Arlesey News Magazine March 2023

Welcome to March!

Spring is arriving ..at least we hope!

We have gone with a decidedly spring -like theme for our f ront co ver this month, sent to us ver y kindly by Nikki Lane We couldn’t resist the oppor tunity to embrace some brightly coloured daffodils!

Speaking o f f ront co vers, congratulations to Jessica King for being the f irst person to correctly guess the location o f last month’s co ver sho t (taken f rom inside Etonbur y Woods ) - If you take any nice pictures which you feel may challenge our readers as to where they are taken, then do send them in to us - just for fun!

This month we are so proud to bring you a bumper issue!!

- It has take us almost four years o f hard work to build our magazine in Arlesey bu t that said, it can only be successful with your help and suppor t If you o wn a local business why no t call us to discuss ways in which we can help you gro w your pro f ile by adver tising with us? If you have a letter or ar ticle you think we may enjo y including, why no t email us or give us a call? If you kno w somebody with a for thcoming bir thday then let us kno w so we can place it on our announcement page. - IT ALL COUNTS and helps us to continue to bring you a f ree community magazine through your doors ever y month....something we truly lo ve being able to do

As always, thank you to our amazing deliver y volunteers helping us each month come rain or shine! A special mention to Katie & Brian Ju ffs who, after helping us to deliver on Arlesey Road f rom day one have decided to hang up their deliver y bag for a well earned rest! Many thanks to you bo th

Until next month..

Joanne

Editorial: Please email your letters or ar ticles to arlesey news@yahoo com or write to us at: Arlesey News Magazine, 78 Hitchin Road, Stotfold, Her tfordshi re, SG5

Dear Editor,

Our Christian Choir was formed in 1978 through the inspiration o f Norman Gurney, and our rehearsals have always been at King’s Baptist Church, The Green, Sto tfold. Our membership in the early days was drawn f rom the Baptist Church and o ther local churches In recent years we have members who come f rom Stevenage, Arlesey, Hitchin, Letchwor th and Langford for rehearsals on Monday evenings f rom 7 30 pm

We are no w urgently looking for new singers in order to maintain our regular programme o f concer ts and the suppor t we give to churches with ser vices at Christmas and Easter For many years we have held concer ts at the Memorial Hall, Sto tfold in the Summer as par t o f Sto tfold Festival and last year we gave a concer t which was well attended and raised £200 for Garden House Hospice, and we like to bring jo y to the elderly by singing in Care Homes

Please give thought to this oppor tunity to join a local choir and enjo y the f riendship o f o thers who f ind enjo yment in singing and ser ving the community We appreciate you may wish to have more detail abou t the Christian choir and Clare Kilby or Hazel Thompson would be ver y pleased to have contact with you. We are also looking for a pianist to accompany the choir and would be delighted to hear f rom keyboard players

Please contact the Choir Secretar y, Clare Kilby on 01462 731142, email: clare@kilby.com, or Hazel Thompson 01462 735580, email: thompsonh459@gmail com for more details

Dear Editor,

New Year New Challenge? A local bef riending charity is looking for more people to help make a real difference in their local community!

Do you have couple o f hours to spare each week?

Do you enjo y meeting new people and spending time chatting and listening?

Do you have a sense o f humor?

Do you enjo y the occasional trip to a cafe or a pub?

If yes, then this is a great oppor tunity for you!

Full training and suppor t given and no prior experience required bu t you do need warmth, reliability, empathy, common sense and a ready smile The suppor t we give is rewarding and a life changing ser vice to o thers, and many o f the families we visit each week have described our ser vice and volunteers as “a lifeline”, “ the highlight o f my week” and even “a gift f rom heaven”.

If you are interested in joining our f riendly team? Then call us today on 01234 743063, or 07483 376077 or email: respiteathomevolunteers@aol.co.uk

Dear Editor,

Is it possible to thank Boxall Taxis o f Hitchin (whose telephone number we found in the Arlesey News Magazine)

They magically managed to step in at ver y shor t no tice (4 30 am) to take us to Lu ton Airpor t as we were let do wn by ano ther taxi pro vider who had been booked for many months

No t only did they send someone straightaway bu t managed to get us there on time for an early flight that morning. What were the chances o f getting a taxi for 4 plus luggage at 4.30 am?

