BedsLife SOUTH Magazine May 2022

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South edition

inside Community News Queen’s Platinum Jubilee What’s On £25 Prize Crossword

10,000 copies Delivered to Elstow, Shortstown, Wixams, Wilstead, Houghton Conquest, Stewartby, Marston Moretaine.

www.bedslifemagazine.co.uk

M A Y

2022

Home Counties Loft Ladders, Quality You Can Trust!

These days most homeowners suffer from a lack of storage space.

So many precious items that need to be kept – but where to store it all? That’s where Home Counties Loft Ladders come in.

The company, based locally, offers homeowners the opportunity to maximise their storage space with a loft ladder, 50sqft of boarding and in less than a day from just £444! But it’s not just the affordability of the package that makes Home Counties Loft Ladders stand out, as manager Jamie Oakley explains: ‘Our

watchwords are Quality, Integrity and Value.

Quality in the materials that we use for all our installations and the fact that all our loft packages tradesmen, so our customers are assured of the best job.

Integrity in that we will turn up at the time we say and make sure the house is spotless when we leave, and value in that we offer our services at a price people can afford.

- that simply wouldn’t happen if we didn’t adhere to our overriding principles.

At the end of the day the old adage that happy customers lead to more happy customers is true and we work hard to make that happen for

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Volunteering Opportunities Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum Martin Lewis Prize Crossword What’s On Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bedfordshire Guides Volunteering Forest of Marston Vale – Bluebells Gardening Last Months Crossword Answers

Contents

Community News

4&6

Don’t forget to check out our website

www.bedslifemagazine.co.uk

for even more local articles and lots of interesting and helpful local information!

LIKE our Facebook page BedsLife Magazine to keep up to date with events, offers and local businesses and services.

FOLLOW us on @bedslife_magazine and @bedsLife ADVERTISING Christa: Tel 01234 962929 | 07827 015170 E: christa@bedslifemagazine.co.uk

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Welcome

M AY

2022

Welcome to the May edition of Bedslife magazine and insid as we write the UK is e ramping up for the Queen’s official Platinum Jubilee celebrations. There have already been plenty of plaudits for Her Majesty’s stunning achievements, so we won’t try to compete. Suffice to say that we take our hats (or crown) off to an amazing lady who has shown such stamina and determination to keep true to her promise “… that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” We only hope that we can still be as healthy and active in our later years!

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Also, this month we look forward to the weather improving and finally being able to spend more time outdoors with our families. May is Local and Community History Month, which is designed to increase awareness of local history.

Since our local communities are so important to us as a business, we need no further prompting to get out and about and explore the history of our area. You can find more information at history.org.uk.

Although we only have the one Bank Holiday this month (the late May Bank Holiday having been rescheduled for early June to celebrate the Jubilee) there are still plenty of other outdoor events happening in and around our town so whatever May has in store for you, we hope you get to relax and enjoy some quality time with friends and family.

Christa & The BedsLife Team

DESIGN AND ARTWORK www.dougdawson.co.uk DISCLAIMER

All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however, BedsLife Ltd can not take any responsibility for the content of the adverts, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. No part of the publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.

JUNE ISSUE DEADLINE WEDNESDAY 11TH MAY 3

community news Elstow Abbey May Festival

If you are able to help, please email your interest to litter@wilsteadparishcouncil.org or just turn up at the Red Lion car park at 10am.

Art in Houghton Conquest

The May Festival returns to Elstow Moot Hall Green from 12 to 4pm on Saturday 7th May. A May Festival has been held in Elstow for almost a century and in recent years has tripled in size. This year, the organisers are hoping to make the festival the biggest and best ever to make up for two missed years, due to the pandemic.

Along with the traditional May Day procession, crowning of a May Queen and maypole dancing there will also be a funfair, live music, tea and cakes, over 70 stalls, grand raffle, street food, farm animals and church tours. With free entry, everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

Wilstead Litter Pick In preparation for the Jubilee celebrations in June, Wilstead Parish Council are organising a village litter pick which will take place on Saturday 14th May. Bedford Borough Council will be providing equipment to help with the project, and it is hoped that the whole village will come together to lend their support.

