Issue 66 Summer 2011 by Melbourn Magazine

...editorial How quickly the year is going, and how marvellous to have some really good weather, especially for the recent Royal Wedding! We hope that the Village Fete will also enjoy a day of sunshine, for the many exciting planned events. (page 6) By the time this edition is out Stockbridge Meadows will have three new sculptures made by Jo Chapman, Artist in Residence for the past year of arts activities in the community. The park is such a welcome amenity to have in the middle of the village, and is very well used. Both the Primary School and the Village College are to be congratulated on a very successful year. Building is now completed at the Primary School, and all looks very good. MVC has had some great academic and artistic successes (see page 26). We are pleased to welcome a new Parish Clerk, Mr Peter Horley, who takes up his duties at the beginning of June, as this edition appears. We wish him success and hope that he will enjoy our community. We also hope that our previous Clerk, Avril Mellor, will enjoy her retirement. (See Nature article on page 37.) Do please note that the Melbourn and Meldreth Branch of The Royal British Legion is looking for a new Chairman and a Secretary. It would be a pity if such a worthwhile organisation were to close due to lack of support. Mr Ron Brooksbank has contributed his final piece on his days as a policeman in Melbourn. He has written 18 articles since 2003, and we send him our thanks and wish him and his wife well for the future. Finally, Melbourn Magazine has received a certificate at the annual Community Magazine Awards organised by The Cambridge Building Society. We were presented with the Previous Winner Award, which was set up last year. We thank the Cambridge Building Society and are very grateful for their support for community magazines; it is interesting to have an opportunity to meet the production teams of other magazines at the awards presentation. The winners for 2010 were: 2010 Special Awards-Best Front Page Sawston Scene Best Commercial Magazine Villager and Town Life Best Specialist Magazine – Bronze News@Com – Silver Lingua@Com/Sports@Com – Gold GOBA News & About Town Best Newcomer Bulbeck Beacon Most Improved Willingham News Previous Winner Category Melbourn Magazine Low Frequency Magazine – Bronze Ashdon Village Magazine – Silver Littleport Life – Gold Within Reach High Frequency Magazine – Bronze Fen Drayton Magazine – Silver The Link – Gold Willingham news Front cover: Village Fete See page 6.

Village News

nature

River Mel Restoration Group

Mrs Janice Guest Council News

The Old Police site

17 19

Safer Melbourn

Education

Melbourn Village College

Community Survey 2011

Village information

Important numbers

Diary

nature

My chance encounter with a family of Stoats Beautiful Bee Borders – Cambridge Botanic Garden

feature In Days Gone By… Tales of a Cambridgeshire Country Copper

Church News

39 41

feature Cooper family from Linda Clarke (Cooper)

Melbourn Girls Sports & Clubs

Unpicked Meadow Public Art Project 35 What’s on

Apart from printing, all work on the Melbourn Magazine, including layout and design is produced by volunteers. The cost of production comes entirely from advertising and sponsorship. Melbourn Magazine is independent of the Parish Council NO public money is used.

mailto:mag@melbourn.org.uk

sweetflora.co.uk Specialists in fine hand crafted sugar flowers for wedding and celebration cakes email:info@sweetflora.co.uk www.sweetflora.co.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

village news Melbourn Village Plan

In the news

Work on the Village Plan report and action plan recommendations is quickly moving ahead to a conclusion. By the time you receive this, the final version of the plan Melbourn Village Plan 5 should be available on the website and at strategic locations around the village. We Melbourn Village Fete 6 urge you to read it! A digest of the report will appear as an insert in the September Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group7 edition of the Melbourn Magazine, delivered to every house in the village. In the last issue of the Magazine we reported on the many positive things being Home-Start volunteers 9 started as a result of the enthusiastic body of volunteers now working with the Village Mrs Janice Guest 9 Plan Steering Committee and the Parish Council. During March andApril a number of Library News 10 different work-groups have been involved with supporting of Stockbridge Meadows Melbourn and Meldreth Self Help Group 1 1and as volunteer litter pickers in the village. There is more on these initiatives below. Other people have expressed an interest in: RNLI 11 Improving rural footpaths Royal British Legion 11 Conservation and sustainability Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme13 Help to the elderly and other community support projects Melbourn History Group 13 Melbourn in Bloom. Royston & District Local History Society 5 1 We haven’t forgotten you! These ideas will be taken forward once the plan implementation process is in place. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People 15 We have also now completed a survey of businesses in the village and were Do you have Sight Loss? 15 impressed with the interest shown by most in being more involved in village life. Many business comments on issues facing the village paralleled those expressed Village News

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Volunteer workforce in Stockbridge Meadows

COFFEE STOP Every Saturday 10.30am to 12noon Rombouts coffee & biscuits for 80p at

All Saints’ Community Hall melbournmagazine

through the residential questionnaire. We hope to set up a ‘business forum’ and a directory of local businesses as an outcome from this research. Meanwhile, the Village Plan Steering Committee has almost completed work on the Village Plan. The Parish Council has reviewed a draft plan document, with copies of the draft also made available for consultation on the Village Website and in printed form at key village locations. We have received much useful comment as a result of this exercise. One of the extremely valuable elements of the process was the vast amount of narrative comment we received from the questionnaires returned. Although these can’t all be cited in the report they are an invaluable reflection of the feelings of people in the village and will be used to develop policy as we move forward on the recommendations. They will also be provided to the relevant authorities. This is an exciting time. The Village Plan will fully reflect the issues and ideas collected from the residents, businesses and organisations that make up the community of Melbourn. It is a blueprint strongly indicating the direction in which the village should go on a multitude of subjects, both big and small. We will be available at the fete to answer any questions and explain the way in which we suggest the actions arising from the plan research are taken forward. In addition, we hope some more of you will join our enthusiastic group of about 175 volunteers interested in improving the many varied aspects of village life. The task given to the Village Plan Steering Committee is coming to an end. Discussions are now taking place with the Parish Council on the nature and composition of an ‘Implementation Team’ to manage the fifty or so recommendations contained in the final plan document. There will be more detail on this in the next issue of the Melbourn Magazine.

Stockbridge Meadows

Through the Melbourn Village Plan a large and willing volunteer workforce was identified that specifically wanted to be part of the conservation of Stockbridge

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Litter picking volunteers collected an amazing 20 bin bags of litter in Melbourn

Meadows. On March 6th this enthusiastic group, following encouragement from and agreement with the Parish Council, organised the first working party of many in a long-term programme to make Stockbridge Meadows even better. On the day more than thirty volunteers worked at a variety of tasks, including tree-planting, mulching with bark chips and the construction of ‘lizard shelters’ for these very small but special inhabitants of Melbourn. The event was well supported by Parish Councillors in conjunction with the Cambridge Conservation Volunteers, and was supervised by Rob Mungoven, the ecology officer from SCDC. A reporter from Radio Cambridgeshire also covered the occasion. More working parties are being organised during the spring and summer. If you would like to take part please contact Maureen Brierley on 01763 262752 or maureen.brierley@virgin.net

Litter Picking

Supported by the Parish Council, and in partnership with the River Mel Restoration Group, a party of volunteers collected an amazing 20 bin bags of litter from the streets and public places in Melbourn on April 9th. This was the first in a programme of regular ‘litter-picks’ again initiated as part of the Melbourn Village Plan project. If you are interested in joining future litter picks please contact Liz Williams on 01763 263107 or elizw_elizboot@yahoo.com Village Plan Steering Committee

Melbourn Village Fete & Music on the Moor Saturday 25th June 2011 – 1pm till late

It’s that time of year again and the eagerly awaited Melbourn Village Fete & Music on the Moor is just a few weeks away. Hopefully you have seen the posters and fliers or heard all the publicity on the radio, if not check out our web-site www.melbournfete.co.uk for the latest information with some fantastic links to what will be on at this year’s Fete. As you can imagine, organising such an event takes a lot of time and manpower so if you would like a last minute stall or could spare some time to help on the day, please contact us on our web-site above. This year the Committee have worked very hard to maintain the high standard we have set ourselves to bring to the village a wide variety of stalls and entertainment throughout the whole day, as well as doing our best to keep costs down, so the whole family can come out for the day without breaking the bank. We have during the day a selection of rides for all ages from the fairground rides, bouncy castles for the little ones to giant slides and a climbing wall for the older ones, and new for this year a ‘human hamster ball’ for the more adventurous. We have a

full and fun packed schedule for the main arena for all those that would just like to sit down and enjoy watching others get all hot and bothered. The Electralites Majorettes, who are the ‘baton’ UK Champions for the last 6 years and our local cadets marching band, are putting on a couple of displays in the afternoon. As shown on the front cover, racers will again be competing for the Lawn-Mower Racing trophy, the ‘Melbourn Cup.’ All you lawn-mower fanatics, get your entries in soon, to avoid disappointment! Also again this year, we hope to have an interesting and varied display of vintage/classic vehicles for you to admire. We also have NEW for this year a BMX bike display from Danny Butler, British Champion, and his team which you should not miss, as well as again NEW for this year, some Sheep Racing. Yes – you did read it right we will have some sheep at the Fete and hopefully around 3pm we will have our own Melbourn Village Fete grand national sheep race. If that was not enough, around 5pm we have a ‘musical dog sit’ competition for some local pet owners to see how obedient their dogs are. Not forgetting the ever popular tug of war and from last year, egg throwing for those that would like to get involved. For the little ones, McSplash are organising some games and dancing throughout the afternoon. We will also have music on throughout the afternoon with the Memphis Jazz Band and Double Take barber shop quartet from last year as well something new from the youth of the village: we are proud to give some time for Tom/Luke/Luke/Tom (band), The Kill BuljoAcoustic Fist (band) with some fantastic vocals.All-in-all a fantastic music line up for the fete, and the Music on the Moor evening featuring Simon Holmes MVC Band supporting local head-lining act Lipstick Torpedo. Our BBQ will be serving a varied selection of good quality meats at reasonable prices, keeping up our reputation of value for money. The Bar will have lager on tap and also a good choice of ales and ciders to quench your thirst, not forgetting our ever popular PIMMS which always seems to bring out the sunshine on the day. For the kids we will have a selection of soft drinks. Also as usual, there will be refreshments in the Pavilion, for those who prefer tea and cakes somewhere quiet to catch up with their friends. With the generous support of all our sponsors, together with the support of all the local villagers who come in their thousands to add to the fantastic atmosphere, this year’s Melbourn Village Fete & Music on the Moor event has all the potential of being one of the best ever. If you are able to offer your help on the day, volunteers can get in touch on our website www.melbournfete.co.uk or melbournfete@aol.com. Also, any sponsors would be very welcome and will receive a listing in the Fete programme and a link on our website. The sponsorship can be from £10 upwards, all amounts gratefully received, for further details contact Mary at purnell@waitrose.com. We look forward to seeing you on the day – Saturday 25th June 2011. Brian Collingbourne (Chair)

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group

We meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except December) and vary our venue between The Community Hall behind All Saint’s Church in Melbourn and The Meeting Room at Holy Trinity Church in Meldreth. There is no annual membership with a charge of £1 on the evening and an option to contribute to our charity pot, the charity we have chosen to support this year is MAGPAS. All meetings begin at 7.45p.m. ending with a cup of tea/coffee and biscuits, normally finishing by about 9.30 p.m. Since the last Magazine we have had our Lent Reflection led by Barbara Mackellar and at the time of writing are looking forward to a talk about Journalism by Maureen Moody in April and then our annual Garden Party which is in May this year. Our meeting on June 28 will be at Melbourn when Pauline Hay will be talking to us about the Mothers’ Union and I am sure this will be an interesting talk. We will also be manning some of the games stalls at Meldreth Fete on June 18th so come and speak to us there. Then in July on the 26th we will have a members’ music evening again in Melbourn, members bring some selections of their favourite music and it always turns out to be a varied and fun evening. August 23rd sees us in Meldreth for our annual outing which will be a short guided walk around Meldreth led by one of the members of The Local History Society. We will start and finish our walk at The British Queen so that we can quench our thirst afterwards! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me: Pat Smith (Chairman) on 01763 2690103

Village Market 1st Saturday of the month Melbourn Village College Main Hall If you would like a stall to sell your own crafts please contact: Judith Harradence on 223408 comed@mvc.org.uk melbournmagazine

Nature

River Mel Restoration Group

After a number of years of decline, the number of brown trout in the River Mel is on the increase. During the early months of this year more people are reporting that they have seen trout in both the Melbourn and Meldreth stretches of the river. So what has led to this increase? Trout breed in the winter months and in order to spawn successfully need fast flowing water and clean, well-oxygenated gravel in which to lay their eggs. Their decline can be traced in some part to historic dredging activities on the river. The Mel, along with many other streams in East Anglia, was dredged to make it wider and deeper, so as to accommodate flood flows and, in the case of Melbourn and Meldreth, to supply water to a series of water-driven corn-mills. Unfortunately, the dredging activities also removed much of the natural gravel bed of the river, while the wider deeper channel led to slow flows and the deposition of silt. By the time the Group started work in 2006 only a couple of short stretches of suitable gravel habitat remained. In short, much of the Mel no longer provided a habitat conducive to the life cycle of the brown trout. In order to encourage trout back to the river it was vital to provide a habitat that would support their breeding cycle. To this end, the Group created three artificial gravel shallows, called ‘riffles’, on a stretch of the river in Meldreth. This was not for the faint-hearted since we had zero experience when it came to riffle-building.

Fortunately we found experts willing to help us. The first riffle was installed under the watchful eye of the Ecology officer, while riffles two and three were installed with experts from the Environment Agency and the River Restoration centre respectively, both of whom brought a team of people out to help us as part of their corporate ‘away-day’ schemes. Each riffle took approximately 10 tonnes of specially sourced gravel, which was barrowed from the roadside, and along the riverside path by a team of hardy RMRG volunteers. It seems that the hard work has paid off. Water samples taken last summer by members of the River Restoration Centre showed that the riffles were teeming with the invertebrate species that provide a food source for young trout, and we hope that the increased sightings of larger trout means that the Mel is once again able to sustain a thriving population of wild trout. Working Party Dates: Saturday 18th June – Meldreth Saturday 2nd July – Melbourn Saturday 23rd July – Meldreth Saturday 13th August – Melbourn Saturday 3rd September – Meldreth All working parties meet at 9.15am for a 9.30am start and we endeavour to finish by about 12.30pm. In Melbourn we meet at the Pavilion on the Recreation Field and in Meldreth at 14 Flambards Close. For further information, please contact info@rivermel.com or telephone Maureen Brierley on 01763 262752.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Home-Start volunteers

Mrs Janice Guest

… ready to offer support

Families in the Royston area are set to receive support from some newly trained Home-Start volunteers. Home-Start which works with families in the area by offering guidance, practical help and support has approved a new intake of volunteers following the successful completion of a preparation course. Barbara Blower, Scheme Manager for Home-Start Royston and South Cambridgeshire said ‘We have 7 new volunteers who have undertaken a 10 session course to become volunteers for Home-Start. This will enable them to offer home visiting support to families in Royston and the surrounding villages. Thanks go to Andy Powney, the Welfare Officer at ATR Bassingbourn Barracks, who kindly gave Home-Start the use of a training room for the duration of the course and also to The Brian Leslie Racher Trust who contributed towards the cost of this training course. The following are quotes from some of the volunteers who took part in the course: “A really helpful, informative, thought provoking and reassuring course with a great team of volunteers who know all about fun and who are all very much looking forward to meeting and supporting their Home-Start families”. “I feel really happy with the way the course went, it was very enlightening and I enjoyed all of it - it was great fun”. “It was nice to spend time with other people who want to help as much as I do”. “It was well run and you make some lovely friends and now feel ready to support a family” “I so enjoyed the course and learnt so much. I’m now looking forward to helping other families” If you would like to find out more about the work of Home-Start in your area or are interested in volunteering, then please call the Home-Start office on 01763 262262 or email us on admin@hsrsc.co.uk. The new volunteers are joined in the photograph by Home-Start staff Barbara Blower and Co-ordinators Katie Kolind and Sarah Mascall andAndy Powney, the Welfare Officer at ATR Bassingbourn Barracks.

