Cambs april 15 by debi1977

VILLAGER The

Issue 72 - April 2015

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue

Going Potty For Summer Plants

Music

The Food of Life

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Contents Who put the chocolate into Easter eggs

15 Remembering George Cornelius Gorham.........................................4 Ghost from a Cambridgeshire Past...................................................6 How to Find a Good Estate Agent...................................................10 Grab an Oar or Grip a Handlebar.....................................................12 Who Put the Chocolate into Easter Eggs?.......................................15 Spring Makeover for Potton Inn.....................................................16 Bird of Prey Centre..........................................................................18 The Future’s so Bright... I Gotta Wear Shades!.................................21 Organise Your Own Easter Egg Hunt...............................................22 Music - The Food of Life..................................................................24 Beware of the Spring in Your Step..................................................26 Fun Quiz.........................................................................................29 Printer Problems............................................................................30 Employment Matters.....................................................................32 A Clean Break?...............................................................................35 Lasting Powers of Attorney............................................................37 Tax Quirk = Free Money.................................................................39 Going Potty for Summer Plants......................................................43

VILLAGER The

Issue 72 - April 2015

and Town

Life

LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue

Going Potty For Summer Plants

Music

The Food of Life

Win £25

in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People

20,000 copies delivered to Buckden, Brampton, Cambourne,

Godmanchester, The Hemingfords, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester and all surrounding villages every month

ur Yo EE FRcopy

Laos - Sailing on the Mekong.........................................................44 Writhing Reptiles...........................................................................46 An Easter Reminder from Cromwell Vets........................................49 Oystercatchers at Whitstable..........................................................50 Drivers’ Cars....................................................................................53 Kimbolton School Swimming Pool Timetable................................56 East Anglian Windows and Doors...................................................59 Puzzle Page....................................................................................60 Wordsearch....................................................................................62 Beer of the Month..........................................................................64 An Invitation to Bell Ringing..........................................................67 What’s On.......................................................................................68 Win Tickets to See Some Music Maestros........................................71 Prize Crossword..............................................................................74 Horoscopes.....................................................................................77 Book Review..................................................................................78

Charity Event

20,000 copies delivered free of charge in the following areas: Hinchingbrooke, Hinchingbrooke Park, Brampton, Buckden, Offord Cluny, Offord D’arcy, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey, Cambourne, Chawston, Croxton, Duloe, Graveley, Great Paxton, Hail Weston, Honeydon, Little Barford, Little Paxton, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester, Roxton, Southoe, Staploe, Tempsford, Toseland, Upper Staploe, Wintringham, Wyboston, Yelling. (Further bulk drops are made to local shops and busineses in Huntingdon, St Neots, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon and Eynesbury)

Editorial - Peter Ibbett, Jonathan Vernon-Smith, Catherine Rose, Debbie Singh-Bhatti, Louise Addison, Sarah Davey, Nooshin Hassan, Centre for Complementary Health, Kam Patel, Leeds Day Solicitors, Carol Scott, Fiona McLeman, Tony Larkins, Pippa Greenwood, Solange Hando, Andy Mydellton, Cromwell Vets, Tim Saunders, James Baggott, Ted Bruning, Russell Grant and Bruce Edwards

Advertising Sales/Local Editorial Nigel Frost - 01767 261122 nigel@villagermag.com Photography - Famveldman, Emma Porter, Darren Harbar Photography, Philip Wray, Julian Claverley Photography, Trudy Cambridge and Catherine Rose

Design and Artwork Design 9 Tel 07762 969460 Publishers Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Tel: 01767 261122 nigel@villagermag.com www.villagermag.com

Disclaimer - All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however, Villager Publications 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 this publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.

History

By Peter Ibbett Remembering George Cornelius Gorham Dotted around St. Neots are tantalising insights into the heritage of a Great Ouse valley market town. A plaque to a remarkable man, who compiled the first history of Eynesbury & St. Neots in 1820, is tucked away on the wall of 22 Market Square which came into the hands of Henry Gorham, grocer, in 1696. Father John was a mercer from Northamptonshire. Surgeon Jonathan Gorham died in 1753 and his widow Elizabeth (grocer & tallow chandler) passed on her business to her two sons. Stephen developed the business and seems to have been responsible for the Eynesbury brickworks whose yellow bricks are a feature of this side of the square. At his death in 1789 he left his fortune of £30,000 to his only surviving son George James Gorham (1752-1840). On marrying Mary Folkthorpe of Hesington, York, he was given Ford House. ‘GC’ was one of their 12 children. Father George went into partnership to form the St. Neots Bank which failed in 1824/5. He lost all his considerable fortune in discharging the debts of the bank and finished his days in Ford House, his wife’s property, living off her small private income. C.G. Gorham was at the center of controversy in the Church of England. He was recommended as vicar for Brampford Speke, Devon. Upon examining him, Bishop Phillpotts took exception to Gorham’s view that baptismal regeneration was conditional and dependent

upon a later personal adoption of promises made. The Bishop found Gorham to be a Calvinist in this matter and hence unsuitable for the post. The ensuing controversy caused a national debate which resulted in CG gaining his post but lead to defections to the Catholic Church. CG spent the rest of his life at his post in Brampford Speke. Ford House is one of the timber framed jewels of the town and is an excellent example of a large hall and cross wing house probably of mid 15th century origins with brick chimneys added around the 17th century. For most of its life it was part of Bedfordshire but now finds itself part of Cambridgeshire’s largest town. St. Neots museum will tell you more about the buildings and personalities of the town. It has an excellent shop where you can buy a copy of Mr Tebbutt’s book on the which supplied the information on the Gorham family or acquire a complete digital set of 100 issues of the History Societies newsletter with its great range of articles on the heritage of the town.

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History

Ghost from a Cambridgeshire Past By Catherine Rose Hidden away in the archives of Gamlingay Village College in South Cambridgeshire is a 1967 interview of 73-year-old Stanley Titmus who lived at Little Heath. Although Stanley is long dead, the interview is nearly 50 years old - a remarkable first-hand account of what life was like in the county a century ago. Catherine Rose traced Stanley’s youngest son, Lawrence, who was able to tell us more about him. Stanley was by all accounts a well-known local character who was born in Dutter End, Gamlingay in 1893. Having attended the village school, he found that there was little work in the village so he left home at 16 in 1909. “He was a bit of a go getter,” explained Lawrence, “so he went up to Yorkshire to hire himself out as a farm labourer at market.”

With few belongings, Stan moved frequently and often slept rough. One day, he was walking beside the canal at Wakefield when he met a man, who on discovering Stan was going to sleep under the bridge that night, offered him a bed. Stan went on to move in with the family and met his future wife Ann, Mr Chapple’s daughter. Mr Chapple was a shot blaster at the mines and Stan became a miner earning a generous £3 a week. Stan and Ann’s wedding reception was a simple affair. Lawrence described it as “fish and chips and a tuppeny rush” (a visit to the pictures). The couple had two children, Sally and Herbert (Bert) but when WWI broke out, Stan had to fight on the Somme where he was captured by the Germans and sent to Munster. There he worked on the German mines as a PoW. At the end of the war, he was so malnourished that he was sent to Ireland to “put some meat back on his bones”, after which he was demobbed. They had two more children: Kathleen and James (Jim). Following is the transcript of Stanley’s interview in his own words: “…I was born in 1893 at Dutter End. I lived in Gamlingay until I was 16 and returned in 1926. There were 14 of us. Most families were big. From the church to the end of Dutter End, a distance of about half a mile, there were 80 children. “[At school] we were hit for the slightest thing. Often we would be given four cuts across each hand. No meals were provided and there wasn’t any uniform. The children wore clothes which had been handed down. Much of the work had to be learned

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by heart and recited to the class if you were picked on by the teacher. Today in some cases, parents and teachers aren’t strict enough. We made [our lives] happy ourselves, playing games such as hopscotch, trundling hoops and ‘puss in the corner’. We had ‘cat derbies’ on the Cross. These were cats with salmon tins tied onto their tails and being raced. They made a dreadful clatter which always seemed to attract attention. “They were hard times and we had to amuse ourselves. I don’t think that [children today] enjoy themselves like we did because they have anything they want and soon get tired of it. On special holidays like Bank Holiday, games were organised by the Church or Chapel and at Christmas, tea parties were arranged. “At night the alleyways were very dark and we used to tie two door knobs together on opposite sides of the alley. We knocked on both doors and the people coming to answer them would pull against one another. Another trick was to tie a long piece of string to a door knocker then hide some distance away and pull the string. The people would come out and find no one there. Children aren’t any worse today than in years gone by. In fact, sometimes I think in our day we were worse. “At twelve and a half we were allowed to have time off [school] to work on the land in spring. I finished school altogether at 13. I worked driving horses and feeding cattle. I started at 7am and finished at 6pm, earning 3/6d to 4/- a week. To earn 4/- you had to work really hard. You gave your mother 3/11d and kept the 1d to save. “I got married on October 2nd 1914 at Sandle Wakefield. [Today] I think that people are given divorces too easily. When war broke out I enlisted in the Army in the King’s Own Light Infantry. I was 21. I transferred to the machine gun corps and later to France in the 6th Division. I was captured with two others and sent to work down the pits. We were not ill-treated except for food, which was a bowl of soup and a slice of black bread each day.

After the war finished, I was lucky enough to be on the first boat home. I was sent to Dublin in Ireland to convalesce. “On returning from the pits in 1926 I did a roadman’s job for 15 years until the Second World War and then I started my own business. On the roads I earned 29/3d a week. A 2 lb loaf cost two and halfpence and seven buns cost 3d. Matches cost three boxes for 1d and cigarettes were 1d a packet. Butter was 8d a lb. “I have nine children, one boy died, and 24 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. (Editor’s note: The boy who died was named Ralph. According to Lawrence, there were also twins that died but they are not mentioned in the interview.) “When we were young we used to look forward to seeing a man from Papworth ride through Gamlingay on his way to the station in a carriage drawn by a pair of white mules. The coachmen would blow a trumpet which could be heard for miles. “[My favourite meal is] boiled bacon and fresh eggs. I like good plain food and my wife always has made her own jams, pickles, wines and bread. She once made over 300 jars of jam. We kill and cure our own ham which we salt by the old fashioned method. I like to do a bit of gardening and I keep pigs and hens. I also mend my own shoes and have made mats with my wife. I draw the pictures on the mats and my wife makes them. We have two that have a pig and a castle on them. I don’t care for [television] myself and rarely watch it. [Pop music] is a load of rubbish. I like sentimental songs sung by a person with a good voice. Songs don’t have a meaning like they used to. They are all this “yeah, yeah, I love you” stuff. Mini skirts are indecent and long haired boys are a disgrace. I think old fashions will come back in time. This article was originally published in The Biggleswade Chronicle in 2012.

