Melbourn Play Parks

The Play Parks team have had a busy few months.

To begin, we had a great response from the article placed in the Spring edition of the Melbourn magazine. I would like to thank the new volunteers who have come forward to help and for all of your input so far.

Some excellent feedback was received relating to the outline of how the park could look. The design is of course still very much in its infancy and we are still consulting on this. One concern centred around the use of a tube slide and how it might be a magnet for vandals. On this basis Wicksteed, our preferred supplier, has been asked to quote for a different slide but something that will be equally as fun for the children. A long wide slide has been suggested.

We have also gained feedback regarding ball games in the park and whether these could be accommodated at times of the day when younger children are not around. This is possibly a controversial issue with both benefits and problems. Your comments on the proposal would be most welcome, together with any other feedback you may have.

The Fundraising team have also been working hard preparing the next events.

We are planning a Play Parks Quiz Night on 21st September 2012 to raise money for the project. Please save the date and look out for information nearer the time on how to purchase tickets.

We are also in the process of applying for larger grants through various sources, including the National Lottery. We will let you know as we hear about these.

The team will be at the Spring Fete with a copy of the plan, so please come and have a chat.

Please take a look at our website www.melbournplayparks.co.uk which is now part of the Melbourn Village Website, and the Facebook page MelbournPlayParksProject. Feel free to add your comments and concerns and we will try and address these as the project moves forward.

You can also e-mail us on melbournplayparksproject@gmail.com. Samantha Wainwright, Chair, Melbourn Play Parks Project

Rail User Group

Gardening time again at Meldreth Station

If you have enjoyed looking at the spring flowers at Meldreth Station, please consider coming along to one of our working party days to turn things around for the change of season.

Working party dates, including a picnic and gardening day, will be posted at the station and at the Rail User Group website’s Station Garden page: http://melbourn. org.uk/railusergroup/. Or let me know if you’d like to be notified directly by email circular.

Our local garden centres have been very generous with donations of seed packets, and residents have kindly cultivated seedlings at home for transplanting to the platform tubs. We would welcome any donations of whatever sort people might have to offer – left-over compost, spare summer annuals, etc. We have still more seeds to offer anyone who’d like some for use in their own gardens.

Meanwhile, First Capital Connect have donated wormeries to Melbourn Primary School and Playgroup, which we hope will provide a lot of fun.

So please drop by the station if you are curious, or get in touch if you’d like to take part at a time that’s convenient to you. The idea is that the station garden should to be open to anyone in the community.

It’s good to have some new members of the Rail User Group from Melbourn, and we’d particularly like to thank Paul Hollinghurst, who commutes from Cambridge to Melbourn Science Park, for his fantastic work on our web pages – hosted by the Melbourn Village website. Susan van de Ven, Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group Tel 261833 susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk

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:

•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 £5 per week (a little more for couples). Margo Wherrell (Mobile Warden) 01763 260966 Mobile: 07935 315497 Email: tigress270549@aol.com Jeannie Seers (Deputy Warden) 01763 262651 Mobile: 07808 735066 Email: jeanseers1@ntlworld.com Joy Hyde (Assistant Warden) 01763 220139 Mobile: 07952 090089. Melbourn Warden Scheme is a registered charity.

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South Cambs Motors

Nobody can pass through Melbourn without noticing the oddly asymmetrical mock Tudor building at the traffic lights – this is the home of South Cambs Motors. Founded by Jack Wedd in the 20’s Bill Dash took it over on 1st June 1955. Bill, born in Orwell, had moved to Meldreth and ran a haulage business. He later also bought the Flint Cross Garage and his second wife Vicky ran the cafe. People still talk of the steaks served there and during Newmarket Races the place was packed.

So many well known local characters are associated with the garage, which has always had a reputation for friendly and honest service. Sid Hinkins started there in 1935 and except for a period in the Forces he worked there all his life. A mild and gentle man and a first class mechanic, he had to face the irate ‘Champion’ Chapman when she would emerge from her shop next door to upbraid him if a car was parked too near her property. John Gipson and Cyril Kenzie both began there as apprentices and went on to start their own businesses whilst Len Saunders stayed until he retired – he was an expert on diesel engines. They did a lot of business with local farmers and Len would travel out to farmsteads to sort out problems. Nowadays the workshop is far more sophisticated even though the exterior with it’s old petrol pump smacks of an earlier age.

Bill had other interests – he trained greyhounds and even had a Derby winner. Duleck Dandy who came in first at 25 to 1!

I got all this information from Bill’s son Terry who now lives in Chiswick End. At The Leys School Terry became very keen on cricket and went on to play for Essex and later for Cambridgeshire in the minor counties league. He had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, being determined from a young age to become a farmer. He was a successful fruit farmer at Chiswick Farm until we entered the Common Market when farmers were offered 100% grant to dig up all their orchards and he turned to arable farming. Married to Jan, whom he met in Lloyds Bank in Royston where she was a cashier, he has a son Greg who lives in Bristol and in his spare time plays keyboard with a band. I learned an interesting thing about Terry – he runs a booking agency for professional bands, specialising in music from the 1920’s to the 1960’s and for some years he ran a magazine on New Orleans music. Amongst other big names, he was responsible for bringing Artie Shaw to England and is at the moment very excited about a new band which features Johnny Cash music.

The garage sold petrol with two pumps one of which, a veritable antique, is still standing there, the other was knocked down by a van many years ago. There have also been some iconic advertising posters on the walls of which many a collector would like to get hold.

Other local names associated with SCM over the years are Jack Jarman, Fred Puce, Ted Malin, Wilf Fuller, Bernard Littlechild, Peter Pepper and John Clark. Eddie Cooper ran the office before Fred Dye took over some 47 years ago.

Born in Norfolk into a horse racing family Fred cannot remember learning to ride and was astride racehorses at the age of 12. He worked as secretary to the trainer Tom Waugh and when he moved into Chiswick Barn he got to know Mr. Dash who offered him a job. Bill Dash had racehorses, one famous one called Champagne Willy trained by Neville Callaghan. Mr. Dash encouraged Fred to enter competitions and he took part in show jumping, 3 day eventing, point to point and dressage competitions. He would also organise little fund raising horse shows at Meldreth Manor School. Fortunately Fred’s wife Dawn is a horsewoman and understands his passion. Fred reckons that most of the bones in his body have been broken or cracked at some time in his career but says it’s all part of the game. ‘Big Bob’, Bob Holcombe joined the crew about 30 years ago, coming from Royston to work with Sid Hinkins under Bill Dash. He feels a great sense of continuity in that he still sees John Gipson and Cyril Kenzie who did their apprenticeships 60 years ago – and he says working in the centre of the village is a real pleasure. They see everything that goes on and everyone who goes by. He remembers the first village Christmas tree to be erected outside the garage. A big hole was dug and the tree (donated by