On Our Doorstep Baldock October 2021

Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally

Issue 84 October 2021

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding villages

Welcome

September was quite a month! Our youngest began her last year of secondary school and our eldest welcomed a baby of his own, making us grandparents for the first time we're certainly starting to feel old now! Not that we'll let that stop us, Jacqui made progress with 50th birthday list and ticked off tackling the treetop challenge at Go Ape and spent a morning canoeing along the broads at Wroxham.

Next on the list is climbing the O2 which should be interesting as heights are not her favourite!

Balstock rocked the town once again this year. It was great to see the local venues buzzing again and people out enjoying the live music. Congratulations to the Balstock team and everyone involved, October brings the return of the Charter Fair, which will have the high street feeling alive again too. The fair will take place from 2nd-5th October, 2 years since the last visit! Our youngest is already counting down the days until she's back on the tummy turning rides, I think we'll be sitting it out, just watching makes our heads spin.

The Patch at Weston is back for the October half term, ready for you to go along and pick your own pumpkins for Halloween! Take a look at page 23 for more info.

St Mary's school have announced their annual Firework display! It will be taking place on Sunday 7th November.

This year the London Show Choir will be performing ‘A Night At The Musicals’, food trucks, fairground rides and a

licensed bar, what more could you want. Tickets are available online now, be sure to book ahead as tickets sell out every year.

For anyone thinking about having their own display at home, pop down and see Graham and the team at Tapps Firewoks, they have the largest selection of fireworks for miles, including a new range of low noise fireworks. And don’t forget to take the 10% of voucher that’s on page18.

Until next month

Paul & Jacqui info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk or 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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Baldock Town Twinning Association

Bonjour and Guten Tag from Baldock Town Twinning Associa on! For those, who do not know who we are, we are a community organisa on that aims to build interna onal understanding and coopera on. One way in which we do this is through exchange visits with our twin towns of Eisenberg in Germany and Sanvinges-Les-Mines in France (maybe you've spo ed them on the Welcome to Baldock signs). Since our forma on in 1978 our members have forged firm friendships with their partner families that span genera ons. Outside of our exchange visits, we enjoy a busy calendar of events here in Baldock, where our members can come together and socialise.

Although we have been unable to organise our exchanges over the past two years, for obvious reasons, we have been ac ve closer to home and our members have enjoyed

reuni ng since the easing of lockdown rules in July, when we had our Summer BBQ. In August we had a private tour of Warden Abbey Vineyard near Old Warden (pictured) followed by a wine tas ng. September brought two events in the form of our Coffee Morning and one of the highlights of the Associa on's social calendar, the French Lunch. We have other events planned for 2021 and look forward to hopefully recommencing our exchanges in 2022.

We are always very happy to welcome new members of all ages and backgrounds and we have partner families in France and Germany ready to form new friendships with people in Baldock. If you are interested in finding out more, or joining, send us an email at baldocktowntwinning@gmail.com or have a look at our website www.baldocktowntwinning.com , where you can find lots of informa on about what we do. You can also find us on Facebook (facebook.com/baldocktowntwinning) so why not give us a 'like' to keep up-to-date with what we are up to.

Abigail Hucker, Hon. Secretary, Baldock Town Twinning Associa on

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Giving Your Presence Might Be The Best Christmas Gift You Could Give As reported in September's edi on Baldock Rotary have started prepara ons for the Fes ve season.

Planning and organising ac vi es are underway with both the Christmas lights, which Baldock Rotary has undertaken since 1978, and the Sleigh to ensure that everything is in good working order.

Christmas light panels are all being tested, inspected and repaired by a willing team of Rotarians and helpful elves under the watchful eye of Rob Hemmings. Similarly, the Sleigh is being fully inspected and checked to ensure that it is mechanically sound and ligh ng and audio systems are in full working order. This is being undertaken

by Mike Williams and his team. As things currently stand the sleigh with Father Christmas will be visi ng the streets of Baldock and surrounding villages and making its tradi onal door to door collec on.

These commitments provide an annual challenge to Baldock Rotary, as with us all, Rotary members are not ge ng any younger. In the past few years the support of local members of the community has provided invaluable support in being able to undertake these ac vi es, which bring so much fes ve spirit to the people of the town and surrounding villages.

