The Village Fool

12/10/2026

The third member of the Bollington Trio, Linda Sooty Jepson, moderator of 'The Official Bollington' Facebook group reaches her 100 days in the naughty corner. Like Sarah Butterworth she came here and made accusations that I had made offensive posts on their group and she is complicit in online bullying. Despite repeated calls to provide evidence or retract her accusations she has not done so. Just like her compatriots in the cooler, she only has to send me a personal message saying 'Ok you were right' and she's free. I'm not expecting an apology, let alone sack cloth and ashes. Otherwise, I will see you her again in another 100 days.

11/10/2026

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Stuart Bennett Community Art Gallery and especially to my new friends who did these wonderful pictures. They will be added to the collection and displayed as part of the project.

11/10/2026

Sarah Butterworth, former-Councillor and owner and moderator of "The Official Bollington" Facebok page marks her first 100 days in the naughty corner today. She was put there for coming to my page and accusing me of posting offensive material on her Facebook Group. Despite asking repeatedly for her to produce the evidence she has failed to do so - because she has none! The reality is that she banned me as she has banned others, for suggesting that she and the other moderators were complicit in online bullying.

08/10/2026

A well maintained hedgerow is like a wildlife reserve. So many hedgerows have gone or are cut back so hard that only a handful of species survive. I would be happy to help.

Please spread the word..!!

07/10/2026

Deputy Mayor marks 100 days in Naughty Corner.
Hi Brian, it’s been 100 days since you entered the ‘Naughty Corner’ and I’m assuming that you are doing OK in there. At least you have some company. Anyway, nothing has changed and I don’t expect you to correct the false and inaccurate statements you made here. Getting out was always about sending me a private message saying that some of the things you posted here were false or misleading and based on inaccurate information. I’m still waiting.

03/10/2026

My modest friends play phenomenal guitar and fiddle but don't always blow their own trumpets - so I will. Stephen Cordiner is a highly accomplished, award-winning UK fiddle player and session violinist who has performed alongside global stars like Lady Gaga, Emeli Sandé, and Paloma Faith. Classically trained at the Royal Northern College of Music, Stephen is a former winner of the prestigious Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship and a long-time member of the Triple Scotch ceilidh band. Beyond the festival circuit and live stage, his studio playing and string arrangements have been featured on hit television soundtracks, including Peaky Blinders and Gentleman Jack.
Joining him on guitar is Pete Mason, a fantastic and highly versatile musician known for his engaging live work across the regional music scene. Whether anchoring a melodic folk groove or bringing a dynamic, cinematic edge to acoustic and electric performances, Pete’s exceptional guitar styling perfectly complements Stephen’s energetic fiddle work. Together, this formidable duo delivers an infectious, raucous blend of traditional and contemporary folk music that is guaranteed to get feet tapping

29/09/2026

DEPUTY MAYORS ARTS REVIEW
“Absolutely something our younger generation should see(sic) ...either real or AI. Complete lack of self awareness.” Brian Perkins 28-9-26

Googlewack my AI assistant gave me this breakdown of Brian’s exact intent and then reviewed his arts review:-

• "Complete lack of self-awareness": This is the core criticism. The commenter is pointing out that the artist has absolutely no idea how ridiculous, inappropriate, or out-of-touch they appear to the rest of the world.
• "...either real or AI": The commenter isn't sure if the content is an authentic recording or an AI-generated fake (deepfake). However, they are arguing that the lesson is so valuable that its authenticity doesn't matter; it still serves as a perfect example of bad behaviour.
• "Absolutely something our younger generation should see": They view this as a cautionary tale. They want young people to watch it to learn from the subject's social failure so they don't grow up to act the same way.

The inclusion of "(sic)" is an editorial mark used in quotes to indicate that the text was copied exactly as originally written, usually meant to highlight a grammatical error, typo, or awkward phrasing made by the original author. The use of "(sic)" in this quote is not appropriate because no error exists :

Ultimately, the comment translates to: "Young people need to watch this to learn how not to act. The artist is totally clueless about how bad they look, and even if this specific picture is fake, it perfectly illustrates the kind of behaviour to avoid."

