As part of the Magna Carta celebrations BBC Lincolnshire staged 'Steep Hill Stories' at points along Steep Hill extending to the Castle and Cathedral.

Because of the wet weather, SLHA's Jews' Court hosted one of the stories presented by actor Jack Klaff as Old Father Time, talking about aspects of time and entertaining the children with magic tricks.

Several hundred people trooped in and out of Jews' Court over the two days, many staying to look in the bookshop and admire the building whilst being entertained by Morris men and the Lincoln Waites.

The following appointments were made for 2015-16:
Patron: Tony Worth
President: Dr Rod Ambler
Chairman: Neil Wright
Vice Chairman: Nigel Burn
Hon Treasurer: Chris Hewis
Executive Committee: David Stocker, David Robinson, Ken Hollamby
Committee Chairmen: Archaeology: Antony Lee; Building Recording: David Stocker
History of Lincolnshire: Prof John Beckett; Industrial Archaeology: Chris Lester
Local History: to be appointed; Publications: Ken Redmore

Honorary Vice-Presidents: David N Robinson, Pearl Wheatley, Thora Wagstaffe, Catherine Wilson

A presentation was made to Mark Bennet to mark his retirement as editor of the Society's journal Lincolnshire History and Archaeology.

The Society's Flora Murray Award for 2014 has been made to Dr John B Manterfield for the Grantham Hall Book Transcription Project. A certificate and cheque for £200 were presented to Dr Manterfield at the SLHA AGM in Sleaford on 13 June.

The transcription of this minute book of Grantham Corporation was undertaken by a local U3A group led by John Down and subsequently edited by John Manterfield. The original text accompanied by the transcription has been published on the LCC Lincs to the Past website and the group has also produced an attractive and informative illustrated booklet entitled Newton's Grantham: The Hall Book and life in a Puritan Town.

A project to restore headstones of WW1 servicemen in two Gainsborough cemeteries has been recognised by SLHA and given an Award for Excellence.  Entitled "Fallen Sons of Gainsborough" and organised by Friends of Gainsborough Cemeteries (leader: Peter Bradshaw), this ambitious grant-aided project has seen through the restoration of about 40 headstones commemorating local men who are buried abroad. The local community has been closely involved and special ceremonies have marked completed restoration work.

An Award of Excellence has also been made to The Spirit of Sutterby Project. This wide-ranging study, co-ordinated by Dave Start, has set about studying, recording and publishing details of a tiny Wolds parish - especially the church, churchyard, village and natural history. Over 100 local volunteers have participated and the project's well-constructed website is publishing results of the survey work and keeping everyone abreast of progress.

Lincoln hosts special celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta during June.

Our two shop windows at the foot of Steep Hill are specially decorated to mark the occasion with barons to the fore.

Thanks go to Ros Beevers in particular for her vision and much hard work.

A group of enthusiastic people of all ages enjoyed an action packed afternoon of traditional fun and games organised by the Society at Kirton in Lindsey Town Hall as part of the "Past and Present" project.

The afternoon included a frantic old fashioned Beetle Drive, which was a very popular community activity in the mid-1950s and 1960s.

Pass the "Hot Potato" apparently has its origins in the late twentieth century and was very popular as was the very energetic "Balloon Game" where two teams have to sit on the floor opposite each other, stay seated and attempt to score by hitting the balloon over the heads of the opposite team!!

As the group were so keen, many of the team games were played at least twice, and another set of games were played to live music.

The afternoon finished with the ever popular "Hokey Cokey" which appears to have a controversial history, some believe it developed in America from a catchy ditty introduced by two sisters from Canterbury who were visiting --- who knows what really happened?

Organised by the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology in conjunction with the Kirton in Lindsey society and Kirton Town Hall as part of the "Past and Present" Project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

On Saturday 31 January the Society was invited by the new Lincoln University College for Science and Engineering to have a stand at their open day when prospective students and their parents were able to see what the UTC can offer.

We were there to provide some context and perspective on the great things that are happening in the County today in terms of mechanical engineering. There was a lot of interest and the SLHA scrolling display of the history of engineering innovation and design was particularly popular.

The Society is supporting the Nettleton Mines Heritage initiative, a Down Your Wold community project. Down Your Wold is a partnership with the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Project and Heritage Lincolnshire, funded through the Heritage Lottery.

In 2014 a guided walk around the site and a subsequent talk on the history of the Nettleton and Claxby Mines attracted around 120 people.

On Saturday 10 January 2015 a "drop in day" was organised at Nettleton Village Hall and local residents were invited to call to see various displays and to share their memories of the mines.

133 people turned up. Photographs, plans and other documents were brought in and provoked a lot of discussion as people and activities were identified. Five of the former miners who came along also took the opportunity to have some of their memories recorded as part of the oral history part of the initiative.

Artefacts brought along included miner's helmets, mine lamps and a bell from one of the mines' battery locomotives. Of particular interest was a Lysaght's Bowls Club Trophy, dating from December 1963, which utilised three horse shoes, each taken from the last pit ponies to work underground in Nettleton Top Mine: Short Monty, Duke and Darkey Jock.

The photographs show the SLHA stand on the day, with three former miners identifying photographs (with Stewart Squires), and the bowls trophy. The photographs were taken by John Esser.