Cople News April 2021 by Ian Whiting

Cople News April 2021

Photo of Leveret by Charles Porter, see Down of the Farm 2. Page 24

Editor’s Notes Firstly apologies to Roland Butter, as he supplied a Review for inclusion in the March edition, but I didn’t have room. It is in this months though (see page 11) and we’ll certainly be trying out the venue. There has been a fantastic response to the History of Cople article last month. So much so, that it would be a magazine on it’s own!!, which may be the outcome in the coming months. Some of the comments contradicted what had been written, but that will be part of the fun finding out who’s remembering correctly, or ‘who’s recollection differs’. In fact it would be great if someone in the village could take on the task of compiling the history and sorting out the memories. If you fancy the task, please let me know. Only yesterday a lady who’s grandfather lived in the village contacted me with pictures of a wooden aeroplane a prisoner of war had made out of wood for him. I do hope that you are enjoying the Down on the Farm articles, I know I am. Perhaps it is being a farmers daughter, but they bring back lots of lovely memories. Back in the December edition we included some photographs of the poppies on the Church wall as part of the Remembrance Service. As I haven’t been able to get out into my garden due to all the wet weather I have begun to knit some more poppies to go on the netting. If anyone would like a copy of the very easy pattern, please let me know. Happy Easter to you all. 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 15th of every month

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Letter from the Curate Dear Friends,

The first day of Spring has come and gone. No matter what the weather is today, there are signs of new life all around us this Easter. From dusty seeds which looked dead when they were buried under the earth, new blades of green are rising. The smooth shells of some eggs hide the signs of the new life within. As the days grow warmer, brightly coloured butterflies will appear. There’s a well-loved children’s book about a caterpillar eating as much food as he can before he retreats into a quiet cocoon and emerges as a splendid butterfly. Lovely. But nature is not always as pretty as a storybook. In the privacy of the real cocoon, all is not sleep and happy dreams of flight. There is nasty goo, disintegration, no sign of life at all. You can see why the children’s book misses that stage out. Life isn’t always pretty is it? At this time of year, Christians see life springing out of death as a reminder of Jesus’ life. But like the life story of the butterfly, there were times in the life of Jesus which were ugly. The baby from the Christmas manger, grew up and about 30 years later, his life came to a horrible end. He was persecuted by the leaders of his own religion, who persuaded the Romans to kill him after a corrupt trial. A man remembered for living out God’s love among ordinary people, came to the nastiest of ends, when he was crucified. What a mess. A man loved by those who knew him, a man who spoke about God, dead, his lifeless body tidied away into a garden tomb. But out of the pain and mess something amazing happened. Early that first Easter morning, Jesus’ friends met him walking in the garden. Even more surprising than a beautiful, winged creature emerging from the destroyed remains of a chubby caterpillar, Easter points to the miracle of new life when all hope has gone. Anyone who saw Jesus’s dead body taken from the cross by his friends would think his story was over. But it isn’t, like the green shoot pushing its way out of the buried seed, the pecking chick emerging bedraggled from its eggshell, the butterfly stretching its brand-new wings, Jesus who was dead, steps into the morning of a new day. 4

So as we see the signs of new life this Spring, let’s remember the good news that even through the pain and mess of death, nothing could stop Jesus bringing his message of God’s love to us, love that is new every morning, love that lasts for ever. Happy Easter! Katie

Dates for All Saints Cople, April 2021

Maundy Thursday 1st - 7pm — livestreamed from Moggerhanger Church Good Friday 2nd—2pm — Meditation livestreamed from Willington Church Sunday 4th—Easter Day 9.30am Morning Praise livestreamed from Moggerhanger church followed by a shortened service of Holy Communion 11am Holy Communion service at Cople Church 4pm Holy Communion service at Willington Church If you wish to attend any of the services on Easter Day, please reserve a place in church by contacting Revd Katie Franks, see below. Sunday 11th 9.30am Morning Praise livestreamed by Revd George Cobb Sunday 18th 9.30am Morning Praise livestreamed from Cople Church Sunday 25th 9.30am Morning Praise livestreamed by Revd Ray Porter.

