Arlesey News Magazine June 2023

A d v e r t i s e y o u r b u s i n e s s h e r e f o r

A d v e r t i s e y o u r b u s i n e s s h e r e f o r

j u s t £ 3 0 p e r y e a r ! j u s t £ 3 0 p e r y e a r !

S i m p l y d r o p u s a l i n e t o : S i m p l y d r o p u s a l i n e t o : a r l e s e y. n e w s @ y a h o o . c o m a r l e s e y. n e w s @ y a h o o . c o m

A n d w e ’ l l d o t h e r e s t ! A n d w e ’ l l d o t h e r e s t !

I t ’ s e a s y t o c o n t r i b u t e o r a d v e r t i s e

I t ’ s e a s y t o c o n t r i b u t e o r a d v e r t i s e i n t h e A r l e s e y N e w s M a g a z i n e ! i n t h e A r l e s e y N e w s M a g a z i n e !

W e a l w a y s w e l c o m e y o u r n e w s ,

W e a l w a y s w e l c o m e y o u r n e w s , v i e w s a n d i n p u t v i e w s a n d i n p u t

W h y n o t g i v e u s a

W h y n o t g i v e u s a

c a l l ? 0 1 4 6 2 7 3 1 9 8 6

c a l l ? 0 1 4 6 2 7 3 1 9 8 6

Welcome to June!

As we write this we have just enjo yed some (rather soggy) Coronation celebrations which, despite the rain we thoroughly enjo yed Unfor tunately British weather is no t the most predictable o f things, yet it seems the day was celebrated and enjo yed by all

Congratulations to Arlesey Community Events for ‘carr ying on regardless’ and sho wing some great british spirit with their Coronation event held on the recreational ground

Inside our June issue you will see we are welcoming yet ano ther new feature to our monthly magazine - this time, an update f rom Gordon at The Need project Many o f you will be familiar with Gordon bu t maybe no t with all o f the wonder ful work he and his team do at the project which has it’s base in Sto tfold The regular update intends to widen our kno wledge on the project and perhaps sho w you ways in which you may want to ge involved going for ward. Thank you Gordon for your truly wonder ful work and for pro viding us with such a thorough insight

Thank you to Geo ff Page for allo wing us to borro w the lo vely bu tter fly picture you will see on our f ront co ver this month, it’s just beau tiful!

We welcome ano ther deliver y volunteer to our team this month which is incredible We are so proud o f our deliver y helpers who, come rain or shine continue to help us to deliver your magazine through your door each month

THANK YOU to all o f our volunteers for the fabulous help you give to us!

Until next time..

Joanne

Local News Round Up

Fantastic Results For Twirlers

Sto tfold Twirlers along with their 2 Bellettes members have just returned f rom Nationals and Selections with fantastic results. The team o f 6 members picked up 6 National Champion titles along with 15 o ther top 7 placings.

Nationals champions are Grace Endersby, Rheanna Bo wles and Evie Eldridge with Mila Crook picking up a Champion title. Other members who attended are Phoebe Elley and Layla Stafford. Grace also won the Overall Junior 2 title and the Audrey O’Neill scholarship, an achievement she had dreamt o f winning.

Mila, Grace and Rheanna also competed in selections for Europeans with Mila getting Senior Freestyle, Grace getting pair and bo th Grace and Rheanna getting team places Europeans is in France this July

Baton Twirling is all self funded, we are holding a fundraising event on Friday 9th June to raise money to help these athletes pursue their dreams If anyone would like to come along or help in pro viding sponsorship for them, please email as belo w

These athletes work so hard work week on week and travel around the countr y competing in the spor t. If there is anyone interested in joining the club, email Sonia.crook@ho tmail.com for details.

Foo tball Club Needs Your Help!

Arlesey To wn Foo tball Club are looking for local residents to get involved in a number o f roles at the foo tball club. Mainly assisting with match days bu t also for various o ther roles around the club

If you are interested in getting involved in your local foo tball club please contact our Club Secretar y, Chris Sterr y, on info@arlesey to wnfc co uk

Whether it is just for a couple o f hours a week or a whole match day, YOUR local club NEEDS you, so please get in touch.

Sometimes Dreams Really Do Come True!

Gifford Dance At Disney

After many months o f preparation and practice, dancers f rom Gifford Dance Academy f inally go t to per form on stage at Disneyland Paris in April This was actually the second time that GDA have per formed for Disney, bu t for most o f the dancers it was a once in a lifetime oppor tunity and cer tainly never to be forgo tten!

