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BULLETIN
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DECEMBER 2016
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Biggleswade TOWN COUNCIL
COUNCIL MEETINGS:
6 December – 7pm PUBLIC LAND AND OPEN SPACES 13 December COUNCIL –––––––––––––
10 January 2017 COUNCIL FOLLOWED BY FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSE 24 January COUNCIL INCLUDING PRECEPT 25 January –10am BIGGLESWADE JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING CBC, Chicksands, Room PH15
With the exception of the Joint Committee meeting, all meetings are held in the Council Chamber, Saffron Road, Biggleswade and commence at 7pm unless otherwise notified. ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND
GENERAL MARKETS on the Market Square Tuesdays and Saturdays 8am-4pm
KNOW YOUR COUNCILLORS
Cllr David Albone Cllr Jonathan Medlock MAYOR Conservative – Stratton Labour – Ivel Cllr Mrs Hazel Ramsay Cllr Michael R North Conservative – Stratton DEPUTY MAYOR Cllr Bernard J Rix Conservative – Holme Independent – Stratton Cllr Peter Biernis Labour – Ivel Cllr Mrs Madeline A Cllr Ian J Bond Russell Conservative – Ivel Conservative – Ivel Cllr Bernard V Briars Cllr Duncan A Strachan Labour – Ivel UKIP – Stratton Cllr Frank S Foster Cllr Steven Watkins UKIP – Ivel Conservative – Stratton Cllr Mark A Foster Independent – Stratton Cllr Timothy P Woodward Cllr Ms Rebecca Kerfoot Conservative – Holme Labour – Ivel
We re-launched our Farmers’ Market as:
FARMERS’ AND CRAFT MARKET Are you a local craft enthusiast? We would like to invite you to trade on our monthly Farmers’ and Craft Market. The rent is currently only £9.90, we even supply a stall.You will need to hold current Public Liability Insurance and Food Hygiene Certificate (if applicable). If this sounds of interest to you, please call Biggleswade Town Council and ask for Sue or Kay.
FARMERS’ AND CRAFT MARKETS (on the last Wednesday of each month except June and December)
21 December GRAB A LAST MINUTE BARGAIN and 25 January 2017
On the Market Square 9am – 2pm Where you can buy locally produced cakes, pies, eggs, Bedfordshire Clangers, Handmade Cushions, PVC Oil Cloth bags (Handbags, Shoppers, Mini Totes, Weekend Bags, Baby Bags, Purses, Coin Purses etc), Homewares, Handmade Cards and other paper crafts, and NOW – Large selection of Cheeses
CHARITY STALL BOOKINGS We have a variety of dates still available for 2017 A £5 deposit is required, and if you are a local Club or Organisation, this will be refunded to you on the day.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MARKETS Biggleswade Town Council The Old Court House, 4 Saffron Road Biggleswade SG18 8DL Tel: 01767 313134 Fax: 01767 601188 Email: enquiries@biggleswadetowncouncil.gov.uk www.biggleswadetowncouncil.gov.uk
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 3
Who should bear the brunt of increased future development? RESIDENTS of both Sandy and Biggleswade are unhappy at the level of development being proposed by Central Beds Council across the area for the next 20 years.
As part of this growth, development is being considered in Biggleswade and north of Potton.
Some Biggleswade residents feel that their town has taken enough growth already. One resident, Simon Denchfield, said: “The proposals are a culmination of my fears regarding the possible development of land to the north of Nursery Close, Ashley Gardens, Mountbatten Drive, Stonelands Avenue and Furzenhall Road, Biggleswade. “Historically over the last six plus years Biggleswade has been subject to extensive housing development on two main sites, Kings Reach of some 2,100 houses and Potton Road some 340 houses. Both are still currently being constructed. “As part of the Kings Reach and Potton Road developments, we foretold the new traffic measure would not work, and they do not, so we are now left with a far worse traffic and infrastructure problem. “I and my colleagues are really concerned with the amount of development that Biggleswade has sustained over the last six years, which is disproportionate compared with the rest of Central Bedfordshire and we don’t feel our concerns are being listened too. We feel that this level of development is completely unsustainable and will only lead to the further detri-
ment of Biggleswade as a small market town and is destroying its character, environment, agricultural resources and wildlife.” Mayor of Sandy Town Council, Colin Osborne, (pictured) said: “We should not have any new development at the moment, as there is a Government survey looking at a possible new route for the A1 and another report saying the new East-West rail line may go through the Sandy corridor. We have made a concept statement saying any new development should be to the East of Sandy, but as I said nothing should happen until these decisions are made.”
Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Regeneration of Central Beds Council, said: “Growth is a national challenge and in particular the delivery of new housing is recognised as a national priority. In response to this we need to plan for housing growth across the whole of Central Bedfordshire over the next 20 years. However, we are very aware that new growth needs to be sustainable and supported by necessary infrastructure and this issue is at the heart of our strategy. "We are currently producing a Local Plan, a draft of which we will be consulting on in early 2017. We have published all the sites that were put forward by land owners and developers through the ‘Call for Sites’ process earlier this year
NATIONAL CHALLENGE
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and these included a number of sites in both Sandy and Biggleswade. There were a significant number of sites submitted across the whole of Central Bedfordshire and only a small percentage of these will be needed to deliver our required need. Work has started on looking at which sites are the most sustainable and the draft Plan will identify some areas that we believe may be able to deliver a proportion of this need. It is likely that one of the areas we will look at is the A1 corridor as it offers a number of sustainable opportunities. "However, we are also putting community engagement at the heart of our plan-making process and will be holding public events to produce Community Plans, which are an opportunity for residents to engage in the plan-making
process. The Sandy and Biggleswade events both took place in November, where town councillors attended. All other parishes will have theirs between now and March 2017. "We’d urge residents to contribute to these consultations so they can have a say about the overall approach to sustainable growth in their area."
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4 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
Biggleswade Town Council Would like to wish all Residents a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
Our preparations are complete!
TIME goes quickly and once again December is upon us, when Biggleswade Sandy Lions will be seeking your help to enable us to provide Christmas parcels for those on hard times and the lonely, as well as help fund our wide and varied community service work next year. Many are having to tighten their belts because of the economic climate, but there are a lot who are finding the going very tough, so we would ask you please to be as generous as you possibly can. Our planned tin shakes in December are: l G&M Growers 3rd and 4th l Tesco Sandy 10th and 11th l ASDA 16th and 17th l Sainsburys 18th and 19th
Our sleigh runs will be: l Biggleswade 1st and 14th l Langford 8th and 15th
Potton 13th Clifton 5th and 12th Henlow 20th Blunham 17th Sandy 6th and 19th. We look forward very much to meeting you as we make our merry way around the villages and towns, and stand smiling and welcoming you to your supermarket shop!! A last thought, in this Season of Goodwill, we really do need new members. We believe we do a lot of good deeds around in our Community and not just at Christmas, we’re around for the Community the whole year. Please, give it some thought and ask one of our group when you see them more about us. We’d be pleased to give you details. Or, call Judi or Dave Hagger on 01462 814693. l l l l l
The Bulletin series are independent magazines with no affiliation to any other organisation. ©2016 Rosetta Publishing Ltd. 30 Radwell Road, Milton Ernest MK44 1SH. Tel: 07894 935952 or 07724 905406. Email: editorial@rosettapublishing.com or advertising@rosettapublishing.com Printed by: Mortons Print Limited. Newspaper House, Morton Way, Boston Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 5
Bedford campaigners bring their expertise to Biggleswade IT’S A little known fact that villages on the outskirts of rural Biggleswade are being drip fed fluorosilicic acid, a scientifically proven neurotoxin and waste by-product of the phosphate fertiliser industry, commonly known as fluoride.
That’s all set to change however, as veteran campaigners from Fluoride Free Bedford import their knowledge and expertise to the area. The group, formed in 2002 to terminate Bedford Borough’s fluoridation contract, recently won the backing of Bedford’s full council and a commitment by their Mayor. A Freedom of Information Request issued by the group to Public Health England revealed that fluoride is reaching homes in Bedfordshire via Dunton, Newspring and Mepperhshall dosing stations run by Anglian Water, while taxpayers foot the bill. “We hope that people living in the twenty percent of Central Beds that’s fluoridated will become alerted and want to stop it,” says co-ordinator, Cynthia Bagchi.
Members of the group attended the last Central Beds Full Council meeting on 22nd September, where they were aghast to discover that most councillors were not aware of the health dangers of water fluoridation.
“Most people in Central Beds are not aware that some areas are fluoridated,” continues Bagchi. Councillors need to be aware. They also need to end the fluoridation contract.” Working alongside local activists, the group has embarked on a leafleting campaign to raise awareness of Central Beds’ fluoridation problem. The flyers issue a stark warning that fluoride is not a nutrient, and fluoridated water causes dental fluorosis, thyroid
END THE CONTRACT
problems and reduces the IQ in children. The group hopes public pressure to end fluoridation in Central Bedfordshire will add weight to their campaign in Bedford Borough which, despite recent successes, has not yet resulted in the termination of the contract, meaning fluoride could be added back into the water at any time. Watch the new film Fluoridegate Bedford – Poison, Lies and Videotape on fluoridefreebedford.org for a short overview of the campaign to date. There are lots of things you can do to help put an end to water fluoridation in Central Beds. • Write to your local councillor and demand the termination of the contract. Under the Water Industry Act 1991, local
authorities are responsible for water fluoridation schemes within their respective administrative area. • Ask questions about the scheme at Full Council meetings. To find out more, email: ffbedford@gmail.com or see www.fluoridefreebedford.org You can also find Fluoride Free Bedford on Facebook and Twitter.
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 7
The Beast swoops in from up north to give Bedfordshire ‘top cover’
BEDFORDSHIRE’S Police and Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway joins the Force’s eye in the sky – the National Police Air Service – on a tour of duty. When the public look up and see the distinctive royal blue and yellow bodywork of a police helicopter hovering over Bedfordshire they almost certainly assume it is the property of the Force and piloted and crewed by its own police team. In fact, air cover for policing, here and elsewhere is provided at national level by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) from bases from Exeter to Newcastle, with Bedfordshire’s so-called ‘top cover’ launched from a discreet base in North Northamptonshire. All requests are fielded by West Yorkshire Force Control but the team are constantly listening for potential call-outs on the Talk Group radio system and are often good to go when the formal notification is received. The service is jointly funded by forces across the country with a separate charge raised with the force concerned for each arrival on scene, irrespective of how long the aircraft is needed for. Base Manager Tom Coyne explained: “We’ve been deployed to recent events in Bedford, Luton and across the county from firearms incidents to looking for missing persons using our thermal imaging equipment.” The £5m helicopter the crew
Tool theft warning to van drivers
BEDFORDSHIRE Police’s Crime Reduction Officer, Lesley Johnson has issued a warning to all commercial vehicle owners to increase the levels of security of their vehicles. This follows a huge increase in the number of tool thefts from vehicles last month. In most instances tool boxes were stolen from vans overnight. The best advice is to remove the tools if practicable and to make sure the vehicles are alarmed.
call ‘The Beast’, with camera and mapping equipment, can fly for 1 hour 45 minutes continuously by day and 15 minutes less at night, as Civil Aviation Authority regulations require sufficient fuel is carried to divert to a nearby airport after dark. It covers an area 50 miles from base in all directions. Weight is so finely calibrated, given the full load of fuel from its own 40,000 gallon supply on base,
that I had to weighed before being cleared to board and certainly hope I am the lightest Police and Crime Commissioner they are asked to transport. Even a bird strike can affect the aircraft and the crew scan constantly for potential threats. Drones have not yet affected this team but lasers, used from the ground, have been used to target the pilot and crew in the past
creating obvious risks. Kathryn Holloway said: “I joined them on a perfect winter’s day but with the helicopter required to make constant adjustments in high winds as we tracked a nuisance motorcyclist for Leicester police and checked out a large fire in woodland to make sure it was part of forest control. Take it from me, it’s the only way to fly!”