So, this year Baldock Rotary is again reques ng support from people in the community. If you are able to help with the installa on of Christmas lights, which takes place throughout November, please contact Rob Hemmings, tel 07711 320311. This does not necessarily mean having to climb ladders, help is also needed to take lights from the lock-up to their place of installa on. Alterna vely, if you can assist when the sleigh goes around the streets, this takes place in the three weeks leading up to Christmas, please

contact Mike Williams, tel 07940 048064. We are par cularly in need of addi onal help to tow the sleigh.

Any assistance you are able to provide would be very much appreciated.

Rotarian - Paul Lucke

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2021

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PREPARE YOUR PETS FOR FIREWORKS It may be helpful to seek Veterinary advice for your pet 6 – 12 weeks before the firework season begins to help you prepare for it, as now days it won't just happen on November the 5th.

Ideally for behavioural advice regarding fireworks you will need to see your Vet a lot earlier around 3 – 6 months in advance.

Dogs (Signs to look out for} Pan ng & pacing, shaking, growling, finding places to hide Try walking your dog earlier and making sure they have eaten, close your curtains a bit earlier and put the TV or radio on for background noise. Maybe give your dog a filled Kong to keep them busy, as this may help to distract them and ease their anxiety.

Cats (Signs to look out for) Hissing or low grumbling, hiding, withdrawing from you, ears back, and crouching gait Make sure you keep your cat in if you know a firework display is planned nearby, and as you do for dogs close the curtains earlier than usual, and put the TV or radio on to help reduce the outside noises.

Make sure there are places easily accessible for your cat to hide, and provide an indoor li er tray in a convenient loca on, as anxious cats o en avoid toilet visits if they feel threatened.

Small Pets Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, ferret and birds all need to be treated with special care when fireworks are being let off. These animals are easily frightened.

Hutches/cages and enclosures should if possible be put in a quiet room indoors, or a garage or shed.

Give your pet extra bedding so they can burrow into it to make them feel safe. If you cannot move the hutches or aviaries cover them with thick blankets or even an old duvet

to help block out the flashes from the fireworks and it will also deaden the sound of the bangs, but do make sure there is enough ven la on.

If you have any other concerns or ques ons then please call the prac ce and our dedicated staff will be there to assist you.

Enjoy the sparkles with your pets safely

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2021

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Tell Us Your Story On Our Doorstep is always on the look out for news stories from the local community.

Are you raising money for charity?

Are you a member of a local community group with something to shout about or simply do you have with something to share with local residents?

If so contact us at info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

10

OCTOBER

2021

STRESS. IS IT GOOD FOR US? You slept through the alarm. You head to the kitchen, for a much-needed coffee. You discover the milks off.

Breakfast cancelled; you get in the car.

The petrol light comes on and every traffic light you approach turns to red.

Arriving at work, somebody asks you “How you are you?”. You reply. “Fine.

Thank you”. The events of the morning so far will inevitably have had a physiological effect on your body, by releasing the hormone Cor sol which is your body's “stress” response but you carry on absorbing all that the day throws at you, storing it within.

Cor sol works by s mula ng your sympathe c nervous system – your fight or flight response e.g. when coming face to face with a lion – do you stay and confront it or runaway to save yourself?

Stress is not necessarily a bad thing a certain level of stress is necessary for us to func on. Our modern lives are causing us to have increased levels of Cor sol. Con nuous high levels may, however, start to impact on your sleep, diges on, and immune system. Did you

know that your body will slow down your diges ve system in stressful mes, as it is not necessary for our survival? this is why, some condi ons like IBS, cons pa on, and reflux o en worsen during stressful periods.

The best way to know if you are stressed, is to listen to your body. When your body is stressed, your muscles become ght and you will know that something just does not feel right.

Stress can be a variety of physical and emo onal symptoms that are hard not to no ce. The problem can be that you are so busy “carrying on”, you do not take me to realise you are in fact wound up.

If it were possible to get off the planet (with the ability to return), sit on a cloud and look down and observe yourself running around and chasing deadlines, you would probably decide that you need to make some changes. Just taking 10 minutes a day for yourself could really help.

Returning to things that made you happy as child can be a good star ng

point, as this can evoke feelings of contentment – doing a jigsaw, reading a book, baking, colouring in or soaking in a huge bubble bath. These ac vi es mean stopping and engaging in something you do not normally take me to do. Or download a relaxa on app which have manageable 10-minute sessions. Calm and Headspace are both good.

Whatever helps you to stop, breathe and regroup, (in the absence of being able to escape to a cloud) – do it.

Louise Chatland, Registered Osteopath.

