Mid Beds Bulletin May 2021

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Archaeological dig approved ahead of major road works

ISSN 2634-453X

MID BEDS EDITION

by Euan Duncan – Local Democracy Reporter

AN archaeological dig at Tempsford has been approved ahead of a potential major road project, despite a warning it might pave the way for a ‘Milton Keynes’ in Bedfordshire.

An archaeological dig at Tempsford has been approved ahead of a potential major road project, despite a warning it might pave the way for a ‘Milton Keynes’ in Bedfordshire.

MAY 2021

Cramped Secondary school to benefit from upgrade package AN OVERALL funding package of nearly £20m to revive a dilapidated Bedfordshire school has been hailed as “just fantastic” by a local councillor.

The project to transform Sandy Secondary School includes £16m capital funding from Central Bedfordshire Council, its executive was told.

Sandy Upper School converted to a secondary in September 2018, along with the lower schools in the cluster, which became primaries, according to Conservative Cranfield and Marston Moretaine councillor Sue Clark.

There was no funding made available to make that change, she said.

“The school was built in 1975 for three year groups with 22 students in each class, so much smaller than the current requirements.

“The school is recognised as a nine-form of entry

by the Department for Education (DfE), but the current premises struggles to accommodate six forms of entry.

“It has increased in size and popularity from 500 students in 2015 to 1,000 now.

“The improvements will increase capacity to 1,200 and a further 200 students in the sixth form.”

Councillor Clark, who is CBC’s deputy leader and executive member for families, education and children referred to a pressing need “to address the shortcomings of the school estate”, and renovate the teaching spaces.

“This will include building a new classroom block and some special educational and disability (SEND) provision, which the school successfully applied for and was awarded a grant from the DfE,” she explained.

Continued on page 9

Abbotsbury closure approved

The site is agricultural grassland reached via a private road leading off Station Road, according to a

by Euan Duncan – Local Democracy Reporter report to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee.

A BIGGLESWADE care all having different circumstances comments about residents being “It’s linked to the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet home rated ‘outstanding’ is to and this is no exception,” she said. settled and happy there.” project, which will be the subject of a development The prospect of a new home Quantum Care is due to open close once the remaining resi- being consent order to be submitted shortly,” said the report. built close to Abbotsbury by new premises at Mantles Court in dents have been moved to an operator the local authority London Road this summer.

The route of the A428 would be diverted from the new accommodation.

Black Cat roundabout to Caxton Gibbet services, knew already suited its ambitions.

Rebuilding Abbotsbury would running through the site.

Abbotsbury Residential Home have involved moving residents BEYOND USEFULNESS A second application was submitted for temporary at Mead End will shut as part of a multiple times, so was ruled out as permission for a site compound with 15 portable buildprogramme by Central Bedford“This building is moving on an option. ings and 30 parking spaces for archaeologists and site shire Council to modernise and beyond its usefulness, such as not There were 36 responses to the operatives throughout the excavation period. improve facilities for older people. having ensuite facilities,” consultation, and 15 out of the 21 The works are anticipated to last for a period of nine residents replied directly, accord“The prospects to close a resi- explained councillor Hegley. months, added the report. dential care home are significant to “This home was rated outstand- ing to councillor Hegley, who’s the Senior planning officer David Gauntlett told the the residents, their families and our ing in 2019 by the Care Quality executive member for adult social committee: “The key feature is the East Coast Mainline staff,” Conservative Dunstable Commission (CQC), and the staff care. railway, which runs along the western boundary.

Conservative Biggleswade Central councillor Carole Hegley have done an amazing job there.

“Access to the site will come through Tempsford told CBC’s executive.

“The consultation response was village and over the railway line at a level crossing,” he Uncovering a Roman villa in Bedford in 2016.

Continued on page 8 “We’ve done three previously, very sensitive, with some heartfelt said. “The soil will be stored in two mounds.”

Nearby resident Joe Lawrence described it as “a ruse”, saying: “We’re going to have a new railSAYS LOCAL MAN way station and a new road.

“This is all premeditated to was no better. Some of it’s only have a big market town. I’m farm track.”

Acting agent on behalf of against any of this. I don’t want a massive town dumped on my Highways England Chloe Evans said: “It will identify and record doorstep.

“Why don’t we put nature the extent of Iron Age and Roman before people?” he asked. “This occupation activity in that area, as won’t be the new Milton Keynes part of the infrastructure scheme for the A428 upgrade. for Bedfordshire on my watch.”

“Temporary structures will be Tempsford Parish Council objected over “a huge increase in removed to ensure the long-term traffic and noise on Station Road, character and should the A428 the danger of the railway line being scheme not proceed the site will be blocked, and a lack of a plan to put reinstated to its current condition.

“Highways England consulted the site back to its original condithe parish council and the number tion.”

Adrian Besant, who chairs the of daily journeys will be reduced to council, said their main concern is 26.

“The proposal ensures suitable the difficulty of the traffic travelarchaeological investigation is ling along Station Road.

“It’s the main link from the A1, undertaken and ensures items of Monday–Friday 7.30am–5.00pm and the artery for the heavy traffic historic interest aren’t lost and are delivering cabins as well as every appropriately recorded for the Saturday 8.00am–12.00pm day works traffic of 30-40 vehi- future.”

Independent Linslade councilcles.

“We’ve no objection to the lor Victoria Harvey said: “I’m work itself. We’ll be quite interest- deeply unhappy with the level of housing and amount of road builded in what they find.

“We’ve questioned the route ing planned for this area.

“But that’s a government decichosen and suggested an alternasales@henlowbuidlingsupplies.co.uk www.henlowbuildingsupplies.co.uk tive from Everton Road going sion. We can only do the best for our residents. It’s a beautiful area across private land.

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Hospital maternity chiefs ‘look forward’ to next inspection following latest inadequate rating

by David Tooley Local Democracy Reporter

Alfie is raising money for child victims of crime A BEDFORDSHIRE Police Detective has entered the London Marathon on October 3, 2021.

Karl Heywood, who lives in Kempston is raising money for Embrace Child Victims of Crime (CVoC). This is a charity which helps support children who have been the victims of serious crime.

The charity supplies children with counselling, learning materials and sometimes a trip out to show that not everyone is a threat to them.

Karl is in training for the Marathon and is getting in a half marathon every week as well as work-outs in the gym.

Part of his fund raising efforts he will be running 12km dressed in the charity’s mascot ‘Alfie’ the bear.

On Saturday May 22, Karl will run a route which basically circumnavigates Kempston.

He will start from the Police HQ in Woburn Road, Kempston and eventually end up in Addison Howard Park around noon for a Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

There will some stalls, tombolla and a raffle with all proceeds going towards Karl’s target.

Part of this get together will be the opportunity to throw a wet sponge at Karl who will be in the village stocks!

So far Karl has raised over £1500 towards his target, one his many sponsors is Mayor of Kempston, Cllr Carl Meader is seen here wishing Karl well on a training session.

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HOSPITAL chiefs have committed themselves to keeping and improving maternity services in Bedford.

The service was rated inadequate following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) unannounced visit on November 5, which identified a risk that a baby could be abducted, among other problems.

A meeting on Monday, April 19, heard that employee trust with management that had become so poor that staff made 14 whistle-blower complaints to the CQC rather than speak to bosses.

Cllr Hilde Hendrickx (Lib Dem, Newnham) asked why issues identified by the CQC in 2018 had not been acted on.

“They should have been picked up by the leadership; why didn’t that happen?” she asked at the health overview and scrutiny committee.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive David Carter, who took up the role when Bedford and Luton and Dunstable Hospital merged in April 2020, said he “can’t speak for before April 2020.”

He said the trust had been aware of some concerns but was ‘reassured by good outcomes’. Pregnant mums had been happy with the service.

Looking forward he said the merger offers the chance to “help move on to a much more positive future.”

The trust has new maternity leaders in place and Mr Carter said it is committed to Bedford. It is “key to the future of us as an organisation and we want it to be outstanding”.

Trust chief nurse Liz Lees said the CQC had visited not because of any clinical incident but following “staff concerns”.

The unit had been hit hard by staff shortages which they say they are dealing with. They have regular meetings with the CQC to stay on track. They are also trying to

build up trust with staff. She said that “takes time.”

Emma Hardwick, the trust’s new director of midwifery, said they have a shortlist of 35 student midwives to fill up to 15 posts.

Tara Pauley, in her third week as Bedford’s head of midwifery, said new swipe card security measures have been put in place. And “teams are very aware of the need to check and challenge” visitors.

Mr Carter said he was “disappointed” with the inadequate rating because of the unit’s relatively low child mortality rates and good feedback from mums.

“The unit was in a good place before the CQC,” he insisted, but they are using the rating as a “lever for change” and now they want to “strive for outstanding”.

Cllr Graeme Coombes (Cons, Wilshamstead) asked for assurance that the current leadership can achieve what the previous chiefs hadn’t.