8 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
Smoke alarm saves mother and baby in Potton house fire
A MOTHER and young baby were saved from a house fire in Potton after being alerted to the blaze by a smoke alarm. The fire left the ground floor of their home 60% fire damaged but both escaped without injury. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to the house fire in Byards Green, Potton and sent one fire engine from Potton and called upon another from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service over the border in Gamlingay. When Firefighters arrived at the scene six minutes later they found the fire in the house already well developed. The mother and her young baby had been asleep upstairs when they were alerted to the fire that started in a cupboard under the stairs by a smoke alarm fitted in the house. This warned the mother of the blaze and she was able to get out of the house with her child and alert the fire service. Firefighters quickly got the fire under control and fought the blaze wearing breathing apparatus to protect themselves against smoke and fumes using two fire hoses.
By 11am the fire was out and Firefighters were damping down and clearing smoke from the property. The Red Cross attended in their support vehicle to provide assistance to the family. ––––––––––––––––––
BT plans to remove public payphones
DO we still need public payphones or does mobile technology mean they have had their day? This is the question that people are being invited to answer, following BT’s announcement that it’s proposing to remove 80 of the remaining 120 public payphones across Central Bedfordshire that are no longer regularly used. The Council will be co-ordinating the official response to BT, following a public consultation for residents to comment on the Council’s First Decision on whether it agrees or objects to the removal. The consultation will run until Thursday 15 December. You’ll find more information on the website consultation page.
EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
SANDY TOWN COUNCIL Local businessman gives insight into growing a business
THE final Talk of the year will be given by Sandy resident and businessman Richard Banks about ‘Growing a Business in Sandy’ Richard Banks, together with his brother took over the business of Banks of Sandy in 1974. They built up the business and its area expanded to cover half of the United Kingdom with the HQ still located in Sandy. The business entered into rice milling and lorry maintenance and at its peak employed 650 people. Richard was Captain of Sandy Cricket Club, President of the East of England Agricultural Society, a founding Chairman of the Agriculture Industries Confederation (AIC) and High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 2006. The talk will be held in the Sandy Baptist Church Hall, Bedford Road, Sandy on Wednesday 14th December at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be served in aid of the Sandy Carnival. The costs of the Talks are £5.50 per person and payment is required on booking. Please note that no refunds are available unless the Council cancels or changes the date of the talk. Sandy Town Council, 10 Cambridge Road, Sandy SG19 1JE Tel: 01767 681491 E: admin@sandytowncouncil.gov.uk www.sandytowncouncil.gov.uk
Beds model launches a charity calendar in aid of UK Veterans
LUNA, a commercial and glamour model from Bedford has launched her first calendar with proceeds going to ex-servicemen and women.
Luna, who has been published in Nuts, Bizarre and the Daily Star has put her talents to good use in the production of a 2017 calendar with exclusive unseen images. The calendar features an exclusive set from Birmingham based photographer Paul Cotterill. Five pounds from every calendar sold will be donated to veterans in the UK who have fought in any battles on behalf of the armed forces. Luna says ‘ex-servicemen and women can suffer physical disabilities, mental health issues, post-traumatic stress disorder and homelessness. They fought and dedicated their lives to keep us safe. The proceeds from the calendar will go towards the services that help these heroes to re-adapt to life outside of the forces. It is unimaginable what some of these we will be helping have been through.’ The calendars are the result of a collaboration with The Calendar Company, a design and print agency who supply some of the UK’s biggest charities and busi-
nesses with professional calendars. Luna’s calendar is available to buy on her website www.lunathemodel.com/2017lunacalendar You may also recognise Luna from her work in 2014 representing Bedfordshire at the Crown and Glory beauty pageant. The fundraising pageant raised money for The Dean Puplett Appeal fighting Neuroblastoma Cancer.
SANDY TOWN COUNCIL Christmas Message from the Man yMayoorrin
SANDY CHRIS TMAS CAROL SERVIC E
The Mayor of Sand y would like to w el residents of Sand y to attend the Ch come the ristmas Carol Service on Saturd ay 17 December at 7pm at St Swithun’s Churc h.
COUNCIL MEETINGS
All meetings commence at 7.30pm except Development Scrutiny Committee (Planning) which starts at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, 10 Cambridge Road, Sandy SG19 1JE
Monday 12 December 2016 Development Scrutiny Human Resources Monday 19 December 2016 Community Services & Environment Monday 9 January 2017 Development Scrutiny Policy, Finance & Resources Monday 16 January 2017 Town Council See our website for details of other meetings ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND
NATIONAL ARDSof the W A T A E B E CRIM youth crime prevention charityes its
as Tow have been elected was delighted to to a number of d te vi in joyed being en ve ha d an ay M ce then. It has es in the town sin events and activiti ’ friends and g up with both ‘old d I enjoyed – been good meetin an , s. My wife, Diane and it was new acquaintance y Carnival in June nd Sa e t th – do s ay ing out to suppor as we alw Sandy people turn all group of y an m so ng ei se great the sm the hard work of such an event and sure it happens. e ak m to sly work ople – people who tireles l to see so many pe we rfu de on w as w it ay when Similarly membrance Sund Re – on – d ol d an ndy and Beeston young rticularly from Sa pa – e e Th os y. th r da to be em om rem freed ey es for us to live in who gave their liv do a marvellous job in raising mon e on th gi th Le bo fects of Royal British ffering from the ef su ill st e os th t or to supp ars. and subsequent w Second World War e enjoyed the switching on of the w d I would As a community 4th December an the ay nd Su on ts gh involved in Christmas Li ose who have been n like to thank all th There is a lot going on in our tow y. da is th r fo . ng planni s needed lunteers are alway I wish everyone and additional vo ay m cil un wn Co On behalf of the To Sandy a very happy Christmas and ks in who lives and wor OSBORNE . ar New Ye COUNCILLOR COLIN
I
. It promot ebeat is the National Crim ociation in England & Wales in London with ss A on s’ ds cerem y High Sheriff a trip on the national awar a h ug ro th es p bus ride and to en objectiv op an alists plus lunch for the fin e are also monetary prizes. er Th e. Ey ards: e London categories of aw for the project came from th There are two e ea id th e g th in re nn ru he r ps w ble fo CAT ‘A’ for grou who are then also responsi young people others developed by project. e project was th nt role in re ca ifi he w gn si ps a CAT ‘B’ for grou here the young people have t. (adults) but w y of the projec ent and deliver und at the managem fo n be the awards ca m Full details of eat.org.uk/ eb im cr lna downloaded fro io http://www.nat rms and how to apply can be ed applications Application fo ere in Bedfordshire complet y by 10th Januar site. H e High Sheriff th the same web to ly al ic on electr need to be sent ed. Mayor, rs do en be Sandy Town to 2017 ease contact pl ils ta de r 32. For furthe on 01767 6820 Colin Osborne
NEW COUNCILLOR
CO-OPT
ED Mr Terence Knagg of Jub ilee Close, Sandy, was coopted as a member of Sandy Tow n Council at a meeting on Monday 24 October 2016. There were three candidates for co-option to one vacancy in the Pin nacle Ward of the town. Mr Knagg has previousl y worked for the Metro politan Police and in security bef ore retiring. He is a member of the Ro Twinning Association. He tary, Probus and Sandy has said he believes he can use his experience to the ben efit of Sandy Town Coun cil and the community. 10 Cambridge Road, Sandy SG19 1JE Tel: 01767 681491 Fax: 01767 692527 admin@sandytowncouncil.gov.uk www.sandytowncouncil.gov.uk
10 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
Beds police are crushing crime
SINCE the relaunch of Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Meteor in January 2016, there have been 12 arrests and 48 bikes seized. The force have been operating a dedicated email account, opmeteorinbox@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk for the public to submit information about anti social behaviour. They have received over 1,800 emails from the public since the beginning of the year. Last month the police held a day of action to highlight their crack-down on crime and
anti social behaviour, the Mayors of Dunstable and Houghton Regis attended and witnessed the crushing of the seized bikes. The police are also pleased with the results of Operation Sentinel which has resulted in several drug related arrests. Chief Inspector Sean Quinn, the lead for Op Sentinel, said: “Today was a great success for both Op Sentinel and Op Meteor, we managed to secure an arrest seize a substantial amount of drugs as well as crush some of the bikes which have been causing a danger
and nuisance to residents in the county. “Days of action like this one show that Bedfordshire Police will not tolerate dangerous and anti-social behaviour. We want to send a strong message of warning to nuisance bikers – if you are out there we will find you and we will catch you. “We will be carrying out intelligence-led days of action like this one regularly to reassure the people of Bedfordshire and make offenders aware that they will not get away with posing a danger to our communities.”
Mayor’s charity dinner
THE Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant, London Road, Sandy was the venue for a Charity Dinner in support of Councillor Colin Osborne, the Town Mayor’s two charities – Canine Partners (which supports the training of dogs to help those with disabilities) and the provision of a Defibrillator for the town’s Bedford Road Recreation Ground. Some 36 guests sat down to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the proprietor, Mr Atik, and his staff. Guests included local
Councillors and representatives of organisations but also the Mayors of Ampthill, Houghton Regis, St Neots, Godmanchester and St Ives and the Deputy Mayor of Luton. A raffle concluded the afternoon and Sandy’s Mayoress, Diane Osborne, won a cake donated by Mr Atik which was shared with the other guests. Overall £568 was raised and the Mayor would like to thank everyone involved in raising this fantastic amount.
Stratton pupil speaks out against racism
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Reach over 12,000 homes in Sandy and Biggleswade with your leaflet. We also provide a full design and print service. Call Martin on 07894 935952 for more details
CENTRAL Bedfordshire’s Youth Parliament members both spoke passionately in a House of Commons debate last month. Lily Thompson, a pupil at Stratton Upper School in Biggleswade, and Harry Dignum, from Cedars Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, joined 274 of their peers from across the UK for the parliamentary debate. The 11-18 year olds were debating the five leading topics from the Make Your Mark ballot before voting to decide which two should become the UK Youth Parliament’s priority campaigns for 2016. Votes at 16 was chosen as the national campaign while A Curriculum for Life was chosen as the priority campaign for England after five debates which were chaired by Speaker of the
House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP. Harry spoke in support of A Curriculum for Life while Lily participated in the debate about Tackling Racism and Religious Discrimination. Both were captured on camera with the event screened on the BBC Parliament television channel. Lily said: “It was an amazing day and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am passionate about tackling racism and religious discrimination and will do my best to raise awareness of the issue over my two-year term.” Harry said: “I had a great day and it was an amazing experience to speak in the House of Commons on an issue I am passionate about. I look forward to working on raising awareness and gaining support for A Curriculum for Life for young people.