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OCTOBER

2021

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Performance Charged 2021 Masera Ghibli Hybrid

By Tim Barnes-Clay - Follow on Instagram @tbarnsclay Italian masterpiece, the Ghibli, has just had its most significant makeover in years. Now available as a hybrid, it's the first electrified car from the marque.

You'd have to squint to no ce it's not a full-fat petrol motor, though. There have been a few nips and tucks, but all the major changes are under the skin.

Let's face it; it's hard to improve on a car that's such a stunner in the first place.

Inside, the Ghibli's cabin makes German premium brands' interiors look dull as ditch water. The dashboard comes gi -wrapped in sophis catedly s tched leather, and Masera has done a top job of providing beau ful seats. Like the dash, the chairs are enveloped in cowhide and are easy to get comfortable in - due to their electric adjustment controls.

Despite the fact the Ghibli Hybrid is larger than most of its challengers, it doesn't feel mammoth inside. Two adult passengers will fit into the back; the middle seat is only appropriate for a small person – or a child on a booster seat. Leg and headroom aren't

great for anyone over 6 tall, but space is terrific upfront. Those electric seats will make certain the driver and passenger are kept happy. What's more, room in the boot is good. Five hundred litres will more than swallow your golf clubs or a couple of large flight cases.

Most pronounced in the cabin is the colour touchscreen infotainment system, which has a more clear-cut display than before. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can also be operated through it. Safety technology, like blind-spot monitoring, lane departure, and city braking, is all present, too.

Behind the big leather steering wheel, things are very luxurious. Fire the car up using its starter bu on, and the Italian 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol mild-hybrid powerplant snorts into life. Once moving, the Ghibli feels heavy, yet it's quick and smooth.

Furthermore, top-quality insula on is built-in, which, along with lush carpe ng, makes the Ghibli Hybrid a soothing car to drive or travel in. The eight-speed transmission produces snappy responses, but it has a predisposi on to latch onto the gears

when changing up. The steering isn't burs ng with feedback, either, but, taken as a whole, the new Ghibli Hybrid is a splendid electrified execu ve ride to spend a lot of me with.

The car provides fulfilling, hard-hi ng performance, with a zero to 62mph figure of 5.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 158mph. Plainly, fuel efficiency is as essen al as absolute power in this subdivision of the motoring market – and the model isn't too bad, considering its size. Up to 33.2mpg is realisable, and the saloon produces CO2 emissions from 192 to 216g/km.

Masera is s ll a compara vely lowvolume producer of cars, so if you buy a new Ghibli Hybrid, you won't frequently see another. Facts and figures - they're all per nent when it comes to reviewing cars. But, there's another component. If you drive a conven onal vehicle, you'll park up, and nobody will give you a lingering look. If you drive an electrified Ghibli, many people will do a double-take.

What value you put on that reac on is en rely down to you.

Masera is s ll a compara vely low-volume producer of cars, so if you buy a new Ghibli Hybrid, you won't frequently see another.

Facts and figures - they're all per nent when it comes to reviewing cars. But, there's another component. If you drive a conven onal vehicle, you'll park up, and nobody will give you a lingering look.

If you drive an electrified Ghibli, many people will do a double-take. What value you put on that reac on is en rely down to you.

put on that reac on is en rely down to you.

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OCTOBER

2021

It's Often About The Children….

It's o en about children…. when people make Wills – be that small babies, or grown up children who have children of their own!

O en, one of the main reasons for making or upda ng a Will is to protect offspring. It's about making sure your children would inherit what you'd want them to have; and ensuring that if they were very young, they'd be looked a er if you weren't there to do that important job yourself.

There are three relevant roles to think about when parents of young children make Wills: 1. The Executor role – basically an executor is appointed to deal with the Will (this includes no fying all relevant par es that someone has passed away, obtaining details regarding assets and any debts they may have had, possibly paying Inheritance Tax and comple ng

court forms to apply for Probate and then maybe selling property, gathering in assets and making sure they go to the people who are due to inherit in the Will). This is basically an admin job but choosing the right person/people to fulfil the role is very important.

2. The Trustee role – Executors automa cally become Trustees unless you appoint someone different.

Trustees would be there to look a er and invest children's money un l the age they are due to inherit outright under the Will. Trustees can advance money for anything that they believe to be needed for a child's maintenance, benefit or educa on.

That should mean that a child will always be well looked a er un l they receive any inheritance that has not been used for their upbringing.

