Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally
Issue 69 JuLY 2020
www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding villages
Welcome
to the July Issue This month's front cover star is another local face – Ted! His owner, Carolyn, snapped this photo of Ted enjoying a stroll amongst the poppies. It's great to have local photos feature on our front cover and in our monthly gallery feature so please do keep sending them in. Although the lockdown has blown a massive hole in our everyday life, I’d like to think a few of us have discovered parts of baldock that we didn't know existed, made use of the amazing greenway and given us time to spend with our children than we normally would have. We took a walk around Weston woods and spotted some new residents, 4 young bantum cockerels - roaming wild. They seem to be loving life up there, exploring during the day and roosting in the trees at night-time, I'm not quite so sure the local residents are as happy with the early morning wake up calls. More new residents to the woods, the Longhorn cows are also back in the meadow, so please remember to close all gates behind you if you are walking through the fields. Unless you've been living under a rock you would have heard about #mileaday Betty who featured in our June issue, she’s been cycling a mile a day to raise money for Garden House Hospice. Well in June she made it further than our local magazine and found herself featured on Good Morning Britain! Another Baldock legend receiving a shout out during June was Rob from The Orange Tree. After continuing to keep us all stocked up with fresh produce Rob had a mention on the
Chris Evans Virgin Breakfast radio show. If you'd like to listen back it aired on 17th June around 8:12am. More good news, during lockdown the old Barclays Bank building in Baldock has been turned into a new model shop. Its due to open this month so keep your eyes peeled for that, it'll be nice to have another new business on the block as it were. With the traditional 'back to school' season having a bit of a shake up this year don't leave it too late to kit out the school uniform closet. Shirts Monkey in Letchworth are open, and you can order online too! Until next month, enjoy the sun
Paul & Jacqui info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk
Jacqui Calver 07973 788418
Disclaimer All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however On Our Doorstep Baldock cannot take any responsibility for the content of adverts or services provided by the advertisers. Reproduction on whole or in part of this publication without prior permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited.
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Credit - Martin Wootton
Gree ngs all. We promised that we would make a Balstock 2020 announcement in early June. Unfortunately, it's probably not the news you were hoping for, as we've decided the responsible op on would be to move Balstock 2020 to the 10th, 11th and 12th of September 2021 , eec vely moving this year's fes val into what would have been our 'fallow year'. This has been an agonising decision to make, which the Balstock commi ee has debated thoroughly for the last couple of months. As much as we know everyone could really do with that September li and local businesses might need that 'shot in the arm', we feel the safety aspect should be above all other factors. If public gatherings and
pub gigs are even going to be allowed by September, there is s ll that indelible burden of risk. No-one wants to feel they could be responsible for anyone's ill health. We'd like to say a big thank you and an equally big sorry to all the bands that have applied and to everyone who put charity sugges ons forward. We will do our best to priori se these charity sugges ons for next year, if possible. Big up to Baldock's publicans for aiding us in coming to a decision. These guys are really gonna need all our support in the coming months to get back on track. I hope everyone understands our posi on and can respect the decision. Peace, love and above all stay safe. G & The Balstock Music Fes val Commi ee"
charity sugges ons forward. We will do our best to priori se these charity sugges ons for next year, if possible. Big up to Baldock's publicans for aiding us in coming to a decision. These guys are really gonna need all our support in the coming months to get back on track. I hope everyone understands our posi on and can respect the decision. Peace, love and above all stay safe. G & The Balstock Music Fes val Commi ee"
UNIT 12 BONDOR BUSINESS CENTRE, LONDON ROAD, BALDOCK. SG76HP
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Cycling 13 miles f 13 Csecutive Days
Alrnative Greenway Challenges For the last 4 years, KTS students have taken part in the Greenway Challenge which is to walk the 13 miles around the Greenway. This has been a real school community event and has also been a great fundraising ac vity. Under current restric ons the school was unable to organise the event this year, and so the ‘Alterna ve Greenway Challenge’ was born. Students, their families, their extended families isola ng in other households and the wider community were asked to join KTS in comple ng 13 miles in whatever way they safely could (FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT ADVICE AND GUIDELINES), and to sponsor each other to help raise some much needed funds. If 13 miles might be a step too far, then 13 minutes on a trampoline 13 mes, or 13 laps of the garden or whatever else can be achieved would be amazing!
Molly’s Weekly Challenge Molly Greens DofE Silver is proving to be a struggle as her Volunteering was being undertaken with a local Beavers group which was halted owing to the current situa on. Molly has therefore decided to combine her Volunteering with a physical slant and undertake some fundraising.Her goal is to complete a total walk of the Letchworth Greenway every week un l she returns to school. She has so far completed 4 of these all of which she has tracked on her FitBit. So far Molly has raised £110 for Garden House Hospice in Letchworth. MOT
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I'm delighted to report that I have completed my Alterna ve Greenway Challenge to cycle 13 miles for 13 consecu ve days. I have managed to raise over £420.00 so far, with dona ons s ll coming in. I began on a very windy Saturday at the start of half term. but a er this the weather was kind to me with no rain and lots of sunshine.