As you are all aware, Mum passed away peacefully on Sunday 21st November 2010 at Respiratory Support and Sleep Clinic (RSSC), Papworth Hospital. Like any family who loses anyone close to them, it is a very difficult time. We would like to thank everyone who visited Mum in hospital and at home and for sending messages of sympathy and support, they were very much appreciated. We had an overwhelming amount of friends who came to Mum’s ‘Celebration of Life’service at Melbourn Parish Church and thanks to everyone’s generosity we were able to donate £2200 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). Throughout Mum’s illness both the RSSC and MNDAwere a great support to Mum and us as a family, without them Mum would never have been able to return home. To enable the MNDA to continue with vital research into this currently incurable disease we have been fundraising in several ways. Last year, Erica along with her friends Claire Bates, Melanie Jones, Vicky McMorran, Sian Biddlecombe and Alison Peers completed the 10 kilometre road race in London, they raised an amazing £5500. Oliver (Janice’s eldest grandson) hosted a darts competition with his friends and raised £30. Jeremy (Janice’s son in law) cycled the 60 mile London to Cambridge bike ride in three and a half hours and collected £400 in sponsorship.This year we have Edward Dodson running in the London Marathon for us in Mum’s memory, so far his sponsorship has nearly reached £4000. If you wish to sponsor Ed you can do so at www.justgiving.com/ edward-mnda. On Friday 15th July, we are hosting a Charity Summer Ball at the Sheene Mill, Melbourn. Tickets are £55 per person and include drinks on arrival, a three course dinner with two glasses of wine, a live band and a donation to the MNDA. Why not come along with a group of friends and have an evening out? With the long summer evenings upon us this should be a very enjoyable occasion at a lovely venue. Tickets are available from myselfHelen Ashworth. Telephone 01763 230831 or 07815 911839 or email: jeremy.ashworth@ntlworld.com Once again, thank you for all your support over the past year and we look forward to seeing you at the Summer Ball. Helen Ashworth and family.

continued on page 10

melbournmagazine

Library News

There are currently moves afoot to reorganise the Library Service in Cambridgeshire in order to save money. This is a direct result of reductions in Government funding to the Cambridgeshire County Council. The Council is hoping to keep all its Branch Libraries open but this can only be achieved by reductions in staffing levels at Libraries. Melbourn is entirely run by volunteers and so is not affected by these savings. There are some other areas where savings are being put in place notably the Mobile Library Service which has been reduced to a nominal visit once a month to Melbourn and a reduction in the book transfer system. The reduction in the book transfer system means that Melbourn only receives books from other Libraries once every two weeks. This results in a longer period before books ordered by Customers are received. It will now take about two weeks to receive books. If you have email and have enabled your account at the Library you will receive an email when the books are received in the Library. The system that Melbourn was to receive 100 new books every month has been withdrawn but we have been allowed to keep our current stock. In place of this system our team is invited to attend Dryden House in Huntingdon four times a year to select books from their stock. Our first visit was successful and we were able to obtain a considerable number of good books. This requires a considerable increase in the level of work needed from our team as they have to spend most of a day at Huntingdon and try to select books that are suitable for

Free Storytime for under 5s! Thursday 10–10.45 am

Melbourn Library The Moor, Melbourn (next to Melbourn Village College)

Contact: Eleanor 01763 260924 or library 01763 269956

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

our Library and which we do not already hold on stock. We intend to keep our stock in good condition with these additions. We still need good new donations preferably paperbacks as we only have limited space for additions. Please keep the number you donate to about half a dozen at any one time as larger quantities present us with an administrative problem. We have a number of good books for sale usually as a result of getting more than one copy of the books. These books are very good value and are ideal for holiday reading or long journeys. The money we collect is used to help with the costs of operating the Library Access Point. The Children’s Story Time is going well. We run it every Thursday from 10 until 10.45 am. In practice this results in about 30 minutes of Stories and Rhyme Time. We need help from Parents during these sessions. We hope to have some sessions outside on the grass in a fenced-off area when the Summer comes. Generally we are doing very well with a steadily increasing turnover of books. We have with the help of several new Librarians been able to open on Tuesday afternoons. Initially Tuesdays had a poor start but lately it has become established and the numbers attending are rising. We still need your support as turnover is critical to our future. Opening times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 2.30 to 4.30 pm, Thursday 5.00 to 7.00 pm Saturday 10.00 to 12 pm. Story time 10.00 to 10.45 am Thursday.

RNLI

As we have recently held our AGM at the Royston Branch I thought readers may be interested in some of the statistics sent from H Q. Last year RNLI rescued 8,313 people around the coast of England and Ireland, while RNLI Lifeguards assisted 18,775 people during the summer season on over 150 of the UK’S busiest beaches. So that is 27.088 reasons to support our charity. Our lifeboats spent a total of 10,758 hours (448 days) at sea in 2010, actively rescuing 8,313 people (22 every day), the highest number in our history. RNLI Lifeguards were also kept busy responding to 16,662 incidents during the summer season. Something to think about as you head off for your summer breaks. Maybe you feel that you will never need a lifeboat, but we also train lifeguards who do valiant work on our beaches. Over a third of lifeboat launches in 2010 took place in the hours of darkness, and for every single call to launch the volunteers have to stop whatever they are doing, working, at a family celebration or asleep in bed, and get to their local lifeboat station as quickly as possible. RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto says, ‘2010 will be remembered for a series of harrowing disasters overseas, but around our coastline our lifeboat volunteers and lifeguards have once again demonstrated their priceless commitment to saving lives at sea.’ That however is only part of the story. Every one of those rescues was only possible because of the incredible generosity of the public, even in these difficult times. Everyone who works to raise funds for RNLI would like to say ‘thank you’ to all who support us. It is a team effort and, as a charity, we couldn’t do it without you – please keep backing us as every penny counts. We are absolutely determined to make the best possible use of the funds that the public entrust to us – and we regularly re-examine everything we do. This ensures that we give the best possible support to those at the sharp end who ultimately may face the worst the sea can throw at them. On behalf of Royston Branch thank you for your support throughout 2010. We will keep up our efforts in the coming year. A very safe summer to all Melbourn Magazine readers. Jean Emes (Sec) 01763 245958

Melbourn and Meldreth Self Help Group Thursday Lunch Club

I would like to thank both Melbourn and Meldreth Parish Councils for again providing us with funding and continued support for another year. Without the support of both councils the club would not be able to carry on. As I write this, we have just celebrated with an Easter Lunch. For special occasions the kitchen ladies and Joel, get together and produce a ‘home-made’ lunch for our group members. Today’s lunch was again fantastic, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. The menu was roast lamb, very kindly cooked and sliced by Leech Butchers, who are always a great support to us for which we are very grateful. This was served with new potatoes, greens, and peas followed by mixed berry Pavlova, made by the lovely Jo, and served with ice cream. The berries and cream were supplied by the local Co-Op. We also thank them. Following lunch, all our members were given an Easter Egg and Hot Cross bun to take away with them. I hope that later in the year we can repeat last year’s success of a cream tea, and we will be having some fund raising in May to go towards financing this. As usual, thank you to all the people who help in the kitchen, whether it be weekly or monthly, and the drivers who transport our clientele to and from Vicarage Close. Jayne White

Royal British Legion Women’s Branch

Members have had some fund raising events which included an Easter Coffee Morning where we served ‘Hot Cross Buns’ with tea and coffee, and an Easter Egg Raffle. We have had interesting and varied speakers at our monthly meetings. Our Standard Bearer, Delegate and several members have attended the Women’s Section National Conference at Eastbourne. Starting at Easter we will be resuming our weekly rota for putting fresh flowers on the War Memorial. Our Standard Bearer has attended the training school on several occasions. Anyone wishing to find out more about the Melbourn Meldreth Branch is very welcome to join us. We meet in Vicarage Close Community Room every 4th Wednesday in the month, except in December; meetings start at 7 pm. Contact numbers are: Mrs C Linsdell 01763 262208 and Mrs E Murphy 01763 220841

Knock down Ginger

Royal British Legion

Several of us enjoyed a concert given by the Salvation Army Band in Barrington. On the 30th April the Women’s Branch Standard was paraded in Cambridge for ANZAC Day. The Standard was carried by Pauline Parkinson, who was also in attendance at the annual women’s conference in Eastbourne on the 7th and 8th of May. Soon after I joined the branch the then chairman moved out of the district and I was asked if I would take his place. Terry Rolt was the secretary and Jim Mills President. Sadly Terry passed away and I took over the job of Secretary on a temporary basis; that was nearly five years ago. This will sadly be my last contribution to The Melbourn Magazine as arthritis and a heart condition have slowed me down in thought, word and deed. I shall be standing down as Chairman/Secretary at the AGM and if no-one comes forward to replace me the branch may have to close. If this should happen all members will be informed and preparations made for the laying up of The Standard. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who gave me support and help during my time with the branch. Patrick Parkinson Chairman and Secretary Melbourn, Meldreth and District Royal British Legion.

This supposedly harmless street game also known as ‘Knock and Run’ or ‘Postman’s Knock’ has become a problem in the village. Supposedly harmless, because all the youngsters do is knock on a front door and run. However, this so called ‘game’ has consequences. Recent complaints show these youngsters have chosen a bereaved family and an old and infirm person who struggles to rise from their chair and finds it both difficult and painful to walk. It maybe fun for the youth but to some it can be frightening and dangerous. The origins of the name ‘Knock down Ginger’ is said to come from a time when all the doors on council estates were stained a ginger colour, hence knock down ginger.

melbournmagazine

The Tide has Turned at the Village Local … A sea of change awaits at the Dolphin pub, in the village of Melbourn. The business has recently undergone a substantial makeover, bringing together both traditional classic and contemporary new looks. The exterior finishes have been changed to include new signage and planting, inside the interior has been tastefullydecoratedthroughoutandboastsmanynew features, cosy corners with comfy furniture and a relaxed dining experience. In addition to the refurbishment, a new team, now manage the business, headed up by Steve and Kerry Harrington, who bring with them a wealth of experience together with a love of food, customer service and hospitality. An all new menu has been introduced, featuring an array of Famous Pub Classics, such as Suffolk Pork Sausages with creamy mash, Hand-Battered Fish & Chips with Mushy Peas. In addition there are many exciting new dishes such as Crab Mezzaluna, Sweet Potato, Chick-Pea & Red Pepper Kebabs, Warm Shredded Duck & Hoisin Salad, great with a chilled glass of wine or a pint of traditional hand-pulled real ale. Food is available all day everyday from 12 noon until 9pm including Saturday and Sunday, with a traditional Roast on Sunday.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

With summer, just around the corner, the Dolphin is the ideal stop-off, with ample parking and a large well kept garden. Why not pop in for a glass of Pimms, a refreshing Pint of Real Ale or a chilled glass of your favorite wine. There really is something for everyone at the new look Dolphin. The Dolphin 105, High Street, Melbourn, SG8 6AP Telephone 01763 226004 Email 4199@greeneking.co.uk

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme

The ‘Friends of Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme’ is a fund that is built from kind donations from the public and helps to provide much welcomed outings for it’s scheme members who are all mobility impaired. The Melbourn Mobile Wardens Scheme’s fundraising committee organised and held a fundraising afternoon at Vicarage Close earlier in the year to help raise money for this. Over forty people attended this event which was an incredible success, receiving wonderful feedback and raising more than £250 for the ‘Friends of Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme’ fund. The afternoon was attended by some Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme members, plus residents of Vicarage Close, John Impey Way and beyond. It featured bingo with cash prizes including a big jackpot final game, an extensive raffle and a choice from a selection of delicious home made cakes and refreshments which were voted a real treat! The afternoon’s success was aided by the generosity of those who donated prizes for the raffle including the Melbourn Co-op who provided a lovely selection of produce to help our good cause. Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme members and the committee themselves contributed by providing prizes, donations, baking cakes, bingo calling and generally planning, organising and running the whole event! As a result, the Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme members had a lovely outing in May to Polhill Garden Centre in Coton where they enjoyed a delicious lunch and the lovely setting and amenities that the centre had to offer. Further outings are planned through the year thanks to the fantastic support of those who have contributed to the ‘Friends of Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme’ and for that, the scheme’s committee and members are very grateful.

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 anyone who requests our help 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:

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Melbourn History Group

It’s a long time since we asked Melbournians (Melbournites?) if there was any item of memorabilia or photographs of past events, or indeed anything that would help us in the production of a village history book. At the time we thought that we might get one or two ‘bits and pieces’ but looking through our filing cabinet today I was amazed at what we did collect and store. Some of these are so long ago that one quite forgets how they fitted into the text or even if they were reluctantly not used. For instance, we have an item on Empire Day 1940. Does anyone remember that yearly schoolchildren used to parade (often in Cub or Brownie uniform) to remember the British Empire? Do you remember the date it was held? 24th May to my recollection. And how about the 21st birthday of Alfred F Fordham? Or the air crash in Rose Lane in 1945? If you need to know about Jubal Howard and his bakery we have the facts.An historical account ofAir Raid Precautions 1935 – long before the war actually started. If you wanted the funeral card for Edith Catley in 1916 we can oblige and details of the assault on Mrs. Waldock in 1941 are there to hand.

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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 Advice on benefits Going to the Post Office to pay your bills Advice on getting repairs done in your home Arranging transport to the hospital or other appointments 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 £4 per week (a little more for couples). Margo Wherrell (Mobile Warden) on 01763 260966 Mobile: 07935 315497 Email: tigress270549@aol.com Jeannie Seers (Deputy Mobile Warden ) 01763 262651 Mobile: 07808 735066 Email: jeanseers1@ntlworld.com Melbourn Warden Scheme is a registered charity. melbournmagazine

Chris Thomas

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What a ragbag of recollections and how good it would be to have a real Melbourn Museum in which these could be displayed to the best advantage. That’s possibly a pipe dream but it’s good to dream and who knows? One day it might come to pass. And talking of things that have come to pass, our friends in Meldreth have compiled an excellent village history web site that can be seen on www.meldrethhistory.org.uk It is well worth visiting for clarity and excellence. Give it a try! Colin Limming, Chairman PS: Melbournian or Melbournite? Or even another form. Anyone know?

Royston & District Local History Society

Our annual coach outing is to Birmingham on Saturday 11th June. If interested please check with David Allard 01763 242677 or email david.allard@ntlworld.com for the possible availability of places. The Society is responsible for the opening of Royston Cave in Melbourn Street, which has many interesting medieval carvings. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter Saturday to the end of September, 2.30pm-5pm. (last admission 4.30pm) and also on afternoons in August. Admission is £3 for Adults, £2 for concessions. 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 are available from David Allard 01763 242677 or may be purchased at the Royston & District Museum and Art Gallery in Kneesworth Street, Royston. Our evening talks resume on 6th October. Details will be found on our website. www.roystonlocalhistory.org.uk

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Your local branch is planning to raise both awareness and funds needed to support the charity with its very worthwhile and much needed work during 2011. We will be attending some local village fetes and feasts as well as putting on our own events to which you are all invited. So far this year I have taken part in ‘The Grim Challenge’, which is an 8.5-mile run over an army vehicle testing range through mud and water, and the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon. The charity can provide places in many challenging events and I have my sights set on the Hadrian’s Wall Walk and the Coast-to-Coast Bike Ride or maybe a mountain challenge. For details of the challenges that you could undertake please check out our website www.hearingdogs.org.uk. Alternatively if you would like to sponsor me to take part in one of the events please let me know. Locally we are planning a sponsored event in Milton Country Park on Sunday 5 June. In addition to taking part in a sponsored ‘Stroll in the Park’, there will also be a chance to ‘Jog with your Dog’ – this part of the event will take place at 10.00am and entries for this must be made in advance. The whole event will take place between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. We would like to encourage you to come along with your dogs and family and enjoy the event whilst raising much-needed funds for our charity. There will be medals for those who complete the course and a treat for dogs at the finish point. On the day there will be a giant tombola, Hearing Dogs merchandise, puppies in training, working partnerships and much more. There is an excellent café where, after your walk, you can sit back and enjoy some refreshments or alternatively stock up at the café before you start so that you can enjoy a picnic en route. There are plenty of seats along the way so that you can stop and enjoy the scenery and all that the park has to offer. The site is very child and dog friendly. The routes of 2 miles and approximately 5 miles will be well marked and maps will be available. The majority of the route is very wheelchair and pushchair friendly and is generally flat. Cost per participant is just £2.00 for either the jog or the stroll but we hope that you will obtain sponsorship to increase the amount raised for the charity. Car parking charges of £2.00 will also apply. Please come along and support us.

In September we will be staging a fashion show where there will be well known brands of clothes at very reasonable prices – more details of this will be available later in the year Finally, we have a network of speakers available to come and talk to groups – if you would like to hear more about the work of our charity or would like to help us in any way please give me a call. Jenny Parker Branch Organiser and Speaker 01223 833562 (evenings only please) jennifer.parker5@btopenworld.com.

Do you have Sight Loss?

Did you know that there is a support group for visually impaired people in Melbourn? Come and join us at The Vicarage Day Centre, Vicarage Close, Melbourn On the 1st Wednesday of each month 2pm until 4pm For ongoing support, friendship, advice and equipment Please contact Julie on 01223 420033 for transport and further information. CamSight supporting people in their own community. melbournmagazine

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MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL MVC, The Moor, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EF Telephone: 01763 262494 e-mail: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk Minutes of Parish Council Meetings and Planning Committee meetings are available on the village website Chairman Donald Mowatt 23, High Street SG8 6AL

268388

Vice-Chairman Maureen Townsend 32 New Road SG8 6ER

260959

Clerk & Office Avril Mellor, MVC, The Moor, Melbourn. SG8 6EF 262494 Peter Horley, Deputy Clerk E-mail parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk Website www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council/ Councillors Val Barrett 2 Station Road, SG8 6DX Irene Bloomfield 78 Russet Way, SG8 6HF Rosemary Gatward 94 High Street, SG8 6AL Jose Hales 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH Michael Linnette 11 Chapel Lane, SG8 6BN Donald Mowatt White Walls, 23 High Street Andrew Mulcock 1 Lawns Close, SG8 6DR Mike Sherwen 3 Hale Close, SG8 6ET Peter Simmonett 42 Greengage Rise SG8 6DS Christopher Stead 70 Russet Way pm only Maureen Townsend 32 New Road, SG8 6BY Richard Wakerley 32 Chalkhill Barrow, SG8 6EQ Employees Handyman and Caretaker Peter Andrews Emergency mobile. 07778 682245

261227 222558 261225 221058 262534 268388 222940 260070 220363 260743 260959 262247 243312

Village Ranger Keith Rudge, 4 Dolphin Lane, SG8 6AF

221212

Internal Auditor Bruce Huett, 20 Rose Lane SG8 6AD

232855

County Councillor Susan van de Ven 95 North End, Meldreth susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk.

