Kibworth Harcourt Conservation Society
Our Society's aim is to ensure the preservation of Kibworth Harcourt as an attractive, historic village with a pleasant environment.
Anyone who lives in the village of Kibworth Harcourt is welcome to attend our meetings which are held on occasional Wednesdays during the year in one of our homes.
Since 1980, the Society has successfully enhanced the village by saving the Manse and Chapel wall from demolition, by producing the Historic Trail leaflet, by objecting to greenfield housing developments, by planting bulbs and trees, by organising public meetings on important issues, such as noise from EMA airspace routes, Local Housing Plans, the Kibworth A6 by-pass and by holding social events throughout the year including the annual Flower Container competition.
If you are interested in joining the Society and/or supporting our work please contact Michael Whitcher, our Hon. Treasurer, on 0116 279 2935 or Kevin Feltham, our Chairman, on 0116 279 3232, or Betty Ward, Hon. Secretary, on 0116 279 2701.
Flower Container Competition
We would like to ask everyone to help make Kibworth Harcourt look really floral this summer. The village will be featured on national TV on Monday 2nd July 2012 when the Olympic Torch Relay procession passes along the A6 just after 5pm.
The Society is once again inviting everybody with a frontage onto not just the A6 but also all the other orads in our beatutiful village to take part in our Flower Container competition - be it with hanging baskets, patio pots, window boxes or any other way. To enter and have a chance of winning one of the prizes, just give Betty Ward your entrance fee (just £1 per property) and let our judge decide later this summer.
The 2010 Annual Competition was won by:
1st prize - Maria Crane
2nd prize - Mr & Mrs J Hubbard
3rd prize - Mrs Moxon
Business category - Coach & Horses
Contact Betty Ward at 51 Main Street or 0116 279 2701.
Society Social Activities
Throughout each year, the Society's Committee discuss and arrange a variety of events and activities ranging from coach trips to interesting locations, guest speakers on varied topics (e.g. Red Kites, Rutland Water etc.), floral competitions, family treasure hunts and quizzes, and the annual village Christmas Tree switch-on at the junction of Main Street and Albert Street on a Saturday evening (two weeks before Christmas Day) - this year on Saturday 8th December 2012 at 6.30pm outside the Old House on Main Street.
Volunteers, led by Betty Ward, planted spring bulbs at the entrance to Hall Close on Sunday 7th November 2010. In the photograph are Andy Tyler, Betty Ward, Susie Purling and Bob Haggerty, and our grateful thanks to them. This is part of a continuing bulb planting programme by the Kibworth Harcourt Conservation Society, which each year, provided sufficient volunteers are willing to help, uses some of the annual Society membership subscriptions to improve the verges of Kibworth Harcourt by planting a few bulbs.
Heritage Trail Leaflet Launched - May 2007
Saturday 26th May at 6.00pm
Raitha's Function Room (on A6)
Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, Cllr Mike Jones, launched the leaflet. Afterwards Cllr Mike Jones and his wife, Marj, as well as Chairman of Harborough district Council, Cllr Peter Callis and his wife, Celia, accompanied Society Chairman, Dr Kevin Feltham, together with some of the Society members, around the route despite there being a slight drizzle!
Villagers delighted at official restoration of identity
Today (13th July 2006), we received final written confirmation that the name "Kibworth" is being replaced with "Kibworth Harcourt" in the official Postal Address File managed by Royal Mail.
Kevin Feltham, Chairman KHCS and County Councillor, stated "Today Kibworth Harcourt got back its historic name and identity. Today a 20th century piece of bureaucracy was put right. This deserves a celebration and I trust villagers throughout Kibworth Harcourt can toast the Royal Mail for their understanding and help in achieving this change in our official postal addresses, and restoration of the village name. A massive 98.5% level of support (only 7 out of 461 objected to the change), means this campaign has clearly touched an important heritage spot with villagers."
"Every household and business will be notified of the change by Royal Mail in the next few days. The official address file has already been updated with the new correct village name. I would like to thank all the villagers for their support over the last year. I am sorry for the 19 households on New Road who will now have to change their postcode, and trust they are not too inconvenienced by this restoration of their village identity. I hope that whenever any area in this village is referred to in future, the full name of Kibworth Harcourt is always used."
Although residents of Kibworth Beauchamp are not included in this consultation, Kevin Feltham confirms there has been interest from a number of "Beauchamp" residents about restoring their name too.