Cheered on by their families (100 people went on the trip altogether) the dancers pulled o ff four spectacular rou tines in a variety o f genres, in f ront o f a large and excited audience There was no t a dr y eye in the house by the end

After concerns o ver delays at Do ver por t, ever yone was so pleased that the dancers had their ver y special moment to shine and they really did themselves proud, so much so that the Disney coordinators said the group were absolu tely ou tstanding and asked them to return again ver y soon!

Girls Raise Hundreds For Charity W ith Their Hair!

Scarlett and Harmony lo ve to fundraise, they were born at 29 weeks and spent lo ts o f time in hospital so like to give back to those who helped them. They had been asking for ages to cu t their hair shor t so once they were sho wn the Little Princess Trust website, they instantly wanted to donate their hair.

The Go thic Mede pupils have raised hundreds for charity previously, including £642 for Bliss, £590 for Lister's pediatric depar tment, £170 for Sepsis UK and no w £295 for the Little Princess Trust

The girls had a hairdresser f riend come to the house to cu t their hair after school on Wednesday 3rd May We think they are absolu teky amazing!! Well done girls!

Welcome to our NEW monthly update from Sto tfold based Need Project:

NEW - Update from the Need Project

On Wednesday we are in Shefford at the Methodist Church f rom 9 to 11am We are also in Sandy on a Tuesday f rom 11am to 12 30pm

Presently we are looking to locate a larger, more permanent home. We would like to stay local to Sto tfold and have found a place that we could run our project f rom, which could also be a great community space for the to wn o f Sto tfold. For this reason, we have star ted a separate building fund and need an additional £500,000, to fund this.

If you have any f irst-hand experience o f fundraising on this scale, or kno w anyone who does, we would appreciate a conversation to give us some advice Please call Gordon on 07496 833940 If you can help

Statistics:

*1370 parcels o ver the last two months

*331 top- up-bags collected f rom our Pop- up sites in April

*£90,000 the estimated value o f food for the last 2 months

*£6,602 50 the average monthly cost to run the charity (Rent, Insurance, Fuel, Van, Staff related expenses)

This month, with your help we have managed to make a difference to 903 adults, 42 pensioners and 733 children

The amount o f food parcels delivered has increase by 26% on the same time last year - On top o f this, we have helped ano ther 1,031 people with our top- up-bags

The main headquar ters for the project is in Sto tfold as you will all kno w We do ho wever also have o ther hubs throughou t Central Bedfordshire Ou t o f this small shop f ront, we help Central Bedfordshire to the value o f o ver £500,000 a year (roughly 600-700 parcels a month). This includes our volunteer labour o f 57 people and 291 man hours ever y week!

We give away on average, food to the value o f £50,000 per month. We work strictly via a referral system and work alongside Central Bedfordshire Council, Nor th Her ts Council, Housing Associations, Schools, Doctors, Probation Ser vices, Homeless Charities, Pathway to Reco ver y and Hospitals. We also work closely with Feed Up Warm Up. On top o f this, we also give away ‘best before’ food, averaging o ver £3,300 per month We give away the ‘best before’ in Sto tfold on Mondays (no t including Bank Holidays), Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 11am and 12 30pm

If you would like to visit our centre in Sto tfold, please call Gordon on the number abo ve If you would like to donate to wards this fund, please go to our donation page on our website (www theneedproject org/donate) and give your donation the reference ‘Building Fund’ Thank you Gordon

The Need Project headquar ters on the High Street in Sto tfold

Arlesey Communit y Events News

Thank you so much to all those who braved the weather to come and celebrate the King's Coronation with us on May 6th

JHB Amusements, Cooks Catering, La Crepe Franglaise, Tapped Mobile bars, Shoo ting Stars Circus skills, & Belles Enchanted Par ties

Despite the, at times torrential, rain ever yone who attended had a great time. The Garden City Samba band brought a touch o f Brazilian sunshine to the event and the audience par ticipation went do wn a treat.

Thank you to all our traders for helping make the day a big success: Arlesey Scou ts, Luna Rescue, St Peter's Church, Lush Digital,

We couldn't have pu t this event on withou t the f inancial suppor t o f Arlesey To wn Council - thank you so much for your generosity. We look for ward to working with the newly elected To wn Councillors to run more events in the fu ture.

