Issue 106 Summer 2021 by Melbourn Magazine

Melbourn Open Gardens see page 5

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

...editorial What a relief that things are beginning to get back to normal again – it has been such a long strange year. It is great to hear that children are back at school and are pleased and enthusiastic to see their friends and teachers again. While most of us have been isolating at home it is good to see that our local and district councils have been very active during lockdown. We really look forward to visiting the newly extended and refurbished Hub and are so fortunate to have this facility in our village. It is also good to see people recognised for the voluntary work they do for the community. The various Clubs and Sports Clubs have kept going both outdoors and by Zoom meetings on-line. We also have an article about walking for health, so, whatever your age there is no excuse for not getting out into the fresh air, especially now that Spring is here. We are lucky in that we have many pleasant places to walk in and around the village. The coming months also have lots of interesting things planned, including at the Hub, Open Gardens and Open Studios. For other upcoming events see What’s On. Our three churches will be fully open again, and we welcome a new minister at the United Reformed Church. In the previous issue of the magazine No 105, the article ‘Melwood in Lockdown’ on page 22 may have implied that the article was written by Mike Pennington when in fact it was written by Jim Reid. Mike Pennington is responsible for the photograph that appears at the top of page 22. Our apologies for any misunderstanding that this may have caused. We do hope that everyone enjoys the Summer and has a great time meeting friends and family again. Front Cover photograph by David Hone The magazine is available to read online at www.issuu.com/melbourn. It is also available to download to a computer, mobile or tablet at www.melbourncambridge.org.

Contents Village news Nature

5 23

River Mel Restoration Group

Travelogue

Travelling The Chinese Stretch Of The Silk Road

Education Bin collection Nature

29 34 36

Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve

Review

The Thursday Murder Club Best of Blue, Continuum Authors and their Books

Walks in & around Melbourn Churches Together What’s On Sports & Clubs

46 49 54 55

Melbourn Magazine is Independent of the Parish Council NO public money is used.

We would like to thank TTP for their continued sponsorship of the magazine. Melbourn Magazine is printed quarterly and delivered free to every household and business in the village. All work on the Melbourn Magazine, including layout and design is produced by volunteers. The cost of printing comes entirely from advertising and sponsorship.

If you would like to advertise in the Melbourn Magazine see inside back cover for details

melbournmagazine@gmail.com

MELBOURN GARAGE

Cars and Motorbikes

Connect with Care Network! You may be feeling unsure what support or activities are available in your area as we come out of Covid-19 restrictions. Your local Community Navigator can help you take the next steps to access services and your community once more and regain confidence Speak to your friendly South Cambridgeshire Coordinator today on 01954 212100 To learn more or be part of our work please visit care-network.org.uk or call 01954 211 919

Visit our showroom at Sage Blinds & Interiors Phillimore Garden Centre, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, SG8 6EY Tel: 01763 263399 Mobile: 07875 488955 email: sageblinds@icloud.com www.sageblinds.co.uk Specialists in made to measureBlinds ~ Curtains ~ Shutters Awnings ~ Interiors

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Village news Village News Melbourn Open Gardens

Melbourn from above!

Melbourn Fun Day

Fundraising Success!

Fred Standen, a ‘true’ character of village cricket.

Rupert Neve

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme and the Pandemic

Melbourn and District U3A

Royston & District Local History Society

Rapid Covid testing

Your new look Melbourn Hub!

Moorlands Court

Melbourn Springs

Melbourn Women’s Institute

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group

Walking for Health

Melbourn Parish Council

County and District Council

Melbourn Open Gardens Gardens have been a blessing over the difficult time of the pandemic. Those of us lucky enough to have our own outside space have made the most of it and people who have not previously gardened have discovered its joys. So, as we hopefully see a lifting of the COVID restrictions, come and discover the gardens of Melbourn on Sunday 4 July 2021 between 11am and 4pm. In its current form MOG has been running since 2016. Adults pay £5 each (children under 16 go free) for a ‘Passport’ showing the location of all the participating gardens. Gardens large and small are open throughout Melbourn. We hope to have at least 8 gardens open and 3 of these have not opened before. Owners open their gardens because they want to share their joy with others. Some are mature and the result of years of dedication. But visitors tell us that they also enjoy seeing gardens at an early stage in their development. They may be easier for the visitors to relate to and see ideas to steal. However, the main reason is to see how these young gardens develop over the years and how ideas come to fruition. Plan your route around the village and make sure you factor in a stop at MOG HQ at 31 Station Road. We serve tea and home made cakes in our

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Barn. There is a Plant Stall so you can plug those gaps in your borders and take home new plants that you have seen and coveted. We will be welcoming back a local wood-turner with items for sale. You can also take the opportunity to visit parts of the village you might have previously missed: the Community Garden in the High Street and the orchard by the New Recreation Ground. St George’s Allotments welcome visitors with produce for sale and cakes. Discover the Community Allotment and you may find yourself tempted to become involved. Another really important outcome of the day is raising money for a local good cause. This year we will

be donating the money to our local Branch of HomeStart. This is a voluntary charitable organisation that offers practical and emotional support to families with at least one child aged 9 or under. It helps families from all backgrounds through their most challenging times. The Fete Committee recognises that the pandemic has had a profound impact on some families and we want to make a contribution to helping them find their feet again. In 2021, the Passports will be available from MOG HQ at 31 Station Road and cashless payment will be an option. Julie Norman, Melbourn Fete Committee

This remarkable photo of Melbourn was taken by Caroline Baker using a drone at approximately 220 feet above the village college football field in the early evening of the 12th May 2021.

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Melbourn Fun Day Saturday 26 June 2021 We are all looking forward to a reduction of the restrictions in our lives, and as the warmer days are with us our focus is towards outdoor activities. Plans for Melbourn Fete 2020 were postponed for obvious reasons and sadly the fete committee feel that there are still too many risks financially to organise a fete this year. However, we have decided to organise a Fun Day, taking some of the favourite elements of the fete and incorporating them into a scaled down event. Please make a note in your diary that our Fun Day will be on Saturday 26 June at the village play fields near the pavilion, and will start at 12 and run for the afternoon. We have kept with our normal fete date of late June and this ties in with the intended relaxation of the remaining Covid restrictions. This obviously means that we are dependent on the restrictions being lifted on time but we think that there are signs that this is looking likely. The final decision to hold the Fun Day will be made during the week leading up to the Fun Day and will be confirmed through social media and on our website: www.melbournfete.com.

We are going to help you and your family and friends celebrate the first Saturday after the new freedoms are introduced. We are hoping to have some free fairground rides for younger children. There will be some favourites like egg throwing and tug of war. Melbourn Dynamos will be there organising a “beat the goalie” contest. A local singer, Tom Froggatt, will be entertaining us and Home Start are running a tea room in the pavilion serving hot drinks and light refreshments.

Melbourn Open Gardens Sunday 4 July 11am to 4pm New gardens for 2021, as well as old favourites, and the ever-popular St George’s Allotments will be welcoming visitors. Tickets are £5 per person for anyone over 16, and will be available on the day from 31 Station Road. Refreshments and home-made cakes will be served and there will be plants for sale. Cashless payment available. Proceeds to Home-Start Royston and South Cambs. Event subject to any ongoing covid restrictions

The idea is for you to join us with your picnic basket full of yummy things to enjoy, games to play and of course your family and friends. This will hopefully be a chance for us all to share and enjoy an afternoon with some free entertainment and mark the start of what we hope will be a life beyond this pandemic and a return to a more normal way of life.

As I have said there will be more information online and a confirmation during the week before that the event is going ahead. We are grateful to our sponsors and the Parish Council for their support. Looking ahead, the Melbourn Open Gardens will be run on the following Sunday 4 July, and there is a separate article in this magazine giving more details. Looking further ahead ‘Turn on to Christmas’ will hopefully return towards the end of the year, assuming no further changes to public health measures. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 26 June. melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Fundraising Success! Thank you once again for all your generous donations towards East Kent Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). Following the success of raising over £1600 last autumn, I’m delighted to say that the latest walking market held on Sunday 25th April raised just Simon Flack over £400! Of that superb total my wonderful 90-year-old friend Ray Pritchard didn’t let his age get in the way as he held his own stall to raise funds selling books and cakes contributing an impressive £126. I also believe his neighbour kindly donated her funds from the walking market too. I am so grateful to you both, thank you! I must also thank all my wonderful Little Lane neighbours who kindly donated lots of super prizes for my raffle, the fundraising would not have been such a success without your fantastic generosity and to everyone who came to buy cakes and raffle tickets! So why have we been raising funds for East Kent MNDA? My sister Helen and her husband Simon Flack live near Sandwich in Kent. At the end of July 2019, they celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary with a super barn dance near Saffron Walden for all their friends and family. It was such a wonderful party yet we had no idea that their lives were soon to be upended. During August Simon accepted that his speech and general health were deteriorating and agreed to seek medical advice. He was eventually tested in January 2020 and diagnosed with Progressive Bulbar Palsy MND. The MND Association has provided Simon and Helen with such exceptional support and guidance that I decided to hold another fund-raiser as their incredible support for my sister and brother-in-law continues. My sister and Simon have been together since I was 6 and he is so special to me it’s just devastating to see him deteriorate. I’m dedicated to fund-raise to show thanks and to ensure that their great work can continue, especially as fundraising events have been severely hampered due to the pandemic. If you missed the stall but feel you would like to contribute, please donate to quoting Sally’s appeal for Simon Flack www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/mnda-east-kent-special-appeal. Many thanks, Sally Arnott

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme Can we help you? Can we help a relative? Can we help a neighbour? Who does the Scheme help? The scheme is open to the mobility impaired in Melbourn, Meldreth and Shepreth including those who live alone or with their families, but need the extra support offered by our services. Couples too are most welcome. It is also open to those in sheltered housing, as the scheme offers different, but complementary services. Note: The scheme also offers its services for short periods to cover the temporary absence of relatives who otherwise provide this support.

We offer help with: • Friendship and support via twice weekly visits and daily phone calls • Ordering and collection of prescriptions • Basic shopping • Collection of pensions • Setting up Lifeline service • Bereavement support • Going to the Post Office to pay your bills • Just coming round for a chat

What will it cost? We do have to make a small weekly charge for the warden’s services. The fee is only £7.50 per week (a little more for couples).

Jeannie Seers (Mobile Warden) 07808 735066 email: jeanseers13@gmail.com

Jane Cage (Deputy) 07592 821976 email: janec55@virginmedia.com

Melbourn Warden Scheme is a registered charity

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Fred Standen, a ‘true’ character of village cricket. Frederick Harry George Standen died in January at the age of 90. Born on June 15, 1930 Fred was known and admired by many in local sporting circles, but his main notoriety came from village cricket, where he was hailed as one of the best (and oldest) wicket keepers around. Fred had a good sense of humour and joked that he only took up wicket keeping because that was the only way he could get into a cricket team, and in adverse weather conditions he was sometimes seen behind the stumps wearing a full-length raincoat. He also said that the fact that he only ever made one 50 (for Melbourn v Willian) proved that he was no batsman, but that undermines him as a true team player and one who would more than play his part while others pushed along the score. Fred played his first game of adult cricket for his home village of Bassingbourn at the age of 16, winning his first honours in the game in 1949 when Bassingbourn won the Webber Cup Final. His love of the game however meant he wanted to play as much cricket as possible. Bassingbourn did not play Sunday cricket so he joined Melbourn, playing his first game in 1951, away to Fordham. Fred went on to play for Melbourn for over 50 years, playing in 8 Minor League Cup finals, winning 4. He was also Sunday Fixtures Secretary, holding that position from soon after he joined the club, right up to the day it sadly folded in 2005. He had the distinction of being able to say that he played in the same team as A H Bakewell, the only Melbourn Cricket Club member to also have played for England!

In 1998, to acknowledge and honour Fred’s long and continued service Bishop Stortford based Hockerill CC were invited to play for the Bowen Challenge Cup. To befit the occasion the match was played at Fenners, the historic home of Cambridge University Cricket Club – Fred was presented with a limited edition signed portrait of ex England wicket keeper Jack Russell. In 2001, 50 years after first playing for Melbourn, Fred played in a particularly memorable match away to Bugbrooke, a village in Northamptonshire. The match was played on the day of the Bugbrooke wicket keeper’s 90th birthday, Fred at the time was a mere youngster at only 71! Fred’s meticulous record keeping shows that he was also an excellent footballer. As an inside left forward (number 10) he played for Bassingbourn village, RAF Bassingbourn (where he did his National Service), Meldreth and Sandon. In an incredible career that started in 1946–47 and was cut short in the196364 season, he scored a whopping 455 goals in just 442 games (what would his transfer fee have been these days!). He did not just play sport though and was a member of the exclusive 92 club, having watched a match at all grounds in the football league. He saw over 400 matches at Wembley, the first being the 1949 FA Cup final, and was one of a rare breed, holding a season ticket at both Arsenal and Spurs. Outside of sport Fred was active in his local community. For almost 20 years he was a volunteer driver with Royston Community Transport and the Heron Self Help Scheme, taking people to hospital and for shopping trips. He was also a lifelong supporter of SCOPE and Cancer Research charities. To sum up Fred’s life; – What an innings, what a sportsman, an unsung hero, a Melbourn Cricket Club legend, but above all a true gentleman. Richard Cooper

Rupert Neve Rupert Neve 1926 – 2021 To many people the name Rupert Neve will not mean anything. But for many years last century (how odd that sounds!) it was a well known name here in Melbourn. The company known as Neve Electronics was situated at the southern end of the village, in the triangle formed by the High Street and Back Lane. There is now a small housing development on the site called, appropriately, Rupert Neve Close. I am prompted to write this having just read in the Telegraph Obituaries that Rupert Neve died this week aged 94. He was known as a genius who invented melbournmagazine@gmail.com

The Letting Centre

What is motor neurone disease (MND)? Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive, life-shortening condition that affects the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord. As motor neurones become damaged, the muscles they control weaken and begin to waste away. This can affect how a person walks, talks, eats, drinks and breathes. However, not all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone and it is unlikely they will all develop at the same time, or in any specific order. Although there is currently no cure for MND, symptoms can be managed to help improve quality of life.

MND can cause:

weakness and increasing • loss of movement in limbs twitching rippling • sensationsandunder the skin muscle tightness, • cramping and pain problems with breathing • and fatigue difficulties speech, • swallowingwith and saliva problems with thinking, • understanding, learning and emotions.

For support and further information:

MND Connect 0808 802 6262 www.mndassociation.org

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Call Angie Rixon, business owner, to discuss your property rental needs. The Letting Centre (Cambridge) Ltd, 107 High Street, Melbourn, Nr Royston, Cambridgeshire. SG8 6HH. enquiries@letting-centre.co.uk www.letting-centre.co.uk Registered in England No. 4472384 VAT No. 700035112

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme and the Pandemic

Rupert Neve at one of his mixing consoles

the modern mixing console – the massive board with hundreds of knobs and faders that dominates recording studio control rooms. His equipment gave depth and power to albums by such leading rock bands as The Who, Fleetwood Mac and Earth Wind and Fire. Rupert was born in Devon in 1927 but his parents were missionaries so he spent much of his childhood in Buenos Aires, and as a small boy, armed with the Radio Amateur’s Handbook, he began building radios as a hobby. He served in the Signals during the war, and soon after he was back in Civvy Street he married and began work for Rediffusion. However, when he invented ‘bookcase speakers’ which were just as powerful as the huge speakers in use but a quarter the size, the company was not interested. Rupert and his wife moved to the Old Rectory in Little Shelford and started their own business, eventually opening the factory in Melbourn and another in Scotland. In Cambridge he founded the Cambridge Radio Course for training Christian broadcasters and he led Bible Classes at his local Baptist Church. There must still be people in Melbourn who worked for the company or who know someone who did. The Beatles’ manager George Martin visited the studio and stayed late into the evening playing with the console, before buying one. In those days we had big processions through the village at the start of the annual Fete, and all the big flatbed lorries would meet on Rupert Neve car park before the procession set off to weave its way through the village to the recreation ground. There was no question of Health and Safety regulations as small children milled around on the lorries in fancy dress. They were huge occasions, great fun. So when I read the obituary I thought of the part he had played in the making of modern Melbourn and now, if anyone asks ‘Why Rupert Neve Close?’ you can reply that he played a very important part in the sound recording systems as we know them today. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and is a Legend in the music world. Mavis Howard

Throughout the pandemic difficulties of the last year or more, we at Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme (a local registered charity) adapted our services to continue supporting our elderly and/or mobility impaired clients. The usual services offered by the scheme are twice weekly visits to clients in their homes for a chat, and also a daily phone call (Monday to Friday), which provides regular social contact for those who struggle to get out unassisted and who otherwise may become isolated. We build lasting friendships with our clients, and on our visits we can also bring local shopping, help with obtaining prescriptions and carry out a variety of errands that may be needed around the village. We are there to support those who have mobility problems, including people living with dementia, the bereaved and those who just like to have someone to talk with. We organise regular outings to bring clients together and can introduce our clients to other social activities and support services. During the pandemic, the social contact side of our service was significantly impacted. We could no longer enter the homes of our clients to sit and chat as before, due to the restrictions on the mixing of households. As disappointing as this was for all concerned, it was of course necessary. To compensate, daily phone calls were increased and we made use of ‘Facetime’ where this was available. We were also supported by the Melbourn Coronavirus Community Response Team, who collected and delivered prescriptions in bulk, protecting the community and the Pharmacy from the infection risks associated with multiple visitors to the Pharmacy. To keep our clients connected with each other, we increased our regular newsletter content to include even more client contributions, stories, quizzes, health tips and updates and a monthly feature on each of the wardens with photographs on what they had been doing each month during lockdown! We had a virtual cream tea, delivering scones, cream, jam and a tea bag to every client, so that we could all enjoy this simultaneously at an appointed time and melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Melbourn and District U3A

think of each other whilst raising our cups! We have provided raffles with prizes, seasonal treats including sunflower seeds to grow, a Christmas hamper and Easter goodies to cheer everyone up and help tackle potential loneliness. With restrictions lifting, we began offering outside visits in April of this year, and happily have been able to resume our indoor visits again during mid-May, so we can all enjoy those lovely face-to-face chats once more. The pandemic has made the Nation reflect on the importance of human contact for our wellbeing, especially seeing people face-to-face. Our scheme welcomes new clients who may wish to establish this kind of social and practical support for the future. We have six mobile wardens who are DBS checked, trained and above all love to help and build friendships with others. We currently offer our support to residents of Melbourn, Meldreth and Shepreth. We have all received both Covid vaccinations, take regular lateral flow tests and are provided with PPE for everyone’s safety. There is a small charge which includes all our services of just £7.50 per week. If you, a family member, friend or neighbour might benefit from the support of the Melbourn Mobile

Melbourn and District U3A was formed in 1994 and today has around 460 members from South Cambridgeshire and North Hertfordshire. We have more than 30 subject or activity groups including art, music, languages, history, philosophy and current affairs, together with excursions and leisure activities such as yoga and walking, to name just a few. Groups are informal, mutual and self-help in nature. In some groups the leader brings professional experience, and in others group members might share the role to build skills and understanding. There are no exams but members may choose to go on with further studies and qualifications. A leader of one group is often a member of other groups. We are all learning. Newcomers are welcomed regardless of experience or knowledge. Meetings are held in the morning or afternoon, in people’s houses or in local halls and using online facilities. You may decide to join one or more of the groups or just attend the monthly meeting. Come as a guest in the first instance to find out more. Everyone who is no longer in full time employment is welcome to join. During the Covid pandemic arrangements have been made for members to meet online using Zoom, emails, Facebook and by telephone. Podcasts and YouTube broadcasts are increasingly being used for our activities. We are now planning to meet again face to face pending the relaxation of Covid regulations. Melbourn & District U3A is affiliated to the Third Age Trust, a registered charity which provides benefits to each U3A by being a conduit for the exchange of ideas and resources and in many other ways. Our subscription includes an amount due to the Trust. For further information, including the list of groups, see www.melbu3a.org or contact our Secretary, Email: secretary@melbu3a.org – Phone 01223 871480.

