Shadow Cabinet Minister to Unveil ‘Medieval Law and Order Initiative’ at Eastoke Corner!’
- Sat 7th Jun 2008
David Willetts MP to unveil new ‘Hayling Stocks’.
When Councillor for Hayling West Andy Lenaghan, answered a recent phone call from Discover Hayling’s Robin Walton, asking him to help promote a new ‘crime fighting initiative’ for Hayling Island. Nothing could have fully prepared him for what was to follow.
Our story starts back in 1405 when a law was passed requiring every town and village in the country, to display a set of stocks prominently in a public place. In which local rogues vagabonds and other miscreants could be publicly pilloried for such heinous offences as, ‘drunkenness, resisting arrest, drinking in church or breaking the Sabbath’.
Now in a new initiative to meet the changing needs of the 21st Century, Discover Hayling part of the innovative and award winning Hayling’s BEST MTI Group, have created an authentic replica of Hayling’s long redundant medieval stocks. And with the help of Havant Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, have found a new site for them to be installed, this time as a visitor attraction on the green at Eastoke Corner.
So it was that on a Thursday morning in May this year, Hayling’s ever popular Councillor Lenaghan was duly enlisted to act as a willing ‘test pilot’ for the latest preproduction prototype. And being the true sport that he always is, Andy was delighted to be among the first to try out the modern day stocks. Gladly posing for photographs as so many Islanders and visitors will in future summers, he told our correspondent.............
“I am delighted to be a part of Discover Hayling team and be involved in the efforts to build the copy stocks. I think they will be a tremendous attraction at Eastoke Corner with many people wanting to try them out and be photographed in them. I was happy to help and try the prototype for size, I can assure you, you would not want to sit in them too long. This is another great effort by the MTI team to rejuvenate the tourists attractions on Hayling”.
Equally keen to join in the fun and lend support to this novel, if perhaps somewhat reactionary ‘crime-fighting initiative’, has been fellow Conservative David Willetts, MP for Havant. Who has kindly agreed to perform the Grand Opening Ceremony for the new facility, which will take place on the green at Eastoke Corner, on Saturday 21st June at 11.30 am.
On hand to add further gravitas to the proceedings, will be the legendary William Padwick, Lord of the Manor of Hayling in the early nineteenth century. Appearing courtesy of the Hayling Island Amateur Dramatic Society, with Laurie and June Noble as Mr and Mrs Padwick, ably supported by the boys and girls of the Hayling Dance Fusion Group.
It is currently unclear if Mr Willetts or any other public spirited worthies, will be volunteering to personally try out the re-created stocks. But anyone hoping for a unique opportunity to offload unwanted or out of date foodstuffs, are politely reminded that such items should be allowed to thoroughly defrost on removal from the freezer!
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