3. The Guardian role – this is probably the one that requires the most thought!

Who would you trust to look a er your children on a daily basis if both you and their Mum/Dad were gone? There are so many considera ons for this – age of guardian/loca on/space available etc etc. It o en takes a lot of talking before the right conclusion is reached, and it may be that your choice of guardian would only be right for a few years (eg. appoin ng grandparents who may be too old down the line to take on the responsibility).

With all three roles it is important to consider the interac on between the people you have chosen and how well that might work.

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OCTOBER

2021

Screen this months new releases

Hotel TRANSYLVANIA 4

VENOM 2 Out 1st October

Out 8th October

Over a year after the events of Venom (2018), investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien symbiote Venom, which grants him super-human abilities in order to be a lethal vigilante. Brock attempts to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady ( Woody Harrelson), who becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage and escapes prison after a failed execution.

When Van Helsing's mysterious invention, the "Monsterfication Ray", goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before their transformations become permanent.

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Set in the 14th century, Marguerite de Thibouville (Jodie Comer) the wife of Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), claims she has been raped by her husband's best friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver). But when no one believes her accusation, King Charles VI declares that Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire by challenging him to a duel, the last legally sanctioned duel in the country's history.

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

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OCTOBER

2021

17

Baldock Gardens

By Graham Tapp September 2021 has seen the return of the world-famous Chelsea flower show, but for a change, due to it being unable to go ahead in the spring, it is an autumn show testing the exhibitors in different ways. Some have found novel ways to hold their plants back; others have embraced the autumn and displayed lateseason gardens; whatever their choice, you must agree that the quality and skill shown is exceptional.

The Chelsea flower show was started in 1913 by Sir Harry Veitch, one of our great nurserymen; he managed to acquire the Royal hospital grounds for a one-off flower exhibition. It was such a fantastic place for a flower show that the great spring show was moved there from the Temple gardens; it then became the Royal horticultural society Chelsea flower show.

I have great memories of the show, having taken part in two gold medalwinning displays for the National Farmers Union way back in the early seventies as a young agricultural/horticultural student. I learned that to win gold, you have to put in an enormous amount of hard work so I had to clean all sorts of vegetables for two days, primarily carrots, I remember.

The old joke about cleaning vegetables with a toothbrush is not so funny when you've spent two days doing it.

The most interesting part of the show for me these days are the new varieties; it has taken the growers years and years to breed them, some on small nurseries, others on large commercial units and international companies, all developing ornamentals, fruit and vegetables.

As a fruit grower, I managed a farm for a gentleman called Frank Pratt down in East Kent near Ash. He had a specialist nursery on the farm for developing new apple varieties. This was not done in a sterile laboratory but with a keen eye walking up and down every row of trees, looking for any differences, genetic mutations, the colour of the fruit, the shape and most importantly, the flavour and texture. We would look for the vigour of the tree, its pest and disease resistance. When we found something of

interest, we would mark it with a coloured ribbon tied to the branch of the tree; it was the branch holding the different fruit we wanted. In the spring, we would collect some first-year wood from it for grafting onto a rootstock in the nursery and allow it to grow on for a couple of years to see what developed.

Many would revert to the original variety, but a few out of the thousands of trees would produce something worth proceeding to the next stage. They would then go onto storage tests, eating and flavour tests; having passed all and more of these tests, they might go into production given a name and gain plant breeders rights. Generally, the product of this way of plant raising is called a sport and would be reproduced by vegetative cloning. They would be planted in a mother tree nursery where grafted trees would be grown just for the first year wood, which would be then be used to graft or be budded onto thousands of trees and sold on as the newly named variety.

This system is very similar to how our garden plants are developed, so when you purchase plants from the garden centre, all of them with plant breeders rights will have a label in or on the pot. This indicates that whoever has reproduced the plant for sale has paid the royalties to the person or company that did the original breading; any newish plant you find that does not have a label could have been grown illegally.

Our nursery is inspected for breeders rights at least twice a year.

Plant breeders rights fees are the way new varieties are paid for, and without it, the garden would be a very plain place, so please don't moan too much about the twenty or thirty pence added to the price of your new plant.

Interestingly selection of plants for human consumption started more than thirteen thousand years ago when the domestication of cereal grains began.