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The Houghton Conquest Art Society (HCAS) exhibition and sale takes place on Sunday 15th May at the village hall.

The annual art exhibition showcases the work of the society’s members. Free entry gives you the opportunity to browse at your leisure, meet the artists and perhaps make a purchase from the wide range of affordable, original art. Artworks are available framed or unframed and come in a variety of styles and techniques with something to suit all tastes. Refreshments will be available to buy.

HCAS meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of the month at Houghton Conquest Village Hall. New members are welcome, and non-members can attend Wednesday meetings when demonstrations take place. Follow the HCAS Facebook Page to find out about all events or visit www.houghton-conquest-art-society.co.uk for more information.

High Sheriff Plants Trees in Community Woodland

the need for accessible green space to benefit the mental and physical wellbeing of people who live and work in the area, and we look forward to working with her during the course of her tenure.”

The office of High Sheriff dates back to the Saxon times and remains the Queen’s representative in Bedfordshire for law and order. They are still closely involved with the police, courts and judges within the county. Eric Masih served as High Sheriff since 7 April 2021 and was succeeded on Lady Jane Clifford from 3rd April 2022.

CPRE Photo Competition CPRE Bedfordshire have announced the theme of this year’s photo competition. From wildflowers to woodlands and hedgerows to fungi, the CPRE would like to see images of people enjoying Bedfordshire’s plant life.

To get your creative juices flowing, examples of pictures that would fit the theme include a close up of hands touching bark, boots in autumn leaves, people giving scale to a bluebell wood, or children sowing wildflower seeds.

In a tradition that dates back more than a decade, an annual tree planting event was held at the new Forest of Marston Vale Community Woodland, with outgoing High Sheriff Eric Masih marking the beginning of Lady Jane Clifford’s tenure.

The current High Sheriff and the High Sheriff in Nomination planted 10 trees at the Forest’s newest Community Woodland near Houghton Conquest accompanied by the Forest of Marston Vale’s Fundraising Officer Robina Ballard-Davis and Commercial Director Grant Sorrell.

Grant said: “The office of the High Sheriff has always been very supportive of our charity and the work that we do to connect our local communities with nature. From our conversations with Lady Clifford, we know that she is passionate about

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The winning entry will be used as the cover photo for the autumn edition of Bedfordshire Matters and a selection of the best of the rest will feature inside the magazine. A portrait format is preferred for the cover image and entries close at 5pm on 31st May. For more information, including details of how to enter visit www.cprebeds.org.uk

Do you have some village news to share?

Email jacqui@bedslifemagazine.co.uk Copy deadline for the June issue is 10th May.

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Volunteering Opportunities Cookery Workshop Facilitator If you like cooking and would like to help other people make healthy, nutritious, and cheap meals FOOD ETC CIC would love to hear from you. They are looking for volunteers to work with a variety of groups in and around Bedford.

Community Volunteer Cook This role with Harrold United Reformed Church involves preparing a two or three course meal, one day a month for up to thirty elderly people in the Bedfordshire village of Harrold. With a small team of kitchen volunteers ready to help you. You will be working to a budget to provide a nutritious meal.

Officer for The Conservation Volunteers

Here is our volunteering pick for May 2022. It gives a flavour of the many opportunities we hold at CVS Bedfordshire from organisations across the area, so do investigate further if you can’t see something that appeals to you.

You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter at www.cvsbeds.org.uk/ volunteer-newsletter for all the latest opportunities and other volunteering related news.

43 Bromham Road, Bedford Call 01234 354 366 or Email: volunteering@cvsbeds.org.uk www.cvsbeds.org.uk 8

If you have an interest in the environment, conservation and working with people and could help with planning and leading practical conservation tasks, TCV would love to hear from you.

You will need to be reliable, enthusiastic, and able to get along with all sorts of people, with good humour and patience.