Marath Challenge I am sure you are all busy planning and carrying out your alterna ve Greenway challenges. I would like to share the achievements of Calum Boor and his family. Calum's mum has been challenging herself by comple ng a 'Couch to 5K' programme. Calum decided that he wanted to support his mum and also challenge himself as he is not playing rugby, a sport that he loves! So, through a combina on of walking and the 'Couch to 5K' programme, Calum set himself a challenge to complete a marathon distance over 9 days. Not only did he show immense dedica on to complete this goal but he also completed it in 8 days! What an achievement. Calum's challenge has also allowed him to raise £325 (as of the 1st June) for the Garden House Hospice. What a great effort from the en re family. Calum's Dad has also been enjoying many walks and his younger sister has been involved too. An inspira on to us all! Well done Calum and his family.
Postnatal Running Mrs Everington, another maths teacher, ran 13 miles on the first weekend of half term. It was a bit of a personal challenge for her, to get back to some level of fitness in the six months since she had her baby.
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I've had the company of family and a couple of colleagues for many of my rides. I cycled the Greenway on day 5 as a trial run for cycling it with Mr Sherry on day 7 as he is doing the same challenge. I needed to check I would be able to do it as Mr Sherry is much younger and much, MUCH fi er than me! Miss Barker also accompanied me for part of the way on day 8. I had a puncture on one ride, but thankfully my husband was with me so I con nued using his bike, whilst he walked home with mine. I also fell off once whilst cycling the Greenway with Mr Sherry and although no real damage done it was embarrassing. I have enjoyed the challenge and the cycling and certainly feel be er for it, if I can do it anyone can....what are you doing as your Alterna ve Greenway Challenge? Mrs Lardeaux
2m Apart Challenge Year 13 students Sophie, Becca, Charlo e and Alice managed to complete the Greenway Challenge whilst socially distancing.
Make A Difference To Local Lives Through Volunteering 38% of the UK popula on volunteer at least once a year, with 22% volunteering at least once a month. As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers' wellbeing too. Local Hospice, Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth Garden City are in urgent need of volunteers to join their team to support in a variety of roles. Senior Voluntary Services Advisor, Rukia Augus ne commented: “Our volunteers are absolutely vital to con nue the work we do at the Hospice. What astonishes me is the number of volunteers we have that give up their me, come rain or shine to work in our shops, Distribu on Centre, at the Hospice, in the Community or suppor ng at events. “Our strap line as a Hospice is 'Started by the Community, Serving the
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Community, Sustained by the Community' and none more so is that the case in our volunteering team. From one hour per week to a few hours a day, our team of over 600 volunteers make a huge difference and save us over £500,000 a year in staffing costs which we wouldn't be able to sustain. Our pa ents, carers, family members and friends may not get to meet all our volunteers but on behalf of everyone that accesses our services, a HUGE thank you to our valiant volunteers that help our Hospice to con nue to support our community, now and in the future.” Volunteering at the Hospice, has been hugely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, with many volunteers shielding and unable to carry out their weekly shi s in support of the local charity.
Rukia adds: “The safety of our volunteers is paramount. We miss them all terribly and look forward to welcoming them back with open arms when it is safe to do so. We are urgently looking for volunteers to support us in our charity shops. As li le as an hour a week can make a real difference to the community. If you're interested in volunteering, we'd love to hear from you.” To find out more about flexible volunteering opportuni es at your local Hospice, contact 01462 679540 or email volunteers@ghhospicecare.org.uk
Kate Oysten 14th July
Lots of Love The Carters
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4 Sun Street, Baldock. Sg7 6QA 2c St Francis Way, Shefford. Sg17 5DZ
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27 HARRI SPENCER THIS TIME NEXT YEAR RODNEY 12TH JULY Happy 17th Birthday
Jay
29th of July
Lots of Love Tam Happy 10th Birthday
Thomas! 12th July
Lots of love Mummy, Daddy & Cameron x HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY
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7th July
Love mum, Dad and Hannah JULY
2020
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SOCIAL BUBBLES As I write this ar cle we have moved into week 13 of the 'lockdown' introduced as a result of COVID19.
From Monday June 1st we started to invite more children to return to the Nursery. This has taken a great deal of organiza on to enable it to happen. We were given advice from the Government to create 'social bubbles' to keep sta and children as safe as possible. We already have a bubble of children whose parents are key workers and these children can a end 5 days a week on the days their parents have to work. We have now created 8 more bubbles so more children can a end. Children in these addi onal bubbles are able to a end for one session a week.
At Weston Way Nursery Resources and equipment in the classrooms have been minimized to try to stop the spreading of any germs. At the end of each session all the resources and equipment used is steam cleaned and all surfaces disinfected. The children have become experts at washing their hands. The children are coping admirably because the nursery experience they have been used to is now very dierent. How do you explain to 3 and 4 year olds that although they can see some of their friends playing in the garden they cannot play with them? The children have to use the outdoor learning environment on a rota basis so we do not 'burst the bubbles'. It is lovely to see some of the children returning to the Nursery a er spending 13 weeks at home. The nursery is now star ng to return so some sort of normality although we all know that it will probably take a much longer period of me to return to the way it used to be.
