning. I am delighted that another resident with planning experience is also helping. We will be giving regular up-dates at Council meetings”.
Barnack Ward Councillor Kevin Tighe posted on Facebook confirming the number of houses. He also pointed out that the City Council plan has allocated sufficient land to accommodate Travellers’ needs.
For further information see the Parish or City council websites, or better still come to the next Parish Council meeting on 9th November at 7.00 pm.

Barnack Parish Council Spec for Village Caretaker Contractor

Proposal: The need arises on occasion for the Parish Council to undertake minor works. This proposal establishes a route by which such tasks can be undertaken and completed efficiently. The successful contractor will be the Parish Council’s preferred supplier. The Parish Council will need to get prices for some works from other contractors to be able to demonstrate best value for money. See https://barnack-pc.gov.uk/ for the full specification.

Barnack Messy Church

There will be Messy Church at Barnack on November 8th, at the usual time of 3.30pm. The title is “I am the Light of the World”. Please do come along. On arrival, there’ll be snacks and drinks, followed by themed activities and fun crafts. There’ll also be songs, a thought on the Bible theme and a prayer. Looking forward to seeing you! Mike Mills on behalf of the team (07523 312 387).