SMART CJS: Allotment Volunteer If you like gardening and being outdoors, this is the perfect opportunity for you. You will be assisting a supported accommodation facility run by SMART CJS for people who have previously faced homelessness.

The allotment project is at Bradwell Abbey and aims to engage residents with the opportunity to learn about plants and how to grow their own produce.

Youth Teams Football Coach Youth teams at Bedford Ladies and Girls Football Club range from u8’s to u18’s and there is a need for more volunteers to become football coaches.

Training is twice a week at various venues across Bedford and matches are on Saturday mornings. It’s a challenging and rewarding role and the club can provide support to access training opportunities to assist you in your journey.

Search for and register an interest in all the listed roles below and many more, by adding the name of the organisation into the keyword field on our Simply Connect opportunity search at cvsbeds.org.uk/volunteer. Call us if you need any further information on 01234 354366.

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CONSUMER

The Martin Lewis column

MONEY ON MY MIND...

He’s the UK’s leading money saving expert - a journalist and presenter who has kept millions of pounds in people’s pockets as well as lifting the lid on the threats and dangers we need to be aware of as consumers.

In this month’s column, Martin Lewis looks at taking financial responsibility for ourselves in these post-pandemic days.

What the Coronavirus pandemic has given us, probably more than any point in the past 50 years, is an idea that we can turn to a bank, or the government, or a charity, for help and support. And I won’t deny that, in some examples, these entities have stood up and there has been a feeling of support and community.

Yet I think we all realise that can only go so far.

We have now emerged out of the darkness of the pandemic, and slowly but shortly the directive is that we have to fend for ourselves again. I don’t doubt some support remains, but I wouldn’t expect it to last forever.

I think we are all living slightly differently now, and certainly in wake of food shortages during the first lockdown, I have seen much greater understanding and willingness of people to feed their families more responsibly.

The average food waste bill in the UK still stands at around £750 per year, and that’s horrendous.

Remember the difference between Use By and Best Before, and it will save you hundreds each year.

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If you have any packaging that has a date on it, if it’s after that date, lots of people just sling the food. Well, let’s remember – Use By is a health notice to you. If something is beyond its Use By date, you need to chuck it in the bin. Best Before is the manufacturer’s guide to optimum quality. All it means is that the item will be in its best possible condition before this date. The day after a Best Before, it’s still perfectly legitimate to eat.

With some canned goods, it’s still perfectly okay to eat them three or four years after the Best Before date. So, use your nose to smell it, use your eyes to look at it, use your senses to decide whether it’s right for you.

Just by diminishing that, and by having a decent shopping list and proper menu planning, you will cut down waste. That’s not just good for your pocket, but also good for the environment.

Martin Lewis is the Founder and Chair of MoneySavingExpert.com. To join the 7.5 million people who get his free Money Tips weekly email, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip

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Last Months Crossword Winner – Elizabeth Clark, Wilstead For last months answers please turn to P30

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WHAT’S ON minutes and competitors coming from far and wide representing Schools, Colleges and Clubs.

The Embankment, Bedford MK40 3PD MAYDAY FUN DAY & CRAFT MARKET SUNDAY 1ST MAY 11AM – 4PM FREE ENTRY Tarot readings, Crafts, Pet Goodies, Clothing, Sweet Treats, Face Painter, Balloon Model Maker, Kids Entertainment and lots more.

Lidlington Hall, High Street Lidlington MK43 0RN BEDFORD RSPB LOCAL MAY MEETINGS SUNDAY 1ST MAY – DAWN CHORUS Meet 5am in the Priory Country Park, Followed by Breakfast in the local Toby Carvery.

Joint event with Beds Bird Club Barkers Lane, Bedford MK41 9DJ (TL 072 493) Thursday 19th May Meeting & AGM Meeting 7.30pm aiming to finish by 9.30pm ‘Ouse Fen: ‘Creating the wetlands of the future’ by Chris Hudson Chris is ‘Senior Sites Manager at Fen Drayton Lakes and Ouse Fen’ and is involved in the restoration of the Cambridgeshire Fens. Suitable for Experts and Novices, RSPB membership not essential.