261833

District Councillors Val Barrett, 2 Station Road Jose Hales, 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH

261227 221058

South Cambs M.P. Andrew Lansley

01954 212707

South Cambs M.E.P. Robert Sturdy

01954 211790

The Parish Office is open on Mondays from 9 am to 1 pm, on Tuesdays from 2 pm from 4 pm, and on Thursday from 9 am to 1 pm. The office is not normally open on Wednesdays or Fridays. As the Clerk is sometimes out on Parish business it is advisable to ring 262494 to ensure that the Clerk is available. Meetings of the Planning Committee are normally held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month commencing at 7.15 pm. Council Meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7.15 pm at All Saints’ Community Hall. The Press Royston & Buntingford Mercury Tom Ship, Media Centre 40 Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7HU 01992 526639 Royston Crow Heath House, Princes Mews, Royston, SG8 6RT 245241 Fax 242231

Council news

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council/

From the Parish Clerk – Avril Mellor

As I write this, preparations for the Royal Wedding day are well under way. I know that there are going to be street parties in the village as well as privates parties. At the moment there seems to be so much upheaval in the world, so how nice to have a reason to celebrate for a change. A day’s holiday with something special happening brings a little light into people’s lives. Let us hope that the weather on the day is kind. Two long awaited tasks, which have resulted from situations brought to the council’s attention by residents, have now been completed. First, the path on land between Elm Way and the Doctor’s Surgery has been resurfaced, so no more muddy pram wheels and shoes. Secondly, the overgrown vegetation and the verge on Orchard Road have been cut back, resulting in a widening of the road surface at that point. Also, a dangerous overhanging branch of an ash tree has been removed. It is that time of year when all vegetation is beginning to grow. When hedges start to overhang pavements, this can cause problems for pedestrians, prams and electric buggies, especially when the foliage is wet as passers-by can get a soaking by having to squeeze past. It can also be dangerous as people sometimes have to walk in the road if there is insufficient room to pass by on the pavement. Please check to see if your hedge needs cutting back. An application for co-option to the Council has been received and is on the agenda of the April Parish Council meeting for consideration. By the time you read this the outcome will be known and if successful, the applicant will fill one of the three vacancies on the Council, leaving two more still to be filled. If you feel that you would like to know more about what is involved in serving on the Council, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be only too pleased to discuss the matter with you. In May the Parish Council holds its Annual Meeting. It is at this meeting that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected. Nominations are taken from Councillors with regards to serving on Committees and Sub-Committees of the Parish Council. Also Council representatives to Melbourn Schools, Charities and Organisations are elected. On 2nd June, Mr Peter Horley takes up the post of Deputy Clerk. Peter lives in Cambridge, is married with two sons and retires on 31st May after 38 years as a teacher. As Peter is the Musical Director of a Cambridge based choir, my husband has warned me not to sing at work if I want Peter to stay. There will be a hand-over period and when that is complete I will retire and Peter will take over as clerk. He is very able and will without doubt be an asset to both the Parish Council and the village.

Cambridge News David Williams, 3 Melbourn Street, Royston, SG8 7BP 249144 Fax 244502 BBC Radio Cambridge Reception Newsroom

01223 259696 01223 358510

melbournmagazine

Street lighting

Melbourn Parish Council is the Lighting Authority for the 35 street lights in the village. The cost of running and maintaining these is the Council’s responsibility. All other lamps are the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Highways Authority. The lamps are connected to what is known as an un-metered supply. This doesn’t mean the electricity is free. The supplier calculates the typical cost of each lamp from dusk to dawn throughout the year (allowing for seasonal variations) and charges the Council on what the lamps should use.

Reporting a broken Lamp

It is very important that any broken street lamp is reported as quickly as possible, as the power is paid for by you the rate payer, whether it is working or not.

All faulty lights should also be reported to Parish Clerk on 01763 262494. Please advise the clerk if the repair is not carried out within a month.

All street lights are numbered. If you see a broken lamp, telephone 0800 253 529 (freephone) and leave a message. Give details of the street name and the lamp post number. You can also report a problem online at: www.cambridgeshire. gov.uk. The online form can be used to report street lights which are not likely to cause personal injury or damage to property. If you think the fault might be dangerous, call 0800 253529 as soon as possible.

Recycling

Top tips for recycling

Blue Bin and Paper Only Caddy

Since the introduction of the blue bin and paper only caddy we have seen the amount of recycling increase. The level of battery recycling has been very impressive with the equivalent of 400,000 AA batteries being recycled in the first three months. We hope that this fantastic start can be maintained and that you find the following information useful.

Paper only caddy

Paper is a very valuable material when collected separately from other materials through the paper only caddy and it generates an income for the council. However, if paper is mixed in the blue bin with other materials, it needs to be sorted and is classed as lower quality which means we can’t get the same income from it and it costs the council money. Yes please…

No thanks… Cardboard – e.g. cereal boxes (place in blue bin) Tissues and kitchen paper (place in green bin) Jiffy bags (re-use or place in black bin) Wrapping paper (place in blue bin – only if made of paper) Greetings cards (place in blue bin)

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Blue bin

Yes please… Plastic bottles Plastic bags Glass jars & bottles Aerosols Cartons (e.g. Tetrapak) Greetings cards

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Plastic packaging (pots, trays & tubs) Plastic film & clean food wrapping Food & drinks cans Tin foil & foil trays Cardboard Wrapping paper (only if made of paper)

No thanks… Paper (place in paper only caddy) Expanded polystyrene (place in black bin) Pyrex and flat glass (place in black bin) Metallic wrapping paper (place in black bin)

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

To help you recycle more in your blue bin please squash plastic bottles and flatten cardboard boxes. If you are having difficulty in fitting all of your recycling into the blue bin please place excess recycling in a returnable container or cardboard box (which will be recycled along with its contents). If your caddy has gone missing you can contact us on the details below for a replacement. To avoid any potential shredded paper being spilt during collection, please place shredded paper in an old envelope to prevent littering and remember that you only need to shred documents displaying personal or confidential information. If your battery bag is not replaced after collection please contact us for a replacement or alternatively use a plastic bag. Attach your battery bag to the outside of the blue bin; please do not place it inside the caddy or blue bin. The green bin is for cooked and uncooked food waste, as well as garden waste. Cardboard should be placed in the blue bin and not the green bin. Contact us For more information please visit www. scambs.gov.uk/bluebin. Alternatively you can telephone 03450 450 063 or at bluebin@scambs.gov.uk

The Old Police Site…

High Street, Melbourn Many of you will already be aware that the Police Authority have sold the Old Police Station site (opposite the village car park) to a housing association for redevelopment for affordable housing. It should be noted that this sale was made without the knowledge of, or reference to, Melbourn Parish Council or indeed the current tenants of the site itself. The Parish Council have since made many efforts to investigate and to understand the background to this sale (including written communication with the local MP Andrew Lansley). During this process the PC has been able to glean much more information about the sale. This results, in part, from several meetings with the housing association and their developers, a meeting with planning and conservation officers of the District Council (the planning authority) and research at the land registry. Further, the PC understands that the Police Authority stipulated on the sale that building for any purposes other than affordable housing would need their consent, and that additional money would be payable to them for any other type of development. To date there has been no formal planning application submitted, but initial estimates suggested as many as 20 dwellings could be built on the site. Whilst the Parish Council would normally welcome these much needed properties they are concerned of the likely impact they will have on the village. Government and District Council policy has made it clear that this type of housing should be given every encouragement. Informal discussions have taken place between the Parish Council and the developers in an attempt to find out what their plans are for the site and hopefully lessen the visual and environmental impact on the High Street. As a result of these discussions, the developers have revised their original ideas and now propose some 14 dwellings, as well as affording the Parish Council a community building at the front of the site. Although this is a

step in the right direction, the Parish Council would prefer the housing density to be far less than has currently been suggested. However, they are mindful of the fact that design/layout of the site is dependent on the long term financial viability of the income from the dwellings for the Housing Association. As the site will come under the restrictions of the conservation area, a low community building will lesson the impact of the proposed houses on the site. The building would be set back almost to the line of the current Police building and as such, the visual impact on this important area will be far less than would be, if we had a large housing estate.

Questions you may have

Will there be another ‘Village Hall’? No! Melbourn already has a number of premises for functions such as parties, receptions etc., offered byAll Saints’ Community Hall, The Baptist Church and URC, space is also available at MVC. But there IS need in the centre of the village for a community building encompassing many activities, and this could be the only opportunity to have such a building in the centre. Do we need a Community building? The Village Plan has identified there is support for a new ‘Village Hub’ for community purposes encompassing many activities. “A shared community space, with access for everyone, is a very desirable idea”. A Village Access Point on this site could have many uses, and would have the additional benefit of being centrally located. Such a facility could be used for small group meetings, exhibitions and display of items arising from village activities. Examples are ‘Unpicked Meadows’ tapestry/ artwork, displays on planned changes to the village, information relating to community groups, volunteer opportunities and other matters relating to village life that require publicity. The current Library Access Point (LAP) located on the grounds at the Village College, is under continued threat and it is only a matter of time before it is subject to closure. It could however, be relocated within a new Access Point, making it much more accessible to many more residents. Such a centrally located facility could also serve a number of functions such as, an information centre for visitors and locals alike. A Community Access Point (CAP) would offer facilities such as computers, scanners and printers for local people to use. Also during consultations for the Village Plan, both youth and the elderly alike indicated the need and desire for a small ‘coffee stop’. This could be staffed by volunteers and therefore a small kitchen facility could be made available as part of the design. Disabled access and toilets would also be planned for.

melbournmagazine

As previously stated, what the village will not have is another hall available for social activities or events, such as birthdays or wedding receptions. Every consideration for the surrounding neighbourhood and the village as a whole will remain at the heart of any decisions taken by the Parish Council. Of course, a Community building would be funded in some part by the Parish Council, so ultimately it will be for the village to decide if such an Access Point is needed. Various funding ideas would be explored, as well as one or two ideas involving other organisations in the village. If you have any views on the Police site or a possible Access Point then please let the Parish Council know. You can contact them in writing to the Parish Clerk at Melbourn Parish Council, Melbourn Village College, The Moor, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EF or email: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk or use the Contact Form on the Parish Council website at www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/council.

County Councillor Susan van de Ven

It has been a turbulent few months at the County Council with so many budget cuts, but it is always good to be in the villages where people seem to persevere in coming up with ideas and inspiration. One of the aspects of my role which has been so enjoyable is liaising between different villages and their parish councils, and it is obvious that there is much scope for teaming up together: Melbourn Youth Club: In contrast to earlier concern about the possible closure of the club due to County Council budget cuts, five parish councils have joined forces (Melbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth, Fowlmere and Foxton) to keep the club afloat. The club will continue to meet on Tuesday evenings and holiday-time activities will take place in each of the participating villages, and will be looking to run itself as independently as possible. The Practical Solutions Group would like to thank Elaine Stephenson, who is retiring as Warden at MVC, for her support to our endeavours to strengthen links between the village and college communities. We look forward to working with Simon Holmes, MVC Acting Warden, from September. Can you help a new basketball club? Two enterprising MVC students came to talk to the Practical Solutions Group about starting up an after-school basketball club – which they offered to coach. This is now getting off the ground and it is great to observe the older students coaching the younger ones. The club has been meeting Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 and the idea is to carry on next autumn. Rules and regulations being what they are, the club is required to have a CRB checked adult on hand. The CRB check takes only ten minutes and can be done at MVC. There is no requirement whatsoever for any basketball skills. If you would be available to help out even just occasionally, please get in touch. Melbourn Library Access Point: The library has done very well to increase opening hours and maintain a healthy stock turnover. The challenge now will be finding new premises – the current portable cabin is nearing the end of its life span. We know that libraries in high street locations are the ones that have survived and thrived, and the parish council has again taken the initiative to get behind this project. Goodbye to the 139 bus: While local communities and parish councils can rally round some services affected by County Council cuts, they can’t magically save everything. The County Council is withdrawing financial support to all 57 subsidized buses county-wide, over the coming four years. Community Transport providers aren’t equipped to fill the gaps and there is concern for those people who have depended on the 139 shopping bus – withdrawn on April 17th – and the future of the 128 which is also set to lose county support. Like everything, it is difficult to appreciate the value of a service unless one is directly affected. I’ve been working with the relevant officers to try and find ways of mitigating the difficulties some people will now be facing.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Rail campaign: Back in March, the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group held its AGM at Melbourn Village College. One of our main pieces of work for the coming months is fundraising for a disabled ramp on the Melbourn side of Meldreth Station. We have persuaded First Capital Connect to bid for Department for Transport funding under ‘Access forAll’, though the requirement is match-funding – so we are approaching local businesses to try and put together the other 50%. At the time of writing this article, there have been numerous concerns about impending cycle restrictions on trains at peak times. The Rail User Group has successfully negotiated with FCC so that there will be fewer restrictions than originally planned: there was to have been a cycle ban on two peak-time morning trains from Meldreth/Shepreth/ Foxton to Cambridge, and two outward bound trains from Cambridge to the villages. FCC have now agreed to impose restrictions on one train only, and this is the 8:10 from Meldreth to Cambridge. The reason for this is safe evacuation in the event of an emergency; FCC’s estimate is an average of 15 full sized cycles and 8 folding bikes on this train. (There will be no restrictions for folding bikes.) The Rail User Group is thinking about a second-hand folding bike e-marketplace, so if you have one to sell please let us know. Station birthday July 9th: Please come along to Meldreth Station on July 9 at 13:15, where we’ll be celebrating the station’s 160th birthday. To mark the occasion, a gardening project is being initiated at the station, sponsored by local primary school children and GoCold (who will be providing free ice cream on the day!). You will soon see flowers and carrots growing on station ground. The festivities will be replicated at Foxton station at midday and Shepreth station at 14:15.Our grand plan is to ‘adopt’ the three stations, because this will help our cause when negotiating for big and small projects to protect and improve access to rail transport. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions, gripes or ideas. Susan van de Ven Tel 261833 susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk

cambridgeshire

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/safermelbourn/

Trading Standards

Many of us receive junk mail through the post, with the vast majority going straight in the recycling bin. However for some it can be tempting to try your luck on a ‘prize draw’ letter that comes through the letter box. The cost of this temptation can be seen in figures released from the Office of Fair Trading which shows that last year, 1 in 25 people lost money to a scam, be it bogus prize draws, foreign lotteries, miracle health cures or money transfer scams. Seven per cent of those lost £4000 or more and those are only the ones that were reported. The organisers of these scams are smart – the letters look professional, they are often personalised so they have your name throughout (sometimes appearing to be handwritten), and there is often a short deadline to respond so that you don’t have time to think. By replying to just one of these letters, your information will be shared by other scammers who will then write to you, inundating you with letters. The message from Trading Standards is simple: if it looks too good to be true it probably is and if it asks for money up-front, even in the form of an admin. charge for processing your winnings, it is almost certainly a scam. If you are in any doubt or think you may have responded to a scam, speak to friends, family or Consumer Direct for advice. Consumer Direct provides advice on behalf of Trading Standards and can be contacted on 0845 404 0506. Most of the scams we come across have affected older residents, many of whom experience loneliness. If you are over 60 and could do with having someone visit you for a chat on a regular basis, or perhaps you know someone who would benefit from this, then Age UK (Age Concern and Help the Aged combined) may be able to help you. They offer a voluntary visiting scheme for residents across the County, and you can ring to find out more on 0845 5213481. You can register with the Mailing Preference Service which is free. It won’t cut out all scams but it should significantly reduce the amount of marketing mail you receive. Their phone number is 0845 7034599, you can register online at www.mpsonline.org.uk or you can write to Mailing Preference Service, Freepost 29 LON20771, London, W1E 0ZT. If you are tempted by prize draws because you are struggling financially, speak to your local CitizensAdvice Bureau. They can provide you with free, confidential and impartial advice and check you are receiving all the financial benefits and allowances

that are available to you. You can telephone 0844 411 1444 or visit www.adviceguide.org.uk to find your local bureau.

Antisocial driving seizure of vehicles Section 59

Police Officer’s and PCSOs have the power under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act, to seize vehicles to prevent their use in anti-social behaviour, these include Cars, Vans, Scooters and Mopeds. This policy will ensure that the owners of the vehicles are aware at an early stage, that their vehicle is being used in a manner that could lead to its seizure. To initiate the process of the Section 59 there has to be evidence of growing concern from the public about the antisocial use of vehicles, particularly by young inexperienced drivers using motor cars / cycles around estates, public car parks, across footpaths and grassed areas etc. to the annoyance of the public. If a person is to be found driving in an anti social, careless or inconsiderate manner or being driven off road after a previous warning under Section 59, the vehicle may be seized. This will involve the vehicle being towed away by a recovery company and incur costs for the owner of the vehicle. If the vehicle is not claimed within 21 days of being seized it will be destroyed.

New Melbourn Police office

At this time the office is not manned. We are using it for a Police base for staff to ensure that we are in and near the communities we serve. The premises have also been used to take statements, crime reports and interview individuals.

NON EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER

0345 456 456 4

MINICOM helpline for the deaf and hard of hearing, anywhere in the force area: 01480 422493 RNID TypeTalk is a national telephone relay service which enables, deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing and speech impaired people to communicate, to access the service dial: 0800 515152

Emergency 999

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Drinksense

We want to help get you moving

Acompany called Kickstart, also a registered charity, has come to my attention, it might be the answer for some to their transport problems. The company offers loans of mopeds and my understanding is that this scheme is supported by a number of funders and partners including Cambridgeshire County Council, East of England Development Agency and Cambridgeshire ACRE.