If anyone would like to join the livestreamed Morning Praise services, please contact the Curate, Katie Franks at cmwcurate@gmail.com

All Saints Church The Vicarage. 3 Grange Lane. Cople, MK44 3TT. Telephone 01234 838145. email; cmwvicar@gmail.com

Churchwardens June Thomas 34 Grange Lane Cople Beds MK44 3TT Tel: 01234 831705 juneshanahan748@btinternet.com 5

Julie Scherrer 26 Grange Way Willington Beds MK44 3QW Tel: 01234 838623 julie@scherrer.co.uk

BEDFORD A&E APPEAL Bedford Hospital Charity and Friends works closely with the management of Bedford Hospital to identify suitable projects for which to raise money and hence support patients and staff; it could be the provision of much-needed equipment or the improvement and maintenance of existing facilities. Over £11 million has been raised in recent years and this has made possible the Macmillan Primrose Unit and the shuttle car service to Addenbrooke’s for patients requiring radiotherapy, to name but two of the projects undertaken. As you can imagine, since the beginning of the pandemic last year, the staff of Bedford Hospital have been under enormous pressure and they have been unstinting in their efforts to care for patients and support their families. We, the Bedford Hospital Charity and Friends, have demonstrated our appreciation in a small but practical way, by providing them, in tandem with generous local donors, with cakes, liquid refreshment and PPE. An exciting new Appeal has recently been launched to significantly improve the facilities available within the Accident & Emergency department. £3.1 million COVID-19 funding is being provided by NHS England, for the development of a paediatric A&E department, and our target of £1 million will be added to this to purchase and install a Computerised Tomography (CT) scanner which will be situated in the A&E, to be shared by both emergency and general hospital patients. This equipment will be of massive benefit to A & E patients. Owing to the intervention of Covid-19 restrictions, it has not been possible to raise funds in the normal way so we are looking at alternative means of raising money. The charity has raised £75,000 to date so there is some way to go to reach £1 million. If you are able to help in some way, by organising an event such as a coffee morning, growing and selling plants, or making a donation, the charity would be most grateful. Additional information can be found at www.bedfordhospitalcharity.org.uk Furthermore we are able to provide leaflets with details of this appeal. If you would like to make a donation to this very worthwhile appeal please use the link https:// www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/AandEappeal1mforBedfordAandE Thank you. Vaughan Southgate (Tel. 01234 838714)– Chairman of the Trustees of Bedford Hospital Charity & Friends 8

All Saints Church Message from Revd Katie Franks

On Shrove Tuesday, we held our first Pancake Party on Zoom. There were some terrible pancake jokes, some impressive pancake flipping and some masterpieces of culinary artistry. We also suggested people donate to the Food Bank as they enjoyed their pancakes and £95 was generously donated. Thank you to everyone who was involved including Karen Joynes, whose video of a simple pancake recipe inspired some delicious pancake. Revd Katie Franks All Saints Cople Annual Parochial Church Meeting Thursday 29th April 2021 at 7.30pm online. If you wish to attend, please contact Revd Katie Franks cmwcurate:gmail.com for an invitation to the Zoom meeting.

Mothers Union For our March meeting members met on Zoom hosted by Katie Franks. After prayers we shared stories and poems and showed items made during lockdown. This was followed by a general chat. Our next meeting on Zoom will be 2pm on Monday April 12th. We would be pleased to see any non MU members who would like to join us for fellowship on that day. Please contact on email: - jillebbs@gmail.com Liz Buck

Prayer

Lord of life, a walk with you generates kindness, compassion, justice and humility—may this be the reflection of our daily lives. May we be alert to spiritual treasures and life lessons aslong the way and be ready to share these with those whom we meet. (M.U. PRAYER DIARY)

Ironing Help Available Would YOU like some help with your IRONING ? Then this is the right ad' to read. I help a few clients like you, so I may be the person you need. I live in a neighbouring village l'll collect and return to your door. I can give you a reference or two. Please call me to find out some more.