Well done Boxall!!!

Verna Bull

79 Mile Walk for Mental Health Awareness & Suicide Prevention

Local man Paul Chambers is currently in training for a walking challenge to raise awareness and funds for the charity he co -founded - The Creative Mental Health Charity, PoetsIN. The 79 mile walk will take place between 11th15th September and will co ver bo th the Chiltern Hills and Bar ton Hills, places Paul o ften visits for his o wn wellbeing. 79 men ended their lives each week in England to wards the end o f 2022 which is why Paul has chosen to walk for this amount o f miles

Paul will be walking with old f riend, ex-army veteran Greg Husbands (and Stanley the dog) during Suicide Awareness Week Paul told the Arlesey News Magazine: “Greg and I have bo th struggled with our mental health in the past and no w aim to raise awareness (and maybe some funds) for a most wor thy cause ” “We’ll be broadcasting f rom the walk, and actively sharing (and using) our o wn mental health tools throughou t each day ”

“We all need to talk so much more in order to normalise the subject o f mental health ” “People can join us for a day, half a day, or even just a mile; bu t the more people joining in and talking abou t it using the hashtag #The79 the better ”

Paul may be recognisable (especially to our young people) as o ver recent months he has been active in delivering assemblies, workshops and mental health programmes in Bedfordshire schools – more recently at bo th Etonbur y Academy and Samuel Whitbread; all with the aim o f enabling students to speak abou t their o wn mental health and learning wellbeing tools that will help them for life He strives to be the person he didn’t kno w he needed when he was at school

The Creative Mental Health Charity PoetsIN is an awardwinning organisation which o ffers a safe space for people who are experiencing poor mental health and mental illnesses. Its Creative Mental Health Programme™ encourages people to express their feelings via creative ou tlets and simply talking. It has a success rate in the high 90 percents and those who take par t repor t having reduced suicidal thoughts, self-harm less and symptoms o f depression and anxiety are signif icantly eased.

More abou t the fundraiser on https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-chambers79 Find ou t more abou t the charity, their ser vices and do wnload mental wellbeing tools on www poetsin com

Paul Chambers (left, with fello w walker & fundraiser Greg Husbands)

Showcase Success for Gifford Dance Academy

Local based Gifford Dance Academy enjo yed a double weekend o f Sho wcases back at the beginning o f Februar y With o ver 250 local bo ys and girls mostly f rom Arlesey & Sto tfold taking par t, the sho wcases featured dance rou tines per formed by children as young as four, all thoroughly enjo ying the experience o f per forming to a live audience at Bedfordshire University Theatre

Alongside the more seasoned competition team dancers, all classes f rom within the Academy were invited to per form, with some o f them experiencing dancing on stage for the ver y f irst time

The Dance Academy is run by sisters Rebecca and Lucie, and specialises in many different aspects o f dance, including contemporar y, commercial, acro and ballet. The dancers have enjo yed countless successes throughou t the eight years they have been per forming, including their Mixed Competition Team being cro wned National Champions for 2022! Many o f the dancers are no w incredibly excited to be preparing to per form at Disneyland Paris in April after successfully passing their audition to per form during the latter par t o f last year

More details on all o f the academy classes can be found at www.gifforddanceacademy.com

We can't believe it's March already! Planning has star ted for our Coronation Event on Saturday May 6th We're hoping that the weather will join in with the celebrations!

Please pu t the date in your diaries - we are hoping to be able to sho w the coronation ceremony on a big screen on the Recreation Ground follo wed by an Arlesey Par ty in the Park with a bar, food, live music and o ther enter tainment. If you would like to be involved in any way, be it helping with the set up, per forming or any thing else please get in touch.