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Three Counties Radio

How to find a GOOD Estate Agent

By Jonathan Vernon-Smith

God love ‘em, they’re the people we love to hate. ESTATE AGENTS! I should make it clear at this point that a very dear member of my family is an estate agent, so I like to think I can approach this months’ article with a level of fairness for a much criticised profession. However, some of them really are AWFUL! The fundamental problem with the industry of estate agency is that you don’t actually need any qualifications to become one. Any wide boy with a gift of the gab can quickly carve out a career as an estate agent. Depending on who they’re working for, and the influences around them they can quickly pick up some very nasty habits. I, like many people have been amazed at the ability of some estate agents to not only stretch the truth to encourage a deal to go through, but to lie through their teeth. The responsibility for finding a good estate agent lies solely with the seller (vendor). It can be infuriating as a buyer when you find a property you love that is on the market with a dishonest, un-reliable and unprofessional estate agent. There’s nothing you can do about it. In fact, I have pulled out of property deals before due to the estate agent representing the vendor. When you are selling your house, DO YOUR RESEARCH! Keep an eye on the market in the months leading up to the decision to put your property on. See which agents are selling houses/flats that are similar to yours. Ask your neighbours and friends in the area who have used an estate agent recently what their experience was like. Only look at companies that are prominent in your local neighbourhood and preferably those that have staff with experience. When you have a list of 3 or 4 reputable firms, get them all round to value your property. Be open and honest with them and inform them that you are speaking to a number of agents. Tell them that to secure your business you’ll be looking for them to do a deal on their commission. I personally NEVER pay more than 1% of the sale price to an estate agent (with todays house prices I think that’s quite enough!). Introducing a sliding scale of commission can also be a motivating factor for them to get you the best price for the property. Look at the pictures they take of other properties to make sure they either use a professional or have the ability to showcase a house or flat nicely. Try calling them and speaking to those who answer the phone. Do they sound friendly, approachable and bright? Make sure that the contract is reasonably short. You don’t want to be tied to the same estate agent for the next 6 months if your property fails to sell. Finally for sellers (and I speak from experience) DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEYS WITH AN ESTATE AGENT. When selling my last property I made this mistake. In their desperation to get the sale to go through they took my buyer into my property without asking my permission first. Sadly I realised at that moment that my estate agent had failed to see my flat as my home, and could only focus on the commission they stood to make from selling it. For the buyer, you have much less control. This can be an absolutely horrible position to be in. There are some things you can do to help the process though. 1. Use your own mortgage advisor. The estate agents will try everything they can to get you to use ‘their’ advisor. Don’t listen to a word of it. They are legally obliged to pass on any offer to their client, and cannot force you to use their chosen mortgage company. 2. Use your own solicitor. Again the agents will want you to use their conveyancing company. This will probably be a large company that is more like a conveyancing factory acting on behalf of thousands and thousands of customers all over the country at any one time. Do you really think you’re going to get the best, impartial advice from them? Particularly when you consider they have a business relationship with the estate agent who doesn’t get paid unless the sale goes through. 3. Try to get the contact details of the vendor. If you can speak to the vendor directly you can ensure that the estate agent is passing on accurate information. If you take all of my advice and still have a problem with an estate agent, please remember you can always contact me and my team at jvsshow@bbc.co.uk

Jonathan Vernon-Smith not only offers you his consumer advice here but you can listen to The JVS Show tackling your consumer problems every weekday morning from 9am. 10

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Local News

Raise money for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice

Grab an oar or grip a handlebar! Neighbours, community groups, gym buddies and friends are being urged to either jump in a boat or on a bike to raise money for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. The hospice in Peterborough is the new official charity for the 2015 Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival. And that means a chance to take part in a whole day’s fun on the water while raising money for an important local cause. This year’s festival will take place at Peterborough Rowing Club, Thorpe Meadows within view of Thorpe Hall Hospice itself. By the time of the event on Saturday 13th June there will be just two weeks fundraising left of the Thorpe Hall Capital Appeal for the £6 million needed to pay for the building of a new in-patient unit so it will be one of the last chances to get involved in this important project. Up to 50 crews will be battling it out over the 200-metre course in dragon boat qualifiers and finals while along the banks there will be a host of activities to entertain spectators as well as teams when they are between races. The dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment will be provided for those wishing to enter. Fancy dress is optional and all money raised on the day will go towards the Thorpe Hall Capital Appeal. Regional fundraising manager Lucy Squance said: “This year is a really exciting one for us as we look to open our new in patient unit and introduce new services into the community. We’d love to get as many

people involved as possible in this event – what a perfect way for a sports team, group of friends, team of neighbours or workmates to have fun!” If dry land is more your scene but you’re still up for a challenge and keen to raise money for the Thorpe Hall Capital Appeal, there is the fantastic opportunity instead of entering the Tour of Cambridgeshire and seeking sponsorship for completion of the 132km bike race. This major cycling event is on Sunday 7th June and Cambridgeshire is proud to be hosting the UK’s first Gran Fondo where roads will be closed to other traffic and you can experience how it feels to be a professional rider. Entry is now open on the website www.tourofcambridgeshire.com. To find out how you can take part in either the dragon boat race or this unique bike ride while raising money in support of the Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Capital Appeal, please speak to the hospice’s fundraising team on 01733 225999. Or for further information on the dragon boat racing, please visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/peterborough For information about Thorpe Hall and the £6 million appeal visit www.thorpehall.org. Founded in 1953, Sue Ryder is a national health and social care charity providing compassionate hospice and neurological care across the UK. It does this throughout its seven hospices; six neurological care centres; community-based services and in people’s own homes.

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Time of Year By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

Who put the chocolate into Easter Eggs? Easter without chocolate eggs would be like Christmas without presents. Simply unthinkable! And yet the tradition of giving chocolate at Easter is relatively recent, dating back 120 years or so to the late nineteenth century. Easter is a Christian festival that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Occurring in Spring, which is regarded as a time of renewal and birth by many faiths and cultures, the egg has been used as a symbol of birth and fertility since well before Christianity. Originally painted bright colours to celebrate the sunlight of spring, decorating and colouring eggs became popular during the Middle Ages, when they were dyed red to symbolise the blood of Christ. Forbidden as a food during Lent, eggs were hardboiled, decorated and then given to children at Easter as good luck symbols. In the eighteenth century, pasteboard or papier mache eggs with small gifts inside became

popular and by the nineteenth century these had evolved into cardboard eggs covered in silk, lace or velvet and fastened with ribbon. Faberge produced its first egg in 1883, and elaborate eggs made from silver and gold, ivory and porcelain - some inlaid with jewels - followed. The first chocolate eggs were made in France and Germany in the early nineteenth century, not long after the first eating chocolate was invented (prior to this chocolate was enjoyed as a drink). But the chocolate couldn’t be moulded and early eggs were solid. Chocolate eggs didn’t truly gain in popularity until Cadbury entered the market in 1875. Their early eggs were made from dark chocolate with a plain, smooth surface. Filled with dragees (small, hard sweets), they were decorated with chocolate piping and marzipan flowers. The range gradually increased until in 1893 Cadbury was producing 19 different lines, but it wasn’t

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until 1905 when the company introduced Cadbury Dairy Milk that the sales of Easter eggs really received a boost. All-chocolate eggs did not immediately replace the novelty eggs of the Victorian era, however, and Cadbury continued to produce a fancy cardboard egg filled with chocolates until the early 1930s. The first crème eggs appeared in 1923 as a forerunner to the Cadbury Creme Egg, launched in 1971. An instant hit, it has now become Cadbury’s most popular egg, with over 500 million being made every year, though shell eggs still form the largest sector of the Easter egg market. So, we have Cadbury to thank for our modern day Easter egg, and in particular their invention of Dairy Milk. How ironic, then, that this year they should recently decide to replace the nation’s favourite chocolate on their most popular egg with an alternative! Will Easter ever be the same again?

Spring makeover for Potton inn

There are plenty of new reasons to pay The Coach House in Potton Market Square a visit this spring.

After taking on the eighteenth-century coaching inn three years ago and embarking on a major course of renovation works, you might think the Coach House team are enjoying a well-deserved break. Instead they’ve taken a fresh look at the bar and restaurant in 2015, and have responded to customers’ feedback by making some changes. Already popular for its high quality food, The Coach House is turning its attention to adding good value to that quality. A new menu was introduced in March offering lighter meals and main courses at both lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday. The Sunday lunch menu

has been revamped and a new children’s menu has been created. All the menus include more vegetarian options because of the success of the inn’s National Vegetarian Week specials. There are more plans afoot for the summer, including breakfast seven days a week, craft lager on tap and new outside seating areas to make the most of the south-facing front of the building. “Having spent a couple of years getting to know our customers and their needs, we wanted to make The Coach House a more relaxed and ‘easy’ place to come,” said landlord Chris Woodcraft. “We want it to be easy for you to get a beer or a table for dinner. That’s what The Coach House has offered to the community for hundreds of years, and we want to keep it that way.” The two dining rooms are also being redecorated to make them more comfortable for families and friends to use throughout the day. The style of these has been inspired by the sympathetic renovation of the 11 bedrooms, completed last year. Many of the bedrooms have period features, such as exposed beams and original fireplaces, and the use of bold accent colours gives the rooms a fresh feeling. Whether you fancy a coffee with a friend mid-morning, or you want someone else to cook your dinner after a long day at work, The Coach House is still a great local venue. And it has been made all the better with this spring makeover, courtesy of a very hard-working team.

www.coachhousepotton.co.uk 16

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01767 260221

www.coachhousepotton.co.uk

A little refresh We’ve been busy behind-the-scenes making improvements that you suggested. Now we’re ready to tell you what’s changed!