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 11
12 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
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EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
Monthly update from the Police and Crime Commissioner
In Focus with
by Kathryn Holloway
by Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP
Alistair
RELEVANT DEBATE
EVENTS this autumn have shown just how great a challenge Bedfordshire Police face. There have been arrests under Counter Terror laws in Luton. The Force fielded 100 officers and Special Constables to respond to disorder at Bedford Prison to secure the perimeter and reassure residents – going door-to-door to provide updates and advice, while the prison authorities brought the incident under control. Cross-over crime with London was highlighted in an operation by Metropolitan Police officers in Leagrave, seizing guns and ammunition. In one tragic, and thankfully extremely rare, case a 24-year-old man lost his life when a firearms officer used his weapon in an incident which is now being investigated by the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, as is a standard procedure in such circumstances. This was the most distressing outcome for absolutely every party involved and, as a police force cannot comment during such an investigation, no inference whatever should be taken from this. The timing of this operational policing demand on the Force could not be more relevant to a debate which is currently being held within the Home Office. The Government is in the process of determining Bedfordshire’s future slice of the funding cake while drawing up a new National Funding Formula for all 43 police forces in England and Wales. I am arguing that Bedfordshire’s crime challenges need to be considered urgently as the force is currently the second lowest funded in the country. This argument goes beyond politics; I have met with the Policing Minister Brandon Lewis alongside all six constituency MPs from across the county, irrespective of party, with our Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher. I have met him alone and with the Chief Finance Officer of our Force and the Acting ACC Jaqueline Sebire who, as a former Borough Commander in London, speaks with authority of the similarities between the policing demand here but the discrepancy in the resources which are available locally. Ultimately the formula will be decided above all our pay grades but you should be absolutely certain that all that could be being done is being done to put Bedfordshire’s case.
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LACK OF CYNICISM
AS THIS is the last ‘Bulletin’ piece from me in 2016, it would be tempting to look back on an astonishing political year that sprung almost out of nowhere – the year of the underdogs, and the blows against the establishment. I accept all with humility, having been on the wrong end of opinion in at least two of the events. So I will not trouble you with such reflections but instead bring you some of an MPs constituency highlights, offering cheer to all, with some of the good news which is all around us, but on which we concentrate far too little. My year has been illuminated by young people. Etonbury Academy were January visitors to the excellent educational facilities in Parliament, and a number of schools followed, whilst I made visits to schools here, including the impressive Owl Parliament at Roecroft in Stotfold once again. The public would be impressed by young people’s interest and lack of cynicism over the world around them, demonstrated not least by the Youth Parliament held at the House of Commons just the other week, with thoughtful and committed speeches and reflective listening. At the other end of the age range I met with the Alzheimer’s Society in Biggleswade for a joyous morning of singing to help those who struggle a little with memory today, but whose tuneful memories of yesterday lit up the room. From Lions, to Rotary, to Carers in Bedfordshire at the opening of the new Carers Lounge at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, I have seen those giving so much to society as volunteers, making a difference in our world. Those who use sport to build a community, from the East Beds Junior Charity Cup Finalists at Langford, to Biggleswade AC, the wonderful Harrold Pit Run and the Bedford Park Run volunteers – I have spent time with all, observing their contributions to a thriving community. Young Farmers in Pertenhall, Sea Cadets in Biggleswade and I even got to kiss my wife on stage in Bedford for Relate – whatever may be happening on the world’s political stage, an MP can only say a warm ‘thank you’ for 2016 at home, and wish all constituents a happy Christmas and a peaceful 2017.
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 13
View from
Bishop Richard by Rt Revd Richard Atkinson Bishop of Bedford
COME AND WORSHIP
WHAT is your favourite Christmas Carol? ‘Away in a Manger’? ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’? ‘While shepherds watched their flocks by night’? Or another of the well-loved carols that will be sung this Christmas? Carols, some of which have their origins back in medieval times and the singing of Christmas songs within the community, rather than within Church. Last Christmas, according to the Classic FM poll, ‘Silent Night’ was our favourite carol. Written in 1818 by Joseph Mohr and set to music by his friend Franz Gruber, it only came into being because mice had eaten through the bellows of the organ at St Nicholas church in their small Austrian town of Oberndorf near Salzburg and they couldn’t play the traditional Christmas music. Instead this new carol was played on the guitar and has been much loved since. My favourite carol is ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, Christina Rossetti’s evocative verse, that was set to music by Gustav Holst. In particular, the final verse reminds us that Christmas is not just about our re-telling of the Christmas events, nor the praise of God, but also our response to the disclosure of God’s love for us in Jesus. What can I give him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part; Yet what I can, I give him - Give my heart. Last Christmas two and a half million people attended church services, and that was just the Church of England! Many came to traditional Christmas Services, including Midnight Mass and Nine Lessons and Carols. For others it was a crib service or more contemporary Christmas worship. All of them, across the different Christian traditions, times to pause amidst the commercialism of this season and to focus on the love of God present with us in the baby Jesus. This Christmas your local church once again offers you a warm welcome and invitation to sing carols and to hear the Christmas narrative. In the words of another much loved carol, ‘Angels from the Realms of Glory’: Come and worship, Come and worship; Worship Christ, the new-born King.
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‘New Year New Start’ for Jordans Mill’s café
IT WILL definitely be a case of ‘New Year, New Start’ for Jordans Mill in January 2017, as the visitor attraction’s popular Riverside Café will reopen following a short period of closure to allow for a redesign of the dining area and kitchen. The transformation is in response to customer feedback, and will result in an improved experience and a wider food offering including a larger range of lunchtime specials, extended breakfast and brunch menus, afternoon teas, and exciting themed menus. Rather than ordering food and drink at the tills, customers will be shown to a table where staff will take their order, which will then be
brought to their table. The food heritage attraction in Broom near Biggleswade opened in April 2013 and since then the Riverside Café has become a sought-after destination for fresh, seasonal food, and a great place to catch up over scones and tea. Jordans Mill will close on Christmas Eve at 3pm for a period of approximately three weeks to allow the changes to take place. Bill Jordan, Trustee of Jordans Mill, said: “This change is very exciting for everyone here at Jordans Mill as not only will it improve the customer experience, but it will also allow us to widen our food offering, and as a food heritage attraction this is very important to us.
“We have always sought to use fresh seasonal ingredients in our dishes, and we have a strong commitment to using local food where possible, which will continue. “Food is at the heart of everything we do here at Jordans Mill, from showing how grains were once milled to produce flour, growing cereal crops and fruits and vegetables in the Mill Gardens, and creating dishes in the Riverside Café using our homegrown produce. “We are extremely grateful for the support and custom we’ve received from all our visitors since we opened, and we are looking forward to this next exciting chapter for Jordans Mill when we reopen in January.”
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The Riverside Café will continue to welcome ‘walk-ins’ and will now also offer the opportunity to reserve tables. Customers are invited to monitor the Jordans Mill Facebook and Twitter channels and their website, www.jordansmill.com, for updates on the redesign and information on reopening. All of Jordans Mill including the Mill and Mill Gardens will be closed during the redesign.
Chamber unveils new visual identity and website
BEDFORDSHIRE Chamber of Commerce has just unveiled its new brand campaign to better represent the Chamber’s values and personality, as it aims to attract new members. The new brand identity and strapline – ‘Better Together’ – will feature on a new website, a new brochure and all forthcoming customer communications and was created by local creative consultancy Bonfire Creative Intelligence. The new identity illustrates how businesses and the Chamber are ‘Better Together’ and centres on well-known metaphorical partnerships to represent businesses working together and supporting each other. The team at Bonfire Creative Intelligence refined and strengthened the Chamber’s mission statement and created a new tone of voice and visual language to resonate with the modern business owner that will feature in more regular communication of the Chamber’s business support services to members and prospects. Justin Richardson at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce said: “The Chamber offers a wealth of support and opportunities to businesses large and small across the county but we identified that many business owners in the region were not aware of the full range of services that come with Chamber membership. The new identity better reflects the Chamber as it is today and will enable us to communicate our offering much more effectively to local businesses that are looking to grow and connect.”
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Oscar-themed event celebrates Looked-After Children’s Achievements Awards
YOUNG guests enjoyed a dazzling time at this year’s Central Bedfordshire Looked-After Children and Care Leavers Achievement Awards. More than 110 young people walked up the red carpet at the Oscars-themed event held at the council’s Priory House headquarters in October. Staff and youngsters dressed up in their finest outfits for the evening and managers from the corporate parenting service getting into the spirit and serving drinks to guests on arrival. The awards evening is organised by members of the Children in Care Council and CiCC Ambassadors, who choose the food, entertainment and venue decorations and are consulted on the actual agenda for the evening.
Thanks to a host of generous donations, sponsorship and people pledging their time and talents for free the young guests were able to enjoy entertainment including local petting pony Pearl, top-of-the-range custom car ‘The Crazy Green Machine’, a classic car and a glitter tattooist. All the attendees were acknowledged for achievements significant to them. So, that could include anything from educational achievements to developing independence skills. Foster carers, residential units, social workers, and designated looked-after children’s teachers are encouraged to nominate youngsters for any achievement. There were a number of outstanding achievement awards which were sponsored by the University Of Bedfordshire Access Partnership Team. The Virtual School also presented awards to outstanding educational achievements and Young People of the Year Awards. Among the winners were Kayleigh Stewart and Louise Harker. Louise was awarded Young Person of the Year for showing great resilience and maturity whilst moving away from home. The audience heard how she has contributed positively to her new home by engaging in activities and with her peers and made great progress during what has been a challenging year personally. Meanwhile Kayleigh was rewarded for facing challenges with determination and never giving up, making significant improvements to her independence and budgeting skills and developing new skills in the leaving care hub. Councillor Carole Hegley, Executive Member for Social Care and Housing and lead member for Children’s Services, was among those attending the event. She said: “What a brilliant evening. It was great to see so many young people there and to see them being rewarded for their achievements.
“I would like to thank everyone who gave up their time for the evening and also made a donation to the event which paid for the visit of pony Pearl from Bedfordshire Party Ponies, in Clophill. She was a real hit with the children – and even had a blue and pink rinse for the occasion.” Natasha Rowe, CiCC Ambassador, who sang at the event, said: “It was lovely to see all the young people dressed up and celebrating their achievements with their CBC family. Just seeing all the young people happy, dancing and being celebrated was great and I was proud to be part of that happiness.” Fellow CiCC Ambassador Emily Smith added: “It was an amazing evening – everyone looked stunning and the atmosphere was great. It’s so lovely watching young people getting appreciated and receiving an award.”
In good spirits as Angela’s Fund tops £75k FOLLOWING an entry in the Biggleswade Carnival (Yellow Submarine) by Kate Wood and her family, on behalf of Angela’s Small Cell Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at The Eve Appeal, Mark Butcher was delighted to receive a cheque, after a successful application, for Angela’s Research Fund of £150 on 21st October, which was one of 28 charities that benefited from the hard work of the Carnival Committee. Kate Wood then went on to do an amazing job of organising an ‘Evening of Clairvoyance’ for Angela’s Fund and on Saturday 29th October more than 100 people attended the evening, held at The Biggleswade Social Club with guest clairvoyant Denise Newman. The other attraction for the night, was an ‘out of
this world’ raffle with almost 70 fantastic prizes, many of which had been donated from local businesses, which Kate had personally contacted. Not content to stick them on a table, Kate had spent hours with their presentation, which resulted in £450.60 being raised on the raffle alone. This together with the proceeds of ticket sales, realised a total of £1,587.60 for Angela’s Fund. Ann Taylor, Chairman of The Biggleswade U3A handed over a cheque from members for £237.55, as their nominated Charity of The Year. 5p collections this year amounted to £422.95 (8,459 x 50s) and other ongoing fundraising, has taken Angela’s Fund from £70,000 celebrated in September, to £75,979.99!
Carnival Prince, Princess and Queen with some of the representatives from the charities who benefited from the Carnival Committee’s donations.