How it works

If you need transport to get to work, or training, or education then Kickstart offer moped loans across East Anglia. Kickstart can arrange and pay for the Compulsory Basic Training if you don’t already have one, they will also bring all the safety equipment you’ll need when they deliver your moped. Loan charges for 50cc mopeds range from £6 to £40 per week. These charges depend on which type of moped loan suits your needs. For more information either visit there website at www.kickstart.btck.co.uk or call them on 01362 699923.

Drinksense is a registered charity providing advice, information, therapeutic counselling and a range of support services for people with alcohol related problems and their carers and families in Cambridgeshire We see people who are concerned with their own or another’s alcohol use. We work toward reducing the harm that alcohol may be causing a person whether that involves health, employment, relationships or lifestyle. As we are able to provide a safe setting with trained professionals, many different kinds of people access our service. For some this may mean asking a few questions regarding alcohol units, for others it may mean meeting on a one-to-one basis to explore deeper-rooted issues affecting their behaviour. For access toTherapeutic,Young People andAdult Outreach Services in Cambridge and the surrounding area Dashwood House, 185 East Road, Cambridge. CB1 1BG Tel: 01223 350599. http://drinksense.org There is no charge for our services.

Our clothing banks are being raided

We’ve lost out on £3 million over the last financial year due to a 25 per cent drop in household collections and theft from doorstep donations and clothing banks. This could rise to £6 million this year. This money could be put towards life-saving research and care for heart patients. We have over 900 clothing banks across the UK and just one of those full of good stock could be worth up to £1,000 to us. But we have had at least 30 clothing bank thefts over the past year. Sometimes these thefts are hard to spot, so the figure could actually be higher. The rising value of textiles on international markets has been blamed. Combined with the devastating problem of doorstep theft, this year we are set to lose £6 million. We’re doing all we can to highlight the issue to both the police and the public to make them more vigilant towards these devious acts of theft and we would urge people to contact their local shop if they see any suspicious activity. Stealing stock that is intended for our charity is akin to robbing people with heart conditions of a better quality of life.

What can you do to help?

• • • • • 22

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Donate to your local BHF Shop directly – it’s the best way to ensure your donations reach us. Check it’s a legitimate collection – BHF van drivers carry ID cards, all BHF vans display BHF logos, and you can contact your local shop to make sure. If you are donating to a clothing bank, ensure you close the chute properly after putting your bags in. If your local clothing bank is full please tell your local BHF Shop or call our head office by phoning 0844 412 5000. Bags left outside are vulnerable to theft. To find out more information or to locate your nearest BHF shop please call 0844 412 5000 or explore our website.

Policing in Melbourn

In Melbourn on the whole vehicle crime has significantly reduced and we endeavour to ensure this is maintained as part our most recent Panel Priorities for Melbourn at the end of April 2011, which include to tackle antisocial behaviour associated with moped/motor cycle use in the High Street, in the vicinity of the car park and adjoining streets. We are also concentrating on excess speed, obstructive parking and use of mobile phones whilst driving as a priority. Antisocial behaviour is an issue that we are currently addressing mainly at the The Moor and Melbourn Village College and we will be conducting routine patrols in the particular areas of concern to address the situation. Crime Statistics in the Melbourn area can be viewed at www.police.uk If you wish to report antisocial behaviour please call the police on the non-emergency number 0345 456 456 4 or 999 in an emergency.

Incidents from jan 18th to april 8th

Vicarage Close 21-02-2011: Reports of damaged caused to the door and evidence of paper being set alight. 27-02-2011: Group of about 10 lads on scooters, not causing any problems. 01-04-2011: Anon female reporting a group of 8 youths running around screaming and shouting. 01-04-2011: Informant states someone kicked his rear gate and there is a hole. (Criminal Damage) Orchard Way 20-01-2011: Reports for the fifth night running of older youths banging on front door. Beechwood Av 27-01-2011: Dwelling Burglary 29-01-2011: Garage burglary. 28-01-2011: Youths throwing things at windows 11-02-2011: Informant reporting there has been problems recently with vans collecting charity bags. Reporting suspicious vehicle that morning. 18-02-2011: Informant stated her daughter saw a black Peugeot 107 park outside and a male got out and starred at their address. 05-04-2011: Informant reporting approx. 10 youths banging and knocking on her front door. Russet Way 20-01-2011: Garage Burglary. The Moor & MVC 05-0-2011: Informant reporting that there has been banging on the window. 23-02-2011: Informant states that for 1 1/2 hours there have been vehicles roaring back and forth along the location beeping horns and engines revving. 09-03-2011: Drugs at MVC. 12-03-2011: Informant states someone knocked on her window and ran off. 19-03-2011: Car with doors open and music blaring out.

To help pinpoint problems and find practical solutions to reduce anti-social behaviour in the village, Melbourn’s Practical Solutions Group (PSG) has recognised that a less formal and more inclusive approach is required to achieve its aims. This group remains multi-agency, and can work with and include Melbourn residents (young and old). If you are affected by ASB would like to be involved in this worthwhile project then please get in touch by using the contact form at; www.melbourncambridge.co.uk/ problemsolving or phone 01763 221323 Maple Way 04-04-2011: Groups of youths on bikes – running around, knocking on doors and windows and running. 06-04-2011: Group of 14 children knocking at doors and gathering on the green area. Cambridge Road 4 incidents of highway disruption with regards to the sugar beet lorries, up to 12 loading at one time. Also reports of mud on the road. The High Street 10-02-2011: Lots of cars in the car park playing, loud music and tearing around the car park. 01-04-2011-0595: Informant reported a group of youths are out screaming and shouting and driving vehicles at high speed round the car park. Dolphin Lane 15-03-2011: Youths have just thrown a lump of wood at informant window. 17-03-2011: Youths are again in the area throwing beer cans at their windows. 28-03-2011: Informant reporting they have been having ongoing issues with local youths hanging around knocking on front doors, banging on windows. Medcalf Way 19-02-2011: Informant calling to say that a group of youths have smashed the rear window of informant’s car. 08-03-2011: Reports of two males looking into rear window of houses. They were in a white transit van. Hale Close 25-01-2011: Two males taking wires / lighting equipment from skips. 21-03-2011: Robbery at the Co-op. 153 Incidents have been reported to the police these include a variety of calls for service to include domestics, bail checks, concern, BDV, RTC & neighbourhood disputes.

Next neighbourhood policing panel meeting 19th July at Bassingbourn Village College Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start. All welcome melbournmagazine

Community Education Julie Harradence 223408 Little Hands Karen on 01763 260964 Melbourn Playgroup Jane Crawford 07842 151512 Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231 Primary School Headteacher Gary Casey 223457 U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Arthur Alderton 260399 Village College Warden Elaine Stephenson 223400

Melbourn Playgroup

We have had the most wonderful first term in our new room at the Primary school. We have played outside nearly every day on our soft play surface making boats and rockets with blocks; playing with chalks and paints; camping in our playhouse and even borrowing a pallet to make our own stage for shows. We have practised a fire drill with the whole school and used the field for races and playing with our parachute. When the older children were away at Grafham Water, we took the opportunity to eat our packed lunches in the dining hall with the rest of the school and were very impressed with how well the children coped with this new experience. We have shared special reading and singing times with the Reception classes and had a great deal of fun just before Easter enjoying special crafts with them. In the summer term they will be established in their new classrooms right beside the playgroup so we look forward to a very exciting time finding new ways to share games with them. Opening hours : 9:00 am – 3:15pm each day (term time)

Melbourn Out of School Club (MOOS)

We have gone from strength to strength since we opened in January. More children are coming to the club each month and enjoying all our activities such as cooking, craft, construction toys, Wii games and playing on the school field. 3-year-olds may attend the MOOS Club Opening hours: 3:30pm – 6:00pm each day (term time) Phone : 01763 223459 Email: office@melbournplaygroup.org.uk

Primary School

It has been a very busy spring term with the build project officially ending on Thursday the 7th April almost exactly a year after it began. The team of builders have been fantastic and it will seem strange not to see them on a daily basis. Chris Starling and Paul Lawrence should have a particular mention for their support; they lead the team from Keir and the many sub-contractors who worked on the build including electricians, plumbers and landscapers. We will now settle into all the new areas such as the Reception classrooms and make them our own. The day to day life of the school has continued and there have been many highlights during the spring term.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

The Rock Man Cometh…

On Thursday 6th of January our Year 3 and 4 children were greeted by life sized model dinosaur heads and the sounds of the extinct creatures as they entered the school hall. After handling dinosaur poo and constructing a dinosaur time line the children completed quizzes and looked at fossils. The activities were thoroughly enjoyed by all the children and teachers alike it ensured a great start to their new dinosaur topic.

During the afternoon over 100 parents and children took part in two bread making workshops organised by Ruth Alard, our school cook, and Cambridge Catering Services. It was a fantastic activity and feedback from the children and parents was very positive and apparently the bread that they made and ate tasted fantastic.

Year 5 & 6 World War II Day

On Monday 31st January children in Years 5 and 6 went back in time to the Second World War. The children came to school dressed in clothes appropriate to this period of history and worked with two members of the Portals to the Past team throughout the day. They carried out Home Guard and ARP training and took part in a quiz. They were also able to handle artefacts from this period. The day ended with singing and dancing from the second World War and the new hall echoed to the sounds of ‘Doin’ the Lambeth Walk’!

Year 5 Careers Convention

New Hall Opening Events

On the morning of February 9th the new school hall rocked and rolled to the sound of Jeff Rich and over 300 children and staff playing drums and percussion instruments. A fantastic time was had by all who attended the activities as Jeff talked about the history of the drum and shared some stories about his own pop career with Status Quo.

On the 11th February our Year 5 pupils along with Mr Casey, Miss Wolfe and Mrs Coleman attended a careers convention at Sagentia in Harston. The children were able to talk to astronomers, hair stylists, a driving instructor and wildlife experts amongst others and some of our pupils took part in a mock interview about their skills and possible job prospects. They also had the chance to look at the work of paramedics and to study the equipment they use. The feedback from this event has been very positive and I would like to pass on my thanks to some of our parents who contributed to the presentations and to our colleagues in extended services who organised the event. melbournmagazine

Melbourn Village College Community Survey 2011 Melbourn Village College is dedicated to providing its students with a high quality education. What you may not know is that they also provide a high quality adult & community learning programme too. With the economic decline this service has suffered, like most others, in reduced class numbers. Is this the economic decline or are we not providing you with the courses/ services you would like?

The draft copy of the Village Plan indicates that Melbourn residents still need community facilities and services so please let me know what you want. Please find the time, if you would, to fill in this short survey and return to: Mrs Julie Harradence, Community Office, Melbourn Village College, The Moor, Melbourn, SG8 6EF.

Have you ever attended an adult learning class at Melbourn Village College?

YES

What class/es did you attend? YES

Do you use the facilities at Melbourn Sports Centre?

Would you prefer: (circle all that apply) Daytime classes

Evening Classes

Taster classes

1-off classes

Demonstrations

Talks

Day schools

Workshops

Special Evenings

Certificated courses

Leisure courses

Anything else? What class/es would you like to see at Melbourn? What age group are you?

18–25

26–40

40–50

51+

Do you have primary school aged children?

YES

Do you use the Library in Melbourn?

YES

Please complete the following if you are at retirement age or approaching retirement age. What would YOU like to do with your new ME time?

Can we help you to achieve this more effectively by offering a class or talk on this subject? i.e. Computing, Cake Decorating, Gardening, Basic Plumbing, DIY, Basic Electrics, Woodwork, Bird-Watching, Floristry & Flower Arranging, Decorating, Car-Maintenance, Keep-fit (Yoga, Pilates, Tai-chi, Self Defence, etc) What would YOU be interested in?

Any Other comments or suggestions?

Thank you for your time. Julie Harradence

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn Village College

Mrs Stephenson has recently confirmed her intention to leave Melbourn Village College at the end of the Summer Term to become a partner in her family business. At a time when there is much change taking place in education, the Governors are committed to continuing the success of recent years whilst maintaining a sense of continuity. To this end, Mr Holmes will take over as Acting Warden from September, with a full time appointment being made in due course. In her letter, Mrs Stephenson wrote, “It is always a hard decision to leave a school because so much of the job is about the people in the institution. I was appointed to raise academic attainment and am pleased that I am leaving the College at a time when the hard work and support of students, staff and parents has resulted in just that; in terms of student progress moving the College from the bottom 15% of all schools nationally to the top 20% for two consecutive years is something we can all be justly proud of. Having worked in a range of schools during my career, I can honestly say that the talent, sense of community and support and guidance at Melbourn Village College are outstanding and the College is now well-placed to take the next step in its development. I wish all students every happiness for their future and am confident that they will all be successful in whatever path they choose”. On behalf of the Governing Body, I would like to place on record our thanks to Mrs Stephenson for all the hard work she has done in raising achievement over the four years she has been Warden. Her enthusiasm and dedication to the Village College principle have ensured that she leaves the College in a strong position to begin the next phase of its journey. We all wish her good fortune and best wishes for the future. Andy Smith Chair of Governors

Outstanding examination results

The College has received congratulations from the Specialist Schools andAcademies Trust for our performance in the 2010 GCSE examinations.At a ceremony in London, the College received recognition for meeting the following demanding criteria: 60% (66%) or more 5+A*–C results including English and mathematics; 65% (72%) or more 2+A*-C results in science subjects; and 40% (42%) or more 1+A*-C results in modern foreign languages in the 2010 GCSE or equivalent examinations. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is one of the country’s leading education organisations and represents more than 5,600 academies, schools and colleges. Elizabeth Reid, Chief Executive of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust said, “These national awards recognise schools which have achieved excellent exam standards in a wide range of academic and other subjects. These schools are enabling more young people to reach their full potential and succeed, by teaching them to good standards in maths, English, science and languages”. As we approach another round of examinations we wish all of our students taking examinations every success. Elaine Stephenson Warden

Performing Arts

The performing arts have been busy as usual at MVC. The Spring term saw a very successful series of performances with the drama showcase evening organised by Miss Goode, Dance Fever showcase by Miss Patterson and the Music Tour and performance evening back home by Mr Belbin.As usual our students really impressed with their talent and hard work and a big well done to all who took part.

Talented Young Musicians Tour Belgium

Thirty-one students aged from 11 to 16 from Melbourn Village College completed a successful tour to Belgium over Easter playing a mix of contemporary and big band music to very appreciative audiences at three different venues.

MVC’s Dance Talent Showcased

Melbourn Village College dance competition squad performed at Energise, the South Cambridgeshire Dance Showcase in February along with PADCO, the primary dance group run by Miss Patterson. Both performances were very well received by a sell out audience at Swavesey Venue. In recognition of the talent of MVC’s dance group, the students were asked to perform at South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Chairman’sArtsAward Ceremony at the end of March. The Awards Ceremony is for volunteers who have shown an outstanding contribution to the arts in South Cambs. Acts invited to perform are considered to illustrate high quality local talent so being invited to perform is fantastic achievement for our dancers. MVC dancers also won the Grafton Centre Style Challenge for Comic Relief. The dancers mixed fashion and catwalk with music and dance. They won best choreography and overall winner, beating sixth form dance students!

John Lewis Cambridgeshire Music Awards

MVC received a grant to purchase some portable PA speakers from the JCLM trustees. MVC students, Mr Holmes and Mr Belbin received the cheque from Dr Nigel Brown OBE (High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire) at an event in April. The new speakers will allow MVC singers to perform at venues outside the college with the accompaniment of a full band and take the excellent sound of MVC concerts to local primary schools and other venues. Mr Holmes

melbournmagazine

English

BBC News School Report 2011

In March, students from Year’s 7, 8 and 9 all over the country participated in the BBC School Report. For the first year in its history, MVC have taken part in this project. And for the first time, we students were given the chance to create our own news stories mostly independently, thus not only learning an immense amount about the importance of news and deadlines, but about how news is made, whilst all the time having a great deal of fun. We, as the group of students first met with Ms. Varney a few weeks ago to look over current stories, and we first began to consider what we ourselves could report on. Watch the great results for yourself at www.mvc.org.uk Ed Mallen 9 Melbourn Village College’s Team of Journalists: Joseph Weavers, Ryan Lees, Sam Bedlow, Alex Crockford, George Mcdermott, Robert Fox, Dani Friel, Elise Harbud, Sophie Payne, Jeremy Brindle, Ed Mallen,Amelia Edwards, Jasmin Coles, Courtney Cox. Technical Advisor: Luke Hebditch With thanks to: Lynn, Mrs Stephenson, Mr Houghton, Vanessa Mann, Georgie Bullen, Jackie Bullen, PC Claire List, Susan van de Ven, Kirstin Bicknell

Maths

This year the Mathematics Department took part in world maths day. The aim of world maths day is to unite the world in a celebration of numbers. 5.3 million students from 218 countries took part in the 48 hour event. The event involved taking part in live games of mental arithmetic against students from around the world. Each game lasted 60 seconds and the student who answered the most questions won that game. Students could take part in a maximum of 20 games at 5 different levels of difficulty. In total 428,598,214 questions were answered correctly around the world. Melbourn Village College students answered 33,376 of these. In February 60 students from years 9 to 11 took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge, a national competition organised by the United Kingdom Maths Trust. The top 40% of students in the country receive a certificate, be it Gold (top 7%), Silver (next 13%) or Bronze (next 20%). Three students in Year 9, Conal Trevanion, Oliver Black (both of whom received gold certificates) and Abigail Proudfoot (silver), were invited to take part in a follow on round, competing against students in over 30 countries worldwide.

