Cople News Jan 2023

Editor

s Notes

May we wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all. We hope your Christmas was as you wished it to be.

We owe one household a BIG apology as inadvertently their telephone number was listed for The Five Bells, and they were inundated with callers wanting to book a table for Christmas dinner, which is a good sign for the Five Bells, but a bit of a nuisance to these good people. Once more we can only apologies. A large note now sits above my laptop with the correct telephone number on to remind me.

Talking of The Five Bells, we are so happy that it continues to trade as we think many of us would really miss the camaraderie you find when you walk through the door. Plus the warm fire, a great attraction in this weather.

Gary (the Chef at the Five Bells) launches his new restaurant this month with Speciality Theme nights and lots more. Keep an eye on Facebook for details. For us dinosaurs that don’t have Facebook, we will try to persuade Gary to let us know what he is doing and when and record it in the Cople News.

The Christmas Tree Festival was another success with pictures of the trees on page 28 and the winning tree on the front page. All of them, yes, even Bah Humbug, were well thought out and presented to represent their theme.

There isn’t an article from Roland Butter this month. I think the excesses of Christmas mean that he is now on a diet. Perhaps he will reappear in the Spring.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes Libby & Linda

Cople News

Editor : Libby Sands, 77 Willington Road, Cople, Beds, MK44 3TL. Tel 07702 616300

Sub-Editor: Linda Behan 32 Grange Lane, Cople, Beds. MK44 3TT Tel 07825 259174

Email: coplenews@gmail.com

Deadline for copy and advertising 5pm on 15th of every month. Please Note—the Editor reserves the right to edit copy as required.

Advertising

Rates 2023 Annual Charges: Full Page £120. Half Page £60. Delivered free to every home in Cople every month circulation 350 copies

Letter from the Vicar Dear Friends,

January 6th this year celebrates two important events. One which is important in the life of the Church and one that is important for me. The sixth of January marks my first anniversary as vicar in the Benefice of Cople, Moggerhanger and Willington.

And what a year it has been. When I started last January, we were still wearing facemasks in church, singing praises to God was still a bit subdued and no communion wine was shared with the congregation.

We journeyed together through Lent and Easter, and by Easter it was a joy to remove the masks and offer the wine around again. Into Pentecost and the celebrations of our beloved Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. What a joy filled long weekend that was, with events happening in each of our villages. enjoyed all the events I attended.

Then we had a long, hot, dry summer. And who of us would have believed that only a few short months after the Jubilee, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would depart this life having served this nation until the day she died. We enter 2023 with a new King and a Coronation to look forward to on the sixth of May. My year finished with a busy and joy filled Christmas as we celebrated once again the story of Jesus’ arrival into the world.

Which nicely leads us to the second event. Epiphany is the time when traditionally we take down our Christmas decorations, although in some places it is perfectly acceptable to leave them up until Candlemas (2nd February)!

The Epiphany is when the church formally marks the Wise Men finding the baby Jesus and presenting him with their prophetic gifts. They brought gold for a King. Frankincense, a highly fragrant white resin from Arabia, which was burned in the temple as an offering to God. It marked this baby as God himself come to earth and looked forward to his willingness to become the sacrifice himself. And myrrh, an aromatic spice also from Arabia. This was used for the

embalming of the dead, and pointed to Jesus’ death and therefore his humanity.

This baby, who was both human and divine, attracted both the lowly shepherds from the fields nearby and learned men from far afield. These distant travellers brought with them further confirmation of the identity of this baby, Immanuel, which means God with us.

For me 2022 was a good year, of getting know the three villages, churches and people. And I am looking forward to continuing that during 2023, knowing that the God who came to earth as a baby, is still with us all as we journey onward.

With every blessing, Lynne

All Saints Church

The current contact details for Cople Church are as follows:Tel: 01234 974722. email: cmwvicar@gmail.com Churchwardens

June Thomas Julie Scherrer 34 Grange Lane 26 Grange Way Cople, Beds Willington, Beds MK44 3TT MK44 3QW Tel: 01234 831705 Tel: 01234 838623 juneshanahan748@btinternet.com julie@scherrer.co.uk

THANK YOU GNiC

We would like to thank the organisers of GNiC, particularly Chaney, Tracey and Jill, for all the good work that GNiC has done in the village.

GNiC came into its own when Covid restrictions hit. Many of us in the village used their services during this time. Prescriptions were collected, shopping delivered, contacts maintained.