The Hall For All

Warden Scheme, please contact MMWS via: Email: secretary@mmws.org.uk or phone: Jeannie 07808 735066 or Jane 07952 821976.

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All Saints Community Hall All Saints Community Hall is about to re-open. We have taken due notice of all the Compliances as advised by ACRE and the Government and from the 17th May the Hall will be used for Yoga, Pilates, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides (who have their own strict guidelines for restarting) AND by the Parish Council, who are unable to meet at The Hub whilst the building work is ongoing. Throughout Lockdown the Trustees have had a roster for a daily inspection of the Hall checking for leaks, broken windows or other nasty happenings. This

covered us for insurance purposes. Gay Rodham, our invaluable cleaning contractor, has also been in regularly and ensured that the place has been kept clean, she has also installed sanitising dispensers for us. Because it would be almost impossible for us, at the moment, to keep the contents of the kitchen Covid-free it will not be available for use by hirers – although there is no reason why they cannot bring a kettle and their own cups and use them in the main Hall. The Meeting Room is off limits except as an isolation room should anyone be taken ill. Most of the chairs are taped off and there will be a one way system in operation – in though the main door, out through the south selflocking doors. All this may well change after 12th June when we shall see what the Government are proposing for Stage Four of the Return to Normal. Brenda, Jacey and I very much hope that we shall see a return to Saturday morning Coffee Stop although I think we shall have to implement a waitress service for delivering the coffee (tips may be given at your discretion!). Our other good news is that we have two new Trustees to take the place of Irene Bloomfield and Rosemary Gatward. They are Pat Ames of Lordship Drive and Gavin Stanley from Station Road. We welcome them to the team and all look forward to the time when we are fully operational again and able to enjoy our lovely Cinema Nights. Mavis Howard

Royston & District Local History Society www.roystonlocalhistory.org.uk Our website shows all the books we have for sale. Many of these result from the considerable work undertaken by our Publications sub-committee. The books may be ordered by post from David Allard (01763 242677). Some are also available at the Cave Bookshop in Melbourn Street. Our evening meetings are held on a Thursday evening at 8pm and will resume in the autumn in the Heritage Hall (the main hall downstairs) at Royston Town Hall. Please see our website for details. Annual membership £10 (Sept-Aug) (Under 18s half price) Visitors £2 Unfortunately an annual coach outing will not be possible this year.

Rapid Covid testing Residents in Melbourn are being urged to get twice-weekly rapid Covid tests. The move is an important step forward to meet the aims of the national roadmap, allowing everyone to move safely out of lockdown. Twice-weekly rapid testing is a vital tool in identifying cases of Covid-19 that would otherwise be missed.With 1 in 3 people with coronavirus showing no symptoms and potentially spreading it without knowing, rapid testing helps to identify positive cases quickly, preventing the spread of infection. There are several ways you can access rapid testing. You can take a test at one of the rapid testing sites locally.Your employer may be offering testing in the workplace. You can also collect tests to complete at home or order tests to be delivered to your home. Secondary school pupils are also being asked to take a twice-weekly test. You can find out more about all of these options at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/rapidtesting. Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “Getting into the habit of twice-weekly testing as part of our everyday lives will help us all to keep each other safe.Alongside the ongoing vaccine rollout, it will help us to move forward with the roadmap out of lockdown.” COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests You can use this service to order free packs of rapid lateral flow tests to be sent to your home. A pack of tests contains 7 tests. You can order one pack per household each day. Who this service is for You can only use this service if: • you do not have coronavirus symptoms • you are 11 or older • you have not been told to self-isolate • you cannot get tests from your work, school, college or university (ask them for rapid lateral flow tests)

Do not use a rapid lateral flow test if you have coronavirus symptoms Go to: www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapidlateral-flow-tests

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Your new look Melbourn Hub! Many of you will have seen lots of activity going on at Melbourn Hub during the spring of this year, as builders got to work on a much anticipated extension to the Hub building. This has been a very positive phase in the life of the Hub, during more than a year of enormous disruption and change. We are thrilled to be able to re-open with even more space and a brand new look for you! These exciting improvements are all being paid for with funds obtained to specifically support the Hub and at no cost at all to the Melbourn community. The Hub showed its value to the community leading up to the pandemic, with an ever growing list of services and activities being enjoyed by so many, which either supported, educated or entertained. A popular café, meeting spaces, a library, art exhibitions, outreach

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health and counselling services and a variety of seasonal events and activities for all ages and abilities were regular features at Melbourn Hub – before the Nation went into lockdown in March 2020. At the height of the pandemic, the Hub came into its own, with Coronavirus support services operating from the building, mobilising fantastic local volunteers to provide essential supplies of food and medicines to shielding and isolating villagers. The Hub hosted a food bank and provided weekly meal packages, prepared by Cambridge chef Liz Young, to local families. The Hub also opened its doors to support the GP surgery flu vaccination sessions for the community. During 2020, The Hub was able to re-open for short periods in line with government guidelines, but was only able to offer its café service at this time, because of the social distancing restrictions in place and the need to re-organise the venue to comply with strict Covid safe rules. This meant we could not offer alongside, other Hub services such as the library, meeting space hire, exhibitions and events etc. Customers were so pleased to return for the café and impressed by the Covid safe measures in place. The introduction of table service and other changes proved very popular with

customers and we have designed our services to take customers feedback into account. We have to thank our wonderful staff and volunteers, who have been patient and stoic in rising to the incredible challenges faced by having to organise and operate in a completely new way to meet the requirements of the Covid-19 crisis. The Hub is so looking forward to restoring more of its services as soon as we are permitted and it is safe to do so. The services may have to run a little differently to the way we did pre-pandemic as we adapt to the ‘new normal’ but how great it is to welcome our customers again, existing and new. So why the new look? Opportunities to support growing services and to meet the changing needs of

the community required additional and more flexible space, so plans were submitted and approved to extend the Hub. Funding for the build was raised from various sources by the Hub Management Group. For example, ‘S106’ money was designated by TTP specifically for the Hub. It is not available or intended for anything else and does not displace any other funding that might otherwise be coming from TTP in support of the community as a result of their site development. The Hub also successfully applied for a Cambridgeshire County Council capital grant fund, set up specifically to finance the development and enhancement of distributed and decentralised community support – precisely what the Hub is about! Therefore we are delighted that the local community will benefit from The Hub’s improved facilities, while we remain completely independent of all Melbourn parish council or other precept monies for the project. The lockdown gave us an opportunity to get the work done without the potential disruption of doing so whilst trading. The ground floor now has two new meeting rooms with even more adaptable features, a small room upstairs has been extended into a large airy meeting space, so The Hub now boasts a total of four excellent meeting rooms, better organised space and much needed added storage. Further disabled facilities have been introduced into the building on the first floor. The whole of the building has been redecorated in a welcoming palette. Availability of this new space will be even more important to the community, as the pandemic has changed the way many people will be working now and in the future. Come and see our new look Hub and enjoy a barista coffee and something from our new menu such as eggs benedict, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, or a mozzarella and chorizo panini. Don’t worry, we still have our firm favourites like our hearty Hub breakfast and delicious omelettes! We continue to offer table service and a choice of seating either inside the Atrium, or, if preferred, you can sit out on the terrace or inside our spacious marquee. Our Covid safety standards, praised by customers during the last year, continue to be maintained for your reassurance and comfort! We look forward to offering our library services once again in due course (see our website for our opening hours for book browsing and borrowing) and hope that we can once again share in the many other activities and seasonal events that brought us all together before! Welcome back to your new look Melbourn Hub. Our motto “For the community, by the community” has never been truer. Melbourn Hub Management Group melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Moorlands Court With the lighter evenings and mornings here at last we have finally emerged from what seems like a long hibernation. The sunshine and warmer days give us a glimmer of hope that this summer will be better, and our Tenants will have more freedom than we were allowed over the past year. Even though, like the rest of the country, we were in lockdown, things have still been busy at Moorlands and we have continued to keep all of our Tenants safe and well. This is due to the incredible hard work and commitment from our staff. It has been incredibly hard over the past few months, but the staff have all continued to offer our Tenants and Community Clients a first-class service and do their very best to provide the care and support they need and we expect. In March, one of our older Tenants, Mary, celebrated her 100th birthday and we managed to hold a socially distanced birthday party for her and a couple of her family members. This wasn’t the huge celebration it should have been but, with restrictions still in place at the time, we did our very best to mark the occasion in a way that was safe but also fitting for such a milestone birthday. We used the power of Social Media to see if we could gather up lots of cards. The response was tremendous; local schools, playgroups and individuals took time to make and buy cards. We were overwhelmed by the response and to see over 200 birthday cards displayed in the communal area was very impressive and just shows how great the power of Social Media can be. The highlight of the birthday celebration was a visit from Mary’s

Granddaughter, her first in over a year due to the restrictions. Watching the reunion was very emotional and to see Mary recognise her after so long apart was heart-warming. There were a few tears shed and that wasn’t just from the family. Our talented kitchen staff made two delicious birthday cakes which sat either side of Mary’s Birthday Card from the Queen which took pride of place in the centre of the table. The staff joined Mary’s family, and everyone sang Happy Birthday. It was such a lovely morning and a little bit of normal in very strange times. At Moorlands Court, we produce a quarterly newsletter to keep tenants up to date with what’s going on but because of the imposed lockdown and the closure of all our communal areas there hasn’t been much news to share unfortunately. To give our tenants something interesting to read we have been chatting to some of them to find out about their lives and sharing their stories in the Newsletter. This has been so rewarding for us as the stories we have uncovered are not only interesting but our tenants have all enjoyed reading about their neighbours’ past lives too. Our most recent interview was with a tenant who moved into Moorlands the day before the country went into the first lockdown in March 2020. He didn’t have a chance to meet any of his neighbours, but since his article was published in the Newsletter Doug has made some new friends and is now able to stop and chat to his new neighbours and will pop his head into the office to have a little chat most days. This is Doug’s story Doug was born and bred in the village and his family ties have been in Melbourn as far back as 1870, when his grandfather was born. He showed me some amazing photos of the village from years gone by and had images of the little cottage he was born in, which was opposite the old “Red Cow” pub in the High Street. He recalls happy times as a child in the village with his 2 brothers and sister. Their Grandfather used to cut the grass on the village green with a scythe and the siblings would follow after him collecting the grass cuttings to take home and feed to the family’s pigs. In those days it was normal to leave school at 14 and Doug was no exception. Just after the start of the war in 1939, Doug left school

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The Co-op from the turn of the century

and went to work at the local CO-OP as a delivery boy. He was a familiar sight cycling around the village on his trike delivering groceries and bread to the locals. Like most young men of the time, Doug wanted to enlist in the Army, but he failed the medical due to an issue with his hearing. The advice from his Doctor was to find employment in the open air and so he went to work at Palmers, a fruit growing company in Melbourn. Doug told me about some of the amazing harvests he saw during his time with the company and gesticulated about the size of the huge apple crop one Autumn. After a few years at Palmers, Doug moved on to work for one of the biggest landowners in the area – Thriplow Farms. He worked in the grain store and was also responsible for looking after the various animals, and the general running of the estate. He was an invaluable member of staff and enjoyed the outdoor life. Doug recalls some of his memories from that time and told me how exciting it was when electricity was first installed in the village. He said he was a quick learner and could turn his hand to most things, and even helped install electricity to some of the homes in the village. At the same time, the farm also began to install electricity to the barns and pig pens, which Doug also had a hand in installing. He met his wife Rosamund in 1946, while working at Thriplow Farms. She was a local girl from Thriplow village, and they were soon married. By 1949 their first son Stephen was born, shortly followed in 1953 by another son, Barry. Family life and bringing up their family kept the couple busy, but Doug continued to be a valuable member of the local community and was the Secretary on the Parish Council at Thriplow. Their sons both went to the Village College and Doug also enlisted on numerous evening classes there too, where his interest in electronics was expanded. In 1965 Doug was offered a job at the College of Estate Management in Surrey, where he took on the role of Groundsman at the University of Reading. He recalls happy times in Surrey, but by 1976 the family

moved back to Cambridgeshire when Doug took up the position of Groundsman at the Police Headquarters in Huntingdon. He told me about the workshop he had in the garden at the family home in Harston, where he would spend time repairing various electrical items and enjoyed tinkering on various jobs in there. He would often travel to Hitchin market to source the spares needed for his repair jobs. Doug remained at the Police Headquarters until his retirement in 1989 and continued to live in Harston with Rosamund until she sadly passed away 5 years ago. In 2020, he made the decision he needed some additional help and moved to Moorlands Court. He told me he is happy here and especially enjoys the view from his flat overlooking the Village College. Throughout the pandemic, Moorlands Court are still offering all of the services to the local community that we have done for many years. Our ‘Meals on Wheels’ continues to be very popular and offers people in the local community who need some extra help the chance to have a home-cooked, balanced meal without the worry of preparing it themselves, or the additional work of a family member preparing and delivering one. We are also able to offer a housekeeping service, which is not only first rate but very reasonably priced too. This is another service that has remained popular. From time to time, flats do become available here at Moorlands Court, so if you or a family member are looking for a well-equipped, professional, and caring extra care accommodation then please give us a call to discuss your needs. Moorlands Court has the added benefit of being able to offer local businesses or individuals the facilities to hold meetings/interviews in our well-equipped conference rooms. These rooms are available at a very affordable rate which includes tea, coffee, biscuits and water in the price. The spaces available can accommodate up to 12 people in a boardroom setting or something less formal if necessary and has WiFi, TV, DVD, flip-chart or plain coloured walls for projections. Our kitchen staff can also supply a variety of buffet lunches for your meeting at very reasonable rates. These spaces will only be available once current restrictions are lifted. If you would like any further information about the services we offer please contact us on 01763 260564 and have a chat with one of our Care and Support Managers, or alternatively visit our website: www.chsgroup.org.uk/housing-and-care-services-forolder-people/moorlands-court/ for more information. Denise Taylor, Extra Care Services Manager Moorlands Court melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Melbourn Springs Cupcakes for Melbourn Community Support Group Chefs at Melbourn Springs have been busy spreading the love to their community friends by supplying cupcakes to ‘Community Support for Dementia’, an initiative formed in 2019 by Stephanie Trayhurn and Davina Biswell to offer Awareness, Support and Training to families and their loved ones ‘living with dementia’ in Melbourn and the surrounding villages. Pre-lockdown, Community Support for Dementia were running a monthly Memory Café at the Melbourn Hub, which was replaced by weekly deliveries of activity packs and cakes during the pandemic and continues to this day. Melbourn Springs, in Hyacinth Drive, also includes a Memory Lane Community and a specialist highly trained Dementia Care team who are in discussions with ‘Community Support for Dementia’ to explore the opportunities of working together to provide an additional Memory Café in the village each month. Melbourn Springs is run by Barchester Healthcare and runs advanced training programmes in Dementia care for staff. The home has environments and activities tailor-made to support memory retention and a Dementia lifestyle including the state of the art Magic Table and Cinema. General Manager, Karen Allen adds, “Stephanie, Davina and the support group do a tremendous job and it is a real pleasure to be able to support them and their fantastic community group. Living with dementia can be quite lonely and frightening, and the more support we can provide to each other, the better – our door is always open here at Melbourn Springs if we can support or advise in any way.”

