grafham gossip - amazon web services november.pdfgrafham gossip issue 165 deadline: midnight...
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Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 1 Issue 164
Grafham Gossip Issue 165 Deadline: Midnight Thursday 15th November
Editors’ note… Once again, remember, remember to visit Grafham Village Hall for delicious food, mulled wine and fantastic fireworks! Our village cele-brations of Bonfire Night are on Saturday 3rd November. We’ve had lots of interesting contributions for this is-sue. There’s not enough room to mention them all here, but you will find out that there is something to catch your attention on every page!
Please send in your news, views, photos and gossip in good time for the next deadline, midnight on Thursday 15th November 2018 for the combined December/January issue.
Keep Gossiping! Editors, [email protected]
Contents Church Services and View from the Pew..………..…......
Parish News/ Cllrs details/Be Extra Vigilant………….…......
Notices/ Village Hall Activities………………….…..…….…..….
Request for assistance for Community Shop..…….….…
Extracts from B and LP Surgeries Newsletter….……………...
Notices/Has the bin man bin, Mam?/ Useful phone nos……...
Wildlife Trust Talk, The Wild World of Birds…………..............
Holy Days, Jason / Grafham Beekeepers Group…………….
Notices incl extracts from ALBRAM Surgeries Newsletter….....
Do you recognise this local road?/Buckden Gardeners…........
Grafham Road Safety Campaign Update……………………..
Talking Shop/ Times Gone By, David Anthony.……………....
Adverts/Notices..………………….………..…………….…...…
Autumn Leaves, Greg Belcher…………………………………
Adverts………………………………………………...…………
Churchyard Makeover/ Keep Stronger for Longer…………….
Local Activities………………………………….….…………….
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If you have timber that can be used for the bonfire,
please deliver it to the far side of the 5 - aside pitch,
Grafham Village Hall, at 3pm on Saturday 3rd November
where Simon will be in charge!
Or call Simon 07887 628528 who will collect it
on the morning of Saturday 3rd.
Please make sure that there’s nothing included that is explosive or that might give off noxious fumes.
Hotdogs
Jacket potato & cheese
Jacket potato & chilli
Tomato Soup
Mulled wine
Coke (Squash free)
Admission: Admission: Admission:
Adults £4Adults £4Adults £4
5 5 5 --- 16 years £216 years £216 years £2
Under 5s Free!Under 5s Free!Under 5s Free!
Saturday 3rdSaturday 3rdSaturday 3rd NovemberNovemberNovember
Food from 5:00Food from 5:00Food from 5:00
Fireworks 6:30Fireworks 6:30Fireworks 6:30
at the at the at the
Village HallVillage HallVillage Hall
Carousel for childrenCarousel for childrenCarousel for children
2018
Christmas Shoe Box Appeal – 2018
Can I persuade you to be part of a very
worthwhile cause and help bring a smile to
underprivileged children this Christmas?
Do you have a spare shoebox which you
could fill with goodies for underprivileged
children this Christmas?
If you would like to be part of this very worthwhile
cause run by Samaritans Purse (operation Christmas
Child), please give me a call on 811577 or 07859 065
982 and I’ll be happy to deliver a leaflet to you. This is
a fun and rewarding project which, as a village, we
have been part of for many years now.
Once completed, shoeboxes should be returned to
me no later than Sunday 18th
November. Monetary
contributions are also welcome.
Details can also be found on-line at www.samaritans-purse.org.uk
Many thanks for your continued support.
Kind regards, Moira Young 2 Meadowground, Grafham
01480 811577 or 07859 065 982
A big thank you to those who attended the MacMillan coffee / tea event on
Saturday 22nd September! We raised £237.
I would like give thanks also, to those who helped during the day (especially Julia.)
With gratitude, Susana Doyle
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 2 Issue 164
View from the Pew
Our church has been very busy in the last few weeks. On 20th September seven of us celebrated our first mid-week Holy Communion led by Mike. A reading from the bible was thoughtfully considered fol-lowed by our prayers and the Communion itself. Coffee, cake and a chat was enjoyed afterwards. The following Sunday it was Grafham's turn to host the "All Together" Holy Communion service. This was led by a visiting Curate Revd Sid Bridges who delighted us with his entertaining sermon.
On Saturday 6th October we were pleased to welcome a group of volunteers to a meeting to discuss church-yard maintenance with a view to creating wildflower areas. A plan of action was decided and readers will be kept informed of progress.
Our Harvest Festival on a glorious October day was attended by 33 people. We heard the story of the para-ble of the sower and traditional Harvest hymns were sung. All donated food was sent to the Food Bank. 24 people sat down to the delicious bring and share lunch.
The first of our new Taize services will be on Sunday 28th October at 7.30pm and the second on 25th No-vember. Do come along and experi-ence this tranquil and meditative service with music and candles.
The next two mid-week Holy Communions will be on 1st and 29th November at 10am. You are welcome to all our services, whether regular churchgoers or new-comers, we will be pleased to see you.
The Remembrance Sunday service on 11th November will be at Ellington as it is their scheduled Family Ser-vice. This being the centenary of the end of World War 1 we are sure many will wish to attend. Grafham men who gave their lives will be remembered as always. As usual we will assemble in the churchyard by the War Memorial at 10.50am. On a more sober note it is apparent that some dog owners are not clearing up after their pet in the church-yard. We would ask those people to do so and keep our churchyard clean and welcoming for all.
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On Fourth Sundays, an ‘All Together’ Holy Communion Service rotates between the three churches.