GNiC has regularly organised collections for the Foodbank in Bedford (which it is understood will continue). GNiC was also instrumental in starting the tradition of a lighted tree in the Church grounds at Christmas and over the years villagers have appreciated and enjoyed the event, coupled with the Carol singing.

Their work in the village has been much appreciated. With all best wishes Julie and June (Churchwardens)

Cople Parish Council

A Parish Council (PC) meeting was held at Cople Village Hall on Monday 28th November 2022, this was attended by five local Parish Councillors, the Clerk and a Bedford Borough Councillor. One nomination had been received for the Councillor vacancy. Jason Whaley introduced himself to the meeting and was co-opted.

Public Participation

• A resident had heard that a private track off of Grange Lane, leading to a green space, maybe turned into an access road. There were concerns about development. Boro Cllr Moon would look into this further.

• When litter picking a resident had found numberplates on one more than one occasion, in the hedgerow opposite the Girls’ School Playing Field. The resident had passed the plates to Bedfordshire Police. The concern was that numberplates were being swapped over in the entrance to the Girls’ School playing field car park. The Clerk would raise this matter with the local police officer.

• A resident spoke about post 16 transport to education. The resident reported that since September the bus had not arrived in the morning nine times & the buses were frequently late. Their child had to pay an adult fare at the age of 16. The resident had corresponded with Richard Fuller MP, he had advised that it was a BBC matter. Boro Cllr Martin-Moran-Bryant had raised the matter with Boro Cllr James Valentine, Portfolio Holder for Education & Children Services. The section of the response relating to transport to post 16 transport to education was read out to the meeting. The matter would be included on the January 2023 agenda.

Borough Councillors report

Warm spaces - BBC has launched its Warm Spaces Network. This is a list of places throughout the borough that people can go to during the day to keep warm as we enter the winter months. The council is contacting parish councils & community & voluntary groups across the borough asking if they would like to join the network. As more venues join the initiative, they will be added to the directory. The online directory will allow residents to choose a Warm Space based on location, opening hours & the facilities on offer, such as refreshments, free Wi-Fi, TV, books, magazines and games.

Concessionary Travel - It has been decided to reinstate the discretionary concessionary travel scheme as originally implemented from 1 January 2017. The scheme enables residents of pension-age or with a disability who hold an English National Concessionary Travel pass to travel for a discounted fare of £1.00 on most local bus journeys within the Borough before 9.30am & after 11pm on weekdays & to allow the companion of a qualifying disabled pass holder to travel free of charge at any time.

Free School Meals Vouchers for Bedford Borough Children For School

Holidays - Families across BBC, who are entitled to income related free school meals, will be given vouchers for the Christmas holidays. Funded through the Governments Household Support Fund, BBC will continue to provide each eligible child £15 per week. To find out if you are eligible & to register for free school meals visit http://www.bedford.gov.uk/.../educatio.../free-school-meals/ Flu Jab - BBC is encouraging residents to get their flu jab this winter. Several types of flu vaccine are offered, including the Fluenz nasal spray for children. If you're eligible for a free flu vaccine on the NHS, you'll be contacted & offered one that's most appropriate for you

COVID-19 Booster - The autumn booster jab is available to everyone aged 50 & over, those who are at higher risk from serious illness such as pregnant

women & people with long-term health conditions, along with frontline health & social care workers. To find out more about the autumn booster or to book your vaccination visit the NHS website.

Cople to Cardington footpath

Representatives from Cople PC, Cardington PC & BBC had walked the proposed route. All of the landowners had agreed in principle to the path. The route now needed to be agreed. It was agreed that Cllr Sankersingh would prepare a letter to be sent to Cardington PC to agree the next steps.

Speed Watch & Conflict Study

One Speed Watch session had been undertaken. Eight vehicles had been recorded speeding in a 25 minute period. Some dates had been put forward for the Traffic Conflict study; it was felt that it would be better to undertake the study in the Spring when there were more daylight hours.

Digital Connectivity

Openreach have been upgrading parts of north Cople to full-fibre network as part of the BBC’s contract with Openreach. It is expected more premises will have access to full fibre in the next month. Cllr Sankersingh will continue to get updates from the council on further deployments. The PC was advised of damage to a telephone pole on Grange Lane. Cllr Sankersingh would photograph the image for reporting to BT Open Reach.