More vegetarian options across all our menus, including Sunday lunch

New menus, with lighter meals and main courses now available at both lunch and dinner

New children’s menu – smaller, simpler food for little tummies 17

Local News

Bird of Prey Centre Head down to the Bird of Prey Centre this Easter for an Eggtravaganza of a day! The centre is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm daily. Three different shows a day; 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm, opportunities to handle the birds at 12pm and 4pm and even have a go at flying an owl at 2pm. Adult £10.00 Senior £9.00 Children £5.00 (children under 3 years free) Family Ticket £25.00 (2 adults and 2 children). All activities except the mouse hunt are included in the entry price. With many activities going on this Easter holiday the Bird of Prey Centre is the place to be for the whole family. New for 2015 is our mouse hunt; hop along our hunting trailer armed with water pistols and hunt down those pesky mice lurking in the bushes! Meet the Bird of Prey Centre mascots Ollie the owl and Eddie the eagle who will be handing out chocolate eggs to all our Easter visitors. What’s On: Good Friday & Saturday – Mouse Hunt, meet our mascots, Easter crafts and handle and fly the owls.

Easter Sunday – Mouse Hunt, meet the centres mascots, Easter crafts, at 12.30pm Elsa and Spiderman will be making an appearance, come down and meet the stars themselves and join them for a let it go sing along at 1.00pm, meet and handle the owls, bouncy castle and join in on our Giant Easter Egg hunt at 4.00pm. Easter Monday - Mouse Hunt, meet the centres mascots, Easter crafts, meet and handle the owls, have a go at flying an owl, bouncy castle and join in on our Giant Easter Egg hunt at 4.00pm. Easter Owls – April 8th, 9th & 10th 11.00am or 2.00pm Children £10.00 Adults £5.00 Tickets must be pre-booked for this experience. Let us entertain you and your family this Easter, handle and fly many different species of owls, Easter crafts, soft drink and Easter cake and an Easter egg for each child. The experience lasts approximately 2 hours and includes entry into the bird of prey centre all day! Call now to book your tickets 01234 742362.

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Time of Year By Louise Addison

The Future’s So Bright…

I gotta wear shades!

Summer is just around the corner, and with it – hopefully – the sun. It’s a time to start thinking about eye protection. I have a theory that sunspecs are the coolest accessories ever invented. They add instant glamour to any outfit; disguise tired eyes, and offer handy hangover relief when required. In addition, you don’t have to worry about whether they make your bum look big, and even a designer pair won’t break the bank. Yet as useful as these qualities are they pale into insignificance beside sunspecs’ real function, which is to protect our eyes. The sun’s UV rays can damage the delicate structures of the eye, such as the lens and the retina. This damage can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration in later life. UV FACTS UV penetrates clouds so even when you can’t see the sun your eyes may still be damaged unless you protect them UV is most intense between 10am and 2pm. Make sure that your eyes are protected during this time. Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

UV is more powerful at high altitude The effects of UV are amplified in reflective environments: snow, sand, water and concrete. A wide-brimmed hat or baseball cap offers excellent eye protection screening around 50% of all UV. Any UV light you’re exposed to now can cause eye problems years down the line, such as macula degeneration (AMD) and cataract, Decisions, decisions! Handy hints to help you choose. All sunspecs must carry the CE mark to prove they filter 99-100% of all UV rays. Wraparound styles offer the most protection but the large sunspecs favoured by WAGs and celebrities are also good. Grey tints reduce brightness without distorting colour. Brown and amber offer best protection from visible blue light and reduce haziness. Green is good for contrast and a great all-rounder Rose is good for water-sports and offers good contrast for objects viewed against blue or green backgrounds.

Time of Year

Organise Your Own

Easter Egg Hunt

Send out themed invites on card cut into egg shapes, or maybe use rabbit or chick shapes. If offering food, decorate a trestle table with pretty pastel table cloths. It may be better to stick with tiny savoury sandwiches, sausages or cheese and pineapple on sticks etc., as there will be a lot of sugar consumed after (and probably during) the hunt! Try using a mix of eggs for the hunt: Foiledwrapped cream eggs; hard-boiled decorated eggs; painted wooden eggs, and little plastic eggs filled with tiny toys or treats. It’s nice to have a table set aside for egg decorating too. Supply hard boiled eggs, or plastic or wooden eggs bought from a craft

shop, with paints, tiny flowers, googly eyes, gems, ribbons and glue, and have prizes for the best decorated eggs. A variation on this is to set out cheap straw or paper hats and have everyone create their own Easter bonnet. Have fun! Happy Easter. By Sarah Davey

LOVE YOUR HEALTH with Lyn A personalised approach to quickly getting to the root of your symptoms and getting your life back on track

ady Are you re life a e to mak g in g an ch to Difference d an h lt your hea wellbeing?

ARE YOU STRUGGLING? • Fed up with unexplained symptoms? • Trying to cope with pain? • Do you lack energy or sleep badly? • Are you anxious, stressed or depressed? I just wanted to thank you for an amazing session and for all your care and attention. It certainly has made a difference to my life. I will recommend you to everyone I meet. Diane Love your health April 1/2.indd 22

KNOW THERE IS AN ANSWER

Contact me by Phone or my website to Claim your FREE ‘Get My Health Back‘ consultation And find out EXACTLY HOW I Helped people just like you 5 available this month

Lyn Whittington Kinesiologist and Nutritionist

01480 731009 E; stneotskinesiology@gmail.com W; stneotskinesiology.co.uk

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Acupuncture FOR WELL-BEING

Judy obtained her Licentiate in Acupuncture, and B.A (Hons) degree in Traditional Acupuncture, from the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Warwickshire. Judy is a passionate believer in the positive benefits, on both physical and emotional levels, that may be obtained from receiving acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Judy has been trained as a classical Five Element Acupuncturist; treatment is aimed at the root cause of your condition as well as your main symptoms. This approach helps with resolving your problem and enhancing your feelings of wellbeing. You may notice other niggling problems resolve as your main health complaint improves. Judy continues to pursue her belief in excellence of care for her patients in her role as a dedicated acupuncture practitioner, and is a member of the British Acupuncture Council. Please contact Judy for a free 20 minute consultation to discuss how acupuncture treatment can help you. To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

Well Being

Music -

By Nooshin Hassan

the Food of Life Music is such a powerful creation. The impact it can have on our frame of mind can be amazing. You’ve probably experienced this if you’ve felt down and then played your favourite songs - most of the time whatever was bothering you somehow seems more manageable than before. Music has a profound effect on your mood and how you deal with situations: it’s therapeutic and so easy to achieve! I recently visited Ely Cathedral for a classical music concert and the experience was fantastic. I refer to it as ‘the experience’ because in addition to taking in the pure, rich sounds of the string instruments and piano, something else happened too. I started to look around and really notice details of the magnificent building: the shapes of the multiple archways and the way the light was cast across the high walls. As the concert went on my mind turned to other thoughts, including fresh ideas for some projects I was

working on. In the midst of all this I was aware of feeling both serene and yet full of thoughts, and lyrics from a Beatles song floated into my head, matching my mood: “… waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind, possessing and caressing me…”. My ‘opened mind’ was what I was experiencing - freed of the routine, the everyday; and through the power of music, being opened up to new thoughts and feelings. I looked at other people in the cathedral and wondered if they were experiencing the same. Even if they weren’t, there was something else important going on here: we were united by this music. People from all walks of life had chosen to come out and experience this musical evening, and it had brought us all together. The strength of music in bringing people together is clear. You only have to look at the long-running festivals to see that it is possible to unite lots

of different people by allowing them to experience the joys of guitar riffs, drum beats or cheerful pop choruses. A friend of mine once recalled a time when he was in the army, out in the open with hundreds of other soldiers taking a short break in grueling training. A popular song was played over a tannoy system. Everyone started to sing along and as they did, the atmosphere became lighter and happier. Team morale was boosted thanks to the power of music. It’s a wonder that we don’t make use of this gift more in life. How about a world where work pauses for a cheerful midmorning song? Who could fail to feel re-energised after a lap of The Conga around the office? Or what about an announcement to queues of people waiting in shops: “Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay… whilst you wait here’s some reggae…” Whatever the occasion, there’s usually a song for it, so let’s all bring more music in to our lives, and let music bring us together.

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Complementary Health

Beware of the spring in your step Centre for Complimentary Health Spring has sprung and if you are like most people you can’t wait to make the most of the extra hours of sunlight and warmer weather by getting back to outdoor activities. Just a word of caution, if you took a break from exercising over the winter then don’t expect to pick up where you left off. A common overuse injury among runners, footballers and athletes are shin splints. Emma McPherson, one of the Physiotherapists at the Centre for Complementary Health, takes a look at this common condition. What are shin splints? Shin splints or more accurately medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a term used to describe exercise induced pain in the lower leg which results from injury to muscles, tendons and bone around the shin, more specifically the tibia. It most commonly in runners but can occur with any impact sport, it is often due to overuse but may be related poor technique, sub-optimal biomechanics, training faults, poor footwear and nutritional deficiencies. At first the symptoms may simply be a dull ache along the shin bone, felt during or after strenuous activity but they may progress to more severe pain, which may even be felt at rest. If ignored it may impact on your ability to exercise to the extent that you have to stop training altogether. Therefore, it’s important to listen to your body and not ‘train through the pain’. What causes shin splints? There are a number of factors associated with the development of MTSS: • Poor technique due to structural factors or poor lower limb biomechanics, namely inflexibility and/ or muscle weakness. • Reduced core and/or pelvic stability, both of which are important in establishing optimal load transfer between the core and lower extremity. • Poor balance. • Training errors such as an excessive increase in training frequency, duration or intensity. • Exercising on a hard or uneven surface. • Poor footwear. • Poor foot biomechanics. • Nutritional deficiencies. What can you do about MTSS? The key is prevention. Whilst there isn’t one single prevention method there is consensus for the following: • Undergo a screening examination by a suitably

qualified physiotherapist in order to address any underlying risk factors. • The use of shock absorbing insoles. • The use of orthotics for those individuals with poor foot biomechanics or the right type of shoe for your foot type. • Replacement of your running trainers every 300350 miles. • A graduated running programme with built in rest days. • Ensure you stretch regularly. • Do not increase your running distance by more than 10% per month. • Avoid hill training and running on hard or uneven surfaces for at least 4-6 weeks after a break from running. The key to recovery is the correct diagnosis and a thorough assessment to determine the primary causes(s) for the development of your symptoms, occasionally diagnostic tests such as a bone scan to exclude stress fractures or compartment pressure study to exclude compartment syndrome are required. Emma explains “as Physiotherapists, we have the expertise to undertake a thorough examination of your flexibility, muscle control, proprioception, structural alignment and movement strategies and so determine the primary cause(s) of your symptoms. Following this we may recommend regular ice, rest, compression, manual therapy, taping, electrotherapy and/or acupuncture to facilitate your healing, and a bespoke exercise programme to reduce the chance of re-occurrence and get you back to where you want to be as soon as possible”. She adds “we may recommend a biomechanical assessment with one of our experienced Podiatrists to ensure your footwear is suitable for your individual needs. Alongside this will be a discussion of your training schedule; emphasising the importance of warming up, specific warm up exercises, the avoidance of over-striding and minimising a heavy heel strike, cessation or modification of hill running, avoidance of running on hard surfaces and advice on alternative exercise whilst your symptoms are resolving and you gradually return to running or your chosen sport”. For more information on shin splints or what physiotherapy can treat contact us on 01480 455221 or see www.centreforcomphealth.com

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Shires Mobile Footcare ...because feet matter

Treatment of common foot disorders in the comfort of your own home Professional treatment includes: • Callus reduction • Corn removal • Toe nail trimming • Fungal/thickened toe nail treatment • Cracked heel reduction • Athletes foot treatment

For further enquiries call Sam on:

01480 819 453 M. 07715 085 131 T.