Please keep your eye on our Facebook page for information abou t upcoming events

The large screen which sho wed the Kings Coronation

The sho wers didn’t stop the par ty!

Garden City Samba Band helped keep the spirits up!!

Dear Editor,

Thank you Arlesey and Fair f ield.

I am genuinely blo wn away by the result o f local election Thank you to ever yone who vo ted, turn ou t in our ward was 33% Congratulations to all the o ther councillors that were elected and commiserations to those that missed ou t Arlesey and Fair f ield are no w represented by two ward councillors, Jodie Chiller y Independent, and Nick Andrews Labour The campaign was hard fought with a wealth o f strong candidates, bu t what a privilege to have been elected and, what a responsibility!

The results for Arlesey and Fair f ield in alphabetical order are:

Nick Andrews Labour 724

Jileane Bro wn Conser vative 458

Jodie Chiller y Independent 895

Ian Dalgarno Conser vative 434

Tudor Fox Labour 431

Nicola Harris Independent 430

Neil Stevenson Liberal Democrat 620

Elsewhere in Central Bedfordshire:

Vo ters across Central Bedfordshire have elected a new Council made up o f 27 Independent, 20 Conser vative, 10 Liberal Democrat, 5 Labour and one Green Par ty councillors This is a signif icant change f rom the previous administration which had been made up o f 38 Conser vatives, 16 Independents, 3 Liberal Democrats and one Labour.

So where the council was previously a conser vative run council, the new make up means no group has o verall control Ho w that will look and announcements abou t which councillors will take up the different positions on the Council, including appointments to the Execu tive and the role o f Council Chair, will take place at the AGM on Thursday, 25 May, which at the time o f writing hasn’t happened yet, bu t by the time you are reading this hopefully there will be a better idea abou t ho w the new make up will work

Thank you to ever yone that delivered leaflets, pu t posters up, sparked constructive debates on the doorstep, in the pub, and on facebook. My one mantra throughou t the campaign has been to promise transparency and honest communication So with that in mind, let me tell you, I’m a little o ver whelmed with all the messages bu t also the responsibility o f the position I’m brand new to this, it may take me some time to learn ho w it all works and ho w I can best represent ever yone At the time o f going to print, I’m awaiting an o ff icial induction, bu t when I do I will ensure you are all able to contact me via the o ff icial rou tes. Thank you again

Jodie

Arlesey Conser vation For Nature

Spring is no w well under way, with leaves and flo wers gro wing and opening all around. Many o f the summer migrant birds have no w arrived and I have heard two Cuckoos at the common this year.

Walking through the village, I have heard numerous young Starlings squawking f rom the safety o f their nests in the roo fs o f houses A walk along the river conf irms there are several Sedge Warbler territories that have been established, and as the weather continues to warm, the male birds are becoming more vocal in their search for an accepting female

The common Whitethroats are doing the same and along with Sedge Warblers, these can be heard calling f rom the scrubby bushes and if you are lucky, you may see them making their “song” flight where they fly up 10-15 feet ou t o f the bush they are sat in and then fall back to wards their perch whilst continually singing

There have been some Yello w Wagtails by the bridge at the Common, where they carefully dar t around the feet o f the horses snapping up any flies and insects that the horses stir up as they mo ve around grazing the grass

As we progress through May, o ften secretive and shy birds will become more brazen whilst ou t in their search for food to feed their young The Barn Owls will o ften be seen hunting around the Old Mill Pits bo th early morning and early evening They are o ften ou t well into the morning if the weather has been wet or windy through the night

Insect numbers are no w increasing as the temperatures continue to rise. Ho ver flies, bees, numerous fly species, Dragonflies and Damselflies are star ting to emerge. Dragonflies and Damselflies can o ften be seen sitting on the reeds and Irises that flank the river, waiting for an insect dinner to come within range before dar ting up and grabbing a snack.