Mr Carter said they would be held accountable by the CQC, the hospital’s quality committee, its own trust governors and its own focus.

Actions required in the wake of the Ockenden report into baby deaths in Shropshire also added impetus.

“The failures were because of culture and trust in leadership but our relationship with mothers is good,” he said.

“I want to look forward to the next CQC.” Cllr Lucy Bywater (Green, Castle) said: “I am glad to hear that there is no doubt hanging over the service.”

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Local children help create a Mural of Joy Keep up-to-date go to: www.rosettapublishing.com/bulletin

TWENTY local children with SEND have helped contribute to a community project as part of a collaboration between the Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum and local charity Creating Memories.

The Bedford Parent Carer Forum first approached creating Memories after seeing the ‘colourful path of joy’ – the brainchild of Creating Memories Founder Pritti Saggi and local illustrator Sarah Harrison.

Kerri Rennie from the Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum said: “I was inspired to contact Pritti to see how we could work together after seeing the positive reaction to her incredible pathway!

We wanted to provide an opportunity to work with parent/carers and their families to be part of something big, communal and creative – something that would complement the education, support and information we offer through the Forum.

I’m so delighted with the results.”

The Mural of Joy depicts the 20 images created by children as replicated by Sarah Harrison, with ‘Beatrice’ the elephant a central

feature designed to celebrate individuality and remembering moments to treasure, a key part of Creating Memories.

Supporting Sarah in the task was another local artist, Tara Gillen, who painted the parts of the mural around the door, with the help of her daughter Angel.

The final parts of the mural were then complemented by local artist Paul Nicholson (who was inspired to add a tree to the design after coming to take a photograph!) and Farzana Chaudry, who added her handmade bunting and crochet pieces to really bring the piece to life and make it interactive.

Pritti Saggi said{ “This project has just grown since its inception earlier this year and I can’t quite believe the finished result! This has become a real community project.

“Thanks to all the children for their masterpieces and to Kerri and Sarah for their desire to make this happen.

“I also have to thank Tara, Angel, Paul and Farzana for their brilliant contributions, the Rotary Club of Bedford for their funding

BEDFORDSHIRE BULLETIN MAY 2021

for this project, and finally Brewers of Bedford, who kindly donated the paint.

“We have had so many visitors

— 3

since this began and it is wonderful to meet with and connect with the local community over something so positive.”

Bedford Corn Exchange to remain closed for the forseeable future

BEDFORD Borough Council have announced via their Corn Exchange website, that due to the Corona virus restrictions the venue will remain closed for the time being.

With a number of top-line acts booked for the coming months this announcement will come as a blow to Bedford theatre goers, who are just beginning to enjoy the lifting of the Covid lock-down.

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi and Jimmy Carr are just two of the shows that face the axe with this announcement.

The Corn Exchange’s management are planning to revue the

Covid situation on a rolling basis.

Where performances are rescheduled, tickets already purchased will be valid for the new date.

Refunds will be issued for customers who are unable to attend the rescheduled date. For any cancelled performances, customers will be issued with a refund.

The front of house team at the Corn Exchange will be contacting all affected customers in due course. They’re asking for your patience during this time, as they will have a large number of customers to contact.

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158 jobs to go as a result of loss of government upgrade to Warrior tank owned company at Ampthill will lose their jobs.

Lockheed Martin said that the job cuts were “direct result” of the government’s spending review.

In a statement in City A.M. Lee Fellows, general manager at Ampthill, said: “Despite the need for this workforce reduction, we remain a strong business, with a very talented, dedicated team.

LOCKHEED Martin is set to cut around a sixth of its workforce at its base in Ampthill, Bedfordshire following the government’s decision not to an upgrade to the Warrior tank.

The decision to scrap the upgrade came in the government’s recent Defence Command Paper. It means that up to 158 people out of the 900 employed by the US-

“This exercise will ensure that we maintain competitiveness by delivering affordable products and services to customers while positioning for future growth opportunities that will benefit the facility in the longer term.

“We remain committed to supporting impacted employees and providing whatever assistance we can during this difficult time.”

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Local organisations join forces to provide urgent Covid Catch-up support for Bedfordshire schools TWO Bedfordshire charities have joined forces to launch a Covid Catch-up programme for some of the most disadvantaged pupils across the county. The Harpur Trust and the Connolly Foundation are working in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire to deliver the programme in which trainee teachers will deliver catchup sessions in schools during the summer term.

Disadvantaged pupils have been hardest hit by the pandemic and the Institute for Fiscal studies (IFS) estimates that these pupils could have lost as much as two thirds of a year in learning. The government has already committed £1.7bn to provide a nationwide tutoring programme and summer schools, but educationalists have called for more to be done to support disadvantaged pupils. They also want schools to have greater control over the way in which the funding is used. The hope is that this programme could help to bridge the gap for pupils in Bedfordshire.

A spokesperson for the charities said: “We are excited to be working with each other and with the University to help tackle a national issue at a local level. We are determined that the pupils hardest hit by the pandemic should receive as much support as possible to enable them to catch-up with their learning and have the best possible chance to fulfil their potential.

“Our programme isn’t a generic tutoring package and so will provide schools with real ownership over what the pupils learn, how and when. We wanted our scheme to be as bespoke as possible and we’ve been working hard to match up students with schools to ensure the best fit. Our scheme is completely free for the schools and we hope it will add further support where it is most needed.”

As well as gaining experience in the classroom this exciting initiative will offer the trainee teachers an opportunity to earn some money after months where many of them have been unable to work in their usual part time jobs. Juliet Fern, Executive Dean for the University’s Faculty of Education and Sport, said: “This is an exciting and innovative project to support our local schools. The University of Bedfordshire is delighted that its trainee teachers are being given this opportunity, which will enhance their course school placements.

“It will provide them with more experience in schools, working on a range of teaching and learning activities. It will also prepare them for their future work in schools, supporting pupils to achieve, whilst recognising the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Kelli Foster, Headteacher at Mark Rutherford Upper School said “The pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to the education of young

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people. This programme will enable us to support our students who need to catch up academically after two periods of remote learning in the last calendar year.

We feel very fortunate to have been allocated a trainee teacher from the University of Bedfordshire.

The strong partnership we have with both the Harpur Trust and Connolly Foundation, as well as our links with the university, will ensure we support our students most affected from being away from the classroom.”

Cllr Richard Wenham, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “This last year has been an especially difficult time for disadvantaged young people. The COVID Catchup Support Programme is an exciting initiative which complements the work already underway in Bedfordshire’s schools.”

24 trainee teachers are delivering the catchup sessions and the charities worked with local employment specialists Allstaff Recruitment to place them directly into schools. Tracey Finch, Director at Allstaff Recruitment Limited said: “We take great pride working in conjunction with charitable trusts and businesses to support local community projects.

As an agency, we provide innovative recruitment solutions and it is our privilege to work in partnership with the Harpur Trust, the Connolly Foundation and the University of Bedfordshire on this community project.”

There is high demand for the scheme and schools in the most disadvantaged areas have been targeted in the first wave of teaching which started on April 12.

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Early morning music club runs up against environmental health issues

by David Tooley Local Democracy Reporter

A TEACHER-turned-businessman is at loggerheads with council environmental health officers over his bid to win a 4.30am entertainment licence for his AfroCaribbean social club.

Bernard Alemanji, who used to teach science at Sharnbrook School, told a meeting this week that The Spot, in an industrial unit in Windsor Road, Bedford, had already held 11 late night events without any complaint.

But his and his wife Prisca’s bid to win approval for 48 entertainment events run-

ning up to 4.30am on Friday and Saturday nights has run into opposition from Bedford Borough Council’s environmental health team.

Officials say that noise could affect up to 76 homes within 150 metres in Willow Road, Monmouth Close, Edinburgh Close and Broad Avenue.

“An absence of complaint does not mean an absence of disturbance,” said Katharine Painter, a team leader in environmental health.

But Frank Fender, the Alemanjis’ licensing agent said the business had held events in the suburban industrial estate “without incident, without concerns. There are no complaints.”

Mastering business basics

The events already held had attracted an average of between 150-200 people to birthday parties, and social and fundraising events, the licensing sub committee heard on Tuesday, April 13.

Mr Alemanji told the committee that he was in tears as he had found himself defending his business instead of mourning the death of his father in Cameroon.

He said: “You will not see an AfroCaribbean in the pub at five o’clock, they work hard and come out very late in the night to enjoy themselves.”

And Mr Fender added: “It is not everybody’s cup of tea but we do have to recognise that there are some sections of society

who actually enjoy going out later” The meeting heard that the Alemanjis had received a loan in excess of £100,000 to convert the former industrial unit.

But they and Mr Fender believed being made to spend about £4,000 on an acoustic report and a noise limiter would impose disproportionate costs on the business.