For more information on church services and other events, visit www.eastleightonstone.com and click on Calendar
Grafham All Saints Services
Every Wednesday morning 09.00 - 09.30 Morning Prayer – a short service open to all
Please note the new time. Download the Daily Prayer app from
the Church of England website available for iOS and Android
join us in spirit from home if you wish! -------------------------------------------------------------
28th October (4th Sunday) 19.30 Taize service - Lay led (See ’View’ below)
-------------------------------------------------------------
1st November (Thursday) 10.00 Holy Communion led by Mike Bigg (a fairly informal
service - see ’View’ below)
4th November (1st Sunday) 10.30 Family Service - Lay led
11th November (2nd Sunday) 10.50 Remembrance Sunday Service at Ellington Assemble in the churchyard by the War Memorial at 10.50am
25th November (4th Sunday) 19.00 Taize service - Lay led
29th November (Thursday) 10.00 Holy Communion led by Mike Bigg --------------------------------------------------------------
2nd December (1st Sunday) 10.30 Family Service - Lay led
Contacting the Clergy Revd Jason Taylor (Rector) Rectory, 15 Church Road, Brampton PE28 4PF
[email protected] 01480 453341 or 07807 118070
Revd Mike Bigg (Curate) [email protected] 07380 809377
Christmas Services will be listed in the next issue of
the Grafham Gossip.
They can also be found here:
https://
stmarymagdalenebrampton.churchdesk.com/christmas2018
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 3 Issue 164
Grafham’s County Councillor Grafham’s District Councillor
Peter Downes
07765 833486
peter.downes@ cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Darren Tysoe 01480 388310 [email protected]
Grove Cottage, Malting Lane, Ellington, PE28 0AA Follow me on Twitter@darrentysoe and twitter.com/darrentysoe Receive my updates on Facebook www.facebook.com/cllrdmtysoe
PARISH NEWS October 2018
At this month’s meeting, the Council were asked about the condition of the hedges along the Bramp-ton Lane. In some places, the growth is such that it restricts free movement for cars and cyclists alike, posing physical dangers as well as damage to vehi-cles. This is a perennial issue and, as in previous years, the Council will discuss with landowners and or Cambridgeshire Highways. The Brampton end is most-ly managed by a voluntary working party and, although there is a question over where the boundary lies, the Grafham end could benefit from similar attention if people are willing. In any event the Council will be in contact with the landowners to seek a commitment to the maintenance of the hedges and the clearing away of fallen branches.
The Chair of the Shop Committee attended the meet-ing to seek some financial assistance for the shop over the winter months. In a separate article (on page 5) you can read the transcript of the request and the Council’s response to it.
Two members of the Speedwatch team attended to update the Council on their activities. So far nine ses-sions of monitoring have taken place with an approxi-mate 12% of vehicles travelling in excess of 30 mph. At the Church Road end of the village, monitoring has so far been confined to traffic leaving the village. Moni-toring traffic coming into the village on Buckden Road is hampered by the height of the verges on that side of the road. It is unclear who would be responsible for the verges and the Council will search its archives to find
out who owns the water tower and its land.
The regular monthly reports received from Cllr Darren Tysoe and Cllr Peter Downes can be viewed in full on the village website www.grafham.org.uk
The Council agreed to provide help to the Community Pub by granting £642 towards the
purchase of sanitary ware.
The grant application for the resurfacing of the all-weather pitch has been completed. Four tenders have been received and the most cost effective in terms of life span and maintenance came from the original in-stallers at £17,900.00. The Council unanimously agreed to appoint En-Tout-Cas as the contractor of choice.
A quote for the cost of three speedwatch signs and their installation at £367.00 was accepted and agreed. The A14 traffic monitoring device has been installed on Breach Road to monitor numbers and speed. Feedback is expected possibly by the end of October.
Street-lighting as a future topic for discussion has been suggested. Are there too many lamp-posts or too few? Are they in the right places? If you have a view, please let us know.
The next PC meeting is scheduled for 13th November 2018 – 7.30pm at the Village Hall – everyone wel-come.
Margaret Life Parish Clerk
07780 119311 [email protected]
Grafham Parish Council You may contact your parish councillors through the parish clerk or directly.
Philip Allingham Chairman 01480 811516 [email protected]
Ian Gardener Vice Chair 01480 812821 [email protected] Jo Dunn [email protected]
Alastair Watson [email protected] David Russell [email protected]
Claire Hodder [email protected] Roy Harold [email protected]
‘Be Extra Vigilant’ For readers without a facebook account, the following message was recently posted on the Grafham Friends
Facebook page.
Due to recent break-ins and attempted break-ins of business premises as well as private residences within the
area of Grafham, we would like to ask that the public be extra vigilant of suspicious behaviour and vehicles.
Please ensure that you have locked your business premises securely and activated your alarm systems. Please
report any suspicious activity to 101 and check your CCTV footage regularly. It is not our wish to frighten anyone,
but to draw attention to the situation. Please be safe, keep an eye on neighbouring properties and report anything
suspicious. We would rather be called several times to the same job, than not at all. Thank you
Huntingdon Police
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 4 Issue 164
Deadline Please send us all your adverts, notices, news, views and gossip ASAP
and definitely by
midnight on
Thursday
15th November Thanks, Ed [email protected]
Playtimes Pre-school Ferriman Road, Spaldwick PE28 0TQ
Tel: 01480 890077 www.playtimesplaygroup.co.uk
We have spaces available for 15 and 30 hours free government funding!
We offer: Breakfast club 8 - 9am Preschool 9am- 3pm Out of school club 3.30 - 6pm
Presenting Candy Couture (Over 18s only)
Friday 9th November 2018
Grafham Village Hall 8pm
Doors open 7pm
Licensed Bar
Tickets £10 from Tracie 07702 330157 or
Jill 01480 811516
All profits to FOSS & Village Pub
Parish of
East Leightonstone To join the mailing list and receive
the regular newsletter visit
http://www.eastleightonstone.com
and click News
Grafham Village Hall
Activities & Classes 2018
Mondays Line Dancing 7.30pm
Tuesdays Pilates 9.45am
Art Club 1.30pm
Wednesdays Little Fishes (pre-school children)
10.00am
Yoga 6.15 - 7.15pm
Karate 7.30pm
Thursdays Kick Boxing 7.00pm
Saturdays Chinese Martial Arts
10.30am
For enquiries about classes and about booking the hall, please telephone 07711 769911
Read more about village hall activities on page 16
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 5 Issue 164
A request for assistance for the Community Shop
Request:
Martin Joyner, chairman of the Shop Committee, at-tended the PC meeting to ask the Parish Council to consider providing some financial support for Grafham Community Shop and he made the following points
The shop has been a success for the village. It was a large effort to establish the shop and it is now in its 5
th
year of trading. People in the village want a shop as shown by the survey which was part of the parish plan. The shop is beneficial to our community as it gives op-portunities for villagers to interact. People who are new to the village are able to meet residents and for those unable to travel out of the village it is an important bit of independence. Its presence has been known to have a positive impact on house prices.