Neighbourhood Plan update

Robert Bellew, Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, supplied the following report & the initial data findings from the questionnaire. 104 households completed the survey, representing 25% of households in Cople, which is a magnificent response. The average in other villages is generally 10%. The full survey has been emailed to all Parish Councillors but the following is a summary of the key responses: -

1) Over 90% agreed that Cople had good access to the countryside with attractive walks &views, felt safe with a relatively low crime rate & was quiet and peaceful.

2) 40% felt that there was currently a need for more housing in the village with 42% disagreeing.

3) 62% agreed that there would be a need for more housing over the next 20 years with 13% disagreeing.

4) If new homes were built smaller houses & starter homes were the preferred options.

5) 43% felt that it would be appropriate to build between 10 & 25 new homes, 20% felt it should be less than 10, 18% between 26 & 50 with 15% wanting no new homes.

6) Not surprisingly the most used village facilities were Millennium Wood, Dog Field & Cople Pits.

The group continues with the evidence gathering process which we plan to complete by the end of December. Progress is hampered by a shortage of members. We currently number 5 active members with one person stepping back due to the demands of family & work commitments. We advertised for new members in the October edition of Cople News but neither this nor requests in the questionnaire or previous editions of Cople News have had any success. We intend to email the results of the Neighbourhood Plan survey to all respondents with a request for volunteers to join the group. This will further raise awareness and demonstrate proactive community engagement.

Down on the Farm 23—Charlie Porter

As I write, we are still in the midst of an early winter cold snap. It has come as quite a shock after the summer heatwave & then the soggy autumn. Mild winters make life very easy on the farm, but a good cold snap actually does everything a lot of good. Aphid numbers were worryingly high in October. They can carry a nasty virus called Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, which can also affect wheat as well as barley. When the aphid drinks the sap from the plants, it infects the plant with the virus at the same time. You are unaware of this until the springtime when the plant normally starts to grow vigorously. Any infected plant will be very sickly & yellow & if it survives will produce very little grain. These frosts of -10oC will have certainly got rid of a lot of them, as it will any of the fungal diseases that were just starting to show on the leaves of the wheat plants. Nature’s way of pest control is always preferable to having to resort to a chemical control.

The beans that I wrote about last month have not yet emerged, so they won’t be suffering any harm from the frost, & when they do emerge it should be into a field without too many pests or diseases because of the cold snap.

Another beneficiary of the frost is the actual soil. Any land that has been left a bit rough for the winter & ready for spring cropping will be softened down by the frost/thaw action which breaks down any clods & lumps. This soft top to the soil is known as a frost tilth & is better than any seedbed that has been prepared by bashing the soil about with a mechanical cultivator. It is a lot more environmentally friendly.

Over the last few mild winters, quite a few weeds that would normally be deemed to be an annual weed, have begun to survive into a second year. So once again the frost is our friend, killing off most these weeds. Bristly Oxtongue, that I have written about before, falls into this category. I am hoping that a combination of having been nibbled by Jamie Murdoch’s sheep & then a good hard frost will give this very annoying weed a big headache. Unfortunately, the blanket of snow that we now have is insulating the soil & weeds from the worst of the cold. Only in the springtime will we know what mother nature has done to these weeds!

During this cold snap we have become aware of a lot of wrens roosting in the ivy on the wall over our kitchen window. This little bird, weighing only 10 grams, has a very interesting scientific name, Troglodytes Troglodytes, so called because of its liking for hunting in holes & cracks. Life can be very hard for this tiny bird, our second smallest resident bird after the Goldcrest, in very cold weather. They carry very little fat & need to eat constantly in the winter to keep warm & maintain their weight. Their preferred diet is insects & spiders, but in the winter this live food is very scarce, so they then have to eat seeds & berries to supplement their diet. They can often be seen scavenging under bird

tables picking up bits of seed & suet that have been dropped by the birds feeding above. Starlings are particularly messy eaters & drop a lot for those below. If you want to put out food specifically for wrens, grated cheese is a good option, even if it has dried out & gone a bit hard.

In a bad winter over 25% can die, more in a really harsh spell. But their numbers can quickly recover as they are very prolific breeders, having 2 broods of 6 to 8 chicks a year.