Biggleswade remembers
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Opportunities for young people
HAVE you ever thought about how your son and/or daughter could benefit from being involved in one of the uniformed organisations in Bedfordshire? Since being launched in October 2014, membership of uniformed organisations involved in Bedfordshire Youth United has increased. Young people have joined the ten uniformed organisations in the County to have fun, challenge and adventure, or to learn about leadership or team working, or they feel it will enhance a CV. Adult volunteer Nigel Taylor said: “Getting involved in any of the organisations will provide young people with lots of enjoyment. They will learn skills for life and they will make new friends. Some will use involvement with the Police Cadets, Fire and Rescue Cadets, Army Cadet Force or St John Ambulance as a stepping stone on their career path. Others who join Scouts or Guides will be able to get involved in many different activities and earn badges ranging from Animal carer to Outdoor Challenge to Sports Enthusiast. There are some great opportunities for young people from all backgrounds.” For more information about the uniformed organisations involved in Bedfordshire Youth United see www.youth united.org.uk/regions/youthunited-bedfordshire –––––––––––––––
MP welcomes record high employment
North East Bedfordshire MP Alistair Burt has welcomed the news that employment across the UK continues to run at a record high, the unemployment rate has fallen to an 11year low, and that according to this week’s figures there are 297,000 more people back in work in the Eastern region since 2010. In North East Bedfordshire, the number of people claiming the key out of work benefits has fallen by 779 – a 56% per cent drop – since 2010. Mr Burt said: “I am pleased to note these latest figures, and pay tribute to all who are working so hard to encourage jobs here. NE Bedfordshire’s strategic position, fifty miles north of London and at a junction of major trade routes, is encouraging the inward investment of new business to combine with longer standing local enterprises. Good education and training, together with continued investment in the infrastructure needed to sustain comfortably the growth of new housing, will be essential for the future.” As well as the employment rate continuing to run at a record high, the figures show that wages are continuing to rise strongly. Youth unemployment is down by almost 350,000 since 2010, the number of disabled people in work has increased by 590,000 in the past three years, and the proportion of women in work is at a joint record high. Over 70 per cent of the rise in employment since 2010 has been from full time work.
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Climbing higher with adventure careers
EMPLOYERS offering work experience in outdoor adventure careers around the globe were at a Shuttleworth College event open to schools from across the county.
GARDENING – DECEMBER
Annual Quiz – win an hour’s gardening!
CHRISTMAS is fast approaching but no one seems to have told the natural world! A large number of you are reporting that you have primroses in flower which traditionally has been the harbinger of spring – prim = first, rose = flower – lovely to see but a little unusual. We shall have to wait and see if they continue to flower until a more traditional time but as the weather is still very mild for the time of the year be prepared for some other early arrivals. Amazingly, I still have a number of delphiniums in flower! The answer to last month’s just for fun question is, you clear all vegetation from your garden at this time of the year and then put down a layer of slug pellets; why is this a very bad idea? It is a very bad idea because if you are not protecting any plants, then you are simply killing slugs for the sake of it. And that deprives all sorts of animals their food. The natural world is a system whereby everything is dependent upon everything else: remove one part and its consequences are felt far and wide. Let the slugs and snails prosper at this time of the year and your garden will benefit later in the year. And now it’s that time of the year for the annual gardening quiz! Complete the answers and if yours is the first pulled from my hat, you win an hour’s gardening time from yours truly! So, if you are sitting comfortably, here goes: 1. What is the correct generic name for the plant known as the Day Lily ? 2. Do the species Pieris, Pernettya and Philesia require acid or alkaline soil conditions?
3. Formerly known as Funkia what generic name is it now known? 4. What is the common name of the plant known as Acanthus? 5. In a botanical name, what does the word vulgare mean? 6. Are Clematis species self-clinging or twining climbers? 7. What term describes a plant that flowers and dies in the second season after germination, producing only its stems, roots and leaves in the first season? 8. Which hardy, deciduous self-fertilizing tree includes the variety ‘Moor Park’ (where I worked for many years!). 9. Nerine bears umbels on 5cm stems. What are umbels? 10. What kind of vegetables are ‘Bedford Fillbasket’? Entries can be emailed to LawnDocGardens@aol.com or posted to Lawn Doctor Garden Services, 6 Sand Lane, Northill, SG18 9AD but must be received by 15th January 2017. As usual, please contact me with any gardening queries you may have. Best wishes all for a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Exciting jobs in sailing, climbing, skiing and more are won by those who sign up to Shuttleworth College at 16. Among the 20 employers were Camp America and closer to home, Center Parcs, Kempston Box End water park, Essex Outdoors and Bedfordshire Police. In addition five universities offering progression routes to Higher Education were there. Those visiting the event were current Shuttleworth students who live in towns like Sandy, Biggleswade, Luton and Woburn and who were interested in careers in sailing, the military and going on to university for management studies. “Many of the exhibitors from adventure companies studied at Shuttleworth and we invited alumni and local schools to attend too,” said Daniel Playford, Outdoor Adventure Courses Manager, “It’s an increasingly popular event for an increasingly popular career choice. Most of our students go straight into jobs from Shuttleworth.”
From next year it is planned there will be an option for students to study a degree level course through a BTEC HNC/D in Sport (Leisure Management). They would complete two years of a degree at Shuttleworth with the third at university. “This will give them the chance to join us at entry level age 16, carry on at Shuttleworth and then have the ‘going away to university’ experience for the third year of their degree. This is more cost effective than going away for three years to university of course,” added Daniel, “Alternatively students who complete two years at Shuttleworth are well qualified to apply to a wide range of universities across the UK offering outdoor/ sport courses.” If you want to pursue a career in adventure, sports or military services then take a look at the Shuttleworth and Bedford College website www.bedford.ac.uk as a wide range are available across both campuses.
DEGREE LEVEL
Play highlights the dangers of internet
Pupils from Central Bedfordshire have been learning more about internet safety and child sexual exploitation in a hard-hitting play. Chelsea’s Choice is currently being performed in upper, secondary and special schools across the area. By the end of the run it is expected that more than 2,500 pupils across Years 9 to 14 will have seen the production by Alter Ego. The play tells the story of a group of three students who discover the diary of a girl called Chelsea. Having fallen out with friends and family, she hooks up with an older man who initially treats her well before revealing his true colours. The story is played out by the three students and their teacher, with regular moments for reflection on what has just taken place and how it could have been prevented. It is the second year that the play has been performed in Central Bedfordshire, with the script adapting year on year to reflect current trends, advice and social media usage. Speaking to an audience of Year 9 pupils at Samuel Whitbread Academy this week, Jason Clare (who plays Shane) said: “It’s important that the relationships you have are healthy – we don’t want you to go through what Chelsea went through. “We hear stories about people who use the internet to prey on people who are down or have low self-esteem. It only takes two minutes to set up a fake profile. So, it’s important to keep yourself safe, so when you get home, check your internet privacy settings. And remember: if you are asked to send a naked or explicit photo then that is child pornography.” That is part of an ongoing awareness campaign taking place across Central Bedfordshire,
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AROUND THE CLUBS
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Biggleswade & District Gardening Club
embers, current and old, gathered together on October 19th to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the inauguration of the Biggleswade & District Gardening Club. The steering committee met on the 20th October 1976 and Eric Smith was instrumental in initiating the club. The very first speaker was Keith Hitchison and the first show had over 600 entries. Rowena Wolfe showed items culled from the press books and Tony Grey, being a founding member, gave a running commentary especially with the details of the various carnival floats where he wore several fig leaves as Eve in the Garden of Eden. The members enjoyed the trip down memory lane and were also amazed at the amount of entries received for the various shows and the footfall at the events. It was lovely to see old faces where everyone looked so young. There were pictures from outings and holidays. Comparing old programmes it was obvious that the subjects used to be on the practical side with many demonstrations whilst nowadays they are rather different. Members took the opportunity to meet up with old friends and to enjoy the refreshments especially the cakes made by Rowena to celebrate the club’s 40 years. She was presented with a beautiful flower arrangement made by Maureen Grey in appreciation of her contribution to the evening. An E-mail was read from Keith Hitchison congratulating the club and remembering its start. Tony thanked all for attending and hoped they had enjoyed the evening. He reminded the members that the next meeting is on 16th November when the speaker is Andrew Babbicz talking about ‘Seasonal container gardening’. All visitors are welcome at a small charge.
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hairman, Tony Gray, welcomed members to their meeting on Wednesday, 21st November. He reminded members that the Annual general Meeting would be held in December. Members were asked to complete the forms if they wished to go on the Spring Break to Worcestershire in May. The deposit was due by the January Meeting. Rowena Wolfe gave details of a possible visit in July 2017 to a garden in Stebbington (not Kathy Brown’s Garden) and requested numbers to make the trip viable. Tony introduced the speaker Andrew Babicz who was to talk about seasonal container gardening. Andrew began by explaining that he started as an apprentice at Inverewe Gardens which were on the golf stream so able to grow tropical plants. He moved to various other horticultural centres Wisley, Hampton Court, Holland, Edinburgh Botanical Gardens and to
November 2016
Croydon where he became a horticultural advisor. He is now a horticultural consultant, broadcaster, writer, lecturer and Britain in Bloom Judge. His illustrated talk covered pots, compost, dressing, plants and care of containers. He advised buying the cheapest bottle of tomato feed to keep the containers going throughout the season. He suggested instead of taking a bunch of flowers as a gift that a pot was planted up and this can give up to five months of pleasure if properly fed, watered and cared for. His talk inspired the members to go out and plant out a few pots. Tony thanked Andrew for an interesting and inspiring evening. Tony thanked all for attending and hoped they had enjoyed the evening. He reminded the members that the AGM is on December 21st. All visitors are welcome at a small charge.
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Royal Artillery Association
he Biggleswade Branch of the Royal Artillery Association held a Branch Meeting on 2nd November 2016, at the Sea Cadets Hall. There were thirteen members present. The Chairman recited The Royal Artillery Prayer. Apologies were received from four members. The minutes of the October meeting were read. The invitation to 16 Regiment Reunification Day was confirmed and details of timings and dress code for those travelling given. Arrangements for the Armistice Day and Remembrance Day Parades were discussed. The date of the Christmas Lunch is 9th December at the Conservative Club. The Treasurers report was received. The meeting closed at 14.55 hrs. It was decided that there will be no meeting in December. The Royal Artillery Association exists to look after the welfare of and foster comradeship between members of the Royal Artillery both serving and retired. Ex-Service personnel of other Arms or Regiments who wish to share the camaraderie are welcome. The Branch meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the Sea Cadets Hall, Biggleswade starting at 14.30hrs. (Next Meeting Wednesday 4th January 2017- no meeting in December). Please contact the Chairman Ted McKenzie on 07900 806235 or Email: tiger-ted @gmail.com for more details.
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Biggleswade Ivel Evening Townswomen’s Guild
hairman Chris Davies welcomed members to the meeting on Monday, November 14. Members were informed that two former members had recently passed away, Margaret Burns and Evelyn Collins. Since the last meeting Ann Taylor and Tanis Farnell had represented the
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guild at the Remembrance Day Service at Biggleswade Town war memorial, laying a wreath on our behalf. The October walk started at the church at Eaton Socon followed by lunch at the Mill. The arts and crafts day was well supported entries were from Barbara Brown, Maureen Carter, Yvonne Crane, Chris Davies, Tanis Farnell, Maureen Harding, Christine Howard, Margaret Newberry and Ann Taylor, winning a total 19 gold, 23 silver and eight red medals between them. Forthcoming events are Federation Carol service December 3 at Walsworth Church, Hitchin; National Carol Service at Ely Cathedral December 8; an invitation to attend the 60th anniversary of Stevenage Broadhall; possible joint outings with U3A to Milton Keynes theatre in January to see Thoroughly Modern Millie, March - Funny Girl, April Dirty Dancing and October 2017 - War Horse. The speakers for the evening Heather and Gordon Clark gave a very interesting and amusing presentation of ‘audio and visual display’. They were thanked by Anne Jones. The Chairman closed the evening with a reminder that the next meeting will be a Christmas party. Members to bring a plate of food to share, plate, cutlery and a gift for a bring and buy stall. There will be no competition at this meeting. The guild meets on the second Monday of the month 7.30 pm at the Weatherley Centre new members and visitors are very welcome.
