Nature - River Mel Restoration group

Nature

River Mel Restoration Group

One of the familiar features of the River in Melbourn is the beautiful willows that line the river. We are lucky to have them as the number of willows in Cambridgeshire as a whole have decreased quite dramatically over the last few years. Willows are usually planted to prevent erosion of river banks; their penetrating root systems hold the soil together and maintain the stability of both the tree and its immediate environment.

The willows along the Mel are largely a mixture of crack willow (Salix fragilis) and white willow (Salix alba). The crack willow is one of Britain’s largest native willows and it is called crack or brittle willow because it is highly susceptible to damage by wind, ice and snow. The crack willows on the Mel have now reached a size that without pollarding we are in danger of loosing them all together. Pollarding is important for managing the size and the health of the tree. In other environments, such as canals,

pollarding is a method of keeping waterways clear of fallen branches which would otherwise block navigable channels. Historically, willows were pollarded to prevent livestock from eating the foliage which was used for animal fodder as well as making baskets and fencing.

As the pollards age they become trees of significant ecological importance, as natural damage can lead to trunk hollowing which provides unique, niche habitats for a variety of wildlife, including dead wood invertebrates, bats, birds, and fungi.

Because the willows are so important to our local landscape, Melbourn Parish Council have agreed a management plan which will see selective pollarding of the willows taking place later in the year.

For further details about volunteering or the dates of future working parties please telephone Maureen Brierley on 01763 262752

Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force Corps of Drums

Melbourn Detachment (opposite the Village College) Monday 7pm–9pm 12–18 years (and in year 8) Looking for Fun and Adventure?

Want to learn to play a Musical Instrument: Flute, Drum or Bugle? Be part of a Marching Corps of Drums. Telephone 07840899565 email jrshaw@virginmedia.com www.cambsacf.com

Station – please see our web page at the Melbourn Village Website for more information.

Meanwhile, our newly established Community Rail Partnership means that we have an extra channel of communication with the rail industry, and this helps with problem solving. Among other things we are working with local businesses to persuade them to sign up for Travel for Work schemes, whereby employees who travel to work by some sustainable means – lift share, public transport, walking or cycling – are entitled to certain incentives.

The Rail User Group meetings are always lively and fun, anyone interested would be welcome to come along – 17 June, 7:30, Shepreth Village Hall.

Help East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices

… by being part of a local volunteer network!

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is looking for enthusiastic individuals in Royston, Melbourn and the surrounding areas to become part of a new volunteer network. EACH provides care and support free of charge to life-threatened children across East Anglia, with hospices based in Milton Cambridge, Ipswich and Quidenham.

This year is the 25th anniversary of Milton hospice, which at the time of opening in 1989 was one of only four children’s hospices in the UK. If you would like to see another 25 years of the care and support EACH provides, why not help by becoming part of a brand new volunteer network.

EACH relies on public donations for a large majority of its income, a lot of which is provided through a variety of fundraising events across the region. EACH depends on volunteers to help out with different fundraising events throughout the year, from Santa Runs to Gala Days and local carnivals. Volunteers can get involved with a range of opportunities from supermarket collections to public speaking and marshalling fun runs. Setting up a volunteer network in the Royston and Melbourn area will help EACH with a base of volunteers who can help in the local towns, as well as in Cambridge itself.

If you are enthusiastic and would like to give back to a local charity, please get in touch. Whether you want to help out regularly throughout the year, would like to set up your own fundraising initiatives, or you would prefer to give just a few hours of your time every so often, everyone is welcome.

Please register your interest by contacting madeleine.heath@each.org.uk, or phoning Madeleine on 01223 204913. An EACH representative will be attending the Volunteer’s Afternoon Tea at the Royston Volunteer centre on the 4th June, so please come along with any queries you may have.

Relate Cambridge

Relationship support is now available in Melbourn from

Relate will be offering relationship support at the new hub in Melbourn in 2014. We can help people who present with a whole range of issues from communication difficulties, a history of failed relationships, an affair or relationship breakdown. The sessions will be run by Clare Ansted, a Relate trained relationship counsellor.

Appointment times are: 10:30; 11:45; 13:00.

The sessions will be held in the Small Meeting room at Melbourn Hub on Wednesday each week from 21st May.

We will be offering the following services:

Relationship Counselling: We can provide counselling for you and your partner or for you on your own. We can help if you are having problems and want to work them out, or if you want to separate, or if your relationship has ended.

Single Sessions: These will enable you to look at solutions to address difficulties, and ascertain whether longer-term counselling would be helpful, rather than look in depth at problems.

Couples Relationship Course: This will prepare you for - or help you cope with – any transitions in your relationship such as: moving in together or cohabiting, marriage, becoming parents, a career change, a new life stage, bereavement or “empty nest” syndrome, to name just a few.

For more information or to book an appointment, contact Relate Cambridge on 01223 357424 Mon-Thur 8am-10pm, Fri 8 am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm (confidential answerphone at all other times). Relate Cambridge – supporting relationships at every stage of your life. www.relatecamb ridge.org.uk.