Mr Alemanji said they were confident that the business would not cause a nuisance because they had tested loud noise and found it not to be a problem.

But Miss Painter said the council had not been involved in those tests and had not seen a technical report.

Miss Painter also wanted to limit the business to one late night event per month.

But Mr Alemanji claimed that this would be “very unfair” and would “knock us out of business even before we start.”

The committee also heard that advice received from building control does not mean that a building would be able to stop noise, which needs specialist action.

Mr Fender claimed that the environmental health department had not moved their stance in negotiations.

But Miss Painter said it would be advisable for businesses to sort out issues at the start because it would avoid higher costs in the long run.

The sub committee’s decision is set to be announced within five working days on the council’s website.

Conservatives renew their call for three hours free multi-storey car parking

BEDFORD Borough have received £154k from the Government’s Welcome Back Fund to help Bedford successfully reopen after lockdown.

The Conservative group on the Borough Council welcomed this new boost from the Government following previous grants of £1m from the Towns’ Fund and £1.76m from Historic England which has now brought up the total support that Bedford Borough Council has received up to nearly £3m.

The Conservatives are pushing the Borough Council to make good use of this money, producing a safe reopening environment that will revitalise and reinvigorate the town centre whilst supporting Bedford’s businesses.

Commenting, Bedford Borough Council Conservative Deputy Group Leader Cllr Roger Rigby said: “The £154k boost from the Welcome Back Fund for Bedford is very welcome, this will help Bedford reopen safely and I

hope provide initiatives to encourage people to visit Bedford again.

“Two uses of this funding should be to provide three hours of free parking at multistorey car parks every day for the next three months and to give our market traders free pitches for the first three months to re-establish the market. These two initiatives alone will support the reopening of the town centre and cost the borough nothing.”

©LW

SUCCESSFUL professional Alice Vacani has set up her own business offering online Art Therapy sessions and groups thanks to a free distance learning course via The Bedford College Group.

Alice has both an Undergraduate and Masters degree, is a member of the British Association of Art Therapists and works with the Health and Care Professions Council.

She works full time as an Art Therapist in a secure environment, dealing with people who have a range of well-being issues, but wanted to set up her own private practice so signed up for the Creating a Business Start-up course.

“The course is at a Level 2 so I did wonder what I might learn, but it was so very useful.

In my Masters degree we covered the theory of business, but the practicalities of a name and logo, finances and budgets and how to prices products and services within the Level 2 Business start up were really helpful.

“The course is really versatile and would suit people with any level of education,” said Alice (who lives in Lincolnshire), “Now I have my own website www.horizonsartherapy.com which has attracted interest from individuals and those seeking to run groups.

“My original plan was not to be an online business, but the current situation forced this upon me, and in fact, is providing an opportunity of reaching out to people who have become more used to engaging via the internet.”

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View from the Rt Revd

In Focus with

Richard Atkinson

In Focus with

Yasin

Dave

The Bishop of Bedford

MP for Bedford and Kempston

by Dave Hodgson Mayor of Bedford

UBUNTU

HOW FAR WILL BORIS GO TO SORT OUT FOOTBALL?

EWR A ONCE IN A LIFE TIME OPPORTUNITY

Unable to take my usual break away after Easter, I spent some of the time sorting through the pile of photographs and other family material that I have inherited following my mother’s death.

Some items are very familiar. They are more recent, or the focus of often told family stories.

Some of the photos bring back lost memories of people and events in my life that are now more distant. Childhood holidays with my parents, the garden of the house where I spent my earliest years or being with much loved, but long-departed grandmothers.

Other things are different. They are part of my story but pre-date me. Both my grandfathers died before I was born. Yet there are pictures of both, along with more specific possessions.

For one his MBE for services to public finance. For the other a rolled-up photograph of him and his colleagues at the Technical College where he taught. There is the uncle who died in a war-time bombing raid and the uncle who emigrated to Australia.

Finally, there are a few much older photos of great-grandparents and others of whom I know little. Yet they are part of my story. Without them I would not be here.

I would not be the person I am. As you may have done, research by my cousin takes the family tree back even further.

Sorting through, and ordering, this material has been an emotional task as the people and events have come into focus. There is much to rejoice in, as well as an awareness of who and what has been lost. In particular, there is this overwhelming sense of being part of this human story in which each person is connected.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town, writes of the African concept of ‘Ubuntu’. ‘Ubuntu is the essence of being human. It speaks of how my humanity is caught up and bound up inextricably with yours… I am because I belong’.

I am because you are. It is that Christian understanding of each and every person being our neighbour to whom we must extend love. Our family stories are a microcosm of that much greater story of humanity.

As we come out of lockdown it is an essential oneness that we must celebrate as together we go forward. ‘Ubuntu’ is a good word for us all, whether African or not.

News that the six English clubs signed up to the European Super League have withdrawn after 48 hours of a virtually unanimous backlash from fans has been welcomed on all sides of Parliament.

The 12 founding members of the proposed new league, including the billionaire owners of six English football clubs, led to cries from Number 10 that they will do “whatever it takes” to stop the new tournament. In the end, it would seem people power did more to put the kibosh on the greedy plans than anything the Government could.

For decades, fans have complained about the commercialisation of the sport. Their concerns about their clubs being owned by foreign billionaires or business owners with no interest in football have long been ignored. Footballers earning annual salaries over 100 million and season tickets costing over a £1,000 for some Premiership clubs have alienated many from our nation’s favourite sport.

The Government’s new fan-led review, which must still go ahead, will look at financing, governance, and the creation of an independent regulator.

Labour has repeatedly called for the reform of the governance and finances of football which is why we pledged in all four manifestos going back to 2010 to act. Other great footballing nations like Germany and France put laws in place to protect the fans from corporate takeover.

The Bundesliga clubs did not join the Super League because of the 50 plus one rule which ensures fans own a majority stake – a collaborative approach that extends to Germany ways of doing business. I would like to see a system like this in England. It will be interesting to see how far the Johnson government really is prepared to use the state t markets. to intervene in broken Because if they really are prepared to stand up against a football monopoly then why not in other areas like press reform or in unfair working practices like when a high street retailer plunders their own company until there’s nothing left; to stop British Gas firing and rehiring their workers or when multinational companies evade paying tax?

The East West Rail Company have launched the next phase of their consultation.

I can appreciate the distress these proposals have brought, particularly for those with homes on the route north of Bedford Station.

The threat to homes and businesses along the routes is something I take very seriously.

The consultation proposes six tracks coming out of Bedford Midland Station and has placed a number of homes under threat of compulsory purchase and demolition and other homes possibly losing gardens.

In the Council’s previous responses to the East West Rail Company we based our views on a four track line which would not have put these homes at risk and we will continue to make the case for improving the existing four track railway rather than adding the additional tracks.

Alongside the Company’s consultation the Council will be carrying out our own public meetings and the Council response will be debated at a Full Council meeting before it is submitted.

The combination of a redeveloped Bedford Midland Station and a new East West Rail Station south of Bedford will give the opportunity to minimise traffic on the Borough’s congested roads.

This project will see a once in a generation investment in our local infrastructure by the government, linking Bedford with a new mainline railway to the thriving economies of Oxford and Cambridge, bringing business and jobs to our Borough.

Future generations will look back on this as pivotal moment in securing a successful, prospering Borough. But such a significant project is going to have impacts in a number of areas and we must make sure that people affected are properly considered and, wherever possible, impacts are removed or at least reduced.

You can find out more about the consultation, including how to give your views at https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation.

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BEDFORDSHIRE BULLETIN MAY 2021

Free courses help getting back to work THE BEDFORD College Group is putting on scores of courses which are free for people across Beds, Northants and MK to access over the summer, including during the school holidays.

Those who are preparing to get back to work post-furlough, or wanting to upgrade their skills to secure positions and promotions, or even seek new challenges, will be able to sign up soon.

Many of the courses will be online – with occasional visits to college venues nearby.

For beginners to IT, courses will be at the “Learning Centres” of Bedford, Kettering and Corby all located in the town centres.

English and maths and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes will be offered – all vital skills to secure employment, or move on to further education.

Some of the English and maths courses will be run using a pioneering Artificial Intelligence (AI) system which provides students with a personalised learning journey through an online platform. Students can choose to study online or attend the learning

centres/ college campus in the summer to access supervised sessions with trained tutors.

Said Faye Williams, Director of Adult & Community Learning at The Bedford College Group: “This is aimed at adults aged 19+ plus who want to take the time to upgrade their skills”.

“They could be parents who want to use the summer holidays to improve their own English and maths to support the education of their children, or those who want to upgrade their English language or IT skills to secure employment.

“If the last year has taught us anything, it is that people are capable of adapting to new situations and so we are promoting the summer as a time for extra learning - why waste all those weeks when you could be picking up a new skill? The Bedford College Group is committed to supporting our community all year round.”