Samantha Craig BA Hons, SAC Dip FHPT, SAC Dip FHPP, MRFHP

Jill Dighton

BSc (Hons) MBACP, UKCP Reg.

Counselling Service Depressed? Anxious? Relationship Issues? Low Self Esteem? Have you considered Counselling sessions? Based in Grafham village, I offer a professionally qualified Counselling Service to individuals and couples in a secure, confidential & non-judgemental atmosphere. Ample parking. Concessionary rates available. For further details: Visit: www.jilldightoncounselling.co.uk Email: j.dighton@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 07925 852 985 (Voicemail available) To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

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Fun Quiz - Double Acts 1. Which famous double act have been the only non-individual winners of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award? 2. Which double act represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in both 2011 and 2012? 3. Which famous double act became the first duo to have a posthumous hit single when they did so in 1975 with a song called Trail Of The Lonesome Pine? 4. Who is taller?... Ant or Dec? 5. In a 1996 episode of Only Fools And Horses, which double act did Del and Rodney dress up as to attend a party, but when their van broke down, had to run the rest of the way to get there and ended up scaring off thieves? 6. Which duo prevented the Oasis song Wonderwall from topping the UK singles chart in October 1995? 7. Which famous double act first appeared in a 1989 short film called A Grand Day Out? 8. In a series of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, who would a cat called Mr. Jinks be referring to when he would say “I hate those meeces to pieces”? 9. How are Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne known in the title of a 1994 comedy film? 10. Barry Elliott and Paul Elliott are best known together by what name?

Before

After

1. Torvill and Dean 2. Jedward 3. Laurel and Hardy 4. Ant 5. Batman And Robin 6. Robson and Jerome 7. Wallace and Gromit 8. Pixie and Dixie 9. Dumb and Dumber 10. The Chuckle Brothers

WObUrN FOreST HOLIday VILLage

career OPPOrTUNITIeS

Nestled in a 365 acre forest, Woburn Forest boasts beautiful undulating woodland landscapes, the largest Subtropical Swimming Paradise, magical views over the lake and forest with modern Lodges bringing guests closer to nature. We have a variety of positions with hours to fit around your lifestyle. There are various contracts available. You will come into regular contact with our guests so you will need to have a pleasant and helpful nature. Transport is available for some of our positions in the local area. To apply please visit centerparcscareers.co.uk, click on Job Search, then choose the Woburn location or alternatively sign up to receive regular job alerts. Center Parcs, Woburn Forest Holiday Village, Millbrook, Bedford, MK45 2HZ

at center Parcs, we want our people to share in the success their hard work brings, enjoy a sense of wellbeing and a good lifestyle, and make the most of their time with us. We offer unique benefits such as: • discounted center Parcs breaks • day visitor passes • Free use of village facilities

www.centerparcs.co.uk

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Technology

Printer Problems By Kam Patel Helping you get to know your personal computer. How many times have you printed out a document in MS Word on what appears to be a single page and then two pages print out, with the second being a blank page? The reason is that you have created too many extra lines (carriage returns) on your Word document which have gone on to the second page. When I work in MS Word I always use the Show/Hide feature, so that I can see the hidden character codes, like new lines, tabs, page/section breaks, fields and spaces. The Show/Hide icon can be found on the Home tab ribbon in the Paragraph group. Another way to see how many pages are in your document is check the bottom left of the Word window on the status bar.

You should also make it best practice to Print Preview your document on screen before sending it to print as what you see on screen may not be what gets printed out. So in order to get rid of the blank page, you need to go back into your document and delete the extra lines that you have created. Finally, remember that sometimes the paper size has an effect on printing. For example, A4 is 21cm by 29.7cm, whereas Letter is 21.59cm by 27.94cm, and Legal is 21.59cm by 35.56. All of these appear to be of the same size on screen but their print margins are different and can push text onto the next page.

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Employment

Employment Matters Shared Parental Leave

How will it affect employers and employees? Family-friendly leave entitlements are changing! Shared Parental Leave (SPL) applies to parents of children who are due to be born/adopted on or after 5th April 2015 and will give parents more flexibility over when they take leave during the first year of their child’s life. SPL is an ‘opt-in’ system so current maternity and adoption leave provisions apply unless parents choose to share it. Two weeks ordinary paternity leave will remain available to fathers/partners, but the option to take additional paternity leave has been removed. SPL is available to families where both parents are employed and also where one parent is employed and the other is classed as ‘economically active’, which only requires a low level of earnings. Employment rights during leave, in redundancy situations and on return are the same as during maternity leave. How does it affect employers? For employers, it will mean new policies, new

forms, more administration and less certainty over when their employees will be in the office. Employers who currently offer enhanced maternity pay schemes should consider treating SPL in the same way, or it could be considered sex discrimination to pay the partner less. The parents decide how to divide up 50 weeks of SPL. They can request leave in one block or multiple blocks of complete weeks. If they ask for one block of leave, the employer has to agree. If they ask for multiple blocks, the employer has two weeks to agree, propose an alternative or refuse. Requests to vary leave can be made but the employer may refuse that request. If the employer refuses a multiple leave request, the parent is allowed to take SPL in one block. How does it affect employees? The mother will still have to take the first two weeks of compulsory maternity leave. The mother can choose to continue on maternity leave or serve a ‘curtailment notice’ giving her employer eight weeks’ notice of the end of her maternity leave. At the same time she has to serve a ‘notice of entitlement’ to prove that she is entitled to SPL along with an idea of when she would like to take her part of the SPL. The father/partner must also serve a notice of entitlement and intention to take SPL on his/her employer. These notices are very detailed and include declarations from each parent that they agree to the amount of leave that the other parent is taking. Each parent has to provide their employer with details of the other parent’s employer with standard evidence of entitlement such as birth certificate/adoption papers. Once parents have agreed plans to take leave, they serve another notice on their employers (a ‘period of leave notice’) at least eight weeks before the start of the first period of leave. Hopefully it will all be straightforward in practice! Carol H Scott HR and Business Consulting Ltd

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THE COMPUTER MAN Local, Qualiﬁed & Experienced

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Contact Stuart on: Tel: 01480 354 937 Mob: 07734 652 239

E-mail: stuart@shconsultancy.co.uk

Whether your computer is not working at all or just needs a boost, we can help.

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Anstee Gorst

Chartered Certified Accountants

- Accounts preparation for Sole traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies - Self assessment tax returns - Cash Flow Forecasting - Vat, Payroll & Bookkeeping - Business Start Up

Free Initial Consultation Phone: Antoinette Gorst ACCA or Sally Anstee FCCA 01480 214423 Ground Floor Offices, Unit 4 Eaton Court Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon St Neots, Cambs PE19 8ER Email: office@ansteegorst.co.uk Website: www.ansteegorst.co.uk

Dedicated support for clients in relationship breakdown:

• • • • •

Separation Financial Settlements Change of Name Prenuptial Agreements Mediation

• • • • •

Divorce Living together agreements Adoption Children issues Collaborative family law

Fiona McLeman Family Law is accredited by Resolution and the Solicitors Regulation Authority as a Specialist in Family Law. For a free initial consultation contact Fiona:

fiona@fmfamilylaw.co.uk, 07894095775, www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk Regus House, 1010 Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne CB23 6DP

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Family Law

A clean break? A clean break in divorce terms means that the divorcing couple agree that all legal claims against each other arising from the fact that they are married will end on divorce. Those claims can be for financial support, pension sharing, provision of property and a payment of money. In some cases it may be appropriate for there not to be a clean break. In other cases a clean break is the right outcome. In an interesting case in the courts last month, a woman has been given permission from the court to claim money from her (now) millionaire ex-husband, 20 years after they divorced. In 2011 Mrs Wyatt, 55, took legal action against her ex-husband Mr Vince, 53, founder of wind-power firm Ecotricity. Mr Vince had previously appealed against his ex-wife on the basis she had lodged the claim too late. Last month five Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled Ms Wyattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case should go before the family court for a decision. Mr Vince and Ms Wyatt met as students in their early 20s and married in 1981. The pair had a son, and lived a New Age traveller lifestyle before their

divorce. Mr Dale set up his company, Ecotricity, in 1995 after the pair had split. He is now worth an estimated ÂŁ107m and has an OBE. Ms Wyatt is seeking a payout from her ex-husband of ÂŁ1.9m. The Court said Ms Wyatt had raised her son through 16 years of real hardship, that her claim was legally recognisable and not an abuse of process, although the court has indicated that the amount she had hoped to secure is too high an amount. What the court may consider is whether to award her a comparatively modest award, perhaps of a size which would enable her to purchase a comfortable, mortgage-free home. This is a striking ruling that underlines the fact that unless a clean break order is agreed at the time of divorce, there is no time limit for ex-spouses to apply to a court for a financial settlement following a divorce - however weak their claim may be. Whereas there are strict time limits in other legal claims, such as those for breach of contract or personal injury, divorce claims can be made decades after the divorce itself. The judgment is a timely reminder that divorcing couples who want protection from such claims, even if they have no money at all at the time of divorce, should obtain a clean break order from the court at the time of the divorce, in which they both agree that there will be no further financial claims.