Seeing these wrens going into the ivy made me wonder just how they manage to survive at all in these really cold nights. I have learnt that they are quite partial to group roosting to help keep warm, sometimes huddling together in a bush with their heads together & their tails sticking out, a bit like King Penguins in the Antarctic. They have also quite often been observed roosting communally in bird boxes, the record number recorded was 71 in a box in Norfolk. It is usually a male that starts the communal roost by singing & displaying near the site, males & females are both welcomed in. However, when the weather warms up it is the males who are evicted first, leaving the original male with his own personal little harem, he obviously hoping that one or more, they can have up to 5 females on the go at one time, will choose him as their mate.

In the springtime he will be very busy nest building, as it is the male who builds up to 5 preparatory nests. He will then show his female these nests & she will then take her pick. The one she has chosen she will then finish off choosing the interior décor to her own taste & will then lay her clutch of eggs.

Wrens are not the only British bird to survive the cold nights by communal roosting. The delightful Long Tailed Tit has also discovered the benefits. This common though elusive member of the Tit family, spends most of the winter living in groups, often roosting together as well. Unlike the Wren, they do not form a ball, they sit very close together along a twig in a bush such as a hawthorn or holly. The dominant birds get the middle, hence the warmest, position, & the weakest have to tough it out at the end. Up to 20 birds have been observed snuggled up in one row.

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Charlie

You wait for a Bus then several turn up—Martin Perman

As some of you already know I have many interests that cover a lot of subjects and this one falls under the heading of Transport, the clue is in the title, Buses.

As I think most of you will know Stagecoach in their infinite wisdom decided recently to cancel the service that runs between Bedford Bus Station, Sandy and Biggleswade Bus Station leaving Cople, Willington, Moggerhanger, Sandy and Biggleswade without any connection with the aforementioned towns & villages. Thankfully Grant Palmer, a local bus company have stepped in to fill the gap with a comprehensive timetable on routes 72,73 and 74, well that’s enough of the preamble now for the reason of my piece.

Believe it or not, there has been a Bus service from Bedford to Biggleswade which started in 1912 and became regular from 1919.

On Sunday 30th October 2022 the United Counties Preservation Collection laid on a free bus service along the route to commemorate the service run by Stagecoach, United Counties and the Eastern National Omnibus Company, the service was also provided by private owners one of which came all the way from Chelmsford for the day.

There were eight buses on the route and they started from Bedford and Biggleswade simultaneously and the buses stopped at St Pauls Square, Harrowden Road shops, Willington Cross roads, The Guinea Moggerhanger, Sandy town centre and then Biggleswade Bus station, this was done every half hour from 10:00 until 16:00 in both directions.

With permission from the house management I rode my Mobility Scooter to the Cople Turn bus stop ready for the 10:00 start with my camera as I wanted to take some photographs of the buses doing what they do best and I wasn’t disappointed.

After three hours watching the world go by, nature sent me home for a comfort break and a quick sandwich and then when I returned I went via the Antique Shop, in the Garden Centre, for a quick look between buses, when I came out and started back to the bus stop, a quick look

in my offside mirror saw a Police car pull up behind me and the passenger Policeman get out and run after me so I felt obliged to stop. He thanked me for stopping and said they were looking for a chap on a mobility scooter who had been seen at the bus stop by a driver and who on his return had seen the same chap still sitting there three hours later. I explained that it was me, he asked if everything was ok and why was I sat there, so I told him about the buses and my photography and he & his partner went off happy. Did I look suspicious, lost, broken down, who knows but its nice to know somebody cared.

All of the buses that passed in either direction were always almost full and several times I got a wave from a driver or a quick toot of the horn. There were two buses that I looked out for especially as they were carrying my Daughter, Grandson & my Son-in-law’s Mother, they all got on at Harrowden Road and spent a few hours in Biggleswade and then made the return journey back to Harrowden Road. My delight was to see them all, particularly my Grandson, vigorously waving their hands as they went past.

Continued from page 9

Amenity & highways Report any Highways issues

It was reported that the grass on a section of verge on Bedford Road had not been cut & that the footway was very narrow. The Clerk would contact the grass cutting contractor to ask that they revisit to cut the verge. The contractor would also be asked if they would be able to quote to side up the verge.

Discuss the classification of the A603 & possible extension of the 30mph speed limit to Octagon Farm

An update was awaited from BBC Highways. Ward Funding for this project could be available in 2023-2024. Cllr Moon would follow up with Andrew Prigmore

Update on the VAS display

Councillors requested additional time to review the quotations. It was agreed to move the item to the January 2023 PC meeting.