Group members £1 Guest £2 annual group membership £5 under 18s enter free.

More info www.rspb.org.uk/groups/bedford or call 07905199769 Meet at ARA club, Manton Lane Bedford MK41 7PF Thursday 26th May Stewartby Lake Evening Walk 7pm Meet in the old A421 lay-by eastern end of Marston Moretaine near MK43 0LE (TL 002 426) SHARNBROOK BOWLS CLUB 0PEN AFTERNOON MONDAY 2ND MAY 2PM – 5PM Do come and have a try, you will be welcome.

If you cannot make that day – Ring Penny On 781660 for further details about the club Lodge Road, Sharnbrook MK44 1JP 156TH BEDFORD AMATEUR REGATTA SATURDAY 7TH MAY 8.30AM – 7.30PM Bedford Amateur Regatta founded in 1853 brings competitive rowing to the picturesque River Great Ouse in Bedford maintaining its position as one of the largest single day river regatta in the country.

Racing takes place through the heart of the town over a 1,200 metre course with races every two 16

ELSTOW MAY FESTIVAL SATURDAY 7TH MAY 12PM – 4PM Annual May Festival Family Fun Day Over 70 stalls, Funfair, Procession, Street Food, Entertainment and much more.

Elstow Abbey Green, Elstow MK42 9XT SPRING PLANT SALE SATURDAY 7TH MAY 10AM-1PM There will be Plants, Books and Jigsaws.

Park Road Methodist Church, Park Road West, Bedford MK41 7SB. STEVINGTON 12K SUNDAY 8TH MAY All (17 years +) welcome to enter our 40th 12k run through the villages of Stevington, Oakley & Pavenham on Sunday 8th May. Free parking plus teas, coffees and cakes, Bar & BBQ available.

Stevington Hall, Court Lane, Stevington MK43 7QS · HANDMADE CRAFT FAIR SUNDAY 8TH MAY 1PM–4PM Find amazing items all handmade locally.

Home fragrances, rock painting and so much more!

Oakley Village Hall, Church Lane, Oakley MK43 7RJ MILLION MILE CLEAN – BEDFORD EMBANKMENT SUNDAY 8TH MAY 11AM – 1PM Join in a clean-up near the embankment area, starting from Castle Mound and finishing near Longholme Café. Equipment is provided, however if you have your own equipment (litter pickers etc), please do let us know on the booking page which you can find on EventBrite. Children welcome, but MUST be supervised by an adult at all times HARROLD FILM NIGHT FRIDAY 13TH MAY DOORS OPEN 7PM FILM STARTS 7:30PM ‘Belfast’ £5 Adults £4 Concession Tickets available from Harrold Post Office, on the door or visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/harroldcentre Village Hall High Street, Harrold, Bedford MK43 7BH PAVENHAM PLANT FAIR SATURDAY 14TH MAY 10.30 - 2.00PM 9 Nurseries from 6 counties bringing perennials, bedding, roses, clematis, shrubs etc. Coffee, cakes

and BBQ. Free off-road parking, £1.20 entrance Maintaining our Grade 1 listed church building Pavenham Village Hall Beds MK43 7PE PLANT SALE SATURDAY 14TH MAY 10.00 AM TO 1.00 PM Produce & Cake stall Coffee and Biscuits £2.00 served in Church All Saint Church, Odell, North Beds, MK43 7AA FELMERSHAM AND RADWELL VILLAGE HALL FUNDRAISER SUNDAY 14TH MAY AT 3PM The Felmersham and Radwell Village Hall Committee are hosting an Auction of Promises in the garden of The Sun, Felmersham. Please add the date to your diary!

If you would like to contribute please email frvhc@yahoo.com.

MENOPAUSE MEET UP MONDAY 16TH MAY 6.30PM A chance for women to come together, to learn more and talk about Hormones, Menopause, Moods and Mindset – Breaking the taboo, increasing awareness, allowing women to share experiences, to feel supported, have a laugh and make new friends.