Languages

Recently a group of Melbourn Village College students had the chance to experience both another language and another culture. QiaoQiao Wang, a native speaker of Mandarin from Hills Road Sixth Form, came to present a slide show on Chinese food and traditions. Next came a brief introduction into useful phrases, idioms and Chinese names. The Chinese characters that QiaoQiao wrote for us were really intricate. My personal highlight was the game at the end, in which girls teamed up against boys, trying to pick up skittles with chopsticks. This is a game of great precision and concentration and the girl’s team came out victorious. It was a great chance to learn new skills and try new things, and I hope similar taster sessions run again. Jessica Finn Year 10 (MFL student)

Sports

The Spring term has seen many things going on in the PE department with basketball fixtures, cross country championships, the start of the football and netball season and the Roy Burrell Awards. Mr Walker

Royal Institute Mathematics Lectures

Over the course of the past two terms students from Year 8 have attended the Royal Institute Mathematics Lectures in Cambridge. Held in Girton College and in the Centre for Mathematical Studies, these sessions are intended to extend these Gifted and Talented students with enrichment beyond the curriculum taught in class. Congratulations to all those students who attended the sessions. Humanities Bringing the Past into the 21st Century – Introducing 101 Smooth FM and www.mvchistroy.co.uk. The year 10 history group was assigned the task of creating a podcast related to the vagabonds of the Middle Ages. Student Jonathan Cooper is the founder of the website. You can check the website to see Jonathan and MVC History students work.

MVC Science Department

The spring term was an eventful and exciting time in Science! As part of National Science and Engineering week students were involved in Science challenges, quizzes, and talks at school. A Guest speaker came in, from the Department of Physiology, Cambridge University to give an interesting talk, titled ‘Cracking the egg’. Year 7, 8 and 9 all participated in separate challenges and science quizzes. Elaine McHugh (Second in the Science department)

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Sports Ambassadors

As the young sports ambassadors for MVC, part of mine and Paige’s (Collingbourne) role is to talk to primary school students about sport and to try and inspire them to get involved in a new sport, not only to stay healthy but also to simply have fun and learn the very important skill of teamwork.

Year 8 students study Aborigine art

Students then went on to produce an Aboriginal lizard in pottery with traditional aboriginal patterns and symbols painted on them. This allowed students to tell a story of the lizard’s journey using aboriginal stories. Here is an example of the journeys the students made up for their lizard:

Aborigine art

Well my story begins at Ayre’s rock. Rocky, the lizard is asleep when loud footsteps awake him.

There is no better way to inspire young people about sport than the 2012 Olympics in London. We have been giving assemblies to primary schools all across the area (a few are Meldreth, Melbourn, Fowlmere, Barrington and Hauxton) talking to them about what the Olympics is, what it means and why we can learn from the games. For example, as we regularly say to the children, it’s not about being the one who can throw the ball the furthest or be the one who scores the most points/goals. When you strip away the competing, all the skills and practice; it’s all about having fun and enjoying what you do. That’s why I started up the basketball club after school with another sport’s leader (Matt Davis) to try and get people to try something new and see if they enjoy it. So, to those of you who came and enjoyed it well done on finding a new sport! To those of you that didn’t, it’s never too late to try. Sam Robinson

He sees a tribe of people which lead him to a stream around which are huts and children playing and training at night. They all sit down at the fire and tell stories about where they have been. Rocky finds a nice tree and goes to sleep. He starts to dream about ancient Tingari settlements of the ancestors of the aboriginal people. He sees himself going there and in the middle of the temple He sees his own ancestor. He follows her and does not wake up. As he floats above the earth he looks down on his own still body and realises that it was his last day on earth. Connor McCormick and George Way

Art

Year 10 students watched the video of Anish Kapoor show at the Royal Academy in which wax was shot out of a canon onto the walls of this historic building conjuring up images of war and aggressions. Students in textiles responded in a variety of media including fabric, paint and hot wax to try and replicate the energy and speed of the wax shooting through the air and hitting the wall. Students in Year 9 have been producing self-portraits inspired by the woodcut portraits created by the Expressionist artists, such as Kirchner and Heckel. They have also looked at how cartoon art is inspired by the use of line and shading similar to woodcuts of the Expressionists. melbournmagazine

Unpicked Meadow Public Art project

Over the past year a number of MVC students have contributed to Melbourn’s public art project, Unpicked Meadow, based in Riverside Park, Stockbridge Meadows, Melbourn. Artist Jo Chapman has been working in Melbourn getting to know the area and local community as part of this project. Last year KS3 Art students had a workshop with Jo, contributed ideas for the design of the ARTIVAN project caravan and made ceramic number plates. Their designs and ceramic art works were exhibited in the ARTIVAN over the summer. KS4 textile students and gifted and talented KS3 students had another workshop with Jo Chapman this term to produce sections for the Stockbridge Tapestry, a community art work. They were given a preview of the final permanent art work Jo is producing and found out more about her work and career. They then produced some fantastic pieces which were showcased as part of the final celebration for the project

MVC’s Wysing Young Artist

Congratulations to Mollie Gorman who has been accepted onto the Wysing YoungArtists talent programme. Wysing Young Artists is a pilot programme for talented young people age 13–19 years interested in a career in art. Mollie has so far spent 3 days at Wysing Arts Centre working with 6 different professional artists. She created an art installation with a group of 10 other young people in her age range, which was featured in the Cambridge News. Over the next few months Mollie will be receiving mentoring by professional artists at Wysing and trips to art galleries with the other young artists MVC has been working in partnership with WysingArts Centre so watch this space for more projects with our students.

Religious Education

In Key stage three Religious Education, we investigate lots of different religions. We look at the various beliefs, where those beliefs stem from and why traditions and rituals are so important to religious people. Students create lots of brilliant work to show their findings in the form of a leaflet, poster or role play. Year 7s are currently learning about Hinduism. They have been looking at the exciting ways in which Hindus worship, the gods and goddesses they worship and also the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Some of the students thoroughly enjoyed being in the ‘hot seat’ pretending to be Gandhi and answering questions in ways they felt Gandhi may respond. Year 8s are currently working on a topic that discusses whether or how Jesus saved the world. They have produced some excellent work that shows they have a good understanding of how Christians view Jesus and his work in the world. In year 9, religion becomes a little more philosophical! Students have recently been looking into different ideas of what is behind good and evil. Is it the devil? Is it a force? As humans, have we created good and evil ourselves? What would life be like if there was no evil? Would we understand what good is without it and vice versa? The year 9s produced some excellent power points showing the different opinions of good and evil

‘Little Hands’ was recently inspected by Ofsted and found to be outstanding in all 17 areas assessed, a very rare feat. I’m sure that those village residents with pre-school age children would like to know that their village Nursery School is ‘Outstanding’!

and offered their own interesting views about good and evil! In year 10, students have just completed their first GCSE Ethics paper for which they have achieved very pleasing results! Well done to Katya Lukina who achieved full marks! They are currently working on Religion and the Media and how Christianity is portrayed in the Media. We have had some very interesting discussions about the Pope’s recent visit to the UK and how this had been portrayed as both positive and negative. The students are working hard and preparing for their final Ethics GCSE paper this June.

Poetry

Eleanor Ferrie in year 7 at Melbourn Village College wrote the following poem in response to reading Michael Morpurgo’s novel Private Peaceful. The novel is about two brothers who are divided when they fall in love with the same girl in rural England but who are reunited when they sign up to fight in the First World War. Eleanor beautifully conveys the contrast between their love of the English countryside and their horror at the trenches. Friend or Foe

I remember a time when daffodils sang, The golden sun in the perfect blue sky. The cool, clear water of the brook Rippling with the giant golden pike. The laughter of children running In the bright green grass of the meadow, With rainbow butterflies tickling our ears Just Charlie, Molly and Me. But now; I hear the whining of shells that bite anyone too close Like a guard dog on duty. I look up to a gun-metal sky with rain so cold falling That never- ending rain drums down on my head. The river of thick, oozing mud knee-high In the hills of the dead. The rattle of guns abusing the ears, The screaming of men so silent as they run in their fear Onlytobeknockeddownlikeskittlesbyremorselessbullets. Bodies fall around me like discarded toys, I look around at the world left behind; Not Charlie, Not Molly, …Just me. continued on page 35

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Villageinformation What goes in the BLUE BIN?

YES • Plastic bottles • Plastic bottle tops & triggers • Plastic packaging (pots, tubs and trays) • Plastic bags • Plastic film (clean food wrapping) • Glass bottles and jars • Food & drinks cans • Aerosols • Tin foil & foil trays • Cartons (e.g. Tetrapak) • Cardboard • Greeting cards • Wrapping paper (paper only) NO • Expanded polystyrene • Pyrex • Flat glass • DVDs/CDs • Plastic toys • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes

Household Waste and Recycling Centres Milton

Butt Lane, Milton Tel: 01223 860674 • 9am–8pm Mon to Fri • 9am–6pm Bank Holidays, Sat & Sun • 9am–4pm Mon to Sun (1 October–31 March)

Thriplow

Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow Tel: 01223 839001 • 8am–5pm Mon to Fri • 8am–5pm Bank Holidays, Sat & Sun (Summer) • 8am–4pm Mon to Sun (1 October–31 March)

Items that are accepted

• Green waste • Hardcore (bricks, rubble) • Paper • Glass • Scrap metal • Waste oil • Fridges/freezers • Car batteries • Textiles • Cardboard • Plastic • TVs and computers (incl. monitors) Please Note: The sites will only accept waste from household sources.

Melbourn Bus Timetables

Note: These times have been taken from the companies website, but are subject to change, please telephone the company for updates, or check the village website, Parking & Transport.

Bin collection 4 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3* 9 16 23

MELBOURN

June* June June June July July July July July August August August August September September September September

Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin Black bin Green & Blue Bin

* Saturday Collection

For an update on collections visit: www.scambs.gov.uk/BinCollection/ default.htm?location=72

ion For more informat large and collections of lephone householditemste 03450 450 063

Commercial service operated by Stagecoach in Cambridge

Cambridge - Foxton - Melbourn - Royston

Service 26

MONDAY TO SATURDAY

Cambridge, Drummer Street, Bay 7

From: 23 October, 05 Notes :

Cambridge, Trumpington Road, Leys School Trumpington, Maris Lane Harston, Village Hall Foxton, Memorial Shepreth, Tylers Melbourn, Car Park

Royston, Bus Station

Royston, Tesco Royston, Burns Roadoperated by Stagecoach in Cambridge Commercial service

08:40

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08:45

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08:51

14:51

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14:59

15:59

17:04

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15:05

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17:12

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15:11

16:11

17:16

18:11

19:11

15:20

16:30

17:35

18:20

19:20

09:26

15:26

16:21

17:26

09:28

15:28

16:23

17:28

18:26

19:26

08:59 09:05 09:07 09:11 09:20

Then at these mins hour

Until

Royston - Melbourn - Foxton - Cambridge

NOTES

MONDAY A Runs viaTO HillsSATURDAY Road and Long Road

Royston, Tesco THE SERVICE DOES NOT OPERATE ON BANK HOLIDAYS

Notes :

Royston, Burns Road

Royston, Bus Station

Melbourn, Car Park Shepreth, Tylers Foxton, Memorial Harston, Village Hall Trumpington, Maris Lane Cambridge, Trumpington Road, Leys School

Cambridge, Drummer Street, Bay 6

Service 26 From: 29 August, 04

06:46

07:16

09:26

15:26

16:21

06:52

07:22

09:02

09:32

15:32

16:23

17:28

07:00

07:30

09:10

09:40

15:40

16:40

17:40

07:08

07:38

09:18

09:48

15:48

16:48

17:48

07:12

07:42

09:22

09:52

15:52

16:52

17:52

07:14

07:44

09:24

09:54

15:54

16:54

17:54

07:20

07:50

09:30

10:00

16:00

17:00

18:00

07:28

07:58

09:38

10:08

16:08

17:08

18:08

07:34

08:04

09:44

10:14

16:14

17:14

18:14

07:40 08:20B 09:50

10:20

16:20

17:20

18:20

Then at these mins past each hour

Until

17:26

NOTES

Local Bus companies

BStagecoach On Saturdays in andCambridge on Monday to Friday during school holidays, buses may arrive in Cambridge 01223 423578 – Huntingdon & District 01480 up to 10 minutes earlier.

THE SERVICE DOES NOT OPERATE ON BANK HOLIDAYS

453159 – Alans Bus & Coach 01763 245073

melbournmagazine

importantnumbers Police (non emergency) 0345 456 4564

Crimestoppers Freephone 0800 555111 Neighbourhood Watch StevenCamberys.cambery@ntlworld.com Cambs Registered Trader Sceme 01223 221921 Telephone Preference Service www.tsponline.org.uk 0845 070 0707 CAB Royston Childline

08456 889897 0800 1111

Samaritans

08457 909090

Hospitals Addenbrooke’s Royston

01223 245151 01763 238020

OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCIES

Camdoc NHS Direct (queries 24hrs)

01223 464242 0845 4647

Services Anglian Water 08457 145 145 Gas emergency 0800 111 999 Electricity 08007 838838 South Cambs District Fire & Rescue Service01223 376217 Transport British Rail Enquiries Stagecoach Cambus

08457 484950 08706 082608

Melbourn Magazine Ann Dekkers Editor 261144 Mavis Howard Parish Profile 260686 Eric Johnston Distribution 220197 Peter Simmonett Production & Village website220363 Anne Lambert Information Collection 261480 Colin Limming Proof reading 260072 Brenda Meliniotis Village Diary & Proof reading261154 Roger Mellor Advertising 220463 or 220363

Melbourn Pottery Club Maggie 01223 207307 National Trust Colin Limming 260072 Melbourn Playgroup Jane Crawford 07842151512 New Melbourn Singers Adrian Jacobs 243224 Childminding Group Sec. Vacancies Photographic Club Bruce Huett 232855 Co-ordinator Heidi Hardwidge 221625 Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Community Education Royal British Legion Patrick Parkinson 262617 (activities from toddlers to adults) Julie Harradence 804322 Royal British Legion Women Elizabeth Murphy2 0 8 4 1 Library LAP Mike Stapleton 269956 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Jean Emes245958 Little Hands Nursery School 260964 Royston and District Local History Society Out of school times 01223 503972 David Allard 242677 Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231 Royston and District Round Table 221398 Primary School Headmaster Gary Casey223457 Royston Lions Janet Daniels 260009 U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Arthur Alderton 993062 RSPB Doug Radford 879802 Hon Sec Hilary Docwra 222486 SOAS (Supporters of All Saints’) Doreen Johnston 791022 Mem Sec Arthur Alderton 260399 St George’s Allotments Assoc. Bruce Huett Village College Warden Elaine Stephenson223400 brucehuett@compuserve.com Youth Club Amanda Bernard 223407 HEALTH Women’s Group Pat Smith 260103 Age Concern 01223 506002 Blood Donors 0300 123 23 23 PLACES OF WORSHIP Chiropodist 263260 All Saints’ Church Citizen’s Advice Bureau 238020 Rev Andrew O’Brien Melbourn Vicarage260295 Community Care Val Trueman 260191 Curate Mary Price 965162 Dentist 262034 Churchwardens Christine van Vliet36032 District Nurses (Primary Care Trust) 01223846122 Mike Galley 260127 Home-Start 262262 Community Hall booking Colin Limming260072 S Cambs PCT 35 Orchard Road Baptist Church Rev. Stuart Clarke 261650 Child & Family Nurses 262861 Secretary Guy Manners 01223 872298 Melbourn and Meldreth Self-Help United Reformed Church Minister Rev. Duncan Goldie 747062 Jayne White 220250 Secretary Peter and Eirwen Karner 262346 Car Scheme 245228 Hall booking Beryl and Barry Monk 246458 Orchard Surgery Appointments 260220 Churches Together Helen John 261147 Dispensary 261246 For repeat prescriptions send SPORT email: prescriptions.orchardsurgery@nhs.net Badminton Steve Jackson 248774 Osteopath Kath Harry 261716 Bowls Elaine Cooke 221571 St John Ambulance Robert Jakubiak 220507 Croquet Janet Pope 248342 LOCAL CLUBS Football Club Simon Gascoyne 261703 Jazzercise Linda Warner 241527 Air Cadets 2484 (Bassingbourn) Squadron249156 4052 Tony Kelly Mon & Wed evenings 7 – 9.30 p.m. Judo Derek Coult Melbourn Community Sports 263313 Army Cadets Ted Neathey 01223 248001 Meldreth Tennis Club Sue Davies 220174 Tuesday evenings at The Moor 7.15 to 9.30pm Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593 Bellringers John Gipson 262846 Squash Club Nick Sugden 261064 Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts261505 WARDEN & SHELTERED HOUSING SCHEMES Brownies 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford220272 Brownies 2nd Melbourn Samantha Pascoe (Brown 01223 506335 00Owl) 416Dial-A-Ride 2 Mobile Warden Scheme Cambells (Handbells) Eira Martin 261221 Warden – Margo Wherrell 260966 Dramatic Society Kathy Wholley 223805 Deputy – Jeannie Seers 262651 email: k_wholley@hotmail.com Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Stuart Morris208634 Neighbourhood Watch Scheme Gardening Helen Powell 245887 Stephen Cambery 025162 Guides Hilary Marsh 34162 Vicarage Close Warden Mothers’ Union Anne Harding 260759 Eileen Allan Lead Sheltered Housing Officer Melbourn & District Mushroom Club Monday to Friday 9–1.30 263389 Helene Davies 01954789947or m.07903456628 John Impey Way Jeanette Holland 269596 Melbourn History Group Colin Limming 260072 Southwell Court 262121 Moorlands 260564 EDUCATION

We shall be pleased to receive contributions in any form, articles, poems, drawings, photographs, letters etc., pertaining to Melbourn. Please send any contributions to the Clerk, at the Parish Offices, MVC, The Moor SG8 6DX, marking them ‘MELBOURN MAGAZINE’ or you can email them to

mag@melbourn.org.uk

Adverts should be supplied as finished artwork and must be at the sizes below. Please send artwork to mag@melbourn.org.uk We print 2200 copies of the Melbourn Magazine which is delivered free to every house in the village four times a year. Note: colour advert space is limited, please contact us for further details. The current rates for advertising in the Magazine are as follows: Size per… Width x Height 1/4 inside page (79 × 128 mm) 1/2 inside page (163 × 128 mm) Full inside page (163 × 262 mm)

Annum £76 £132 £261

Colour £113 £188 £375

Adverts must be supplied as high resolution jpgs or 300dpi Tif or eps.