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Biggleswade Flower Club
ardly a spare seat was to be found at our October meeting; Chairman Pat Whitworth welcomed everyone and read out Notices. Emma Remmington travelled from Northamptonshire to be the demonstrator for the evening and her theme was ‘As we go down to the woods’. Emma`s choice of colours, blooms and greenery unfolded into a charming meander through wonderfully familiar autumn scenes. The arrangements were inspired by personal memories, to begin with a tumble from a home-made zip-wire in the back garden of her family home when Emma was about five, up to present day when she is responsible for flower arrangements at Fawsley Hall Hotel and Fawsley Church in Northampton. We heard tales of her first school flower arranging competition, moving to London as a young wife and working in the glamorous world of fashion for Paul Costello on London/New York fashion week and blissful family walks in autumn woods with husband and children. Emma amused us with many humorous incidents and finished with an anecdote about a ‘Posh and Becks’ style wedding which sounded like a typically hilarious scene from the film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral.’ A very good
evening was has by all. Val Gordine gave the vote of thanks and the evening concluded with a raffle for the flower arrangements. We ended the evening with the usual refreshments and chat. Our next meeting is our extremely popular pre-Christmas Open Evening when our demonstrator will be Angela Turner with the theme ‘All is Calm, All is Bright.’
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Ivel Valley U3A
nn Taylor, Chairman, welcomed the members of the Ivel Valley U3A to their October social afternoon with a special welcome to Trevor on his first visit. The AGM had gone well and it was encouraging that so many members attended. Ann thanked the committee members for their raffle prizes and the lovely refreshments. The cheque for the Chairman’s Charity Angela’s small cell ovarian cancer research fund at The Eve Appeal had been handed over to the Butcher family and a picture had been posted on Facebook mentioning the U3A. We had received a letter of thanks from Linda, Mike and Mark expressing their appreciation. The art group has had a setback as the room at Asda has been withdrawn from public use. The Christmas Lunch has been booked for Wednesday 14th December at The Wheatsheaf, Tempsford. A list was available for this as numbers were limited. Chris Davies had organised several theatre outings at Milton Keynes to see ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ on 25th January, 2017 at 2.30pm at £17.50, ‘Funny Girl’ on Wednesday 1st March at 2.30pm at £17.50, ‘Dirty Dancing’ on 28th April at 5.30pm at £25.00 and names were required if they wished to see ‘Warhorse’ on 3rd October at 2.30pm at £30.00. Names must be given to Chris Davies or Ann Taylor if interested as the numbers of tickets were limited. Brian Tobin arranged the members into teams and they thoroughly enjoyed a session of Honest John. It was a very noisy game of dominoes but great fun and enjoyed by all.
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he Chairman, Ann Taylor, welcomed members to their November meeting on Tuesday 8th. She thanked Brian Tobin for organising the game of Honest John at the last social afternoon which had been thoroughly enjoyed and urged more members to try the social afternoons. The next meeting will be the Christmas Party and members were reminded to bring a small plate of festive food and a raffle prize to start the Chairman’s Charity for the year which is ‘St John’s Hospice’. The cheque for the Chairman’s Charity - Angela’s small cell ovarian cancer research fund at The Eve Appeal had been handed over to the Butcher
November 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 family and a picture had been posted on Facebook mentioning the U3A. We had received a letter of thanks from Linda, Mike and Mark Butcher and The Eve’s Appeal expressing their appreciation. The art group has no more meetings at present and they will attempt to meet in member’s houses for the time being. Book group 1 will meet on Monday 5th December at Stratton House for their Christmas Lunch and after at Jean William’s house. Book Group 2 met on 11th November at Marilyn MacDonald’s house. The Craft group met at Chris Davies’ house on 17th November. Their Christmas Lunch will be brought forward to 8th December to avoid clashing with the U3A Christmas Lunch. The Music Group met on Tuesday 15th November at Val McSweeney’s house. The Walking Group, led by Chris Davies, met on Wednesday 16th November. The Sunday Lunch Club meets at The White Horse, Southill on 15th January 2017 at 12 noon. Audrey Yaxley told the members about the Christmas Lunch which has been booked for Wednesday 14th December at The Wheatsheaf, Tempsford. The cost will be £13.00. Numbers are limited so members are urged to book their places as soon as possible. . Chris Davies gave details of several theatre outings at Milton Keynes to see ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ on 25th January, 2017 at 2.30pm at £17.50, ‘Funny Girl’ on Wednesday 1st March at 2.30pm at £17.50, ‘Dirty Dancing’ on 28th April at 5.30pm at £25.00 and names were required if they wished to see ‘Warhorse’ on 3rd October at 2.30pm at £30.00. Names must be given to Chris Davies if interested as the numbers of tickets were limited. Ann introduced the speaker for the afternoon, Paul Jarrett, who was to talk
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about ‘Fish & Ships’. Paul began by stating that he had worked for the Fisherman’s Mission for 40 years. The Fishermen’s Mission fights poverty and despair in our fishing communities by providing emergency and welfare support to fishermen and their families 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Over 13,000 men and women work in the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation: deep sea fishing. At sea, they face death and injury on a daily basis. Fishermen’s Mission was founded originally as ‘The National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen’ by Ebenezer Joseph Mather in 1881. Ebenezer was disturbed by the poor conditions in which fishermen worked and lived and knew something needed to be done to help alleviate their troubles. In the 19th Century fishing was notoriously dangerous with high fatality rates and the occupation remains today as one of the most dangerous. Mission ships offer pioneering medical and pastoral care. Paul gave a brief resume of his career in different parts of the United Kingdom and few will forget his many burials at sea and the unfortunate results. Thelma Rogers gave the vote of thanks for a most interesting and amusing talk.
SG19 Road Safety Group
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Report on the third AGM Thursday 3rd November 2016
he Chairman outlined the main actions taken by the Group in the past year which included attendance at the East West Rail exhibition and consultation in Marston while a meeting with the Buckden A1 Road Group to share progress reports on the upgrade to the A1 took place in April. In July, the Group was represented at the Road
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 21
Investment Strategy consultation being conducted by Highways England where the need for a proper bypass of Sandy and Beeston was stressed to the consultants and Highways England officials present. A ‘tour’ of Sandy to highlight the main areas of concern where the A1 impacts with local roads took place in October with two officers from Highways England. Modest and straightforward improvements will make a difference to safety. The Group heard that Central Bedfordshire Council is working on a number of fronts including the East West Rail link; the need for improvements on the A1 from the Black Cat to the Biggleswade South roundabout while Average Speed Cameras on the stretch of the A1 through Sandy and Beeston have now been promised with an expectation for installation in the financial year 2018/2019. The Group heard that Sandy Town Council is concerned that the ongoing search for development sites is not taking sufficient account of the implications of the route of the East/West Rail link from Bedford to Cambridge and the route of the (hoped for) new bypass for Sandy. These two major unknowns should see any decisions deferred until these major infrastructure routes have been determined. Residents of Sandy continue to express their concern at the increasing volume of traffic using the High Street, particularly HGV’s on route to deliveries elsewhere. The Group is not antilorry but the amount of traffic is now at a level where congestion, pollution and safety for the shoppers and school children that use the High Street are all major concerns. The Group will be continuing to seek support for the petition being hosted on the Group’s website – www.sg19.org – to seek a detailed
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review of the local road network and for the need to build a proper bypass for the A1 to take it away from Sandy and Beeston. The committee for the forthcoming year will be as follows: Chairman - Stephen Allen; Secretary – Claire Ryan; Webmaster – Andrew Clark; CBC Representative – Tracey Stock; STC Representative – Nigel Aldis; Committee Members – Paul Fox, Derek Millham, John Gurney and Stephen Rodgers. The Group can be contacted by email via the website or admin@sg19.org
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22 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
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Biggleswade ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. The Biggleswade History Society wishes the team at the Bulletin and all of its readers a very happy Christmas! 2. Please note that in December the Society does not hold a meeting at Trinity Methodist Church with a guest speaker but puts on a Christmas party for members only. Meetings with speakers will resume in the New Year and non-member visitors are always welcome. See the Programme section on this page for details of what is in store for 2017. 3. The Story in Stone community project - part of the Market Town Regeneration Scheme for Central Bedfordshire. By the time most Bulletin readers receive this issue the first public presentation of this project will have taken place on 30 November at the Robert Peel Lower School in Sandy. Unfortunately news of the presentation reached us just a little too late to place an invitation to attend in last month’s issue of the Bulletin but we hope that some readers found out about it from other sources, including the project’s website which we flagged up last month. Oliver Budd, one of the country’s leading mosaic artists, has been appointed by the Central Bedfordshire Council to design, produce and install for each of the towns of Sandy, Potton and Biggleswade a series of wall mounted mosaic panels celebrating key aspects of their history and character. The purpose of the presentation: to allow members of the three communities to meet the artist, to see his designs produced in consultation with history societies from the three towns, and to meet local artist, Carolyn Blake, who has masterminded the project from the very beginning and will see it through to its conclusion, working to involve schools and various groups and individuals in the three communities. Story in Stone is a lovely community project and our Society is pleased to be associated with it. Find information and follow progress at www.storyinstone.org.uk 4. The 73-minute Professionally produced 2009 ‘Three Market Towns’ DVD featuring Biggleswade, Potton and Sandy past and present and presented by Pam Rhodes is still available to members and non-members at £15, payable on ordering. It can be delivered free of charge to Biggleswade addresses or mailed for an extra £1.00 per copy to cover postage and packing. Readers can order by posting a cheque for the appropriate amount (made out to Biggleswade History Society) to: The Treasurer, Biggleswade History Society, 55 Brunel Drive, Biggleswade, SG18 8BT, with a note stating the number of copies required, how they are to be delivered, your name, full postal address and a contact telephone number or email address. Email enquiries to: treasurer@biggleswadehistory.org.uk or telephone 01767 316669. 5. The Bedfordshire Yeomanry website. Many local men joined the Bedfordshire Yeomanry before, during and after the First World War. Readers who had family members in the Yeomanry may wish to check out a very good website devoted to them by David Doorne, a solicitor, military researcher, member of the Royal British Legion and Beds Yeomanry enthusiast: bedfordshireyeomanry.co.uk/index.html 6. The Society’s next slot on the BigglesFM Thursday Breakfast Show will be 8.30 - 9.00 on 22 December. Tune in to 104.8 or go to www.bigglesfm.com and click on Listen Live. EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS 1. Society Committee member Paul Artiss reports on an evening at the March Hare in Dunton
with our President Ken Page on 15 November: Ken’s talk on the history of pubs and brewing in and around Biggleswade was received exceedingly well. Helped no doubt by the excellent brews on offer and Ken’s informative pack of 140 slides, he was greeted with a marvellous reception at the end of the talk with many warm and genuine comments being made. I enjoyed it immensely too. All of the copies of Ken’s books that I took along, which he very kindly signed, were snapped up and I received orders for more. Many thanks to Ken for giving such a good talk. 2. Our next display in Biggleswade Library runs from 13 to 19 December and will feature local clubs and associations. Be sure to pop in and see it! Please note that the library closes on Thursdays.