Melbourn Women’s Institute – The After Eights Like other groups we are still trying to keep afloat with Zoom talks, but it is a struggle. And sadly not all our members have access to, or are comfortable with, Zoom so

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they are missing out. However, we hope to be able to meet in the open somewhere in June if the weather and Covid restrictions allow, and follow on from that accordingly. Our President Gail McPhee has continued to send out a chatty newsletter every month and the Cambridge Federation WI also organise regular Zoom meetings under the title WI Wanderers, featuring lectures, demonstrations of crafts and cooking and so on for a very modest fee. Those of us fortunate enough to have the technology have just enjoyed a demonstration of Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping with fabric, which also incorporated a simple explanation of the (very) complicated Japanese language. Furoshiki (from Furo – bath and Shiki – towel) is an ancient method of using a square of cloth to wrap and transport all manner of things from gifts to shopping. Our members were asked to have certain items to hand and were able to copy the simple instructions and wrap bottles and books. Our speaker, Saori, explained that when she was young only the elderly people used this method but now there is so much focus on being eco-friendly youngsters have taken to employing fabric as it can be used again and again. Our membership spans quite a considerable age range and we are a small but friendly group. If you are interested in joining us do contact our President Gail McPhee on melbournwi@gmail.com and she will be pleased to include you in the next Zoom meeting as a taster or, if we are lucky enough to be meeting in person, she will give you more details. Under normal circumstances, we would meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month in the Community Hall at 8pm but we have been starting our Zoom meetings at 7.30 p.m. Mavis Howard. Tel: 260686

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group We are a group of ladies who meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month, except for December. Our programme is based on learning, fun and friendship; with a guest speaker or a homespun entertainment. Our meetings begin with the Women’s Group prayer and notices; then the main feature for the evening. We finish with refreshments and chat. Everyone contributes a set amount, so we can cover expenses. We have been having our meetings on Zoom; which has been quite successful; but not everyone enjoys this. We all look forward to when we can resume meeting in person, when we will vary our venue between All Saints’ Community Hall

Melbourn and Holy Trinity Church meeting room in Meldreth. In March Angela Leach devised a quiz; this was well received and some knew more than they realised! Our April evening saw some memories shared and encouraged recalling of similar experiences. The May evening should have been our summer supper; but in view of restrictions, it was decided the committee would prepare a ploughman’s takeaway, with cake for pudding. Finishing the evening with Zoom and chat. Future meetings are: » 22nd June Peter Draper will be speaking about the history of Holy Trinity church, » 27th July we have Patsy Glazebrook from the Sick Children’s Trust. » 24th August we usually visit somewhere locally, for an evening meal. The arrangements as to where we meet or if we continue with Zoom will be confirmed in time for each meeting; depending what restrictions are in place. If you feel any of this may interest you; or want to know more about the group, please contact any committee member. Pat Smith (262575) Sue Toule (260955) Angela Leach (262793) Pat Ames (261130) Kimmi Crosby 07976228377 Diane Blundell (221415) Mary Bailey (220171)

Find your nearest health walk

Walking for Health

Keep walking

Why walk?

“Walking is the nearest activity to the perfect exercise” …according to Professors Jerry Morris and Adrienne Hardman in the Walking for Health report, ‘Walking Works’. Walking is beneficial to both physical and mental health, but are you wondering why walking is so good for you? Or wanting to find out how you can join in? Visit: www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/why-walk. for the answers.

Walk with us Getting active can be difficult, but Walking for Health are here to help. Walking for Health are England’s largest network of health walk schemes, helping thousands of people across the country to lead a more active lifestyle. The group walks are led by friendly, specially trained volunteers, who are on hand to provide encouragement and support and make sure no one gets left behind. The walks are short and over easy terrain. They are open to everyone, but are especially aimed at those who are least active.

Getting involved with your local Walking for Health scheme couldn’t be easier. To find the health walk schemes closest to you, visit: www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder and enter your postcode or placename in the search box, or see what’s on offer in your part of the country by clicking on your local region on the map. You’ll then find all the information you need either to join the group for one of their regular walks, or to contact your local scheme coordinator to find out more.

Walking with health conditions If you have problems with your health, or if you’ve had them in the past, it can be hard to stay active. But walking could make all the difference. It’s a low impact exercise, so it’s easy for you to get involved – even if you’re not feeling your best. In fact, walking could help you feel great again! Joining Walking for Health walks with a trained walk leader could help you feel more confident about taking those first steps to a more active lifestyle. And for people with certain health conditions, there’s some helpful information on our website. Visit: www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/get-walking/ walking-health-conditions for details. We love walking. And if you’ve now got started, we hope you do too! There’s plenty you can do to make sure you keep up the good work. On the Walking for Health website you’ll find extra support and advice to help you keep walking – from getting the most out of your walk and staying motivated, to finding ways to walk more and walking in all weathers. If you’ve enjoyed walking with Walking for Health, why not take the next step and become a walk leader? www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/

Melbourn Parish Council New civic year It has been a busy start to the new civic year. We held the Annual Parish Meeting on 5 May with reports from Committees, charities and recipients of community benefit grant funding. A copy of the Annual Report is available from the Parish Office or via the website. It is a shame that the Annual Parish Meeting had to be held online, but safety of residents and councillors must be our priority. The legislation allowing remote meetings expired on 7 May and, despite a High Court challenge melbournmagazine@gmail.com

to extend the legislation, Parish Councils must return to face-to-face meetings. At the time of writing, I am looking at various options for meetings – please see published agendas for details. Community spirit recognised As is traditional, the Annual Parish Meeting on 5 May provided an opportunity to recognise local residents for their contributions to the community. This year’s worthy recipients are: Mr Phipps for his beautiful sign which takes pride of place at the Millennium Mr Phipps Copse. Mr Phipps has also made and installed a hardwood bench around the oak tree he planted in the Copse and has worked with the village wardens to repair the picnic bench by the River Mel, providing a beautiful picnic spot for all to enjoy. Ron and Gill Sutcliffe for their work keeping the grounds of All Saints Ron and Gill Sutcliffe Church neat and tidy. They quietly go about their business making the Church grounds a wonderful focal point in the centre of the village. Laura Nelson and Jemma Glennon for organising the Melbourn & Meldreth Bear Hunt. Over 470 families took part, displaying bears in their windows for children Laura Nelson and Jemma Glennon to find. What a wonderful idea during the first lockdown to give families the opportunity of getting out and connecting with one another in a safe but fun way. And finally, the whole of the MCCR team were Members of the MCCR team

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recognised for their valuable work during 2020 when restrictions prevented people from going about their lives. At a time when many felt isolated and unsure, the MCCR team, including 193 volunteers, collected prescriptions, delivered meals, helped out with shopping and crucially provided a friendly voice on the phone for countless local people who were shielding or self‑isolating. Congratulations and thank you all for your contribution to the village. Parish clock For some time now the Parish clock has been silent. However, I am delighted to report that, thanks to a donation from local businesswoman Janet Grimwood, the clock mechanism will soon be returned to working order. Our grateful thanks to Janet and colleagues at Janeteva Estate Management for their generosity. Information please …. An interpretation board has been installed in New Road Cemetery marking the site of the Anglo-Saxon burial mound. The beautifully illustrated board provides information on important archaeological finds in the area. A further interpretation board is soon to be installed at the Jubilee Orchard with details of the heritage fruit trees that make up the orchard. Another recent addition to the area is the wonderful oak sign made by Mr Phipps. Community Hub extension And finally, building works to the Hub are progressing well and on schedule. It is hoped that the bigger and better Hub will re-open to the public during June. In the meantime, we are looking forward to the friendly buzz returning to the building. Claire Littlewood, Parish Clerk

County and District Council Elections Sally Ann and Susan were both delighted to be elected to the District and County Councils respectively, on May 6th.

Sally Ann writes: For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Sally Ann Hart and I am your newly elected South Cambridgeshire District Councillor. I’ve lived in Melbourn High Street in ‘the BLUE house’ for over 18 years and I’ve been a Melbourn parish councillor since 2016. I was elected in the by-election for the Melbourn ward which includes Meldreth, Whaddon & Shepreth. I really enjoyed speaking with all those who were at home while out and about canvassing ahead of the by-election and hearing what’s important to you in terms of our community and how it needs to develop. I will be working closely with my fellow District Councillor Jose Hales and alongside Susan van de Ven, our Cambridgeshire County Councillor. Susan writes: Thank you so much for your support and confidence in the recent elections. I look forward to continuing to work together in the community! Drop-in surgeries Over the past few months we’ve been holding weekly Zoom Cuppa surgeries. With Covid restrictions easing and the expanded Melbourn Community Hub due to reopen soon, we hope to reinstate our drop-in surgeries at the Hub over the summer – and continue to be available to meet by Zoom or speak over the phone any time. Details still to be worked out at the time of writing, so please feel free to contact any of us by phone or email. Drains – please keep an eye! As you know, extensive drainage clearance was carried out around Melbourn in March and it’s important now to keep an eye on any that continue to be problematic, as Highways will come back and investigate those. So, please do record any significant pooling, if possible using the Highways Reporting website, which is the fastest and best way of getting information to the team: https://highwaysreporting.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ East West Rail: once in a hundred years infrastructure – consultation closes June 9th The East West Rail Company’s consideration earlier on of a Bassingbourn station and routing for the BedfordCambridge central rail connection would have had important considerations for Melbourn. East West Rail now favour the idea of a Cambourne station, on the north side of the town at the A428 corridor. However, the line would then loop down to Toft, the Eversdens, Haslingfield, Harston and Shelford, to come up to a new Cambridge South Station, the conduit to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The proposal includes a series of 10m high embankments through the countryside – though the consultation does not include illustrations and those keen to understand the implications must draw their own conclusions. There would be a cut-through at the hill between Barrington

and Haslingfield. EWR tell us that a northern approach to Cambridge via Cambridge North Station did not score well in their appraisal, but details are not included in the consultation. The consultation closes June 9 and the website is: https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation South West Cambridge New Town: Latest FAQs Latest information on Thakeham’s speculative proposal for a new town in and amongst our villages, including a set of Frequently Asked Questions, is posted on the South West Cambridge Action Group website: www.swcag.org.uk/news-and-events. Our next meeting dates will be posted there too. New Cambridgeshire Director of Public Health Dr Jyoti Atri takes up the post of Public Health Director in mid-June and will pick up on liaising with the District Council’s Communities Duty team, which in turn communicates with local Covid support groups. While the Covid situation is obviously improving, we’re asked to remain careful, and mindful that the coming months still hold some uncertainty. We’d like to thank the outgoing Public Health Director Dr Liz Robin for her fantastic work keeping us all informed and providing a public steer since Covid began. Local Covid-19 information is always available at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/coronavirus/ coronavirus-covid-19-overview Oil Club rebate Our bulk-buying household heating Oil Club, which exists to facilitate lowest available prices, gets an annual rebate from the supplier which is always donated to a local community group. This year’s rebate of £100 has gone to Home-Start South Cambridgeshire, Royston and Buntingford. Home-Start reports that the needs most commonly identified by referred families are parent isolation and parental mental health problems. The overall service is recognised in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire County Councils’ care plans, but central government cuts to local authorities mean that the councils are no longer able to provide financial support. The Oil Club’s bulk buyer is Jeremy Cole of Agricole Oil – www.heating-oil-prices.co.uk/ or 01954 719 452 / 07860 904 045. Or please feel free to contact us if you’d like to know more. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact us – many thanks. District Councillor Sally Ann Hart, sallyannhart@ riskingonpurpose.com, 07791 233303 – District Councillor Jose Hales, Josehales@gmail.com, 07703262649 – County Councillor Susan van de Ven, susanvandeven5@gmail. com, 07905325574 melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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Nature River Mel Restoration Group The last twelve months have certainly been very different for members of the River Mel Restoration Group. Several periods of lockdown have meant that we have not been able to work on the river in our normal fashion. Those working parties we were able to organise last summer were very task orientated and limited to a team of no more than six (including leaders). Sessions were kept short, socially distanced, and with no tea or coffee breaks. Not the way we like to work, but these have been unusual times. Early last year we had secured some local funding through the Wild Trout Trust to enhance habitat for water voles in Melbourn. The first lockdown threw our plans into some disarray as our volunteers were prevented from taking part in the project due to the prevailing Covid regulations. Consequently, more of the work than had been anticipated had to be carried out by a contractor, supervised by the Wild Trout Trust, with the RMRG funding the extra work from our reserves. However, by the time this lockdown eased we were able to work in a socially distanced manner to repair the access point on the recreational field using surplus gravel left over from the water vole project. Downstream in Meldreth, on a stretch of the river behind Holy Trinity Church, a new project is being delivered in partnership with the Wild Trout Trust and the local Wildlife Trust. Selective clearance of overgrown bankside vegetation will be followed by the introduction of gravel riffles to promote breeding habitat for the native brown trout and other fish species local to the river. Funding for this project came from the Cambridge Water Pebble Fund, and the initial enabling work has already been carried out. We hope

that the rest of these works will be completed by the end of the year. The River Mel footpath has been much busier than usual due to the various lockdowns, as more people have discovered the joys of exercising along the riverside. Unfortunately, this has led to more litter. We have carried out litter picking where and when it was safe to do so (along with many other local organisations and individuals). In addition to the usual bottles and cans etc. we are still having to clear away plastic poo bags filled with dog poo. Rather shockingly, 109 bags of dog poo were cleared from a 50 metre stretch of the footpath near Flambard’s bridge in Meldreth. How do we stop this? Bags of dog poo hanging from trees and hedgerows are not an attractive sight. Neither is it acceptable to leave faeces on the path or river’s edge un-bagged. It may eventually rot down naturally, but until then, it is a hazard, particularly to children, and to those walking, playing, or working near and in the river. Please, please take your litter and your dog’s poo bags home with you or dispose of them safely in any public litter or dedicated dog waste bin. We are extremely lucky that we have such a lovely amenity that has kept so many of us sane through the lockdowns and beyond, but we all need to take personal responsibility for looking after it. To contact the RMRG please email: info@rivermel.com melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Travelogue

Travelling The Chinese Stretch Of The Silk Road North/South Meets East/ West At Kashgar The desert is often compared to a sea, an empty space to be quickly traversed to the more welcoming spaces beyond. I felt this on the 7-hour drive north west of the Taklamakan desert. Although the landscape was spectacular, with mountain peaks towering above us, I was glad when we finally reached Kashgar (named from the Persian: Rock Mountain – an indication of its multicultural heritage). This was the last town on the Chinese stretch of the silk routes and the link to India to the South, Persia (now Iran) and Europe to the West and Russia to the North West. Located close to Afghanistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, it has been an important commercial hub

Above: Mosque of Afaq Khoja

for a wide range of cultures for centuries. At different points in history it has been under the control of Kushan (which controlled broad swathes of the Hindu Kush and Northern India in the 2nd century CE), Tibetan, Mongolian, Chinese and Turkic rulers. Even the Russians became involved in the late nineteenth century as part of the ‘great game’ with Britain, competing to expand its empire. It is the point where the Southern, Middle and Northern routes to China converged, the preferred routes changing depending on the desertification of the Eastern stretches. Camels would be hired here for the desert stretch by travellers travelling East on the northern route to China. These were expensive and the hirer would be responsible for any loss or injury. On the southern route over the Karakorum mountains ponies or, during winter or for heavy loads, yaks would be used. One of the earliest references to Kashgar is by the Roman historian Ptolemy (90 – 168 CE) and some commentators consider it to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In about 100 CE it was reported to have 21,000 households. The wise old men of Kashgar

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The old city had been considered a very good example of a traditional Islamic city, one of the best in Central Asia. It was a warren of narrow alleyways with mud brick houses crammed helter-skelter along the lanes with precarious upper floors jutting out over the paths and incorporating parts of the old city wall. Unfortunately, most of it has been demolished, starting in 2009, as it was considered of poor quality and earthquake prone. However, it may also have been part of an increased surveillance and control agenda by the Chinese government. Certainly, I got the impression that people were not happy about being relocated, although the houses were of better quality with electricity, water and improved sewage arrangements. There is a tourist orientated “old city” area but this seemed to me rather artificial. Despite this move to a more modernised society much of the local transport is still horse and cart or bicycle. Important travellers stopped here on their way East or West, including Xuangzang 644 CE on his return journey and Marco Polo in 1273/4. Xuangzang reported that the people had green eyes, were tattooed and flattened their babies’ heads. He also commented on the abundance of produce and high quality woollen items. This commercial importance has continued into the modern era as it is situated on the Karakorum highway, currently being rebuilt by the Chinese as part of their Belt and Road initiative. The aim is to connect China and Pakistan economically, linking to the port the Chinese are building at Gwardar. We travelled it on the last stretch of the trip from Kashgar to Tashkorgan – a very bumpy ride! Its commercial importance has been recognised by the Chinese government with the designation as a Special Economic Zone in 2010. It is the only one in Western China. Its religious history, after early animism and Local transport

shamanism, was influenced from the West (Persia) by Zoroastrianism. In the 7th century CE until the 13th century there was a significant Nestorian Christian presence, but by then it was predominantly Buddhist with hundreds of monasteries. We visited the remains of another ancient pagoda (the Moor Pagoda) and the last set of Buddhist mural caves: The Three Immortal Caves. It then became Islamic in the 10th century CE following the pattern I found along most of the route. The Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China, is located in the heart of the city. The Friday Mosque (built 1873) contains 62 pillars each carved by a different Carved pillars craftsman demonstrating the extent of Uighur wood culture. The holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang is the 17th century tomb of Afaq Khoja to the north east of the city. He was a powerful ruler, controlling Khotan, Yarkand, Koria, Kucha, and Aksu as well as Kashgar. Among some Uyghur Muslims he is considered a Saint. Now there is also one of the largest statues of Mao in China (18m) near the People’s Square. I have been surprised to learn that Mao has become a “God” figure in China with statues of him being worshipped in Tao and Buddhist temples, especially in his home area. Hidden away is the old British Consulate building, closed after the second world war when the Consulate General was revoked. It now houses a Chinese restaurant – British imperial power an ancient memory. Although I am not a fan of tourist targeted markets, and I visited in an uncharacteristic rain shower, the Kashgar one was the real thing – the Sunday version being the largest market in central Asia – a place to wander around: smelling the spices, admiring the fruit and handicrafts and enjoying a cup of the local sweet coffee with a regional sweetmeat. Bruce Huett melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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Southwell Court Care Home

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Southwell Court is a modern and spacious elderly care home situated within the village of Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. The home has been decorated to an exceptionally high standard, with every bedroom featuring an en-suite wetroom to ensure privacy and dignity for our residents. The home benefits from both courtyard and large mature gardens, with ground floor bedrooms giving access straight to the surrounding grounds. Southwell Court has a private section of the dining area so our residents can enjoy a meal with their loved ones in a private and intimate setting.

