14 minute read
Sports and Clubs
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 Photographic Club Bruce Huett 232855 Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Royston and District Round Table Michael Seymour 221398 Squash Club Nick Sugden 261064 Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593 Tennis (Melbourn) Dave Liddiard 07508 995 781 Tennis (Meldreth) Sue Davies 220174
Melbourn and District Gardening Club
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Are you interested in gardening? Why not join the Melbourn and District Gardening Club on a regular or occasional basis.
We meet at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday each month, at the Community Hall, behind All Saints Church (near traffic lights, lane by telephone box)
2012
So far this year we have had talks on Britain’s Wonderful Wildlife, Fun with Herbaceous Plants, Growing Clematis and Container Gardening.
May
The club had a very successful coach outing to Burghley House and Gardens in May. It doesn’t seem possible that the weather was perfect and almost too hot to walk in the afternoon!! We watched children paddling and enjoying the water features in the Garden of Surprises and wandered in the woods and meadows searching, for the dramatic artworks by contemporary sculptors.
June
Lone from Crazy Daisy Flowers in Buntingford demonstrated how to use colour and texture to put together five different themed arrangements, which were raffled. She kept us entertained with descriptions of people she had met and competitions entered.
We also discovered, that she had been invited to create the posy to be given to the Queen, when she visited Hitchin the same week.
July
We had a very enjoyable evening visit to Hopleys Nursery and Gardens at Much Hadham, near Ware in July
We left Royston and Melbourn in heavy rain in and hoped it wouldn’t follow us. The guided tour of the garden had just begun, when torrential rain arrived. We took refuge in the tea room, with a glass of wine, where owner Aubrey Barker told us of the origins and day to day workings of the 10 acre nursery.
We learnt of the stresses and strains of past appearances at Chelsea and he gave us an update on exhibiting his plants at last week’s Hampton Court Flower Show.
The internet age was making a big impact on his business and a printed catalogue would eventually be a thing of the past.
We finally toured the garden. The driest member of the club wore wellingtons! » 11th September – Autumn &
Recycling Garden Waste. A talk and slides by Richard Todd, Head
Gardener at Anglesey Abbey » 9th October – Drought Resistant
Plants Peter Jackson from Scotsdales
Garden Centre » 13th November – AGM followed by gardening DVD » 11th December – Quiz and Social
Evening New members and visitors very welcome. For more information – ring Helen 245887
Melbourn History Group – end of an era?
In 2000 to celebrate the millennium, the Melbourn magazine committee produced the photographic record of Melbourn – ‘Melbourn 2000’.
Around the same time, two of it’s members, whilst out walking, would often meet senior members of the village who would reminisce over old times in Melbourn. From these long chats, the two members decided that these memories should be preserved.
The idea was taken up by the Magazine committee and when new members joined, the Melbourn History Group was formed.
Following on the from ‘Melbourn 2000’, ‘A glimpse into Melbourn’s past’ (containing the history of Melbourn from the Bronze Age to 1950), and
‘Pictorial Melbourn’ (a photographic book), were produced in 2004 using many of the old photographs taken of the village over the years.
A glimpse into Melbourn’s past and Pictorial Melbourn are still available for sale and orders continue to arrive from interested people outside of the village. New residents to the village are still eligible for a free copy of the history book.
If you add to these three publications the guide to the parish church it is evident that the Melbourn History Group has had a great deal of success in recording and storing valuable archives for future use. A fireproof cabinet holds memorabilia all carefully catalogued and we continue to receive pictures and mementoes for safe storage.
In addition, we try to assist anyone enquiring about their ancestors who leave their name in the parish church’s visitor’s book or by direct contact and you will get some idea of its activities over the years. With no immediate projects on hand we decided to continue to collect photographs and information but with a view to a follow up publication in 2050, by which time there will no doubt be some major changes to catalogue
However, the present Group members have realised that age is not on their side and the time has come to hand over to younger history enthusiasts. An appeal in the June edition of the Melbourn Magazine entitled ‘Project 2050’ has met with little response and the Group decided at a recent committee meeting to ‘mothball’ its activities until new volunteers come forward. We will continue to answer questions about family research, send copies of the books to anyone wanting to either buy one or requesting one as a new resident, and to finish off the few projects still in hand, but until younger members come along our programme will cover just those activities.
We had hoped that the schools might be persuaded to help in the projects but the response from both the Primary School and Village College has been disappointing to say the least.