FROM THE ARCHIVES – Accessions We are grateful for the following donations recently received: - from Vic Brunt, a collection of Bedfordshire Family History Magazines with indexes and a 2014 mug commemorating the 1914-18 War - from Andy Revels, an 1885 issue of The Lady’s Pictorial weekly - from David Carr, a collection of local Cub Scout photographs - from Margot Alston, an information/business card for the Swan Hotel, Biggleswade - from Ken Page, booklet produced for the Carriage Society with an entry about Maythorn’s of Biggleswade - from Judith & Harry Reed, 2 photos and information about the Goodwin family, one of whom was a WW1 soldier - photos by Roy Chadwick of an antique carved wooden panel originally from the staircase of Stratton Park House (demolished in the early 1960s), taken by invitation of the owner, Terry Stratton - from Robin Watkin (formerly of Biggleswade, son of Owen Watkin, garage proprietor) via Gareth Wilcox of Sandy Historical Research Group, 6 large reels of 16mm cine-film taken by Owen Watkin during the post-war 1940s to 1970s, mostly of events in Biggleswade but also including family footage - from Gareth Wilcox, copies he had made of the above onto 6 DVDs
PUBLICATIONS The Society has a wide range of publications relating to the history of Biggleswade and its people and these are now permanently available to all members of the public at the same low prices offered to our members. Most of our publications may be purchased for just £1.00 each, and the 434page A4 size Dan Albone hardback is a bargain at the reduced price of £15.00 (plus £5.00 postage & packing if it is to be mailed) and is also on sale at the same low price at Pedals cycle shop in Shortmead Street. The books by Ken Page: ‘The Story of Biggleswade Brewery’ and ‘Thirsty Old Town – The Story of Biggleswade’s Pubs’ are available at £1.50 each. Visit the Society’s website for a price list and descriptions of the books. Telephone enquiries and orders to: Paul Artiss (01767 666187).
MEMBERSHIP In November we welcomed one new member. Total membership is 160.
MEETINGS The Society meets in the chapel at Trinity Methodist Church on the first Monday of the month, unless notified. Doors normally open at 7.30 for an 8.00pm start. Meetings are free to members; visitors are welcome at indoor meetings for £3 per meeting. In the summer months indoor meetings give way to a programme of evening walks and visits.
LAST MEETING 07 Nov: We had a high attendance of 60 for Colin Osborne’s illuminating talk about his year as High Sheriff of Bedfordshire. Colin, from Sandy, was educated at Stratton School, was 25 years in the Fire Service, is a magistrate and has served as Mayor of Sandy and as a Town Councillor for some 40 years. During his year as High Sheriff he visited many schools and was often asked if he rode a horse by children whose experience of sheriffs was in westerns on TV! How many adults really know what a High Sheriff does? By the end of Colin’s talk we were much the wiser. After the Crown, the position of High Sheriff is the oldest secular office in the kingdom, dating back more than a thousand years to Saxon times. Originally known as Shire Reeves, they were powerful individuals with responsibility for upholding law and order in their county, for collecting taxes and raising a posse to pursue criminals. In the 19th century these powers were transferred to statutory bodies, such as the Inland Revenue and the Police and Prison Services. Sheriffs are non-political and are appointed by the Crown for a term of one year. Colin’s term of office was 2014-15 and our current High Sheriff is Charles Whitbread of Southill. In all there are 55 High Sheriffs in England and Wales, one for each county. The post is unpaid and self-funding and, therefore, does not involve any cost to the public purse, even for expenses. The responsibilities of a High Sheriff today are to attend royal visits to the county, to give support to the judiciary and the courts and, broadly, to support anything going on in the county. In effect, this requires availability for 365 days in the year, so is quite a commitment. Colin and his wife had more than 300 engagements during his year. The court dress of a High Sheriff, worn for all engagements, has changed little since the 17th century. It consists of a black velvet tailcoat and waistcoat, a white shirt with lace cravat and cuffs, black velvet knee breeches, black stockings and black buckled shoes. The Sheriff may also wear a sword at his side and a cocked hat, which is optional.
PROGRAMME 14 Dec: (Wednesday) Members only Christmas Party at the |Conservative Club 09 Jan: ‘Potton’s Infamous Inhabitants of the Past’ – a talk by Peter Ibbett 06 Feb: ‘Bedfordshire Convicts Transported 17701870’ – a talk by Ken Griffin (‘Convict Ken’) 06 Mar: ‘Three Market Towns: B’wade, Sandy & Potton’ – out-takes from the 2009 film presented by Mike Fowler 03 Apr: Members only Annual General Meeting 08 May: ‘Amy Johnson’ – a talk by Roy Smart about the renowned aviator 05 Jun: Members only visit to the village of Dunton hosted by Janice and John of the March Hare 03 Jul: Members only guided walk in Tempsford Church End led by local historian Steve Cooney The programme for the remainder of 2017 will be published at a later date.
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 23
History Society
Made in Biggleswade An enquiry in 1998 from the owner of a Berkeley Caravette prompted Ken Page to write this article about Berkeley Coachworks Ltd, a major employer in Biggleswade between 1946 and 1961. The article, based largely on reports found in the Biggleswade Chronicle, first appeared in the Biggleswade History Society Newsletter in December 1998, when Ken was the Editor. He is now Life President of the Society. The photograph, taken in July 2013, shows a 1959 Berkeley car displayed on Biggleswade Market Square after a rally of the Berkeley Enthusiasts Club in memory of Ian Mantle.
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HRAGER Brothers, who manufactured high class furniture, moved out from Edmonton in London to Old Warden Aerodrome in wartime 1941 to repair light aircraft for the government. The last aircraft to be repaired, a Percival Proctor, was completed in 1946. At the same time they built the first Berkeley caravan in Richard Shuttleworth’s old No 1 hangar. Shragers moved to the old Pobjoy factory in Hitchin Street, Biggleswade and on 3 January 1947 formed a separate company to manufacture caravans. Shrager Bros continued to make furniture at Edmonton and Aycliffe in County Durham. The directors of Berkeley Coachworks Ltd consisted of three Shrager brothers, with Charles Panter as Managing Director. The 100th caravan was completed on 21 November 1947. Caravan manufacture was seasonal and they contracted to overhaul buses for the London Passenger Transport Board. The contract ran from November 1947 to April 1949. Berkeley Coachworks prospered and by 1949 employed nearly 500 men and women producing 60 caravans per week, with onefifth of production going for export. In February 1950 they were making 70 caravans a week, soon to increase to 80, and Charles Panter announced that they were the largest caravan manufacturer in the world. A spark from a pile of burning scrap wood set fire to stacks of timber in July 1951 and over 650 workers downed tools to fight it. This led to a short term redundancy of 150 workers. The factory suffered a more serious fire on 4 September 1952. The fire quickly spread and many workers had to run for their lives, but no-one was seriously injured. Half the factory, the stores and offices were gutted. But within four days an improvised assembly line was set up and they were soon back in production. Eight types of caravan were being produced in October 1954 and their facilities
and fittings had improved since the earlier models. The factory was entirely rebuilt, with a workforce of 350. Caravan trade was still seasonal and to offset this, the first Berkeley car, the 328, was announced to the press on 11 September 1956. It was designed by Lawrence Bond of Bond Mini-car fame. A new 492cc Excelsior engine was fitted in October 1957 for the 500 model. Early in 1958 they were producing 50 cars a week. A 100mph car with a Royal Enfield 692cc engine was introduced in 1959. There was also a three-wheeler with an Excelsior 328cc engine. Everything appeared to be going well in 1959, but there were short-term redundancies when Berkeley was changing models of both cars and caravans. Another new model, the Bandit, appeared in October 1960 but cash flow problems surfaced soon afterwards. On Wednesday, 7 December 1960 redundancy notices were given to 90 workers. Two days later, 350 workers were given two hours’ notice and lost their jobs. Charles Panter, the Managing Director, announced to the whole labour force in the canteen that the company had come to the end of the line and could not continue. Only key workers remained and on the following Monday a meeting of creditors was convened to be held in London on 19 December. A Northern firm, East Lancashire Plastics Ltd, showed interest in taking over the company but this did not materialise and Berkeley Coachworks was wound up at a creditors’ meeting in January 1961. After payment of preferential creditors £18,291 was left for unsecured creditors, to whom was owed
£331,228. The 75,500 square feet factory and 10 acres of land were sold by auction on Tuesday, 30 May 1961 at The London Auction Mart to Abbot Bros. Here are some details of Berkeley models:
1946 Berkeley Carapartment, length 17ft 6in; 1947 Berkeley Baronet, and the Caravette, designed to be towed by a motorcycle; 1948 Ambassador, length 25ft: 1950 Deputy, convertible as a garage; 1952 Messenger; 1953 Europa, all steel; 1954 Argosy, and the Governor General, length 34ft, also the Domecile; 1955 the 11/14, plastic glass fibre, length 16ft.
CARAVANS
1956 328 sports car with glass fibre body and front wheel drive. Weight 5.5cwt. Engine, British Anzani two-stroke 322cc. Top speed 70mph. 1957 500 sports car with Excelsior three cylinder 492cc engine. Top speed 80mph. 1959 Three models in the 95 range, with Royal Enfield 692cc engine and top speed 100mph. 1959 A three-wheeler with 328cc Excelsior engine was added to the range. 1,700 were sold. 1960 The final model was the Berkeley Bandit with a Ford 105e engine similar to the later Ford Anglia. Only two of these were completed. Illustrations for this article may be found in the Society’s publications, Old Biggleswade volume 4 (pictures 121-124) and volume 5 (pictures 126-134).
CARS
For further information contact: Jane Dale 01767 650340, editor@biggleswadehistory.org.uk www.biggleswadehistory.org.uk
24 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
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Sea Cadet band take part in Belgium ceremony
DURING the half term week the Band Master, PO Scott Kimberley arranged for 16 sea cadets from T.S. Duchess to travel to Belgium with four other adult instructors. On Monday 24th October 2016 the cadets took part as the participant band in the evening sunset ceremony that takes place every evening at the Menin Gate, Ypres at 20:00. It was a great honour to be permitted by the Last Post Association that organises the ceremony and one that the cadets will not forget. A wreath was laid by one of the instructors and the Drum Major AB C. Niven , the band played Amazing Grace and High on the Hill whilst this and other wreaths were laid. The band’s tour took place over five days and took in a visit to In the Flanders Field Museum, as well as band performances in the town square in front of the museum in Ypres. This attracted a significant crowd and many good comments from those that saw it. The next day the band went on to perform their ‘competition’ display in the main square of Bruges, after receiving special permission to do so when arranging the tour, and a very large crowd assembled to watch which was three to four deep around the band’s performance area. Fortunately this was ably ‘policed’ by parents that made up the support team that had also travelled to Belgium, as it must have num- Band practise, which is normally bered nearly 400. on a Thursday evening was also The band stayed in a youth hos- still completed much to the entertel in Kortrijt, however the ‘tradi- tainment of the other hostel guests tion’ of rounds in the mornings which included a group of young was kept up with PO Kimberley Belgium school children. carrying out the room inspections. There was a band free day on
the Thursday which included a visit to a leisure swimming pool as well as games of football and bowls on a nearby beach before returning home to Biggleswade on the Friday. A fantastic week was enjoyed
by all the cadets who went and who were able to take part in a significant event at the Gate, two other public performances as well as experience another culture and country whilst having serious fun.
Dashing around London in Monopoly challenge
GIRLGUIDING Bedfordshire celebrated their centenary with a reality Monopoly Challenge – the game was played on the biggest board of them all – London. To mark the 100 year anniversary of the Girlguiding Senior Section young women from across Bedfordshire took part in a dash around London to see who could be the team to win on the biggest Monopoly Board of them all. Devised by Moira Ledbetter, a Brownie Leader from Bedford, the game saw over 100 girls and young women from across the region take part in the event which was held in October.