Employers may want to hear more about FREE learning opportunities for their staff, who can help businesses thrive by using improved skills.

“IT skills at the very basic level are still very much in short supply at busy compa-

nies, particularly among existing, perhaps older staff. By introducing employees to The Bedford College Group’s offer this summer, businesses can be raring to go come September,” added Faye.

Sign up via bedford.ac.uk or tresham.ac.uk There is also a brand-new suite of FREE Level 2 Business and Health & Social Care courses that can be studied entirely online from anywhere in the region.

There are over 40 different courses available, including: Awareness of Mental Health Problems Business Improvement Techniques Business Start Up Common Childhood Illnesses Common Health Conditions Cyber Security Mental Health First Aid and Advocacy in the Workplace These are purely online distance learning courses with advice and support available from a dedicated tutor.

To register an interest, and to find the full list of courses available, please visit https://www.tresham.ac.uk/sectors/distance -learning/

Learning Centre Trainer, Val Ferry.

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8 —

MAY 2021 BEDFORDSHIRE BULLETIN

MID BEDS EDITION

Abbotsbury closure approved Continued from page 1

North councillor Steve Watkins wondered whether the new premises would provide a similarly high standard of care.

Independent Biggleswade South councillor Hayley Whitaker said councillor Hegley and her team had done everything to make it as easy as possible for Abbotsbury residents.

Conservative Biggleswade North councillor Ian Bond said: “We’re looking forward to the new care home and I’m pleased about the work going on at Mantles Court.”

Conservative Biggleswade South councillor Mark Foster said: “I want to emphasise the real concern taken over the transitional process.

“Ward members and town

councillors have been assured that the residents were considered in full.”

Councillor Hegley resplied: “We’re very sensitive about the quality of care around the move.

“The new home will have to be registered with the regulator, the CQC, and will have to receive checks and inspections.

“That’s one aspect of ensuring the care is of a good quality,” she added.

“The council has its contracts and compliance team which will make due diligence visits to ensure care good for our residents.

“There are post-move evaluation visits to ensure people are settled and that we’re seeing the outcomes we expect.”

Conservative Heath and Reach councillor Mark Versallion said:

DUE DILIGENCE

“Everyone’s been consulted along the way.

“Scrutiny committee looked at this last month and wholeheartedly supported this improvement.

“The commitment and sincere determination to do the right thing by residents and their families was palpable.

“The objective is a very admirable one to improve the quality of the accommodation with ensuite rooms and so on.

“There was unanimous support after quite a detailed forensic scrutiny of this.”

The Abbotsbury site has capacity for 32 residents and will revert to the council’s assets team when it has closed.

Job opportunities are available for the staff whether they want to look externally or consider roles at the new care home.

Plans to close successful schools being examined LOCAL councillors who have been examinating plans by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) to close two village schools.

The ‘outstanding’ schools in Dunton and Wrestlingworth would be closed and pupils shunted off to a super school on the 1500 housing development to the east of Biggleswade.

CBC seems to be relying on S106 funds coming from the developers UK Regeneration to support this new school.

When the plans for new housing estate were approved in 2019, CBC were looking for £12m for the development of the super school.

The developer returned to CBC with revised plans in 2020, which showed adjustments to the road layout onto Dunton Lane.

Traffic projections indicated these amendments would result in traffic chaos.

TOWN COUNCIL Sandy Spring Craft Market

Sandy Town Council is pleased to offer both a selfguided trail, and an organised group walk of the Sandy Green Wheel, as part of the Greensand Country Festival Programme for May 2021.

Members of the community in and around Sandy are invited to join our self-guided trial, with a fun, easy, onthe-go quiz between 16th & 31st May. Walk, run, or cycle around the route on your own, with family or friends, whenever it suits you; then return your quiz answers to receive a Sandy Green Wheel badge and enter into the draw for a £50 Sandy High Street voucher!

For even more motivation, fun and fresh air, come along to the socially-distanced, organised walk on Sunday 23rd May. Meet us in Sandy Market Square at 9.15am to collect a map and be ready to set off at 9.30am. There’s plenty of space around the route to keep safely distanced from other groups and find a pace that suits you. Dogs are welcome too!

The Greensand Country Festival, held each May, is a celebration of Greensand Country. There will be a variety of things for you to do, to get out and explore this distinct and beautiful countryside, whatever your age or interest.

For more information, visit: www.greensandcountry.com and follow the link to the Festival page.

Monday 31st May

coming back to life in April It was wonderful to see Sandy Town Centre nal care and outdoor with the re-opening of non-essential retail, perso s. venue tality hospi High Street, support local To help welcome the community back to our residents, the Council and our for ment enrich offer and small businesses g Craft Market, which Sprin Sandy ised organ have Sandy Centre Group from 11am-5pm in 2021, May 31st day will run on Bank Holiday Mon Sandy Market Square. gifts, food, crafts and more Visitors to the market will find a variety of art, t. nmen enviro -safe covid a in on offer, traders can maintain social The market will be set up so that visitors and be asked to do so and will ings cover face wear to able distancing; those covid safety measures are e ensur to nt prese be will Council representatives followed.

Group have also reviewed Central Bedfordshire Council’s Safety Advisory market. the relevant safety plans and risk assessments for ents, please see the Council’s For further details, including stall announcem uncil wnco ndyto om/sa ook.c .faceb www page: Facebook

A very hoppy Easter for Bunny Trail Winners the entries.

Sandy Town Council partnered with Let’s Get Going community interest company and Sandy Centre Group to offer a fantastic Easter Quiz & Bunny Trail to keep children entertained and active last month.

Over 60 children got involved, taking their parents out into our lovely countryside and town centre, to explore and look for bunnies. Thank you to all the children and families who joined in the adventure.

Our thanks go to judges Emma Foxley of Let’s Get Going; and Ms Lally and Mr Catlin from Sandy Secondary School who generously gave their time

helping to score

Congratulations to the winners, who each received a wonderful grand prize, and the runnersup who, won a large chocolate Easter egg.

0-5 years Oscar & Lucas, both age 4 Olivia, age 4 Noah and Hendrix, age 4 & 3 6-11 years Noah, age 6 Luke, age 8 Amanda, age 8 12-16 years Lucy, age 13 Katie, age 15 William, age 14

Council plants over 50 trees Following the Town Council’s successful bid to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Tree Fund, the Council has planted over 50 trees in areas it owns or manages across the town. These new trees will play an important part in the health and wellbeing of our town. A variety of species have been planted at sites including the Sunderland Road recreation ground, Beeston Green, The Limes recreation ground, Bedford Road recreation ground and Fallowfield recreation ground.

This investment in trees actions part of the Council’s Environmental plan and is the first stage in planting more trees across the parish.

Town Council meetings

Meetings of Sandy Town Council and its committees are currently being held virtually on the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Members of the public are welcome to atten contact the Clerk at clerk@sandytownco d the meetings and can uncil.gov.uk for details on how to join. All meetings commence at 7.30pm except Development Scrutiny Committee (Planning) whic h starts at 6.30pm

Thursday 6th May 2021 Annual Council Meeting Monday 10th May 2021 Development Scrutiny Policy Finance & Resources

CBC has yet to formally approve the revised plans although they were seen by the planning committee last year.

Councillors are concerned that the proposals will go ahead under the guise of reorganisation for a move to a two tier schooling system.

These proposals to merge the two schools in question are attracting much negative reaction from residents in Dunton and Wrestlingworth.

So much so they have started an online petition to save the two schools.

You can sign the petition here: http://chng.it/Q9WXDzHGcw After you sign, Change,org, the petition website, will email you to confirm your signature. It’s important you reply or your name will not count!

There as yet unconfirmed reports indicate that CBC may be preparing to launch a public consultation in June.

Sandy Twinning Association

SANDY Greensand Country Festival Sandy Green Wheel Walks

TEL: 07894 935952 EDITORIAL: editorial@rosettapublishing.com

Monday 24th May 2021 Town Council Meeting Monday 7th June 2021 Development Scrutiny Community Services and Environment

See our website for details of othe r meetings.

ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

AND PRESS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.

10 Cambridge Road, Sandy SG19 1JE Tel: 01767 681491 Fax: 01767 692527 admin@sandytowncouncil.gov.uk www.sandytowncouncil.gov.uk

EASTER greetings were received from members of the jumelage committee in Malaunay as well as from the Town Hall and Cultural Centre in Skarszewy.

However both communities are having a really hard time at present.

Covid infection rates in both our link towns continue to be worryingly high.

In Skarszewy there is a partial lockdown and Poland is in a worse situation now than it has been at any time during the pandemic, ‘though at least vaccinations are being accelerated and there is a centre in the town itself for dispensing the jab. In France new lockdown measures are now in place with the Rouen area, including Malaunay, currently experiencing a very high level of new infections.

Members of the jumelage have been infected including the treasurer Patrick, who spent well over a month receiving oxygen treatment in hospital and even had to be moved at one point after his clinic became overrun with new infections.