In the 1860s, Gregor Mendel discovered he could cross-breed different strains of pea plants and importantly predict the benefits and traits of the new plants. He concluded that there was a line between

the parents, grandparents being mixed during pollination/fertilisation - genetics was born. He demonstrated that he could control the outcome of the crossbreeding; he worked out that genes come in pairs and are inherited one from each parent, so we can develop new plants differently from looking for sports and wandering up and down rows of plants.

The genetic way ( Cross-pollination ) is how most plant breeders raise their new plants. This cross-pollination has to be done meticulously and cleanly. Any stray pollen will cause problems giving inaccurate results, having said that some of the best plants have been bred by accident.

Gregor Johann Mendel was a meteorologist, mathematician, biologist, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brno, Margraviate of Moravia. He is as important as Charles Darwin in his discoveries; his work was not appreciated until after he died in 1884; he is now known as the father of genetics.

Hugo de Vries (1848-1935) was instrumental in getting Mendel's work recognised as he recognised it by name in his published works on hybridisation.

Vries was the first person to consider that variations called sports or mutations could be classed as new varieties as the mutation would pass on to the next generation, hence the reason for walking miles and miles up and down apple orchards looking.

A well-known apple sport or mutation that most will have seen is Queen Cox, a more highly coloured sport of cox's orange pippin first selected by MacLean in 1953.

Our gardens are full of sports; many are so similar or of no particular interest that we would not notice them, but perhaps we should look a bit closer. Maybe if you find something interesting you could bring it to me to grow it on and we could get rich.

Enjoy your gardening..

Graham OCTOBER

2021

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OCTOBER

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Fever Autumn Last months musing about my lone travel arrangements caused a li le s rring amongst the 'Old Boys' at the rugby club. It seems that my admi ance that I o en wander (thankyou LG) off into the great unknown caused a few of my poor readers to think that I did this because I was a lonely old soul that had no choice but to travel on my own. This has led some to declare that they intend to spend some of their valuable re rement me finding me a soul mate.

Now, although I have declared that I really don't need a Mate and to be honest would probably break the poor soul within a week of him declaring his inten ons, I did feel the need to provide a list of likes and dislikes. This was mainly because I'm slightly petrified at the prospect of having a group of old rugby players pick a poten al rest of life partner for me without any idea of the kind of person I may be a racted to.

Even I have standards, admi edly they are becoming fewer with each passing year, but standards none the less.

If any of my avid readers had the same thoughts about my piece last month, I can assure you that it's all good, I really am not a lonely old spinster who is des ned to wander this planet, desperately seeking a forever friend. I really do enjoy wandering off on my

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own, I if I was married, single, living in sin or a nunnery, I would s ll try my utmost to sling off the constraints of everyday life and seek solitude. I find it clears and resets my mind. Some mes, I just need to sit on a bench by the sea with a bag of chips and not have to talk or listen to anyone. It may have come from having four kids and that 24/7 of Muummmmm! My daughter also likes to bugger off on her own on occasion, so its not just me.

Another fun game I have with my friends that read this is the amount of them that love to point out my spelling and grammar errors. It's a funny thing but my English teacher colleagues never do. There can be only a few reasons for this. They say they read it, but don't.

They think it impolite. They are a nsy bit scared of my reac on. I'm going for the first op on. Although, when I think about it, it might be because there are just so many that they don't have the me. I do find it quite frustra ng when this is published, and I read back on it to find the odd spelling mistake or grammar faux pas. I know its unbelievable to some of you pedants, but I do actually proofread it several mes before I send it. On occasion I also have someone proofread it for me (you should be able to tell which ones have

been done by someone else) I expect that my loose grasp of the English language, despite my GCSE, is the reason that I haven't been invited to write for The Times, or even The Observer. I know its not the reason the Daily Mail hasn't been in contact, their journalists are worse than I am.

Autumn is here, those of you who pay a en on know that this is my absolute favourite me of year. September and October in the UK are without doubt the most beau ful months. It's the only season that I can feel changing. One day you step out of your door and its summer, even if its raining. The next day you walk out, and you feel the change, the air seems fresher. Things just seem to slow down a bit. The evening sun sets like a fire in the distant hills and then eventually the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. By the me we get to the end of October the trees have put on that majes c display of colour for us and we then start to think of rainy days and big jumpers. Keats called it the 'Season of mists and mellow frui ulness'. I could sit for hours on a day like today watching the trees change and the squirrels running about. It brings peace to my trouble old spinster soul.