Fiona McLeman Tel: 07894 095775 www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122

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Leeds Day Solicitors

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Leeds Day Solicitors

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) - There are a number of reasons why you might need someone to make decisions for you, or act on your behalf. It could just be temporary: for example, if you are in hospital or on holiday and need help with everyday things such as making sure that bills are paid. Or you may need to make more long-term plans if, for example, you are concerned that you may become infirm as you get older. Sometimes people become incapable of managing their property and financial affairs or personal welfare and need someone to do this for them. A friend, relative or professional can be appointed to hold a Lasting Power of Attorney to enable them to act on that person’s behalf. A Lasting Power of Attorney is a way of giving someone you trust the authority to make decisions on your behalf if you lack mental capacity at some time in the future or no longer wish to make decisions for yourself. It is a legal document whereby you (the Donor) can appoint someone you trust (The Attorney) to make decisions on your behalf. It can be drawn up at any time while you understand the nature and implications of the document but it has no legal standing until it is registered with the Office of The Public Guardian. Choosing an Attorney - Remember, the role of Attorney involves a great deal of power and responsibility so it is important that you trust the person you choose. Think carefully about whether there is someone you believe would be able to carry out the role and make decisions in your best interests. Give the person you ask time to think about the role to make sure that they are happy to

act. Your Attorney could be a family member or a friend. Alternatively, they could be a professional, such as a solicitor. There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:• Property and Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney This LPA gives your Attorney authority to make decisions about your property and financial affairs. This can include running your bank accounts and savings accounts, making decisions about your investments and selling property and spending your money. These decisions can be made when you are still mentally capable provided the LPA has been registered. • Personal Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney This LPA enables you to choose someone to make decisions about your healthcare and welfare. This includes decisions to refuse or consent to medical treatment and deciding where you live. These decisions can only be taken when the LPA is registered and if you lack the capacity to make the decisions yourself. Registration - Before the LPA can be used it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian. The LPA can be registered as soon as it has been signed or its registration can be postponed until it is needed in the future. We can assist you with the preparation and registration of a Lasting Power of Attorney. We have offices in St. Neots, St. Ives and Huntingdon. If you would be interested in discussing LPAs with one of our members of staff, please contact us on the telephone numbers below by email at wills@leedsday.co.uk or visit our website www.leedsday.co.uk

www.leedsday.co.uk

Our offices: Huntingdon Godwin House, George Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3BD T: 01480 454301

“No-one wants to think about getting ill but by creating a Lasting Power of Attorney you choose who acts for you and with your best interests at heart”

St. Ives 11 Station Road, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 5BH T: 01480 464600

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St. Neots 1A South Street, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 2BW T: 01480 474661

Accounts by Emma Ltd

Accountant & Business Support For all your small business needs from bookkeeping to year end accounts and everything in between. cashflow management business planning tax management accounts budgeting costing & pricing Call now for a free, no obligation, chat. emma@accountsbyemma.co.uk 01480 214370 | 07841 042077

ounts by emma.indd 1

11/02/2015 14:38

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Tax Quirk =

Free Money

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development surveyed 2,225 working adults, 13% said they could never afford to retire and 43% said they need to contribute at least 10% of their salary to retire comfortably. 61% of those surveyed said they would consider working beyond state retirement age. Further thought shows these numbers are probably on the low side given most individuals have not actually calculated what they need or how much they will receive. The current average contribution is 5%. Do the sums and speak to your adviser if there is a shortfall. Remember, retirement income, whilst not just from pensions, is probably the most tax efficient method and usually free from inheritance tax (IHT). Also, remember pension saving can help increase your child benefit, and if over 55, provide free money. The amount will depend on personal circumstances. This free money is as a result of the changes to pension legislation. There have been a number of reports produced around the new pension legislation that often leads to confusion. Sometimes the reason is simple

Beacon Wealth Tony Larkins CFP APFS Managing Director IFA Chartered and Certified Financial Planner

– the author does not really understand their topic. The following is an example of how simply changing one aspect of the pension can have a significant impact for many years. “Mr Jones retires and like most people draws down on his pension rather than buying an annuity. At 73 he dies and leaves his fund to his wife who is 72. Mrs Jones continues to draw down a similar amount tax free from the pension for the rest of her life. Assuming she then dies at 77, the rest of the fund is passed to her beneficiaries but is taxed. However, had Mr Jones left his fund to his 40 year old son, this would have continued to be paid out for 35 years before then becoming taxed rather than the 5 years that Mrs Jones used it”. If you have any confusion regarding your pension, speak to your adviser. Preferably one that is a pensions specialist with the G60 or AF3 exam. Alternatively You should always seek qualified advice from an IFA, preferably a Certified (CFP) or Chartered Financial PlannerCM (APFS). If you have a financial question, e-mail: tlarkins@beaconwealth.co.uk

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Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

SURECLEAN GARDEN MACHINERY AND TRAILER CENTRE

 Personal customer service, collection and delivery available.  Assessment of individual requirements.  Full after sales backup and parts service.  NEW Oregon, the world's only unique battery operated, self-sharpening s In stock. chain saw.  Ride-on and pedestrian mowers, chainsaws, strimmers, hedge trimmers, cultivators, estate and equestrian equipment. Trailers - sales, hire, service.  Accessories, oils, Aspen fuel, batteries, spares, security locks for garden/ horticultural machinery and trailers. horticultu

Appointed dealers for:

 Main dealer for Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Kohler, Kawasaki & Mountfield engines.

DRIVEWAY AND PATIO CLEANING SPECIALISTS ROOF MOSS REMOVAL AND GUTTER CLEANING We use a revolutionary industrial pressure rotary cleaning system to restore exterior hard surfaces to as new condition.

Block Paving, Pathways, Patios Garden Wall and Stone Ornaments Ponds and Pools Also Re-sanding and Sealing Local Company

01480 468965/07870 338074 www.surecleancarpetcleaning.co.uk

Honeydon Road, Colmworth, Bedfordshire MK44 2LY

01234 376513 www.bri-ag.co.uk

Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm

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Going potty for summer plants

Garden

By Pippa Greenwood www.pippagreenwood.com I am a great fan of hanging baskets, window boxes and patio containers, but this year why not include some unusual containers and planters to bring a different look or even a bit of humour to your garden? You can use almost anything as a planter. I have seen some really crazy plantings in disused hand basins, loo cisterns or even the lavatory itself! If you are using something like a hand basin which only has one plug hole in the bottom, make sure that you cover it with pieces of broken crock and then perhaps put an inch or two of course gravel in the bottom of the container before you put the compost in. But there are plenty of other normal household objects which can be used. How about that old watering can thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sprung a leak? Whether you have a traditional galvanised can or a more modern plastic one, you can have great fun planting it up with bedding, particularly if you choose something like trailing blue lobelia to come spurting out of the top and perhaps even the end. Buckets too can look really good fun and if you have one which still has its handle firmly attached, then you could use it as a hanging basket. Old footwear with can be turned into planting with real flair. If you use old gardening boots or a pair of shoes, you are unlikely to need to add extra drainage as they invariably drain well. But if you are going to recycle a pair of wellies, then you may need to punch a few holes. Again cascading plants can look particularly dramatic, but a bunch of bright red geraniums or the spiky hedgehog-like foliage of a bright green or variegated grass can look particularly eye-catching.

See if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anything in your kitchen cupboards that could be recycled. An old saucepan, casserole pot or even a mixing bowl or jug can make an attractive planter. If the container is large and there are no drainage holes in it, then the other option is to plant it up as a mini bog garden and use moisture-loving plants in it such as hostas or pondside irises. Colanders or sieves also make interesting and unusual hanging baskets. You can simply plant one or two upright specimens in the centre of the colander and then use plenty of trailing plants around the edge and allow them to cascade down. You could even create your own living tea set with an old sizeable teapot and some large mugs full of favourite summer bedding. Larger items such as old wheelbarrows or chimney pots can often be bought very cheaply from a local salvage or junk yard. Something like a wheelbarrow gives a huge planting area and because it holds such a large volume of compost, it will also mean it will be less inclined to dry out. All these containers can be treated in just the same way as a container that you have bought from the garden centre. As I mentioned drainage is of great importance, but when it comes to choosing a compost and the plants themselves, you need nothing any different from when you are planting up a more traditional container and believe me you can have a lot more fun! Visit Pippaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website www.pippagreenwood.com for ladybirds to control greenfly, Nemaslug, brilliant weeders, pop-up crop covers, copper tape and lots more besides.

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Travel by Solange Hando

Laos - Sailing on the Mekong Revered as the ‘Mother of Waters’, the Mekong flows north to south across Laos where much of its course marks the border with Thailand. As in other countries, it’s a precious lifeline providing rich agricultural land and fishing as well as transport in remote areas. Up in the northern hills, the Mekong is at the heart of tribal legends, the mythical home of a ‘naga’ snake which must be appeased and thanked for its gift. But in the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, it’s a magnet for visitors dreaming of an unforgettable trip upstream on a long narrow boat. With jungle-clad hills heaving along the banks like prehistoric creatures, rocks and islands, rapids, sand banks and treacherous shallows, it’s an adrenalin-filled journey, a test of endurance and faith for passengers and captain alike. It’s cold and eerie in the early morning mist but later, when the sun beats down on the river, no one minds the generous showers of spray sweeping under the rickety awning. This isn’t about comfort, just sheer excitement, with ‘no standing please’ but you can dip your hand in the water with no effort at all. In the dry season, only the narrowest boats can sail up river, five people aside and pilot squatting Asian-style at the front. Meanwhile birds flitter in the bushes, goats and buffaloes graze on the banks and here and there, wooden huts nestle under the palm trees with luminous patches of tapioca and maize tumbling down to the water. Women with babies on their back bob along sandy trails, men tend their fields, others fish or pan for gold. There are

houseboats draped in laundry, tiny skiffs anchored with bamboo poles and clusters of pink blossom splashing colour in the greenery. After two hours or so, the boat reaches the sacred Pak Ou caves cut into the limestone cliffs. A floating platform leads to the shore then it’s a hot climb up the steps to see the first cave, crammed with thousands of Buddha images, and the second, higher up, 50 metres deep and tucked behind an old wooden portal. It’s best to carry a torch for you never know what could be lurking in the dark. They say that long ago the King and his Court used to row up river once a year on an overnight pilgrimage, leaving fresh offerings of Buddha images in the caves. So the tradition began, totalling some 4000 miniature statues to date, revered by pilgrims and saffron-robed monks but drawing the largest crowds during the Lao New Year. Yet, tourists who come this far spend little time inside the caves for they are soon lured back into the sunlight for superb views over the Mekong and its confluence with the Nam Ou. There’s a chance to visit the nearby tribal village, a colourful place where women weave on the doorstep and along the path, and every hut on stilts is draped with shawls and scarves no one can resist. By early afternoon, day trippers return to Luang Prabang while the more adventurous continue their journey along the Nam Ou where bamboo and teak mingle their reflections in glistening waters turning from emerald to blue. Lofty flame trees rise above the jungle and sometimes you spot a herd of elephants brought down to the river for their daily bath by mahouts in conical hats. Time seems to stand still.