Thankfully all are making a steady if slow recovery.

The AstraZeneca vaccine continues to cause controversy and the general roll-out of vaccines is being

severely criticised for its slowness and lack of coherence.

In some areas over-80s still haven’t had their first jabs!

Unlike Poland there is also a high level of vaccine scepticism in France.

For any information about Sandy’s link towns or the Association’s activities contact Martin Pettitt on 680082 (martin.pettitt@virginmedia.com) or Max Hill on 681469 (amaxhill@outlook.com)

The Town of Sandy is aiming to make a major contribution to the national tree-planting initiative being promoted by Central Beds and the Greensand Partnership amongst others and will shortly begin its first round of planting across the area.

A number of key sites have been targeted including Bedford Road, Fallowfield, the Limes and Beeston Green.

A new copse will be planted at the Limes play area and on Beeston Green around 20 new trees will be planted on the Green itself and its verges with a concentration on native species and others with beautiful blossom.

I AM writing this article on 11th April and hoping, like everybody else, that the next release from lockdown doesn’t cause a surge in new cases of Covid 19.

During this lockdown period I have moved from Eastbourne to Gamlingay and have transferred my membership to BS Lions. It has been interesting in that I have not yet met any of the club members face to face.

I have met a large number of them on zoom and they are a very friendly club who have made me very welcome.

Now who and what are Lions?

We are a group of men and women of all ages and backgrounds who want to make this world a happier and safer place to live.

Our meetings tend to be a bit noisy with a lot of laughter BUT we are there to do a job of work so there is always a strong purpose to the meeting.

Meetings do vary in length depending on what business is to hand but generally they last about an hour to an hour and a half.

During that time we will have an update on what is happening locally and internationally, discuss what projects we can support and how we are going to raise the money, and social events.

Anybody who joins can expect to be involved in some way with the two main jobs of fund raising and service projects. We generally find that members find their niche in one or other of these committees. On top of that there are

various other jobs such as organising social events and even Public Relations.

I mentioned that people of all ages are welcome and this is very true. The main thing is that you should be reasonably active as attending fetes, helping at senior citizens meetings or helping staff a children’s party can be tiring but very rewarding.

When it comes to old fogies like me you get jobs like Public Relations Officer which is more sedentary but uses my 34 years of experience as a Lion (yes I am 84 but the oldest Lion I know is 102 and still going strong).

As you can imagine the past 18 months have taken their toll.

Not having been able to meet or attend functions we have been unable to recruit new members and those of us who have survived are a year older. We are therefore in need of new members so that we can build on the past and plan for the future.

As we come out of lockdown there are going to be lots of people needing our help.

If you can spare a little time to join us in helping people back to normal please do contact us on 01462 814693 or 03458 339749.

I feel I have gone on long enough but you can find a lot more information on our website www.bslions.org.uk. I hope that I will have the chance to meet you at some time in the near future.

John Bennewith Public Relations Officer Biggleswade Sandy Lions Club (CIO)

Tree-planting

Biggleswade Sandy Lions Club

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MID BEDS EDITION

BEDFORDSHIRE BULLETIN MAY 2021

— 9

Councillors unhappy with plans for interchange

by Euan Duncan Local Democracy Reporter

A PLANNED £2.3m rail and bus interchange in Biggleswade “falls quite a long way short” of the value for money anticipated by the town council, a meeting heard.

The development is part of a housing infrastructure fund (HIF) investment in Biggleswade of nearly £70m.

Town councillors committed £2.4m to that funding bid, and were already unhappy with a lack of consultation from Central Bedfordshire Council over the project design.

“That’s more than £120 for every resident of Biggleswade and at least double

the town council’s annual budget,” deputy mayor Grant Fage told a town council meeting.

“Any transport interchange scheme needed to cover for bus layovers,” he said.

“Only then could we remove standing buses from the market square and proceed with talks about the demolition of Century House.

“The residual benefits won’t be felt, so the value for money falls short of £2.4m.”

He proposed the town council “would strongly object to the project because it’s an irresponsible use of public money”, without an increase in its scope.

“We’re sorry to be in this situation,” he added. “But we’re duty bound to ensure the prudent deployment of public funds and get the best outcome for Biggleswade.

“The town council regrets the lack of

Cramped Secondary school to benefit from upgrade package Continued from page 1

“It will enable the sports facilities run by Stevenage Leisure to come under school control, while remaining available for community use.

“The gym and an exercise studio will need to be updated for the community as a result of this process.

“There is an allocation of funding of £3.85m in the capital budget to allow for this and I understand the project is being progressed.

“This is really positive for Sandy and we’ve addressed a number of concerns particularly around maintaining the leisure facilities.”

There were 131 responses to the consultation and 88 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the improvement plans, said a report to the committee.

Conservative Sandy councillor Caroline Maudlin described the town as “landlocked by river, the A1 and the train line, so for us development is very limited.

“To get this investment from CBC in Sandy to improve the school is just fantastic.

“Thank you for seeing it wasn’t just a quick fix and it really did need this reinvestment of £16m.

“It’s fabulous to have the extra £3,85m and the town council is meeting the leisure team people to see how plans will progress on that.

“It’s very exciting and I can’t wait for it all to be in place.”

Conservative Dunstable Watling councillor Eugene Ghent described it as “a project on the boil for some time”, saying: “It’s in need of a freshen up.

“We’re pretty confident the proposals agreed, once completed, will provide a really first class facility for Sandy residents.”

Council leader and Conservative Arlesey councillor Richard Wenham said: “It’s a really important project as part of the work ongoing in Sandy, and will help the transformation of secondary education in the town.”

The committee unanimously approved the transformation plans over the next two years, along with the £16m funding.

Executive member and Conservative Sandy councillor Tracey Stock took no part in the agenda item.

Cricket

BLUNHAM Cricket Club began their season on a high as the 1st XI demolished Elstow 1st XI in next to no time.

Elstow were bowled out for just 96 in 26 overs with captain Rani Thiarra offering there only real resistance with 39.

The most successful bowlers were Wayne Goldsmith with 3-14 and Gavin Hall with 3-10. In reply the Blunham batsmen needed just 11.3 overs to reach their target for the loss of just one wicket, helped by numerous wides and good knocks from Connor Heaps and Gavin Hall.

The 2nd XI also played Elstow and had a much more exciting game wining eventually by 4 runs.

Blunham scored 219 with Connor Hurman top-scoring with 47 not out and notable contributions from Dom Aloia (27), Dean Barrow (37) and Jacques Wildon (25). Connor and Dom also took three wickets apiece as the opposition fell just four runs short.

Did you know the Bulletin is delivered to over 10,000 homes in Beeston, Sandy and Biggleswade?

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detail over electronic signage for bus and train times, while the single shelter appears far too small and will do little to encourage bus usage.”

CBC has since confirmed the transport interchange next to Biggleswade railway station has been submitted for planning permission.

“The changes will make it easier for people to switch between different modes of transport and encourage people to use sustainable services rather than their own vehicles,” CBC said.

“The plans are the result of a collaboration between us, Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), and are funded jointly by us and Homes England’s HIF.” Councillor Mark Knight referred to “a lack of proper and effective consultation”

by CBC with the town council, saying: “The emerging Local Plan mentions the transport interchange implying high quality waiting areas will be provided.

“This proposal falls a long way short of high quality. There’s no detail about whether the shelter is heated or how draughty it’s going to be.”

Town mayor Madeline Russell said: “There’ve been some meetings about this, but the CBC line is that Network Rail won’t allow the use of any more land, so it can’t expand what’s on offer.

“Apparently Network Rail and GTR won’t agree to the previous design we had presented to us by CBC at an earlier meeting, which we thought was very good.

“We’re then stuck with the original plan which none of us liked.”

CBC Biggleswade South and town

councillor Mark Foster described it as a “dilemma” and “a compromise which is unsatisfactory”, agreeing the tone of the council’s response needs to be worded in “a less direct” way.

“We want something that works,” he said. “I can’t see the benefit of a glorified bus depot or bus station.

“The money side is an issue we need to be facing.”

Councillor Fage replied: “We’ve been very constructive in working with CBC for several years and still want to be.

“It’s the extent to which we feel let down about this.”

Councillors unanimously agreed to indicate their concerns about the proposed planning application and to also contact CBC chief executive Marcel Coiffait about improving the scheme.

10 —

MAY 2021 BEDFORDSHIRE BULLETIN

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Toddlers have spent half their lives in lockdown CHILDREN at the Outstanding Ofsted Haven Nursery in Clapham Road have been getting out into the fresh air this season.

The pre-schoolers have been practising their “movements for mindfulness” with activity leader Karen. While the baby ‘beannies’, aged one to two years have also been showing off their stretching and shape making.

Now Spring has sprung, the nursery is teaching gardening nursery skills too with “rising threes” planting garlic.