We are now thinking about how we can celebrate with the children and their families as the academic year comes to an end in 4 weeks me. We are known for being crea ve here at Weston Way and I am sure we will come up with a suitable op on! Watch this space! Jane Mille - Headteacher
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Tips To Keep Your Pets Safe In The Heatwave All pets can suffer badly in the intense heat as we can ourselves. Follow a few simple rules and make life easier for them. 1. Make sure there is plenty of shade and fresh water available 2. Put ice cubes in their water bowls 3. Have damp towels for your pets to lie on 4. Avoid sunburn and apply pet sun cream to your pets ear ps 5. Only take your pets for a walk when it is cooler, test the pavement with your hands first, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for them 6. Use cold treats from the fridge for added moisture 7. If they are indoors keep fans running to get cool air flowing
Keep your eye out in case your pet is overhea ng, the symptoms to look out for include Ÿ Very rapid and shallow breathing Ÿ Lethargic behaviour Ÿ Saliva ng Ÿ Open mouth breathing Ÿ Ac ng disorientated Ÿ Seizures If you see any of the above signs from your pets please contact your Veterinary Prac ce Immediately as in some cases this can be fatal, so act quickly If you are worried and want informa on then please call us on 01462 895579 for our Baldock branch or 01763 242221 for our Royston branch
A new Chair and Vice-Chair of North Her ordshire District Council (NHDC) were announced at a mee ng of full Council last Thursday (04 June). Cllr Terry Tyler takes the role of Chair, replacing Cllr Jean Green, and Cllr Val Bryant takes the role of Vice-Chair. Cllr Terry Tyler will hold the posi on for the next 12 months. He will announce the chari es he will support during his tenure at the next Council Mee ng on 09 July 2020. Cllr Tyler said: "I am delighted to represent North Her ordshire District Council as Chair. I would like to thank Cllr Jean Green for her hard work during her year in office and offer my congratula ons for raising over £4,000 for her chosen chari es." Cllr Ruth Brown was announced as Chair of the Planning Control Commi ee and the other Commi ee Chair's remain unchanged. The Area Commi ee Chair's will be elected at the next Council Mee ng.
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2020
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By using the Hypno-Band hypnotherapy system we create a state of mind where you will believe you actually have a Gastric Band fi ed! You will eat smaller por ons and feel full. The Hypno-Band system is a long term solu on to your weight problems. How does it work? Most people who are in the obese range (BMI >30) are over-weight because of a simple fact. They eat too much. Many have tried diets, clubs and pills, but fail to maintain weight loss. So why is this? Well, it is simply because the underlying emo onal and psychological reasons for their ea ng behaviours have never been addressed. Over a series of sessions we analyse your ea ng behaviours and help you make the changes necessary to lose weight permanently. By using a combina on of Behavioural Therapy techniques and Hypnotherapy we will guide you through the process of changing your lifestyle and ea ng habits. By using the Virtual Gastric Band you will discover that you can eat less, feeling full more quickly and sa sfied with smaller amounts of food. The Hypno-Band u lises Gastric Band Hypnotherapy to convince your mind that your stomach size has been reduced to the size of a golf ball, allowing you to eat less and feel full at the same me. Is it safe? - Hypno-Band is completely safe. It does not involve any invasive surgery or pain, and is a relaxing, pleasurable treatment with no side effects, other than the weight loss you want to achieve. Is the treatment guaranteed? - As the saying goes…'Nothing in life is 100% guaranteed' and as with any other medical or weight-loss treatment, there is no complete guarantee. However, Hypno-Band has an extremely high success rate with long-term results. The main key to successful treatment is you. If you are totally commi ed to losing weight then Hypno-Band should work well for you. If you would like more informa on or to start the Virtual Gastric Band journey, therapists including myself, are offering our services online. Kim Holloway – www.total-therapy.co.uk JULY
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DON'T BE AFRAID Pain, anxiety and fear are common bedfellows…. there are even those who believe the Coronavirus pandemic began and is being fuelled by the world's collec ve fears (but that's another whole story). Whatever you believe it is always be er to be well informed so you can ra onalise your own fears. So here are some facts: Pain: An unpleasant sensa on that can range from mild discomfort to severe agony. Pain has both physical and emo onal components. The physical part of pain results from nerve s mula on. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. There are four major types of pain: Ÿ Nocicep ve Pain: Typically the result of ssue injury. ... e.g. sprained ankle Ÿ Inflammatory Pain: An abnormal inflamma on caused by an inappropriate response by the
too much adrenaline and then unwelcome muscular (of Osteopathy) tension. When the body Ÿ body's immune system. ... reaches this state there can be a viscous e.g. Rheumatoid Arthri s cycle of pain-spasm-pain occur. Ÿ Neuropathic Pain: Pain caused by Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and nerve irrita on. ... e.g. Scia ca treatment for a wide range of medical Ÿ Func onal Pain: Pain without obvious condi ons. It works with the structure origin, but can s ll cause pain. … e.g. and func on of the body and is based Fibromyalgia or Irritable bowel on the principle that the well-being of syndrome (IBS) Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and an individual depends on the skeleton, fear, characterized by physical symptoms muscles, ligaments, nerves and such as palpita ons, swea ng, feelings of connec ve ssues func oning smoothly stress and pain. together. Fear: an unpleasant emo on caused by By giving people a true understanding the threat of danger, pain, or harm. of the cause(s) of their pain and the Fear is a natural, powerful, and primi ve pathways to recovery Osteopaths can human emo on. remove the damaging effects of fear and Fear involves a universal biochemical anxiety. With structured treatment and response as well as a high individual rehabilita on regimes we can help ini al emo onal response. Fear alerts us recovery and reduce the risk of to the presence of danger or the threat of recurrent episodes. So in conclusion when the body and harm, whether that danger is physical or mind are at ease the risks of disease and psychological. As you can see pain, anxiety and fear are injury causing long las ng effects are very closely related but they are not greatly reduced. For more informa on always nega ve feelings, they can also be please call Amber Health on 01462 protec ve. It is when the levels of these 490141 by Tim Moynihan Principal Osteopath become too large or uncontrolled that the Amber Health body starts to overcompensate, produce