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All Seasons

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WORDWHEEL

Using only the letters in the Wordwheel, you have ten minutes to find as many words as possible, none of which may be plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Each word must be of three letters or more, all must contain the central letter and letters can only be used once in every word. There is at least one word that uses all of the letters in the wheel.

TARGET Excellent: 24 or more words Good: 18 words Fair: 15 words

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Wildlife

By Andy Mydellton

Writhing Reptiles Many people dislike snakes but few notice snakes in the countryside let alone in their gardens, probably because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect to see them. Snakes evolved from lizards about 100 million years ago in the age of the dinosaurs and evolved to prey on small warm-blooded and nutritious mammals. Despite being largely misunderstood since the Garden of Eden, most snakes are not poisonous and all species are only self-defensive. Biting people goes against their nature and snakes will only do this as a last resort. I saw my first black male grasssnake in late autumn when I was leading a conservationist expedition in the West of England. He was coiled up asleep in the morning sun which was quite a dangerous thing for him because carnivores such as foxes and birds of prey could have seen and eaten him. The second time I saw a male grass-snake was in September at Millstream Fork. I literally crossed his path when he was side

winding from the lawn across the York stone pathway towards the undergrowth. Magically, under a small green plant, he somehow managed to disappear. I was bemused as to how he could have escaped my close attention so quickly and easily. I carefully looked at three hidden stones that lay beneath the green cover; it seemed to me that the only way he could have vanished was by sliding under these stones and disappearing into subterranean tunnels. My only sight of a female grasssnake was some years ago, also at Millstream Fork, curled up in the pondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foliage. My chances of attracting them into the garden increased enormously when I gave them exactly what they wanted, which was safety, shelter and food. This included making hibernacuiums of old carpet and a small sheet of corrugated iron adding to the natural cover which I had planted and allowing all sorts of animals to hide and sleep safely in the garden. Unlike the pencil thin black

male, about 20 centimetres long, the female is our largest reptile measuring over a metre in length, and has camouflaged colours of green and brown, similar to an army battlefield outfit. Neither the male nor female are venomous. They mate in April, and later the female lays her eggs in leaf litter or rotting vegetation in plenty of time for the tiny hatchlings to grow enough to survive the cold and hardship of their first winter. Despite their name, they like ponds and river edges where they hunt for amphibians, such as frogs, newts and toads. All of these inhabit Millstream Fork. Moreover, grass snakes never eat carrion only the live prey that they catch and kill themselves. I have been fortunate to have seen grass-snakes twice at Millstream Fork but while I am grateful for this luck, I still wonder how many snakes I have missed. Andy Mydellton is CEO of the Foundation for Endangered Species & Wildlife Zone. www.ffes.org.uk

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Pets

Easter’s almost here now There’s daffodils in bloom Hot cross buns are baking And chocolate to consume All these things are tasty To dogs and cats alike But they’re also very toxic With every little bite Don’t let your pets get hold of these Or you’ll certainly regret With vomit, runs and very sore tums They’ll end up at the vet And that’s not all you need to know Some consequences can be major With chocolate, raisins and daffodil bulbs They can even have organ failure So keep those treats well hidden And please try not to fret Remember Cromwell Vets is here For you and for your pet!

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An Easter Reminder

Easter is a joyful time with spring on the way and most of us enjoy indulging in a bit of chocolate. However, remember that many of the treats we enjoy at this time of year are harmful to your animals. If your pet eats your Easter eggs, hot cross buns, daffodil bulbs or anything else you think they shouldn’t, please contact your vet immediately as quick action could save their life. For more information on common poisons visit www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare and look for poisoning in the ‘health and welfare’ section or visit www.vpisglobal.com/common-poisons. Cromwell Vets has a vet and veterinary nurse at our hospital in Huntingdon 24hrs a day, seven days a week. There is also a 24hr Emergency Service on 01480 52222. Have a very happy Easter from everyone at Cromwell Vets!

Travel

Oystercatchers

at Whitstable By Tim Saunders

The oystercatcher is a bird associated with the coast since the 15th century, as we learn while staying at Oystercatchers, a delightful holiday home at Seasalter in Whitstable, Kent. Its primarily wooden structure is painted powder blue and reminds us of a Norwegian home. This part of the world is famed for oysters and looking through the telescope in the sitting room it is easy to spot oystercatchers with their distinctive orange beaks and black bodies. They tend to visit quite early in the morning to do their fishing in groups with some returning nearer lunchtime for another forage. Birdwatching is not something that I have previously done but sitting in a comfy chair in the warm on a bitter winter’s day I am drawn to the telescope, as are the children. It is quite unique to find a house where the beach is quite literally at the back door with views over to the Isle of Sheppey. The many windows make it a joy to just sit inside and watch the different weather patterns and the changes in light. In fact on our first day we do little else. Just down the road is The Oyster Pearl Pub and Restaurant and when we do venture out we pop inside. I always like to try the local ale when travelling and in this neck of the woods Spitfire is the pint of choice, brewed by Shepherd Neame, Britain’s oldest brewer, trading since 1698. Seasalter is just a few miles from Faversham, a market town only 48 miles from London. In fact it is here that I pick up a local paper and see that they have written the pros and cons of the local area compared to the city. Many people live here and commute to London because the property prices are so much more affordable. 50

At Whitstable, we walk along the harbour where there are arty fishermen’s huts that open between March and September and note that artist Michael Richardson has a gallery here. Michael is a plein air landscape painter working in oils and watercolours who has exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Whitstable is home to a string of boutiques and visitors come from far and wide to purchase luxury gifts. It is also easy to visit France from Kent, which is just as well because Michael does this frequently, finding it inspirational for his work. “I am going to take four or five painters to quiet places in France so that they can work fairly intensively and uninterrupted for three to four days over this summer,” he reveals. Kent has so much to offer a tourist and we have only really touched the surface but what we saw we liked very much indeed. Call in at two National Trust properties on the way: Knole, which is undergoing a £20m refurbishment; and Chartwell, Sir Winston Churchill’s house in the 50th year since he died. For more information visit: http://whitstablecottageholidays.co.uk/ oystercatchers/

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Motoring

Drivers’ Cars

By James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine (CarDealerMag.co.uk) We’ve driven some fantastic cars in 2014 and below we’ve narrowed them down to our five favourites based on absolute, pure driving pleasure. They are the maddest, baddest and most heart-racing cars we’ve driving this year and if you manage to get behind the wheel of any of this selection, you’re very lucky indeed. Rolls-Royce Wraith More of a house than a car, and even costing more than some people’s at £219,480, the Rolls-Royce Wraith is a surreal machine. It’s carpeted with what looks to be real bear fur, features TWO umbrellas concealed in the bodywork, and can even hold its own on the road with its 624bhp outpacing almost anything as luxurious.

looks are equally stunning with sleek lines and striking curves. It clings to the road and can take on whatever corner you’re gutsy enough to throw it round – sometimes a little more sideways that you originally planned. Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Gadget-lovers will be in heaven in the £119,835 S63 AMG. We could write a wish list of tech as long as our arms and the Mercedes would still have it and more. Inside you’ll find TVs, massage seats and it’s very own Wi-Fi, so you could drive off into the sunset and never be without your creature comforts. Porsche Macan Turbo Porsche’s latest SUV might not be to everyone’s taste

looks-wise, but it’s still been gifted with its namesake’s driving pedigree. Those who want a luxury SUV will not be disappointed with the £67,423 Macan, which comfortably seats five, but it still drives like a sports car. It’s no wonder Porsche can’t build them quick enough. Jaguar F-Type Probably the best car of the year, the F-Type is flawless. If you can get over the growl that Jaguar’s specially made exhaust makes and actually get it off your driveway, then you’ll find the way it handles is exceptional. With these gorgeous looks, it seems to just be the £85,000 price tag that is wrong with this car. But then if you’re looking at that, it’s probably the wrong car for you in the first place!

BMW M4 The BMW M4 is incredible, speeding from 0-60mph in just four seconds with all the grace and power you would expect from the German marque. The £56,650 car’s

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East Anglian

Windows and Doors

East Anglian Group are pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Hussey as Sales Manager. Tim has worked in the Home Improvement sector for 15 years. With extensive experience of the Window and Door market, Roofing, Conservatories, Extensions and the latest Conservatory guardian warm roof system. Tim is the perfect choice to assist in the Companies ambitious growth plans. What made Tim decide to join the East Anglian group ? “I am really pleased to join East Anglian Group and the chance to work in such a vibrant industry, the products we install are second to none and the teams installing are highly experienced, qualified and customer focused. East Anglian Groups company ethos is to treat staff, suppliers and customers equally, put simply, to treat people how you would wish to be treated,

Before

this is carried through with the quote process, no silly inflated prices, no phone calls to the office and all customers receive written quotations, that’s what attracted to me to the role, along with the wealth of knowledge of the company directors in the industry, Dave Richards 43 years and Scott Hawkings 26 years, both of which have known Tim for over 10 years have said “This appointment reflects our growth strategy as well as our commitment for customers to have a dedicated point of contact and with Tim’s home improvement knowledge and expertise in this sector we congratulate Tim on joining the Company”. Tim brings a customer centric approach to the position putting the customer at the heart of everything he does. If you are considering home improvements of this nature please call Tim on 01480 216677 or 07765324814.

Trusting a supplier with large sums of your money and the structure of your property is not easy. In my case East Anglian Windows and Doors repaid that trust with interest. We have been delighted with guidance they provided, the quality of the product and the workmanship. They take great pride in what they do and it shows in the end result. We now have a wonderful room that we use all year round and will cost us little in heating. It is truly beautiful. John Wright, Milton Keynes

After

Showroom: The Conservatory Village, Great North Road, Little Paxton PE19 6EN Trade Counter: Unit 2, Little End Road Industrial Estate, Vulcan Way, Little End Road, Eaton Socon PE19 8TS

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Codeword 1

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Easy Suduko

Hard Suduko

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles. 60

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Garage Door Problems?