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EATING IN .......(Take away) Shortstown Food Bar, Beauvais Square, New Cardington, MK42 0GE 01234 742923 We both fancied Fish and Chips so thought it would be a good idea to do the next review on a local takeaway in New Cardington called Shortstown Food Bar. We took a drive out one evening and it felt good to be going somewhere! The food bar is almost next door to Tesco Express. Very handy. The queue was small and we put our order into a polite member of staff and we waited outside. We ordered medium cod, chips and mushy peas twice and a curry sauce. The total price was £17.50. I was trying to discreetly get the Redhead to take pictures of the menu and opening times, but one of their delivery drivers were very helpful and gave us a leaflet with all the info. We felt a bit daft and laughed, but all worth it in the name of research for Cople's Village Magazine readers! Within ten minutes our order was boxed up and bagged in recyclable packaging and we were on our way home. They also do pies, southern fried chicken, party buckets (not that there are any parties anymore but I'm not bitter), kebabs, burgers and some vegetarian options. They are open every day 12-2pm and 4-9pm except Sunday lunchtimes. Monday to Saturday lunchtimes they have a special of small cod and chips with peas or curry sauce for £4.50! Visit www.shortstownfoodbar.co.uk for more information. The verdict.....Drum roll please....... Very Good! Apparently, they are award winning. They opened their doors in 2015 and have won many awards since and also "Fish and chip shop of the year" for Bedfordshire. The cod was delicious and with no skin. I love no skin. The batter was tasty, but I like mine a little crispier. The mushy peas and curry sauce almost northern (a good thing in my view!). Portion size was big, and I could not eat it all, but The Redhead scoffed the lot. Scores on the doors and the maximum is 10. Service: 4.5 Food: 4.5 Total: 9 To be honest the only thing missing was the sand and the sea.

Roland Butter

COPLE VILLAGE TRUST (Registered Charity No. 1090113)

200 CLUB

Prize winners for March 2021 1st prize of £60 2nd prize of £30 3rd prize of £10

210 163 266

Bill Archer Chris Franklin Pam Moulton

Thank you for your support All monies raised are used to maintain and improve the Village Hall, Playing Field & Playground. Treasurer:

Catherine Bayliss catherine.bayliss@btinternet.com 01234 838704/07880 890508

Contact:

Jane Barnard JaneB2014@hotmail.com 01234 838004

Cople Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group We are looking for additional volunteers to assist in producing the Cople Neighbourhood Plan. The Neighbourhood plan can give you a much greater say on how you want Cople to be for future generations: including how new housing is integrated, what it should look like, which land should be set aside for employment, what green spaces should be protected or where new green spaces should be provided. If you live or work in the Parish of Cople and have the time to commit to attend monthly meetings and complete agreed tasks to get the plan complete please email the parish clerk clerk@cople-pc.gov.uk For information please visit the Parish Council website https://cople-pc.gov.uk/cople-parish-council-neigbourhood-plan/

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To discuss your upcoming project please contact: Thomas Cropley 07734465308 Tom@gostwickarchitecture.com 11 Gostwick Place, Willington, Bedford

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HERITAGE PAINTERS & DECORATORS EXTERNAL & INTERNAL PAINTING & DECORATING WALL PAPER HANGING, ARTEX & COVING OFFICE: 01767 691010 MOBILE: 07860 601567 EmaiL: heritagewestwood@btinternet.com www.heritagedecorators.co.uk

FULLY INSURED FREE ESTIMATES 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE 15

Home Delivery Service in Bedfordshire Villages 17

WILLINGTON VILLAGE HALL MONDAY NIGHTS DURING TERM TIME 6:30pm until 8:00pm If you are interested in joining us please register online:JoinUs@girlguiding.org.uk

Further information can be obtained from Brown Owl Tel :07914 240494 Email: willingtongirlguiding@gmail.com

B. W. Taylor Plumbing Roofing and all Building Maintenance From “Complete Bathrooms and Kitchens” including tiling and plastering through to “Ball Valves and “Garden Taps” No Job too small Local Reliable service at Reasonable Rates References Supplied if Required

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01234 - 838 676 07979 - 928 186

COUNTRY STOVES & SWEEPS HETAS Registered Wood/Multi Fuel Stove Installation Gas Fires Fitted – GAS SAFE Chimney Sweeping Insurance/Safety Certificates Issued Chimney Lining Bird Guards Fitted Free Survey & Quote Competitive Prices

01767 627591 / 07950 705479 Julian Biggs, Northill, Bedfordshire

www.biggleswadetyres.co.uk

Phone for special discount on tyres using the code: COPLE MOT’s carried out while you wait. Phone 01767 60194 21

Find us on Facebook at ‘Five Bells at Cople’ and become a Friend of the Five Bells for regular updates and offers!

Looking forward to welcoming you back in April. Open from 12pm every day. Menu Tuesday-Sunday, in-house and takeaway. Book your table in our Marquee now. Call us on 01234 831330 or message us via social media. HIRING FOR PART TIME BAR & KITCHEN WORK Ideally, you will have some experience of working in a bar, restaurant and/or kitchen. Evening sessions available in bar. Afternoon and evening sessions in kitchen. Minimum 12 hours/ week. Full training will be given. National living wage rates. Interested? Call 01234 831330 or email with a CV to coplefivebells@gmail.com or drop your CV into the pub.