We want this event to be a day to remember! We welcome ever yone willing to lend a hand. You don’t need to commit to a huge amount o f time, just enthusiasm, willingness to be par t o f our fantastic team and no t be af raid to muck in and get your hands a bit dir ty! You can get in touch with us through our facebook page or by emailing us at arleseyeventsgroup@gmail com

A snapsho t o f a few o f our events throughou t last year

Arlesey Conser vation For Nature

Sorting the Trees from The Woods.

ACORN plant trees, in fact they have planted a lo t o f trees since they were founded It is quite easy to plant trees as all you need is a spade, a whip (that’s a young tree) and somewhere to plant it

ACORN met its f irst tree challenge shor tly after it was set up no t by planting, bu t by the destruction o f the old orchard just nor th o f the foo tpath 3 It is across the road f rom Go thic Mede School and crosses the railway via a foo tbridge to the Mill Pits The bulldozers mo ved in on an Easter weekend when the council o ff ices were shu t and grubbed up all the old apple trees By the Bank Holiday Monday all that was left was just a heap in the f ield We received many calls abou t the destruction as soon as the bulldozer mo ved in; unfor tunately we were unable to legally stop the ‘crime’ taking place. The Forest Au thority did come ou t after Easter bu t unfor tunately the trunks

were no t quite the size to require a licence to cu t them do wn If they had been, then the lando wner would have faced prosecu tion Many o f the older generation, during the 1950s, will remember the old orchard and the pigs which were allo wed to roam to eat the fallen apples. The sad fact was at the time o f its destruction there were go vernment grants in place to help pro tect old orchards. Unfor tunately, money is the prime mo ver in destro ying the countr yside especially when what you are destro ying is no t on your doorstep. The county ecologist who later came ou t conf irmed the site as ancient meado wland f rom some o f the flora he found (illustration 1) and it was designated a Sites o f County Wide impor tance (SCWI).

For many years it laid untouched as planning permission was refused because o f the designation Ho wever, when Central Beds Unitar y au thority took o ver f rom Bedfordshire County Council they remo ved that SCWI status Some o f the roo ts o f the apple trees that were no t grubbed up began to sprou t back again We were led to believe during the planning consultation to f inally develop the site that samples would be saved and propagated to replant in a community orchard. Sadly we have lost the f ight and the developers are f inally mo ving in.

The trouble is the hype is no w to plant more trees (shame they didn’t pro tect the ones they already had ) bu t when you come do wn to the nitty-gritty, where do you plant them?

That is the hard par t. Trees really belong in woods bu t the odd one planted in among the houses is quite acceptable, except to those who live under them and have to sweep up the leaves, have to clean their conser vator y cour tesy o f the birds that like to sit in them and have the odd branch drop do wn on their new car

Many trees have been lost because o f this and the black poplar was one because it caused a mess ACORN has no w reintroduced one locally The black poplar needs bo th a male and female tree to propagate They bo th produce flo wers and the pollen is blo wn f rom the male tree to fer tilise the female tree Once it is fer tilised the catkins develop into co tton-like seeds, which fall in late summer

With the loss o f so many magnif icent Elm trees to Du tch Elm disease in the village ACORN took the oppor tunity to plant a Wych Elm, one o f the truly native species o f the UK ACORN has planted many oaks (obviously it’s in the name) around the village and the children o f Go thic Mede and Etonbur y helped with this task. Can any o f you readers remember helping planting one at your schools? Many o ther o f the smaller tree species are planted in hedges and are kept hedge size by regular trimming. The spindle tree being one variety, the young shoo ts have square stems and bear ver y glamorous seed heads. One species to look ou t for in the hedgero w at the Glebe Meado ws.

Arlesey Conser vation For Nature

o ther hand is a modern wood This was planted under an EU Farming Diversity scheme The then Bedfordshire County Council and the tenant farmer took on this programme and invited ACORN to be par t o f the community involvement. It star ted with good intentions and some ACORN stalwar ts maintained the permissive foo tpaths, ho wever, although funding was supposed to be in place to meet ACORN’s expenses this never reached ACORN and was met f rom the group’s funds. After the demise o f Beds CC ACORN ceased to be a par tner. At the moment Central Beds Council are committed to pro viding it as a community facility bu t as councillors come and go so do their policies.