However, the financial position of the shop is very frag-ile and there is a risk that the shop may not survive the winter months if takings across the winter are similar to last year. The shop made a loss of £1,875.46 in 2017/2018 and takings so far this year are 7% less than last year. Custom from the caravan site has gone down as the site now stocks some basic provisions. Some costs have gone up including wages, pensions and power costs.
In an effort to improve our takings, we have improved signage and advertising (Facebook and leaflets). A re-cent leaflet has asked people to support the shop in one of several ways including making a monthly sub-scription to which several people have reacted favoura-bly. We have taken steps to further control stock pur-chases and costs and we have reviewed our over-heads.
We are in the process of applying for community fund-
ing. We have an application with the Skipton Building Society (success is subject to a voting process), a new application with Aviva and we are investigating A14 funding.
However, we are in need of guaranteed financial sup-port in the short-term and turn to the Parish Council for assistance, either as a small monthly contribution to our electricity costs which are approximately £250 a month, or as a grant of £3000 to see us across the winter, paid in instalments and subject to monthly reports on pro-gress as provided by the shop management.
Response:
Following this request from the Community Shop, the Parish Council gave due consideration to the important role the shop has in providing a convenience to most of the village and a life-line to some. We should remem-ber that the village overwhelmingly agreed that a shop was one thing that the village was missing at the time of the Parish Plan and that most people wanted to have. The shop has provided help to younger villagers in en-hancing their life skills and their CVs and helping with their Duke of Edinburgh award schemes. Housebound villagers are able to get out and walk to the shop rather than rely on others to shop for them. New-comers are integrated into the community.
Because of this, the Council has agreed to cover the cost of electricity supplies to the shop until the end of the financial year (31.03.19) at approximately £250 each month. We will receive regular financial updates.
There is still, however, some concern over the long-term viability of the shop and we are seeking your view as to if and how the Parish Council can best help to keep the shop open.
The Council views the shop as a very important part of village life and would welcome your ideas on how we can help it survive and succeed.
A few items taken from the September Newsletter for Buckden & Little Paxton Surgeries
If you missed the flu day on Saturday 29th September at Buckden and Little Paxton Surgeries there is another one on Thursday afternoon 22nd November at Buckden Surgery. Please ask at Reception about booking an appointment. You are eligible to receive a free flu jab if you:
are 65 years of age or over
are pregnant
have certain qualifying medical conditions
are a carer
An enhanced vaccine, an adjuvanted vaccine, will be given this year to patients aged 65 and over. This vac-cine contains extra ingredients designed to help older immune systems develop a stronger defence against flu. Patients under 65, in the at-risk groups, will be given a vaccine that protects against four types of flu.
Childhood Influenza Vaccination We can offer nasal flu vaccination to children aged two and three (but not four years or older) on 31st August
2018 (date of birth on or after 1st September 2014 and on or before 31st August 2016). Please call reception to book an appointment in our dedicated clinics in October and November.
Children in reception class and school years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (date of birth on or after 1st September 2008 and on or before 31st August 2014) should be offered the vaccination in school.
By having your flu jab here at the surgery, this helps us enormously to achieve our targets and reduce administrative burden.
Extended Hours As part of the pilot scheme for the provision of extended access in West Cambs, on the 1st September we began hosting extended access clinics at Buckden Surgery.
From October, extended access appointments will be available every evening and weekend morning. Our local clinics will be held at Buckden Surgery and Crom-well Place Surgery (St Ives) alternately. Additionally clinics will also be held at Cornerstone Surgery (March)
Continued on page 9
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 6 Issue 164
The Labour Party in Huntingdon
Our next monthly meeting is
Mon 19th November at 7.30pm at The Medway Centre More details on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HuntingdonLabourParty/
or via the website: http://www.huntingdonlabourparty.org.uk
Come along and get involved in helping your neighbours and
the community!
The Wild World of Birds:
Understanding Intelligence and Behaviour
Indoor Talk at 7.30pm
Wednesday 14th November
Brampton Memorial Hall,
Thrapston Rd, Brampton PE28 4TB
The Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust invites you to a presentation on the Behavior of Birds, delivered by Dr. Gabrielle Da-vidson who is a comparative psychologist and behavioural ecologist. Dr. Davidson has studied birds, particularly corvids and great tits, to try to understand their level of intelligence and associated behaviours, demonstrated by the use of observation to aid foraging opportunities and nesting location, and also the use of tools.
This should be a fascinating talk and anyone interested is most wel-come to attend. Booking is not necessary. The entrance charge is £2.50 (accompanied children free).
