Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea.
No 46: April 2014
Eastrea
Village News OR WILL THEY?
PLANS for a supermarket and a large country park between Eastrea and Whittlesey were confirmed months ago. Work was expected to start about now—but suddenly the matter is back in the courts. Sainsbury’s may yet lose their battle. As the Sainsbury’s ‘masterplan’ shows (right) their massive proposal for which Fenland have granted full planning permission includes designs for offices, a bridle-way, an orchard and a petrol station alongside a state of the art superstore. The top righthand corner of the country park in this plan shows it close to the rear of the Nag’s Head so it was largely wellreceived in Eastrea. Harrier are determined to have one last fight over their rival bid for a Tesco store and have asked the High Court for a judicial review of the decision. This may be badly timed, since Tesco have announced a fall in profits and have said that they are cancelling plans for many of their future stores. Sainsbury’s will certainly contest the high court action and if they win then they should be ready to start work without further delay.
Where are the Eastrea Centre flags?
MASTERPLAN KEY
The four brightly-coloured banners that helped people to locate the new Eastrea Centre (left) have recently disappeared. The hall’s operations manager Pete Hale reports they were taken from the entrance verge around 23 March 2014. ‘We went to check them, only to find that somebody had taken all the banners away’ he reports. ‘Even though they were supplied to us at a
discount price, they will be expensive to replace,’ Pete adds. ‘When the hall was new they were vitally important to show people where we were, though now that everybody knows the Eastrea Centre they are not so vital as a landmark. But we want them back, so—if anybody can help us to locate them—let us know!’ The incident has been reported to the police, and the Trust would be interested in further information.
EVENTS AT THE EASTREA CENTRE
Weekly classes range from yoga to our art group; any newcomers are always welcome to come along ten minutes before the start time to find out more from the class leader. The Bistro is open for snacks and drinks on Wednesdays from 6.30-8.30 pm and we hope that these opening hours can be extended. If you’d like to volunteer, just let us know.
BOOK THE HALL E -m ai l : mail@eastrea.net
P h o n e: 0845-607 8880
Come to the 2014 AGM It was agreed by residents at the public meeting held on 4 October 2013 that — now our village hall is fully operational — conventional annual general meetings can once again resume. Although it is such an antiquated document, the official ‘articles’ of Eastrea Village Hall Trust say that the AGM should ideally be held in April so the date this year has been set for next Tuesday 29 April at 7.00 pm in the village hall. Committee members and officers will be available for re-election and they are encouraging others in the village to join them. People who wish to come forward need to send in a CV before the meeting. This should briefly list their career, spare-time activities, and say what the new volunteer would like to do for the village hall. This should be delivered to the Eastrea Centre by Sat 26 April or sent by email to: mail@eastrea.net
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Is it a bird? Is it a twister? No, it’s the Eastrea drone ‘Hear that buzzing sound? It’s a swarm of bees.’ said Dave. ‘No it’s not,’ said Ann, ‘It’s one of those microlights.’ Both wrong — the buzzing in the air over Eastrea was from a miniature helicopter, a toy drone. Fitted with high-definition video cameras, these fashionable toys can hover over your home and snap you as you weed the border or, more to the point, as you lie topless for an afternoon sunbathing session. There are no legal controls over their deployment, but as they become more popular we can expect plenty more to buzz across our otherwise peaceful sky. Is this the ultimate intrusion into privacy? That may be so. If you find out who this belongs to, do tell us!
Goodbye to the NEW ERA AT Storers’ Lunch NAG’S HEAD Last year’s much-delayed annual Storers’ Lunch was the last. The new chair of the committee, Russell Wright, says: “They were aware that the pensioners’ luncheon provided a social activity and that it benefitted a sector of the community, but felt that grants and donations would best be allocated to organisations and students.” The lunches were established by Carol Wells and Jan Ford in 1989 and the meals were planned and organised by Jan and her husband until 2012 when the committee voted for a change. Pete Sennett helped in recent years delivering the invitations.
Surrounded (right) by his throng of regulars, Kevin Archer has now taken over our village pub. Kevin is popular with customers and they’ve showered him with advice on what to do next. Retired landlord Bob Walden is now living in Kettering. He is pictured (left) with his partner Liz, who works for the National Autistic Society, and his granddaughter Lucy. Bob says he still misses the banter at the Nag’s Head.
OUR COFFEE MORNINGS FOR MOTHERS AND TODDLERS Happy children and relaxed parents are the key to our monthly Tuesday morning gatherings for young families. Organised by Whittlesey and District Children’s Centre, they next meet at 10 am on 27 May, 24 June, & 22 July. The organiser is the manager of the Children’s Centre, Bryonie Smith, and she extends a warm welcome to young families who would like a few hours break.
Contact by telephone 0845-607 8880
Email: mail@eastrea.net