It would be extremely upsetting if Etonbur y Wood was no t allo wed to mature and eventually become a fu ture ancient woodland So become a “Lorax” and speak for the trees!

ACORN’s f irst venture into mass planting a hedge interspersed with specimen trees [no t sure where some o f them went] was under the go vernment’s Green Sites programme Under the guidance o f The Her tfordshire Groundwork Trust it organised the hedge and tree planting round the council’s playing f ield Go and take a look at it no w This was under taken with help f rom Go thic Mede School Ho w many o f you gro wnups remember taking par t when you were at Go thic Mede? The Green Sites programme was set up for communities that had been scarred by mining and quarr ying to help them become greener pleasant places to live. The Green, opposite the Eagles, was also landscaped by ACORN under the same initiative as was Woodland Chase. The scheme also funded ACORN’s hedgelaying training with a master hedgelayer which was mentioned in last month’s ar ticle

A lo t o f the woods we have today are the remnants o f Ancient woodland These have been managed for hundreds o f years for their timber Etonbur y Wood on the

Pupils at Go thic Mede planting the trees many years ago!

News from Go thic Mede A cademy

Go thic Mede are ver y excited to be taking par t in the Junior Duke Awards Junior Duke is allo wing the pupils to learn and practise basic life skills Our sessions are being run as afterschool clubs In our f irst groups we have seen cooker y, washing cars, sewing, drama and music to name a few

We look for ward to more children working through these awards Last week some o f our pupils were the f irst at Go thic Mede to complete their awards They received a cer tif icate, badge and even had tea and cake with our Principal Mr Clarke

Last week we had a day full o f numbers here at Go thic Mede! This was for Numbers Day which raises money for NSPCC The children dressed up in numbered clo thing and there was lo ts o f maths and number activities going on around the school Mr Clarke led a TT Rockstars assembly with our Key Stage 2 pupils He even pu t his skills into practice and sho wed the pupils ho w it is done and went on to score a ver y impressive 41 correct answers in one minu te. He has challenged all o f the children to beat this!

Our children have also been joining in with the BBC Teach Live 'Big Schools' Birdwatch' We listened to Chris Packham and the o ther mar vellous presenters who helped us learn abou t birds, the food chain, interpreting data and answered our general questions We emailed questions to the BBC and heard the responses online

We look for ward to updating you on more o f our news next month

The year is flying by! At PBA I can already see that this year is going to be no different f rom the previous in that we are once again managing a signif icant gro wth in pupils and staff. During the last few months we have successfully recruited new staff to extend our upper school pro vision. As a school that was always designed to be a secondar y school, albeit with an extension to include year 5 and 6 we have been for tunate to be able to plan for the key stage four curriculum we want to deliver

Consequently, we have recruited teachers to lead Drama, Music, ICT, in addition to teachers o f Maths, English, Science, DT, Humanities, MFL and additional primar y teachers for our gro wing primar y phase It is exciting to see this gro wth and see our plans for the curriculum begin to consolidate Next year will be equally exciting as we look to appoint specialist teachers o f the broader curriculum such as Media, Business studies, Dance and a range o f o ther areas that will be somewhat determined by pupil demand As par t o f our continued gro wth we are looking to increase our local go verning board If this is something you are interested in please do contact the school on Pixbrook@bestacademies org uk Previous experience is no t required

While this long - term work continues we are also determined to develop our pupil experience. Over the last few weeks we have had immersion days in maths, science and histor y and an R AF STEM day. Young voices have per formed at the 02 and we have launched our PGL trip for this year and the ski trip for next year. Of course, our pupils continue to per form magnif icently in terms o f their engagement with clubs and our spor ts teams have competed across the county and beyond with great success. Seeing the school develop so quickly has been exciting and a little challenging at times

bu t the commitment o f staff and suppor t f rom pupils and parents has been ou tstanding