Fun Fact: In Greek mythology, autumn began when Persephone was abducted

by Hades to be the Queen of the Underworld. In distress Persephone's mother, Demeter (the goddess of the harvest), caused all the crops on Earth to die un l her daughter was allowed to return, marking spring.

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DRIVING TEST NERVES We o en feel anxious when taking exams whether in the classroom, workplace or taking our driving test. It all starts with the mind and how we think and process experiences and upcoming events. We essen ally have two different parts to our mind, the conscious will which states what we want to happen, and the imagina on which kicks in with fear and doubt. When these two parts of our mind are conflicted the imagina on wins over.

Put into context from a driving test point of view, our conscious will states 'I'm going to pass my driving test' The imagina on kicks in with fear and doubt answering 'But what if you don't? you're

going to get something wrong, you're going to forget everything and freeze.

Look what happened last, you got nervous and forgot to indicate and check your mirrors. As soon as there is a conflict between the two the imagina on wins and overrides the conscious will. You start imagining the worst case scenario and messing up a manoeuvre feeling nervous and anxious.

People that have taken their test previously may have had a bad experience or failed due to a few minor mistakes, this experience may then trigger off a few doubts in the persons mind about their ability to pass the next me. Consequently this can then turn into a limi ng belief, backed up by every failed a empt they make at passing their test.

By imaging the worst case scenario, you are essen ally playing a horror movie in your head. This then feeds down to your body and your body reacts with physical symptoms of nerves and anxiety.

You may experience an upset stomach, sweaty palms, hyperven la ng, heart palpita ons and feel as if you can't remember anything that you have learnt from your driving lessons. This is not a good situa on to be in just before or during your test.

Hypnotherapy is an excellent tool for enhancing performance under difficult circumstances. Through the power of sugges on, clients can experience calmer, more composed states even under exam condi ons.

The aim is to create a sense of confidence in the moment by running through an ideal driving test in your mind, instead of playing a horror movie of everything going wrong, we can suggest everything going right, you feeling nice and calm relaxed an in control, going through all of the manoeuvres in your mind, with you feeling how 22

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2021

you would like to feel during your test.

Self-hypnosis also plays a part here. Clients can be taught selfhypnosis in a ma er of minutes. This excellent tool has been demonstrated to reduce stress and anxiety in the moment, as well as fostering confidence and op mism. The client can then relax themselves into a state of hypnosis before their driving test, enabling a calmer, more focused approach.

The ability of hypnosis to improve a person's ability to perform under exam circumstances (cogni vely, emo onally, physiologically), when combined with the usefulness of self-hypnosis (to help before the test itself), can bring about a real improvement in anybody's ability to pass their driving test.

Kim Holloway www.total-therapy.co.uk

Your Local Home Improvement Specialists

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SAME PHONE NUMBER SAME GREAT SERVICE JUST A DIFFERENT ADDRESS Please call....

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2021

Victims of courier fraud lost an average of £8,346 Data from Ac on Fraud, the na onal repor ng centre for fraud and cyber crime, reveals that £10,325,133 has been lost by vic ms to courier fraud since the start of this year – an increase of almost two thirds (63 per cent) compared to the same period last year.

What is courier fraud?

Courier fraud is when vic ms receive a phone call from a criminal who is pretending to be a police officer or bank official. Typically, vic ms are told to withdraw a sum of money and someone is sent to their home address to collect it.

Criminals may also convince the vic m to transfer money to a ‘secure’ bank account, hand over their bank cards or give the criminals high value items, such as jewellery, watches and gold (coins or bullion).

Temporary Detec ve Chief Inspector Craig Mullish, from the City of London Police, said: “This is a dreadful crime in which fraudsters specifically target older and vulnerable people, by exploi ng their trust. Courier fraud can have devasta ng consequences on vic ms, both financially and emo onally, which is why we’re asking the public to remain vigilant and follow some simple steps to help protect themselves and their loved ones.

“Remember, just because someone claims to know a few basic details about you, such as your name and your

address, it does not mean they are genuine.”

Since the start of this year, Ac on Fraud has received 2,060 reports of courier fraud, with an average loss per vic m of just over £5,000.

Almost two thirds (64 per cent) of vic ms were aged 70 to 89 years old, and over three quarters (84 per cent) of vic ms were aged 60 to 99 years old.

One common tac c used is where vic ms are contacted by a suspect who a empts to persuade them to purchase gold as part of a ‘police inves ga on’ that is later collected by a courier on behalf of the criminals.

