10 minute read
Walks in & around Melbourn
Walks
in & around Melbourn
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A Thoughtful Walk and A Beautiful Game
“Melbourn Village: Much To Offer” could be the marketing slogan of a property developer promoting an unwanted large scale housing development on Melbourn’s outskirts– while simultaneously working through a planning procedure only property developers and our District Councillors seem to understand. Indeed, it could even be the back-handed compliment to Melbourn that brought about the same District Council’s recent, and now fully implemented, housing policy for Melbourn, seemingly entitled: “Big Bang: Delivering Two Hundred Houses in One Development in One Village”.
Instead, “Melbourn Village: Much To Offer” is presented here as a statement of truth, to promote a local walk to all residents who live in Melbourn Village or its surrounding area and who are, perhaps, raising young teenagers. The walk comes highly recommended, having been personally ‘testdriven’ in the company of young teenagers at different times during all kinds of sunny, rainy, blowy or snowy days some decades ago, and on many other recent times walking alone– including as recently as last week.
The walk is ideal for stressed parents living with young teenagers as it offers many possibilities with things to point out, thoughts to share, discussion to be had, things to do, possible activities for them– or you– to join in and, perhaps, most importantly, shared memories to be created and stored away.
Throw a few useful bits of kit into a kit bag: a football; a few tennis balls; a couple of rackets; a basketball; a rounders bat; a hurley stick; a frisbee and set out. (What’s a hurley stick you ask? Look online at the Irish national game of hurling– perhaps a national championship final from Dublin’s Croke Park– and give yourself a heart stopping adrenalin rush of excitement!) Include a few snacks– hunger is at the root of many day-to-day family arguments while poverty, its much more devastating twin, is something far too many families now find on their doorstep. If a stressed parent today, do invest in this walk and you may also secure a future bonus: my children (now two independent young adults) remind me often of those days and the walks we took around Melbourn, particularly this one.
Set out from the gates of the URC cemetery on Orchard Road, opposite the URC church building, and proceed to the junction with Mortlock Street. Turn left, passing the Baptist Church building on your right, and proceed to The Cross. There stands the imposing presence of the country’s established church: the Church of England. The church building dominates the skyline with a tall spire atop a square
clock tower bearing a bright blue diamond shaped clock face. Rather surprisingly, the clock is owned and maintained by Melbourn Parish Council. Could this be a secular clock? Maybe an agnostic clock? Perhaps even an atheistic clock in Melbourn?
At the traffic lights, look to the heavens and wonder aloud what three separate church buildings of the Christian persuasion– standing for hundreds of years within a few minutes’ walk of each other and still functioning successfully– tells you of the good citizenry of Melbourn past and present and of the village’s civil and public life. “They provide great cover for the likes of us” a passing Serpent in human form might reply with a sly wink, as he slithers and slides past in rapid pursuit of a young woman– while polishing a keepsake apple, presumably for old times’ sake.
Perhaps wonder aloud about the influence of the great religions across very many societies and why it is always the woman– both in our modern world and throughout history– who is persecuted, blamed and treated unfairly? An opportunity to engage young minds with issues of religion and politics perhaps? Surely these are the most important influences in their young life and, of course, in ours.
Cross the High Street, take the path to the right of the church building, pass through the old iron kissing gate, follow the footpath and turn right. Enter and admire– while engaging your accompanying young people in conversation– a long established, attractively laid out small enclosure. Recent history shows that, at one time, a serious sheltered housing area with a community of residents, a full-time on-site Warden with support staff and an on-site thriving community facility for all to enjoy was planned and developed here. This was serious housing Policy.
Our elderly in those days were cared for and knew they were valued for themselves and for the contribution they had made over a lifetime– including through a long and very uncertain World War– from which they emerged and built a society of which all were proud: our great Welfare State. I recall some Melbournians, family and friends, who lived in this development during past decades. Indeed, I nodded to their memory last week as I walked along following the footpath, exiting the small mature enclave through a pedestrian gate onto the Village College’s playing fields.
If you are still in animated conversation with teenagers in tow (sullen or animated as only they can be) and are about to continue forward onto the playing field, instead bear immediately left and proceed to the well-hidden nearby bank of the River Mel.