If any person or persons in the village feel they would like to take up the reins of Melbourn’s local history we will be pleased to hear from them. Colin Limming, Chairman 260072 colin. limming@btinternet.com
Meldreth Local History Group
The Meldreth Local History Group will be holding an exhibition at the Tavern Gallery, 8 High Street, Meldreth between 22nd – 25th November. The Gallery is situated close to the railway station and opening times are 10.00am – 4.00pm.
The History Group, have in the past, held two very successful open days, and there have been requests to hold a similar event again. The intimate atmosphere of the Tavern Gallery will enhance the display of photographs, maps and other items relating to the village. There will be an opportunity to purchase merchandise including the new Christmas cards produced by the History Group.
There will be a History Group representative in attendance at all times who will be pleased to answer any questions you may have. Please come along to see items old and new. Everybody is welcome.
The History Group have been very busy adding new pages to their website and helping people with information on family queries. The Pepper Family, who had links with Meldreth and Melbourn, has aroused much interest recently. New pages on the website include a picture gallery of Meldreth High Street, the Diamond Jubilee Street Party and an obituary of Dorothy Brown, who was head teacher at Meldreth School from 1988 – 2000.
For further information on the exhibition and the History Group please contact Kathryn Betts 01763 268428 or Joan Gane 01763 260129 www. meldrethhistory.org.uk
Royston & District Local History Society
www.roystonlocalhistory.org.uk
Our meetings are held in the Heritage Hall, Royston Town Hall on the first Thursday of the month (second Thursday in May) starting at 8pm. Annual subscription is £5 (under 18’s £2.50). Visitors £2 per meeting. » Oct 4 The Time Traveller – Daniel
Defoe’s travels through East Anglia in 1722. A Presentation by Ancestral
Voices with music and extracts from contemporary sources of life in the reign of George the First. » Nov 1 Planners & Preservationists – the history of Cambridge Past,
Present & Future, illustrated –
Dr Anthony J Cooper
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 at our meetings or may be ordered by post from David Allard 242677. They may also be purchased at the Royston Museum & Arts Gallery in Kneesworth Street and some are available at the Cave Bookshop in Melbourn Street.
Royston and District Family History Society
The A.G.M. in June signalled the last of our formal meetings until the new season starts in September. It is far from being the last activity of the summer however. As I write this the transcriptions of the gravestones in Wallington Churchyard are being checked ready to be published. This year’s big outdoor project is the Orchard Road, Melbourn Cemetery. This is a very large undertaking with over 1,500 graves to be read and checked, it will probably take us into next year, especially if the weather continues to be so unfriendly. We shall be hoping that we get a lot of support from the membership with this very large job.
On Saturday July 21st We are having a guided walk around Ashwell in the company of David Short the Curator of the Ashwell Museum. David has given us talks before and is a very entertaining speaker so we expect an interesting and informative afternoon out.
Our Programme for the Autumn is as follows:
»Sept 17th The History of
Addenbrooke’s Hospital by Hilary
Ritchie, the Hospital Archivist.
»Oct 15th A talk by Paul Ravenscroft, a member » Nov 19th A talk by Neville Chuck, our Vice Chairman and long time photographer for the Royston Crow. » Dec 17th A member’s evening with a Christmas theme.
Over the years we have completed numerous publications which include the Monumental Inscriptions of several graveyards, the burial indexes of several churches, mainly on the Hertfordshire side of the border, Royston Parish Church Marriages (1662–1812) and banns (1754–1837) and three volumes of the ‘Births, Marriages and Deaths’ as published in the ‘Royston Crow’, they are Vol 1 1876–1886, Vol 2 1887–1899, and Vol 3 1900–1910. All these are available on our bookstall at meetings, from our website www.roystonfhs.org. uk or from the Parish Chest website, www.parishchest.com.
All our meetings, unless otherwise stated, take place on the third Monday of the month at All Saints Community Hall, Melbourn with doors opening for chat and a look at the bookstall at 7.30 pm and talks commencing at 8pm.
We are always happy to see new faces and can assure you of a warm welcome. We could also use some younger blood, if only to crawl about in those graveyards! Avril Emery, Chair/Editor Royston & District FHS.
The Ramblers’ Association Royston and District Group
Our walks programme continues right through the year. For details visit our website: www.ramblers-hertsnorthmiddlesex.org.uk or contact David Allard (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.
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 and Thursday mornings. Prospective new members are welcome and may come on three walks before deciding whether to join.