Haven founder Maria Riley said: “There is a timetable of activities for each group over the week and the theme is ‘healthy body, healthy mind, happy me’.

“Activities include; exercising, enacting stories, heuristic play,

painting to music, cooking and dancing, growing and learning about feelings.

“We have made ‘chill’ zones in each room which are covered dens with fairy lights, equipped with squeezy toys if children are feeling angry and cuddle toys if they are feeling anxious.

“There are books for just relaxing and affirmation pictures to develop resilience.

“A year on from March 2020 it’s a sobering thought that a two year old will have spent half their life in lockdown.

“We are equipping children with life skills, they are learning how to just have fun together, express themselves and support to their emotional wellbeing.” http://www.haven2000.com/

Return to fitness as indoor leisure facilities in Bedford open!

FUSION Lifestyle and Bedford Borough Council are delighted to announce that in line with the government roadmap, indoor leisure facilities reopened on April 12 at Robinson Pools & Fitness, Kempston Pool, John Bunyan Sports & Fitness, and Bedford International Athletics Stadium joining the facilities already open at Mowsbury Golf Course.

With restrictions starting to lift, the reopening of leisure centres means that residents in Bedford Borough can once again enjoy their favourite fitness fix, including indoor swimming and going to the gym.

The centres will continue to operate in line with government safety guidelines and those planning to visit will still be required to book and pay online, to ensure contact is minimised at each centre and allowing for the track and trace process to be implemented.

Gym users will be asked to arrive ready to work out, and swimmers with their costumes under their clothes, ready to go.

These measures, combined

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with meticulous cleaning routines, are designed to keep customers safe and offer complete confidence to use the facilities when they return to the centre.

Anthony Cawley, Director of Operations at Fusion said: “It feels wonderful to finally be able to reopen our centres again.

“We know the communities local to our facilities can’t wait to kick-start their favourite fitness regimes and our teams across the borough can’t wait to welcome them back.

“We’ve worked hard over the past months to ensure our centres continue to offer the very best facilities and that our customers can return with confidence and safety.”

All centres will be open daily, but please refer to the individual centre’s websites for opening hours.

Bookings can be made up to seven days in advance, via download of the Fusion Lifestyle app or visit www.fusionlifestyle.com to register and use the online booking facility.

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— 11

Bedford School backs Captain Tom 100 with the help of his grandson Benjie BEDFORD School has become the first secondary school in the country to pledge its support to the fundraising campaign launched in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

A leading Bedford independent school has become the first secondary school in the country to pledge its support to the fundraising campaign launched in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Bedford School, attended by Captain Tom’s grandson Benjie Ingram-Moore, said it would be encouraging pupils to take part in the Captain Tom 100, which invites people all over the world to undertake a challenge of their choice centred around the number 100 to mark what would have been his 101st birthday.

The initiative, organised by The Captain Tom Foundation with London Marathon Events, follows in the footsteps of Challenge 100, a Bedford Prep School campaign launched in May 2020 which also centred around a 100-themed activity.

Susie Spyropoulos, Head of Charities at Bedford School, said: “We are thrilled to continue to be involved. In the last year Bedford School boys have taken part in 100-themed challenges with huge success – including 100 pogo jumps and learning 100 words in French.

“This time round we hope Benjie will be looking to take part, possibly offering to read the children’s book based on his grandfather to 100 children at a school we support in Tanzania.”

She added: “From the moment Captain Tom walked his way into the pages of the newspapers, on to our television screens and into all of our hearts, Bedford School has been at the forefront of championing his story.

Former European Oat Millers mill set to expand

RICHARDSON Milling who acquired European Oat Millers in 2017, has announced plans to expand the oat mill, in Mile End Road, Bedford.

The plans include measures for greater operational efficiencies, modernisation, and enhanced storage capacity.

The multi-phase project begins this spring and will improve upon all aspects of the plant, from intake and warehousing capabilities to logistics and distribution. “The growth demand for our oat prod-

Man charged with attempted murder

A MAN has been charged in connection with an incident in Kempston on Monday, April 19, which left a woman with severe injuries.

Charlie Arnold, 19, of Conway Crescent, Bedford, was charged with attempted murder, actual bodily harm (ABH), and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, on Tuesday, April 20, and has been remanded in custody pending an appearance at Luton Crown Court on May 24.

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ucts has consistently increased through the years and we are committed to taking the business to a higher level,” says Carl Smith (Plant Director, Bedford).

“As a world class oat milling operation, we are incredibly excited by our new plans. Consumer interest in healthy oat products continues to grow and we see this as a great opportunity to supply existing and new customers with quality oat products,” adds David Jordan (Board Director, Richardson Milling UK).

“This is just another opportunity for us to get involved.”

Bedford School supported the Ingram-Moore family when the Second World War veteran, who raised more than £39million for the NHS, pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

The school’s Great Hall was the focal point of a huge display of birthday cards sent to the centenarian and the Captain Tom Foundation was picked as one of the school’s charity of the year for 2021.

Mrs Spyropoulos said: “It was the natural step for us to take to continue the inspirational work and inspire hope when it was needed the most.

“Our pupils have a long and proud tradition of working hard and undertaking various activities for charity and I’m sure this time round the boys will enjoy getting creative again and coming up with new ways of raising money.”

In addition to supporting the Captain Tom Foundation, Bedford School will also support the LFAM (Life for African Mothers) charity and the Drop Project, which provides aid packages to families in Ethiopia, and Movember this term.

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LAWN DOCTOR

A BUMPER amount of correspondence this month so as always, here’s hoping the following might resonate with other readers. One question that I regularly here at this time of the year is why daffodils grow blind?

Daffodils require both light and moisture to flower and so if you have had foliage but no flowers, chances are it is one or even both of these. Specifically requiring moisture in autumn, if your daffs are in beds were other plants will also use the available moisture, either lift and replant or simply water thoroughly at that time. Similarly, the shade from other plants might be overshadowing so once again, lift and replant.

As all gardeners will testify, when digging out under performing plants, as soon as you see the root ball you realise the reason why and digging up blind daffodils this week, I was confronted by the most feeble looking bulbs.

The reason: as mentioned, very poor quality soil and in a densely planted bed with a thick canopy above.

If you have decided to lift blind daffodils, now is a good time as the foliage will show you exactly where they lurk; leave the job another month or so, and you will find yourself embroiled in the horticultural version of hunt the needle in the haystack.

Another question that i have had a lot this year regards an attractive plant the best way I can describe is as looking like a snowdrop on steroids! While everyone seems to like the plant, it seems there is little consensus on its common name and even less of a clue as to what its botanical name is. The plant is question is actually a leucojum. Common names include Snowflake, Snowbell, Dewdrop and St Agnes Flower.

For many, spring is characterised by the ubiquity of yellow flowers and perhaps none of these is as abundant as the Forsythia.

These are prolific plants that put on lots of growth so immediately after flowering prune hard. In fact, 25 % of the oldest stems can be cut out. As for other growth, ‘the

three d’s’ rule applies namely: The Dead, The Diseased and The Damaged and as always, remove any crossing, touching branches as this will create a wound into which infection can occur.

Last month’s just for fun quiz question was: why are forget-menots so called? In the language of flowers, the colour of a forget-menots flowers are said to be turquoise and this signifies permanence hence forget me not! This month’s just for fun quiz question is, as if common names of plants weren’t ambiguous enough, two plants are often referred to as ‘Black Eyed Susan’, what are their correct botanical names?

Talking of common names, many of you tell me how the naming of plants, perhaps children and pets also, seem to get more bizarre year on year. One very attractive daffodil I was admiring recently is actually called ‘Sealing Wax’ which does not really do it justice save for the fact that it is quite flat! Are there any names of plants out there that make you wince or leave you scratching your head as to how it was chosen? If so, please let me know via the details below.

Other jobs this month, a well looked after lawn has a major impact on how the rest of the garden is viewed and not just one that is over fertilised, and so unnaturally uniform in colour that it practically glows in the dark!

With increased soil warmth, grass seed often starts to germinate this month, so repairs, bald patches, nibbled or down trodden edges etc. can commence. A very useful wrinkle for the latter is to, using a sharp edging iron/half moon, cut out any blemishes by removing a quadrangle of turf. Rotate it 180 degrees so that the good part forms the edge and then prepare and seed the damaged part in its new location and water regularly.

As usual, many thanks to all of you for contributing to this column, keep them coming, and please contact me with any gardening tasks or queries you may have, lawndocgardens@aol.com or tel: 01767 627 581 or 07796 328 855.

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‘Wanting to make my uncle proud Biggleswade man inspired me to take on this challenge’ who threw petrol bomb jailed for three and half years A MAN who hurled a “molotov cocktail” at a motorist sitting in his car in Biggleswade has been jailed three-and-a-half years.

The driver said flames engulfed his car and he told a court: “I thought I was going to die.”