98 Kimbolton Road, Bedford MK40 2PF www.thehormonefairy.co.uk BEDFORDSHIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH MENGYANG PAN SATURDAY 21ST MAY 7.30PM The Bedfordshire Orchestral Society is pleased to present a selection of ‘musical masterworks’. We welcome eminent pianist Mengyang Pan to perform Rachmaninov’s beautiful 2nd Piano Concerto, which will be preceded by Wagner’s stirring overture ‘Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg’. The concert concludes with Sibelius’ sublime 1st Symphony.

Tickets are available from the Box Office – at bedfordcornexchange.co.uk or call 01234 718044.

SWISS GARDEN PLANT FAIR SAT 21ST AND SUN 22ND MAY 10AM – 5PM Browse a range of plants grown by the in-house garden team and volunteers during your visit to Shuttleworth on this late spring weekend. From home-sown produce to ornamentals propagated from the garden’s own collection of herbaceous and other plants, you are sure to find something of interest to grow on in your own garden at home.

SUNDAY CRAFTERNOON FOR FAMILIES AT THE HIGGINS SUNDAY 22ND MAY 2PM – 4PM FREE ENTRY Join in monthly creative activities for families to enjoy together. Explore the amazing art and fascinating artefacts on display around the building, then use your imagination and a range of media and materials to get arty. Activities are suitable for under 12s and children must be accompanied by an adult.

No Need to Book but please be aware that places are limited and there may be a wait to start.

Higgins, Castle Lane, Bedford MK40 3XD CLASSICS AT THE PARK SUNDAY 22ND MAY 10AM Free event but donations to Moggerhanger Park welcome. This event attracts more than 100 classic cars and motorcycles dating from the ‘twenties to modern day. Booking Not Needed. On Site Café.

Children’s Play area. Woodland walks. House Tours available. The old Kitchen and Eating room. Bar area.

Dogs on leads welcome.

Moggerhanger Park, Park Road, Moggerhanger, Bedford, MK44 3RW CHARITY PAMPER EVENING MONDAY 23RD MAY 7PM-9PM Raising funds and awareness for families with children with cancer. The local charity led by two of our clients Donna and Ali are hoping to purchase a mobile home so families can use for holidays. Tickets £5 and includes glass of wine and one 15 minute treatment booked online in advance. Additional treatments are £5. Stalls and raffle.

Stables Therapy Centre, 108 Milton Road, Clapham, Bedfordshire, MK41 6AS

FOR MORE WHAT’S ON EVENTS VISIT WWW.BEDSLIFEMAGAZINE.CO.UK BedsLife Magazine cannot be held responsible for any event changes, amends or cancellations. Please ensure to check ahead before attending.

To list an event in our June issue please email christa@bedslifemagazine.co.uk by Friday 13th May. Priority will be given to nonprofit events.

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Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: In Celebration Of A Remarkable Lady Here’s the order of events for the Platinum Jubilee weekend: Thursday 2nd June – Trooping the Colour from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, ending with an RAF fly-past, watched by the Queen from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Members of the public can apply for tickets via the website qbp.army. mod.uk/queensbirthdayparade/. Thursday will also see 1,500 beacons being lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories, plus (for the first time) in each of the capital cities of the Commonwealth countries.

On 6th February 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since her accession to the throne. This astonishing achievement makes her the longest reigning living monarch anywhere in the world. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the title was previously held by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand until his death in 2016. His rule of 70 years 126 days was the second longest reign of a sovereign state in history. The longest-reigning monarch ever was King Louis XIV, who presided over France for 72 years 110 days (14 May 1643- 1 September 1715).

There is a year-long schedule of events to mark the occasion, and we’re all being encouraged to play our part even in a small way. For example there’s The Queen’s Green Canopy project where communities are being helped to “plant a tree for the Jubilee” (www.queensgreencanopy.org). Plus we can buy souvenirs through the official Royal Collection shop (www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk).