Hobbies can occasionally be seen o ver the Common and Mill Pits, chasing these dragonflies as that is their primar y food source, although they will also chase and catch House Mar tins and Swallo ws, bo th o f which can be seen o ver the Common and Mill Pits catching their o wn insect meals

Window and door repairs and installations

* Misted/broken units

* Handles

* Mechanisms

* Door barrels

Supply and fit windows and doors

Soffits and fascias

Jonny Garside 79 Regent Street, Stotfold 01462 732248 or 07951 473505

Yello w Wagtails

The magnif icent barn o wl in flight

Peacock, Speckled Woods, Green-veined Whites, Holly Blue and Orange tip bu tter flies are already flu ttering abou t around the village with species such as Red Admirals and Tor toiseshells still to emerge

Deer, squirrels and Foxes are all no w giving bir th to their young and again, will be less shy due to their never end search for food. If you are lucky, you may see a Fox in the long grass in the Mill Pits, looking for food. If you are really lucky, you may see an Otter in the river, hunting for Chub or Trou t.

May/June brings an insect emergence – the Mayfly. The adults hatch within hours o f each o ther and emerge on the sur face o f the water, having spent up to 2 years gro wing as a nymph before the transition to the adult fly The adults fly abo ve the water and per form a flying ballet where they mate The female then lands on the water and lays her eggs at which point she o ften dies The Bro wn Trou t in the river will be quick to take advantage o f this food source and any flies on the sur face will be quickly eaten in a swirling splash

From mid-May onwards you should star t to see young birds and animals ou t in the open Young Rabbits on the f ield boundaries, keeping close to co ver which they will scoo t into at the f irst sign o f danger Young Squirrels can be seen venturing ou t and learning their way around the trees and hedgero ws If you are lucky, you may catch glimpses o f Muntjac or Chinese Water deer with young, although they will be extremely war y!

During the evening as darkness star ts to fall, there are plenty o f bats ou t flying around catching mo ths and flies They have spent all winter hibernating and have woken f rom their sleep o ver the last 2 months. As with most o ther animals, it is no w breeding season with their young being born and the pressure on the adults to catch enough food to feed them.

This time o f the year is also when people star t to f ind, what look to us to be, abandoned animals and birds The majority o f the time, they are no t abandoned, and the parents are fully aware where they are The best thing to do is to leave them alone and no t touch or mo ve them The only time we should inter vene is if the animal is obviously injured, or in a dangerous place, such as the middle o f a road.

Walk the length o f the village along the river, look at the varied habitats, take the time to stop, stand still, watch, and listen and usually within a few minu tes' nature will come to you.

You can follo w ACORN on Facebook, just search for Arlesey Conser vation for Nature. Here you can see pho tographs posted by residents o f nature seen in and around Arlesey and o ther nature related posts

The Hobby

The bro wn trou t in the river, Arlesey Mill Pits

News from Go thic Mede A cademy

What a wonder ful time we had celebrating the Ro yal Coronation o f King Charles III. It was great to see children and adults appear last Friday in an array o f red, white and blue. The day star ted with an assembly lead by Mrs Rober ts who taught us abou t coronations.

We were due to have a picnic on the f ield bu t unfor tunately we had to mo ve this indoors due to the bad weather The children still had a great time listening to brass band music and eating f inger sandwiches and cupcakes! The children also made cro wns which they go t to sho w o ff in our cro wn parade and a winning cro wn was chosen for each year group We saw such wonder ful designs full o f colour, pattern and lo ts o f glitter!

This month has seen two school trips Our Year 4 pupils excitedly boarded a coach to go to PGL for a residential stay At PGL, the ou tdoors is used to deliver unforgettable learning experiences that engages students and makes

lasting memories. The children enjo yed the activities ver y much. These included the ver tical challenge, the giant swing, problem solving and the zip line. A camp f ire was enjo yed one evening which also included a stor y and songs. Do ttie f rom Birch Class said, ‘PGL taught us team work, courage and determination. It was great to see our f riends o vercome fear and complete challenges ’

As par t o f the RE curriculum for Year 3, ‘Where, ho w and why people worship', our Year 3 pupils went to Bedford to par ticipate in the Bedford Queen’s Park Faith Tour During the trip, the children visited the Guru Nanak Gurdwara (Sikhism), Westbourne Road Mosque (Islam) and All Saints Parish Church (Christianity)

The visit helps the children to understand the similarities and differences between these religions and the ways they worship

We look for ward to updating you on more news next month..

The Pathway Hypno therapy Rooms Do

Indoor picnic fun!