Discuss parking issues associated with the use of Bedford Girls’ School playing field & agree action

Residents had reported issues with access along Grange Lane & into private properties due to nuisance parking by vehicle owners attending a match at the Girls’ School playing field. Vehicles had had to move off the highway & onto private driveways to allow the local bus to pass along Grange Lane. Some vehicle owners had parked on private driveways to attend the match. The PC had contacted the school twice previously about parking issues. The offer of additional parking at the Sports & Social Club & the Village Hall had been put to the school previously. It was advised that parking could also be an issue when a football match took place at the village playing field. Parking could also be made available at the village hall car park for the football club.

Blunham Community Cinema Village Hall, Blunham MK44 3NN

We present on Friday 27th January 2023, 'The Duke' (Cert 12A) starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Heather Craney and Stephen Rashbrook. A true comedic story set in 1961, when Kempston Bunton, a 60 year old taxi driver steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.

Film starts promptly 7.30 pm, doors open 7pm. Adults £5.00. Children £3.00. Family (2A + 2C) £12.00. Sweets, Drinks (hot & cold), Ice cream and Pop-corn are available.

For tickets or any further information contact Margot 01767 640938 or 07783 046020.

Blunham and District Gardening Club

Blunham Village Hall, MK44 3NN.

There is No meeting in January

.

For further information contact Brenda Leaf 01767 640623.

Cople Sports Football Club

Now into their 7th season, Cople Sports FC have found themselves in the region's top division which promises to bring some of the best teams in the county to the mighty Cople Arena. Matches start at 10.30am on Sundays and support is always appreciated!

Mobile Library News—January 2023

The mobile library is visiting the village fortnightly on a Wednesday. It will call at:All Saints Road 10.00 - 10.20am; Water End—10.25 - 10.40am and The Five Bells—10.45 -11.05am.

The dates for January are 4th and 18th

Knit and Stitch

Come and meet your friends in the Five Bells on alternate Fridays from 10.00am until 12.00noon.

The dates for January are 6th & 20rd

Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery or just bring along yourself to chat & enjoy coffee & cake.