But all eyes will be on the first weekend of June when the Platinum Jubilee celebrations begin in earnest, with the main events set to take place between Thursday 2nd and Sunday 5th June. We have an additional one-off bank holiday in England on 3rd June with the Spring Bank Holiday (which usually falls in late May) having been moved to 2nd June, creating a four-day weekend.

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Friday 3rd June – Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Saturday 4th June – Platinum Party at the Palace, a special live concert from Buckingham Palace that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars. Members of the public will be invited to apply for tickets, for more information go to www.royal.uk/platinum-jubilee-central-weekend.

Sunday 5th June – The Big Jubilee Lunch where local communities are encouraged to come together, celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better. Meanwhile in London the Platinum Jubilee Pageant will involve performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers. Part of this event includes the River of Hope, which will comprise of two hundred silk flags which will process down The Mall, appearing like a moving river. Primary and secondary school children are invited to create a picture of their hopes and aspirations for the planet over the next 70 years. You can register your school’s interest to take part via riverofhope.co.uk.

If you’re planning your own local celebrations to mark this momentous event, then the Royal Family has created a wealth of free resources to help via www.royal.uk/resources-platinum-jubilee.

About the Author: Helen Say is a freelance blogger and copywriter www.cblservices.co.uk

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Applications by Email to Hope, with details of working background, your availability and suitability for the role.

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Experience: Customer relations, background in care/nursing or working in clients’ homes useful but not necessary as training is given.

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Time To Volunteer When is the right time to start that adventure, make lifelong friendships, learn new skills and have lots of fun?

Answer – Right Now! Volunteering is enriching, rewarding and lifeaffirming. To see the smile of a Brownie who has just lit her own fire, to hear the laughter of Rainbows playing outdoor games, watching a Guide overcomes her fears and makes it to the top of a climbing wall and knowing that you have helped them reach these victories, made those smiles and given them everlasting memories.

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they share a common goal, to give girls and young women in Bedfordshire the freedom to learn, create, achieve, explore and express themselves through experiences that will last a lifetime.

Join us and explore your talents, take on new challenges and make new friends. In return, we offer you the opportunity to gain new qualifications and experiences, take part in adventures and have loads of fun. Plus best of all, you can give as much or as little time as you have.

We have opportunities to volunteer in Biddenham, Bromham, Elstow, Great Denham, Goldington, Houghton Conquest, Kempston, Shortstown, Wilstead. Wixams, Wootton and the villages of north Bedfordshire. So you can start your volunteering journey today to make a difference in your community.

Our leaders are mums, teachers, managers, doctors, receptionists, cashiers, accountants, engineers in fact they are you! They come from every walk of life, every background and every culture but

In short, the question isn’t Why would you volunteer? It is – Why wouldn’t you!

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Time to volunteer Your community needs you now to help empower girls in Marston Moretaine, Elstow, Wixams, Houghton Conquest, Wilstead and Shortstown to know they can do anything.

Ways to volunteer

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Bluebells

Bluebell displays are one of the wild highlights of the spring season. The delicate flowers grow in dense carpets of blue in woodlands across the UK. The British Isles are an important stronghold for this species, with almost half the global population found here.

As well as being a spectacular sight for nature lovers, the humble bluebell plays an important role for pollinating insects. Flowering from late April, the bluebell provides a vital early nectar source for a variety of insects including peacock, orange-tip and brimstone butterflies and many bumblebees.

Bluebells flower before the leaves on trees have fully opened, putting their energy into growth early in the year to make the most of the sun streaming through the lean woodland canopy.

Bluebells are chiefly pollinated by bumblebees, and you’ll often hear their steady, productive drone as you wander through a bluebell wood. Sometimes however, the bees don’t play fair, and are known to occasionally bite a tiny hole into the bottom of the 24

bell to extract the flower’s sweet nectar. When this happens, the bee fails to come into contact with the pollen so won’t do its usual pollination job when it visits another flower.

As well as reproducing sexually, by producing seed, bluebells will also sometimes reproduce asexually by natural vegetative propagation, that is, by producing bulbs. Because of its methods of reproduction, bluebells spread very slowly, and for this reason the flower is often used as an ‘Ancient Woodland Indicator’. What this means is that their presence is used to help conservationists identify what is an ancient woodland habitat.