For more information please contact Tim 01480 457795. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Registered Charity No: 1000412
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Northamptonshire
If you can spare an hour once every few months to help dust and vacuum the church please contact:
Useful Phone Numbers All emergencies 999
Non-emergencies 101
Cambridge Constabulary HQ 01480 456111
Minicom for hard of hearing 01480 422493
Action Fraud 0300 123 2040
Crimestoppers 0800 555111 (anonymous)
To report anti-social behaviour in Grafham 01480 388379 or 387097 or e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
To stop unwanted phone calls 08450 700707
To stop unwanted mail 08457 034599
Power cut 105 or 0800 31 63 105 or text POWER and your postcode to 80876
If you’d like to write a ‘one-off’ article
or a regular feature for the
Grafham Gossip,
send it by email to
Has the bin man bin Mam?” Wednesdays Blue bin (recycling) and Black bin (refuse) - alternate weeks
Every other Thursday - Green bin (garden waste)
If you require any further advice or information about waste and recycling services, call 01480 388640 be-tween 8.45am and 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8.45am and 4.30pm on Fridays or visit www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins
Power cut? Text POWER and your postcode to 80876
ukpowernetworks.co.uk/liveupdates
Call us free anytime on 105 or
0800 31 63 105
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 7 Issue 164
Grafham Beekeepers Group Grafham beekeepers group was formed two years ago after a facebook post on Grafham village friends asking who in the village was interested in getting together to keep bees.
Five of us were interested and after some research we joined Huntingdonshire Beekeepers Association(HBKA,) who run a course every year at Hinching-brooke apiary, and after two classroom sessions and a practice day at the apiary we were ready to go.
By the spring of 2017, with kind help from the parish council, we had a hive; a swarm of bees quickly arrived which our HBKA mentor settled in to the hive. We soon encountered one of the problems in beekeeping when within weeks our queen bee died, which is when we discovered that new queen bees can be bought and sent out via post! So, with our new queen safely de-livered we spent the summer making sure the colony was growing and they were all healthy and disease free, and fed them weekly throughout autumn to pre-pare them for winter.
Having such a harsh winter meant many beekeepers lost their colonies last year due to cold or hunger and so we were hugely relieved to open the hive this spring and find they had survived. In fact, the colony grew so much over the spring that they got too big for the hive and one day we arrived to find half of our bees had swarmed and were hanging from a tree
nearby! Luckily with the help of a bucket at-tached to a pole we man-aged to safely collect them and deliver them to a new home with an-other HBKA member.
Our remaining bees have thrived this summer and whilst we've had a few stings but no honey as yet, we have all enjoyed learn-ing so much from the bees and our mentor over the past two years.
If anyone else is interested in knowing more out bees, beekeeping or even better, joining our group please let us know on [email protected]
Collecting the bees that had swarmed
I recently spent the week at Launde Abbey on retreat. Unexpectedly, I was down to stay in The Hermitage (think cabin in the woods). At first, I was a little disap-pointed not to be in the main house and I must confess that during the first night I kept expecting to see a ghoulish face pressed against my window; it was a little bit too isolated and, as they say in the movies, “Nobody will hear you scream out here!”
As I sat and pondered my isolation and lack of any mo-bile phone signal or internet connection, I reminded myself that I had, in fact, come here to get away from all of that. This was time set aside to be with God, to read and pray; these days were “holy days”, a sabbath rest from all that other stuff.
If something is holy it is set aside from the ordinary things for a special purpose, this is where we get our word holiday from. So, I settled in to see what would happen. I slept a fair bit (I like to think of this as holy rest!), I read three books in four days and I enjoyed some fantastic meals in the main house but, because I was staying in the hermitage, they assumed I would want to be alone so sat me apart from the other guests.
As I adjusted to my holy days I really did feel closer to God and it started me thinking that everyone should do this. Not necessarily in the hermitage at Launde Ab-bey, but we should all take some time away from dis-
tractions to just ‘be’ with God. None of us would let the oppor-tunity for a traditional holiday pass if we could prevent it but I wonder how many of us just take some time to be alone and focus on God. It doesn’t have to be a week; I realise that one of the privileges of my role is that I can take such time out and it counts as ‘work’. If we tried though, most of us
could manage 24 hrs, half a day or just a couple of hours
I’d like to encourage you to look at your diaries and plan a holy day at some point in the next six months. Select a good book and go away to a quiet place; switch off your phone, leave your laptop behind and try to be attentive to God. A modern contradiction of sorts is that He is always speaking but we are usually too busy to hear.
Jason
(Contact details for Jason can be found on page 2. Ed)
Holy Days
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 8 Issue 164
Parish of East Leightonstone
St Mary Magdalene, Brampton
Putting the Church at the Heart of the Community
Dear Friend
‘In Memory’ – Sunday 11th
November at 7pm
I am writing to invite you to our annual ‘In Memory’ service in the Parish Church of Brampton, St Mary Magdalene. This is a gentle service with candles, readings, music and prayers. There will be an opportunity for you to light a can-dle in memory of someone who has died. Those who have attended previous ‘In Memory’ services have often com-mented on how helpful the service has been.
During prayers we remember individuals by reading out their names. If you would like a name to be read out, please complete the slip below and return it to the address below by no later than October 31st.
Thank you.
The Revd Jason Taylor Rector Name of loved one whom you wish to be read out:
……………………………………………………………..….
…………………………………………………………………
YOUR name and ‘Phone number / e-mail:
…………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………
Please return this slip to: Mrs Dee Wormald 29 Sparrowhawk Way, Hartford , Cambs PE29 1XE OR e-mail: [email protected] giving the same details.
If you attend Sunday services Dee is more than happy to collect the slip from you 01480 386242
Alconbury and Brampton Surgeries
Brampton Flu Day, Sat 3rd
November
from 08.30-11am We have vaccines available in-between these dates so
please just ask to be immunised if eligible and attend-
ing the surgery for any other reason.
NHS England have recommended two different types
of vaccine for those under 65 and those aged 65 and
over and it is important to ensure patients receive the
correct vaccine to maximise efficacy.
Please support our ongoing delivery of these ser-
vices by attending the Surgery for your vaccina-
tion.
