Melbourn Play Parks Update

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Melbourn Play Parks Update Library News Melbourn and Meldreth Self Help Luncheon Club 5 6

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7 Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group 8 Melbourn Village Fete & Music on the Moor 9 Accessibility at Meldreth Station 10 All work and no play? – Not at KIDS! 10 CATalyst (Community Action Together) 10 More Choice in Social Care 11 Melbourn Dental Practise Orchard Road 11 Melbourn Celebrates Ages! 13 Thank you for recycling 14

Melbourn Play Parks Update

It has been a very cold start to the year, which seemed to have affected the growth of everything in Melbourn including the park at Clear Crescent.

The good news is, as you read this, the Clear Crescent park is now open and hopefully you came along to the opening party. Where did it all begin?

The project began in 2010 as a sub-committee of the Melbourn Village Plan. Ten local residents volunteered to try and improve the play facilities in Melbourn. The group administered a questionnaire to the local schools and playgroups to obtain the views of the parents and children who would be using the parks. The results demonstrated that residents were fairly satisfied with the Moor park but very dissatisfied with Clear Crescent. This was mainly because of lack of play options, poor picnicking and safety issues. This enabled the group to focus their efforts. Residents were asked their likes and dislikes about the park and this was used as the basis for decisions regarding equipment choices. Children were asked to vote for their preferred options.

The group spent the following two years applying for grants and carrying out regular consultation events. After much time and effort the group successfully won grants from AMEY CESPA, SITA and the Fields in Trust. These grants

amounted to £60,000. The Parish Council contributed a further £51,000. During the last 3 years the residents of Melbourn have managed to raise £4,709.21 through local fundraising. Thank you for your contribution and thank you if you attended any of our events which included a kiddie disco, quiz night, Virgin Vie party, Melbourn Playgroup Silly Week, Little Hands Pirate Day and Dress to Impress Night at Palazzo.

One of the highlights of the project was when the park gained Fields in Trust status ensuring it can never be built on. This achievement was celebrated with a Party in the Park, which about 200 residents attended. Many residents enjoyed the opportunity of holding an Olympic Torch.

Wicksteed Leisure began work in the park in November 2012. Bad weather meant that progress was slower than expected. However the contractors, Greyhound Leisure battled the elements and were even working during the snow. The new park began to take shape …

We do apologise for the delay in re-opening the park. In addition to the weather, this was due to the availability of equipment, the way in which the grant funding was received and the availability of the contractors. We hope you think it was worth the wait!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have been involved. Special thanks goes to Peter Norbury & Julian Ireland for giving up their time and materials for free to remove the old equipment and refurbish the swings, elephant and motorbike.

Thank you to Irene Bloomfield and MVC, Peter Simmonett, Peter Horley and the Melbourn Parish Council, John Travis and the Melbourn Village Plan, Bob Tulloch and the Melbourn Business Association and Richard Arnott (gardendesignsolutions) for the wonderful picnicking area. Thank you also to Julian Ireland and Peter Norbury for giving their time for free to refurbish and clear the old equipment.

Thank you to all of the people who wrote letters of support which assisted us in winning the grant funding: Jane Crawford (Manager, Melbourn Playgroup) Cary Eves & Graham JohnsonMack (Melbourn Sports Centre), Mrs Wilcox (Headteacher, Melbourn Primary School), County Councillor Susan van de Ven, District Councillor Jose Hales, District Councillor Val Barrett, Fiona Hobbiger (Melbourn Health Visiting Team), Abigail Roberts (Leader, 1st Melbourn Rainbows).

Thank you to everyone else who contributed financially to the project with raffle prizes and donations: Melbourn Co-op, Royston Ladies Round Table, Melbourn Village Fete Committee, Melbourn Playgroup, Little Hands Nursery, Cambridge Building Society, Costa Coffee, Tescos, Palazzos, Mello, Leech & Sons, Esse, Kingsway Golf, Royston Leisure Centre, The Butterworth Family, Helen Hird and Mrs Williams.

Finally and most importantly, thank you to the Play Parks team who have given their time and commitment over the last 3 years. They are Lucie Knight, Debbie Felts, Lucinda Cockman, Yasmin Croxford, Jennie Riggs, Emma Cooper, Gilly Walker, Rhonda Little, Richard Grant, Nicci Parr & Karen Alison. Sam Wainwright, Chair www.melbournplayparks.co.uk

Library News

We have been busy at the Library putting new books on the shelves and we usually put any new items on our book trolley. We are buying best sellers from the Richard and Judy List, and often get new books donated to us which we put in stock. We are continuing to stock the Carousel at the station and find that we have to add about ten to twenty books every fortnight to keep it fully stocked. It has been a great success.

We are planning how the library will work with the Hub Committee and are very hopeful that we will achieve a good result. Space is limited, so it is essential that the best use is made of what is available. We are hopeful that we will be able to keep a large part of our current stock, and intend to cut it down by discarding books that have not been read for a considerable time. We intend to have a stall at the fête and sell excess stock and hope to be able to show how the new facilities in the Hub will be laid out. The Hub Committee has a fantastic model of the new building, which we hope will be on display on a stall beside us.

We have had an upgrade to our computers, which has caused us some problems. Our new system is unable to work with our existing printer. The Library IT team has been having problems with sickness and has either not been able to get our existing printer going, or provide us with a new one. We apologise for the lack of this facility and hope by the time you read this that the matter will have been resolved. We are also having a Wi-Fi facility installed. Library opening times are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 2.30 to 4.30PM. Thursday 5.00 to 7.00PM Saturday 10.00 to 12.00 noon

Melbourn and Meldreth Self Help Luncheon Club

I would like to start this with an enormous thank you to the Melbourn History Group. Because of their generous donation to fund the publication of Lunch Clubs cookery book, ‘Reminiscences and Recipes’ – of which there are still some available at £4 each – Lunch Club en-masse were able to enjoy a superb afternoon out at TwentyPence Garden Centre, Wilburton, where we all enjoyed a truly delicious cream tea. Dennis and his team there did us proud to the extent that doggy bags were handed out on the way home! Nothing was wasted.

Thanks also to Ann Dekkers, Sally Wright and Peter Simmonett; without their hard work this would not have come to print.

We have just celebrated Easter. Each of our diners was given an Easter Egg which had been generously donated by Tesco Royston, together with a hot cross bun supplied by Lunch Club, ready for Good Friday. A truly delicious lunch of roast lamb, new potatoes, peas and carrots together with Yorkshire pudding – followed by trifle and cream – were produced by the amazing kitchen team: Jacky, Jenny, Ann, Pauline