Year 3 pupils enjo ying the recent faith tour in Bedford

It’s GCSE season and our students have been working incredibly hard and sho wn unwavering resilience throughou t their exams so far We wish them ever y success and look for ward to celebrating their achievements with them

Our students are no w enjo ying the school f ield at break and lunchtimes and we have also released the summer term extracurricular clubs schedule, as always, its full o f activities for the children to enjo y during lunchtimes and after school

A group o f our Year 9 students attended a French excursion to London, enhancing their spoken language skills

Miss Stodar t coordinated the trip and repor ted all the students were fantastic and their behaviour was exemplar y. They had a smoo th train ride do wn to London; their f irst stop was the French cafe in Sou th Kensington The students were given a list o f key vocabular y which they practised on the train and they all ordered in French and enjo yed lo ts o f delicious crêpes The native French cafe staff were ver y impressed! Ever yone enjo yed a shor t walk do wn Exhibition Road and then headed to the French institu te where to admire the ar t deco librar y, which has the biggest collection

y A cademy

o f French books in the UK, before the f ilm Persepolis began at The Institu te François

To celebrate the King's Coronation and the cro wning o f King Charles III - commemorating this point o f histor y - Sto tfold To wn Council marked the occasion with a gift for the pupils o f the school The To wn Council kindly pro vided all children at Etonbur y Academy, with a medal, as a commemorative item Thank you to the Sto tfold To wn Mayor and members o f The To wn Council Finally, the children joining us in September have no w received conf irmation o f their place here at Etonbur y and we are looking for ward to welcoming them to Etonbur y If you are still considering your child’s school please do call us 01462 730391

Please continue to share in our values, Ever yone is respectful, Together we care and Always aim higher.

Ian Evason –Execu tive Principal Etonbur y Academy

Family announcements

LEANNE & LOUIE MILLS

Happy Bir thday to Leanne, 35 on the 4th June & Louie who turns 2 on the 3rd June

With lo ve f rom James and Hallie x

HERBERT CHARLES BURGERING - BERT

A big thank you to all that attended dad’s funeral and wake on 19th May you really did help us to give dad the send o ff he deser ved, additional thank you to all at the Conser vative Club, “dad’s happy place” that enabled us to have his f inal goodbyes at the club even though a band was booked in, thanks for making this all happen

Thank you for all o f your messages, condolences and donations to Cancer Research

Dad lo ved Sto tfold and the fantastic community within it.

ALBIE!

Happy 15th bir thday! You've been a character since day 1! Enjo y your day, lo ts o f lo ve f rom Mum, Dad, Callum, Colby, Ellis, Oscar and Immy x P S no w can you star t posing nicely for pics!? Lo ve you!

JOHN R AYMENT

MONICA WEST

9th June

We hope you have a lo vely day!

Lo ve f rom us all x

MARIE SHARP

5th June

Happy Bir thday! Lo ve Peter & family xx

MICHAEL BEEDLE

5th June

Wishing you a ver y Happy 70th Bir thday!

Lo ts o f Lo ve Carol xxx

We would like to invite anyone who knew John Rayment to his celebration o f life on Saturday June 17th at Arlesey foo tball club, Hitchin Rd, Arlesey SG15 6RS 3pm-6pm

We, as a family kno w ho w lo ved and liked he was with family and f riends old and new, especially around the to wns o f Arlesey and Sto tfold. John was a regular at Days Baker y and Ladbrokes in Sto tfold John always left people feeling happy, so with this in mind, please feel f ree to wear any colour o f your choice. As a family especially his grandchildren we look for ward to seeing so many o f you and hearing your stories o f such a kindhear ted gentleman.

Pix Brook A cademy News

The summer term is flying by and while we have no t necessarily had the summer weather we had last year many o ther things are as we would expect

Pupils have completed SATs examinations; spor ting f ixtures are in full swing and school trips and visits are happening The chess tournament has created some excitement and quite a number o f staff have already been humbled by some impressive year 7 and 8 pupils Its also time for the school to prepare for the next term with fur ther appointments and arrangements for the new pupils joining the school in September

These transition times are always busy and ever y year we work hard with our local lo wer schools to tr y to ensure all goes smoo thly. This is a big moment in the lives o f young people and can be ner ve wracking for parents. For tunately we are well used to this process and as we under take our f ifth intake into year f ive the strong relationship we have with the lo wer schools and extended time spent discussing pupils with them means we are well prepared.