This is a relatively new arrival to the village having been formed a couple of years ago. It was set up to develop ideas for improvement to the allotment sites in the village and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on ‘grow your own’
The committee, elected annually at the AGM, provides a quarterly newsletter with topical tips on gardening, a seasonal recipe and news about the sites.
The Association is a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. This provides a number of benefits:
Access to an insurance scheme designed specifically for allotment plot holders. This includes the crucial public liability insurance covering any claims for injuries to persons entering onto the plot;
Access to a discounted seed purchase scheme with Kings Seeds for vegetable and flower seeds and plants; • Access to legal advice; • Access to gardening advice • Regular magazine. • For the first time this year it held a family picnic on the larger site.
The Association mans plant stalls at the Primary school fete and village fete with literature on gardening and healthy lifestyles. It supports the station garden and tub initiative with donation of plants and voluntary labour and is establishing links with the local school gardening clubs. It is planning to link to other youth groups in the village.
A key role is to act as a communication link to the Parish council (the managers of the main allotment sites in the village) to jointly develop a strategic plan for allotment usage in the village. A development plan has been submitted to the Council. We are very grateful to them for the provision of rabbit proof fencing, support and funding for a scheme to provide an improved water supply to the larger site, provision of a skip (with free Amey Cespa compost), co-operation on plot reviews and the development of a welcome pack for new plot holders.
Anybody in the village is welcome to join for a modest fee of £5 (including insurance cover) and contribute ideas.
If you want more information there is a link on the village website, or contact the secretary: Bruce Huett on 232855 or brucehuett@compuserve.com.
Melbourn Bowls Club
We had a very successful Anniversary Dance at Foxton Village Hall with around 100 members and friends attending and a most enjoyable evening of Sixties Music and Dance was had by all. While many Members helped in staging this event a special word of thanks has to be given to Mike and Sue Neville who organised the Venue and Band together with Ticketing and Publicity.
As a further part of our Anniversary Celebrations we hosted former Members living in various places in East Anglia for a friendly afternoons bowls on Sunday 8th July. Although the weather was far from ideal at the beginning of the afternoon the sun came out later and enabled a game to be played in a competitive but friendly fashion. It finished in an ideal fashion for such an event as an honourable draw with wins for each team on two rinks and a shots total of 56 each. Afterward the participants retired to the Clubhouse to sit down to tea, giving the opportunity for longer serving members to renew old friendships and the newer members the opportunity to put faces to some of the names on the Honours Board and perhaps forge new friendships. It was generally agreed that the event was a great success and an ideal way to celebrate the Anniversary.
We took a party of bowlers and their partners on our annual weekend near Lowestoft where we played three matches against local Clubs. We managed to win one match but lost the other two. This has become a most enjoyable tour combining bowls with general socialising and enabling good relationships to be developed with Bowls Clubs in that area.
The Coffee mornings (Thursdays
10.30 – 12.00 noon) have proved a great success with 20 to 30 participants most weeks. Non-members are cordially invited to come to the Clubhouse for Coffee, Biscuits and Conversation. In addition our Roll Ups on Monday afternoons continue to be well patronised.
The programme of matches in the Cambridge and District, Meldreth, and Business Houses Leagues in the evenings, and in the Foxton League in the afternoons are progressing well providing members with competitive games. In addition internal competitions are well under way. The Finals will be played on Saturday 8th September and Sunday 9th September. Spectators are welcome. The results will be reported in the next Issue.
We will be holding Whist Drives in the Clubhouse along The Moor every other Friday Evening during the winter. The dates are not yet finalised but will be by the time you read this article. The games are more social than serious and could be an ideal way to get to know the existing members. So, if you are interested in enjoying a night out you would be welcome. Contact Arthur Andrews 261990 or arthur.andrews123@btinternet.com for further details.
The photographs above were taken on the occasion of the match between present and former members. Top centre shows all the participants. Top left shows Malcolm Davey, the Club President, between the Captain of the former players Bernard Smith on his right and the Present Melbourn Captain Rod Sell.
1st Melbourn Guides
Melbourn Guides suspended 10metres over jet of water! As other girls experienced the Dragon’s fury, screamed at the Rattlesnake, and clung on to the Cobra, it was just another fun day out at Chessington World of Adventures for the Guides of Melbourn and the surrounding villages.
Evening sessions during the summer term have included sports competitions, crafts, drama sessions, and another Apprentice style Enterprise challenge; two groups of girls competed to create and sell a fruit dessert to the rest of the unit. The treat for the winners was a