Sheerhatch Primary School We were delighted to reopen the school for all pupils on 8th March. Although we are sure there were a few nervous tummies after such a long time away, the staff were delighted to see the children, and the children delighted to see their friends, there were lots of smiling faces. During lockdown the school tried to think of interesting ways to stay engaged with the children at home in addition to the full remote learning provision; assemblies were on YouTube, classes held bingo games, and a whole school PE challenge where physical activities (such as running round the garden) earned miles – the aim to get to Tokyo for the Olympics! The first week back was an exciting one as we started on the next stage in the development of our outdoor learning area at the Cople site. With support from The Forest of Marston Vale Community Fund we planted over 400 trees to create a copse. The children took an active (and muddy) role in the planting of trees which was fantastic opportunity for them to be outside in the sunshine with their friends. Siobhan Godden Chair of Governors

SJ TAX & ACCOUNTING QUALIFIED ACCOUNTANT

Professional friendly services, Tax advice, Free initial consultation, Sole traders, Ltd companies, bookkeeping, payroll, CIS, VAT & Tax. E: sally@sjtax.co.uk Tel: 01234 831997 Mob: 07899 808592 Willington Peace Memorial Hall, Church Road, Willington, Beds, MK44 3PU

Open daily Mon-Fri 9.15-12.15 With lunch club available 12.15-1.15

Sessional day care for 2-4year olds during term time. £12.00 for a 3hr session (£4.00 extra for lunch club) We also except 2 and 3/4 year old NEF funding

To enquire about a place for your child please email Kelly and Stacey at willingtots@outlook.com or call on 07972 148085 26

DOWN ON THE FARM 2.

We are fortunate to live on an interesting site that has been lived on for many years, and we are trying to find out as much as we can about who has lived here and the houses they lived in. Our current focus is on the house that precedes ours. Even though the house was demolished in about 1850 by the Duke of Bedford when it had fallen into disrepair, we have several good sources of information. Firstly, we have an old engraving of the house, and the style of it seems to point to it dating to about 1600. The second big plus is that it was owned by several generations of the Luke family, and one of them, Sir Samuel Luke was a friend of a well acclaimed author of the time, Sir Samuel Butler. One of his best-known books was a scholarly tome called Hudibras, a political satire published in 1680. It is said that he wrote some of this book whilst hiding in a Priest hole in the roof of this house, since known as Hudibras’ Hole. It is the Luke family and the Hole that drew our best source to come and visit the house, one John Byng, the 5 th Viscount Torrington of Southill. He was a famous diarist if the late 1700s who travelled the country on his pony and penned the famous Torrington Diaries, and one of these rides in June 1778, bought him here, and he wrote as follows: My ride was to Northill and to Cople Hoo, where I turnd left over some closes to view what I had so long intended, Wood End, the Mansion House for many ages of the Luke family. The last of Lukes died poor about the year 1732. I entered this old mansion, and was shewn into many rooms well wainscotted ,(wood panelled) in one of which remains one of these old grand Mantel Pieces, which were very ornamental and highly painted; were generally composed of wood, and sometimes of Stucco. In this are three grand figures of Faith, Hope and Charity. The farm, with much of the neighbourhood, belongs to the Duke of Bedford. The farmer’s son took me to what is call’d Hudibra’s Hole, to which with some difficulty we crept, in the dark under the rafters. It is a concealment that explains itself to have been made for some Popish Recusants, [Those who did not accept the Church of England], as there were in all Roman Catholick Houses, soon after the Reformation, when the laws against Popery were strongly enforced. The house has been moated round and some old twisted chimneys are left. The figure and manners of the farmer were the very portrait of Hudibras, and what a painter would instantly catch at; as well as those of his daughter, if he wanted a face and a form for a Venus, for she was extremely beautiful! 28