The man who threw a bottle containing fuel with a burning rag stuffed in the neck, 22 year old Keelan Dickens, was told by a judge at St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday April 7. “This was a preplanned attack on the victim arising out of a dispute over a break up of a relationship.”

Judge Richard Foster it went on: “You armed yourself with a molotov cocktail which you must have prepared” The judge said he and others had then “hunted down” the victim.

Dickens, 23, appeared for sentence having been found guilty by a jury last November of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

He had been acquitted of arson with intent to endanger life.

Dickens had carried out the attack in Biggleswade, on the night of September 4, 2017 when he was 19.

He had been a passenger in a car which forced the victim who was driving, to pull up abruptly.

Dickens then leapt out from the back seat and hurled a burning bottle of fuel at the car behind.

The victim told the court he believed he had been targeted because of his relationship break up with a previous girlfriend which had ended with bad feelings.

He said he and two passengers who were in his car all managed to get out unharmed Dickens who at the time of the attack was living in Chaucer Drive in Biggleswade claimed in court he hadn’t been in the car and took no part in the fire bombing of the car.

Following his conviction last November, Dickens had been

remanded in custody for the preparation of reports for the sentencing hearing.

Yesterday he appeared in court via a video link from the jail where he has been held.

He was allowed to read out a letter he had written to the judge in which he said that because of his offending over the years and the time spent in custody, he had missed out “on some of the best years” in the life of his three year old daughter.

The letter finished with Dickens telling judge: “I understand I have to be punished. My Nan always said to me if you can’t do the time, then do not do the crime. But please Your Honour, take into consideration that I was young back then, and I’m now an adult.

“Please do punish me, but please do not punish those around me.”

Passing sentence Judge Foster told Dickens that that there were “signs of hope” that he was now “maturing and seeing the error of his ways.”

Dickens was told he would have to serve half of his three-anda-half year sentence in custody and would then be released on licence.

A WOMAN from Bedford has honoured the memory of her late uncle by running 130km (80 miles) in a month, raising £1,655 for the hospice that cared for him.

Georgina Anstee was inspired to take on the challenge to remember her much-loved uncle David Butcher, who had cancer and spent his final weeks at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in April 2020.

Come rain or shine, Georgina stepped out every day in March with the aim of running 100km by the end of the month.

Georgina, who by her own admission is not a keen runner and wanted to push herself, started with daily 5km runs and as the month went on, surprised herself by being able to run up to 7km a day.

In total, she clocked up an impressive 130km and raised more than £1,600 in the process.

In a fitting tribute, Georgina donated the funds to Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger near Bedford on the one year anniversary of David’s death on 16th April.

Georgina wanted to raise the money to give something back to the “people who helped make his last weeks’ so much easier for him”.

“Thank you Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice for everything you did. You have no idea how much it means to not only myself but to every family you have helped,” shared Georgina.

“The care my uncle received at the hospice was absolutely incredible. On my nan’s birthday, the staff helped David to phone her and he sounded so cheerful. You could hear the way he felt so comfortable there, and he laughed and joked with the staff. It was truly incredible. When we had home visits, before he went into the hospice, the staff were always so lovely and chatty and were always making sure he felt comfortable.”

She added: “Wanting to make my uncle proud inspired me to take on this challenge. To do this in his memory is an honour against all things.

“The last year has been such a struggle for my family and I. It

Goldington Green Academy receives silver accreditation for active travel

OVER the last three years, Goldington Green Academy have worked hard to promote active travel to their pupils and parents and have now been awarded a silver accreditation through Modeshift Stars for their efforts.

Modeshift Stars is a scheme recognising organisations that have shown excellence in promoting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel.

To receive a silver accreditation, schools must complete at least 20 travel initiatives, 10 supporting initiatives and seven consultations, alongside forming an in school working group focused on sustainable travel.

Goldington Green Academy is the only school in Bedford Borough that currently has a silver accreditation and is now aiming to follow in the footsteps of Shortstown Primary School, who have received the gold accreditation.

To support the school, Bedford Borough Council’s Sustainable Transport team have provided them with additional resources, including

Dr. Bikes’ mobile repairs, scooter and balance bike loans, and school assemblies.

A Bedford Borough Council Spokesperson said, “The Modeshift Stars scheme has been a great way for local schools and businesses to show how important sustainable travel is to them.

“Goldington Green Academy have demonstrated a considerable effort and commitment to bringing healthier and more sustainable travel options to their community.”

Caroline Skingsley, Head Teacher at Goldington Green Academy, said: “Physical and mental health has always been important at Goldington Green Academy and even more so during the difficult times we have faced with the pandemic.”

If you would like to know more about how to reduce car use to and from school, work with the Council to get accreditation through the Modeshift Stars scheme and access free resources to support you to do this, please email: sustainable. transport@bedford.gov.uk.

was a massive loss – me, my brother, my mum, my nan and my uncle were so close and it really did knock us for six. I was so desperate, and still am, to keep his memory alive. I wanted to do something that would give everyone a moment to remember him – for example, remembering when he made them laugh or recounting a happy memory. I hate the thought of him being gone and I really want people to remember how special he was.”

Lucy Owens, Community Fundraising Officer at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, said: “Thank you so much to Georgina – we are blown away by her determination to take on this inspiring challenge to honour her uncle and support our hospice. Georgina aimed to raise £150 and smashed her target, raising an amazing total of £1,655. We remain heavily reliant on voluntary income from kindhearted supporters such as Georgina. The funds raised will help us to continue offering our compassionate palliative care and bereavement support and be there for patients and their loved ones.”

Support Georgina at: https://uk.gofundme.com/ f/raising-money-for-sue-ryder-stjohns You can find out more about Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice at www.sueryder.org/stjohns

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mealtime We are continuing with the fish theme for our recipes this month. Us Brits haven’t quite taken to the fish dishes like our continental cousins, so here are two dishes that hopefully will make you more likely to get on board the fish train. Bedford is fortunate in that there are several excellent suppliers of fresh fish.

Oriental Sea Bass Serves 4 This dish makes a great centrepiece for a Chinese meal or buffet. This whole fish is cooked with ginger, garlic and spring onions and served with noodles and bean sprouts.

INGREDIENTS - 1 tsp sunflower oil - 1 sea bass, about 800 g, cleaned and scaled - 1 lime, cut into 4 slices - 6 spring onions, cut into fine shreds - 1 carrot and a 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, both cut into fine matchsticks - 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced - 2 tbsp light soy sauce - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil - 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, plus handful for garnish - lime halves to serve - 250 g fine Chinese egg noodles - 1 tbsp sunflower oil - 2 small red onions, cut into very thin wedges - 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced - 300 g bean sprouts - 3 tbsp light soy sauce

METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Brush a large sheet of thick foil with the oil and place the fish on top. Place the lime slices inside the fish and scatter over the spring onions, carrot, ginger and garlic.

Drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil, and sprinkle over the coriander leaves.

3. Bring the ends of the foil together and fold and twist to seal in the fish.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the fish will flake easily.

4. Meanwhile, place the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water, return to the boil and simmer for three minutes.

Drain well. Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions and garlic, and cook over a high heat for 30 seconds.

Add the bean sprouts and cook for one minute or until they begin to soften.

Add the noodles together with the soy sauce.

Cook over a high heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring and tossing well and serve with the fish.

out & about

An audience with Don Letts at Esquires

by Tony Hendrix As the UK slowly awakens following a series of lockdowns, Bedford Esquires is proud to announce a succession of summer acts to help kickstart Bedfords live entertainment back to life, which like everything else has remained pretty much dormant for the last year. Wednesday, June 16, welcomes Don Letts to Bedford Esquires. The multi talented filmmaker, musician, DJ, broadcaster, social commentator, husband and father will be gracing the town with a one off appearance. Don came to notoriety in the late 70s as the DJ that single handedly turned a whole

generation of punks onto reggae.

It was whilst as a DJ at the first

punk club ‘The Roxy’ in 1977, that made his first film ‘The Punk Rock

Movie’ with the Sex Pistols ,The Clash and many others. This led to a period of directing of over 300 music videos for a diverse mix of artists ranging from Public Image to Bob Marley.

He then moved into documentary work making films with the likes of Gil Scot-Heron, The Jam, Sun Ra, The Clash and George Clinton. His most recent documentary was for Sir Paul McCartney’s ‘New’ project. Feature films include the legendary Jamaican movie 1997s ‘Danchall Queen’.

He currently presents a weekly radio show on BBC 6 Music called ‘Culture Clash Radio’ and still DJs nationally and internationally.

The evening will feature a book reading and signing session as well as a Q & A from local musician aficionado Jason Foster. Jason formally ran the legendary ‘Sounds Good to Me’ record store in Bedford and with his knowledge of music and culture coupled with his quick wit will bring a great presence to the evening.

Tickets are limited to just 60 spaces following social restrictions .

