News from Pippin Pre School

The children will be par ticipating in some fun events this month when we suppor t World Book Day and Comic Relief

For World Book Day (2rd March) children are invited to come to Pre -School dressed as a character f rom their favourite book, we look for ward to seeing the children (and staff ) in their chosen ou tf its! Comic Relief day is on the 17th March, the children will be encouraged to come to Pre -School wearing something red and par ticipate in different activities throughou t the day. We will be hosting a cake sale f rom 3pm on this day too.

During March, the children will be learning abou t baby animals and will have the oppor tunity to watch ducklings hatch in the week leading up to Easter This is a ver y exciting time for the children, they choose the ducklings names, hold them and watch them swim The ducklings then leave us and relocate to a small holding in Ro yston

Each month the children learn abou t a different countr y, including tr ying their traditional cuisine, learning abou t their culture and beliefs This month they are learning abou t the British Isles, f rom tr ying welsh cakes and cucumber sandwiches, to folk dancing and joining in highland games.

Our holiday club will be open the f irst week o f the Easter holidays f rom Monday 3rd April to Thursday 6th April inclusive. We charge £40 per day, doors open 7.45-18.00. Our booking system will be open f rom 1st March. Please direct any queries to the o ff ice info@pippinpreschool.co.uk.

Thank you for your interest in our Pre -School. We look for ward to sharing more o f our news with you again next month

Stotfold Town Council

The Greenacre Centre

Valerian Way, Stotfold

Hitchin, Herts, SG5 4HG

Telephone number: 01462 730064

Email address: enquiries@stotfoldtowncouncil.gov.uk

Website: www.stotfoldtowncouncil.gov.uk

Opening hours: 10am to 4pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri CLOSED WEDNESDAYS

Scheduled Meetings

Please see our website for details of upcoming council and committee meetings www.stotfoldtowncouncil.gov.uk

WHO DOES WHAT?

In our local area, we have two levels of local authority Stotfold Town Council (at parish level) and Central Bedfordshire Council (at county level) unitary authority. Both are responsible for different things. These are examples of just some of the responsibilities for each council:

Stotfold Town Council

Cemetery, Public Open Spaces & Play Areas

Bus shelters, Town Council owned street lights, litter bins, benches

Community Centres, i.e. Memorial Hall

Public conveniences Brook Street & Arlesey Road

Shoppers car park Brook Street/High Street

Allotments Norton Road & Common Road (on behalf of local charity)

Grants to community organisations

Maintenance of Town Council owned public open spaces/recreation grounds

Maintenance of highway verges on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council

Christmas Lights displays

Central Bedfordshire Council

Education & Other

Planning & Economic Regeneration

Trading standards

Council Tax collection

Highways, Public Rights of Way, street lights

Waste collection, recycling centres

Pest control, fly-tipping, street cleaning

Business rates, licensing, food hygiene

Housing policy & social housing

Community Safety to find out more, visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call Central Bedfordshire Council on 0300 300 8300, and www.stotfoldtowncouncil.gov.uk 01462 730064.

Meet Your Town Councillor

This article is a chance for residents to learn more about the people who represent you at the local level, your Town Councillors. This month, we hear from Councillor Brian Collier.

By the time of the 2023 elections, I will have been on Stotfold Town Council for 32 years. For the 25 years between 1997 and 2022, I was elected annually by the Councillors to be either the Mayor or Deputy Mayor: but how did it all begin?

We moved to Stotfold in 1980 and from then to 1992, at various times I was active in: the Stotfold Carnival, a local Club, a Governor of Roecroft Lower School, and Stotfold Mill (after the fire). Some of these continued further. It is useful for Town Councillors to have been active in the community.

There are two ways to become a Councillor: stand for election every 4 years, or fill a Casual Vacancy between the elections. The Town Council is a non-political council and the Councillors are not paid. It is a form of voluntary work.

I first stood for election in the 1989 County Council elections and was not elected this happens, dust yourself off and try again. In this year, the then Town Clerk, Ron Watkins retired, later a Councillor resigned leading to Casual Vacancy. I put myself forward, as did Ron, and he won.