RCGP Parkrun Practice
We are pleased to announce that we will be promoting
our local Parkrun at Hinchingbrooke Country Park to
enhance the physical and mental well-being of our pa-
tients. For those of you that run, walk or are just getting
started, Parkrun is a free, weekly, timed inclusive event
that happens every Saturday at 9am. For those less
keen on being active, Parkrun offers the opportunity to
volunteer, meet new people and become part of the
local community. Parkrunners are known for being
friendly, enthusiastic and supportive and I can highly
recommend this as a positive and uplifting way to start
your week-end. To find out more and register with
parkrun visit www.parkrun.org.uk Bring your printed
barcode to Hinchingbrooke Country Park and I promise
you won’t be disappointed… there may even be cake!
To join the mailing list and receive a monthly news-
letter by email, you can pick up a form to complete, at
either surgery, or you can sign up on the website
http://www.alconburybramptonsurgery.co.uk
Select ALBRAM Patient Reference Group on the right
side of the homepage. There‘s an option to complete
the form online or download and print it off to complete
and drop off at either surgery.
Send your news, views, photos and gossip to
A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme
Details of the planned road closures, diversions and latest
news can be found by visiting www.highways.gov.uk/A14C2H
or stay updated by following https://twitter.com/a14c2h and
https://en-gb.facebook.com/A14C2H
There is also a dedicated A14 Public Helpline
0800 270 0114
Details of the planned road closures and diversions are also available on the Grafham village web site www.grafham.org.uk Ed
Cambridge Crematorium Closure In order to safely complete the tie in works for the
Local Access Road, access to
Cambridge Crematorium will be prohibited
over two weekends:
Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st October
Normal access hours resume on Mon 22nd Oct
Saturday 27th – Sunday 29th October
Normal access hours resume on Mon 30th Oct
Due to the nature of the works, site closure is unavoidable. We apologise for any inconvenience this
may cause.
If you have any concerns or require bereavement
advice please visit
https://bereavement.cambridge.gov.uk/ or call
the Bereavement Services Team on 01223 458000
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 9 Issue 164
Do you recognise this local road?
Yes, it’s a photograph of Breach Road, Grafham, possibly taken in 1903. In the distance you can see the railway
signal box and level crossing, in line where The Wyvern is now. The original photograph was found in Huntingdon-
shire Record Office by Jill Tyack some years ago.
The Huntingdon, Thrapston, and Kettering Railway was opened for goods and passengers in 1866. The stations
between Kettering and Huntingdon were Brampton, Graffham (renamed Grafham in 1877) Kimbolton, Raunds,
Thrapston, Twywell, and Crawford. Passengers could continue on to Cambridge by using the Midland trains run-
ning over the Great Eastern from Huntingdon. Grafham Railway Station closed in 1959, along with the rest of the
Kettering to Thrapston line. Source Wikipedia
Buckden Gardeners Association is a group of people who meet on the third Tuesday of the month from October to April in Buckden Village Hall. Topics are varied, focusing on gardening but also include related subjects such as ‘Wild flowers and their habitat’ and ‘Birds of Paxton Pits’.
Next month, we are pleased to welcome Geoff Hodge, who will give us a talk entitled ‘Colour in Your Garden All The Year Round’. Geoff is a freelance gardening author and ra-dio and TV broadcaster and is the former editor of Garden-ing News. Last year he gave us a very entertaining talk on Roses and we are very much looking forward to his visit this year.
Geoff will be with us on Tuesday 20th
November at 7.45pm at Buckden Village Hall, Burberry Road, Buckden, PE195UY. All are welcome.
For further information please visit our website www.buckdengardeners.info or just come along.
Rosemary Surridge, Secretary
You may book to see a GP, a practice nurse or a health care assistant at any clinic for routine mat-ters.
Please call reception to book these appointments. You will be seen by local GPs and nurses, but it is unlikely that you will be seen by your own GP or nurse. If you prefer to see your usual GP or prac-tice nurse, please book an appointment during the normal hours.
Please note, these are not walk-in appointments – all appointments should be booked in advance
These extended access appointments are in addi-tion to the regular out of hour’s appointments avail-able at Buckden surgery on a Monday evening and early and late GP telephone appointments.
Much more information is included in the monthly newsletter. Ask at the surgery about joining the mailing list to receive the newsletter by email.
Continued from page 5. Taken from September Newsletter for Buckden/Little Paxton Surgeries
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 10 Issue 164
1. Volunteers
Our volunteers have been out using the Speed-watch kit and have, over the past couple of weeks, recorded over 150 vehicles exceeding the posted limit (anything 35mph and over) and they continue to run further sessions. The valuable information they've recorded is collated and then sent to the police liaison officer, who follows up and arranges for the appropriate further action to be taken against the offending owners.
We will also find out soon how many of these official letters have gone out and if any other action has also been deemed necessary (as we're aware of a number of "repeat offenders”) and we'll update you on these.
We are still a bit short of trained volunteers, so if anyone would like to see if this is something they could help with, they should get in touch with us and we can arrange for you to shadow part of one of the sessions, to see what's involved and then get trained up. The volunteers all agree that it’s actually a fun ex-perience and you get to meet others from the village whilst working on improving road safety and driver ed-ucation in the community. Please contact Carole Thomas by email: [email protected]
2. Speedwatch
We'd like to thank all of you who've taken the time to come out to encourage the Speedwatch teams -
whether by bringing them welcome pots of tea, cakes etc or by giving words of support - it's very much ap-preciated. All the volunteers are giving up their spare time to run these sessions, so it's good to hear from you all.
3. Signage via Parish Council (PC)
The cost of the Speedwatch signs has been approved by the PC and our thanks for that and we're advised that these have been ordered for both ends of the vil-lage and also on the approach road into Grafham from Brampton. It's another educational tool to remind driv-ers that this is a rural village with a 30mph speed limit and one that is actively being monitored and enforced by the community.
4. Traffic Monitoring Device
The A14 team have supplied a traffic monitoring de-vice which records the quantity of vehicles travelling along the road and their speed in both directions. The data is anonymous and used for statistics only. It is not sent to the police and the file is downloaded mid Octo-ber by the A14 team. The PC expects to be given a copy of this data. We intend approaching them and asking that they agree to supply a permanent camera led one of these units from their Heritage Fund, as an ongoing real benefit to the village.