In some cases, the suspects have invited themselves into the vic m’s home and collected other valuables, saying that the vic m’s possessions are no longer safe and they, ‘as the police’, can safeguard them.

Another common tac c used is called “open phone” where the vic m is persuaded to stay on the phone to the criminal whilst they go to withdraw money or go to a jewellers. This stops the vic m interac ng with anyone else, or having the chance to think about what is really happening.

How to protect yourself and your loved ones: Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone, or offer to pick up your bank card by courier. Hang up

immediately if you receive a call like this.

If you need to contact your bank to check the call was legi mate, wait five minutes as fraudsters may stay on the line a er you hang up. Alterna vely, use a different line altogether to contact your bank and ensure you call them back on a number listed on the bank’s website, or on the back of your debit or credit card.

Your debit or credit card is yours: don’t let a stranger take it from you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled or expired, you should destroy it yourself. Tell-tale signs of a empted courier fraud: Someone claiming to be from your bank or local police force calls you to tell you about fraudulent ac vity, but is asking you for personal informa on, or even your PIN, to verify who you are.

They are sugges ng that you call them back, so you can be sure they are genuine, but when you try to return the call, there’s no dial tone.

They say they are trying to offer you peace of mind by having somebody pick up the card for you, to save you the trouble of having to go to your bank or local police sta on.

Ac on Fraud also advises that the public follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to keep themselves safe from fraud.

Stop: taking a moment to stop and think before par ng with your money or informa on could keep you safe.

Challenge: could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests.

Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: if you think you’ve been a vic m of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Ac on Fraud online at ac onfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

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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.

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Tel: 01462 491035 / 07985315632

07860 950 957

26

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2021

THE FIRST

BALDOCK

ECOFEST Saturday October 30th!!!

Baldock Beats Waste invite you to come to their Baldock EcoFest on Saturday 30th October from 10am to 3pm in the High Street. Stalls are booked including ones concerned with climate change, avoiding waste, growing your own vegetables herbs and fruit, caring for the natural environment and how we can help save chalk streams. There will also be cra items made from preloved and recycled stuff, and so much more. The stalls holders will be very willing to chat with you about their own par cular concerns or products. The organisers hope it will be an enjoyable

and inspira onal day that will encourage us all to do a li le more to help the environment and the climate.

Come and take this opportunity to talk about adap ng to climate change, how to improve your insula on or ven la on for instance, how to get involved with local wild-life or all the benefits of having an allotment and crea ng a more caring sharing community.

It's the first event of its type in Baldock, we think, and we hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

You can contact us at baldockbeatswaste@gmail.com

I would like to thank the very kind people of Baldock for suppor ng our 2nd hand book sale fundraising event on Saturday 11th September. We made a grand total of £170.00. The money raised will be equally divided between Girl Guiding HQ maintenance fund and our China trip in October 2022.

We s ll have lots of books and so Tapps have very kindly agree that we can repeat the event on Saturday 16th October 10am to 3pm. So, if you missed the sale last me or perhaps you have already read the books you purchased then come and buy some new ones!

We are s ll collec ng books and so you can drop them to us at the event or to Lisa Pa erson 71 Larkins close Baldock and drop in the wooden box at my fount door. They must be in good condi on.

If you would like to know more about Girl Guiding in the Baldock please email lisa.gascoine@b nternet.com Thank you again Lisa Pa erson and Kathryn Dixon 1st Baldock Brownies (Thursday HQ – Mee ng House Lane)

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27

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

DAVE 31st October

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

We hope you have the best day.

Love Mum, Richard, Amber's & all the pets

“A girl should be two things classy and fabulous”

15

TODAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JACKSON

THE BIG 40

TH

29

29 OCTOBER

CHRIS WHITE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Love from all the family xxx

Love from Gabz xx

Happy 16th Birthday

Isabel Mays 30th October

28

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2021

4 Sun Street, Baldock. Sg7 6QA 2c St Francis Way, Shefford. Sg17 5DZ

Slimming Wld Recipe Supplied by

Sandra Lloyd

Cauliflower, chickpea and spinach curry In this simple veggie curry, cauliflower florets are simmered with chickpeas in a lightly spicy tomato sauce

Ingredients Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Low-calorie cooking spray 2 tsp curry powder (heat level to your taste) 225g small cauliflower florets 215g can chickpeas, drained 230g can chopped tomatoes 50g baby spinach leaves Dried chilli flakes, to serve (optional)

Method 1. Spray a non-stick saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.