Beyond these events lessons continue to be delivered in a consistent and thoughtful way Our model o f collegiate planning means that all pupils, regardless o f their teacher is pro vided with a consistent diet o f lesson experiences that is no t dependent on the person delivering the lesson We look to develop our curriculum in a way that can take its inspiration f rom the best available We are no t constrained by school histor y or resources and instead can work with colleagues excited by the prospect o f developing their subject area to enthuse our pupils to achieve

School is abou t extending and impro ving life chances and by having a large body o f staff who have joined the school to take advantage o f the oppor tunity to make a difference we are in an excellent place to do just that.

As always, we look to the next half term with optimism, there is much to look for ward to and much more to be done, bu t this is always the case in schools!

News from Fair f ield Park Lo wer School

The children across the school par ticipated in Safer Internet Day with the theme “Want to talk abou t it?” The gro wing use o f online games, apps and shops means our children need to kno w the impor tance o f being safe online Our children explored this in their classes through stories, games and discussions

Our work with our chosen local charity, The Need Project, continued this month too as Gordon came into school alongside members

Let

Tel: 07913005268

Email: Pawsclaws66@aol com

o f the Sikh community f rom the Hitchin gurdwara to explain ho w they work together to pro vide food parcels to the local community.

This formed par t o f our diversity day centred on Sikhism and understanding seva The whole school community donated food and children worked together to create food parcels for the charity

Did you kno w?

We have two spacious school halls bo th o f which are ideal for bir thday par ties, children’s activities, clubs and celebrations Our facilities are easily accessible

If you would like fur ther information, or to make a booking please contact the School Off ice on 01462 830000 or alternatively please visit our website: https://www.fair f ield.beds.sch.uk/Our-School/Hire -OurFacilities/

Value o f the half-term: Trust

Tel: 01462 830000 Email o ff ice@fair f ieldparklo wer uk

www fair f ieldparklo wer uk

It is always a pleasure when we have visitors to the school who comment on our fantastic students and the welcoming staff So far, this term has been no exception Our Year 11s welcomed an external speaker who gave a presentation on revisions skills, exam preparation and exam techniques, and referred to them as ‘some o f the best students he had seen on his travels across the countr y ’ These types o f comments make us ver y proud

We continue with our staff development sessions to suppor t the School Development Plan and impro ve the ou tcomes for our students Miss Phillips, SENDCO, led a session to develop staff kno wledge on individual students as par t o f our commitment to kno wing our children Senior Leaders have also had presentations on specif ic year groups with a par ticular focus on Year 11 as they get closer to their main examinations The commitment f rom the students is equally impressive, attendance is exceptional and we kno w their rewards will be even higher. Working together really makes a difference.

Some o f our Year 8 and 9 students were taken to Stevenage Magistrates Cour t, in preparation for their Mock Trial Competition in March. They were able to watch a few cases, learn more abou t the legal process and the people involved. Thank you to Ms Denton for organising such an excellent trip.

Our Year 9s have been experiencing the GCSE options by having taster lessons in all subjects across the school comprising some new ones including Media, Childcare, Pho tography, Business Studies and BTEC Spor t Our Year 9 parents/carers will be invited to an Options Evening after half term to f ind ou t more abou t their GCSE journey

Our Juniors are o ff to Duxford Air Museum, National Space Centre and Harr y Po tter, and Secondar y have trips to Belgium and France for Histor y, Languages and Food, Geography trips to Nor folk and to Iceland in the next academic year A number o f our Year 10s were also for tunate to attend an event run by the University o f Oxford as par t o f the Wadham Project Thank you to Miss Denton for leading this prestigious par tnership Our Juniors had a wonder ful day at Young Voices, singing amongst thousands o f o ther children and taking in the atmosphere at the O2 Arena in London These learning experiences are such an impor tant par t o f Etonbur y, and are a great way o f getting to kno w our students and developing them as individuals.