January 2023 Diary

Sun 01

Patronal Holy Communion 11.00am @ Moggerhanger Church

Mon 02 Evening Prayer for Ukraine 6.00pm on Zoom

Tues 03

Orange Wheelie Bins

Morning Prayer 9.15am @ Moggerhanger Church

Coffee Morning 10.30am @ Moggerhanger Church

Blunham Gardening Club No meeting in January

Wed 04 Mid-week Holy Communion 10.30am @ Cople Church

Mobile Library For times and venues see page 19

Carpet Bowls 7.15 – 9.45pm @ Cople Village Hall

Thur 05 Morning Prayer 9.30am @ Willington Church

Karate

Beginners & children 5.45 – 7.00pm. Advanced 7.158.15pm

Fri 06 Knit & Stitch 10.00 – noon @ The Five Bells

Yoga 10.00 – 11.00am @ Cople Village Hall

Sat 07 Fairtrade stall & coffee morning 10.30am @ Willington Church

Sun 08 Family Service 9.30am @ Cople Church

Holy Communion 11.00am Livestreamed from Willington Church

Mon 09

Tues 10

Black Wheelie Bins

Evening Prayer for Ukraine 6.00pm on Zoom

Morning Prayer 9.15am @ Moggerhanger Church

Tuesday Club AGM 7.30pm @ Cople Village Hall

Wed 11 Benefice Choir 9.30am @ Willington Church

Mid-week Holy Communion 10.30am @ Cople Church

Carpet Bowls 7.15 – 9.45pm @ Cople Village Hall

Thur 12

Morning Prayer 9.30am @ Willington Church

Karate

Beginners & children 5.45 – 7.00pm. Advanced 7.15 –7.45pm

Fri 13 Yoga 10.00 – 11.00am @ Cople Village Hall

Sun 15 Morning Praise 9.30am livestreamed from Willington Church

Holy Communion 11.00am @ Cople Church

Songs of Praise 6.00pm @ Moggerhanger Church

Mon 16

Orange Wheelie Bins

Luncheon Club

12.30pm @ Cople Church

Evening Prayers for Ukraine 6.00pm on Zoom

Tues 17 Morning Prayer 9.15am @ Moggerhanger Church

Wed 18

Benefice Choir 9.30am @ Cople Church

Mid-week Holy Communion 10.30am @ Willington Church

Mobile Library For times and venues see page 19

Carpet Bowls 7.15 – 9.45pm @ Cople Village Hall

Thur 19 Morning Prayer 9.30am @ Willington Church

Karate

Beginners & children 5.45 – 7.00pm/ Advanced 7.15 –8.15pm

Fri 20 Knit & Stitch 10.00 – Noon @ The Five Bells

Yoga 10.00 – 11.00am @ Cople Village Hall

Sun 22 Morning Parise 9.30am livestreamed from Moggerhanger Church

Willington Churches Together Covenant Service 10.30am @ Methodist Chapel

All-Age Communion 11.00am @ Cople Church

Mon 23 Black Wheelie Bins

Evening Prayers for Ukraine 6.00pm on Zoom

Tues 24 Morning Prayer 9.15am @ Moggerhanger Church

Wed 25

Benefice Choir 9.30am @ Willington Church

Mid-week Holy Communion 10.30am @ Cople Church

Carpet Bowls 7.15 – 9.45pm @ Cople Village Hall

Thur 26 Morning Prayer 9.30am @ Willington Church

Karate

Beginners & children 5.45 – 7.00pm Advanced 7.15 –8.15pm

Fri 27 Yoga 10.00 – 11.00am @ Cople Village Hall

Blunham Cinema

For details see page 18

Sat 28 Coffee Morning 10.30am @ Cople Church

Sun 29

Mon 30

Benefice Holy Communion 10.30am @ Cople Church

Orange Wheelie Bins

Evening Prayers for Ukraine 6.00pm on Zoom

Tues 31 Morning Prayer 9.15am @ Moggerhanger Church

Foodbank Collection.

Many thanks to everyone who donated to the Foodbank collection in December. In 2022 we gave a total of 520kg of food, the equivalent of 1250 meals to the Bedford Food Bank, which is fantastic.

Cople is a very generous village, as has been shown by previous collections. Please continue to do so if you are able to.

Remember if you can buy just one extra item each week when you shop, that would be 12 or 13 items for you to donate to the Collection.

We will be continuing with the donations in 2023 and the collection dates are as follows: - Saturday 4th March 2023, Saturday 3rd June, Saturday 2nd September and Saturday 2nd December”

Thanks, Louise

Christmas Tree Festival

For the second year running we held the Christmas Tree Festival in All Saints Church. We had 14 beautifully decorated trees displayed in the church on the 10th December & they were due to stay in the church until after Christmas Day.

Despite the weather we had quite a few visitors who enjoyed the refreshments, purchased raffle tickets & voted for the favourite tree. All monies raised will go to the upkeep of the church.

The favourite tree voted by the visitors was ‘ Santa comes to Cople’.

A big thank you to all who participated in this festive occasion.

Continued from page 17

It was agreed that Cllr Sankersingh would draft a letter to the Harpur Trust about the issue & circulate to all Councillors for review. The football club would also be contacted.

The PC was advised that a smell from the ponds in the Nature Reserve was affecting residents. The PC would contact the Wildlife Trust to inform them of the issue.

Discuss and agree winter maintenance works for the Millennium Woods

The Clerk had met with the contractor & Marie Grohmann to look at the works required. It was expected that only 2 visits would be needed for the current year. Volunteers would mark up anything that needed to be removed. The contractor could reduce the height of any stumps that volunteers cut down. Some lines through the trees would be cleared. Overhanging vegetation on the outer paths would be cut back. Any trees that were dead & leaning would be cut down.

Discuss the electricity supplier for the street lighting and agree action

The PC has sought a new electricity supplier to try to reduce the costs of the electricity supply for the street lighting. A broker, The Utility Supplier, had put forward SSE as a new supplier. Details of the costs & savings were circulated to the Councillors prior to the meeting & reviewed at the meeting.

Discuss the draft budget for 2023/2024

• The draft budget was circulated to Councillors prior to the meeting. The Councillors reviewed the budget. The budget would be revised for the new energy costs. The possibility of reducing the village maintenance & hedge cutting budgets would be looked into further. The church wall could require maintenance in 2023/2024 & consideration would be given to increasing the church budget.