For further information on advertising please telephone 220363 or 220463. Remittance or cheques should be made to Melbourn Parish Council.

email: mag@melbourn.org.uk

The closing date for the next issue is Friday 15th July 2011 which will appear in September, listing events in September, October and November

JUNE Wed 1 CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Thu 2 Holy Communion 10am All Saints StorytimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10.00–10.45 Fri 3 Coffee at URC 10.30am Sat 4 Village Market MVC 9.30am Coffee StopAll Saints Community Hall 10.30 Sun 5 Holy Communion All Saints 8am Holy Communion URC 11am Baptist Church Communion 6pm Evensong All Saints 6.30pm StrollintheParkandJogwithyourDog(seearticle) MVC Car Boot Sale Tue 7 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) Wed 8 CraftClubBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Thu 9 Holy Communion All Saints 10am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 10 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 11 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall Royston & District Local History Soc. coach outing 242677 Sun 12 Family Communion All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am SOASMelbournOpenGardens1.30–5.30pm Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Tue 14 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30(termtime) MothersUnion‘FaithfulRelationships’ledbyRev Mary Price 2.30pm Orwell, Methodist Room Melbourn & District Gardening ClubAll Saints CommunityHall7.30pm‘CheatintheGarden’ Margaret Lynch Wed 15 Craft Club Baptist Church Hall 9.30 (term time) Coffee Break Baptist Church Hall 10.30-12.00 U3A monthly meeting MVC Thu 16 Holy Communion All Saints 10am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10-10.45am Fri 17 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 18 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall RiverMelRestorationGroupMeldreth9.15am Meldreth Fete Sun 19 Holy Communion 8am URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Mon 20 Royston&DistrictFamilyHistorySocietyAGMwith Cheese&WineAllSaintsCommunityHall7.30pm Tue 21 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30(termtime) Wed 22 Craft Club Baptist Church Hall 9.30 (term time) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Royal British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 7pm Thu 23 Holy Communion All Saints 10am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 24 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 25 Coffee StopAll Saints Community Hall 10.30 The Bookshelf MelbournVillageFete&LiveMusic(seearticle) Safari Supper 260686 for details Sun 26 Family Communion 9.45am All Saints URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Tue 28 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30(termtime) Women’sGroupMelbourn7.45pmPaulineHay ‘Mother’s Union’ Melbourn & District Gardening Club outing to South Farm, Shingay tour and tea. Wed 29 Craft Club Baptist Church Hall 9.30 (term time) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Thu 30 Holy Communion All Saints 10am

JULY Fri 1 Sat 2

Coffee at URC 10.30am Village Market MVC 9.30am Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall RiverMelRestorationGroupmeetMelbourn9.15am Sun 3 Holy Communion All Saints 8.00am Holy Communion URC 11am Baptist Church Communion 6pm MVC Car Boot Sale Tue 5 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) Wed 6 CraftClubBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30am–12. Royal British Legion Vicarage Close 7.30pm Thu 7 Holy Communion All Saints 8.00am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Royston&DistrictLocalHistorySoc.TownHall8pm Fri 8 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 9 CoffeeStopAllSaintsCommunityHall10.30am Meldreth Station 160th Birthday Party 1.15pm Sun 10 Family Communion All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Mon 11 SOASHertfordshirePoliceChoirAllSaints7.30pm contact 260686 Tue 12 ToddlerPlusBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) Mother’s Union Garden Party 12.30-2.30pm ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ contact 260759 Melbourn & District Gardening Club All Saints Community Hall 7.30pm ‘Seasons of a Woodland’ Barry Kaufman Wright Wed 13 CraftClubBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Thu 14 Holy Communion All Saints 10am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 15 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 16 CoffeeStopAllSaintsCommunityHall10.30am Sun 17 Holy Communion All Saints 8.00am URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Mon 18 Royston&DistrictFamilyHistorySocietyAllSaints Community Hall 7.30pm Tue 19 ToddlerPlus9.30amBaptistChurchHall(termtime) Wed 20 CraftClubBaptistChurchHall9.30am(termtime) CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 U3A monthly meeting 2.45pm MVC Thu 21 Holy Communion All Saints 10.00am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10.00–10.45am Fri 22 End of term Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 23 CoffeeStopAllSaintsCommunityHall10.30am RiverMelRestorationGroupMeldreth9.15am Sun 24 Family Communion All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm Tue 26 Women’s Group Melbourn Members musical evening 7.45pm Wed 27 CoffeeBreak10.30–12.00BaptistChurchHall Royal British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 7pm Thu 28 Holy Communion All Saints 10.00am StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 29 Coffee at URC 10.30am Sat 30 CoffeeStopAllSaintsCommunityHall10.30am Sun 31 Family Communion All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am Evensong All Saints 6.30pm

AUGUST Wed 3 Thu 4 Fri 5 Sat 6

CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Coffee at URC at 10.30 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall Village Market MVC 9.30am Sun 7 Holy Communion 8am All Saints Holy Communion URC 11am Baptist Church Communion 6pm MVC Car Boot Sale Tue 9 Mother’s Union Quiet Evening 7.30pm Wed 10 Coffee Break 10.30-12.00 Baptist Church Hall Thu 11 StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 12 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 13 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall RiverMelRestorationGroupMelbourn9.15am Sun 14 Family Communion 9.45am URC Service 11am Wed 17 CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 U3A AGM Foxton Village Hall 2.45pm Thu 18 StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 19 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 20 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall Sun 21 Holy Communion 8am URC Service 11am Tue 23 Women’s Group Guided Walk around Meldreth 7.45pm Wed 24 CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00 Royal British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 7pm Thu 25 StoryTimeU5’sMelbournLibrary10–10.45am Fri 26 Coffee at URC at 10.30 Sat 27 Coffee Stop All Saints Community Hall RiverMelRestorationGroupMelbourn9.15am Sun 28 Family Communion 9.45am All Saints URC Service 11am Wed 31 CoffeeBreakBaptistChurchHall10.30–12.00

Melbourn Library

Open at the following times: Monday, Wednesday and Friday2.30 to 4.30 pm Thursday 5.00 to 7.00 pm Saturday 10.00 to 12.00 am vertise a If you would like to ad t in forthcoming local even bsite lage we ‘What’s On’ on the vil at use the simple form

orthcoming-events/ www.melbourn.org.uk/f

Autumn 2011

All copy for the Septem ber, October&NovemeberIss ueshould

be in before 15th July

Village information continued

Orchard Surgery – Dispensary Monday to Friday 8:30 – 1pm and 3pm – 6pm Phone 01763 261246 Telephone requests are not accepted

For repeat prescriptions you can: Fax 01763 262968 or email: prescriptions.orchardsurgery@nhs.net

• •

Allow at least 48 hours (two working days – excluding weekends and bank holidays) for repeat prescriptions to be ready. Do not leave your request to the last minute. Prescription/medication depending on eligibility can be collected from the Surgery

Co-op

Tesco in Royston

Please let the dispensary know where you wish your prescriptions to be sent. This will remain your choice until we are informed otherwise.

Prescriptions requested before 12pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

will be ready after 10am Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday

Prescriptions requested before 4pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

will be ready after 3pm Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday

Prescriptions requested after 4pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

will be ready after 10am Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Melbourn Health Visiting Team Drop in clinics for parents and babies are held as follows: Melbourn clinic every Wednesday between 9.30 and 11.30am at: 35 Orchard Road, Melbourn. Telephone 01763 262861

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Sue Hempstead 8a Romsey Terrace, Cambridge. CB1 3NH Tel 01223 416 141 sueh@camtad.freeserve.co.uk Office Mon-Fri 9.30am-12.30pm.

A drop in advisory session is held at

Vicarage Close Community Room, Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm,

23rd June

27th October

28th July

24th November

25th August

22nd December

22nd September See the following website for more information

www.camtadcambs.org.uk Battery exchange and retubing. We do not do hearing tests

CAMSIGHT Cam Sight’s visually impaired group meet on the 1st Wednesday of the month every month except in August, at the Vicarage Close centre, Melbourn from 2 until 4pm. We offer a warm welcome with speakers, outings, up to date information and equipment demonstrations. Come and see what’s on offer, join us for a cuppa and a chat. Call 01223 420 033 for further information

Short story

The following is a short story from one of our budding writers currently in year 11. Jenny Thompson is a prolific writer who is already part way through her first novel. Here is an example of her writing in the form of a short story. At the end of the road there is a bus shelter. When I reach it I stop and I wait. There is no one here, the streets are silent. It’s late though, I wonder if that’s why. The streetlights illuminate a limited amount of the path; the rest is shrouded beneath the shadows. When the bus comes I get on. There is nothing different about this bus to any other city bus. It has the same adverts and the same veins of mud painted across the side of it. Yet this bus is unlike other city buses because it resembles the beginning of my journey, it catapults me into the unknown. I don’t know where I will go. Perhaps I will just travel. Maybe I will forget who I am whilst I travel. I like that idea, I like it a lot. I take a seat at the back by the window, in the furthest corner next to the emergency exit. It feels safe here. I don’t know why. Perhaps because I can press my cheek against the glass and feel the cooling touch and sense the reprieve it gives me. The rude awakening that tells me that I can go, should go. The bus is practically empty, a young man sits a row in front of me on the left and an elderly couple sit by the door. No-one else is on the bus, just the four of us and the disgruntled driver who smells of stale tea and body odour. There is a sticky heat hanging in the air. It is uncomfortable enough that the young man removes his faded-navy, woollen hat; using the back of his hand to wipe away the unwelcome beads of sweat from his forehead. Beneath the thrumming of the bus’s engine there is a silence. Yet within the silence there is a war, and the bodies that have fallen are merely wishes that have died, the bullets fired are merely the remnants of a cold that repeatedly shatters the peace with a cough or a sneeze from the driver, and the scars are simply the draining emotion, the body’s way of protecting its sanity. On this particular bus the atmosphere has deterred the passengers from talking. Instead there is the occasional awkward moment of eye contact between scanning eyes. Of the few people the young man interests me the most. He looks out the window, longingly. Occasionally he glances down at his phone as if he is expecting a message or a call. A frown is prominent on his forehead and his foot taps impatiently on the floor. Rhythmically it hits the floor, 1234...1234...1234. He stops tapping and leans forward firmly pressing the ‘stop’ button, the bell rings and the overhead sign signals that the bus is stopping as it grinds to an achy halt next to a grafittied bus shelter. Again a cough ruptures the silence and a brief muttered conversation breaks out between the elderly couple, as if the cough gave them permission to speak; a window of opportunity.

Soon enough the couple also get off and no-one gets on to refill the empty seats. The driver every now and then glances in his mirror. I don’t meet his eyes but I can feel his stare. I don’t know if I should smile at him and give him the satisfaction of a ‘good evening’, or if I should stay quiet. I stick with the latter. I get off the bus precisely fifty-one minutes later at a place that looks like it has no identity. It is not a village; it is just a bus stop at the side of a worn rural road. As the bus drives away from the stop, my eyes follow it. It drives left. In the distance I can see the outline of a line of trees; above the cover of the trees I can see iridescent lights, I see an inhabited place that reminds me of home. I turn right and begin to walk. I find myself lost. For each step I take I am burying myself deeper. I am burying myself alive in my own thoughts. I look up at the sky and admire the stars, the mesmerizing glints of the stars that keep my eyes wide open. They steal the light from my eyes; they feed off the light in my eyes. I watch a small light in particular; it flickers before vanishing as the inky black of the night engulfs it. I wonder if it was a star burning up; its brightness dying along with the wishes of so many entrapped in it, sewn into the stars heart. The string has unravelled though, and the wishes are free. They are silent now, for space has taken their voices away; they have been muted. I suppose that evening I came to a fork in the path ahead of me, and only one unanswered question now remains to be answered. It pesters the corners of my lips. Did I take the right path?

Workers’ EducationalAssociation (WEA)

The autumn courses will be held at Royston Town Hall on Tuesday Mornings starting in September. Contact DavidAllard 01763 242677 or Carol Bradshaw 01763 249211.

U3A (University of the Third Age)

It is with much sadness that we have to report the death of our President, Joe Mutty, suddenly on 25th March. Joe was involved with the organization from its inception in 1994, and played a large part in drawing up the constitution. He was a member of the management committee throughout and Chairman for eight years. We offer our deepest sympathy to Norma and to all his family. U3As are self-help, self-managed lifelong learning co-operatives for older people no longer in full time work, giving opportunities for sharing learning experiences for fun and not for qualifications. Melbourn and District U3A currently has 29 such groups, ranging from Art Appreciation to Yoga, with a great deal between. If you are interested in joining please contact Arthur Alderton (01763 260399) for further details.

melbournmagazine

You talk, we listen Specialist Dental Partners is a fully comprehensive, modern family dental practice. Based on Melbourn Science Park, the practice offers the full range of treatments, from simple to complex dentistry.

BOOK NOW FOR A FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION. 9 BEECH HOUSE, MELBOURN SCIENCE PARK, MELBOURN, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, SG8 6HB (SAT NAV) T: 01763 261129 | F: 01763 269661| E: info@specialistdentalpartners.co.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Nature My chance encounter with a family of stoats

I have been walking my various dogs around the fields to the south of the village for the past twenty-five years, and until two weeks ago had not encountered a weasel or stoat. My first sighting occurred as I was being dragged by my dog, a former racing greyhound, towards a field of oilseed rape. I saw enough of his ‘prey’ as it made its getaway, to observe its black tail, which I was later able to confirm meant that it was a stoat, rather than a weasel. Or, as I found on the Internet, ‘Weasels are w’easily recognisable and Stoats are stoatily different!’ Then last Friday, whilst walking my dog alongside the cemetery I stopped to talk to the grave digger who was having a well earned cup of tea. Whilst in conversation with him my dog started to dance up and down and pull on his lead. When I turned to look what was causing his agitation, I saw a stoat scuttling past us. The grave digger commented that it was a good job I had my dog on a lead otherwise it would have had the stoat. When I had managed to calm my dog down I noticed on the path a very small bundle. A closer inspection revealed it to be a baby stoat about two inches long, which did not as yet have its eyes open. The mother stoat must have been transferring it from one den to another and dropped it in her fright. The grave digger said to leave it on the path and the mother would return for it. On our second walk of the day along the same route, I noticed the baby stoat was no longer on the path. As the grave digger was still in the cemetery I waved to him and he came over to talk to me. He told me that five minutes after I had left, the stoat returned and picked up her baby and went on her way. I feel privileged to have witnessed this occurrence. Avril Mellor

Beautiful Bee Borders

The double Bee Borders at the Botanic Garden have been created with some of the flowers bees love best and are also a honeypot for visitors since what makes a flower attractive to bees also makes them excellent garden plants - lots of brightlycoloured flowers on sturdy plants, in this case massed in an exhilarating ‘cottage garden’ style. Bees visit flowers for food: nectar provides sugars for energy whilst pollen provides proteins essential for growth. Many good bee plants have large, tubular flowers symmetrical along the vertical axis (as we are!). The lower petal is often lipped to provide a landing platform for the visiting bee and can be decorated with lines or spots, called nectar guides, which show the way to the nectar. Foxgloves are a good example of this, and are used extensively along with snapdragons and our native Viper’s Bugloss. Bees, and especially honey bees, are in major decline worldwide due to a complex range of factors thought to include climate change, pests and diseases, colony collapse disorder, and a decline in wildflowers due to intensive agricultural practices. And yet, honey bees are vital to our food chain as pollinators of crops accounting for about one third of our diet. Gardeners can play an important role in shoring up the bee population by including some of these beautiful flowers in their own planting schemes and borders to provide a rich food source, helping to keep bees healthy. Visit us soon for inspiration – most of the plants in the Bee Borders are readily available from garden centres and many are straightforward to raise from seed. Find the Bee Border plantlist on the website at www.botanic.cam.ac.uk Juliet Day, Development Officer, Cambridge University Botanic Garden The Botanic Garden is open 10am – 6pm through the summer months, and a onehour highlights tour leaves Brookside Gate every Saturday at 11am. In June, July and August, the Garden stays open late on the first and third Wednesdays. Call 01223 336265 or visit www.botanic.cam.ac.uk for further information, including this week’s Plant Picks from the Head of Horticulture.

