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feature
Ten Years on from the MIllennium
I have recently been looking at the book of photographs, ‘Melbourn 2000’ which the Magazine Production Team published to commemorate the millennium. At the time we hoped that it would show how quickly things change, and how ‘history’ is made. Indeed there have been changes.
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On the plus side we have a wonderful new facility in the shape of Stockbridge Meadows, open to us all, and soon to have other artistic additions. The River Mel is being restored thanks to an enthusiastic, prize-winning team, made up of people from both Melbourn and Meldreth. Our Millennium Copse is fast growing and maturing, and will provide interest for many years to come.
Our population has grown as we have many new houses. Chalkhill Barrow, on the site of the old Hagger Orchard and archeological site, featured in ‘Melbourn 2000’, and in Back Lane on an old industrial site; also on the redeveloped Moorlands site on the Moor, where there is also much improved sheltered housing for older people. ‘Lantern Close’ is a development on the old Water Board site opposite the United Reformed Church on Orchard Road.
We are privileged that education, for nursery to retired ages, is available in the village. We still have shops, and a proper butcher, and many places in which to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Although our central Post Office is closed we are lucky to have a very good, if smaller, replacement.
We still have three churches, with ministers, and one new church community hall, very well used.
We have lost one public house, as the Star is closed at present, but still have two pubs, two restaurants and various fast food facilities.
There are also sporting facilities available to us all, based at the Village College and the Moor.
We now have very sophisticated refuse collection, with emphasis on recycling, suitable material is taken away for composting and can then be returned to our gardens. An Allotment Society has been formed, and people are very keen to grow their own food both for health and economy reasons.
And we have garages for petrol and car repair. So we should be very pleased with our local environment.
Of course there are always changes which give cause for concern. We feared that we had lost our Police Station, as affordable housing is to be built on the site (which unfortunately is near to the car park, which seems to be the focus for the small amount of anti-social activity in the village). However, the police station is to be rebuilt on the College site and plans have already been drawn up. Certainly there is now a smaller police presence; 10 years ago we shared an officer with Meldreth, now officers must cover many more villages and do not necessarily know many of us personally.
We feared that we would lose our Library, due to shortage of funds, but thanks to enthusiastic volunteers it is still going strong, and has even added more facilities.
Although several businesses have moved out of the village, mostly from the Back Lane site, it seems that an Ambulance Station is likely to replace them. While there is some concern about this, mostly with regard to speeding, we shall wait and see how this works out.
Very few people need a phone box now as everyone has a land line and many of us have mobile phones, but happily our listed box remains as a feature in the centre of the village. There have been difficulties with Royal Mail, and private companies are used for many deliveries, but we do hope that the red mail boxes will remain for some time to come, despite the increasing use of e-mail and communication web sites.
Sadly the Over-Sixties Club is no more – but perhaps this is because 60 is the new 40!
So there have been changes to Melbourn, but happily the majority of them appear to be positive. AD
Come and visit us on our Open Day Sunday 28th March. Contact us for more details.
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