• It was noted that the bridge on Grange Lane was still in need of repair. It was explained that this was the responsibility of BBC. Boro Cllr Moon offered to follow up on the repair with BBC Highways

• Cllr Whaley asked about the possibility of having village signs at the entrance of the village. Cllr Whaley would look into village signs further

New matters from Councillors for discussion at the next meeting Works on the church wall Fly tipping in the parish Crime in the parish

A full copy of the minutes of the Cople Parish Council meetings are available on the website cople-pc.gov.uk. If you would like to engage with the Parish Council about any matter please contact Anne, Parish Council Clerk, by e-mail clerk@cople-pc.gov.uk.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place at 19:30 on 16th January 2023 at Cople Village Hall. All members of the public are entitled to attend the meeting..

Mother’s Union

At our meeting in December, members enjoyed an afternoon of carols and seasonal readins followed by tea and mince pies provided by Judith. We were joined by our Vicar Lynne, who ended the meeting with a prayer and the Grace.

Our first meeting of the New Year will be a Cluster event to be held on Wednesday 11th January 2023 in Northill Church. This will be an Epiphany service and will begin at 2.00pm

Liz Buck

Prayer

Compassionate God, we unite in prayer for families that are separated.

Reunite those who are forced apart by war or civil unrest. Bring together those separated through fear or misunderstanding. We pray for all children to have a loving environment to grow up in (M.U. PRAYER DIARY)

Gardening January 2023

A Happy and Healthy New Year To You All

Thank you very much to everyone that has sent in entries to this year’s Gardening Quiz. There is still time to enter. Mislaid December’s magazine? Contact me via the details below and I will send you the questions. Remember though, answers have to be received by 15th January 2023.

Following on from last year, here are some more of my favourite observations about all things horticultural! This year’s also feature some ‘jokes’ (term used in its loosest sense!).

“My neighbour asked if he could use my lawnmower and I told him of course he could, so long as he didn’t take it out of my garden.” – Eric Morecambe

I’ve started growing herbs in my garden. To help identify them I’m growing them in alphabetical order. My neighbour asked me, “How you find the time?” I said, “Easy, it’s right here next to the sage.”

A cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education. – Mark Twain.

I was terrified of gardening. But I finally decided to grow a pear. Sherlock Holmes was gardening when Watson came over and asked what he was planting. “A lemon tree, my dear Watson”.

A gardener took his dog to the vet. “He’s been acting real depressed,” explained the gardener. “He just lays in the garden day after day, letting out these really sad sighs.” “I see,” replied the vet. “What do you grow?” “This season it’s cantaloupe, but I don’t see how that’s relevant.” The vet nodded knowingly and replied, “Well, that explains it. He’s a Melon Collie.”

‘’

Plant and your spouse plants with you; weed and you weed alone.” – J-J Rousseau

The neighbour’s dog pooped in our garden, so my wife told me to get a shovel and throw it over the fence. I don’t see what that solved. We’ve still got dog poo in our garden and the neighbours have our shovel.

To an optimist every weed is a flower; to a pessimist every flower is a weed. – Finnish proverb

My wife complained that I never buy her flowers. I didn’t even know she sold flowers.

Little 8-year-old Becky was in the garden filling in a hole when her neighbour peered over the fence. Interested in what the youngster was doing, he asked, “What are you doing there, Becky?”. “My goldfish died,” Becky sobbed. “And I’ve just buried him.” The obnoxious neighbour laughed and said condescendingly, “That’s a really big hole for a little goldfish, don’t you think?” Becky patted down the last heap of earth with her shovel and replied, “That’s because he’s inside your cat.”

To an optimist every weed is a flower; to a pessimist every flower is a weed. – Finnish proverb

My wife complained that I never buy her flowers. I didn’t even know she sold flowers.

An elderly couple had dinner at another couple’s house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two men were talking, and one said, “Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great… I would recommend it very highly. ”The other man said, “What is the name of the restaurant?. ”The first man thought and thought and finally said, ‘‘What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know… The one that’s red and has thorns.” “Do you mean a rose?”. “Yes, that’s the one,” replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, “Rose, what’s the name of that restaurant we went to last night?”

If you have any similar words of wisdom, as always, please send them to me and I will include them in future articles. All correspondence can be emailed to lawndocgardens@aol.com or posted to: - Lawn Doctor Garden Services, 14 Sand Lane, Northill, SG18 9AD. As usual, please contact me with any gardening queries or tasks you may have.

Best wishes all for a very Happy & Healthy New Year.