Add the curry powder, cook for 1 minute and add 4 teaspoons of water. Increase the heat to high, bring to the boil and bubble for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of water. Bring back to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.

3. Season lightly, stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted.

HAIR at HOME to make an appointment or for a free consultation call Jacqui

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29

R.H GARDEN DESIGN The Garden Specialists

Some of our many services offered include:

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Regular maintenance Garden Make-overs Jungles tamed Patios Fencing Turng Planting Articial grass Decking Driveways Pressure washing of patios and drives

D TIMMS & SON BUILDING SERVICES

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Driveways Patios Fencing

info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk villages Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding

30

OCTOBER

Raising awareness of what’ to find s on & where things locally

of what’s on & where to find things locally

Issue 74 December 2020

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.

Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and

2021

uk

surrounding villages

For all enquiries please contact us: DavidTimms@VirginMedia.com

07901602227/ 07759106803 01462 895506

It's The Most Wderful Time Of The Year …But n f everye Yes, I'm talking about Christmas!! I know most don't want to think about it yet, however if you are one of the many families that are going to struggle this Christmas, then you can't help but think about it.

Last year an amazing 119 wonderful people of Baldock donated hampers, or 'Reverse Advent Calendars' for our elderly and families who were struggling.

Can we make this year even be er? I'm sure we can.

So what can you do? The first step is to contact me on 07901 821403 to tell me you either want to do one for an elderly person or a family.

Then the fun begins. You can get a box (any size) and decorate it. Be even be er to get children involved. A er this you can start filling the box with whatever you think the family or elderly person would like at Christmas. Believe me it can be anything. In the past there have been puzzle books, christmas puddings, crackers, smellies….the world (or shop) is your oyster!

Yes, it's that easy!! Once I have an idea about numbers I will let you know when I need them, so they can be distributed in me for the day in ques on.

I do have another plea…..and that is if you know someone who is struggling, PLEASE let me know. It's totally confiden al and just think how it will put a smile on their face when they realise someone is thinking about them. Also if you would like to be in receipt of a hamper let me know so i can make sure you get one.

So come on, good people of Baldock, if you can afford to spread a li le happiness by doing a hamper then let me know. You know you want to!!

Thanks in advance, take care and stay safe Karen

Advertising from £20 per Issue info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Raising awaren of what’s ess on & where to find things locally

Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk villages Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding

OCTOBER

2021

of what’s on & where to find things locally

Issue 74 December 2020

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and

surrounding villages

31

ROGERSONS REMOVALS

BALSTOCK

ANNOUNCEMENT We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of this years Balstock punters and the people of Baldock. The team said they would have been happy to raise £5k, so it fills their hearts to announce that Balstock Music Fes val 2021 managed to raise an astounding £10,658.91 to go towards the 'Baldock BBF Hardship Fund'.

This can now be used to aid various underfunded local groups to support families in need, foodbanks, homeless and mental health chari es amongst many others. This is especially needed in the lead up to Christmas and beyond.

Balstock legend and frontman G La Roche had this to say following the weekends' success: “What can I say – Baldock made us proud once again! Every pub and venue received record crowds and we have raised a ton of dosh thanks to the generosity of the Balstock punters. The atmosphere was buzzing and the bands, DJs and performers were on top form. I would personally like to give the warmest of praise to our Balstock Commi ee, the Balstock 'Reps', our Volunteers, Sponsors and photographers as well as all the publicans, cafes and their staff. Big Up Balstock!”

An incredible weekend for a fantas c cause, bring on Balstock 2022!

32

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2021

LAWN CUTTING HEDGE CUTTING LANDSCAPING PATIOS

ASHWELL

WESTON

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 Hartseld St Johns St Marys Infants St Marys Juniors Brandles

01462 620700 01462 895267 01462 892478 01462 892347 01462 892156 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

OCTOBER

2021

33

October Gallery

Please send your local snaps new or old to our facebook page or email info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

Balstock 2021 closing set at the Orange -Paul Lyme

New look JoanovArc at Balstock -Peter Gill

Ale at the ceremony of his owners 'Daniel & Rosie'

The evening mist across Ivel Springs- David Knapp

Baldock 5K Rat Run

Members of the new Walk talk Walk - John Harris

Mali the dog hiding from Morus the cat!

- Simon Holtom Baldock in the 1980s taken by Bruce Moss Baldock Museum and Local History Society

Sunowers in the sunset -Stuart Leader 2021