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Food & Drink

Beer of the Month by Ted Bruning Cider is always seen as a summer drink, and local Apple Days are always held in October, so why are we featuring it in May? Apple days celebrate not cider but the apple harvest and apples in general. But October is when the cidermaker’s year really begins. That’s when the main harvest and when the hard labour of milling and pressing gets under way in earnest. Once it’s gone through its first fermentation, the fresh-pressed juice is sealed away for its long, cold, slow, maturation to emerge fresh and bright in May. That’s when the Big Apple Association holds the Cider & Perry Trials at Putley Village Hall in Herefordshire and when the Campaign for Real Ale hosts its national Cider & Perry Competition at Reading Beer Festival. The ciders entered in these competitions are the genuine farmhouse item – still, strong, and 100% fresh-pressed juice and not what you’d usually find in supermarkets. However

here are two that come close. Chaplin & Cork’s Somerset Reserve is named after the two cidermakers at the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill. And it’s very good, with an overpowering aroma of freshly-picked apples, a palate that’s quite light for its alcohol content (6.8%), only lightly carbonated, and an authentic burst of tannin in the finish. Henry Weston’s Vintage from Herefordshire is even stronger at 8.2%, so treat it with respect. The nose isn’t quite as pronounced, and the palate is sweeter, richer, rounder – creamy, even – while the finish is also quenchingly bitter. Whilst neither of these is what an aficionado would call “traditional”, they’re both excellent in their own right.

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PETERBOROUGH

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Local News

An invitation to bell ringing

or, to give itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other title, Campanology

Have you ever thought what actually happens high up in the lovely Church tower in St Neots when you hear the bells ring? Well now is your chance to find out and come and see if this is for you and if you might be interested in learning a new skill. Dismiss the Christmas card pictures which often depict Monks pulling hard, swinging on a rope and disappearing high into the air. Nor do the bells ring at the flick of a switch. Everyone has their own bell to ring. You do not have to be physically strong or attend Church services. Being musical and or mathematical can be an advantage but not at all essential, as many experienced ringers will testify. Campanology is based on many skills of which the first is learning to handle a rope which is attached to the bell above. Once this bell control is acquired then the next skills involve listening and looking. You would be given free expert tuition and guidance at all times and it would be a wonderful way that you could support and contribute to the ambiance and activities of the town. Many people are heard to say that they enjoy hearing the bells. Seriously, this is an opportunity for anyone over the age of eleven to learn a new skill, have a greater social life and mix with people of all ages, abilities and walks of life. It is often said amongst ringers that

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we are a complete mixture of humanity. Another advantage is that you can do it anywhere in the country, and even abroad, though that is more restricted, and students can join University societies. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easy way of making new friends wherever you may find yourself. It is a hobby where you can remain at a basic level if that is your wish, but still be very involved and useful, or you can take it to a higher standard. However, it comes with a warning that it might interest you so much it could take over your life! St Neots ringers would like to invite you to contact the ringing master, David Griffiths, 07818 685502, drgrrr@yahoo.co.uk to arrange an introductory visit to one of our practice nights and to get an idea of what goes on. He will be very pleased to see you as will the rest of us in the tower and there will be no obligation to take up ringing. Last but not least, perhaps you have dabbled a bit in the past as a ringer and life has taken you away from it or you feel a little reluctant to return owing to a lack of practice as you see it. All I can say is, have courage and please come back. If you know of anyone who might be interested in reading this article please pass it on to them. Hoping to see you in the tower - you will be very welcome. By Mary Hall

n O s ’ t Wha In April

Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month.

11 March-4 April St Neots Art Group Exhibition 11.00am-4.00pm Tuesday to Saturday St Neots Museum, 8 New Street, St Neots Admission to the museum is free for local residents Recent works by the talented members of the local art group. All the works are for sale so call in and purchase an original artwork for your wall, most works priced between £50.00 and £75.00. Please telephone for Easter opening hours. Tel: Liz Davies, Curator 01480 388921 Email: curators@stneotsmuseum.org.uk 21 March-18 April Easter Museum Trail & Hilarious Hare Gallery Free Admission St Neots Museum, 8 New Street, St Neots Find the Easter Eggs hidden around the Museum to complete the Easter Treasure Hunt and claim your free mini Easter Egg. Discover how the Hare is linked to our Easter celebrations and add your own hare art work to our gallery. Tel: 01480 214163 Email: curators@stneotsmuseum.org.uk 1 April 21st Division 1914-18 - A divisional history 7pm for 7.30pm The Comrades Club, Godmanchester A talk by Andy Lonergan. Non WFA members most welcome. www.westernfrontassociation.com 1 April Little Paxton Gardening Club 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall The talk subject will be ‘Death in the Garden’ with Mike Brown, a garden designer with an interest in historic gardens, looking at plants and the history of gardening. Everyone welcome. Annual club subscription is £6 then £1 for members at each meeting. Guests £2 payable at the door. 1-6 April Easter Egg Trail in the Gardens 10.30am-4.15pm Wimpole Estate Normal garden admission charge applies plus £2 charge for trail booklet. Wimpolena, the Wimpole goose, heard that there were some chocolate eggs in the gardens. She was in such a hurry to find them that she left some of her feathers in the Pleasure Grounds. Help Wimpolena find her feathers, spell the magic word, and you will win a chocolate egg.

1 & 8 April Activity Sessions for 7-11 years 10-11am Activity Sessions for 14-17 years 11am-12pm The Green, Samuel Jones Cresc., Little Paxton HDC’s Sport & Active Lifestyles Team are running two activity sessions aimed at young people. The activities will be managed by qualified staff. Please note there is no toilet provision. No need to book. 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 April Bingo Doors open 7.30pm, Eyes down 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Every Thursday night. Raffle and refreshments at interval. Sorry only 18+ can play. Tel: Eddie 01480 475265 for more information 2 April Cocktail Party 7.30-11pm The Oast Lounge, St Neots £15 per ticket inc. buffet, Lifesaver cocktail & disco All proceeds to East Anglian Air Ambulance. Buy your ticket today! Tel: Tickets 01763 262697 Email: barbara.mcgee@eaaa.org.uk 2, 8 & 10 April Easter Special Nature Explorers 10am-12pm Godmanchester Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve, Cow Lane, Godmanchester Fun family activities and discover what lives at Godmanchester Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve. Follow the trail to find us starting from the entrance at the end of Cow Lane. Tel: 01480 473161 3 April Good Friday The Eggstraordinary Children’s Workshop 10.30am-12 noon St James Church, Little Paxton Crafts, singing stories and games. Pre-school children accompanied by an adult. Email: rev.reed@btinternet.com to book 3 April 50 Things - Go on a nature walk at night 7.30-9.30pm Wimpole Estate £4 Part of the National Trust’s ‘50 things to do before you’re 11 and 3/4s’ campaign. New and improved for 2015! Guided by the Ranger, we’ll explore Wimpole’s parkland in the dark where we’ll search for nocturnal life using our eyes, ears and little help from some clever technology.

4 April Art & Craft Fair 9.30am-4pm Free Church, St Ives Free admission Quality handmade art and craft stalls and tombola. 4, 11, 18 & 25 April Parkrun 9am Wimpole Estate Weekly free 5k timed run. Web: parkrun.org.uk/wimpoleestate 5 April St Neots Passion Play 2015 2.30pm St Neots Town Centre Free admission Around 50 actors, singers, dancers and musicians will be involved in the production, which follows the last 7 days in the life of Jesus Christ and the events leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. Passion 2015 starts with the Triumphal Entry over St Neots Town Bridge and then continues on to the Market Square and St Anselm’s Place, returning to the Market Square and concluding in the Riverside Park. The play lasts approximately 2½ hours. Free souvenir programme. Web: www.passion2015.org.uk 5 & 6 April St Ives Antiques & Art Deco Fair 10am-4pm Burgess Hall, Westwood Road, St Ives, PE27 6WU Adults £2, Concessions £1.50 More than 55 stands offering quality items including china, ceramics, glass, militaria, silver, postcards, jewellery and small furniture, all at affordable prices. Wheelchair access, ample free parking, hot and cold drinks, meals and snacks. Tel: Day Out Events 01480 896866 Web: www.dayoutevents.co.uk 5, 12, 19 & 26 April Kingfisher Church 10.30am Little Paxton Primary School Every Sunday – all welcome! Services include children’s groups and a crèche. Refreshments served. Tel: 01480 700434 Web: www.kingfisherchurch.co.uk 7, 10 & 12 April Colour in the natural world 10am-2pm £2.50 per child Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Little Paxton Learn about colour in nature indoors and outdoors. Bring a picnic. Drop in anytime between 10am-2pm.

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n O s ’ t Wha In April 8 April Bring On Spring 1-3pm Great Fen, Ramsey Heights, PE26 2RS £2.50 per person, £6 per family (4 people) Discover wildlife of the Fen waking up for spring. Tel 01487 710420 9 April Amazing Amphibians 2-4pm The Manor House, Broad Street, Cambourne £5 per child or £10 per family Get creative and design your own amphibian. Play games to discover more about your local amphibian species and where they live. Learn how to tell great crested newts apart and try your hand at building a shelter for them. Dropin event. Suitable for children aged 4-10 years old. Please note there is no car parking at the venue. Tel 01954 713500 10, 17 & 24 April Tai Chi 4-5pm Wimpole Hall £6 per session Every Friday from 6 March. Tel: Mike Tabrett 01223 503390 to book Email: mike@gret-heron.com 12 April Cambridge Gliding Centre Open Day 10am-4pm Gransden Lodge Airfield Free admission Come and visit Gransden Lodge Airfield to find out about the sport of gliding. All welcome. Trial flights with our qualified instructors available on a first-come, first-fly basis. Refreshments. Use SG19 3EB for SatNav. Web: www.camgliding.uk 12 April Paxton Pits Open Day 11am-4pm Paxton Pits Nature Reserve Visitors Centre, Little Paxton To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Friends of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Come and meet us and enjoy free tea and cake and find out more about the reserve. There will be displays and opportunities to meet our Volunteers and Rangers. Guided walks at 11.15am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Tel: Paxton Pits Nature Reserve Visitors’ Centre 01480 406795 for more info Web: www.paxton-pits.org.uk