5. Hedgerows
A number of people have raised their concerns about
the overgrown state of the hedgerows along the main road in the village and on the back road into Brampton and the danger from the reduced visibility it causes. The PC are looking at this and some of the villagers have also been in touch directly with Cambs CC. The latter have agreed that the Brampton Road foliage is a particular concern and will be taking appropriate ac-
tion.
6. Campaign action points
The campaign is hoping to raise funding for as many of these additional options as possible, This will in-clude applications to Cambs CC, the A14 Heritage Fund and other suitable funding sources.
A 40mph limit to be placed before the Anglian Water Visitors Centre on the way into the village to reduce speed past the entrance and exits to the centre. The road is used by both pedestrians and cyclists, both adults and children, who are using the facilities at the Centre.
The 30mph sign at the Perry end to be moved to just before the corner cottages to slow the traffic coming
round that corner. If that isn’t possible, then the 30mph sign to be at least moved to where the village sign is. At the moment it is too close to the first houses.
“Gates” to be erected at both ends of the village.
These could perhaps incorporate the 30mph sign, vil-lage sign and the Speedwatch signs. The feeling is that the gates indicate you are entering a “community “ where people are taking care of the village and its in-habitants.
Lines painted on the approach roads to make them appear narrower, speed limits painted on road or any other road painting options which could help.
A chicane has been discussed and would be an op-tion if made effective i.e. covering half of the road.
Chris Bulow, [email protected]
Grafham Road Safety Campaign Update
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 11 Issue 164
Times gone by! Shortly after arriving and settling in at Sennybridge I
was put in control of an all night patrol, Thursday
through to Friday Oct 21st 1966. Just before signing
off I was telephoned and informed of a disaster at
Aberfan which was not far away. I knew Wendy had
relatives in the area so I went to tell her what had hap-
pened. I told her that as I was off duty from 0900 that
day until First Parade Wednesday, I was going to see
what I could find out and to help if needed. Her imme-
diate reaction was she was coming with me. I was not
surprised at that reaction knowing her as I did. We
immediately set out and arrived to find complete de-
struction of a school and nearby houses with many people working frantically to clear away the slurry and
brickwork. As I was in uniform, the local head of Civil
Defence (Alf) asked if I could help, as if I needed ask-
ing. Wendy went off with the Red Cross and Salvation
Army and helped them out feeding and looking after
the rescuers. The senior Red Cross Nurse told me
how hard she worked. I knew that would happen.
Alf put me to work with Pete Evans, (his Second In
Command,) we both grabbed a shovel and started
work. Some of what we saw and recovered made me
ill, also Peter, but we carried on through the day some-
how. The Mines Rescue teams from the area were
there and were a godsend in emotional and practical
help, as were the Red Cross doctors and nurses, and the Sally Army, (Salvation Army). I think it would have
been very difficult for me to have carried on without
those guys. They were saints. In the afternoon
‘second say’ was asked by Alf if I would act as security
control at the clearing station, (the Baptist Chapel) to
keep the press away from the relatives who were wait-
ing to identify their loved ones. I had no trouble at all
until a Swedish Reporter tried to gain access. I won't
go into detail, but he was sent packing. If the relatives
had heard what he said, there would have been a mur-
der! In some respects securing the Clearing Station
was more traumatic than the actual clearing. Some of
the sights were and still are very raw. In my mind, I
can still see the numbers of coffins inside the chapel,
some marked, "Not advisable to view"
The work carried on until Tuesday, which at that point
we rested. We returned to barracks on the Wednesday
in a very dirty and muddy state. I left Wendy at her work place, went to my bunk, fell on the bed and slept
until Thursday, to be woken by a very loud voiced
Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM,) who told me I was
on a charge for AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and to
report to his office within 2 hours. I cleaned myself up,
put on clean No.2 uniform and reported. I was
marched into the Commanding Officer’s (CO's) office
to face the charge. I did not know until my return that
the weeks' orders were not published until 1600 Friday
which had I been there would have noticed that I was
ordered as Fire Picquet NCO. When the Colonel was
told by the RSM where I had been, he tore the charge
sheet up and shook my hand! That was unheard of!
I went to see Wendy and her boss was totally off her
mind with anger, she said I was a bad influence on Wendy and had sent her to another station, Dering
Lines in Brecon, home of the 2nd Parachute Regi-
ment. We managed to keep in touch which turned out
to be a bonus.
The total dead numbered 144, (116 children - of which
109 died within the school) five of the adults were
teachers. An additional six adults and 29 children were
injured. A whole generation wiped out by one person’s
incompetence.
To this day I cannot stand the smell of wet coal dust.
Talk about flashbacks.
Dave Anthony, 1 Breach Road
Talking Shop Thank you to everyone who attended the recent AGM and we hope you found it informative. There was a lot of discussion about how the community can support the shop especially during the coming Winter months which are always challenging.
By now every household should have received a leaflet detailing “Five easy ways to help your Community Shop”. If for any reason you haven’t seen this, there are spare copies in the shop so pop in and see us.
The main ways you can help are:
1. Use the shop! If each household was to spend just £6 per week we would hit our sales target every month.
2. Volunteer to help. We’re a friendly bunch and we really appreciate the time our volunteers give to the shop. This enables us to do paperwork, banking and source stock. A lot of what we sell in the shop we phys-ically go and get as the quantities of stock we keep are too low to use wholesalers.
3. Become a Grafham Community Shop Support-er. Are you able to donate £5 or £10 per month by
standing order to ensure your village shop is sus-tained? Please contact us for our bank details.
4. Spread the word. Tell everyone you know what an asset you have in your village.
5. Give us your feedback. We always appreciate constructive comments so let us have your ideas for making the shop even better.
