The town of Bassethwaite, pride of Bassetshire, boasts two bookshops on its charming High Street. One, recently established, is a branch of Firecloud's Bookstore – that chain familiar to readers all over our country. Firecloud's (its local manager is named Hugh Mann) has an enviable stock, bright premises, efficient staff and a fresh and welcoming atmosphere – but some locals claim it lacks character, or even soul. The 'alternative' (in more ways than one) choice is Bassethwaite And District Books, in the older part of the High Street. This is an independent shop, established twenty years or so, with an eccentric and selective range of books. Dark, be-nooked and dusty, it certainly isn't without the 'character' referred to above. The owners are three equal partners – Ali Catt, Bill Tong and Drew Blanc. They run the business (which owns its own premises) as a 'sort of chaotic democracy', I'm told. Well, it's certainly not without its charms!
Police are still searching for missing schoolboy Barry Cade, who disappeared on October 31st. The area around Alderman Evans Memorial School and down to Basset Lake has been thoroughly combed, and farther locations scoured – with no sign of the lad. Barry is said to be a popular young man, with a 'gang' of friends – none of whom have seen him since the end of school on that fateful day. Barry has no immediate family, but the Bugle urges its readers' prayers for his soul (may it still be attached to his body) and for all who remember him kindly.
The Bassethwaite Bugle, 5th November 1990
Bassethwaite Borough Council has decided to lift the temporary ban on digging at the so-called 'Sacred Spring' site adjoining Basset Lake – meaning that the important excavation planned by the team from Bassetshire Museum can go ahead. Objections, led by local gardening celebrity Paige Turner, centred around feared disruption to the habitat of the endangered Bassethwaite Bog Orchid. It is understood that the Council was satisfied that such dangers will be in practice minimal. Excavation leader Digby Burroughs was delighted: "We expect to find a trove of important artefacts around the Sacred Spring, an important ritual location to Bronze Age inhabitants over a period of several centuries, and still in use down to medieval times. One might say that to our ancestors, this spot was in a sense the 'beating heart' of their community!"
Archaeology Today, 24th October 2010
"This afternoon, why not pop down to Bassethwaite And District Books, your premier local independent retailer of reading matter? There's everything from the latest bestsellers to the most arcane literary curiosities. And local girl made good, Paige Turner, will be signing copies of her hard-hitting autobiography Shaking Off My Roots – and talking about how she overcame the disadvantages of growing up in Bassethwaite to become the renowned gardening writer she is today. We here at Basset FM will be covering the event, so it's also your opportunity to meet me, Jenny Taylor, and the crew.
"In other unrelated news, police have identified the human remains that were recently found buried near the sixth-form clubhouse at Alderman Evans Memorial High School. Inspector Seymour, leading the investigation for Bassetshire Constabulary, announced that the body is that of teenager Barry Cade – a pupil at the school who disappeared twenty years ago. The cause of death has not yet been established, but police sources have said that 'some sort of ghastly occult ritual' seems to have been involved."
Basset FM, 31st October 2010
Premiere: Consequences 2010
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Last update: 22nd August 2010