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Photographs from Bob Whitworth's collection, presented by Karon Watson
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Denfield Park Scrapbook 1990 - 1991
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Victims boost appeal - Evening Telegraph, February 13th, 1990
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Two young crash victims who were helped on the road to recovery by a CAT Scanner have presented £520 raised by their school chums to the appeal.
Matthew Peck, eight, and Damian Peters, 10, from Denfield Park Junior School in Rushden, both suffered brain bruising in separate road accidents.
A CAT Scanner in Oxford helped doctors diagnose the extent of their injuries.
Partly in recognition of the vital work the machine had done for the two – who are now both fully recovered – their school decided to make the ET‑backed Appeal the beneficiary of their annual pre-Christmas collection.
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Money Matters . . .
Dr Sheppard receives the cheque from Matthew, left, and Damian
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The 170 children thought up many different ways to raise cash, including a collection after their Christmas concert, and promptly raised their second highest amount for charity.
Dr Louise Sheppard from the X‑ray department at Kettering General Hospital visited the school before Christmas and captured the youngsters’ interest when she explained the appeal to them.
Headmaster Bob Whitworth said: “Their efforts were absolutely superb. We have only ever raised more money than this once and that was for the Ethiopian appeal in 1984 when we got £750.”
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Readers awarded
Word perfect pupils competed for top honours in a public reading competition. Children from Denfield Park Junior School Rushden, took part in the annual contest organised by deputy head teacher Ian Beaver and Helena Brown.
The final eight contestants from each age group were judged by Myrtle Neville head of Rushden Hayway Infants School,
Ian Curtis, advisary head teacher, and Catherine Fields, head designate of the new Rushden School.
Book tokens were awarder to Joanne Aitken, Matthew Bishop and Emily Gee, and the Leslie Cup went to Drake House as the overall winners.
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Lesson in nature - Evening Telegraph, March 17th,1990
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Green-fingered mums and dads joined youngsters to help create a special conservation area. Children at Denfield Park Junior School in Rushden have been digging in during their spare time to provide a habitat which will attract birds and insects.
Head teacher Bob Whitworth said: “The project will help them with their studies for the national curriculum, and also provide an improved home for the wildlife of the area.
“A grant from the Yorkshire Bank has enabled the school to buy ten different species of plants to provide the basis of the hedgerows, and this money will also fund tools and other resources needed in the development of the area.”
Staff, governors and parents are all lending the children a hand with the digging and planting, and expert advice is being contributed by senior countryside warden Jack Skerritt.
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Parent Barbara Burke gives pupils a hand
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School project is just rubbish! Evening Telegraph, April 10th, 1990
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Green-fingered youngsters took a lesson in the effects of pollution as they went on an organised litter pick in their school grounds and surrounding area.
Classes at Rushden Denfield Park Junior School were each allocated an area to clear, and afterwards the total amount of litter was weighed.
A competition for the pupils most closely estimating the total weight was organised.
Head teacher Bob Whitworth said: “The school is developing a conservation area in the school grounds and this has made pupils more aware of the need to conserve and of the effects of pollution.”
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Litter Lesson ... From the left, Sally Harris,Rebecca Cowley,
Stephen Willis, Helen Wisby,David Winkle and Gary Wilson.
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Parent Keith Beaumont and grandfather Bruno Helsdown have provided a slabbed area for children to watch insect life in the conservation area.
The total weight collected was 57 kilograms and the best estimates were given by Gary Wilson, David Winkle, Stephen Wills, Helen Wisby, Rebecca Cowley and Sally Harris.
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Parents back at school!
More than 100 relatives and friends accepted invitations sent out by youngsters from Rushden Denfield Park Junior School to visit their classes.
The open day was followed by a concert attended by 150 people. Entertainment was provided by the school choir and music groups.
Finalists from the school reading competition also took part.
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Children join in station protest - Evening Telegraph, September 21st,1990
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Schoolchildren are backing the campaign to save Rushden Station being demolished to make way for a new road.
Youngsters from the town’s Denfield Park Junior School have launched their own protest in a bid to stop the bulldozers.
The county council, which owns the former station, wants the land for a new link road joining the town centre and a proposed A6 bypass.
Planning councillors have agreed the scheme in principle but further talks are to take place and an action committee is also being formed.
The youngsters have written to the ET protesting about the scheme and have lobbied councillors and MP Peter Fry who has already backed the campaign.
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Clear Message . . . the boys hold up their protest letters.
Richard is back left, Matthew, back right, Andrew, front left and Michael, front right
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Head teacher Bob Whitworth said: “The children have been carrying out work connected with Rushden with their teacher Ann Smith. “They had been talking about road problems and this link road was like a hot potato. They felt very strongly about it.”