Working in schools it is sometimes easy to forget that the extra -curricular activities beyond the normal school day are exactly that: extra The core purpose o f all schools is the day to day teaching and learning pro vided to young people in the hope that we can prepare them for their fu tures

At PBA we o ften discuss pupils “life chances” This phrase encapsulates the essence and purpose o f all schools: to impro ve young people’s life chances As educators we understand that a good education, in combination with good health and good oppor tunities will pro vide young people with the best chance to achieve their goals If we can

WALKS FOR HEALTH

Would you like to join a f riendly local group for weekly local walk?

Walks star t at 10 45am Meeting points for June:

1st/8th Corner o f Hospital Rd, Arlesey

15th/22nd Scou t Hu t, Baldock Rd, Sto tfold 29th The Cro wn PH, The Green, Sto tfold.

For details contact Beth Over f ield 01462 815672

facilitate this process by integrating with our core values o f aspiration, ambition and responsibility then we hope our pupils will leave with the qualif ications and attitudes that will enable them to do just that Cer tainly that is the goal o f the teachers at PBA

As we look to pro vide our broad and balanced curriculum, into year nine and beyond I am struck by the maturity and thought o f our pupils. They are already considering their options and looking for the right choices to make to enable them to achieve their goals. For tunately, as a gro wing school we are in a great position to pro vide those oppor tunities.

The plan to pro vide a range o f choices and options has been in place since the school’s inception and we have been really for tunate to be able to make some fantastic appointments for next year We will look to do the same throughou t the course o f the next academic year in preparation for when our f irst group o f pupils star t their GCSE courses

Steve Adams Principal Pix Brook Academy

Nor th Her ts Road Runners

Entries are no w open for the Standalone10k on 1st Oct www standalone10k org uk The next 1st Sat o f the month 5k at Letchwor th Common will be 3rd June at 9am Entr y is f ree and open to all abilities

We continue our training sessions with qualif ied coaches on Tues & Thurs evenings at 7pm These are open to all, why no t come along for a taster session with no obligation Contact Ian 07506429928 or nhrr.org.uk

The mental challenge…

The ironman journey continues, and training is going well. I feel physically stronger and f itter than I was, and I’ll be taking par t in two shor ter races o ver the next month, so hopefully this will sho w that I’m faster too At the moment I am injur y f ree albeit the body aches daily (I’m told this is quite normal ) Bu t picking up an injur y that might end this Ironman dream, is just one o f my many worries

As I write this, there are just 20 weeks to go, which seems disturbingly close, and it is all too easy to feel anxious abou t what lies ahead; the increase and intensity o f training and the toll that it will take on my body, the hours that I’ll need to f ind in what already seem like manically busy weeks, the cost o f training, nu trition, and various pieces o f kit There’s the question o f my bike staying f ree f rom mechanical issues no w and on race day, will I cope with the sea swim, will I make the cu t o ff time, will I be able to f inish, etc, etc

The mental battle, they say, is as much a challenge as the physical so when my anxiety spirals and keeps me awake at night, I tr y to remember what my Dad used to say. In his last few years, before the dementia f inally diminished my Dad’s gentle voice, his favourite saying was “what will be will be”. He would announce it quite absently and it was always comfor ting to hear him say these words with a calmness that I hoped mirrored ho w he was feeling. Although I tr y to take these words on board, I also kno w that on a practical level, there are things I can do to ease my worries too; I can train smar ter and impro ve my nu trition to reduce the impact on my body,

I can learn abou t my bike and practise f ixing a puncture and I can impro ve my conf idence in the open water

And most impor tantly I can think more positively So instead o f “what will be will be”, I’m sure Dad won’t mind if I change it slightly to “what will be will be up to me ”

Mumwith3

Change

Us humans o ften resist change, preferring things to remain just as they are. I was recently reminded o f ho w innate this can be. While ou t with some counsellor peers, one shared the response o f their two year old child to my f riends attempts to make an impending house mo ve sound appealing. When she made exciting promises o f a new bedroom, her child replied, ‘mummy, I don’t want a new bedroom because I want to keep my bedroom!’ It would seem that our dislike for change reveals itself as soon as we’re able to vocalise our feelings.