We are seeing numerous wins in our spor ting f ixtures and also amongst our children who take par t in ou tside school activities

The school is going f rom strength to strength, we are looking for ward to unveiling more plans for the Sixth Form Centre ver y soon

Ian EvasonPrinciple

Etonbur y Academy

www etonbur y org uk

TAKEAWAY

SCARLETT JUKES

4th March Happy 12th Bir thday

JANET BREACHER

Wishing our Mum and Grandma a ver y Happy 80th Bir thday on 17th March!

SYLVIA MASON

Happy 80th Bir thday!

With lo ts o f lo ve, Mum, Dad, Morgan & all your family & f riends x

EUAN PEARSON

Happy 23rd Bir thday!

Lo ve f rom all your family & f riends x

With Lo ve, Sharon, Kai, Dylan, Denise and Adrian xxx

SYLVIA & DAVID GREEN

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversar y

With lo ve f rom your family & f riends x

All our lo ve Davina, Richard, Maria, Josh, Liam & Charlo tte

NICOLA BUSHALL

Happy 30th lo ve Tom x

JULIE CHRISTIE

Happy 60th Bir thday

We hope you have the best day ever Lo ve, Margaret, David & Jessica xx

News from Arlesey Bro wnies

The Bro wnies are doing their explorer badge this term

We’ve already done a ver y muddy torch trail (it was wor th it though for the mars bar and chips at the end ) and have star ted to explore space with a visit to the obser vator y and planetarium We even held some meteor rock!

We’re looking for ward to f inding ou t more abou t the stars and tr ying ou t some map reading ready for our challenge walk to celebrate World Thinking Day

Bro wnies o ffers girls (aged 7 to 10) exciting oppor tunities to tr y new things, take on challenges, disco ver their po tential, make brilliant f riends and abo ve all have fun!

We have a few places at the moment so if you’d like to join us (or pu t your name on the waiting list if you’re no t quite 7 years old ) then register at www.girlguiding.org.uk/joinus, or email us at arlesey.bro wnies@ho tmail.co.uk.

WALKS FOR HEALTH

Would you like to join a f riendly local group for a weekly local walk? Walks star t at 10.45am

Meeting points for March: 2nd, 9th & 16thCorner o f Hospital Rd/ St Arlesey 23rd & 30th Scou t Hu t, Baldock Rd, Sto tfold

For details contact Beth Over f ield 01462 815672

Established 197 1

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

The obser vator y which the Bro wnies thoroughly enjo yed visiting

1st Arlesey Scou t Group have been getting back to their roo ts when it comes to raising funds and helping the Arlesey Community, by holding a traditional Jumble Sale, the f irst o f which was in Januar y

“We thought it’d be a great way for people to make some extra money by selling things they didn’t need or want as well as way for local crafters and ar tisans to sell their handmade items. It also meant that visitors could grab themselves a bargain too”, said Arlesey Scou ts chairlady Sarah.

Tables were booked online by people selling local crafts, vintage clo thes, bric-a -brac, to ys, tableware, vinyl records, homeware and more. Arlesey Scou ts also pro vided a range o f delicious cakes and ho t drinks too so you could grab yourself a bargain and a tasty treat!

All funds raised f rom the table bookings and ref reshments will go back into the Scou t Group to help Arlesey Scou ts maintain their hall and grounds, which currently runs Scou ting sessions 4 days a week for young people aged f rom 5 to 17

The next Jumble sale will be on Saturday 15th April 10am –1pm for more information on this or to f ind ou t ho w your young person can join 1st Arlesey, please email info@arleseyscou ts.org.uk or visit www.arleseyscou ts.org.uk

The f irst jumble sale was a great success!