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Baldock Gardens By Graham Tapp
This strange year continues, Lockdown for us was the start, as it was for just about everyone. We had to shut the garden centre with immediate effect, not knowing when we would be allowed to reopen. The plant nursery, fortunately, was not included in the ban, and although we couldn't be open for sales, we could look after the plants. We had our plant stock for the coming season planned and ordered months ago. The small cuttings, plugs and seeds would be arriving in days, ready to plant and sow for the coming bedding season. Unfortunately, with one phone call our plant stock grower informed us that they had unfortunately cancelled everything on the list down to the last single plant. It was desperate in the extreme; we had a family meeting to discuss the options. The outcome was for me to immediately build a new hotbox for raising seeds and cuttings, in effect a large greenhouse built within one of our polytunnels with ventilation and heating. The heating should come from electric heating below the soil; luckily I had purchased all this equipment many years ago hoarding it but never using it. The next job was to identify what plants we could take cuttings from that didn't have royalties attached to them as we were unable to get the labels that pay the royalty fee, this done we started to raise thousands of plants. A few days later we had a phone call from our plant suppliers saying that the ordering system was back on and to be fair to everyone it would now be shared out between all of us, but due to most of the big plant nurseries furloughing their staff they could not take many plants if any. We could have our pick of the lot, after another family meeting we made a huge wish list of what we would like, in fact, many more than we thought we would have room for, but in for a penny in for a pound, a few days later our plant rep informed us that we could have our entire list. The plants would be delivered to us, as and when transport could be found and arranged. Ordering this amount was a massive gamble as we had no idea when or if we would be allowed to open to sell them. Working night and day within a few weeks, we had potted plants everywhere; there was no space spare, we had to clear every sales bench we could find and repurpose them as growing benches. I had to quickly build cold frames and lining out areas to take the ever-increasing
mass of plants, not only for the incoming cuttings and seedlings but the usual growers problem that plants need spacing out as they grow. Watering and feeding then became a massive problem as we were way past our usual production size and had outgrown our systems ability to cope. My next job was to find enough hours in the day to build extra irrigation capacity, luckily as I mentioned being a bit of a hoarder I had sheds full of unused irrigation piping and large pots of glue. The thing I didn't have was a suitable water pump. A half-day ringing around all of the suppliers came to a dead end, no pumps or no way or delivering. A quick look at my favourite site, Amazon, I found the exact water pump I needed at a reasonable price with delivery the next day. All quickly installed, we could now water and feed everything although by hand taking hours and hours. We now had to find a way to sell what we had produced. William and Louise set up an order and collect system for collection from our gates. An entirely contactless system to comply with the law, The Horticultural Trades Association were on the ball. They were able to give us all the information we required on how to go about it safely and legally. About three weeks before this all kicked off we had a two lorry delivery of compost, one of premium nursery compost the other retail, little did we know that this was soon going to be like gold dust, as rare as hen's teeth as the saying goes. While most of everyone I know had to stay confined to their house and garden, we were able to use our time productively, away from the boredom of confinement. We were lucky and indeed fortunate; many garden centres were not, they missed out on having timely deliveries and the ability or skill to grow their own plants. Our usual plant suppliers all panicked and furloughed most of their staff and did not take the opportunity to increase production, from there point of view, why would you spend hundreds of thousands of pounds
St Johns
Tapps, The Baldock Garden Centre
possibly millions of pounds on what may end up in the skip? They stood their staff down to be paid by the government. We did the same with our staff as we also had no idea of when this would come to an end or even have enough income to pay them. We were and still are running on the bare minimum with just the family and two others operating the site. Unfortunately, we may not be able to employ the same number of staff members as we did before this virus started, we are still able to run the business but differently. The unseasonably hot weather for early spring combined with everything described above also caused some extraordinary problems in my veg plot. I got the potatoes, shallot sets and early brassicas planted, then got distracted by potting several tens of thousands of bedding and perennial plants. With no irrigation to spare for the plot, it had to rely on whatever rain came our way, as usual, we had very little. The potatoes and shallots are excellent but dear o dear the cauliflowers have headed already with something the size of a half-crown and the broccoli have bolted and look like an upside-down octopus. Carrots of all types are doing surprisingly well, the beetroot, on the other hand, has bolted as you would expect and will have to be re-sown along with the parsnips. I now have more water than I know what to do with after the emergency upgrade and guess what? It's raining, cats and dogs. The tea room restaurant is closed until further notice, so the lack of veg and salads doesn't matter so much, but that could have been another disaster. I hope you are all having better luck with your veg plots than me. Keep well; keep safe. Cheers Graham.