The teams were given seven hours to complete their mission of reaching all the Monopoly stops across the capital, taking photos of the locations in order to ‘buy’ them. Time was of the essence as the teams raced to the locations to try and ensure they were there first to arrive in order to snap up the streets. Moira said: “It was a huge task to organise but we had an amazing weekend. The teams rose to the challenge whizzing around London and taking snaps of everything from a policeman to a small dog’. Moria added, ‘The HQ was
at Pax Lodge one of the five Girlguiding World Centres so it made the event even more special.” Emma Bowley said: “We had a brilliant time playing reality Monopoly. I’ve had so many opportunities thanks to the Senior Section such as traveling abroad
and becoming a Young Leader and this was a brilliant way to celebrate the 100th birthday.” The Senior Section enables girls and young women to be involved with Girlguiding in a flexible way, with each young woman choosing her own level of commitment
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 25
26 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
sport
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FOOTBALL – BY MICHAEL DRAXLER
Waders have assembled a great squad
A
MERTHYR TOWN .................1 BIGGLESWADE TOWN .......0
VERY moving start to the proceedings with a small memorial service to the 144 people who died in the Aberfan disaster of 1966. Biggleswade Town were proud to be part of this and captain Craig Daniel laid a wreath in the centre circle. Nearly 500 observed the minutes silence. A very moving tribute. The football was fascinating as the Waders took the game to the home side, and it was a serious shock when a mistake on the right wing gave Merthyr an unexpected lead scored by Kayne Mcloggan on 22 minutes. Up until that point and beyond the boys in green had dominated the match. Hoyte hit the bar again with a powerful header in the second period. Parker and Effiong both went close with good strong runs into the box. But, near means nothing when you can’t get the ball between the sticks, Waders going through a patch of so near yet so far away. The home crowd were a delight and despite the near nine hour journey there and back, the experience was fun even though three points eluded us yet again.
FA TROPHY 1ST QUALIFYING ROUND BIGGLESWADE TOWN........1 WITHAM TOWN ....................0 October 29
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ETTING home after the match my wife, no interest in football, enquired as to how the Waders went this afternoon. We won but it was tough, only one goal in it and that was an own goal I retorted. Well you won and you didn’t even have the bother of scoring, she replied. Started me thinking not all games can be Roy of the Rovers and the previous week we played Merthyr Town off the park and lost. This was a typical cup tie each team feeling its way getting the measure and one has to accept that our better players, fortunately were playing in the back line to resist the fast running skills of Witham attack. Russell and Big Gav did tremendous ably assisted by Callum Lewis and Lucas Perry. The front of the team struggled, most having a bad day at the office. 18 gone saw an injury to Ian Rees to be replaced by fast running Junior Lucan but not even he could get space in a well organised Witham defence.
The only goal of the game came 26 in, Inih Effiong running with Witham’s Pat Ahern. Somehow as they approached the goal Ahern got his toe to the ball and left the keeper stranded giving the Waders a lead. Witham were certainly lively with Monsheju, Adeniji and Ryan Charles all having opportunities. The second period was not much better with both sides having their fair share of attempts, Craig Daniel misfired twice in as many minutes, when on another day, buried would have been the word I would use.
I
BIGGLESWADE TOWN .......2 DUNSTABLE TOWN .............2 November 5
T CERTAINLY was a chilly one when Dunstable, a definite bogey side for the Waders, arrived at the Langford Road. Not having beaten Dunstable since their return to the premier league several seasons back. It all started very sterile as both teams needed that extra time to warm up and get into the contest. 8 minutes in before Craig Daniel tried his luck with a shot that went wide of the mark. Another 7 before Connor Hall followed Daniel’s previous path, to leave the scoreboard untroubled. At the other end Dunstable were battling the cold but working with the wind which no doubt assisted Vences Bola as his snap shot avoided all to nestle into the corner of the net on 20. Biggleswade upped the pace with 6 minutes later a through ball by Hall found Tony Burnett who was strong enough to hold off the defenders and plant the ball firmly passed the advancing Smith between the sticks for Dunstable and unaware of the influence he would have later in the game. Burnett used all his magic picking the ball up just inside Dunstable territory his jinking run brought loud applause as he put the Waders in front on 39. Looking likely to go in with the tails up, the sting came as Bola again deceived the defence to get a ball through to Moussi who had no trouble from close range. All square at the break. Oh how the game changed in the second period. Waders dominated Dunstable only one man resisting the onslaught, Jack Smith between the posts. Smith must have played the game of his life. His save from an Effiong header was beyond belief but minutes later a Craig Daniel special was palmed back to Effiong with Smith somehow recovering his feet to
deny the striker yet again. Most tried but Smith was not to be beaten again, Dunstable counting themselves lucky to walk away with a point when on the play the Waders should have been out of sight. It certainly was a quick 45 with the time passing rapidly, entertaining the crowd oblivious to the cold with a warming display from the boys in green.
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HITCHIN TOWN ....................3 BIGGLESWADE TOWN .......2 November 12
FAIL to understand yet another defeat to local rivals Hitchin in the FA Trophy replay. For those not wearing yellow the better football was played by the boys in red. An aggressive forward line of Burnett, Lucan and Rhys Hoenes were playing all the tricks and keeping the ball very much in the Hitchin half of the pitch. Yet we still went in at the break a goal to the bad from Lucas Kirkpatrick left free at the far post to take the simplest of chances. After the break the damage was doubled within minutes of the re-start by Robbie Burns again left free at the far post. Waders upped the game and pressed and like every good story halved the lead from a Connor Hall penalty. Roll your sleeves up boys but within 5, a mistake again at the back left Robbie Burns all the time in the world to beat our man Brown. It looked all over as Key and Lucan were replaced by Effiong and Patrick. Pushing forward Tony Burnett got another back on 85 and the Waders pressed on while Hitchin were playing keep ball. It was not to be and Hitchin proved once again to be one of our bogey sides. In my time at the Langford Road I can only recall beating them once and that was away in a minor cup game.
T
BIGGLESWADE TOWN .......6 CIRENCESTER TOWN.........0 November 19
HE team made it easier to write about the afternoon’s events fulfilling the promise shown in recent weeks. We have been the better team in the past few matches but just not had that edge to put the ball away. Cirencester were the unlucky team and perhaps did not deserve the bashing they were given. Had it not been for their keeper Gill Raajan double figures would have easily been obtained. It took a few minutes to warm on a
cool afternoon but once the boys in green started the magic just flowed. Burnett as early as 10 was putting in the first shot for the keeper to palm away. Captain Daniel tried his luck from distance with a couple of power blasts. Inih Effiong had a header saved by Raajan one handed high to his right. Twenty in and a game of head ping pong with Effiong, Hoyte and finally Burnett getting the final touch for a scrappy goal just wrestled over the line. Rhys Hoenes a recent addition to the squad has shown his quality and pace none more so than in minute 34 as his run down the left flank leaving all floundering as he cut into the box. Rhys is desperate to score and as the ball ran off his toe Burnett was on hand to convert for a 2-0 scoreline at the break. Back out into the cold Cirencester showed new resolve and determined not to go away empty handed, pressed forward. Their final assaults amounting to no clear chances created as Russell Short, Gavin Hoyte, Callum Lewis and Lucas Perry kept the our miserly defence tight and in command. At the other end Effiong was having a similar frustration as Raajan denied three great chances with outstanding saves. Connor Hall not to be denied powered a header goalwards to be thwarted yet again by the flying Raajan, tipping over with the ball just under the bar. It took fully 20 in the second period for the floodgates to open, scoring 4 in the last twenty-five minutes. Effiong opened his account with a trademark run down the right, cut in and let fly an unstoppable shot to bulge the net. Effiong again a few minutes later but again denied by the man in yellow. Hoenes, trouble all afternoon for the Cirencester defence found his way to the goal line and was upended. The resulting penalty given to Burnett to complete a well deserved hattrick on 78. Hoenes again on 81 provided a peach of a cross as Hall ran and volleyed deep into the corner. Burnett not done yet scored his best of the afternoon as his curled shot from the edge of the area defeated all. This was a great team performance and when you look deeply into the personnel each has a part to play. Each week the defence keeps the goals against to a minimum Short, Hoyte, Lewis and Perry all quietly going about their business. The guys in the midfield and up top come in for all the attention. A great squad has been assembled and whilst we wont get a
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DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 27
MOTOR RACING
Ben Tuck celebrates another win in finale!
hatful every week, entertainment is the order of the day and we have been treated royally over the past few weeks. Up the Waders
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KINGS LANGLEY.........................4 BIGGLESWADE TOWN ..............5 ITH a couple of enforced changes Biggleswade were down to the bare bones but it all started well with Junior Lucan netting from distance after 5 minutes. Biggleswade were the team for 25 minutes as Langley struggled with the pace of our forward line. A free kick wide left on 28 saw ex-wader David Hutton place the ball at the far post and an unlucky Our Man did his best, with the ball loose Steve Ward got his toe in and equalised. Lifted by this Langley gained in confidence and a very similar free kick again taken by Hutton found Jamie Calvin beating everybody to the ball and a glancing header to give Langley the edge. The boys in green showed promise but could not deliver. Manager Nunn's team talk usually motivates the boys but within three minutes Langley had gone further ahead through Duku as he broke the defence and placed his shot wide of our man Brown. This certainly shook the Waders and momentum increased with our goal scoring machine Inih Effiong spinning 180 in the box to make it 3-2 and give hope to the travelling faithful. In the time it took me to write down the details of the Effiong goal, Tony "the magician" Burnett was again up the Langley end firing in a Hoenes cross to level the score. Opportunities fell to wader after wader as Langley fell into disarray. On 70 Biggleswade went ahead. Hoenes lined up a free kick just outside the box, His free kick went up and around and hit the back of the net with ease. Hoenes was so pleased and we in the stands with him. at 3-4 there was still 20 minutes and green elation only lasted till the 78th minute when a snap shot from Dean Hitchcock caught all napping to creep inside the post. A point away to Langley, we will take that but the boys on the pitch wanted to win and so with Hoenes, Burnett, Lucan and Effiong tormenting the Langley defence it seemed inevitable. 81 and Hoenes is felled in the box, no hesitation from referee Bates. Up steps Inih, no pressure and calm as you like sends the keeper the wrong way to make 4-5.
BEN Tuck concluded his debut Caterham season in style by taking another win and another second place, totalling five podiums from the last five races and bring his season tally to two wins, three second places, two fastest laps and the Caterham Supersport lap record for Croft, placing himself at number three on the list of only four different drivers to win a race this year. After dominating the previous rounds at Oulton Park and Croft, Ben arrived at Donington ready to finish on a high. However, qualifying was to throw one last challenge. After blistering pace in Friday practice where he was fastest in three of the four sessions, qualifying saw his car down on power, resulting in a disappointing tenth position on the grid and leaving a challenge to catch the leaders before they broke away. The team from PT Motorsports worked all out before tracing the issue to a fuel problem in time to make the fix and roll out to the grid for Race 1. At lights out Ben set about redressing the score sheet, leaping forward and finding the top three by lap 2. He drove a measured race working the tow with the other drivers until he made his move for the lead 5 laps from the flag, skilfully overtaking back markers to maximise a gap between him and the following pack. From there his second Caterham win was in the bag. "It was another great race, the car was back to where we wanted and it was great to be able to bring home some more silverware for our sponsors and partners" Ben said after the race. "I was really comfortable with the car and it’s great to race with these boys as there is a good amount of trust between us all and it was nice and clean." Race 2 kicked off on a very wet Sunday morning, when Ben set out on his first Caterham Pole. After a busy first lap, Ben held third as they slid around the greasy East Midlands circuit. As the leader broke away, Ben managed to break the tow from the chasing pack and extend the gap, never quite managing to reel in the leader. Sixteen super consistent laps later, Ben held second by 2.8 seconds to take his fifth podium in five races. After the race he commented: "I like the wet and the car was good so I was confident of at least a podium. It was a fun race and we had a great car but I just couldn’t close the gap the lead, but it’s a great way to finish 2016". Ben’s performance was particularly well received
as it was achieved in front of many of his main partners and sponsors. "Without them all we wouldn’t have been able to do this" said Ben. "It’s great to have had Park Plaza, Aviamics, Saturn, Trafalgar, Air Research, Goldstar Onboard and Power Maxed with us on this". "The PT Motorsports team have also been fantastic, these guys work so hard and it’s also for them that I want to do well" Ben continued. The results are particularly important as Ben explores options for next year, having already tested a Ginetta G40 GT5 spec car with Optimum and raced with Peter Gwynne Motorsport in the Swift Sport Rally Cross Championship. Ben is already focused on his 2017 campaign. “Whatever we do I’ll be going all out to win!" Ben commented.