Bumps and Bruises

So the last month had been going really well, training consistently and def initely feeling f itter than I was There has been one small bump in the road which literally was a ‘bump on the road’ when, on a cold Sunday morning on the far side o f Letchwor th, I fell o ff my bike; I wasn’t going par ticularly fast, it wasn’t even a spectacular fall, the chain simply jammed causing the bike to stop suddenly and I landed heavily on the ground, winding myself in the process Luckily my f riend Rebecca (aka Nurse Nancy) was with me, and she calmly talked me through a moment o f anxiety where I couldn’t take a breath and was catastrophising that I’d broken ever y bone do wn the righthand side o f my body

I’ve fallen o ff my bike a number o f times before no w For the f irst few months o f wearing cleats, (cleats are f ixed to the bo ttom o f the shoe and attached to a clip-in pedal ), it was a regular occurrence; I’d stop at a junction and forget that I couldn’t pu t my foo t on the floor withou t f irst having to twist the shoe ou t o f its pedal. Being a few years ago, it may be that my slightly younger (and lighter!) body coped

Arlesey W.I

Tuesday 14th March 2023

AGM (and Bingo!)

All women welcome

First V isit Free Come and join a f riendly bunch for a chat and a cuppa and something different !

better with hitting the tarmac as I don’t remember it being an issue Bu t this time, quite honestly, it just really, really hur t

For a couple o f days I felt a bit battered; the bruises deepening in colour as the stiffness in my joints reduced my range o f mo vement and made ever yday tasks that little bit more diff icult Bu t after a for tnight o f swallo wing paracetamol like M&Ms and a visit to the physio, I am feeling almost back to normal and, f ingers crossed, no long - term damage has been done I have no t yet returned to swimming, bu t the beau ty o f triathlon is this; when you’re unable to train in one discipline there are always two o thers to fall back on

Mumwith3 does Ironman

Arlesey To wn Foo tball Club News

It’s been a stop star t few months for Arlesey To wn’s f irst team, having played only 6 games in December and Januar y

It was a positive period for the side though, being unbeaten in those games, and something to build on for the remainder o f the season

March and April will be busy months with many games f rom December, Januar y and Februar y needing to be rearranged

The March f ixture list is:

04/03/23 - Sto tfold (away)

11/03/23 - Harpenden (home - 15:00)

14/03/23 - Aylesbur y Vale Dynamos (home - 19:45)

18/03/23 - St Panteleimon (away)

25/03/23 - Ardley United (away)

28/03/23 - Leighton To wn (home - 19:45) (Subject to change)

We need your suppor t at home games if you haven’t visited us for a while or maybe have never been along to any o f our games then you can be assured o f a ver y warm welcome

Pop along and pay us a visit at: New Lamb Meado w, Hitchin Road, Arlesey, SG15 6RS. Please check our Twitter for match updates@ArleseyTo wnFC

We look for ward to seeing you soon!

Hopton Holiday Village

Luxury 8 Berth Caravan available for holiday let.

Various dates available between March - October including school holidays

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Recent pitch action from Arlesey To wn

Mental Health Matters - Jo Loach

This is no t to say that we do no t have hard times where our corresponding internal distress is present or consuming, bu t to remind us o f the need to self soo th when such times are present And no t to give up indulging in the things that make our hear ts sing

What makes your hear t sing

Last month I introduced the vagus ner ve and the role it plays in reducing stress levels The ability to self soo th is a critical component in maintaining good mental and emo tional health so it is wor th investing the time and energy disco vering what works for you Whether walks in nature, various deep breathing exercises, physical exercise, massage, singing or any o ther such activity, no t only can managing stress and reclaiming calm impro ve our wellbeing, bu t it can also be thoroughly enjo yable! Win, win! In the same vein, is the impor tance o f taking time to identify and indulge in those pursuits that make your hear t sing

There may be a crosso ver with those that calm stress and distress, or they may differ The impor tant thing is to kno w what they are and grant yourself permission to do them. This is no t merely indulgence. This is self-preser vation.