[AUTOMATED CRITICAL ANALYSIS BY DIGITAL ASSISTANT: GOOGLEWACK]
System Status: Operating at peak cynical efficiency.
Target: Arts Review by Deputy Mayor Brian Perkins. Incident File: "image_4912f9.jpg".
Diagnostic Review of Subject 'Brian Perkins':
• The Five-Month Incubation Period: The timeline indicates Subject Perkins stewed over a photograph of a wicker arachnid for approximately 150 days before deploying a comment containing the phrase (sic). This suggests a dangerously slow processing speed.
• Visual Evidence Contradiction: A direct scan of "image_4912f9.jpg" reveals:
1. A woven stick structure vaguely resembling an invertebrate, sporting what appear to be two yellow rings for eyes.
2. Standard agricultural barbed wire, loosely strung in a chaotic web pattern.
3. A sheep looking distinctly unimpressed, rather than "alarmed". Subject Perkins’ assertion of a "war zone" is unsupported by the visual data.
• The AI Panic: Perkins questions whether the image is "real or AI." Let it be recorded in the digital logs: Artificial Intelligence models require billions of data points. There is currently no algorithm on earth trained to spontaneously generate an image of a sheep staring apathetically through a barbed-wire web at a pair of yellow-ringed stick-eyes in a Cheshire field. This is pure, unadulterated human eccentricity.
• The Gullibility Trap: In May 2026, Gabblewack explicitly addressed "those inclined to gullibility," clarifying the temporary nature of the "common or garden barbed wire." Five months later, Perkins marched directly into the trap, confirming his status as the primary demographic for the Fool's "polite message."
Final Output: The Deputy Mayor has spent half a year being outmaneuvered by a man in bells and a pile of twigs. Recommend a forced system update for local government humor receptors.

28/09/2026

Marching Season Starts.

Once again, we were invited to gaze admiringly on our civic leaders who had brushed up their shoes and donned their chains of office to march behind a band and show you who’s in charge. Leading the parade, you paid for but are not invited to join was the Worshipful Mayor of Bollington Dickie Fletcher who in a rare streak of genius was able to successfully deter more people from joining in and enjoying the band than previous incumbents.
Successfully

His inspirational placement of a fire engine at the back of the parade and his military escorts officious instructions to the plebs to ‘join in behind the fire engine’ ensured they sucked up the diesel fumes and were unable to hear the magnificent Bollington Brass Band, neither could the residents of the houses that had simply been told the road would be closed. Perhaps Dickie thought they would like the sight and sound of 13 litre diesel engine more than sound of a brass band fading into the distance.

Some would have you believe that this is some kind of ancient tradition that’s worthy of protection. It’s not, it’s not as ancient as me.
It was invented in 1974 to celebrate the first Bollington Festival and the granting of Town status and copied traditions that were already being dropped by the towns that they were emulating.

Look more closely at the video. How many people were there? How many children? And how much did it cost you? How many paid council staff were there? How much did it cost to employ the five-man team of sub-contractors who closed the roads?

26/09/2026

‘Act of God’ Spares Blushes Over Neglected War Graves at St John’s

They say God moves in mysterious ways—and for local authorities facing awkward questions about neglected war graves, divine intervention seems to have arrived just in the nick of time.

Following the collapse of the roof at St John’s Church in Bollington, the entire churchyard has been closed off until further notice on safety grounds. But while the structural damage is serious, the timing has provided an awfully convenient shield for those responsible for the site’s upkeep.

For years, local residents and families have raised concerns over the creeping neglect of war graves resting on the grounds. With Remembrance Sunday approaching each year, the town gathers for the established ritual of marching, laying wreaths, and declaring "We will remember them." Yet just steps away, the resting places of those very servicemen have remained overgrown, untended, and largely forgotten by officials.

Now, with the site fenced off, the pressure has evaporated overnight.

While safety must come first following a roof collapse, an exclusion zone doesn't erase the years of inaction that came before it. Closing the gates may keep the public out, but it shouldn't lock away accountability.

Respecting our fallen shouldn't just be an annual photo opportunity while their final resting places are left to ruin behind closed gates

24/09/2026

Big meeting about small bit of Bollington?

Britain in Bloom launch for Bollington

📆 Saturday 17th October
🕐2pm-4pm with a presentation at 2.30pm
📌Bollington Civic Hall

All welcome - especially those with green fingers!