Through Coloured
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2020
Birding Baldock
Red Kites are a familiar sight around Baldock, but not that long ago they were almost driven to ex nc on. In the middle ages, they were a valued scavenger, and kept the streets clean. Killing one was considered a crime. By the 16th century they were considered vermin and were relentlessly persecuted. This con nued for many years. It was also targeted by gamekeepers who thought they took game birds. As it became rarer, it became a target for egg collectors and taxidermists, as a result it became ex nct in England by 1871. Fast forward to 1903, the popula on did not exceed 20 pairs in remotest Wales. In the 1950's, the myxomatosis outbreak almost wiped out its main food supply; rabbits; which was followed by poor breeding seasons due to pes cides. In the 1960's Red Kites spread to more lowland habitat in mid-Wales, where its
food source was more abundant, and along with protec on methods, a slow recovery took place. In the mid-90's there were more than 100 pairs; by 2003 as many as 400 pairs. However, poor breeding prevented expansion out of Wales. In 1989, the RSPB organised a reintroduc on programme in England, and Scotland where it was also ex nct. Its range and numbers have been increasing ever since. There are now about 1,800 pairs in Britain, half of which are in Wales. Red Kites are largely sedentary; juveniles can roam during the winter, with many returning to the area they edged from. Migrants from the con nent are regularly seen in Britain during the spring, albeit in low numbers. Red Kites are not en rely safe. Illegal poison set for foxes amongst others, and agricultural chemicals, account for the deaths of half of the Welsh popula on. Poisoning is the most frequent cause of deaths in England, mainly from modern roden cides. More than a third of Sco sh released birds were poisoned.
Wales is s ll the best place to see large numbers of Red Kites. I used to travel to Wales regularly a few years ago; you could tell when you le England because Red Kites replaced Buzzards in the skies. Feeding sta ons a ract Kites in their hundreds at Gigrin Farm near Rhayader, and at Bwlch Nant yr Arian visitors centre near Aberystwyth, where I photographed this bird. I wonder how many would be a racted to food if a feeding sta on was set up in Baldock. Terry Brown
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SPACE LAWN CUTTING HEDGE CUTTING LANDSCAPING PATIOS
ASHWELL
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUGGLE
MARK JEFFREY
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy 30th Birthday Oliver! Love from Jess
Lots of Love Michel e
Anita Mead Lots of love Gordon, Victoria and Joshua xxx 10th July
7th July
Gill Russell 22
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2020
ROGERSONS REMOVALS
WESTON
Weston Primary & Nursery School Although we are not all back in school, with the support of our parents, the children at home are learning the same things as the children in school. We produce a Home Learning pack for the children at home for collec on from school each weekend, once the school has been vacated. In mid-June we launched two exci ng ini a ves. We have asked all children to contribute to a me-capsule that we are pu ng together as a reminder of the last few months. We hope that each child will complete a booklet that we will share in school in the first instance, and then file away for genera ons to come. We have also asked parents, carers and members of the Weston community to paint a rock to reflect a posi ve aspect of Lockdown. We have asked everyone to leave their rocks out side school to make a Weston Worm. Once all of the rocks have been collected our site manager will set them in the school grounds. We looked forward to seeing the finished worm.
NEWS FROM HARTSFIELD In addi on to having our Rainbow Group children in school, we are delighted to have welcomed some of our EYFS/Recep on, Year 1 and Year 6 children back to school over recent weeks. Seeing things so rou ne as smiling faces and Hartsfield uniform is more valuable than we could ever have imagined. While school is arranged differently in terms of classroom layout as you can see from the photos, 'bubble' (group) sizes, staggered start and end mes to the school day for each group of children, our ethos of ensuring pupil well-being is, as always, our main priority. Teachers con nue to support both those children in school and those remaining at home with a variety of home learning resources suitable for children to complete both independently, or with their parents/carers. We are also trialling online learning with our older children via Google Classroom and look forward to this suppor ng our exis ng learning methods over coming weeks.
We had planned to welcome children and parents/carers for a visit this term, who are due to start their Hartsfield journey with us in September, however under Government guidelines, this unfortunately is now not possible. We are liaising with local preschools and nurseries to ensure a smooth transi on for all these children and will be contac ng their parents/carers over the coming weeks with further informa on in prepara on for star ng school.