For tickets visit www.seetickets.com

Salmon and Broccoli Pasta Serves 4 Salmon is a great summer ingredient but if you can’t get your hands on the fresh variety this recipe with the tinned version is delicious and tasty.

Salmon can be fresh or tinned, whichever is most convenient INGREDIENTS - 225g pasta – farfalle or other shape - 2 heads broccoli, separated into florets - 2 carrots, peeled and chopped - 250ml olive oil - 2 tsps soy sauce - 3 tbsp red wine vinegar - 2 cloves garlic, pressed - 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice - salt and pepper to taste - 300g tinned salmon, drained

METHOD 1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.

2. Bring a separate large pot of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and carrots, and cook in the boiling water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.

3. Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a sealable container; seal. Shake vigorously to make the dressing.

4. Toss together the drained pasta, drained vegetables, salmon and dressing in a large bowl.

5. Serve with bread or salad immediately, or store in fridge up to 4 days.

Former Faces reopens this month as #Play IT TAKES a very courageous operator to open up a bar/nightclub in today’s climate, Faces Nightclub once known as The Asia Lounge located at 66 High Street, Bedford, appears to have changed owners during lockdown.

The venue traded under the name of Faces, it was a jointly owned venture comprising of three floors and operated mainly on Friday and Saturday nights to a pretty much full house.

Unfortunately I have not been able to track down the new out of town owners as yet but what I do know is the venue will operate under the name of ‘Play’ and are scheduled to open their doors to the general public on Friday, May 21, at 7pm .

‘Play’ will work around a pretty much dedicated theme of Dance , Drink, Watch and Play, Friday and Saturday nights will feature live DJs with resident DJ Sean Harvey, live entertainment and guest star studded DJ appearances.

The venue is already receiving huge support from the legendary garage DJ Martin Larner, MC Kie , MC Secret Agent and garage Dj Miss Jonesy, awesome!

This venue will be operating on all three floors, ground floor will host the Cocktail and gin lounge , the first floor is the main nightclub and the top floor is the roof terrace and games area.

The venue is currently running a competition – they are giving away a VIP Table, Free Entry and

Bottle of CIROC with mixers, six Beers, a bottle of Prosecco, six Play Bombs for six people on their opening night.

To enter the competition just simply visit their Facebook page for instructions.

The venue will also showing live coverage of the England Euro 2021 matches followed by the resident DJ spinning anthems until the early hours of the morning.

As expected ‘Play’ will be operating in line with government Covid restrictions guidelines and will have their own Covid protocols in place, I get a good feeling about this new venue, there is already a lot of strong competition on the high street that survived lockdown so in order to survive they really need to make sure they get their formula right!

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gardening with Milton Ernest Garden Centre Exotic summer plants for patio pots T

by Maureen Catlin

HIS year more than ever we need to treat ourselves. We can’t go out to eat in a restaurant. We can only go to the pub garden. Holidays abroad are restricted and risky with all the variant virus strains about. Our own gardens become even more special this year for relaxing and enjoying ourselves in the company of however many friends and relations Boris allows us to meet.

So here are some really special additions to the bedding plants for summer colour to enhance your own outdoor space.

All my following highlights are easy to grow on the patio in pots, hanging baskets or plant pouches using John Innes no 2 Compost, Jacks Magic or John Innes with Multicompost.

Bidens Bee Dance Painted Red and Painted Yellow are two beautiful new varieties for planting in hanging baskets, containers and window boxes adding colour and fragrance to the patio.

They have a compact habit and the brightly coloured flowers are a magnet to Butterflies and Bees who flock to the sweet honey scented flowers that have very high nectar levels. They flower continuously from June to the first frost in late autumn.

Impatiens Imara is a new strain of Busy Lizzie. Five years ago we had to stop growing Impatiens because the seed became infected with a fungus.

At the time it was the most popular and versatile bedding plant. This new strain has been bred in America and has proven to resist the Downey Mildew Fungus even when grown in our climate. It is available as Imara Red and Imara Pink and flowers from May until the autumn frosts. It is lovely to be able to grow this versatile plant in our summer bedding schemes again.

Begonia Summerwings was voted one of the top five best performing patio plants in 2019. It is available in three colours Orange, Red and, my favourite, Vanilla with golden centres. These plants are very low maintenance requiring no trimming or dead heading and give a striking display planted in tubs and hanging baskets in sun or shade.

Another new variety of Begonia is Fragrant Falls available in two colours Peach and Lemon and has a lovely fragrance. It is trailing, performs well in sun or shade and is spectacular in hanging

baskets, pouches and window boxes. The perfumed flowers can really be appreciated when the windows and doors are open.

Nemesias bred by Martine Tellwright are one of the most popular bedding plants worldwide. They are very easy to grow in an amazing range of

colours. Three new strongly scented neat growing varieties are Olivia which is violet and cream with a yellow centre, Sapphire purple with a cream centre and Lady Penelope with large vanilla cream, orange pink and yellow flowers.

Nemesias grow well in patio tubs and window boxes with the perfume permeating into the house

through open windows.

Nasturtium Orchid Cream is a spectacular plant with rich creamy yellow splashed maroon flowers. It is a compact plant excellent in patio pots in full sun. It thrives in poor soil so only water the tubs but don’t feed. As well as being ornamental the flowers and leaves add a distinct peppery taste to summer salads. Nasturtium Orchid Flame is another dramatic colour combination of orange yellow and maroon.

It was Flower of the Year in 2019. It has a more trailing habit so is excellent in hanging baskets. It is excellent for bees and brilliant at repelling destructive bugs on the veg patch so plant near any brassicas.

Another exciting new plant is Petchoa Beautical a cross between the upright Petunia and the trailing Calibrachoas. It is very easy to grow performing well in hot dry summers and in colder wetter weather as the flowers are not damaged by rain.

It grows forming a mound covered in masses of flowers of rich unusual colours with darker centres Strawberry Pink, Cinnamon, Caramel Yellow and Glowing Orange. It is a perfect plant for low maintenance patio pots.

All these are new variant strains or hybrids of the familiar bedding plants we love in summer. Unlike Covid 19 they are joys to behold.

Try to grow a couple in your patio pots this summer I know you will be back to try more next year.

w

AL FRESCO COFFEE SHOP NOW OPEN The Coffee Shop is open to serve you at your table with our home prepared food in our outdoor heated and covered seating area.

We look forward to seeing your again.

Tel: 01234 823033

M ILT ON ERNEST GARDEN C ENTRE Radwell Road (just off the A6) Milton Ernest MK44 1SH

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MID BEDS EDITION

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SuperStar sets opening lap record at Nurburgring THE 2020 racing season may have started on schedule for the NLS at Nurburgring Nordschleife, but Covid19 is still affecting BRDC SuperStar Ben Tuck’s season.

After NLS 1 was snowed off in March, the April 17-18 meeting at the Eifel saw Ben unexpectedly take on temporary driving duties in the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M2 CS taking an impressive class front row start, leading the race from the end of Lap 1 to the first pit stop and claiming the fastest lap and initial lap record for the BMW M2 CS. Since Walkenhorst compete in multiple championships, Ben’s regular teammate, David Pittard was racing in Monza, whereas his second teammate, Christian Krognes was still unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions, meaning Ben had to swap from the BMW M6 GT3 Pro car to the distinctive number 888 BMW M2 CS running in the inaugural Cup 5 class.

Based on the BMW M2, the CS is an entirely new car for the 2021 season having been under development during 2020. Ben briefly got to grips

with the new car during Friday testing after switching from the number 35 BMW M6 GT3, the sister car to his own number 34 car in which he’ll be racing this year.

Race day dawned bright and dry on Saturday and Ben took to the track for qualifying. Quickly

dialling into the unfamiliar levels of power and grip, Ben traded pole times and at the end of the 90-minute session he had secured 2nd position for the start.

Determined to convert the potential of the car, Walkenhorst nominated Ben to take the start. As

the race got underway, he stuck with the leader as the pair broke away from the rest of the pack on Lap 1, seizing his chance for the lead as the pair neared the end of the lap.

Starting lap 2 as the leader, Ben then set about extending the lead until the end of his 60-minute stint. By the time that he rolled into the pits, Ben had claimed what would remain the fastest lap of the race in his class and was leading by over 10 seconds, almost half a minute ahead of 3rd position.

“That was fun!” remarked Ben after his stint.

“The M2 CS is a great car, lots of power and the team had it really well set-up”.

However, the good fortune was to run out as during a later pit stop the car suffered a fuel pump problem from 3rd position which demoted them down the order.

A disappointing outcome but Ben remained upbeat, “I’m gutted that we lost a nearly guaranteed podium, but we know that the car is good, and I really enjoyed driving it. It was good experience and with P2 in quali, pitting in the lead of the race and taking fastest lap I’m happy with what we achieved, but I can’t wait to get back into the M6 GT3 Pro car!”

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