01763 750006 www.blackswan.co.uk 26

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We’re here fookr e’s. Addenbro Changing attitudes by education

www.RoADARC.org.uk

Jan & Matt wanted to show thanks to their hospital, “Leaving a gift in a will is just something we can do so easily.”

email wills@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

A Remembrance of a Saxon Warrior For how many years have you lain here Your time came – you were laid With your spears at your hand Near to your sentinel post Sentinel on the heights. How many seasons came and went To fade into the past As you stood to your watch and ward. What are the things you saw here – O’er valley and Icknield Way? Midst hoot of owl – The enemy did that! Is that the wind in the grass? Or the sound as they pass? Now I stand at your grave See the spear in your hand Near to your sentinel post – I know as I see you My fate is as yours – To be but as ashes – And return to the dust. by Ray Pritchard

Observation, observation, observation will, if you do nothing else, help improve your standard of driving and reduce the risk of a collision. Good observation skills are the result of concentration when driving/ riding and continuous scanning. Almost half of all collisions are the result of drivers/ riders not looking properly. As we gain experience in driving everything starts to become second nature and routine and your mind starts to wander onto what’s happening at work, what’s for tea etc. Not good when you are responsible for controlling a large lump of metal at speed. Improve your concentration by being curious and use your imagination about every hazard that you can see, whether it is a bend, junction, roundabout or just other vehicles, and consider what might go wrong. Is that car going to pull out in front of me? Is that child going to run out between the parked cars? Is that wobbly cyclist likely to fall off in front of me? You also need to be constantly scanning the far, middle and near distance as well as to the sides and behind your vehicle. Scanning helps to overcome a design fault with our eyes. The eye has a very limited area in the centre of our vision where everything is in focus with the remainder (peripheral vision) being slightly out of focus. A simple exercise to demonstrate the point is for you to keep reading this article, and at the same time, try to pick out some detail of your surrounding area without taking your eyes off the words. You might pick out colours and shapes but not the detail. Similarly, this applies to movement. Constantly scanning and moving your eyes, and head, will provide you with detailed information as to what is happening around you. Putting all this information together will help you to decide how you are going to negotiate the hazard and provide you with the time to implement the plan. The above gives a very limited view as to how our students are taught to improve one of the basic skills required in

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Timber • Aggregates Fencing • Paving • Bricks Blocks • Sheet Material Insulation & much more Phone: 01763 261740 Email: sales@norburys.com www.norburys.com 1 London Way Melbourn, SG8 6DJ (Just off Back Lane)

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Little Hands Karen

MVC EDUCATION

U3A

PLAY SCHOOL NOTRE ECOLE PLAYGROUP

Education SCHOOL LITTLE HANDS PRIMARY

VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn Playgroup 01763 260964

Melbourn Playgroup Claire Armstrong and Jennie Riggs 01763 223459 07842 151512 Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231 Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox

223457

U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Tony Garrick 01223 510201 Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400

As we write this we have just started the summer term and things are somewhat back to normal. We continue to strive to keep our children, families and staff safe with extra cleaning, wearing masks at drop off and collection times along with the regular spraying of long-lasting anti-virus barrier by Touch Zone Clean. Staff also test twice a week with the lateral flow tests and we are very thankful that we haven’t had any cases of Covid to date. It has been lovely to see all the children back and to welcome new families. Over the Easter holidays we painted a wall to make it into a blackboard, this has been enjoyed by lots of children in the garden room but it has also encouraged those children who don’t normally enjoy making to have a go. We are developing a sensory and soft play area in our ocean room. To make the area feel darker we have painted the walls a dark blue, this is to help reduce the sensory overload for some of our children. Having a darker area can really make a difference to help calm a child who is having a difficult time processing what is happening around them.

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Personal care for your feet in the comfort of your own home • Nail Trimming • Hard Skin & Cracked Heels • Corns & Verrucae • Fungal Nails • Diabetic Foot Care Telephone on

01763 261250 or 0791 3913955 Nancy Foster MCFHP MAFHP

Registered Member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals

email: nancy.fosterfeet@gmail.com

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The soft play has arrived and the children have already had lots of fun climbing and exploring. We are hoping that the rest of our equipment will be arriving soon so we are able to use the calming area. Currently we are only able to let the children who are in the ocean room use this but we are hoping, when restrictions on cleaning are reduced, to give the children in the garden room a chance to enjoy this area too. Over the term we will be working with the reception teachers and teaching assistants to support the preschoolers transition to school. They are going to make weekly visits, initially outside, so the children can meet and get to recognise some of the faces that will be welcoming them in September. We are always working with the children to become ready for school. Some of the things that really help the children to be independent are dressing and undressing themselves, putting on their coats, going to the toilet and washing their hands along with being able to sit for circle time and listen and join in with stories and activities. MOOS, our after school club, remained open for the children that were attending school, still working in the new bubble system that was set up in September. The children had fun entertaining each other, quite often performing ‘shows’ through the transparent screens, as well as, playing with our resources. We were thrilled to be able to welcome back the majority of our MOOS children, at the beginning of March, and the rest since the Easter break. We are very impressed with how they have all settled back with us. September – We are now booking sessions for next year. If you would like a place for your child please email Jennie – office@melbournplaygroup.org.uk. We hope that by the time you are reading this you are able to spend time with your families without all the restrictions. Enjoy the summer Jennie, Claire and the team

Bumpkins Nursery A Whaddon-based Nursery is celebrating 21 years of helping generations of children have fun and develop. Bumpkins Nursery, situated at Leyhill Farm in Whaddon, has reached the milestone this month. Set on a working farm, Bumpkins has an ethos where children can learn through play, have fun and explore the outdoors; fostering their talents and developing their personalities. The introduction of ‘Nature Rangers’ has also seen an added dimension to the children’s enjoyment. Based on the Forest School ideology, Nature Rangers sessions support children’s development and also understanding of the natural world.

It allows children opportunities to be physically active in the fresh air, whatever the weather! “It’s been a wonderful 21 years, although the most recent one has been the most challenging,” Mel Campany, Bumpkins Nursery Manager, said. “However, all the staff have been fantastic with the Covid procedures, as have all our parents, while the children have continued to enjoy, play and learn with us here at Bumpkins. “We are all excited and looking forward to another 21 years of success.” Bumpkins offers funding in accordance with County Council’s guidance, for children from the term following their 3rd birthday. They also offer 2-year-old funding if requested by the Children’s Centre Team Ofsted rated the Nursery as ‘Good’ in its most recent visit in 2016 and are currently recruiting. If you are interested in working in a children’s Nursery head over to Bumpkins’ website – www.bumpkinsnursery.co.uk.

Melbourn Primary School Benjamin Franklin said, “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” As a society we have had to face many changes over the past year. The children and staff of Melbourn Primary School have had to adapt to much and in this they have excelled. None of us had been prepared for having to deliver or receive education at home, but I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together. As I write this, the children have now been back in school for seven weeks and it is as if they have not been away. They have settled back into the familiar routines of school life with an enthusiasm and fondness for school and learning, possibly not seen from previous generations. They exude a tangible appreciation for being reunited with their friends and for once again having the support and instruction of their teachers. We have plans in place to support those who need extra help due to time away from school. Teachers have carefully re-structured the curriculum to aid recovery. Our primary purpose is always to ensure that our children are emotionally able to access learning and this remains the same post lockdown. Our academic priorities are two-fold. In addition to closing any gaps that our children may now have in reading, writing and maths, we are also ensuring that they are once again able to enjoy the full range of curriculum subjects. Our school priorities this year have included increasing our children’s skills in Design Technology and improving their outcomes in writing. Since re-opening, all of our children have made their own amazing picture books with moving parts, including linkages, melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Moorlands Court

Local Community Services ü Homecare – our fully trained carers visit you in your home. ü Sitting service – a visit from our experienced staff gives family carers time for themselves. ü Day Centre – based at Moorlands Court, with a friendly and sociable atmosphere and includes a tasty 2 course lunch. ü Meals service – nutritious, hot lunchtime meal delivered to you. ü Housekeeping – we do those jobs which you can no longer manage, from cleaning and ironing, to bed changing and shopping.

To find out more, just call us at Moorlands Court on 01763 260564, or email : denise.taylor@chsgroup.org.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

levers and sliders. Our teachers have been working hard to support children in developing their writing skills and we are already seeing the benefit. For example, children have produced detailed newspaper articles about a dragon, that was seen on our CCTV flying over our Forest School area, and an adventure story about a crow that ventures to the sun to save his other animal friends. The physical health of our children is of utmost importance to us. Many of our children have been less active during lockdown so we are busy clocking up our ‘golden miles’ and enjoying class PE lessons again. The whole school took part in a skipping workshop where we were inspired by Pete Thompson, five times world record holder for skipping. Pete took every class through a fitness workout whilst simultaneously developing their skipping skills. It has been wonderful to see the children continuing their excitement for skipping in the playground during subsequent lunchtimes. I am hugely appreciative of the highly skilled teaching team who have adapted to the many changes they

have faced this year. Many of us had not heard of Zoom or Teams prior to March 2020, let alone known how to deliver education across such platforms. They excelled in their home learning provision. Now they have reverted back to teaching in school and we are determined to ensure that our curriculum continues to meet our children’s needs and we ‘make learning irresistible’ once again. Children have always filled me with awe; they are amazing! As adults we need to recognise and celebrate their achievements at this time. They have shown their ability to not just adapt to change but to take lockdown and school closure completely in their stride and emerge from the pandemic with resilience and positivity. If “one’s ability to adapt to changes determines success in life”, then the children of Melbourn Primary School have a very bright future indeed. They have adapted to change admirably and I am hugely proud of them. Stephanie Wilcox (Headteacher Melbourn Primary School)

Little Hands Nursery School The Moor, Melbourn A Private Nursery School specialising in quality care & preschool education for the under fives

High staff to child ratio, individual child centred planning & learning Flexible booking system for the 08.00am – 5.30pm nursery day Optional holiday clubs available, dedicated baby room for children under two We accept nursery funding giving 15 and 30 hours per week of free funded nursery for all 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds For further information contact Sharon Tutty, nursery manager on 01763 260964 lh-melbourn@btconnect.com Little Hands is also at Bourn, Linton and Newton visit the website at www.littlehands.co.uk

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Village information

Orchard Surgery & Dispensary Melbourn Health Visiting Team Monday to Friday 8:30–1pm and 3pm–6pm Phone 01763 260220 Repeat prescriptions can be made either, in person or by registering to use the online NHS service. www.orchardsurgerymelbourn.co.uk Prescriptions can still be collected from: Surgery Co-op Tesco in Royston Prescription Home Delivery The surgery offers home delivery service for prescriptions, on a Tuesday & Thursday. For more information on any of the above, please see their website or contact the surgery.

BIN COLLECTION MELBOURN Bin collection day – TUESDAY Bins must be out by 6am at the latest on collection day

2 June 8 June 15 June 22 June 29 June 6 July 13 July 20 July 27 July 3 August 10 August 17 August 24 August 1 September 7 September 14 September 21 September 28 September

Blue & Green (Wednesday) Black Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black (Wednesday) Blue & Green Black Blue & Green Black

Due to the uncertainty of the duration of the government’s CoVid-19 measures, SCDC guarantee to empty your green bin every four weeks, but put it out every fortnight and they’ll empty it if they can. Bin collection dates are taken from the South Cambridgeshire District Council website and are correct at the time of publishing. For an update on collections visit: www.scambs.gov.uk/bins/find-your-household-bincollection-day/

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Drop in clinics for parents and babies are held as follows: Melbourn clinic every Wednesday between 9.30am and 11.00am at: 35 Orchard Road, Melbourn. Telephone 01763 262861

Cambridgeshire Hearing Help is a charity for people with hearing loss. The drop-in Hearing Help session at Vicarage Close Community Room, Melbourn, has been cancelled until further notice. For help and information: Telephone: 01223 416141 Text: 07852 699196 enquiries@cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk or visit www.cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk

Cam Sight’s Rural Support Group meet in Melbourn to provide help, friendship and ongoing support to local people with sight loss. The group enjoys speakers, music, information, advice and a chance to try out low vision equipment. For further information please call 01223 420033 or info@camsight.org.uk

MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL 30 High Street Melbourn SG8 6DZ Telephone: 01763 263303 ext. 3 Parish Office opening hours Monday to Friday 10am – 3:30pm (closed 1–2pm) www.melbournpc.co.uk

Melbourn Parish Clerk Claire Littlewood parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

Assistant to the Clerk Sophie Marriage assistantclerk@melbournpc.co.uk

Responsible Financial Officer Gabrielle van Poortvliet rfo@melbournpc.co.uk

Chair Graham Clark cllr.clark@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk

Vice Chair Ian Cowley cllr.cowley@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk

Councillors

Kieron Baker cllr.baker@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Rebecca Barnes cllr.barnes@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Richenda Buxton cllr.buxton@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Graham Clark cllr.clark@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Ian Cowley cllr.cowley@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Tina Davey cllr.davey@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Sally Ann Hart cllr.hart@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Steve Kilmurray cllr.kilmurray@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk John Travis cllr.travis@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Richard Wilson cllr.wilson@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk

Timebank Coordinator Stephanie Trayhurn timebank@melbournpc.co.uk Village Wardens Keith Rudge Steven Pitman

County Councillor Susan van de Ven, 95 North End, Meldreth – 01763 261833 susanvandeven5@gmail.com

District Councillor

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Melbourn Mushroom Club John Holden

Orchard Surgery Appointments & Dispensary 260220

Melbourn Pottery Club Maggie

Hospitals

Meldreth Local History Kathryn Betts 268428

Addenbrooke’s Royston

01223 245151 01763 242134

NHS111 – Urgent Care 24hr helpline Medical help when not a 999 emergency

111

Police Non Emergency number Help when not a 999 emergency

101

Fire & Rescue Service

01223 207307

Mothers’ Union Pauline Hay 260649 Royston and Saffron Walden Nation Trust Association Avril Mellor

220463

avril.mellor@ntlworld.com

01223 376201

Crimestoppers

email: frog.end@virgin.net

0800 555111

Photographic Club

melbournphotoclub@hotmail.com

Ramblers’ Association Dave Allard 242677 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Jean Emes 245958 Royston and District Local History Society David Allard

242677

Neighbourhood Watch debbieclapham@icloud.com

Royston Family History Society Pam Wright

Telephone Preference Service www.tsponline.org.uk

Royston Lions Chris Cawdell 0345 070 0707

frierley@ntlworld.com 448236

SOAS (Supporters of All Saints’) Colin Limming 260072 Women’s Group Pat Smith 260103

EDUCATION

PLACES OF WORSHIP

Melbourn Playgroup 223459 or 07842 151512 Library LAP Jane Stevens johnjane.stevens@tiscali.co.uk Little Hands Nursery School

260964

Out of school times 01223 503972 Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231

All Saints’ Church Revd. Elizabeth Shipp

Churchwardens Roger Mellor 220463

David Farr 221022

Baptist Church Rev. Stuart Clarke

Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457

Secretary Brian Orrell

U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Tony Garrick

United Reformed Church

01223 510201

Hon Sec Hilary Docwra 222486 Mem Sec Chris Davison

261650 07568 376027

Secretary Rosaline Van de Weyer

01223 870869

Hall booking Beryl and Barry Monk 246458

264189

Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400 Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) – Royston Courses on Zoom. Go to www.wea.org.uk

HEALTH

SPORT Badminton Steve Jackson 248774 Bowls Arthur Andrews

261990

Croquet Janet Pope

248239

Jazzercise Maxine Rustem

Age UK Cambridgeshire Blood Donors

220626

vicar.melbournmeldreth@gmail.com

01223 221921

0300 123 23 23

07963 161246

Judo Iain Reid (Chief Instructor) or Lesley Reid email melbournjudoclub@gmail.com

241830

07974 445710

Chiropodist

263260

Melbourn Dynamos FC Gordon Atalker 07770533249

Dentist

262034

Blake Carrington

07730488743

Melbourn Football Club Simon Gascoyne

07732 613555

District Nurses (Primary Care Trust)

01223 846122

Home-Start

262262

Melbourn Sports Centre Graham Johnson-Mack 263313 Meldreth Tennis Club Tracy Aggett