As adults, the desire to keep things the same can prevent us f rom seeing where we could benef it f rom change We may use the old adage, ‘better the devil you kno w’ to squash or silence any dissatisfaction or desire for change If we are too af raid o f the unkno wn elements that come with change, we may hold too tightly to all that we kno w This could be around the relationship we have with ourselves, o thers, jobs, houses, groups or any thing that gives us stability or continuity

While we may therefore resist instigating change ourselves, recent times have reminded us that change be thrust upon us at any time While unexpected change can pro ve especially challenging, I have o ften obser ved that in time enforced changes can lead to impro vements that may no t o ther wise have materialised. The opposite can equally be true, bu t either way change is an unavoidable par t o f being alive. All we get to choose is whether to resist or embrace it.

We canno t kno w with any cer tainty where change may take us bu t we can kno w what to expect when we hold on to the way things are. And if that isn’t working, we may need suppor t to make changes.

Arlesey W.I

Tuesday 13th June

Alison and Tosh Ross - Kurling

First V isit Free Come and join a f riendly bunch for a chat, cuppa and something different! We look for ward to welcoming you!

Jo Loach is a BACP accredited Counsellor and Super visor, with an MA in Contemporar y Therapeu tic Counselling

News from Arlesey Methodist Chapel

I disco vered faith in Christ whilst I was at university I had been taken to the Christian Union by my f riend Chris, a mathematics student who lived nearby in my halls o f residence Although ever yone was ver y f riendly and welcoming at the meeting, I felt distinctly uncomfor table Why? Was it the songs? I was used to singing with o thers bu t no t songs praising God, calling Jesus Lord, thanking God for his lo ve

Or was it praying together? Sure, I had prayed before, especially when I felt in trouble, bu t no t with o ther people there. I felt a little

easier when the preacher star ted speaking That was more normal, I was used to lectures to a room full o f people He was speaking abou t “Assurance”, whatever that was Bu t someho w what he said star ted to become personal, like it applied directly to me, ho w I could kno w for sure that God had “saved” me What did that mean? I didn’t kno w Bu t I wanted to, a lo t Ask Jesus to be your Lord, he said, make him your King, your saviour He prayed and then the meeting was o ver and all was f ine Chris and I and some o thers walked back to campus and I went to my room Bu t still I was troubled God, if he was really there at all, seemed uncomfor tably close by I needed to make Jesus my king, pu t him in charge o f my life, giving up my o wn precious control o f my fu ture So I managed to pray, and ask, and say sorr y I hadn’t let him be in charge before Then I felt ok and could sleep I awoke and felt so ver y different, and God felt so ver y real, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

A fello w minister once described Christian faith as deeply, deeply, deeply personal, bu t, he said, it must no t be private. Since those days at university, it seems that God has been helping me be more and more public, sharing the jo y and assurance that I received in different ways. May God help people o f faith to share the wonder ful hope we have each found. And if you are still looking for it, may God help you f ind that assurance he promises.

Graham

The Well Co ffee Stop welcomes all ever y Friday afternoon bet ween 2-4pm at Arlesey Methodist Chapel The team include creative elements for you to look at or tr y ou t Come and enjo y some free refreshments and a friendly atmosphere Call 07747042239 for more information

Revd Graham 07340 857386 Graham ClaydonKnights@methodist org uk

We are keen to f ind a couple o f deliver y volunteers to help us with our deliveries in The Rally & Jubilee Crescent

If you have half an hour once a month to spare and enjo y helping to keep the community connected then we want to hear from you! Call

Let us hope that when you read this “flaming June” will be with us and we can be sitting, working or holding BBQ’s in our gardens or our parks, enjo ying the sunshine and beau ty around us

Our main event in June, will be a Concer t, per formed by the The Orpheus Choir o f Nor th Her ts 24th June at 7pm in St Peter ’s Church Tickets will be £10 In advance f rom the Churchwardens {see email address belo w} or at the door on the night Their concer ts are ver y popular and we would lo ve to see lo ts o f you at St Peter ’s The programme is varied and should appeal to all tastes

Our St Peter ’s Festival Ser vice will be on the 25th June at 9 30am, when we will celebrate the church in Arlesey and remember St Peter, one o f Jesus’ disciples, after whom the church is named The star t o f the church building began 843 years ago, although we think there may have been some form o f church building before that date So much histor y in the building, so many baptisms, weddings and funerals and it is still here for all o f you when you need it

The process o f appointing a new V icar is ongoing.. Bu t we still continue with our ser vices and activities, we and God, kno w that the right person is ou t there somewhere. Ser vices:

Our ser vice times are:-

1st, 3rd,4th,5th Sundays 9.30am

2nd Sunday All Age Worship 10.00am

Ref reshments are ser ved after each ser vice an oppor tunity to chat and socialise