Michael Dennis, nine, wrote to say the new road would be dangerous and noisy.
He said: “The museum is a lovely building. Everybody likes it. If it is knocked down and a road comes between Higham and Rushden I will be late for school.”
Andrew Eydmann, ten, said: “I do not want our old train station knocked down because I walk that way to school.”
Matthew Graham, nine, said: “We do not want the A6 link up through the station. It is our only thing left to remind us of the olden days because we have not seen a real live old station.”
Richard Foulger, ten, said: “It would be a dangerous way to come to school. At home time it is very busy but it will be very hard for Mrs Raven, who is our lollipop lady. It is hard enough already.”
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Kids fired-up over station
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Children were given a taste of the past they are fighting to preserve when they visited Rushden’s threatened historic old station museum.
Pupils from Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, turned an old railway carriage into a classroom for the day to research the history of the site for their latest project.
The old station faces being bulldozed to make way for a new road.
Class teacher, Ann Smith, said: “They cam back fired with enthusiasm and even more keen to save the old station if they possibly could.”
Members of the Historical Transport Society, which is based at the station, showed the nine to 11-year-olds around.
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| Denfield Park school children want to join the fight to save Rushden's old station |
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Musical note for school - October 1990
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Heavenly voices of young hymn singers won the hearts of judges at a festival of music and drama.
Pupils aged under nine from Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, who stay behind after classes for choir practice each week, won first place and a shield trophy for hymn singing during the Northampton Festival at Spinney Hill Hall.
The youngsters sang When Night Arrives to the tune of Greensleeves.
Their conductor and tutor Clare Bunker, who is head of music at the school, said: “We were absolutely delighted with the success. We entered two choirs, one in the under nines and another in the under 11s hymn singing sections.
“The younger ones were placed first, and the full choir of about 30 came third.
“The school choir meets after school and rehearsals are held at dinner time. They all work extremely hard.”
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| SOUND OF MUSIC....pupils join in with Douglas and Carol Combes |
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Children from Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, swept up rubbish as part of Operation Springclean to help conserve the environment.
The children aged seven to 11 paid 10p to enter a litter-picking competition and guess the amount collected at the end of the day. Winner was Michael Dennis. Money raised will go towards the school conservation area funds.
Headteacher Bob Whitworth said more than 46 kilograms of rubbish was collected. “I hasten to add it was not all ours!”
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Fast Food- Evening Telegraph,October 1990
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Youngsters put together a tasty treat when they set about building their own model tractors as a centre piece for their harvest celebrations.
Pupils of Rushden Denfield Park Junior School were invited to build their own tractor at home.
Head Bob Whitworth said: “The children were given the idea to design and make a tractor using any material they thought was suitable.
“Apart from those who used the popular construction bricks and kits and motorised them, we also had models made from straws, bread, Weetabix, and chocolate biscuits. It was a fantastic collection.”
The models took pride of place at the harvest service in school.
Afterwards the produce was taken to elderly people in the area.
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| Robert Alldridge, eight, with his bread tractor at DenfieldPark School celebrations at Rushden |
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School head urges action over dinners
A Rushden headteacher has launched a campaign against the proposal to scrap hot school meals in county schools.Now he is calling on the support of governors and parents.
Bob Whitworth, head of Denfield Park School in Victoria Road and chairman of Rushden and Higham Ferrers head teacher group, urged colleagues to join him in the fight.
Mr Whitworth, who sent protest letters to County Hall, condemned the planned cuts as deplorable.
He claimed education had always been at the butt of savings. “Kids from low income families will be the ones to suffer – the ones who need it.”
He said all three catering staff at his school will lose their jobs if the proposal goes through.
“I have made a stand and now expect parents and governors to do the same, by lobbying county councillors and educational committees. It is up to us.”
Higham Ferrers county councillor Derek Lawson said: “Yes, we’re depriving kids of school meals but the opposition don’t come up with any alternative.
“It’s easy to criticise but we need constructive criticism to avoid rate capping.”
The county council will decide the budget cuts on February 21.
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Thanks, say youngsters
As Christmas is a time of giving, we decided to make some sweets, as well as design and make the packages. We presented the gifts to our elderly friends at 77 Victoria Road, and they liked them. We want to thank Chichele School for helping us and the local shops and firms who gave us lots of things for our Christmas project.
Class 2 Children
Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden
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A classy act
The children in Class 7 at Denfield Park Junior School in Rushden are very pleased with Rushden Station being saved. Almost everyone in the class read it in the newspapers and some of us saw it on the television. We are glad we joined the protest and we thank you all at the Citizen for all your help. The old station has a lovely museum and we will enjoy going there again.