S. Cambs PCT 35 Orchard Road Child & Family Nurses Car Scheme

262861 245228

LOCAL CLUBS

243376

Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593

COMMUNITY SERVICES Community Hall

After Eights

melbournwi@gmail.com

Air Cadets 2484 (Bassingbourn) Squadron

249156

Tony Kelly Mon & Wed evenings 7 – 9.30 p.m. Bellringers Barbara Mitchell 261518 Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693

bookings@communityhallmelbourn.com 07821 656033 Dial-A-Ride

01223 506335

Home Start Tracy Aggett 262262 Melbourn Community Hub

263303

Melbourn Springs Care Home

01763 722734

Mobile Warden Scheme Jeannie Seers

07808 735066

Jose Hales, 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 01763 221058 jose@josehales.me.uk

1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts 261505

Sally Ann Hart, 62 High Street, SG8 6AJ cllr.hart@scambs.gov.uk 07791 233303

Luncheon Club at Melbourn Hub (Wednesdays) 263303 op1

Lead Sheltered Housing Officer – Monday to Friday 9–1.30

MADS (Melbourn Amateur Dramatics Society)

Vicarage Close, John Impey Way & Elin Way

South Cambs M.P. Anthony Browne – 01954 211444 anthony.browne.mp@parliament.uk

Brownies 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Guides 1st Melbourn Hilary Marsh 261443

Donna Sleight

232622

Melbourn History Group Ann Dekkers 261144

Moorlands Denise Taylor

260564

Southwell Court Telephone

750006

Vicarage Close Warden Eileen Allan

263389

Eileen Allan

Mobile 07876 791419 / 245402

Every other week. 9–5 Monday to Friday

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Nature Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve Fowlmere RSPB nature reserve has seen an unusually high water level throughout the reserve and the continuing colder weather is in stark contrast to the same period last year. In this article, local birder Ade Cooper sets out his diary for the months of February, March and April. February The month began very cold, with a biting east wind and temperatures staying near zero all day. Some species had been ignoring the chill and returning to prepare for breeding. Another pair of Coots and another Little Grebe arrived, making 4 of each. There were still Siskins in the alders, Teals and a pair of Gadwalls were on the mere, and 2 Little Egrets were along the Guilden brook. There were Snipe in the reedbed: a helpful Fallow Deer flushed out 11! The Marsh Harrier seen previously was still appearing regularly and roosting on site. I believed the bird to be a juvenile, in which case it could not be sexed yet and Teal numbers have reached a record number on the reserve

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Marsh Harrier on a snowy day

would be unlikely to be our breeding female returning, but I hoped the bird was one of the youngsters from last year now doing well. On one occasion, I saw a Woodcock flying up from the edge of the bridleway and off into the Poplar wood. It was probably a bird moving from the north due to the freezing conditions and only just arriving here. This is another species in decline. Where once we had at least half a dozen wintering on the reserve, now I am very happy just to have seen one. Further into the month we saw pleasant birding days, but with a cold easterly wind giving a raw feel. Suddenly things became more lively, the reserve living up to its name with lots of fowl on the mere. Over 100 Ducks of 6 species – that doesn’t happen very often! A lovely looking male Shelduck arrived in the afternoon of the 13th, the first of the year, and Teal numbers reached an exciting new high count record of 91 birds for the

Male Shelduck (front), Greylag right and a pair of Mallard ducks at the background

reserve, smashing the previous record of 65! Also present were 3 Shovelers (2 male and 1 female), a pair of Gadwalls and a female Wigeon, plus a good flock of Mallards. Along with the Ducks were 18 Greylag and 2 Canada Geese. Coot numbers had doubled to 8 while the 4 Little Grebes were still in residence. Elsewhere around the reserve, the male Bearded Tit was seen briefly, also a Red Kite and a Kingfisher, and a Brambling was calling from the top of the alders, which was a very nice surprise! A large number of Lapwings had been pushed south by the freezing conditions, with several groups all flying over heading south. A pair of Sparrowhawks didn’t seem to mind the cold and were displaying way up above the reserve: the female flying ‘butterfly’ style and the male above her ‘rollercoasting’ – excellent! Eventually in mid-month the icy conditions passed, replaced by milder westerly airflow. One of the male Shovelers and the female Wigeon remained until the 17th, but the Teals all dispersed back to more covered areas once the frost had gone. A Marsh Harrier roosted on the 18th, and at least 5 pairs of Greylag Geese were seen prospecting for nest sites. 320 Reed Buntings were counted coming into roost, quite a few more than last month; this is usual as feeding sites become exhausted and birds move around to find new areas. We also now saw the reappearance of the Starling murmurations, this time even bigger and better! I have never seen so many roosting at Fowlmere – estimated numbers were around 6000+ – and they were great

to watch. The numbers continued to grow over the following weeks, reaching a high of 10,000 and continuing to the middle of March. On two occasions we saw raptor birds attacking the flock: first a Sparrowhawk followed by a Peregrine Falcon, then a few days later another Peregrine Falcon, but the Starlings’ safety in numbers proved very successful and none of the raptors managed to get a meal. On the 20th February two White-Fronted Geese spent the whole day on the mere. These birds were the wintering pair from the Wimpole estate, now on the move and heading back east to breed. A further flock of 9 White-Fronted Geese were seen flying over early the same morning – remarkable, as our first ever sighting at Fowlmere was on Christmas Day last year! White-Fronted Goose

As the month came to a close I was pleased to see 2 Ravens appearing to be nest-prospecting, and 50 Meadow Pipits suddenly showed up in the field by the Guilden brook. We also saw Great-White Egrets flying over near dusk and a flock of 9 Barnacle Geese were in the field by the entrance. Great-White Egrets flying over

Thousands of small black dots that make the Starling murmuration

The first Chiffchaff of the year was feeding along the Shep on the 27th, this would be wintering bird rather than a summer migrant. A Mute Swan arrived on the same day. melbournmagazine@gmail.com

The first Butterfly for the reserve this year was a Peacock, along the Shep on the 28th. A Water Vole also appeared there on the same day, my first one for a little while, and finally a Woodcock flying across the main reedbed in the orange sky of dusk on the 28th was a lovely sight. Water Vole

March There were now real signs that spring wasn’t far away. The earliest ever reserve record of a Sand Martin, in fact my earliest Sand Martin anywhere, was a lone bird feeding over the main reedbed all afternoon on the 1st. On the same day, a Barnacle Goose was seen on the mere with 60 Greylag Geese. A few days later, it was wonderful to see a first sighting for this reserve of a Tundra Bean Goose. The species is scarce and a great bird to see anywhere, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see one here. The bird was with 80 Greylag Geese on the mere, and it also took a short flight to the fields on the east side. Like the 2 White-Fronted Geese that were present a couple of weeks previously, this Tundra Bean Goose was one that had been wintering at Wimpole. There was no sign of it the following day so I will probably never see one again at Fowlmere – although in birding it pays never to say never! A pair of Tundra Bean Geese top left with a Barnacle Goose centre and two Greylag Geese bottom right.

The Barnacle Goose was still there at this time, making four Goose species present that day at the reserve, the first time this has ever happened. As the weather began to improve it was good to see the Great-White Egret which had been in the area make another flyover on one day, and a Merlin seen across the fields at the centenary end was the first one at the reserve this year. The Marsh Harrier was still present over the main reedbed, and flushed out 4 Snipe. It was also good to see a pair of Red Kites seemingly prospecting for a nest site. The birds were spiralling around together, first over the poplar wood and then over the centenary wood. Red Kites have never bred at Fowlmere, it would be great if they did. Towards the middle of the month the Chiffchaffs arrived. Just a few, due to the very windy weather at that time, but more to be expected on calmer days. Chiffchaff

The Mute Swan was joined by 4 more, and a total of 10 Snipe flushed up from the main reedbed was the winter’s highest total. Water Rails had been very vocal, with at least 10 birds heard around the reserve, and two pairs of Coots had started nest building, the first species I had seen doing so this season. At this time we saw that an odd looking white Greylag had joined the Goose flock; showing that the flock was still drawing in new birds making it worth checking regularly for scarcer species. White Greylag joining the Goose flock

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Male Blackcap

By the 20th Chiffchaff numbers had increased with 8 then singing around the reserve, and it was lovely to have them back. The first singing male Blackcap was heard, with another male along the bridleway. These could be either overwintering birds from nearby villages or early southern migrants just in. I expected more to arrive in the following week. A small but noisy group of Redwings were feeding in the centenary wood; it was good to hear their constant chattering and even a bit of full song. Some were later seen departing, flying high up in the sky at dusk and heading off east to continue their migration overnight. The 5 now resident male Cetti’s Warblers were in fine voice. They each seemed to have found their own territories around the reserve, so I had hopes for a bumper year if they could all attract a mate. Most of the birds on the mere were still present. The Coots had already laid eggs: the sitting female had not budged from the nest for some days. Two of the 5 Mute Swans flew off on the 20th. At the same time a new pair of Gadwalls came in, which our resident pair didn’t care for; there was much chasing around there! I was surprised to discover that we had 7 Little Grebes: 3 pairs and a single. I saw some interesting behaviour from one Little Grebe that constantly followed a Mute Swan around. This bird had worked out that when feeding on underwater vegetation, the Swan would disturb tasty morsels for the Grebe to catch easily – very clever! Towards the end of the month a few more Sand Martins were seen passing through; the Chiffchaffs had increased to 10 singers and there were at least 3 male Blackcaps in. Other migrants had not yet arrived but Willow Warblers were expected to appear before long Little Grebe following a juvenile Mute Swan

and I was hopeful of seeing a Wheatear: both species had been picking up in numbers elsewhere. The pair of Gadwalls had been seen mating and it seemed likely they would stay to nest. Our only pair of Canada Geese had started to build a nest – the little goslings are always popular! Some of the wintering species were still around, including Siskins, Fieldfares and just a few Redwings. On the 30th I was delighted to see a female Wheatear on the track to Manor Farm, just out from the reserve, and the first Swallow made a brief appearance on the same day. April The beginning of the month saw activity picking up. Three more Swallows passed through on the 1st and the sweet sound of the first Willow Warbler could be heard near the boardwalk early on the 2nd, a typical arrival date for this species. Two calling Green Sandpipers flew over westwards in the evening of the 1st, yet another first record of the year, and the numbers of singing male Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were still increasing, with some of them beginning to be paired with females. A pair of Shovelers arrived midweek; hopefully our pair from last year back for another attempt at nesting. A pair of Grey Herons were seen nest-prospecting, but seemed to take it no further. The first Mallard ducklings hatched but as usual their number steadily decreased as the days went on. Mallard and Ducklings

The sun and the warmer temperatures brought a great explosion of Butterflies around the reserve. Peacocks were almost everywhere, Brimstones nearly as plentiful and even a couple of Commas. On the 2nd a Water Vole was showing quite brilliantly by the bridge just up from the boardwalk. For nearly half an hour it completely ignored any visitors walking by and just continued eating! Over the following days it continued to appear regularly. The very cold weather over the Easter weekend caused migration activity to slow right down, and things did not pick up for several weeks. Even as the days melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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Wheatear

became warmer the nights remained frosty and cold, and at dawn the bird song was still subdued. Passage migrants continued to be few in number almost to the end of the month. Hopes were still high that a pair of Red Kites might nest nearby as they were still about. I supplied some food for them by dragging a drowned Fallow Deer into an open field, hopefully they found it. An adult male Peregrine was a nice sight as it flew over south. The first Moorhen young had hatched and another brood of Mallards as well, although once again the ducklings were disappearing fast with a Grey Heron taking advantage. The Coots on the mere also hatched a week or so into the month, giving 4 tiny young. Sedge Warblers began to arrive from the 9th – just 2 at first, followed by 2 more a week later and the first Yellow Wagtail on the reserve was seen on the 11th, about a week later than usual. Swallows also began passing through, but in small numbers. Around mid-month I heard a female Redstart by the Guilden brook. It was extremely elusive, as it was staying on the opposite, sunny, side of the hedgerow, but it was lovely eventually to see it. I also saw an Otter briefly: my first one on site for quite a while. By the 19th summer arrivals were still trickling in at snails’ pace: the first 2 Reed Warblers appeared on the 17th with a third on the 18th. Few others were seen. A single Redwing seen at this time was unexpected as I had thought they were long gone. Even more surprising was a flock of 25 Barnacle Geese flying over quite high one morning. Their calls were heard long before a visual and it was a while before I realised what I was hearing. When the birds came into view it was nice to see them in V formation going due south; this meant that they were feral birds, as true wild ones would be going North. With the sun out and a little warmth by late morning, some new-for-the-year Butterflies were found: first Green-Veined White and Orange-tip, then later a Speckled Wood butterfly. By the third week of April still very few summer breeders had come in. Sedge Warblers had increased to

6 and Reed Warblers to 4. Seeing 2 Yellow Wagtails was a bright moment – literally! Finally in the last week of the month the expected migrant push began. On the 24th a female Wheatear was found just out from the east gate, an early good sign, then the reserve’s first Common Whitethroat of the year and a couple of Sand Martins passed through, along with the first Swift going over in the evening. A big moment was hearing the first Cuckoo singing as it approached the reserve from the south flying overhead, and continuing to sing around the reserve. It was still present the next morning, so I hoped it was last year’s bird arriving to stay for another season. A calm and clear night on the 25th gave good flying conditions. Reed Warblers made a significant increase up to 13; overtaking the Sedge Warblers, of which there were now 10 males singing. A really unusual record for this time of year was a calling, flyover Redpoll. We rarely see these in winter nowadays, and nearly all records are autumn passage birds, so a spring bird was a welcome surprise. Best of all was the return of a Grasshopper Warbler! I had hoped that after last year’s brilliant showing of 4 males we would see them again, so I was pleased to hear a bird reeling away at the end of the boardwalk. To show how slow this spring has been, last year Grasshopper Warblers arrived on the 11th April, two weeks earlier than this year. As the month came to a close we were still having overnight frosts. The days were fine and sunny but bird activity early mornings and evenings was not great and the dawn chorus was virtually non-existent. I was still not seeing any passage migrants go through, but summer breeders were continuing to arrive. Most pleasing were 2 more Grasshopper Warblers: a second bird heard reeling near to the first between the boardwalk and the mere, and a third bird in the cattle paddock. Hopefully with warmer days we may get to see that one. New for the year on the 28th was a male Lesser Whitethroat singing along the Guilden brook. There was also a second bird seen in the same bush, so we probably have a pair. The Cuckoo was still coming and going and there was a new male Common Whitethroat on the Guilden brook. Four pairs of Greylag Geese had goslings, but like the mallard ducklings they were disappearing fast: 3 of the pairs only had 2 little ones each. It seems the reserve provides rich pickings for the Grey Heron! This article is a synopsis taken from the website produced by Ade Cooper and Caroline Scott about Fowlmere Bird Reserve. To see the full version and other interesting visits Ade and Caroline have undertaken in the UK and abroad, visit: www.cooperandscott.wordpress.com melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Review

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

For those who seldom watch television, Richard Osman is a TV Producer who somehow came to co-present the quiz show “Pointless”, and was so good at it that he went on to have a show of his own and now regularly appears on all kinds of panel shows. His latest venture has been to write this book, which has been vigorously promoted and hyped as an excellent read. I was unsure how good it would be, but being a fan of crime novels and liking the presenter himself, was happy to try it. I have to confess I am now wondering if there is anything Richard Osman can’t do, because what he has written is a complete delight. The book is a very gentle read – closer to TV’s Midsomer Murders or Death in Paradise than Line of Duty, so not for those who prefer tense, gripping thrillers. No one is put in jeopardy, only thoroughly nasty people are murdered and the writing is witty and fun. The drawing of the main characters is splendid, and their actions and dialogue are entirely believable and entertaining. These are people the reader enjoys spending time with. The Thursday Murder Club has 4 members, all of them residents in a retirement village. One has a mysterious past but seems to have been a secret agent, another is a retired psychiatrist, the third is an ex-nurse and the fourth is a former Trade Union leader and rabble rouser. One of the original founder members, now too ill to participate, was a retired Detective Chief Inspector. The group amuse themselves by researching unsolved murders and trying to come up with a solution. Their prior occupations give them relevant skills and some very useful connections, helping to make the concept plausible. (A revelation that the former Trade Union leader’s son was at one time a criminal adds something further to the mix.) Things change when a real murder happens right in front of them, and they set out to help the police solve it. Like all good novels of this type, the solving of the murder involves numerous red herrings and there are some satisfying twists along the way. There is so

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much more to it than just a puzzle, however. Life in the retirement community is conjured so well and reading the book so enjoyable that I was in no rush to get to the end and so, for once, was able to resist the temptation to sneak a look at the ending when half way through. The eventual answers, too, are believable giving a very satisfying ending to the book. Thoroughly recommended, and I am looking forward to the next one in the series. Christine Orchard

Best of Blue, Continuum by Lionel Blue

For this lifelong Radio Four listener, the BBC – although underfunded, undermined, and under attack by our government for many years – remains a deeply respected institution. Even today it is still revered across the world. When founded, the BBC – in concept and practice much like our NHS, which has also been subject to government attack for years – was a beacon in very dark times. Both institutions now struggle valiantly to remain the standard bearers of our finest values, which was the role allocated by their then more enlightened founding governments. I was reminded of those fast disappearing democratic values of equality, tolerance and justice when, listening to Radio Four recently, I was transported across several decades to the seismic event of 1993. Against all odds, after lengthy tortuous negotiations brokered by many governments and international bodies, all led by US President Bill Clinton, a Middle East peace deal was agreed. Signatories Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, stood on

the White House lawn, shook hands and made peace as the Oslo Peace Accords were signed. They held out the prize of a shared peace bringing benefits for all sides. This 1993 seismic event was brought to mind by a recent Radio Four broadcast of two related items. Firstly, a news report on the long running trial for corruption of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the nationalist populist leader of Israel’s Likud Party and four times previously Prime Minister of Israel. Then, quite separately and from the BBC archive, the wonderful recorded voice of the London born and raised Rabbi Lionel Blue. Both items caused me to reflect, but hearing once again that long forgotten voice caused me to reach for this book and read late into the evening. Rabbi Lionel Blue was for many years a contributor to BBC Radio Four’s ‘Thought for the Day’, broadcast during the early morning news and current affairs programme. He was a gifted writer, speaker and broadcaster who struck a chord with many listeners without regard to age, sex, income level, whether a person was of faith or of no faith, and including even those who held several faiths and beliefs all at the same time. Rabbi Lionel Blue reached into the depths of all who listened and did so over and over again with every broadcast. It was not surprising that the scripts of his spoken and broadcast work were brought together and published in collections such as this volume. Open at any page today, and if young you will be moved and if, like me, not so young, you will certainly be reminded of cherished basic ideals and principles written and articulated by a respected and still much-loved Rabbi. Best of Blue comprises 63 monologues spread across 200 plus pages of easily read text. The spread of content is wide and satisfying. The themes chosen and delivered with a unique delivery style are deeply impactful. They raise a wry smile, outright laughter, sadness and much thoughtful reflection on what it means to be human and social – often within a single contribution.