13, 20 & 27 April Scottish Country Dancing 8-10pm Queen Elizabeth School, Godmanchester Weekly Scottish Country Dancing for fun, friendship and fitness. You don’t have to be Scottish and you don’t need a partner as we take turns to dance with each other. May-Sept is at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Godmanchester and Sept-May is at Little Stukeley Village Hall. Tel: Mrs Pat Crowe 01480 453774 email: pat@patcrowe.plus.com 15 April Springtime in Norfolk 2.30pm Paxton Pits Nature Reserve Visitors Centre, Little Paxton £2.50 Friends of Paxton Pits Nature Reserve illustrated talk by the RSPB’s Senior Site Manager, North West Norfolk - Laurence Rose on ‘Springtime in Norfolk’. 16 April Little Paxton Parish Council Annual Parish Meeting 7pm Little Paxton Village Hall All residents welcome. 17 April STRIVE Young Adult Carers Group Drop In: 5:30pm-6:30pm, Session: 6:30pm8:30pm Huntingdon Tesco Community Space 3rd Friday of the month. Are you aged 16-21 and caring for a family member? Come along to our Young Adult Carers group to meet others in a similar situation. We provide regular groups; support in school/college/university; information, advice and guidance, 1:1 support; Online peer support; Life skills; Training, education and employment. Contact Carers Trust Cambridgeshire 01480 499048 Email: tracy.hyland@carerstrustcambridgeshire.org 17 April Quiz Night 7.30pm Little Paxton Village Hall Tickets £6 each including Ploughman’s Supper In aid of Bumpkins (Little Paxton). Maximum 6 people per team. Licensed Bar. Closing date for tickets 15 April Tel: Lee Duncan 07931 315648 Email: lm.duncan@ntlworld.com 17 April Quiz Evening 7.30pm prompt Stuart Memorial Hall, Church End, Tempsford Tickets £5 per person including Ploughman’s Supper Bring your own drinks. Max .of 6 on a table. Tel: 01767 640873 or 01767 641170 for tickets

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17 April Village Quiz 7.30pm Great Paxton School Tickets £5 including refreshments Licensed bar. All proceeds to the Church. 18 April Paxton Hall Care Home Open Day 2-4pm Rampley Lane, Little Paxton The care home for the elderly, located in the Grade II listed Paxton Hall, is opening its doors to demonstrate that the home is an integral part of the local community. Visitors will have the opportunity to be shown around the home and meet residents and staff as well as enjoy the kitchen’s hospitality. The home has been open for more than 30 years and most of the residents come from a five mile radius. 20 April Gamlingay St Mary’s Church Ladies Guild 7:30pm Gamlingay Church Hall Visitors £3 Speaker will be Simon Gorton on the work of the Hope Charity. All ladies welcome. Tel: 07749 676426 for more details 25 April Eileen Wade School Duck Dash Race starts 11am £1 to adopt a duck Race starts at Upper Dean bridge and fete after the race at Eileen Wade School, Upper Dean, PE28 0ND. Email emmajguk@yahoo.co.uk to adopt your duck 25 April Time For Tea 1-3pm Alconbury Memorial Hall It’s time for tea to raise vital funds for Woodlands Cancer Centre at Hinchingbrooke Hospital! Refreshments and cakes, grand raffle, tombola and our original idea from last year’s event, Lottery Plant Raffle! Please donate cakes and prizes. They can be dropped off at 25 Highfield Avenue, Alconbury Weston. 25 April Charity Ball 7pm-midnight The Burgess Hall, St Ives Tickets £39 including 3 course dinner & coffee Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Carers Trust Cambridgeshire (formerly Crossroads Care), a local charity which provides support for family carers of all ages and the people they look after. Dress code black tie. Web: www.carerstrustcambridgeshire.org Tickets: Annette Reader 01480 499090

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N O I T I T E P M O C Win Tickets to see some

Music Maestros!

The Bedford Corn Exchange is hosting two great music events this month. Country duo The Shires are returning to their home county for an evening of music straight out of Nashville. The pair hail from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (hence their name) and have been making waves on the music scene. Their debut album ‘Brave’ is out now and they have featured on BBC’s One Show, Chris Evan’s Breakfast Show and Radio 2 with their recent single ‘Friday Night’ and their album being both the station’s single and album of the week. Acoustic guitarist Ben Earle coupled with the beautiful vocals of Crissie Rhodes have swiftly soared to popularity and signed to Decca just before they made their official live London debut at the second annual Country 2 Country Festival in London’s 02 Arena after which they travelled to Nashville. Bringing country music into mainstream popularity, the pair say: “We love American music, but we’re proudly British and intensely keen to add some real indigenous flavour to the pot – this is no twangy tribute act!” There is also a big line up for the 2015 St George’s Day Ska Event which features original ‘rude boy’ Neville Staple formerly of The Specials and Fun Boy Three. His solo tour includes a selection of both bands’ back catalogue including ‘Gangsters’, ‘A Message to you Rudy’ and ‘Ghost Town’ as well as the

reworking of some Jamaican ska classics and some new solo material. His album ‘Ska Crazy’ was released in 2014 to rave reviews. Special guests are Ruts DC, formerly punk band The Ruts that was founded in 1980 by guitarist Paul Fox, bassist John ‘Segs’ Jennings, drummer Dave Ruffy and the late vocalist Malcolm Owen. Also headlining is popular festival circuit band New Groove Formation with their album ‘Summer in a Glass’ having been released last year. DJ Andy Attic from Club Ska Sound System will be there to entertain the main auditorium along with DJs Hammy and Geoff playing Northern and classic soul in the Howard Room 2 between bands and until 1am. The Shires will be performing at The Bedford Corn Exchange on Monday 27th April 2015. Tickets (seated) are £12 in advance and doors open at 7.30pm. The St George’s Day Ska Event takes place on Saturday 25th April 2015 with doors opening at 7.30pm and tickets are £20 in advance. Buy online at www.bedfordcornexchange.co.uk or www. seetickets.com, call 01234 718112, or in person from the box office. Ska tickets are also available from www.wegottickets or in person from Planet Boutique, The Arcade, Bedford and Mario’s Hair Design, Kempston with no booking fee. The Villager and Town Life has two pairs of tickets courtesy of The Pad Presents Ltd to give away for the St George’s Day Ska Event. To enter, simply email editor@villagermag.com with the heading ‘Ska Competition Entry’ and include your name, address and telephone no. A winner will be picked at random. For more information visit www.thepadpresents.com

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Marchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crossword, Codeword and Suduko Solutions Last Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crossword Winner Judy Naylor from Stotfold

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Across 1 Frenzied (7) 5 Horizontal (5) 8 Regularity (9) 9 Prohibit (3) 10 Severe (5) 12 Set free (7) 13 Protest (13) 15 Digit (7) 17 Used to sweeten (5) 19 Frozen water (3) 20 Small flower (9) 22 Examinations (5) 23 Longed for (7) Down 2 Beer (3) 3 Strengthen (7) 4 Praised (13) 5 Faithful (5)

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6 Shaking (9) 7 Portable light (7) 11 Recalls (9) 13 Repairs teeth (7) 14 Replies (7) 16 Formal garments (5) 18 Quick (5) 21 Automobile (3)

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Russell Grant’s

Horoscopes

ARIES March 21st - April 20th

Attention and acclaim will come your way in early April and Easter will be a time of rebirth. The Lunar Eclipse on the 4th marks the end of a difficult relationship phase.

TAURUS April 21st - May 21st

Resist the urge to get drawn into an argument around the Easter holiday. It’s time to put an end to a dysfunctional relationship.

GEMINI May 22nd - June 21st

LIBRA September 24th - October 23rd

The opening days of April prompt someone special to make a declaration of love. This is an opportune time to get engaged or married, move in with your amour, or launch a business with an entrepreneur.

SCORPIO October 24th - November 22nd

The Lunar Eclipse on the 4th brings a satisfying end to a bureaucratic matter. A writing project will have to be revised in mid-April. Don’t be discouraged. The New Moon on the 18th is ideal for launching a health regime.

You’ll acquire some valuable information or skills at the start of April. A Lunar Eclipse on the 4th will be a time of profound emotional fulfilment. Don’t buy into any conspiracy theories near the 8th. The New Moon on the 18th puts you in contact with some dynamic pioneers.

SAGITTARIUS November 23rd - December 21st

CANCER June 22nd - July 23rd

CAPRICORN December 22nd - January 20th

The beginning of April is perfect for creative ventures. A Lunar Eclipse on the 4th marks a great time to sell a piece of land or break a lease. Easter could get stressful, thanks to tension between you and your partner.

LEO July 24th - August 23rd

Your star power opens doors for you, both personally and professionally, at the beginning of April. Easter could see a nagging health problem. Be ready to apply for a promotion.

VIRGO August 24th - September 23rd

Someone will seek your professional opinion in early April. Easter could get rather tense, thanks to a family argument over money. The New Moon on the 18th brings a windfall. Visit our new community www.beds-local.co.uk

Early April will prove a fulfilling time for you and the Lunar Eclipse on the 4th brings the successful culmination of a group project. If you’re in the market for love, you’ll meet someone who makes your pulse pound.

You’ll find a receptive audience for your ideas at the beginning of April. This is a great time to work on behalf of a charitable organisation.

AQUARIUS January 21st - February 19th

Relationships take on a cosy, comfortable aspect and the New Moon on 18th affords a great opportunity for networking. Your family will be a wonderful source of support during the second half of April.

PISCES February 20th - March 20th

The first days of April are ideal for salary negotiations. If you’ve been looking for work, you’ll get promising responses on or around the 8th. You will feel on top of the world when someone you respect singles you out for praise at the end of April.

Book Review By Bruce Edwards Poldark - Ross Poldark Winston Graham Pub: Pan p/b £7.99 ISBN: 9781447281528

Yes, Poldark has returned from his soldier life. There’s some déjà vu here, with echoes of the popular television run from way back, though a re-make of the old film this new television drama is definitely not, with all the might of modern production techniques. The first episode is behind us as this is written, with Elizabeth, a haughty yet vaguely conscience smitten former love of Poldark providing the necessary touch of glamour to an otherwise dark and somewhat chaotic episode. Poldark does well to keep his feelings in check, how he manages to achieve - virtually single handed - all the cleaning and patching up of a run-down estate is marvellous, let alone fight off overly-possessive relatives of the young dog-owning brat. . . And, of course, once a TV saga like Poldark reappears, then so, inevitably, does the book. A novel of Cornwall from the late 1700’s, it opens up to public gaze the harshness of life, the summary justice and the scheming ways of the people of the parish, young and old (what’s new?). And it reveals red-haired Demelza; the young maid with an unconsciously magical charm beneath her naïve and grubby looks who captures Ross’s heart, and of whom we will know a good deal more anon. We’re all suckers for nostalgia nowadays, it being an antidote for the speed and pressure of modern life, so the chance to descend once more into the screened ‘romance’ of the past can be therapeutic. Reading these well-written stories again will also help, so if you can’t find an old dog-eared copy on the shelves, then go buy yourself a new one.

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Suggestion and queries to: writerselect@gmail. com. We’re always happy to consider specific titles for review, though without obligation. Can’t find a title? E-mail your details and we’ll try to help.” 78

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Alterations

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