28 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
out & about ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, DUNTON
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BIGGLESWADE WALK FOR HEALTH
Two Regular Weekly Walks 40-90 minutes Plus one for those who wish to go further Wednesdays at 10.00am Walking with John and his team Meeting at Dan Albone Car Park, Shortmead Street, Biggleswade (With stop for tea & coffee after the walk) Thursdays at 10.00am Walking with Rosario and his team Meeting Outside Stratton School Gates, Biggleswade JUST TURN UP For those looking to do more: Tuesday at 2.00pm A Medium to Fast Walk of 1.5 – 2hrs Ring Janette for details For further details please contact: Janette Sibley: Tel: 0777 154 0117 E-mail: janette@sibley.me.uk Mike Fayers, Bedfordshire Health Walks Manager, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Tel: 01234 832619 E-mail: mikef@bedsrcc.org.uk, The Old School, Cardington, Beds. MK44 3SX
–––––––––––––––––––––––– THE IVEL BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT CENTRE HAS A LOVED ONE DIED? Perhaps we can help you at our drop-in centre at:
The Community Rooms, Baptist church, 24 London Road, Biggleswade SG18 8EB Wednesdays 10am – 12 noon
CHRISTMAS FAYRE
This year’s Christmas Fayre will be held on Sunday 11th December from 1100 onwards.
East Beds Concert Band Christmas Concert Stratton Upper School, Biggleswade 6.30pm Saturday 3rd December
As usual, the band will play a wide range of different types of music, so there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy, from The Nutcracker Suite to Thundercrest with some Christmas tunes and carols in the mix. Ably supporting the concert band will be the award winning East Beds Youth Choir. Best of all, there will be mulled wine and mince pies amongst the available refreshments! Tickets available on the door £8/conc£5/Family ticket £18
(PS An email has been sent to Lapland; we are awaiting a response from Father Christmas who, we hope, will grace us with his presence once again this year.) The East Beds Concert Band is a community wind band for all ages. They rehearse once a week during school term times, with three concerts a year in different locations. The band plays all types of music from arrangements of show tunes e.g. Cats, West Side Story, to film music e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, James Bond, to Big Band music, through to some classical pieces by Bach and Mozart. The band rehearses at Stratton Upper School, Biggleswade on Monday evenings from 7.15pm to 9.15pm and new members are always welcome.
Telephone: Carole or Jill on 07704 734225 for more information. • A place of friendship, compassion and understanding. • Fully trained bereavement support volunteers are always on hand to listen while you talk through your grief. • Somewhere to meet others coping with bereavement issues. • Come and make new friends – A warm welcome awaits you.
CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT Saturday 10th December at 7.30pm Kempston East Methodist Church Kempston Musical Society and guests from Goldington Green Academy School Choir present a programme of festive music in a Christmas Carol Concert. Tickets - £7.50 available on the door. For further information please call Janet 01234 781010.
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Founded in 2014 by residents of Sandy and surrounding areas, we are a group of keen astronomers of all abilities. We meet on the first Thursday of every month at Mamas Coffee Shop (High Street, Sandy) and have regular viewing sessions on the grounds of Sandye Place Academy. You don’t need to own a telescope to join in. Club members are always willing to share their equipment and expertise, and if you become a member our club telescopes are available for hire for a small fee. Wrap up warm and we’ll see you there!
CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
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SANDY ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
–––––––––––––––––––––––– BIGGLESWADE AND SURROUNDING VILLAGES We are a group for Cancer patients their families and friends. A place to meet others and share mutual support. Come and have a chat, a cup of tea or coffee in a friendly, informal confidential environment. We look forward to meeting you. every first and third Thursday of the month. The Community Rooms, Baptist Church 24, London Road, Biggleswade SG18 8EB 1pm - 3pm Telephone, Secretary Amanda 01767 313662 or Gina 07812796581 csgbiggleswade@gmail.com FB. Cancer Support Group Biggleswade.
There will be something for all the family to enjoy and have fun. There will be a variety of gift stalls, games and a raffle with a wide range of prizes. As ever, there will be a large selection of homemade cakes to buy. In addition there will be drinks, mince pies, sausage rolls and delicious homemade soups and bread. There will also be a special visit from Santa and his Elf! At 1230pm we are delighted to welcome Dunton’s own ‘Singtastics’ who will perform a selection of Christmas songs. All proceeds go to the upkeep and maintenance of the church. We do hope that you will be able to join us. Entrance is free.
Did you know you can have your leaflet delivered with the Bulletin? Reach over 12,000 homes in Sandy and Biggleswade with your leaflet. We also provide a full design and print service. Call Martin on 07894 935952 for more details
WARDEN ABBEY VINEYARD
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CHRISTMAS WINE SALE 11am-4pm Sunday 11th December at the Stable Yard, Southill Park, Southill SG18 9LJ Free tasting, mince pies (while stocks last!), free entry and parking. Cash/cheques only please. www.wardenvineyard.org.uk
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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com
DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 29
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BIGGLESWADE CARNIVAL
Biggleswade Carnival parade day for next year is Saturday 24th June 2017 and the theme is Nursery rhymes, Application forms will be available from January 2017.For further information contact 07810647749.
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CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 3rd-4th December St Swithun’s Parish Church, Sandy Dozens of glittering trees displayed by the community Music and refreshments on both afternoons. The ST SWITHUN’S SINGERS will perform at 2pm Saturday. For more details contact Corinne Hetherington 01767 68135 SANDY FLOWER CLUB Saturday 3rd December
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CHRISTMAS DEMONSTRATION
by Jo Poulter from Peterborough. Jo runs her own florist shop in Peterborough called ‘Bespoke Buds’. Starts at 2.30pm – Sandey Place Academy – Tickets £10 in advance or on the door – There will be a raffle and tea/coffee and cake For more information please call: Sue Alexander: Tel. 01767 699729 or email: sue.e.alexander2@gmail.com
TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH Shortmead Street Biggleswade Sunday 4th December 10.30am Rev. Peter Byass 4pm Methodist Women in Britain Advent Service 6pm Circuit Youth Service Sunday 11th December 9.30am Rev. Peter Byass. Communion service 10.30am Gift Service (Gifts will be collected for Woman’s Refuge in Bedford. Sunday 18th December 10.30am Mrs. Liz Little 6pm Carol Service Rev. Peter Byass Saturday 24th December Christmas Eve meet at 10.45pm for coffee, mince pies followed at 11.15pm by a communion service Rev. Richard Barrett Sunday 25th December 10.00am (note earlier time) Christmas Family Worship. Rev. Peter Byass
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TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS
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Children – Adults Seniors experienced Players ALL WELCOME Jack: 01767 692242
www.biggleswadetennis.co.uk
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Footsteps School of Dancing Ballroom/Latin, Modern Sequence & Modern Line
Courses & Classes running in Stevenage Monday Evening Biggleswade - Tuesday Evening Letchworth - Wednesday Evening Letchworth - Thursday Morning Letchworth - Friday Morning & Afternoon For prices and to sign up go to WWW.footstepsschoolofdancing.co.uk or call Nigel or Deborah on 01462-673895
WWW.footstepsschoolofdancing.co.uk Nigel@footstepsschoolofdancing.co.uk Telephone 01462-673895 or 07713577413
30 — BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
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SANDY WALKS 4 HEALTH
Sandy Walks 4 Health meet every Wednesday. These are free short walks of about an hour, with a trained walk leader. All welcome, no need to book; just turn up. Walks start at 10am, meeting in Sandy Market Place outside the opticians. For more information contact: Cathy 01767692182, or Jane Fryer 01767691455, or Mike Fayers (Health walks manager) 01234832619
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MAYFLOWER SOCIAL CLUB
We are a social club for the over 50’s and we are located at Charter House at St Andrews Church in Biggleswade. We meet every Wednesday and Fridays from 2pm – 4pm We have various activities including games, raffles, bingo and often have a speaker attend to share different topics with us. We also organise day trips out, Christmas dinner and much much more. We are a friendly group of all different ages, all are welcome and we are always looking for new members. There is an entrance fee of £1 per person. There is a bus service available in the Biggleswade area for a nominal fee of £1.00, which is a return journey. For any other information please call 01767 314652 and ask for Beryl or 01767 316711 and ask for Eileen. MUMS’ AND DADS’
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BUGGY FIT CL ASSES
Mondays, St Andrews Church (room attached to the side of the church) 1.30pm–2.30pm £2 per session A sociable friendly class for anyone wanting to exercise with or without their babies. The class offers mums and dads the opportunity to exercise with their buggy in a safe and inclusive environment. The class comprises of a warm up and cardiovascular exercise to energise and help improve fitness, body weight and light resistance work to help strengthen and tone, followed by a cool down element so you leave feeling ready to take on the world! Please contact the Physical Activity Team for more information at physical.activity@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
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SANDY TOWN BOWLING CLUB
welcomes new members young and the not so young of all abilities. SANDY VILLAGE HALL ENGAYNE AVENUE. Season starts May to September. We play many friendly games through the season mostly of which are mixed (male and female!) First year only membership is £10. match fees vary. For further information please visit www.sandytownbowlingclub.org.uk or contact Glen on 01234 870488
SANDY LEPROSY MISSION’S
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
with the Stotfold Salvation Army Band and other local groups Wednesday 7th December at 7pm St. Swithun’s Parish Church Tickets available from Colin Osborne (tel. 01767 682032) at £4 each.
–––––––––––––––––––––––– OLD SCHOOL ‘GOOD TIMES’ PRESENTS
I LOVE THE 80s & 90s Friday 16 December 2016. (9pm-1am). The White Hart, Biggleswade.
All the very best music from the 1980s and 1990s. At just £3 per ticket. All events, raising money for a Luke Newman, Reece Newman & Steve Newman’s trip to St. Trizah School in Nakuru, Kenya. Helping children living in the slums via teaching, playing, building and renovating. I’m (Luke) abseiling 110 feet down Jurys Inn Hotel in Derby! I’m not very good with heights, so this is a big deal for me! Unfortunately there isn’t any big buildings in Biggleswade, so I’m going to Derby instead! For more information on my trip, visit my page titled ‘Educate Everyone Everywhere’ via www.facebook.com/LNEEEAA If you feel that you could sponsor me, please visit www.bit.ly/LRSNAA.
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BADMINTON
We are a social mixed group who meet every Thursday night at Stratton School to play Badminton, from 8pm till 10pm in the Sports Hall, we are of mixed ability but most are of an intermediate standard To find out more please contact Alan on 07974187866 or Colin on 01767 317099
–––––––––––––––––––––––– We invite all stroke survivors & their carers to join our
IVEL STROKE CLUB Meetings are held at Stonecroft, St Swithins Way, Sandy on the third Monday of each month 7.30pm. Transport can be arranged. Speakers, outings & entertainment througout the year. Please contact 01767 680503 for further imformation.
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TABLE TENNIS
Tuesdays, Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre, Noon–1pm all equipment provided. £1.50 per session
WALKING FOOTBALL
Tuesdays, Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre 1.30pm-2.30pm £1.50 per session Please contact the Physical Activity Team for more information at physical.activity@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
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EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com
DECEMBER 2016 BULLETIN — 31