The author’s brief Prologue explains the selection and pattern the book follows. If you are of a more recent vintage, think of any David Sedaris collection but each contribution less frivolous, more focussed, more compressed, more tightly written and more goal orientated. That entitled “What the Rabbi gave to the Bishop” is a particular delight. As a whole the book is insightful and uplifting, not least because the subject matter of the issues involved are at the centre of life itself: family; love; friendship; solidarity; and above all the existence of God and what that means for each of us. The work is clever and playful and the author warm, genuine and likeable, a true ambassador for religion and religious belief. In great contrast are those nationalist, populist leaders shamelessly using religious beliefs but whose main focus is self-interest and self-promotion in pursuit of political power. One such leader is Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now in power for the fifth consecutive term. Read these brief, wonderfully crafted monologues which present a Jewish view and outlook of tolerance and respect for others and think what might have been had a young and very ambitious Opposition Leader named Benjamin Netanyahu chosen not to inflame several notorious demonstrations against peace. The slogans of one such deliberately whipped up crowd included “Death to Rabin”. In July 1995 Opposition Leader Netanyahu led a mock funeral procession which included a fake black coffin. Asked to desist by Israel’s Head of Internal Security, who warned that Prime Minister Rabin’s life was in danger, Opposition Leader Netanyahu notoriously declined. On 4 November 1995, having addressed a huge and deeply appreciative peace rally in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Rabin on leaving the stage was assassinated by a Likud Party activist. As was intended, with Rabin was buried the Peace Deal he had created with long time enemy of Israel Yasser Arafat. Benjamin Netanyahu, however, on behalf of his Likud Party, went on to tramp his way across the landscape and airwaves of Israel preaching hatred and division in the name of Jewishness to secure the highest office in the State – five consecutive times – since his predecessor Yitzhak Rabin’s burial. Read the words of Rabbi Lionel Blue. Reflect and absorb a very different form of Jewish outlook, views and beliefs – one that promotes tolerance and respect for others thereby defeating anti-Semitism rather than spreading and strengthening that pernicious evil. The archival voice of the much loved Rabbi Lionel Blue rings out in this volume. Read and listen and you will be enriched. Hugh Pollock melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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Authors and their Books Introduction Although a stand-alone story, Don’t Come Looking is a sequel to A J Campbell’s debut novel Leave Well Alone and features the protagonist, Eva Barnes. AJ found she couldn’t leave Eva alone. She needed to know what happened to her next, as did her readers, which inspired AJ to write the sequel. Extract About this book: A missing man. A desperate friend. A circle of deceit. Would you refuse your friend’s desperate plea for help? When Eva’s close friend Marc disappears, his wife Sasha is distraught, and Eva is baffled. Sasha and Marc were happy, the perfect couple, or so everybody thought. Sasha begs Eva to help her find Marc. But he has appeared at the police station where Eva works and has made a statement. It’s on record – when his family report him missing, Marc doesn’t want to be found. Eva is torn. She has a professional duty not to get involved, but Sasha and Marc have gone above and beyond over the years to help Eva and her husband Jim through their own troubled times. Ultimately, friendship and loyalty override Eva’s professional integrity, and she is compelled to use her skills to delve into Marc’s life, even if it means going against Jim’s advice and breaking the police code of conduct. As each day passes, the mystery deepens. What was Marc up to? What made him do the things he did in the months leading up to his disappearance? Things so out of character, Eva struggles to tell Sasha about them… And then a disturbing discovery changes everything. From Chapter 1 Breaking into a jog, I follow him, hindered by the swarms of people desperate to get home. There he is, heading towards an escalator. I hop on too, sliding into the lefthand line so I can get to the bottom as fast as the crowds will allow. My shirt is sticking to my back like a second skin, the intense late-afternoon heat rare for this time of year. As I step off, I cough again with the potent smell of rush hour chaos and grinding train brakes. I can no longer see him. Am I too late? Has he taken the Victoria line north or south? I try the north. Bingo. There he is, waiting to board the next Tube heading to Walthamstow Central. I work my way through the wilting commuters, apologising,

ignoring the tuts and scowls directed my way. The train approaches, clattering and screeching as it decelerates. I reach for his arm and gently squeeze it. He spins around. ‘Marc, are you OK?’ His normally friendly tone spits fire at me. ‘You’ve followed me.’ ‘I don’t understand. What’s going on?’ My hand brushes his shoulder. ‘Go and speak to your colleagues. Leave me alone.’ He thrusts his hand out towards the exit. ‘Go away.’ The train doors squeak and hiss open. He pushes me out of the way and jumps into the carriage, turning his back as the doors clunk closed. This is not the Marc I know. Kind and generous Marc, the committed husband and father who possesses the ability to continually roll limericks off his tongue like a professional comedian. The guy who promotes moral excellence in all aspects of his life. He’s the type you see helping old ladies to their cars with their shopping, and crouching down to hand notes to the homeless. Flummoxed, I watch as the packed train picks up speed and disappears into the dark tunnel. What the hell is going on? Biography AJ Campbell is the debut author of the Amazon bestselling novel Leave Well Alone. An alumna of the Faber Academy, AJ writes in the psychological suspense and mystery genres. Her latest novel Don’t Come Looking, was published in April 2021. She remembers fondly her school days at Melbourn Village College. AJ writes every day. She lives on the Essex/ Hertfordshire border with her husband, her sons, and her cocker spaniel, Max. AJ enjoys walking Max in the local fields to boost her creativity, and cooking oriental food while sipping a good glass of white wine.

Don’t Come Looking is available on Amazon as an ebook or a paperback. www.ajcampbellauthor.com https://www.facebook.com/AJCampbellauthor https://www.instagram.com/ajcampbellauthor/ Are you or a friend an author with a published book? Tell the readers of Melbourn Magazine about how and why you came to write your book, provide an abridged extract, and some biographical details. Contact Melbourn Magazine for full details email: melbournmagazine@gmail.com Telephone: 261144. melbournmagazine@gmail.com

Walks

in & around Melbourn A Walk in Two Halves

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The Irish are very sociable with a great fondness for conversation, even with complete strangers. If a stranger asks directions an Irish person will likely reply: “Ah well now I wouldn’t start from here myself – but tell me, where are you coming from, and more importantly, did you enjoy yourself when you were there?” In the same spirit this walk actually starts a few days earlier, when you tell your young child you are planning a surprise treat and they should invite a couple of their little friends. Every parent will know that it is best to name the friends at this point and engage in some behind the scenes parental liaison. Uncontrolled parties resulting from open invitations are not the sole preserve of teenagers. This walk in Melbourn, therefore, is intended mainly for stressed parents and their children of primary school age. It will also appeal, in particular, to parents of a certain age who, like me, will likely find it a happy stroll down memory lane recalling Melbourn memories of more than thirty years ago. So, young parents switch off your phone for a short while and have fun in your children’s company. Believe me, more than thirty years from now they will remember the time fondly and thank you repeatedly. Start at the junction of Melbourn’s Orchard Road and Water Lane. Wave hello to the adult duck and two ducklings in mid-waddle on the roofline of the lovely old thatched house opposite Orchard Road. Proceed along Water Lane (no pavements) to the High Street and cross. Leave the Village, walking on the pavement and facing oncoming traffic. Keep looking down and, as you pass by, stop and explain two iconic features that stand at the pavement’s edge: the London and Cambridge Milestone; and, further along, the huge tyre which has stood in front of Melbourn Garage for generations. Choose a safe crossing point either side of the hazardous junction which is the entrance from High Street to Back Lane and London Road. Follow the Public Footpath finger signpost into one of Melbourn’s many small gems: Back Lane Woods. In children’s eyes a mysterious magical place: a deep secluded forest of trees of all shapes and sizes, some with trunks of huge girth lying on their sides, their knotted root

systems still attached and vertically exposed. Off the path there are bushy dells and low slopes sprinkled with sunlight and shadow to be explored. Freedom outdoors in the fresh air. Running, jumping, laughing with their little friends. A treat indeed. The path underfoot is firm. The route is reasonably straight, then mushroom shaped with good adult visibility off to the boundaries left and right. The right boundary carries vehicular traffic entering and leaving Melbourn, announced with a gentle broken distant hum. To the left across the ploughed fields, and steadily retreating, is the occasional heavier sound of local builders and landscape gardeners visiting Norburys and picking up supplies, as generations have done before them. Bear left at the fork in the path and on reaching the highest point look out to the right on a life-affirming view that will lift the lowest of adult spirits. A wide horizon with a landscape filled with fields and countryside. In the distance, from left to right, a short stretch of road with small scale moving vehicles of all kinds and colours. Further beyond and parallel, a long train pulling brightly coloured carriages may shoot into view and hurtle past. If the sky is blue and the sun is kind, spend a moment and allow yourself to think how fortunate to be alive and living in such a place. Complete the short turning circle and follow the path back to the entrance. But first halt at your earlier-

reconnoitred chosen spot. Summon the troops. Spread out your picnic blanket. Wipe all small hands with the dettol-soaked face flannels. Unpack the picnic. Tuck in. Sing songs. Laugh. Enjoy the time. Then, energy restored, pick up and pack up every single thing. Ask everyone to ‘double check the site’, then continue back along the path to the entrance. Again, choose the best crossing point to reach the pavement on the High Street so that you can, facing the traffic, walk back on the pavement to Water Lane. From the pavement, keep looking up and to the side, both to the right and across the roadway. Point out and explain the features of the lovely old houses which have stood for generations as Melbourn and its times grew and changed all around them. Enter Water Lane pointing out that it has no pavements and is one way for all traffic up to the Orchard Road junction. Then wave good bye to the roofline ducks. The second half commences here opposite the ducks. Proceed along Orchard Road – the left side has the most pavement. At the junction with New Road turn right and, facing the traffic, walk along. Then cross New Road and enter Clear Crescent. Behold another of Melbourn’s small gems: Clear Crescent Play Park. Created decades ago for children (under 12), it is standing proof of a time when our society supported a social contract whereby local government bodies existed to provide such facilities. Almost ten years ago great community effort under the Melbourn Play Parks Project secured sponsorship for a much needed redevelopment. The Park also became a protected open space under the Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust award, which means it cannot be built on in the future. Today, it has a range of modern equipment for all activities – swinging, jumping, spinning, sliding, climbing – including a large grassed area simply for sitting on the ground and playing together. Picnic tables as well! Gated, with animals excluded, surrounded by hedging, and maintained by Melbourn Parish Council, it is a wonderful place and setting for young children to build fun times and happy memories. This I know and this I guarantee. A visit to Melbourn’s Back Lane Woods and Clear Crescent Play Park is, indeed, a walk in two halves. Hugh Pollock melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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Churches Together All Saints’ Church Melbourn & Holy Trinity Meldreth Pictures of the floral cross and Easter garden, which remind us that we have just celebrated Easter Day when we remembered with joy the resurrection of Jesus that brings with it the hope of new life with God through faith in Jesus. Whilst Easter is always a highlight of the Church calendar, it was perhaps extra special in that we could be in our church buildings worshipping together. We had a service at Holy Trinity at 9.30am and another at All Saints’ at 11.15am. We were unable to sing together, had to be socially distanced and observe the Covid protocols, but it was good to be back and we had lovely organ music to listen to. That joy may be tempered by the fact that not everyone feels able or ready to come back to church yet and it reminds me of the confusion and disappointment faced by Mary and the disciples who went to the tomb on that first Easter Morning. They were dismayed and could not fully understand all that was going on and must have wondered what the future held for them. The things that they held most dear to them seemed to have been taken away and they were unsure of what would happen next. They had yet to meet with the

risen Lord Jesus and hear his words of comfort and reassurance and the disciples returned to their homes leaving the distraught Mary weeping at the tomb. A man appeared, who she thought was the gardener, until he called her by her name ‘Mary’ at which point she realised it was Jesus. Jesus had risen from the tomb, death did not defeat him and in May we will have celebrated the ascension of Jesus to his father God and then Pentecost, where we will recall God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to the believers to empower them and help them spread his word. The day of Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church, as Jesus’ disciples/followers now carry on Jesus’ work in witnessing to the love of God to all whom they meet despite opposition. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things through God’s Grace. The period after Easter used to be called ‘Ordinary time’ but now we tend to refer to it as Trinity, which may be more appropriate for there is nothing ordinary about a life of faith. It is a life lived in the ups and downs of daily living but strengthened and encouraged by the love and support of one another and God through his melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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gift of Jesus and The Holy Spirit. Like Mary and those disciples we may not know quite what the future holds but let us step out in faith loving and trusting our God. Whilst Lizzie is on maternity leave please contact Revd. Mary Price on 01763 261569 (maryprice9486@ gmail.com) or Pat Smith on 01763 262575. If you would like to receive our weekly e-newsletter please contact Ian Henderson (ian.melbournas@gmail.com). Check our Facebook page for details of services: www.facebook.com/asmhtm. If you would like to receive a copy of our Parish Magazine please contact Diane Blundell on 01763 221415

Melbourn Baptist Church It’s summer and hopefully we will see plenty of sunshine. In summer, many of us enjoy the golden moments of lazing in the sun with a good book,whether it be on the beach, in a meadow, or even, as I like to, in the shade of the apple tree in our garden. I love stories, the wonderful way that literature allows the mind to explore; the words on a page allowing us to escape into other worlds, other lives, and find new perspectives to add to our own. It has always been better for me to read the book before I see the film. An author who I have enjoyed throughout my life is C.S.Lewis, who takes us to other worlds. The Narnia series captivates the imagination, and opens us up to bigger questions of human existence in an allegorical way. I have enjoyed many of the novels he has written, and seeing Shadowlands, both at the theatre and at the cinema, which gives us an inspiring look at his life. In “Is Theology Poetry?” he says “I believe in Christianity, as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” The sun illuminates our senses, our world, our deep reflections on existence, and points us to a creator. The grand panorama, of the meaning of life. We all need to build our lives on something that is solid, stable and secure; until we find a foundation at the centre of our being, we struggle to live well. C.S.Lewis reminds us that there is a big difference between just existing and really living. In times of difficulty or perplexity, it is good to see a purpose to life, a meaning to existence. The sun casts shadows on the earth as well as bringing light to see. CS Lewis recognises the Bible as a book that allows us to grasp the bigger picture of existence. Christianity brings life into sharp focus more than any other world view. It doesn’t mean everything is fully illuminated: on the journey there are great shadows, we encounter the uncontrollable and that which we do not understand.

At the heart of Christianity there is a God who suffers, brings light into the shadows, leads us beyond death to a new heaven and earth. A new heaven and earth, found in Jesus’ resurrected, living body. Life finds meaning, when God inspires us, to reflect deeply on the creative order. An order of complex biological processes, that we perceive through our created senses, as we relate in a world founded in love. It was wonderful to be able to meet together in person (at the Baptist Church) to celebrate Easter. Moments of celebration, as the cross moved into life on Easter Sunday. The tomb moved from the shadowlands of the grey of Good Friday, to the vibrant life and the light of an open tomb on Easter Sunday.

Many of you may have heard, or seen us recently on Sunday mornings at 10.30.a.m. as we meet outside the church to worship God in song before entering the Church building for the rest of our service. At Melbourn Baptist Church we have a long tradition of singing and playing musical worship and it is great to be able to join together in that once again. We have also been able to welcome our children back into the Sunday school. We are still posting online services which you can find via our website, Facebook page or YouTube channel. Or melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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you can book in for our in-person services with our church secretary, melbournbaptistsecretary@gmail.com John 10:10b. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Blessings Stuart

United Reformed Church World Day of Prayer The World Day of Prayer was on Friday 5th March. The service was prepared by the Christian women of Vanuatu. The Republic of Vanuatu is in the South Pacific. The islands have black and white sandy beaches, coral reefs with coloured fishes, lovely birds, fruit and nuts in the forest making a pristine environment, but they are vulnerable to frequent tropical storms, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and active volcanoes. The people are called to “Build on a Strong Foundation” and live in unity, love and peace in the context of ethnic and cultural diversity. Hence this was the theme of the service, to “Build on a Strong Foundation”. In March 2015 Cyclone Pam caused catastrophic damage on the islands of Efate, Erromango and Tanna. It crippled the infrastructure and destroyed 90% of the buildings. While they were still struggling to recover from this, in April 2020 Cyclone Harold cut another devastating blow to the islands. Schools, homes and vegetation were destroyed. Cyclone Harold struck during a state of emergency due to Covid-19 and in the middle of national elections. The task of beginning to rebuild is an immense challenge and we hold Vanuatu in our hearts and prayers. We were unable to hold a service this year due to Covid-19 but hopefully next year we can hold the ecumenical service and we shall be the hosts. Good Friday We held a Zoom service this year led by Eirwen and Peter Karner on 2nd April at 10am. It was a very poignant and moving service. Afterwards we had a social time with a virtual coffee and hot cross bun when we were able to continue fellowship and exchange news. Easter Unfortunately for the second year we were unable to worship in church. However, we did hang painted eggs on the tree outside and also put some of the eggs in the ground which we were unable to do last year. There were over 500 eggs on display giving us hope for the future. We put a floral cross outside the church doors to remind us how Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross so that our sins were forgiven and we would have everlasting life.