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100 Norton Road, Stotfold SG5 4PG 24
JULY
2020
Your local Calor Gas Stockist
Making Healthy Habits That Stick Human beings can be impa ent creatures. When we decide we want something we tend to want it now. This is also true of our health and wellbeing goals, but, no ma er how much will power and determina on you have, sooner or later, you will likely find yourself slipping back into old habits. Why? In most cases our expecta ons do not match the reality and, whilst your goals are not unrealis c the route to them likely was. The next me you are 3 weeks into a restric ve diet or tough exercise rou ne only to find yourself at the bo om of a tub of Hagen Daaz, instead of bea ng yourself up, consider why? Were you under increased stress this week? Perhaps a family member became sick and you had to care for them? Maybe you hadn't fully considered how difficult your new
rou ne would be? These are all perfectly valid stumbling blocks, but they don't have to result in giving up completely. The following are a few things to keep in mind when trying to get your healthy habits s ck. 1. Start small. Break your goal down into small, simple ac ons that you can easily achieve. For example, if your goal is to eat more healthily you might start by adding an extra por on of veggies to your dinner. 2. Focus on short term changes, not the end goal. This helps us make steady, manageable progress without ge ng overwhelmed by the scale of the overall task. 3. Make yourself accountable. Once you've picked your daily ac on write it down on a calendar or planner and put a big ck through it when you are successful. This helps keep track of
your successes and alert you to when an ac on might not be working for you. 4. Focus on the why, not the what. Most of us set goals like 'I want to be leaner or healthier' but these aren't specific enough and don't mo vate us when the going gets tough. By taking it a step further and thinking about why you want to be healthier e.g. '..so I have more energy to do the things I love', as see how much more effort you are willing to put in. 5. Remember it's not all or nothing – if you have a few days where you don't achieve your ac on start again at the very next opportunity. Making a note of what got in the way can help you be be er prepared when the next problem pops up.
Sophie
JULY
2020
25
£5.00
M. 07884 430741 E. claire@goodridgeaccountants.co.uk W. www.goodridgeaccountants.co.uk
26
JULY
2020
1st Baldock Brownies Through Lockdown
Covid-19 has caused lots of changes to everyone's life and thus we have not met as a whole pack since the middle of March at Baldock HQ. However, we have not been beaten. As a pack we have rallied through difficult mes, we have con nued to have a guiding presence through the use of ac vity packs, social media and virtual on line mee ngs. So Thursday night at 6pm is s ll Brownies! Parents are more and more becoming mul -skilled both as a teachers due to home schooling and as Brown Owl suppor ng Brownie ac vi es at home, so a big thank you to all my parents and carers. Over the last 10 weeks the girls have decorated their houses and
gardens with rainbows showing support for NHS workers. The Brownies celebrated both Easter and VE Day at home by making decora ons and bun ng. They were encouraged to find as many Union Jack flags they could find in their homes. They have completed several aspects of the new Brownie Guiding programme including crea ng magical creatures, thinking about our feelings and those of others through an emoji quiz and looking at the pocket contents of Brownies in the 1970's. Several of the girls have con nued to work on interest badges for example finding out about where they live, doing lots of home skills jobs and developing their cookery skills. We had a virtual scavenger hunt where the brownies had to find different items, such as seven rainbow coloured things that could fit in their hand. All of the girls have been working on their Future girl Acts…on Plas c, looking at ways they can re-use plas c items in their homes and con nue to re-cycle as much plas c as possible. Cookery is
always a favourite ac vity and so we had a step by step virtual cookery lesson from our guiding friend Kathryn Dixon who showed us all how to make cakes in a mug using a microwave.
It may be some me before we can meet up again and so we will con nue to do Brownies in which ever form we can so that we keep guiding. This term the girls will be working on our very own 'Flower Power' badge with lots of growing, science and history linked to flowers. My Brownies are s ll having great fun and for me that is what guiding is all about …Having FUN. Lisa Pa erson Brown Owl lisa.gascoine@b nternet.com
JULY
2020
27
THE ‘STAYING IN’ MOVIE GUIDE
‘We are pleased to be reopening our doors Tuesday to Saturdays 10-1pm starting 16th June. Bookings now being taken for sewers and bridal alterations. One at a time in the front of the shop for alterations & repairs. We look forward to seeing our loyal customers again soon.
JULY NETFLIX RELEASES
Please phone 07938509672 for more details. Keep safe & stay at home.
The Secret Garden - 1st July Tells the story of Mary, an unloved 10-year-old, who, when her parents die, is sent to live with her uncle on his country estate. There, she meets her sick cousin Colin and together, they heal each other through their discovery of a wondrous secret garden, a magical place of adventure that will change their lives forever. .
Mission Impossible Fallout - July 3rd It’s the sixth movie in the MI franchise is one of the most impressive, real stunts, a great cast, chemistry and a script with a thrilling storyline. Terrorists plans to detonate three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on different cities. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, sets out to stop the carnage.
The Old Guard - July 10th The story of old soldiers who never die...and yet cannot seem to fade away. Trapped in an immortality without explanation, Andromache of Scythia - "Andy" - and her comrades ply their trade for those who can find-and afford-their services. But in the 21st century, immortality is a hard secret to keep, and when you live long enough, you learn that there are many fates worse than death.
The Courier - July 1st This action-thriller unfolds in real time as two embattled souls fight for their lives. Gary Oldman stars as a vicious crime boss out to kill Nick, the lone witness set to testify against him. He hires a mysterious female motorcycle courier, to unknowingly deliver a poison-gas bomb to slay Nick, but after she rescues Nick from certain death, the duo must confront an army of ruthless hired killers.