Kitchens & Bedrooms

Windows

Internal/External Doors

Ski r tings -Architraves -Dados

Stai rs -Handles -Balustrades

Handle & Lock Replacements

Loft Hatches

Flat Pack Furniture

All aspects of carpentr y

Call 07885 020895 or 01462 732814 Over

News from St Peter ’s Church

Weekdays:

Co ffee Mornings Tuesday 10 30am in church

NEW 11AM-12N00N Toddler and Parent/Carer Group

1st Wednesday in the month Afternoon Tea 2- 4m All Welcome

Helen Bardell

Churchwarden

01462 731227

07967144571 email; churchwardens @arlesey.org.uk

FREE Pr escription deliver y ser vice to ALL

Ar lesey and Stotfold r esidents

FREE Repeat pr escription "dr op-of f" and collection ser vice fr om

Ar lesey Medical Centr e and Lar ksfield (Stotfold) Sur ger y.

Mon to Fri 8.45am - 1pm & 2.00pm - 6.15pm

Satur day & Sunday - Closed

Tel. 01462 731200 www.ar leseyphar macy.co.uk

Down Memory Lane

Back in the days o f the 11 plus, many o f the 11-18 year olds f rom the area were shipped o ff to Biggleswade daily to be educated As a consequence they don’t appear, at those ages, in any o f the old pho tos we have printed o f late Thanks to Phillip Bridge, we are able to bring you this wonder ful collage taken f rom the o ff icial school pho to o f Stratton pupils in 1963 Apologies to anyone missed Do you recognise yourself/ can you name the students pictured?

Fur ther to last month’s pho to we received a response f rom Carl Houghton “ I think I recognise some o f the girls as Ber yl Colder wood, Sandra Doudney, Audrey Savor y, Doro thy Wood, June Aldridge, Greta Shiel, Denise Houghton, Pat Lemon, Jo yce Fievez, Shirley Gentle, Kathleen Bland, Sylvia Randall, Maxine Latimer, Betty Gentle, Jean Crawley, Maureen Crawley Mavis Cocking, Eileen King, Betty Walls and Maralyn Albon Seniors Barbara Redd and Betty Savor y are at the rear ” We are desperately in need o f some new ‘old pho tographs’ and are ver y happy to collect them to borro w and then return. Give us a call on 01462 731986 or drop us an email to arlesey.news@yahoo.com if you can help!!

Useful Telephone Numbers

6SN Phone: 01462 733722 Email: clerk@arlesey-tc.go v uk

Central Bedfordshire Council, Prior y House, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ 0300 300 8000

Email customer ser vices@centralbedfordshire go v.uk Web www centralbedfordshire.go v.uk

Local Directory

TOUR DE S TOTFOLD!

This year St Mar y's Church are planning a new community event for the weekend o f 24/25 June Entitled 'Tour de Sto tfold' The idea is that members o f the community create a trail o f decorated bikes, par t bikes or any thing bike themed around Sto tfold with entries displayed in gardens or o ther social spaces. For fur ther information and to register your interest contact maureen.winters5@gmail.com 07727 688877

NEED CASH for your School, Group or Organisation?

Are you part of a young pers ons cl ub, organisa tion or team?

At Satchells we LOVE suppor ting our local community and firmly believe that our young people are something to be extremely proud of!

Do y ou n eed help with buy ing equipment, mater ials o r similar ? - We’d L OVE to help!

The brand new 2023 Satchells ‘Young Persons Grant’ is open to ANY local group, school or organisation in our local area please note, Your nominated group must be run in either Stotfold, Fair field or Arlesey

We will be presenting one lucky group with a donation of £ 50 0 to spend on whatever they need.

HOW TO ENTER: Simply write to us with a brief account of why you feel your group should be awarded this year’s Young persons Grant Entries should be sent to; Satchells Estate Agents, 47B High Street, Stotfold SG5 4LD Email: stotfold@satchells co uk C los ing da te 31st July 2023.

USE Y OUR IMAG INAT ION!! - the more creative your entr y the better!! - There is no limit to the amount of entries we receive from your group, however we request only one entr y per person We are looking for originality and imagination and will be featuring some of our entries on our social media between now and deadline of 31st July

W HAT A RE YO U WAITING FO R? Get yo ur friends and family involved !