The committee has been to the Parish Council with a request for financial help and you can read about this in this month’s Gossip.
There is no doubt that the shop is an asset to the vil-lage and we’re sure that if we all pull together we can continue to make it a great success for all.
Lynn and Paul
OPENING TIMES
Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30
Sat 8.00 - 5.00
Sun 9.00 - 2.00
01480 810119 Email [email protected] Website www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 12 Issue 164
Brampton Wood Logs For Sale
All hardwood, seasoned 12 months
Mainly Oak and Ash, all from Brampton Wood
£90 per cubic yard processed ready to go on your fire
£45 per cubic yard unprocessed you will need a chain saw and a log splitter
Price includes local delivery
Phone George Cottam, Voluntary Warden 01480 450809
Email: [email protected]
Please support your local wood
Your advert could be here!
To advertise, email:
Thank you for your continued support!
Good quality paperback books in clean condition
We love to receive your paperback books to stock our church bookstall. Please leave them in the
church porch.
Paperback books in good condition
The book stall is a fantastic fund-raiser for our village church, but we‘ve found that we can sell only good quality, clean paperbacks and find it difficult to lift, carry and dispose of other items.
No x
Hardbacks x
Manuals x
Magazines x
Encyclopaedias x
Other items x
Yes
To advertise, email: [email protected] Community notices are free.
Business adverts are priced according to size, payable in advance.
They start at £3.50 for a small box. The money pays for the printing of the newsletter and any profit is donated to All Saints, Grafham
and its Restoration Fund.
Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30
Sat 8.00 - 5.00
Sun 9.00 - 2.00
Bank Holidays 9.00 - 2.00
Grafham Community Shop Opening Times
Tel: 01480 810119 Email:[email protected]
See page 11
for the shop news
in
‘Talking Shop’
Grafham
Oil Syndicate
The syndicate
continues
to grow,
keeping more money in the
village.
It’s FREE to join and we
must keep a bulk order at-
tractive enough to receive a
discount, so simply email
Simon
or call 07887 628528
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 13 Issue 164
Dogwood
Have a good time at the Bonfire Night celebrations!
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Northamptonshire
Autumn Leaves Autumn is a season that can announce itself like no other. The change from a blanket of green to a kaleido-scope of yellow, orange, red and purple can be spec-tacular, but rarely lasts long.
So what brings these changes about? All leaves contain pigments that are involved in the trees’ energy gather-ing process. The best known of these is chlorophyll, the main chemical involved in the process of photosynthe-sis. However there are two other groups present in var-ying degrees depending on the species, the caratenes and the anthocyanins. As the days grow shorter and the suns’ light grows weaker the production of chlorophyll
slows and even-tually stops causing the green colour to fade from the leaves. This al-lows the other pigments to show through, the caratenes producing yel-low and orange colours and the anthocyanins producing the darker reds and purples. The levels of each pigment within the leaf can vary not only be-tween species
but also with weather conditions. A dry summer can increase the levels of anthocyanins as can sunny au-tumn days as the sunlight converts sugars left in the leaves into these pigments. Eventually the tree with-draws all the nutrients it can from the leaves and stores them in the trunk and root system as amino acids. This causes the colours fade somewhat but it is another pro-cess that makes the leaves fall from the trees.
During growth of the leaf in spring, a layer of cells grows at the root of the leaf stem called the abscission layer. Whilst the leaf is producing energy, there is a movement of hormones between the leaf and the tree, one of which is auxin. As photosynthesis slows so does the flow of auxin, this reduction causes the cells in the abscission layer to change. Eventually these cells weaken and the leaf falls, or is blown, from the tree. Once separated from the parent plant the remaining pigments break down leaving the only the brown, dead cell walls that made up the structure of the leaf.
These processes occur in all trees, but with evergreens like Holly it is occurring all the time and new leaves im-mediately grow in to re-place those lost so it is not noticeable. But why do trees drop their leaves at all? One rea-son is to allow the tree to retain mois-ture as leaves lose large amounts of liquid through their surface area, another is because as the tree enters its dormant phase energy requirements are much lower.
So, when you’re walking through a wood full of golden leaves give a thought to the complex biological process-es going on around you.
The Wildlife Trust BCN is working for wildlife in your
local area, for more information on wildlife, nature re-
serves and all the different ways you can help please
go to our website: www.wildlifebcn.org
Gregory Belcher
Senior reserves officer
Wildlife Trust BCN
Ash
Wild Service
Dogwood
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 14 Issue 164
Paul's Private Hire and Chauffeur Service Van Diemens Way, Grafham,
Huntingdon, Cambs. PE28 0GB
Tel. 01480 811594 Mobile 07795 296281 Email [email protected]
Travel in style via Mercedes cars to your destinations
GRAFHAM WATER (NEXT TO THE VISITOR CENTRE)
WIDE RANGE AT LOW PRICES
OPEN WEDNESDAY- SUNDAY 09.00-17.30 TEL:01480 819730
FREE PARKING & FREE DELIVERY
PET & WILD BIRD FOOD
www.petfoodsdirect2u.co.uk
Free back door, when ordered with 5 or more windows
For a free, no obligation quotation please contact your local representative Jon Goodchild on 07825 238240 or email
WINDOWS DOORS ROOFLINE
CONSERVATORIES
GARDEN ROOMS FLAT ROOFS
www.gaphomeimprovements.co.uk
JEZ ASHCROFT LTD All your decorating needs including:
Coving, Internal Decorating
Drylining & Plastering
FREE ESTIMATES
Please Call
Tel: 01480 812461 Mobile: 07708031493
Kevin Hutchinson • Reliable Local Carpenter and Joiner
• All carpentry work undertaken
• Fitted kitchens, new doors, wood flooring and much more
• No job too small
Tel: 01480 811863/07889 414274
BSM BSM Driving Instructor DSA Approved, Pass Plus Registered Living locally in Grafham
Call John Sisseman for details
Tel. 07806 941675
Grafham Plumbing and Heating Ltd
Oftec registered technician
High efficiency condensing boilers fitted
Oil tanks fitted complete with bases
All boilers serviced
All plumbing undertaken
Vaporising appliances fitted and serviced
Service and maintenance plans available Professional, friendly and reliable
01480 812590
07799 640476
Cinnamon Bar and Indian Restaurant Open 7 days a week 5pm to 10.30pm Also lunch time if pre-booked for 5 or more people
Call 01480 812211/811316 Thursday Night is 'Banquet Night'
1 starter, 1 main, 1 side.