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JULY
2020
Answer-phone on both numbers & will return all calls
Slimming Wld Recipe Supplied by
Sandra Lloyd
Watermelon, Halloumi and Quinoa Salad Juicy, crunchy, zingy… this dish sets the salad bar high!
Ingredients Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
200g dried quinoa 400g fresh watermelon chunks 3 oranges, peeled and segmented 200g fresh pineapple chunks 2 tbsp each of finely chopped fresh mint and coriander leaves, plus coriander sprigs to serve Zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika Salt and freshly ground black pepper 100g asparagus tips 180g reduced-fat halloumi, cut into 8 thin slices
Method Put the watermelon, oranges, pineapple and chopped herbs in a large bowl. Stir in the quinoa, lemon zest and juice and paprika, and season to taste. 1. Boil the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, then drain, rinse under cold running water and add to the quinoa mixture. 2. Place a frying or griddle pan over a high heat and cook the halloumi slices for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Divide the salad and halloumi between 4 plates, top with the coriander sprigs and serve.
ALLSHEDS Ltd Timber buildings of Letchworth ANY SIZE TIMBER BUILDING MADE TO ORDER
Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Saturday 10am-4pm
01462 682414
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SHEDS SUMMER HOUSES GARDEN OFFICES WORKSHOPS POTTING SHEDS PLAYHOUSE LOG CABIN RE-ROOFING RE-FELTING SHED BASES FENCING GATES TAKE DOWN & DISPOSE OF OLD SHEDS
email allshedsandmore@yahoo.com Saunders Close, Green Lane, Letchworth
CALL US FOR LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION 07973788418 JULY
2020
29
Step back, Looking forward
Mixed Ble ings I got fat. Again. I've lost count of the number of weeks we've been doing this, is it fourteen? Anyway, while I've been working from home, it appears that I haven't been doing the exercise that I should have and scoffed many things that I shouldn't. As you may know, it originally took me thirty years to get to 21 stone, eighteen months to lose five and a half and it seems just three months to put four of those back on. That seems very unfair to me. I only know this because I had to go out the other day. Not out out, no one goes out out anymore, but out enough that I couldn't go in my slops. I reached for a pair of jeans that I last wore three months ago and with gay abandon, proceeded to pull them up… to my knees! It was an almighty struggle to get them as far as my hips and this is where it began to dawn on me that perhaps I had put on a li le weight. No problem, I thought, not a big thing, I was bound to put on a li le wasn't I? Ok, I thought, let's see what damage I'd actually done. I pulled the old scales out and jumped on, then with the accompanying cry of a small hurt ki en, I jumped off. I was wrong, it was a big thing, a very big thing, four bloody
stone of a big thing. How on earth had I allowed that to happen. I swore when I lost all that weight before that I would never allow that to happen again and yet, here I am. It's a funny thing (tragic funny) that when you realise how fat you are, nothing in your wardrobe fits. The T Shirt you wore only last week no longer fits. You suddenly realise just how ght all the stretchy stuff you've been wearing is. How quickly I'm back to not looking in mirrors because I can't stand the site of myself again. I don't think I've thought much about how much this lock down has affected me. I have suffered with depression throughout my life and sort of know what I'm looking for when the Black Dog bites. During this pandemic I've had up and down days as we all have, but I've not given any thought to the depth of those down days. I've just looked upon them as 'can't be arsed' days. But looking back I can see that they were not normal down days. I have always reached for food to ease my mental pain, but normal down days involve a li le sulking and maybe a bit of cake. These down days have included tubs of ice cream, cakes, biscuits, and big bars of chocolate.
I should not have been so shocked when I jumped on those scales, I guess hindsight really is a wonderful thing. The upside of having been here before is that I know I don't have to stay here, unlike last me I'm not wallowing in self-pity, I haven't reached for the Fruit and Nut nor am I spiralling into a fat induced depression. I have gained advice from 2 of my lovely daughters, both happen to be experts in pain, one in given and one in curing. To be honest the one who is an expert in pain relief is no be er that the one who inflicts the pain, but I've only got myself to blame as they keep reminding me. I have embarked on a programme of nightly torture and I know that I have a way to go. I can't run easily anymore but I know it wont take long before I can. I used to run two 5k's a week. The last me I did a 5k was a month ago and it nearly killed me. I have pledged that I would run or walk 50 miles in June, I have done about twelve so far, so have some catching up to do. Realis cally, its not going to happen but I will get as close as I can in the me I have le . It seems to me that our mental health is more important then ever now as we immerge from this imposed isola on. We may not be the person we were a few short months ago. Our friends may have been affected far more than we know. I guess we can't make people talk about things, but we can make them feel like they can. Open the door, if they want to walk through, they can. Recognise that you may need help and try to ask for it. A coffee and a chat does wonders for the soul.
Lawn Care & Landscaping Specialists
Nicky FREE One-Time absolutely free service for new customers
OFFER 30% OFF all landscaping projects.