melbournmagazine

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

feature In Days Gone By…

Tales of a Cambridgeshire Country Copper

My wife and I have lived in Melbourn for over 40 years and have made many friends.Almost half of my police service was spent as Sergeant of Melbourn section and I was responsible for all operational duties that have been the subject of the many articles appearing in the Melbourn Magazine. So subsequently the former police station has been special in my life. Recently I had the notion of looking around the police station site. I had a look into some of the windows and memories came flooding back. I remember in my day we had wooden flooring and when any of the officers came back to the station they were given felt pads to place under their boots so that as they moved around they polished the floor. That is why we became known as the ‘flannel foot policemen of Melbourn’. If any one incident stands out it would be the fatal air crash at Steeple Morden in 1967. Briefly, a Canberra jet plane from RAF Bassingbourn crashed onto a house in Steeple Morden. The late PC Baily from the village was the first on the scene. PC Ginn and I had just left Park Side police station in Cambridge and we were next to arrive. Unfortunately all the aircrew were killed. PCs Baily and Ginn did the majority of the inquiries concerning this incident proving that our section could deal with whatever was thrown at it. Between them they did an excellent job and HM County Coroner commended the section for its work. In another incident (I cannot recall the date) during the early hours of the morning I and some other officers were called out to a break in at one of the post offices in the county. I was the night county patrol officer. Two people were involved and one had been caught by the occupier. A search of the immediate area followed but nothing was found. It came to light that the offenders had in the past been stationed at a former barracks and had travelled from Liverpool, so transport had been required. There were lines of parked cars down both sides of the street. We walked along beside these cars checking them as we went, and I spotted an index number that seemed somewhat familiar. Then it came to me that it was similar to some of the cars used in the TV series ‘Z cars’. We surrounded the car and shone torches into the interior and discovered the other offender lying across the front seats. This proved to be another good arrest. On another occasion, in the early evening, a patrol crew responded to a call to a domestic incident in Oakington. As they arrived a shot was fired towards them. A car chase followed, continuing via Cottenham and Histon. I was in the Girton area and learned that the chase was heading towards there. I deployed police cars to set up a road block, and after hitting several of our vehicles the offender was arrested. One evening as I was taking a break at Parkside police

station when I was informed that a vehicle and its load had been hi-jacked from outside a house in Girton. I dashed to the control room in the basement and directed our vehicles from Melbourn, Papworth and Sawston to go immediately to the county boundaries. The Sawston car went to Flint Cross, and other cars were sent to other locations. Herts and Essex police were also notified. We waited and then PC Phillips in the Melbourn car broke the radio silence to say that he was right behind the hi-jacked van. Suffice it to say that the offenders were arrested with van and goods intact. The value was more than £50,000. As a result of this incident a number of officers, including myself, were awarded the Chief Constable’s Commendation, rarely given. I will just add that I am the holder of five such awards, three as a Constable, one as a Sergeant, and one as Inspector, in the above incident. Over the long period of time that I have been submitting my articles to the Magazine I have hand written them – but I was not the only one involved. My wife Muriel has supported my efforts and kept up my morale when I tended to flag. Our son Michael could always be counted on for advice and encouragement. The articles had to be typed up and this was undertaken by two excellent family friends, first Mrs Jean Prior and subsequently Mrs Lindsey Housden, to both of whom I am eternally grateful. I must also thank the Parish Clerk, Mrs Avril Mellor, who ensured that the articles reached the editor Mrs Ann Dekkers on time. As I draw my series of articles to a close I cannot believe how many I have written over the years. I started my police service in a village where most people knew each other and the local police officers. Even today PC Barton from the 1950s is still referred to as Dick Barton Special Agent after the radio series all those years ago. I have enjoyed writing the articles and reliving my experiences good and bad. I am proud to have been Sergeant of Melbourn for over 14 years. Muriel and I have received many complimentary comments about the articles and they have been appreciated. Thanks to you all. Ron Brooksbank melbournmagazine

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Melbourn and Meldreth Churches Together

On Sunday 17April the Churches Together met by the Doctors surgery for a Palm Sunday Walk of Witness. Lead by Noah the donkey over 50 people of all ages joined the procession round Clear Crescent, Metcalfe Way and Orchard Road. Palm crosses were distributed and children were invited to colour in a Palm Sunday picture. The donkey and the palms remind us of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. ‘Hosanna’ Welcomed as a hero, in the space of a short few days, he was betrayed, the chief priests and rulers and the people turned against him and on Good Friday Jesus was crucified. However, it didn’t end there for after three days Jesus rose from the dead and was seen many times by his friends and others. God did this for all of us. These and other truths are what motivate the Christian congregations in the village.

Homelessness Sunday In January we remembered our friends at Jimmy’s Night Shelter with our prayers and donations of clothing and food. Whilst Jimmy’s is being refurbished food is their main requirement – for any other information see their website www.jimmyscambridge.org.uk Burns Night Also in January, a traditional Burns Night Supper was held in our church hall, with all the traditional food, speeches and toasts. It was especially good to be able to welcome a number of guests from half a dozen other local Churches. Shoe Box Evening We were pleased to welcome Carole and Peter Durose on 25th February, to give us a fascinating and moving account of two trips they had made to distribute Shoe Boxes to Eastern European countries. At the end of the evening donations amounting to £123 were presented to Carole for Operation Christmas Child. Slide Evening On 18th March Pat and Ken Crane treated us to a ‘Spanish Adventure’, through slides taken during their holiday last year. Taking in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Jerez, then onward from Cadiz to Granada as well as some small towns and villages en route. We thank Pat and Ken for a most enjoyable evening.

Looking ahead

Harvest and Scarecrow Festival

United Reformed Church News

Since the beginning of the year we have held a number of special events which have reflected our concerns for the needs of people both near and far, as well as some enjoyable social occasions.

On the weekend of 17th/18th September, Melbourn URC will once again open its doors and invite all to come and see the church decorated for our Harvest Festival. We are also having our 3rd Scarecrow display. We would like to invite contributions from groups and organisations in and around the village. Please get in touch if you would like to take part. (Eirwen Karner 01763-262346). The Church will be open on Saturday and refreshments will be available in the church hall. Our Harvest Service is on Sunday at 11 a.m. followed by a bring and share lunch. Look out for details closer to the event.

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SOAS

It is with great sadness that the committee of the Supporters of All Saints’ has to report the sad death of Brian Fawcett who has been Treasurer since the group was started. We send our deepest condolences to his wife and family.

S.O.A.S. – what’s that all about? Q. So what’s this about SOAS? A. It stands for Supporters of All Saints, the parish church of Melbourn. Q. I suppose it only lets churchgoers in as members? A. By no means. We do have members of the congregation but there are members from other churches or no churches at all. Q. Why do you need supporters? A. When our forefathers built the church in the 13th century they did wonders but rather important items such as damp courses, drains, adequate gutters and so on tended to get forgotten. The church has lasted very well since the first recorded Vicar in 1215 (same year as Magna Carta) but it does need constant work and repair. Q. If you raise money where does it go? A. All the money raised by SOAS goes into the building and furniture of the church in repairing and installing such items as a new heating system. SOAS are not allowed to divert money to any other causes.

An Ode to the English Plural We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. If the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen? If I speak of my foot and show you my feet, And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth? Then one may be that, and there would be those, Yet hat in the plural would never be hose, And the plural of cat is cats, not cose. We speak of a brother and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim! Let’s face it – English is a crazy language.

Q. So how is the money raised?

A. A year’s programme of events will include quiz evenings, themed food events such as French, Dutch, Spanish and other dishes, musical evenings with well-known musicians such as Stephen Cleobury from King’s College Chapel and the Royston Choral Society who have given successful concerts recently. Coming up is the Melbourn Open Gardens Day on Sunday 12th June from 1.30 – 5.30 p.m. where ‘passports’ to various gardens will cost you £3 in advance and £4 on the day. Watch out also for the Hertfordshire Police Choir making a welcome re-appearance on the evening of Monday 11th July at 7.30 p.m. in church. Q. Monday night for a concert? Is that a good idea?

A. Well it’s worked before and Monday is the only night in the week that the most of the police personnel can get off. Q. SOAS sounds a good idea. How can I join?

A. Membership comes at a reasonable price of £3.00 per person or £ 5.00 for a household although you can give more as a donation. Ring 01763 260686 for details and a membership form. Colin Limming, Publicity Officer. 01763 260072

SOAS 100 Club

The February draw of the SOAS 100 Club was made by Mr Mike Rawlings at Coffee Stop on 5th March. There were 76 members. The first prize of £25.40 goes to Irene Bloomfield (24) at 78 Russet Way and the second to Jane Stevens (2) at 35 Water Lane. The March draw was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 5th April. There were 76 members. The first prize of £25.50 goes to Mr & Mrs Brett (12) at 44 High Street and the second of £12.70 to Maria Christina Cooper (40) at 64 High Street.

Know your churches

EveryyeartheCambridgeshireHistoricChurchesTrustorganises a sponsored cycle ride to raise money to keep our church buildings in good repair. This year’s cycle ride will be held on Saturday 10th September. Meanwhile there is a programme of church tours so that people can get to know more about the fascinating history of our local churches. For further information on this and other planned tours, please visit www.cambshistoricchurchestrust.co.uk/churchtours.htm. For any other information or help you can contact 01353 778129 or secretary@cambshistoricchurchestrust.co.uk Tim Stone, Granta Deanery organiser

All Saints’ Community Hall

Available for at hire at reasonable rates during the day/ evening. The Hall offers screen facilities in the large hall, a separate smaller room for meetings. A fully equipped kitchen and disabled facilities. For enquiries and bookings hallbookings@live.co.uk or 01763 260072 melbournmagazine

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feature

Poem written on the fly leaf.

Cooper family from Linda Clarke (Cooper)

The poem featured on the right is about my father Derek Cooper who lived in Melbourn all his life. He was the eldest of seven children born to Bert and Mabel Cooper. All seven children settled in the village, and three still here. (Four, including dad, have passed away). Dad was in the Royal Navy during the WWII and was stationed at Lowestoft some of the time. He served on the ‘Javelin’ and the ‘Northern Foam’ and was in the Battle of the Atlantic, sailing as far as Hong Kong and Greenland. He worked for the Atlas Stone Company, now Eternit, for nearly 51 years, rising from shift worker to production supervisor over the years. As the poem suggests he did love the countryside and animals. As a child he had dogs, cats and ferrets amongst his pets. He also had two owls which used to fly in his bedroom window and sit on the bottom of his bed. Granddad was a gamekeeper, and also a poacher. The large family being sometimes fed on pigeon pie and jugged hare. He was the pest control man for the village. I remember him killing wasp’s nests on the ground with a long stick with white powder on the end. Later I found out that it was cyanide. The poem is from the book, ‘Lab’s Pal’ (a labrador) by J.H. Burn-Murdoch 3rd August 1938

From Lab to Derick A wee bit kiddie owns this book His father daily wanders round a-hunting pests from stoat to rook at home it’s seldom he’ll be found. A braw fine lad Bert Cooper’s son though Derek is his name from father, son, the poachers run, full sorry that they ever came. He goes to school to learn from books, And there he’s taught to read and write, But countryside is where he looks, And there sees God in all his might. Och aye Och aye, the keepers boy, I would not have him lose his youth, But when he’s old, he’ll find it joy, To know that dogs have souls is truth. And when that boy with dog to heel, Doth wander round the land, It won’t be long before he’ll feel Things mighty hard to understand. And long before he’s gotten old A lying neath the sod, These natures talks will have him told Both dog and man be parts of God. There’s many a man of high degree, With pockets filled with gold, Who never, never, lives to see Dog’s souls cannot be bought or sold.

Derek Cooper Mabel and Bert Cooper

Melbourn Girls

The photograph shows Rhona Bunting, Helen Taylor and Joyce Reed and was taken by me (Cyril) at the Pool in Royston. I knew all the girls very well. Rhona’s older brother was Reg Bunting, he and I were great friends just prior to the Second World War. We both went into the armed services at the same time. Reg joined the RAF and was sent to Tuscaloosa Alabama, USA for his training as a bomber pilot. I went into the Royal Navy and was sent overseas. Rhona married an RAF lad, and Joyce Reed married an American Serviceman, and went to live in the States. I think that Joyce would now be about 82 years of age, and I understand from one her relatives, who is the sister of Joyce’s mother’s, (and is now aged 99 and living in Royston), that Joyce is still alive. Joyce had a brother Eric who I also knew very well. The Buntings and the Reeds both lived in Orchard Way.

Which of these is the more up-lifting Derek or Derick? Quem sabe? After all what’s in a name?

I have no knowledge since WWII about either of the two other girls, or of Reg Bunting, I believe that Reg survived the conflict. I wvould be interested if anyone has any further knowledge about any of them. From Cyril and Audrey Rayment cyril.rayment@btinternet.com

melbournmagazine

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Bowls Malcolm Davey 262704 Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts 261505 Brownies 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Brownies 2nd Melbourn Samantha Pascoe 261400 Cricket Martin Winter 262733 Croquet Janet Pope 248342 Football Club Andrew Edwards 223109 Dynamos Football Club Les Morley 07739 593771 Gardening Club Helen Powell 245887 Judo Derek Coult 225004 Melbourn Sports Centre Graham Johnson-Mack 263313

1st Melbourn Guides

Would you Go For It? 1st Melbourn Guides certainly did! The patrols spent 3 evenings on their chosen ‘Go For It’ resource.The ever-popular ‘Glamorama’ theme saw three groups braiding their hair, painting their nails, and putting on make-up. The Panda patrol meanwhile chose fashion, which included cooking gingerbread people to decorate with iced-on clothing, while the Bumblebees went for Five Senses with blindfolded tasting and smelling tests. The patrols also spent two evenings on their individually chosen interest badges: the Performing Arts girls made pantomime costumes from plastic bags; those doing theAnimalActive badge created posters about endangered animals, and the Confectioners decorated cakes and biscuits which we sold for charity at the Coffee Stop.

For Thinking Day we tried different ways of teaching and learning, and we took part in a District fundraising afternoon, at which the Bumblebee patrol performed a modern dance which they had choreographed themselves. We also had fun as a whole unit with a swim at Royston Leisure Centre, a games and challenges evening, and an end of term party. A sleep over or camp is an essential part of being a Guide, and at the end of March we joined up with the 2nd Melbourn Guides for a five mile hike followed by a (rather noisy!) night on the floor of a Guide Centre. During the hike the girls learnt the basics of map reading, and played a quick game of ‘Meet a tree’ in the woods. Those who weren’t helping to cook the evening meal did activities for the Traditions of Guiding badge, and we finished the evening off with an indoor campfire. Come and see us at the Melbourn Fete, where we will have a Caribbean themed fundraising stall! If you would like to know more about becoming a Guide or a leader, or if you have any skills or hobbies which you would like to share with us, please contact me on: 01763 261443 or email: melbournguides@gmail.com Hilary Marsh

Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Royston and District Round Table Michael Seymour 221398 Squash Club Nick Sugden 261064 Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593 Tennis (Meldreth) Sue Davies 220174

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Jeremy Ashworth Electrician and Property Maintenance

21 Bramley Avenue, Melbourn, Royston, Herts. SG8 6HG

07815 093166 01763 230831 jeremy.ashworth@ntlworld.com

We are a warm, friendly, family run home conveniently situated close to the station and town centre of Royston. If you would like to find out more about St George’s, please call us for a brochure or drop in for a chat. 42 Kneesworth Street, Royston, Herts. SG8 5AQ Telephone: 01763 242243 web site: www.stgeorgescare.com

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Melbourn and District Photographic Club

The photograph shows one of Helen Holway’s projected images which contributed to her success in the club competitions: Californian Poppy

The 2010/2011 year ended on a high note with a stimulating Melbourn Trophy final (the 37th) on Saturday 19th March at Foxton Village Hall including the annual display of members’ prints. Cambridge retained the trophy. The final is the result of a knock out competition, starting in October, between 14 local photographic clubs. Malcolm Tinn provided informed judging of a varied range of excellent images. Homemade cakes were enjoyed by all. The 2010/2011 season was extremely successful with membership increasing and weekly attendances up (almost the highest ever) with a new group of young enthusiastic new members. As a result the standard of competition entries improved in quality and range. As well as the competitions members enjoyed a programme of informative and imaginative talks by local photographic experts and the workshop sessions, conducted by experienced club members, provided a valuable opportunity to exchange practical tips and learn new techniques. New member Helen Holway achieved a clean sweep of the major trophies winning the open print (combined print scores for the year), open projected image (combined projected image scores for the year) and the Chairman’s trophy (highest total score over the

year). Nick Holway won the print of the year competition and Bec Wilkins the projected image of the year. The 2011/12 season will start on Tuesday 13th September 2011 at 7.30 at Foxton Village Hall. New members, of any skill level, will be warmly welcomed. For further information please ring Bruce Huett (Secretary) 01763 232 855.

Melbourn Sports Centre The Spring Review

It’s been an exciting time here at Melbourn Sports Centre, with lots going on for the whole community to get involved with.

We’ve had a bumper bag of Easter activities running this year, including our OFSTED registered PlayScheme, where children were treated to trampolining, swimming and creative crafts. Other holiday activities included Swimming Crash Course and Trampolining Taster sessions. Amassive congratulations to all those who took part in this year’s Swimathon event. Distances covered for a good cause ranged from 1500m – 5000m and participants helped to raise valuable funding for the charity Cancer Care. Finally, we also opened our doors on Saturday 26th March to offer visitors a chance to try some sporting activities for free. These included trampolining, life support skills and swimming, which seemed to go down well with those that attended. We also had Set 2 Play tennis and Melbourn Dynamos offering free coaching sessions as well.