Worship We were able to recommence Sunday morning worship in our church on Sunday 2nd May at 11am. It was so good to be able to worship together again in person and made us realise how much we had missed being together. God willing, we pray that we do not have to suspend services again. New Minister The Rev’d Sue Fender and her husband Alex were finally able to visit the pastorate on the 12th and 13th March. They came to us on the Saturday and were able to look over the manse and church. It was lovely to meet them in person at last, hidden behind our masks! They are looking forward to moving into the manse mid-May and to getting to know us all. Alex took the opportunity to play the organ and both pianos. The induction is planned for Saturday June 26th, and we hope that by then the rules governing social contact and gatherings will be less restrictive. Sue will be preaching before then and you may well have seen her around the village by the time this magazine is printed. melbournmagazine@gmail.com

What’s On

Evolving Art – Cambridge Open Studios Cambridge Open Studios Art Exhibition every weekend in July, 11am to 6pm Three local artists in one place: John Pocock, George Meliniotis, Lucy Winter at 33 Newton Road, Cambridge CB2 8AL Please come and visit us to see original oil, acrylic and chinese brush paintings you will not be disappointed. Cambridge Open Studios www.camopenstudios.co.uk For more information about Cambridge Open Studios, call Jo Riches on 07854 210837 or email jo@joriches.com

Meldreth Marathon Home-Start is proud to launch a new, virtual fun run, the Meldreth Marathon, which will be taking place throughout July this year. The main course of the run is based around the village of Meldreth (approximately 1.6 miles long) but participants are invited to select their own route. Suggested routes might include school playing fields, local footpaths or recreation grounds. Anywhere, in fact, where you can run safely! If you’re not sure where to find a good route, we might even be able to point you in the right direction. All you need is a route-tracker, such as Strava, Adidas Running, FitBit, RunKeeper or any other tracking system to track your distance, and some sponsorship from friends and family. Teams can sign up to run collaboratively: maybe you could manage 5 miles, along with four other friends. With a little extra running, between you: you’ve got a marathon! And if 26.2 miles seems a little too much, then you can choose to run a half-marathon instead. This event is especially good for schools, cubs and scouts, brownies, football clubs and any other community group, as it’s an excellent opportunity to undertake some fundraising in a fun and simple way. If you’d be interested in taking part in our virtual fun run, whether you’re a running enthusiast, a community group, a school teacher or just fancy taking on a challenge for charity, please get in touch with us: www.hsrsc.org.uk / 01763 262262 admin@hsrsc.org.uk We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

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Foxton Scarecrow Festival Saturday 9 October from 12.00 We will be holding our popular, well-loved Scarecrow Festival once again this year on Saturday 9 October, to raise funds for St Laurence Church, Foxton. Please put this date in your diary so you can come along and join us for some scarecrow fun!

As in previous years, you’ll be able to wander through Foxton village from one scarecrow to another and join in with the various fundraising activities along the way, including a children’s quiz and ‘Where’s Wally?’ Will you be able to find this special scarecrow, hidden somewhere in the village? We welcome you to stop at various venues around the village for refreshments such as bacon butties, home-made soup or tea and cakes. This fun event for all ages will finish in the Church with prize giving, raffle draw and a performance by Foxton Singers. Programmes will be available on the day from the Church, the Village Hall and the Village Shop, Foxton. More details will be available nearer the time, but for further information, contact us at foxtonscarecrow@gmail.com.

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Sports & Clubs Bowls

Arthur Andrews 261990 Bridge Club

Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts 261505 Brownies – 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Croquet

Janet Pope 248342 Dynamos Football Club

Les Morley 07739 593771 Guides – Ist Melbourn

Hilary Marsh 261443

Simon Gascoyne 07732 613555

Melbourn Football Club Melbourn Judo Club

Iain Reid 241830 Melbourn Karate Club Peter Khera 07866 374674 Melbourn Sports Centre

Graham Johnson-Mack 263313 Melbourn and Meldreth Women’s Group Pat Smith 262575 Sue Toule 260955 Anne Harrison 261775 Photographic Club Bruce Huett 232855 Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Royston and District Round Table Michael Seymour 221398 Swimming Club

Jenny Brackley 244593

Dave Liddiard 07508 995 781

Tracy Aggett 243376

Tennis (Melbourn) Tennis (Meldreth)

1st Melbourn Guides As the end of lockdown appeared on the horizon and the children started returning to school, our Guides continued to enjoy weekly meetings on Zoom. Thinking Day, on 22nd February, is the annual celebration of international Scouting and Guiding. Our Zoom meeting that week started with us sharing photos of friends and relations who were, or are, in the Movement around the world. After making an Origami penguin, and a Guiding history quiz, we all renewed our Guide Promise, then Alexandra played Taps on her flute. The following week, with spring just around the corner, we did a Guide programme activity called ‘Plastic Planting’. Each girl created a mini biome from empty plastic drinks bottles, and planted pea seeds. Two weeks later they were growing nicely. For Mothers’ Day we did another programme activity which involved planning and costing some main meals for a family of four. To complicate matters, the girls then had to factor in a vegetarian, the price of organic food, and an unexpected guest. We finished the evening with a step-by-step demonstration of how to make a cut-out Mothers’ Day card using just a sheet of A4 paper. For St Patrick’s day, we challenged the girls to make a ‘Mr Potato Head’ using edible and craft materials, then showed a 5 minute YouTube tutorial of Irish dancing. We suggested that the girls turned off their video cameras so they could dance along without us watching! Our Irish-born leader Rachel showed us how to make the Ulster delicacy called ‘Fifteens’: a refrigerator cake of crushed biscuits mixed with cherries and condensed milk. On the first weekend of the Easter holidays we took part in a national ‘virtual’ sleepover. Within their own homes, some girls made a den from furniture, others put up a tent in their bedroom or the garden; Imogen bedded down in the conservatory, and Lily used the living room floor. After showing us their alternative bedrooms, they learnt about the phases of the melbournmagazine@gmail.com

moon by decorating biscuits appropriately, and we met again on Sunday morning so they could show us their cooked breakfasts. As the summer term commences, we are finally back to real meetings, outdoors. Activities so far have been a scavenger hike to the Melwood, and a fire-lighting session, complete with marshmallows of course!

We are hoping to start a Ranger unit for our small group of older Guides later this year, and would welcome another leader or helper. If you would like to know more about helping with Guides or Rangers, please contact me on: 01763 261443 or email: melbournguides@gmail.com. You can also look on the www.girlguiding.org.uk website to find out more. Hilary Marsh

1st Orwell Scout Group Throughout the most recent lockdown months, activities continued across Cubs and Scouts using Zoom. Designing and delivering Zoom sessions has been challenging, but also rewarding in its own way. The Cubs used the opportunity of meeting digitally to work on their Digital Maker badge, which involved using Raspberry Pi and other programs to create digital music and design a moving digital image. The Group

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also practised their map reading skills to identify local features, and in February made some very brightly coloured pancakes! The Scouts meanwhile have learnt about meteorology and ways in which they can provide emergency aid, as well as taking part in geocaching activities. However, it’s hard to describe the real excitement with which both section leaders and children have welcomed the return of face to face activities. Not least as this has meant that those children who found the online sessions less attractive have been able to throw on their coats and shoes and enjoy having fun with their sections out on the Moor. From 12th April, all sections have been able to meet outside. Wide games were the order of the day for the first meeting of the Cubs, followed by a session dedicated to St George on 23rd April. Our new Cubs were also invested during this meeting, and the whole Pack was able to renew their Cub scout promise. The focus now is on working towards the Cyclist badge, which involved fixing punctures in the first session and a trip to Wimpole to explore the multi-use trail in the second. For the existing Scouts and their ten newly invested members, the sessions have also involved playing wide games and renewing their promises for St George’s Day, but they have also had the opportunity to practise their firelighting skills and cooking over open flames. Of course, many of the children have been busy at home outside the organised sessions working towards a variety of badges. These include specific Activity Badges in areas of interest, as well as the Challenge Awards that encourage the children to step outside their comfort zones and try things they might not normally do. On Sunday 10th April, we were pleased to be able to host Larry Eeles, who presented 13 Cubs with their Chief Scout Silver Awards – the highest award that a Cub can achieve. The Scout section meanwhile awarded seven Chief Scout Gold Awards. This is the highest award in the Scout section and is the equivalent to a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award

you could inspire our young people to grow in ability and confidence through a huge variety of activities and challenges, which is incredibly enjoyable and rewarding; why not give something new a go! Please contact GSL@1storwellscouts.org.uk if you are interested in finding out more.

Melbourn Dynamos Football Club

in terms of work. To achieve the Gold Award, Scouts must complete an expedition, volunteering activities and development and demonstration of a range of skills. These are amazing achievements for both our Scouts and our Cubs, not least as they were in large part worked towards over lockdown. We were also incredibly proud that Sian Bolitho, our dedicated Scout leader, was awarded a Commissioner’s Commendation for outstanding services to scouting. Most fittingly, this was presented to Sian in the dark, standing in a muddy, windy field accompanied by a campfire with marshmallows. This is a wonderful recognition of all the energy and commitment that Sian brings to 1st Orwell Scouts. 1st Orwell Scout Group meets on a Friday evening in Melbourn. The Group is currently full, but please contact admissions@1storwellscouts.org.uk to add your child to our waiting list. We are really keen to hear from any adults interested in becoming a leader as this will allow us to accept more children and reduce our waiting list. As a Beaver/Cub/Scout assistant leader

All welcome! https://melbourndynamosfc.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/ melbourndynamoscommunity/ Founded in 2003, Melbourn Dynamos FC is a thriving and friendly community football club that gives all the opportunity to play regular football, regardless of their experience or ability, at all ages from 3 through to and including Adults. Like many people and groups in this country, we have had to face the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. For the club this began on 13th March last year, ahead of the lockdown, with our decision to cancel all fixtures and training to protect our players, parents and other members of the community. After 5 months of necessary but frustrating inactivity, our players were able to return to limited training from the beginning of August, subject to essential Covid protection measures in line with government and FA social distancing and good hygiene requirements; details at https:// melbourndynamosfc.wordpress.com/latest-news/ . Our new season suffered from a delayed start at the end of September subject to social distancing and Covid security measures required by government and the FA (https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/sep/10/updatedcovid-19-guidance-for-grassroots-nls-wfp-100920). Thanks to our Covid Protection Officer, Nicky Patel, and our wonderful volunteer coaching teams, around 300 children in our community have restarted regular healthy fun through structured exercise and team building after the long confinement of lockdown. Subsequent further lockdowns have impacted on us all, but the reduction of COVID-19 cases and rapid rates of vaccination have resulted in the return of grassmelbournmagazine@gmail.com

roots youth football from early April. Our League has cancelled formal fixtures for the rest of the season but has arranged friendly matches so that our players can enjoy football again and be ready to start a normal season this September (see photograph below of our U15s team). Last year, our club was recognised as an FA Community Hub Club, one of only eight in Cambridgeshire. What this means is that our growth and development has been recognised by Cambridgeshire FA for its important community contributions:

• A football club at the heart of the community • Providing football opportunities For All • Developing young leaders and planning for

sustainable future

This recognition by Cambridgeshire FA has resulted from the tireless work of our club volunteers to develop and grow MDFC at the heart of our village. The Club is currently FA Charter Standard and will soon be applying for the higher Community Club status. This will ensure a continued thriving partnership with Cambridgeshire FA, who have been instrumental in the Club’s recent development. As an FA Hub Club, we hope to attract further funding and support to secure and continue development at the heart of our community. We have established inclusive football teams to bring the beautiful game to a wider range of players at both youth and adult level. Thanks to the support of our wonderful club volunteers we now have the OWLS (Opportunities Without Limits), a team for adults who play in the Cambridgeshire FA Parability League. The Club was the first to receive the Pledge Project Certificate of Recognition from Cambridgeshire

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FA and we are very proud to have received the Project of the Year award from Cambridgeshire FA for our commitment to offer everyone with a disability the opportunity to get involved in football, either competitively or socially. We are also planning to host disability Saturday morning drop-in sessions – watch out for future announcements. For many years, the club has been working hard with our community to establish Girls’ Football. Our latest initiative has been working with the FA to set up the Melbourn Wildcats, providing girls aged 5–11 years with the opportunity to have fun, make friends and play football (see attached image). This fun, friendly environment will develop young girls’ physical and social skills by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and inspiring them to develop a lifelong love of the game. Please use the following link to book your place: http://faevents.thefa.com/book?sessionid=138685 We are pleased to learn that the Managers and Coaches of our many teams are seen as important role models in our community for young players. All are trained to at least FA level 1, so have a clear understanding of child safeguarding as well as physical first aid issues. At the start of the season a number stepped forward to request training in mental health first aid as well. This training is not compulsory for the club’s FA Charter Standard status, but we recognise the importance of mental health issues for young people in our community, are providing this training and have been very fortunate to receive financial support from our sponsors. If you would like more information you can follow this link to Mental Health First Aid England – https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/about/. We are a successful club defined by the strength of support from members and families, the praise and

recognition of fellow clubs and FA Leagues, the work with our Community partners including Melbourn Village College and Melbourn Parish Council, and of course our players’ achievements on the pitch and their support for the community. With the support of our fundraising and community partners, we are making the club more inclusive by assisting players whose families are unable to afford the necessary fees. Our club is committed to developing our players through respect of fair play and a love of the game. This approach wins the respect of other clubs as well as providing the skills and commitment to win leagues and cup finals. This season we have 22 teams and 320 players. There are opportunities for all as we welcome new players and volunteers. Our youngest players – the Dynamites – increasingly provide the core of our success, with league teams from under 7 upwards. The Dynamites’ coaching team is led by Dipak Patel. Dee was Cambridge FA’s Community Coach of the year for 2013, gained his Level 2 coaching qualification in June 2015 and is our Football Development Officer. These players, aged 3-6, have fun and develop their skills before deciding whether to play league football as the club’s under 7s team. The Dynamites train with level 2 and level 1 FA qualified coaches in Saturday morning fun sessions at Melbourn Sports Centre. These feature lots of short activities aimed at improving individual skills, concentration and the ability to be part of a team. The first one-hour session is free, thereafter we charge £2. All are welcome to the Melbourn Dynamites so why not bring your kids along so they can check it out? Many of you will have seen the great news in previous articles about the full-size all weather Astro pitch for Melbourn. This has now been confirmed, work has started at MVC and it will be ready this summer in plenty of time for the new 2021-22 season. Melbourn Dynamos is proud to have initiated this exciting project delivering a huge asset for the whole community. We have been providing our children with increasing opportunities for healthy-living and well-being for more than 18 years, and our club is now the largest sport provider in our community. The quality and safety of the village’s current Astro pitch has been an increasing concern and we have been exploring a new and better facility with our community partners for many years. This has been a long and sometimes frustrating process, but thanks to the resolute determination of the Dynamos’ leadership team and their actions to win the support of the Football Foundation and Cambridgeshire FA, we are pleased that the village will have this new full-size artificial pitch by this summer.

The 100m x 64m floodlit pitch, based at MVC and costing more than £800,000, will be approximately four times the size of the current aging artificial surface it is replacing. In addition to school use, it will be available to local football clubs, for all ages and abilities, as well as the community out of school hours. The club’s success at providing accessible and inclusive sport and exercise for our local children, means we need volunteers and financial support from our community. This enables the club to train our volunteers and continue to provide opportunities for all children irrespective of their financial circumstances. We are particularly grateful to Melbourn Parish Council for the Community Grant awards that recognise the importance of our community work and the need for financial support. Melbourn Dynamos’ continuing success and growth means that we also need your help. Please contact Blake Carrington at: chairman. mdfc@gmail.com for further information about the following opportunities: • Volunteers: If you would like to contribute to the club as a Facilities Manager, Administrator, Fund-raiser, Fixtures Secretary, Club Secretary, Coach, Match day official or in some other volunteer capacity then we are very keen to hear from you. We know that there are many potential volunteers in our village who have skills and enthusiasm to support and develop our work in the community. • Sponsorship Partners: Our success and development come at a cost as we need to pay for the £250 training and kit costs of our new volunteer coaches as well as ensuring that we have 2 trained coaches for each of our existing teams. In addition, our pitch fees are in excess of £9,000 per season plus maintenance costs. Therefore, as Melbourn’s major community sports provider, we would be pleased to hear from potential sponsorship partners who share an interest in our community work More information about the club and individual teams is available from the club’s Website: https://melbourndynamosfc.wordpress.com.