The seeds of the bluebell are large and heavy, falling and growing directly adjacent to the parent plant, so a dense carpet takes a very long time to establish. For a large carpet of bluebells to become established, a woodland habitat must have been present for many years.

Ancient woodland habitats are valuable because they support a whole host of different species as

include wood anemone, wood sorrel, herb Paris, dog’s mercury or wild daffodil, to name a few, all of which are similarly slow at spreading.

As well as looking out for bluebells in their typical ancient woodland habitat, you might also find them in hedgerows where they may have spread from a nearby woodland, re-planted woodland where former ancient woodland existed, grassland or even heathland.

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well as bluebells. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee reports that only 1.2% of woodland in Great Britain is classed as ‘ancient’. Ancient woodlands that are of most ecological value will usually not just support bluebells but a mixture of other woodland flowers. Other ‘indicator species’

Although widespread, the bluebell is at risk from a number of threats, including habitat loss, climate change and hybridisation (cross-breeding) with non-native Spanish bluebells. This hybridisation with Spanish bluebells is changing the genetic make-up of British bluebells irreversibly to produce hybrid bluebells, effectively undoing thousands of years of evolution in a very short timescale.

In urban areas in particular the survival of the British bluebell is becoming increasingly threatened through hybridisation. Spanish bluebells often spread from gardens and parks where they are planted, and can also be present in waste garden material that is dumped in woodlands, further accelerating the problem.

Spanish bluebells spread much quicker than native British bluebells as they more commonly multiply through bulb division than native bluebells as well as producing seeds. This trait has also been passed onto the hybrid offspring which are spreading quickly and displacing the native bluebell.

To minimise the impact of hybridisation, it is really important that Spanish bluebell bulbs are disposed of carefully, and you should avoid growing them completely if your garden backs onto woodland.

Spanish bluebells spread quickly and often require control. If you’re disposing of them, don’t add them to the compost heap. Instead put them in a black bin bag and leave for a year before composting.

We’ve got some fantastic displays of bluebells in the Forest of Marston Vale, including Marston Thrift, Kempston Wood and Hanger Wood – we’d love to see your photos if you’re visiting! Share them with us on Instagram @forest_centre 25

Gardening Tips and Advice from

I hope the longer days, and the few warm days we’ve had, mean you’ve been out in your gardens as much as possible.

Thinking a bit proactively, your roses will be at their brilliant best next month and will continue to be magnificent if you remove dead blooms just below the head to encourage new blooms.

Here’s something I tried last year, and it works, so give it a go… plant your second cropping potatoes at the end of this month, into early June. Yes, I’m thinking about Christmas and your wonderful roasties!

A lot of hardy flowering annuals benefit from being directly sown onto your borders. Rake 20-25mm or so deep, scatter your seed, blanket with fine compost and gently water. Consider cornflowers, cosmos (I love cosmos), rudbeckia and poppies. Try a wildflower patch; just sow the seeds and scatter the good seed on the ground, as the old hymn goes.

THE G

AN

The Potting Shed of the Gentleman Gardener

NTLEM GE

AR

DENE

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Something I knew but in truth had forgotten until recently: resist putting fresh manure down. Ideally leave it for 2-3 years, until it’s the texture of the topping of your apple crumble. Fresh manure is hot and high in nitrates, which can burn the roots of your plants and it will also soak up the nutrients in your soil, like a sponge.

If you’ve got fruit trees, please look for greenfly (aphids) now. If you’re a bit exotic and have a morello or dessert cherry, check for black fly. I have always used a soapy water spray around the critters which causes a soapy film that binds and suffocates them.

So, as the sun goes down on my potting shed, here’s an old Chinese proverb for you: “All gardeners know better than other gardeners.”

What I know is, you’re never too old to keep learning.

Please enjoy your gardens and have a wonderful month out there.

The Gentleman Gardener

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