Any rice or any nan £13.50 King prawn or duck £1.50 extra
http://cinnamonhuntingdon.co.uk/
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]
November 2018 15 Issue 164
A major new strength and balance campaign is launch-
ing this International Older People’s day to help people
in Cambridgeshire stay stronger for longer.
After breaking a bone in her back two years ago,
Margaret found that normal activities were extremely
difficult. However, thanks to some simple regular
strength and balance exercises at Brampton Memorial
Hall, she is now on the road to recovery and doing the
things she enjoys again.
The 74-year-old, who lives in Brampton, is now reaping
the rewards of regular exercise after signing up in Jan-
uary.
Margaret said: “When I first broke a bone in my back, a
simple task like ironing was agony. I saw an advert in
the Brampton Parish Magazine for strength and
balance classes and thought I’d give them a go. As a
result I am now definitely stronger, even my husband
has noticed how my confidence and mobility have
much improved. I can do simple tasks again that I once
took for granted and also do the things I enjoy like
gardening. I would certainly encourage all older people
to give the strength and balance exercises a go to
make sure they are getting the most out of life and stay
stronger for longer.”
Simple strength and balance exercises twice a week
are proven to keep you stronger for longer so you can
keep independent and enjoying the great things in life,
whether it’s playing with grandchildren, shopping, so-
cialising with friends or gardening.
For success stories and more information on classes
and activities in Huntingdonshire visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/strongerforlonger
The Stronger for longer campaign has been developed
by Cambridgeshire County Council working with local
NHS health partners.
Strength and balance classes help local lady stay stronger for longer
Churchyard Makeover The churchyard is having a makeover. As we started removing brambles and unwanted vegetation the weather im-proved. Fortified with delicious refreshments, we got to work with the strimmers, which made relatively light work of the overgrown graves area and also with the hedge cutters to tidy the garden of remembrance. The rest of the party got to work clearing brambles, invasive shrubs and a vast amount of non biodegradable ribbons and oasis on the South side of the graveyard. It was great fun and if anyone would like to join us next, please do Contact Jean for details, email: [email protected]
A friendly toad
Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] Opinions expressed in the Grafham Gossip, including past issues, are those of the writer and not the editors.
November 2018 16 Issue 164
Printed by Easiprint 01733 602302
Across the Churches Bible Study We are a small group meeting twice a month (Tuesdays 7.30pm) for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. We come from different churches and are always happy to welcome new members.
For more information, please contact Rob or Jean Clark 01480 890033.
Babysitters Bryony 22 yrs 812354 experienced with newborn to 14yrs
Mya 15 yrs 819326 Nicci 17 yrs 811279
GRAFHAM VILLAGE HALL has a Public Entertainments Licence for music, dancing, performing arts and can accommodate 92 guests seated in rows or 150 at a dance/disco - an ideal venue for children's and family parties. There is a playing field for sports activities and the hall has small changing rooms with shower facilities.
For details or to book, tel: 07711 769911
Grafham and Ellington Art GroupGrafham and Ellington Art GroupGrafham and Ellington Art Group http://grafhamandellingtonart.weebly.com/ Grafham Village Hall, Every Tuesday 1.30-4pm Calling all who want to meet and paint with like minded people on a regular basis.
Beginners and those with more skills are all very welcome.
Cost: About £2 to cover hall hire/refreshments. Come along with your paints and equipment!
Please ring me for more details.
Jackie Woods 01480 890279
Grafham Church Flower Club We are available to decorate the church for weddings and other church occasions.
Floral arrangements for: pedestal,
altar, font, windowsills, pew ends, pillars.
Please contact Hazel Powell on
01480 810326 for details and quotes.
If anyone in the village has foliage in their garden that they would be willing to donate for church decoration for festivals, please let us know, we would be very grateful.
The Mobile Library Route H24 visits Breach Road, Grafham on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 10.40 to 11.00. Next visits - 28th November
For renewals/ enquiries call 0345 045 5225 or click here
YOUR COUNTRYSIDE NEEDS YOU
www.gwcg.btck.co.uk/
Regional winners of the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers Green Award 2006 & 2007
Join Grafham Wildlife and Conservation Group
Call Sam Malt on
01480 811654 or 07849 082870
.Come and join the
GRAFHAM LINE DANCERS Beginners are welcome
Monday evenings in the Village Hall
7.30 – 9.00pm
For more information ring Julia 01480 811613 or Text Penny 07986 509481
Coffee Morning Grafham Social Committee invites you to Coffee Mornings at 10.30am on the third Wednesday of the month:
21st November - Sue Kelley, 3 Church Road
This is an informal social occasion for residents of the village. Please come along for a cup of coffee and a chat.
Ellington and Grafham WI
meets on the first Tuesday of the month in Ellington
village hall. Membership is £41 per annum but you
are most welcome to come as a visitor.
The programme for 2018 is varied and interesting
with speakers or events every month.
November AGM and supper December Working life with heavy horses
If you would like any more information please contact:
Sue 01480 896139 [email protected] or Ann 01480 891192 [email protected]
Grafham Little Fishes Toddler and Baby stay and play session
All Welcome
Wednesdays 10.00 to 11.20 term time only
Grafham Village Hall
Free play time followed by a short bible story, action songs and simple craft.
Just turn up on the day