June

For something a bit different this Father’s Day, how about treating your Dad to his own gym membership or purchasing a gift voucher for our other activities here at Melbourn Sports? It’s a great way to help a loved one get fit! We will also be running a stall again at this year’s Melbourn village fete. So why not come along and find out more about your local sports centre!

July

With the summer holidays only weeks away, it’s not too late to start planning your summer sports, with our holiday coursessuchastheChildren’sPentathlon and Swimming Crash Course available

melbournmagazine

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all types of birds rabbits guinea pigs many other animals wide range of accessories and pet supplies Also stockists for CALOR GAS Ample parking facilities Open 7 days a week Mon to Sat 9.00am – 6.00pm Sunday 9.30am – 4.30pm Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EY Tel 01763 263342

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to book. These are an extremely popular and fun way to spend some or all of the summer holidays; sport camps offer children the opportunity to try out both mainstream and specialist activities in a safe and fun environment. Bookings now being taken.

August

For a cheap and fun activity, why not come along to one of our fun swimming sessions? We have sessions suitable for all abilities and all at a very reasonable price that won’t wear out your wallet! Our current timetable can be downloaded from our website, or picked up in reception.

September

Our autumn term starts at the beginning of September, so why not book onto one of our term lessons? Activities on offer include swimming, gymnastics, trampolining, pilates, yoga, rookie lifesaving, baby gymnastics, running club and tennis coaching. Other activities on offer this summer include: Friendly Fridays, where members of the public can come down with an existing fitness suite member and try out the gym for free! A variety of fitness suite memberships. Arange of exercise classes including aquafit, boxercise, core stability, body sculpture and Swim-Clinic (pool training session).

Indoor and Outdoor Court Hire Activity of the season – tennis

The tennis season is now well underway. For all you budding Wimbledon stars, courts can be hired mid-week and at weekends. We are also pleased to announce that we have joined up with Set 2 Play tennis to commence a Melbourn and District Tennis Club based at Melbourn Sports Centre. So why not dust down your racket and join up! For more information, please contact us on 01763 263313. For further details on these or any other activities, please drop in, call 01763 263313 or go online at www.melbournsports.com. We look forward to seeing you this season! Graham Johnson-Mack Melbourn Sports Centre Manager

Ramblers’ Association Royston and District

Our walks programme continues right through the year. We have walks on Sundays, which are normally 5–7 miles in the morning and a similar or shorter walk in the afternoon. Some Sunday walks are Figures of Eight making it possible to do only the morning or only the afternoon. Half-day walks are held on Tuesday or Thursday mornings (sometimes on both days). Our evening walks are held during the summer months on a different day

each week until 24th August 2011. Prospective new members are always very welcome and may come on three walks before deciding whether to join. For details visit our website: www. ramblers-herts-northmiddlesex.org.uk – click onto groups, then click onto Royston – or contact DavidAllard 01763 242677, email: david.allard@ntlworld. com or Lesley Abbiss 01763 273463. There is also a poster displaying walks for the current month in both Melbourn and Royston libraries.

Melbourn and District Gardening Club

Are you interested in gardening? Why not join the Melbourn and District Gardening Club on a regular or occasional basis. We meet at 7.30 on the second Tuesday each month, at the Community Hall, behind All Saints’ Church (near traffic lights, lane by telephone box). So far this year we have had talks and slides on Wild South Wales with wonderful photography. A new look at fences, ideas using colour and texture. The Gibberd Garden, Harlow and its 80 sculptures, glades, groves and pools. In April we learnt about Self Sufficiency from Your Garden, with lots of ideas and advice, whether you have a huge plot or pots. Our local outing this year will be to South Farm Shingay-cum-Wendy and the coach outing in June, to Hever Castle Kent, childhood home of Anne Boleyn. 14th June 2011 Cheat in the Garden – Margaret Lynch 28th June 2011 South Farm Shingaycum-Wendy – Tour & afternoon tea 12th July 2011 Seasons of a Woodland – Barry Kaufman-Wright August Tea in a Member’s Garden date to be agreed 13th September 2011 Cambridge Colleges & Their Gardens – Rodney Tibbs New members and visitors very welcome. For more information - ring Helen 01763 245887 or Angela 01763 262793

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Jazzercise combines jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, cardio box and Latin style movements into a fun and effective total body workout. All ages and abilities welcome

Melbourn Village College W ednesday: Jazzercise 7.15 pm Greneway School, Garden Walk, Royston Tuesday: Bodysculpt 6.15 pm Jazzercise 7.00 pm Thursday: Bodysculpt 6.40 pm Jazzercise 7.30 pm Seth Ward Community Centre, Buntingford Thursday: Jazzercise 6.15 pm For more information call Linda on 01763 241527 www.jazzercise4fitness.co.uk

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UnpickedMeadows Unpicked Meadow Public Art Project Riverside Park, Stockbridge Meadows

By the time this magazine goes to print there should be three new art works in Melbourn’s Riverside Park, Stockbridge Meadows. Funded by developers section 106 public art money, the project was managed by local Arts Development Manager Kirstin Bicknell for Melbourn Parish Council. Artist Jo Chapman was chosen at a publicArtist Selection Evening for a year long public art project for the Meadows. Her brief was to create a year-long public art project with visiting artists and workshops to engage the local community and to inform a final art work. Rather than an artist coming to the village for a day or two to create a work without knowing the village, Jo was commissioned to spend time finding out about Meadows and meeting people through creative workshops before producing a final piece. The artworks incorporate imagery of leaves, feathers and wild flowers as well as lines from the seasonal renga poems inspired by the workshops throughout the year.

Workshops over a year, May 2010 – May 2011 The project was launched back in May 2010 with visitors creating wooden plaques, painting or writing haiku poems. These plaques were joined by ones created by Orchard Manor and Melbourn Primary School and mounted to form a welcome wall for anyone entering the Meadows to see. Last summer the ARTIVAN was launched, a project space to meet, make and exhibit work. Jo took a two berth stripped out caravan and MVC students redesigned the inside and outside. We had workshops in stick lizard making, clay fruit, print making and outdoor adventures with guest artists including Liz McGowan and Mark Haywood over the summer. Over the winter sound artist Holly Rumble worked with a small group of local people to produce a piece of sound art based on the names of birds that migrate to and from the Meadows. The sound art piece was performed in the ARTIVAN in the Meadows by candlelight as part of the winter lantern parade. It was a beautiful event in which local families were invited to create a tea light lanterns and join Melbourn 1st Brownies in a parade to the candle lit Meadows. The project also featured the Stockbridge Tapestry in which villagers of all ages were asked to contribute a fabric section to communal banner-like art work. The resulting tapestry reflects the seasonal changes in the Meadows and individual responses to nature. It was exhibited at the artwork celebration tea party event and has now been passed to Melbourn Parish Council to find a permanent home for it as an historical record of the project. If you have any ideas for where the Tapestry might be displayed then please get in touch.

Meadow Poems Publication

Local poet Clare Crossman led a renga poetry project, a form of Japanese social poetry writing over the year. She has woven together individual haiku created in May for the spring renga, hosted a summer renga party in the Meadows and visitors to in October contributed their autumn verses. Finally in winter, villagers were invited to come and write poetry in their sleeping bags with hot chocolate to keep warm! The result is a series of poems written for Melbourn with contributions by a whole host of local people. Lines from the poems have been incorporated into the artworks and a publication including the poems, photos and activities to do in the Meadows has been created. If you are interested in a copy of the publication contact Kirstin Bicknell or visit www.melbourn.org.uk/publicart Keep up-to-date with the project by joining the local arts mailing list to receive occasional updates. To subscribe please email kirstin@start-arts.org.uk For more information about the project contact Kirstin Bicknell,Arts Development Manager, phone 07770 643165, email Kirstin@start-arts.org.uk melbournmagazine

Dan Alder Painting & Decorating

13 Rupert Neve Close Melbourn Nr Royston SG8 6FB

Mobile: 07843 621885

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Arts Development

Available on Royston Market: ➧ Fresh Fruit and Veg, Fish

direct from Great

➧ Yarmouth, Bread and Cakes,

If you are part of a group interested in working with an artist, hosting an arts event or if you run an arts related group and need some support then contact your local Arts Development Manager, Kirstin Bicknell. She can support with everything from marketing and fundraising advice to contracting an artist. Kirstin is part of the stART partnership between village colleges and South Cambridgeshire District Council. StART run a number of district wide initiatives including an equipment bank and mobile cinema for community groups to hire. See their website www.start-arts.org.uk for more information or contact Kirstin, phone 07770 643165, email Kirstin@startarts.org.uk

Local Arts Mailing List

➧ Plastics

Do you want to know what’s going on locally? The local arts mailing list will include details of events and workshops linked to the arts in its widest sense (drama, art, music, dance etc). To join and receive occasional email updates contact Kirstin Bicknell by emailing kirstin@start-arts.org.uk with the word subscribe in the title. If you have a local arts related event or workshop, you’d like to promote then contact Kirstin with the event details.

➧ Swimming Pool Supplies

Artsmash Summer Workshop for 8 – 18 years

➧ Flowers and Plants ➧ Groceries, Jewellery

(Gold bought for Cash)

➧ Picture Framing

➧ Kitchenware ➧ Antiques ➧ Pet Supplies.

Have you seen our new Furniture Stall? Why not give your old furniture a new life – have it sprayed or sanded, House Clearance also available – see Fred and Kay for more details, every Wednesday and Saturday.

Artsmash is an exciting new programme of creative holiday workshops and activities for young people aged 8 – 18 years. In the Summer holidays there will be workshops in circus skills, manga drawing, performance, film-making and much more. In previous years, the Academy, musical theatre summer workshops have run at Melbourn Village College and around the district. This year the project has been renamedArtsmash, for a full programme see www.start-arts.org.uk/artsmash At Melbourn Village College the summer programme is: 4 August On Stage! Create and perform a short play in a day Age 8–16 years £25 5 August Movie Race Film making day – race to create your film (price includes DVD to take home) Age 8–16 years £40 Monday 8 August Fashion Fix Upcycle old clothes into new fashion pieces Age 10–16 years £25 Tuesday 9 August Choreography workshop Develop your choreography skills Age 10–16 years £25

Days run 10am – 4pm, subsidised places available for low income families and a £5 discount when booking 2 workshop places. Download a booking form from the website or contact Kirstin Bicknell, Arts Development Manager, phone 07770 643165, email Kirstin@start-arts.org.uk

melbournmagazine

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28/1/11 6:04:41 pm

what’s on Melbourn Open Gardens Sunday June 12th

In aid of SOAS (supporters of All Saints’ Church) ‘Passports’ available at the Cross £4. (£3 if bought in advance) Eleven Village Gardens will be open from 1.30 to 5.30 pm. Refreshments served in Community Hall, behind All Saints’.

The Chairman’s Arts Awards 2010

David Chappell of the Tavern Gallery in Meldreth received an award for his ‘Outstanding Village Arts Programme’. The Melbourn Village College Dance Competition Squad were also performing at this event.

Safari Supper

There is still time to book a place for the Great Melbourn Safari Supper on 25th June. Contact Mavis Howard on 260686 or Jane Brett on 260306 for more information.

The Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey

Health, Happiness and Well-being Day at The Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey Wednesday 15th June, 10.30am to 5.00pm

At the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey we are not just listening to government talk about increasing the nation’s happiness: we are putting it into effect! In the beautiful and relaxing setting of the Abbey and Farmland Museum, just north of Waterbeach off the A10, we are offering people the chance to add to their happiness and well-being by taking part in a day of new experiences. The day is aimed at the over-55’s, and a variety of taster sessions is available to introduce participants to a range of new interests and skills that will not only provide a fun and satisfying day out, but also, possibly, be the start of new leisure and lifestyle choices. For those of a (slightly) energetic mind, there will be opportunities to try out Tai Chi, Yoga and aerobics, while there are also sessions in singing, painting, and creative collage, not to mention a guided tour of the abbey and museum, and a farm walk. Tips on beauty products will also be available. Sessions are led by professional demonstrators and are aimed at total beginners. The cost is £25, to include a choice of 4 sessions, buffet lunch and afternoon tea, and free refreshments throughout the day. Tickets, bookable in advance, can be purchased from Chris Leuchars, Education Officer, at Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum, Ely Road, Waterbeach, Cambs, CB25 9PQ; Tel: 01223 860988, email: education@farmlandmuseum.org.uk For further information and photo opportunities contact Corrina Bower on 01223 860988 or email info@ farmlandmuseum.org.uk

Fringe In The Fen

Combines Great Music With A Great Cause

Fringe in the Fen is Cambridgeshire’s newest music and arts festival in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support taking place from the 09 – 16 July 2011. Unlike many other festivals Fringe in the Fen is unique in its ambition to raise over £30,000 for Macmillan in their centenary year. Thanks to generous sponsorship from over 14 companies festival-goers can be confident that all the money raised from ticket sales will go to Macmillan Cancer Support. There will be eight days packed with diverse and exciting music and arts events from choral and classical to blues and rock to folk and jazz. There is definitely something for everyone. The festival will kick off with a Family Fringe Day, where the village will come alive with a carnival atmosphere melbournmagazine

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

and visitors will be able to take part in the arts trail around the village. It will then come to a spectacular end when The East Anglia Chamber Orchestra will be joined by a massed choir of local musicians from the St Ives Choral Society, New Cambridge Singers, Swavesey Community Choir and the Cambridge Chord Company, conducted by Festival Musical Director Graham Ross. Lynda Symonds, festival organiser said, “Whilst working on the programme for Fringe in the Fen, I have been amazed at the level of professionalism of the many local musicians that we have brought together to help raise money for the excellent work carried out by Macmillan. Whether it be classical, choral, folk, jazz, indie, soul, blues or big band swing, there’s definitely something to rock your boat!! I’m spoilt for choice as I’m sure you will be!” For more information and online booking go to www. fringeinthefen.com or call the box office on 01480 352826.

Open Garden at Little Chishill Manor

Sunday 19th June 2 – 5 p.m. The Church Warden of St Nicholas Church, Little Chishill is opening his garden in aid of the church and supporting the charity East Anglian Air Ambulance. It is a mature garden in a wooded valley with shrubs, herbaceous borders, rose garden and kitchen garden. Music from Barry Tyler’s Dixieland Jazz Band. Homemade teas, stalls, plants and more. Off B1039 Royston/Saffron Walden Rd –Admission £3.00, Children Free.

Royston Police Choir Monday 11th July In aid of SOAS Look out for more details nearer the time

ZUMBA! Melbourn Village College

We run a Zumba dance/fitness class on a Monday evening 6.30-7.30pm (£5 per session) It is the most fun you will ever have at a fitness class…it’s like being at a party! Open to all 14yrs – 100yrs+

Bourn to Run 2011

A charity 10km and 3km fun run taking place in Bourn Cambridgeshire on the 25th of September in aid of Bourn Primary School. For more info go to www.bourntorun.com. Early Bird Discount for sign up before the end of July.

Sunday 5th June

Jog with a Dog or A Stroll In The Park

Come and enjoy a Jog with a dog or a Stroll in the Park on Sunday 5 June 2011 and support Hearing Dogs for Deaf People at Milton Country Park, Cambridge Road, Milton, Cambridge CB24 6AZ Timed starts Jog with a dog –10am (advanced entries only)

Stroll in the Park – 11am & 3pm The Cambridge Branch of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is organising a sponsored stroll in Milton Country Park on Sunday 5 June. We would like to encourage people from Cambridge and the surrounding villages to come along with their dogs and families and enjoy a walk whilst raising much-needed funds for this very worthwhile cause. Entry Fee £2.00 but we hope that many walkers will obtain sponsorship to increase the amount raised for the charity. For further details, or to obtain entry and sponsorship forms please contact Debora Carter. Email contact: debora.carter@yahoo.co.uk or 01954 211707

Half Term Holiday Play Scheme at Orwell

Petersfield schools holiday club (Puffins) is running a holiday scheme on Tuesday 31st May to Thursday 2nd June of half term for children over the age of 3. Puffins is run by highly qualified and experienced staff. Facilities are based within Petersfield school (Orwell) and include access to school playing field, fully equipped kitchen, numerous toys and equipment. Full day: 8.45–6.00pm – £28.00 Short day: 8.45–3.45 pm – £22.00 Half day am: 8.45–12.30pm – £16.00 Discount of 10% on the cost of second child

Activities

Planned activities include Swimming sessions,Arts and Crafts, Cookery, Computer and Games Consoles, Team Games and outdoor play, Trip to Cambridge Botanical Gardens and Science sessions. melbournmagazine

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

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Pinney Moore & Co Ltd is an appointed representative of Gibbs Denley which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority 62

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Cambridgeshire Registered Trader Scheme The Cambridgeshire Registered Trader Scheme can help by providing you with a list of traders who have been checked by Cambridgeshire Trading Standards.

Advertisers

Type of business

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Picture Frames

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South Cambs Motors

Motor Car Servicing

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Specialist Dental Partners Dentist

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Sprint Printers

Printers and Copiers

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The Letting Centre

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Tree Tops

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melbournmagazine

Printed by The Burlington Press Cambridge Ltd

Issue 66 Summer 2011

Articles inside

In Days Gone By Tales of a Cambridgeshire Country Copper

Cooper family from Linda Clarke (Cooper

nature

Council News

Melbourn Village College

Safer Melbourn

Education

The Old Police site

Mrs Janice Guest

nature

Village News