Class 7
Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden
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Radio goes to schools to record top carols
The young voices or Northamptonshire schoolchildren are being recorded to provide cheery carols for radio listeners throughout the county.
The Carols for Christmas project has been set up by BBC Radio Northampton with the intention of spiking its programmes with a little festive spirit.
Station engineer Nick Hall has been given the task of recording the school choirs – at Harpole VC Primary, Park Junior, Kettering, Denfield Park Junior, Rushden, and St Lawrence, Towcester.
The station’s education producer, David Fonville who is in charge of the project, explained: “There will be traditional as well as contemporary and rediscovered favourites – including Joy to the World, Swinging Shepherd Blues and Christmas, Christmas.”
Carols For Christmas will also be broadcast as an hour-long special on Radio Northampton on Sunday, December 23.
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Light relief for Katie
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Smoke Alert . . . firemen have put an end to worries about the safety of her family and pets for eight-year-old Katie Whale.
Katie, of Harborough Way, Rushden, turned to Welephant, the fire service’s safety promotional character, for help when firemen visited her school. She said: “My daddy smokes and I was worried in case there might be a fire.”
Welephant is pictured making a return visit to Denfield Park School in Rushden to present Katie with two smoke detectors.
Katie said: “We have got two cats and a dog and with the detectors they would have time to get us all out safely if there is a fire. Our cats Hannah and Tigger live in the house but Tessa our dog sleeps in the garage. If we have one in the house and the other in the garage we will all be safe.”
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Fund of ideas - Young in profit cookery sessions
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Enterprising youngsters devised games and competitions and baked cakes during a charity fundraising session and have now donated the money raised to the NSPCC.
Pupils of Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, raised a total of £320 in a flurry of fundraising.
Head teacher Bob Whitworth said: “The children raised the money during their morning breaks from lessons.
“They set up stalls selling items such as cakes which they and their parents had made at home.
“They also devised their own games and competitions.”
The cheque was handed to NSPCC schools co‑ordinator Jan Manning by Matthew Bishop, 11, and Anna Ranalletti, seven.
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A spell of effort for their school
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Good spelling is helping to add up the cash for extra maths equipment for these children and their pals
Youngsters from Rushden Denfield Park Junior School are doing a sponsored spell to raise money which will help their National Curriculum work.
The picture shows eight-year-old Martyn Slack getting to grips with some of the words, with 11-year-old Robert Tomkins and Rachel Moore at the back.Head teacher Bob Whitworth said: “The children are to be tested on words taken from high frequency use lists.
“We felt this would be a constructive way of raising money through sponsorship.”
The youngsters have a fortnight to learn from their lists and will be tested on March 1.
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Choir Praised
School Children hit the high notes when they came first in a country singing competition.
Pupils aged seven to nine from Denfield Park Junior School, Victoria Road, Rushden, scooped first prize in Northampton Festival of Music and Drama. They were followed by the under -11s who came third at the event in Spinney Hill Hall, in Northampton. Head teacher Bob Whitworth told the Citizen : "I am extremely delighed. The sheer hard work by the children and conductor has paid off." |
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Pictures are just the ticket - Evening Telegraph, April 22,1991
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Artistic youngsters Sally Bowler and Gavin Ball were all smiles when their efforts to draw a new minibus came up trumps in a county council competition. The two artists gave the Rushden Rider a colourful send-off when they were presented with their prizes.
Chairman of East Northants Council Gwen Murdin presented a £25 book token to winner 10-year-old Sally, of Alfred Street Junior School, Rushden. Mrs Murdin said: “The standard of entries was very high and Sally’s painting was particularly imaginative.”
Runner-up Gavin, 10, of Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, was presented with a £12.50 book token by Rushden county councillor Harry Graham.
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PRIZE TIME....Gavin and Sally with their winning pictures
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A Sound Success
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Heavenly voices of young hymn singers won the hearts of judges at a festival of music and drama.
Pupils aged under nine from Denfield Park Junior School, Rushden, who stay behind after classes for choir practice each week, won first place and a shield trophy for hymn singing during the Northampton Festival at Spinney Hill Hall.The youngsters sang When Night Arrives to the tune of Greensleeves.
Their conductor and tutor Clare Bunker, who is head of music at the school, said: “We were absolutely delighted with the success. We entered two choirs, one in the under nines and another in the under 11s hymn singing sections.
“The younger ones were placed first, and the full choir of about 30 came third.
“The school choir meets after school and rehearsals are held at dinner time. They all work extremely hard.”
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Choir monitors Charlotte Lane, 11,
and Matthew Graham, nine,
are pictured holding the shield
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