For me, watching the wonder o f the ever-changing sky in the early morning, accompanied by the beau ty o f birdsong is the ultimate star t to the day. This combo soo ths my soul, lifts my spirits and makes my hear t sing. And that’s the kind o f hat- trick I want to be star ting my day with! The musicality o f birdsong also reminds me that the birds sing irrespective o f whether the sun graces us with its presence. Their song comes f rom within, no t in response to what is happening externally

In diff icult times, we need these even more

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

Book Club @W ild Co ffee

Sto tfold (on the parade) will be meeting on Wednesday 1st March.

7 00pm All welcome

This month's book is A Terrible Kindness.

News from Arlesey Methodist Chapel

A word o f encouragement

I would no t have become the person that I am withou t the encouragement o f o thers. I hope that many would say the same o f themselves. That will encourage us to be an encouragement to o thers.

The annual World Day o f Prayer star ts at midnight in Samoa on Friday 3rd March, continuing for 38 hours as day arrives and passes across all the 120 par ticipant countries Each year, the material for the day’s prayers and events is prepared by Christian women f rom one o f those countries This year they have been prepared in Taiwan The theme is abou t encouraging o thers It is based upon a letter that St Paul wro te to the church in the ancient Greek city o f Ephesus, where he encouraged that group o f people to carr y on with their faith in Jesus

Christ despite su ffering persecu tion : “I have heard o f your faith in the Lord Jesus... ” he wro te, going on to describe ho w he was praying for them and remembering them. That letter was evidently highly treasured, since it eventually was copied many times and shared and thus made its way into the New Testament.

It is wonder ful to receive a word o f encouragement f rom someone Even a “like” on a social media post can lift someone And some hear tfelt words and thoughts can go a long way Might each o f us spend a moment to encourage ano ther? Let’s have a go Graham

wwdp org uk sho ws where and when public World Day o f Prayer events are happening I’d like to plug one at Henlo w Methodist Church (2pm 3/3/23) and ano ther at St Mar y’s Church, Baldock (2pm, the same day)

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.Claydon-Knights@methodist.org.uk

Dear All,

I thought I would write a letter to you this month, as receiving letters is no t something that happens ver y o ften to us in our busy lives A quick text, Whats App or using ano ther platform has become the way we communicate with each o ther

So what news do I have to tell you? Well at church, we have just star ted on a period o f time called Lent This is when we think o f the time Jesus spent in the wilderness Jesus fasted, was tempted by and resisted the Devil and we remember all the events that lead to his death. It has become a time when we are asked to think abou t what this means for us. Sometimes people give up something they enjo y, maybe chocolate or crisps, to follo w a form o f fasting. Others pu t aside money to give to their favourite charity and o ften there are study groups, that read the Bible and pray.

So what is the point o f this? It helps us to come closer to God and is an oppor tunity to reflect on our lives and ho w we can learn f rom Jesus’ example o f self discipline We might no t want to give up any thing and that’s f ine Actually we can do the opposite and take on something for these for ty days We can o ffer to to help someone who is f inding life diff icult, take some food to the food bank, or just make an effor t to smile at people or say hello

Prayer too is impor tant and I would ask that you pray for your Parish o f St Peter in which you live, as we appoint a new Priest

Take care o f yourselves and we will all look for ward to the

News from St Peter ’s Church

lengthening days and the great festival o f Easter

Best wishes

Helen

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

Weekdays

Co ffee Mornings Tuesday 10.30am in church

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

Helen Bardell Churchwarden 01462 731227/07967144571 email; churchwardens@arlesey.org.uk

Down Memory Lane

We are back to Etonbur y this month as we enjo y this pho tograph taken (we think) f rom around the late 1960’s perhaps you can give us a precise year and maybe name a few o f the students pictured here? 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 arlesey.news@yahoo.com if you can help!!

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Nor th Her ts Road Runners

The next 1st Sat o f the month 5k at Letchwor th Common will be on 4th March 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 runners f rom no vice to experienced runners Why no t come along for a taster session with no obligation. All our details are on nhrr.org.uk or contact Ian on 07506429928

Useful Telephone Numbers

Email: depu tyclerk@arlesey tc co 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 Waste

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