Citizen’s Advice Bureau

Question: I’ve received a letter from a bailiff firm saying that they are going to come and collect an unpaid parking fine. I’ve seen stories in the news about how bailiffs have been treating people badly, and I’m worried that they will come to my house before I can sort out a repayment plan. Is there anything I can do to protect myself? Our advice: Citizens Advice Bureaux have helped thousands of people who have

fallen foul of bullying bailiffs. We see evidence of bailiffs breaking the rules, so it’s important that you know your rights if a bailiff turns up on your doorstep. At the beginning of April this year, the government introduced new regulations to give people better protection and make bailiffs clean up their act.

The new rules should reign in some bad behaviour by bailiffs. They have to write to you to tell you that they have been told to collect the debt so that you have the chance to arrange payment. Bailiffs are no longer allowed to enter your home between 9pm and 6am, when there are only children under 16 or vulnerable people present, or through an open window.

Vulnerable debtors are also given more protection, as they must now be given an opportunity to get advice and assistance from an organisation like Citizens Advice.

Bailiffs do have the right to charge fees, although there are now set fees that they can charge you at different stages of the process. Your debt could just get bigger if you ignore them. An advisor can help you to check what the bailiff is allowed to take and how much they can charge you in fees.

If a bailiff is behaving badly, you can complain to the bailiff firm or the company you owe the original debt to. You might also be able to complain to an Ombudsman.

If you believe a bailiff has broken the law or you think they should be struck off, you can complain to the police or the County Court. The bailiff’s certification may then be withdrawn or they could be ordered to give you compensation.

If you are in a situation where you are dealing with bailiffs then you should go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau*. Citizens Advice can then help explain what your rights are, what a bailiff is and isn’t allowed to do, as well as guiding you through the process of making a complaint, should you need to. *North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire residents can obtain advice from any of the North Herts CAB offices - located in Letchworth, Hitchin or Royston. An outreach service is also available twice monthly at the Melbourn Community Hub. Please visit our website for further information. www.northhertscab.org.uk

Practical Solutions Group update

The PSG continues to meet on a regular basis, with our agendas and minutes posted on the Melbourn Village website for anyone who would like to follow the thread of our work.

We continue to be hosted by Melbourn Village College, where inevitably we are served with freshly made shortbread provided by the kitchen team, and always we meet with staff and students and catch a glimpse of life at this very busy and welcoming place in the heart of our community.

It is no wonder that the ‘Celebrating Ages’ event, hosted by MVC twice a year now, has become such a popular fixture in the calendar. MVC students prepare a sumptuous tea which they serve to elderly residents from Melbourn and the surrounding villages. Other students provide musical entertainment and there is always much conversation between younger and older people at the different tables. This is exactly the kind of activity which the PSG would like to encourage because it brings people of different generations together. Jose Hales continues to help coordinate this event and would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to support it.

In addition to supporting positive activities for young people, the PSG also tries to find practical ways of dealing with social problems. Our meetings are always attended by the police who can provide a perspective on the work they are called out for, and who can listen to any concerns that residents bring to us.

Something we are concerned about is the loss of funding at Cambridgeshire County Council for ‘Detached Youth Work’ in which youth work specialists develop individual relationships with young people who are at loose ends. We feel – together with parish councils in neighbouring villages – that reinstating the Melbourn Area Youth Development (MAYD) youth club is very important. MAYD’s previous youth club provider moved on to pastures new in January, and we are pleased that Groundwork Hertfordshire, a long-established community development charity, is keen to work with us in getting the youth club off the ground again, hopefully in time for the summer but otherwise to coincide with the start of the school year in September. We are especially keen to be able to make use of the wonderfully rejuvenated pavilion on the Recreation Ground, and to pool resources with MVC’s ‘A Common Territory’ funding from the EU, all about personal development, citizenship and the community.

We are always encouraging residents who witness problems to ring the police non-emergency number, 101, in order to ensure that issues are logged within the police system. Lack of logging simply means there is no record, and therefore no basis, for the police to use their limited resources to respond to a problem. Having said that, we were concerned to hear from some residents of very long waits for 101 calls to be answered. If that happens please do let us know and we will take the matter up with the police via the PSG.

Finally the PSG is delighted that the Community Hub is not only up and running but that it is doing what it was intended to do, which is to have its doors open to everyone in the community. We see people of all ages working, revising, reading and socializing, and making use of so many free public resources that make a difference to them. The Police and Citizens Advice Bureau drop-in sessions are just two examples.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about the Practical Solutions Group.

Cllr Susan van de Ven, PSG Chairman Tel 261833, susanvandeven@yahoo. co.uk

Cambridge Past, Present and Future (CambridgePPF)

Founded as Cambridge Preservation Society in 1928, CambridgePPF is a registered charity campaigning to keep Cambridge and its surroundings special by positively influencing planning developments, delivering environmental education and managing the green spaces and historic buildings in its care. Its diverse property portfolio includes Wandlebury Country Park and its Iron