Walk along beside and amidst the trees. Absorb their calm and feel the timelessness of their embrace. Listen to the Mel gurgling quietly on your left and humming to itself, as is the way with chalk streams. Turn from the trees’ shadows and the Mel’s bank and, if you are fortunate, witness sports coaching with full dramatic action on the Village College’s playing fields to your right.
If walking outside school hours, be astonished at the wide community use of these fine College facilities for all kinds of sport. If sporting activity is going full throttle, then slow down and watch as you walk. Smile and greet the passing dog walkers. They are always social and very friendly– owners and dogs! Better still, rest awhile on a well-positioned bench remembering, perhaps, your own misspent youth when school sports lessons were dodged in order to loll about at a distance, chatting and messing with friends.
Then, with contrition or, perhaps, contentment at the memory, re-shoulder the kit bag and lead the way alongside the bank of the Mel and the playing fields to reach the walk’s main target: the abrupt end of that long dense hedge of stout trees or, more accurately, what lies behind that hedge.
Turn right at this hedge and see in the middle distance the elegant renovated Melbourn Pavilion. Recall perhaps, like me, from the 1970s an old and care worn Pavilion building– but with local village cricket teams in front of the building enthusiastically attacking and
defending a wicket, and showing all the qualities that justifiably put the ‘Great’ in Great Britain and made English people everywhere stand tall with pride. Today, as those wonderful national qualities and values we have all seen, shared and applauded are themselves under sustained attack, dwell on them as you walk along this long-established footpath and, as I did just last week, perhaps reflect on the insights of one commentator as ‘knees were taken’ and racial hatred spewed recently: “You ask about what passes for our national qualities and our national values today? Well ‘it’s just not cricket’ is all I can say.”
Having noted the external elegance of that fine village asset which is the renovated Melbourn Pavilion, continue alongside the river bank and consider the options and activities which await your choice. Leave aside for a moment the other, equally visible, excellent village assets: directly opposite and across both sports pitches, the well-regarded Little Hands Nursery School; and behind it the large, well-equipped Melbourn Children’s Playground with its picnic tables and benches, all maintained by Melbourn Parish Council. Look closer and behold in sequence: • behind the Pavilion, a large area comprising the
Millennium Copse and within it the Melbourn Parish
Jubilee Orchard. Stroll among the trees planted by residents, pause for quiet reflection on the seats nearby, admire the wild flowers planted with care (and with much back-breaking ground clearance work) by some sadly no longer here to enjoy them. At the Copse edge, for those so minded, is a sturdy wellconstructed path of bark and wood chippings, laid alongside the Mel as the footpath’s next stage for the onward journey to Melwood Local Nature Reserve and Meldreth Village. • two sports pitches with permanent white painted goal posts, each awaiting a leaden-footed keeper (middleaged but fighting it every step of the way) and a couple of teenage penalty takers, or, if more gifted and fleet-of-foot, skilled dribblers and strikers; and the complementary well-maintained grass surface, awaiting only a walker with young teenage children to step forward clutching the ageless, ever popular frisbee or a rounders bat and a ball for pitching; • the practice basketball net with its generous surround of hard standing, awaiting only a couple of agile fit young teenage hoop-shooters and a possibly out of condition, fast approaching middle-age hoop defender (who now and again casually glances in the car rear view mirror and sees only youth and looks fast disappearing); • Melbourn Bowls Club, its club-house standing like a beacon of tolerance, decency, and camaraderie, welcoming all who care to come along and be initiated into a beautiful game. If you are in luck, as I was last week, you can stand and watch the players in action on a pitch so smooth and green it could be a large billiard table. Club Officer Martin Leggett whom
I met is a fount of knowledge, so let me tell you: Bowls is for everyone– all ages, all abilities, all fitness levels.
Forget any stereotype you might have and find out the truth. Club Membership Secretary is Pat Leggett (01763 220794). Full information available by phone or online and a warm welcome assured.
The options and activities before you are yours to choose. “Melbourn Village: Much To Offer” includes this very easy walk intended to exercise mind and body and lead, perhaps, to a beautiful game: cricket and its eternal values and qualities forever seen as quintessentially English; hurling to be enjoyed in Dublin’s Croke Park via the internet; or lawn bowls with wonderful Melbourn Bowls Club, astonishingly in continuous existence since 1922! Whatever you choose to do in Melbourn today think hard and, as you do so, enjoy life– surely the most beautiful game of all. Hugh Pollock
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