Melbourn Football Club As another three months have now passed and we are gradually moving out of the Lockdown restrictions, the exit to the end of the tunnel is getting ever closer. As I am sure you are aware, grass roots football restarted at the end of March, which, I believe has been achieved in part due to the fantastic efforts of all of the people involved in the vaccine roll-out programme, and once again I would like to pass on Melbourn Football Club’s gratitude to everyone involved in the fight against this melbournmagazine@gmail.com

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awful virus. By the time I write the next report for this magazine we should be restriction-free and able to enjoy all of the things that we took for granted previously. Who are we? Melbourn Football Club are a men’s adult football team that play in the Cambridgeshire Kershaw County Leagues, with home games held at The Moor Recreation Ground. The club offers affordable sport within the village to players of 16 and above. We have been representing the village for over 120 years and are always looking for new players to join us, so if you feel that you would like to play Saturday afternoon football in a friendly but competitive atmosphere then please contact the First Team Manager, Chay Wilson on 07966 573008, Reserve Team Manager, Gareth Crouch on 07943 389562 or our Club Secretary, Simon Gascoyne on 07732 613555 or you can e-mail him on simon_ gascoyne@hotmail.com. Alternatively, you can also contact us using our social media pages and can find these details at the end of this report. Due to our fundraising efforts and excellent support from our sponsors, we are able to provide the opportunity for young adults (16 years and above) to continue playing football for as little as £30 per year (this is the signing on fee for all players) as we don’t charge Under 18’s, unemployed or those in full time education a match fee (this is normally £6 per match). So, if you are wanting to continue playing football or would like to get back to playing then we would be pleased to hear from you. We also provide the highest level of insurance cover against injury that is available via the Cambridgeshire Football Association, which has been of benefit to a couple of our players over the past couple of years. We normally train on a Wednesday night (obviously, this has been affected by Covid 19) and again new players are welcome and encouraged to join these sessions. The Season Voided! Following my last report where I mentioned that discussions were taking place between the Cambridgeshire Football Association and the clubs within the Kershaw Leagues as to how the season should proceed. I can advise that a vote was taken by the clubs to void the current season and replace it with three cup competitions, where the teams were seeded depending on their league positions (with an element of geographic location taken into account) to allow clubs to enjoy games with a competitive element included. It was not the outcome we as a club wanted, as we were top of our league and undefeated for the season hoping for a promotion, however, we entered both teams into the competitions, with the first team entering the Kershaw 30 Year Intermediate Cup and the reserve

team in the Kershaw 30 Year Junior Cup (the teams from the top leagues are competing in the Kershaw 30 Year Senior Cup). The teams were placed into leagues of six or seven teams with each team playing against each other once with the top team going through to the knockout rounds along with the top two second placed teams in each competition. The first team got off to a great start in their league winning the first two games against Steeple Morden 4–1 and Guilden Morden 2–1 and then drawing against Great Shelford Reserves away 2–2: having conceded an own goal early in the game, they then drew level before taking the lead, but a late penalty for handball was awarded to Great Shelford preventing what would have been a memorable win. I say this as Great Shelford took the decision not to enter their first team in the Senior Cup competition, which meant they could play players from their Kershaw Premier League team (four leagues above us!) in their reserve team, a decision that they opted to take up by fielding at least five first team regulars against us! Normally this would be limited to two. The first team then lost the fourth game to Cherry Hinton Reserves at home 2–4, coming back from two goals down to level the scores and then conceding a third with half an hour left in the game. Shortly after the third goal went in, we unfortunately had a bad injury to our striker Ben Fox, resulting in him being taken to A&E with severe concussion, following a challenge where he hit his head on the ground causing temporary loss of consciousness. This resulted in having to reorganise the team, as two of his close friends who are key players for us came with me to the hospital, making sure he was okay during the journey and staying awake (as I write this he is now home and recovering but will not play again this season). The final score in this game was a 2–4 defeat, but up until this point we were competing very well against another team that included Kershaw Premier League players within it. This defeat also brought to an end our unbeaten run of 13 games for the first team, beating the 12-game run in early 2013 but short of the 18 games undefeated that was achieved between November 2009 and April 2010. A further 1–4 defeat came against Cambridge University Press Reserves, leaving us unable to qualify for the knock out stages of the competition. However, we have taken great pride in our ability to compete with these stronger sides in this competition. We have one final match to play against our nearest (geographically) rivals, Meldreth Firsts, which is known locally as the Mel Classico! The reserve team are also in a division with teams melbournmagazine@gmail.com

from higher leagues and this has also been a tough competition for them having lost the first three games but winning the fourth one 5–2, Ben Fox scoring all five goals (the first player to do so in a game for Melbourn since Kieran Butler in January 2020). Unfortunately, their final match ended in a 7–0 defeat to Sawston Phoenix, one of three teams from Sawston that were in their division. Again, this was a very strong division with all of the opposing teams placed higher in the final places of the voided season. Sponsors & Fund Raising As I have mentioned in my previous reports, we have been supported well by a number of local businesses from the village with generous donations allowing us to purchase new kits and training equipment and once again a number of these have come forward to offer further financial assistance despite the difficulties businesses face in these uncertain times. This support has meant that we are able not only to provide the teams with excellent kit and equipment but also to continue with our support of our chosen charity CPSL Mind, the mental health charity (more about this later!). On behalf of the club, I would once again like to thank: Shire Tree Surgery; T J Plastering; P J Deards Plumbing; MJF Construction; Conqueror Industries

CHEAPSTORAGELTD

It was also great to see the reserve team take to the field with their new home kit provided by Shire Tree Surgery, who have been a long-time sponsor of the team. In addition to these companies, I would again like to reiterate the thanks of Melbourn Football Club to Steve and Kerry Harrington and their team at the Black Horse Public House for welcoming us into their establishment and providing food to the team after matches and during our monthly committee meetings, and we are already enjoying their hospitality after games following the reopening of the pub in April. They have picked up where they left off with first class table service in a socially distanced environment. If you haven’t booked a table yet make sure you give it a try as it’s always a warm welcome! As always, I would like to ask that if you feel that you are able to offer sponsorship in some way then please contact Simon Gascoyne on the contact details below. Unfortunately, due to Lockdown we have not been able to hold any fundraising events since before Christmas but we are hopeful that this will be changing very soon, so please keep a look out on our normal communication channels including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for news of what we are planning to do.

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The Road to Istanbul From my previous reports, you will be aware that we donate 25% of all funds that we raise through fund raising activities like quiz nights and raffles to CPSL Mind, our nominated charity for this season, however due to Lockdown and being unable to hold fundraising events we agreed as a club to take on a challenge to run/walk to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul as this is where the Champions League Final is due to be played on the 29th May. It was agreed that 100% of the monies raised from this challenge would go to CPSL Mind and a Just Giving page was set up by Stuart Smith and people were asked to make donations to this worthy cause. However, the response from the members of the club and their partners was fantastic leading to 44 people signing up to complete the challenge, paying £25 to take part, due to this response we decided that we should add the return journey to the challenge increasing the distance originally set at 3,000 kilometers to 6,000 kilometers. This averaged out to 136 kilometers per person during the month of March and we completed the challenge on the final day. As expected the distances covered by each individual varied massively (injuries taking their toll in some cases, along with work commitments and inclement weather) with the top two, Josh Holmes and Michael Harper finishing on 413.2 kilometers each; they agreed this would be a good way to end their personal challenges, having pushed each other all of the way. During his challenge Josh ran several marathons whereas Michael, being 58 years old, walked a steady 10 kilometers a day raising the bar in the last ten days to much longer distances. For me one of the best performances within the challenge came from Megan Eaton, who not only finished in third place but achieved a distance in one day of 47 kilometers (29 miles in old money), which

blew several of her closest challengers (including me!) out of the water. Well done Megan, a truly great effort, finishing in third place with a total of 288 kilometers. The oldest particpant in the challenge was Terry Muncey, who at age 66 walked 227 kilometers and kept me company on the challenge. As I said earlier, the purpose of this challenge was to raise funds for CPSL Mind and I am proud to say that we raised £3,375.28 plus a further £634.08 in gift aid, bringing the total to a magnificent £4,009.36. This event was reported on a daily basis on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages by our secretary Simon Gascoyne, with pictures of the participants in the challenge at different stadiums along the way to Istanbul. In addition, our first team manager Chay Wilson gave interviews to several local radio stations explaining the reasons for the challenge. Our original target was £1,000 so to finish on a total of £4,009.36 smashed all of our expectation and we pass on our thanks to all of the people who donated to our cause (including former Irish International footballer Daryl Murphy, who was keen to make a donation). Do you have any old Photographs of the past teams or players? We are currently putting together a picture library on our website and would like to ask if anyone has any old photos of players or teams from the past or newspaper cuttings. We have already received some (and thank you to those who have got in touch since my last request) which are great to reminisce about as we talk about some of the great teams and individuals that have been part of the club over the years. What would be really great when sending them in is if you can provide any names, the year/s the picture was taken and any anecdotal comments that could be added as it is always lovely to hear these stories.

Team members proudly displaying their CPSL Mind Challenge T-Shirts

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If you are able to help then please forward these to the following: website@melbournfc.com www.facebook.com/MelbournFC Training Sessions As the season draws to an end we will restart training sessions sometime in July and will advise via our normal communication channels, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Last but not Least The last thirteen months have not been entirely unproductive in Lockdown, as during this time six of the club members and their partners have had babies born and with another player’s wife expecting an addition to their family in October this year. Our club secretary, Simon Gascoyne, was one of these but I mention him as he went that little bit further by delivering his daughter ten minutes before the ambulance arrived! The birth of a child is an amazing experience for both parents; however, Simon was on hand once again to save the day in a calm and collected way (well that’s what he is telling us!). On behalf of the club I would like to congratulate all of these parents on the birth of their babies. Contact Details If you are interested in joining Melbourn Football Club as a player, committee member or even as a supporter then please contact the First Team Manager, Chay ANGLING Wilson onETERNIT 07966 573008, Reserve Team CLUB Manager, Gareth Crouch on 07943 389562 or our Club Secretary, Simon Gascoyne on 07732 613555 or you can e-mail him on simon_gascoyne@hotmail.com You can365 also find us on social media and can days fishing for £25.00 follow us on Twitter @Melbourn_FC, Facebook www. facebook.com/MelbournFC , Instagram @melbourn_fc and our website www.melbournfc.com Consessions for

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lakedon’t stocked with Roach, For those ofLocal you who already know, we have: Bream, Perch, Rudd, Chub, Barbel, Ide, artCarp fitnessand suite Crucian offering a Carp variety of • A state of the membership schemes Dayswimming tickets available pool (kept at everJKL so Tackle slightly • A 20-metre warmer than most!) Find us on Facebook @Eternit AC Fishing • A comprehensive swimming lesson programme, catering for all ages and abilities • Upgraded multisports courts for hire including tennis, football and squash courts • Water sports courses and activities • Traditional and modern exercise classes

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to Melbourn Village College sports hall and gymnasium for activities such as trampolining, badminton and basketball • Supervised sports and pool parties Reopening After Lockdown 3 Review Like most businesses, life has been very difficult for us. But it’s been great to have the full support of the local community to enable us to get back open, even it if has been on reduced hours and with restrictions! We’re really hoping that society has now turned a corner in dealing with the pandemic, and that we can gradually keep moving on toward getting back to normal. Even with strict COVID-19 preventative measures, we’ve still been able to offer junior swimming lessons, general swims and Fitness Suite. We were able to operate our Holiday Scheme at May Half Term as well as swimming crash courses, which was great news. We were also able to accommodate Football Fun Factory at Easter so that they could run their football camps and were pleased to welcome Royston Netball Club back to the facility. We are continuing to work closely with Melbourn Dynamos, Comberton Gymnastics Club, Meridian Triathlon Club, outdoor Jazzercise and various martial art groups on site. Summer 2021 – Let’s Hope The Summer Time Brings Sunnier Times To Us All! As Government restrictions ease, we are hoping to be able to open up the Sports Centre fully, enabling us to offer a fuller programme to you all. Monday 17th May hopefully sees the return of indoor adult classes including Aquafit, Adult swimming lessons, Adult indoors sports and exercise classes such as indoor Jazzercise. We are also hoping to be able to revert back to our usual turn-up-to-swim sessions, but until further notice we will be continuing with our booking system, so please check and if necessary, book first before arriving. Get Fit With Msc This Summer We hope to have plenty to offer everyone this Summer, even if it’s with COVID-19 safety measures! So why not come along and get fit and healthy – both mentally and physically – at your local sports centre? There’s water aerobics and Swim Clinic to enjoy (returning in May) along with the usual swimming sessions. If ‘dry’ activities are more your thing, then we have our full Fitness Suite open for business with pocketfriendly payment options to suit all users. There’s also badminton courts available to hire, and with the warmer months now upon us, tennis courts too!

Activities For Children We hope to be able to offer our summer school holiday activities, which we anticipate will be very popular, so please ensure you get your places booked as early as possible to avoid disappointment. We are hoping to be able to offer a variety of activities to choose from, including our Ofsted Registered Playscheme (The Kidz Factor), Sport Taster Sessions and Swimming Crash Courses. Also available are our very popular Children’s Sports Camps, always a fun way to try out both mainstream and specialist activities. You may like to bring the children along to our Family Fun sessions in the swimming pool (prebooking essential at present). With restrictions easing, we are hoping to be able to return to our pre-COVID pupil numbers for our popular swimming lesson programme, so if you are looking to enrol your child (or yourself!) in this, then please get in touch for further details. The Perfect Present! Looking for something a little different to buy a loved one or friend? Then how about the gift of fun and fitness? We have some great offers on for the facility in general or just our competitively priced membership schemes for the MSC Fitness Suite, which houses the latest in gymnasium equipment, including C.V machines fitted with audio visual technology. Or you could just treat yourself (we all deserve it!) Coming In 2021 – A Brand New Astro Turf Facility! With the wonderful news that Melbourn Village College have secured funding for a brand new full-sized Astro Turf pitch, we are looking forward to helping this become operational in 2021, and arranging bookings for this brilliant facility. For more details or to book your slot, please contact the centre. We’d like to end with a huge thank you for your support through this tough time. All leisure facilities, particularly smaller ones, are struggling to survive, but with your help and patronage, we will continue to thrive! For further details on memberships or any of our activities, please call 01763 263313 or go online at www.mc-sport.co.uk. You can also follow us on our Facebook page (melbournsports). We look forward to seeing you this Summer! Melbourn Sports Centre, The Village College, The Moor, Melbourn, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 6EF 01763 263313

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Melbourn magazine is non-profit and all work on the magazine including design and layout are produced by volunteers. The Magazine is published four times a year in the first week of March, June, September and December. We print 2250 copies which are delivered free to every house and business in the village. Advertising revenue is used for printing costs only. Adverts should be supplied as finished artwork and must be at the sizes shown below. Please send artwork to melbournmagazine@gmail.com. The current rates for advertising in the Magazine are as follows: Size per… 1/4 inside page 1/2 inside page

Width x Height (79 × 128 mm) (163 × 128 mm)

B/W £132 £225

Colour £205 £313

Advertising rates are per year (four issues) For further information on advertising please telephone 221965. Remittance or cheques should be made to Melbourn Magazine.

We are grateful to TTP for their continued sponsorship Editorial Ann Dekkers 261144 Editorial, production, Peter Simmonett 220363 design and layout Advertising David Samson 261104 email: melbournmagazine@gmail.com Parish Profile Proof reading Village Diary Printer

Mavis Howard 260686 Ann Dekkers 261144 Christine Orchard 221033 Jane Stevens Christine Orchard 221033 Langham Press 01223 870266

The Melbourn magazine team would like to thank all our advertisers for their support and sponsorship Advertisers

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Buntingford business celebrating Buntingford business celebrating Buntingford business celebrating Buntingford business celebrating 15 years anniversary.

15 years anniversary. 15 years anniversary. 15 years anniversary. Thank you to all our patients for their support over the years. Thank you to all our patients for their support over the Thank you to all our patients for their support over the years. years.

Thank you to all our patients for their support over the years. Thank you to all our patients for their support over the years. Our mission Our mission Our As yourmission local independent practice, J. Oliver Radley Opticians Our mission As your local independent practice, J. Oliver Radley Opticians As your local independent practice, Oliver Radley Opticians strives to provide an excellent serviceJ. that’ s tailored to your Our mission As your local independent practice, J. Oliver Radley Opticians strives to provide an excellent service that’s tailored to your

strives to excellent service that’ ss Radley tailored to your individual optical an needs. We welcome both privateOpticians and NHS As your local independent practice, J. Oliver strives to provide provide an excellent service that’ tailored to your individual optical needs. We welcome both private and NHS individual optical needs. We welcome both private and NHS patients, whatever your visual requirements for fashion, sports, strives to provide an excellent service that’ s tailored to your individual optical needs. We welcome both private and NHS patients, whatever your visual requirements for fashion, sports, patients, whatever your visual requirements for fashion, sports, style, UV protection and budget mayboth be. private patients, whatever your visual requirements for fashion, sports, individual optical needs. We welcome and NHS style, UV protection and budget may be. style, UV protection and budget may be. style, UV protection and budget may be. patients, whatever your visual requirements for fashion, sports, style, UV protection and budget may be.

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James Edel James Edel James Edel James Edel James Edel J. Oliver Radley Opticians J. Oliver Radley Opticians J. Oliver 36 High Radley Street, Opticians J. Oliver Radley Opticians 36 High Street, 36 High Street, Buntingford, High Radley Street, Opticians J.36 Oliver Buntingford, Buntingford, SG9 9AQ Buntingford, 36 High Street, SG9 9AQ SG9 9AQ SG9 9AQ Buntingford, SG9 9AQ

www.radleyopticians.com www.radleyopticians.com www.radleyopticians.com www.radleyopticians.com Printed by The Langham Press

Issue 106 Summer 2021

Articles inside

Sports & Clubs

Village news

Churches Together

What’s On

Review

Nature

Education

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