FENCING £110 PER BAY
Garden Scapes 30
JULY
2020
07713 774 338 thomasgardenscapes@yahoo.com
Edier TWS6
- True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures It's not o en I get to directly compare technology, but this month is an excep on because I'm reviewing another set of wireless earbuds, this me from Edifier in the guise of the TWS6. The Edifier TWS6 Earbuds come with Knowles balanced armature drivers which in turn, deliver great sound quality. Without becoming too technical, Knowles is a world-leading manufacturer of 'balanced armatures' which use an electronic signal to vibrate a ny reed that is balanced between two magnets inside a ny enclosure. The mo on of the reed is transferred to a very s ff aluminium diaphragm. This diaphragm is free of unwanted resonances in the audio band, allowing it to produce excellent clarity. They are also exceeding small components which
mean that other func onality can be added. The earbuds connect using Bluetooth 5 which means they can also be used for handsfree calls with microphones in both le and right buds and provide excellent clarity using CVC noise cancella on when making calls. As with most other wireless earbuds, the TWS6 have their own charger case which can itself be charged wirelessly by placing it on a charging pad which features in most modern cars or via USBC cable. The buds are magne cally docked in the charger meaning they make good contact themselves and provide 8 hours of ba ery life but can be recharged three mes before the case needs recharging itself. Playback can be controlled by tapping either the le or
right buds and simply provide stop/start and track skipping, it would have been nice to see some more func onality, but generally, you have your phone at hand when listening tomusic, so it wasn't a big deal. In the box were a large variety of interchangeable earbuds of different sizes including two different sizes of Memory Foam which I found really comfortable and they were less prone to falling out of your ears. They are IPX5 waterproof and sweatproof, so if you get caught in the rain or overdo it in the gym, they will survive just fine. As a child of the 80s, I was used to listening to horrible nny music through headphones, so listening to today's wireless earbuds in supreme quality s ll blows me away, especially when they are APTx and Dolby Atmos compa ble which makes watching movies really impressive. The Edifier TWS6 can be purchase through many online retailers for around £90 and thought they are great value for money. See you next month! Ma WWW.THEGADGETMAN.ORG.UK
FABULOUS GLAMPERVAN Just pick up and go – The motorhome is fully equipped ready for you to start your holiday. Available for short breaks and longer holidays all year round.
www.fabulousglampervan.co.uk email: enquiries@fabulousglampervan.co.uk
Tel: 01462 491035 / 07985315632 JULY
2020
31
R.H GARDEN DESIGN The Garden Specialists Some of our many services offered include:
rich.humphreys@btinternet.com T: 01462 612033 M: 07738 246568
Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
Regular maintenance Garden Make-overs Jungles tamed Patios Fencing Turng Planting Articial grass Decking Driveways Pressure washing of patios and drives
Vehicle Accident Repair Specialists Crash Care Centre Hitchin Ltd
Ÿ All Types of Bodywork Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
Undertaken PAS125 Accredited Insurance Approved Bodyshop Restoration Project Specialists Resprays Paintless Dent Removal Smart Repairs Wheel Refurbs Collection & delivery
Ti:
01462 441 686
E: info@crashcarecentre.com W: www.crashcarecentre.com
07495 863981
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JULY
2020
More
July Gallery
Please send your local snaps new or old to our facebook page or email info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk
Hannah, swinging through lockdown in Weston woods. Another Dandelion - Paul Hoenes
Forur young cockerels living wild in Weston Woods
June Birthday boy Roger Elias
Long walk home - Cara Richardson
Daisy ď€ eld -Cara Richardson
More Salisbury Road
Ken Lawrence celebrating his 80th birthday after 12 weeks isolating at home.
Cian and Sadie enjoing a Baked by Browine treat
lockdown shenanigans
Charlie at Queen Ann's Summerhouse, Old Warden JULY
2020
33
Useful numbers Advice Citizen’s Advice Bureau Trading Standards Advice Samaritans
03444 111444 0300 300 8136 116 123
Councils North Hertfordshire District
01462 474000
Doctors Baldock Surgery
01462 892458
Dentist Victoria Place Dental Surgery
01763 313869
Emergency Utilities Gas Emergency Electric power cut
0800 111 999 0800 7838838
Hospitals Lister Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2 EMERGENCY HEALTH
01438 314333 01707 328111 111
Library Baldock Library
0300 123 4049
Police Police
01707 354000
Schools Knights Templar Hartsď€ eld St Johns St Marys Brandles
01462 620700 01462 895267 01462 892478 01462 892347 01462 892189
Travel Arriva Buses National Rail Enquires National Bus line
08701 201088 03457 484950 0870 6082608
Vets Baldock Veterinary Centre
01462 895579
Nurseries Weston Way Nursery Merry Go Round Peanuts Preschool
01462 892172 01462 896322 07736 124327
Play Groups Magic Moments Merry Go Round
07709 618434 01462 896322
Plumbers Maben PE James
07949 120911 07816 586777
Window & Door repairs JML Windows Repairs Warrens Windows
01438 906300 01462 261401
Florist Blooms of Baldock
07747 195325
Locksmith Lock and Glaze
07737885528
Mobile Hair Dresser Hair By Jacqui
07973 788418
Funeral Directors Shires - CPJ Field Baldock
01462 491149
AND VIEW THE FULL RANGE OF OUR PRODUCTS
Come along and view our full range of products on display in our new show room. Kindlelight’s friendly staff will be on hand to assist with any queries. Everyone is welcome. Ample parking and refreshments available.
APRIL
2020
35