The surrounding country is wooded and of grazing grounds, where many calves are suckled for the London market. A mile of pleasant lane bought me to Cople Village, and here as formerly, tying poney to the church yard gate, I summoned the clerk with his key. The only curiosities in this church are the Luke Monuments, of a granite marble with Brasses and Inscriptions of old letter which I had not time to copy. That of Sir Walter Luke and his Lady have been well painted and adorned. Another source, historian W Henman, tells us of the ‘Hole’. ‘The approach is from the attic, through a small hole looking like a cupboard, over rafters, up some steps and through a small aperture into the concealment. This chamber is 13 foot long, 6 wide and 4 high, with a small fireplace at one end’. All very intriguing. On the farm, crops are starting to awake after their winter slumbers, but only slowly due to the cold & wet. Our wheat crops have all had their first feed of the year. A nitrogenous fertiliser has been applied to encourage early growth & tillering. The main application is applied later when the crop is growing fast & needs most food. Our spring drilled crop this year is Linseed. This is not drilled till late spring, when the soil has warmed up. This encourages quick germination & rapid early growth. So hopefully when you walk down the lane this summer you will be surrounded by a sea of blue flowers. On the wildlife front, the most obvious creatures on display have been the beautiful brown hares. Many of you will have witnessed the wonderful sight of the mad March hares boxing. This is not males fighting for superiority, but a female seeing off an over eager male suitor. She may well then run off with several males in hot pursuit & when there is only one left, only then will she decide if he is the one for her or not. There then follows a 6 week gestation before, in a scratched out form, she produces a litter of 2 to 4 leverets, which are born fully furred with eyes open. These will be left separately in their own hiding place, not too far apart. She then leaves them, returning each evening to gather them together to feed them. When feeding is over she leaps away, so as not to leave a scent trail straight to her family. They are weaned at 4 weeks old. Their only safety mechanism to avoid predation from foxes and birds of prey is to stay completely still. Hares can have 3 or 4 litters a year. You are extremely lucky to see baby leverets, but if you do, never touch or move them. Mum knows exactly where they are. In the next month there is a lot to be looking out for. The arrival of the Swallows & Martins, frogs & toads heading for their breeding ponds, butterflies such as Brimstones, Commas & Red Admirals emerging from hibernation to name but a few. Spring on the farm is brilliant. 29

PB ELECTRICAL SERVICES All electrical works undertaken from :Full rewires, part rewires. New distribution boards. Additional sockets and light fittings. CCTV installations. No job to small. Call Paul on 07840 683417 or email paulblackmore3@gmail.com

Cople News April 2021

For many people, the gardening year begins at Easter so, armed with your shiny new tools, packets of fecund seed and brimming with enthusiasm, here are a few jobs that liven up gardens and stop them looking slightly sorry for themselves! As most people probably realise, the quickest way to transform the appearance of a garden is by cutting the lawn. If, however, you also edge it, then the contrast is even greater and the definition even sharper and your whole space will look neater and fundamentally, more cared for. Rather than use an edging iron (also known as a half moon) every time you cut the lawn, use it just once at the start of the year, preferably when the ground is damp, not drenched. Use it every time and your lawn will shrink as it is far more difficult to slice a tiny slither than a large chunk. If your lawn has straight edges, use a line or even a board which you can stand on and then slice against it. A wobbly edge looks awful and drags everything down around it as that part of the garden suddenly becomes guilty by association! If your lawn does not have straight edges, it will still benefit hugely from being edged and by making smaller incisions, it is possible to create flowing, neat curves. Flick the unwanted soil to elsewhere in the bed using the iron or even use a hoe to create a gully. Throughout the rest of the year, simply edge the lawn with edging shears. The gully makes this process far easier to undertake and done regularly, takes hardly any time at all. Collect the debris either by hand or by using a hoe. I am often asked what tool is the most useful in a garden and although a good sharp, spade is indispensable, as alluded to above, a hoe has so many uses. My most used one, really needs replacing, as much like its owner, it is getting on a bit and falling apart, but somehow I just can not bring myself to discard it! Think of it is as knife on a stick and it can be used conventionally, to cut through unwanted ‘weeds’ but it can also be used as a preventative measure. Many years ago, a very lovely old client of mine said in a particularly fine Bedfordshire accent, ‘you hoe before the weeds before they appear’! He was referring to my penchant for hoeing beds whether they have unwanted guests or not! By regularly fluffing up the soil between your loved plants with a flicky, wristy action, weed seeds that are present are disturbed and maybe destroyed before they can germinate. But tip toeing through the tulips, and daffs., and forget-me-nots etc., also has a beneficial impact on the whole appearance of a garden. Regular contributor and talented gardener Sue Dutton has kindly provided a list of tips which I shall periodically mention and this month’s she suggests that to stop cats using areas of your garden as a litter tray, spray tea bags with Deep Heat, bury 2cm below the surface. Use three per square yard. Lasts for two weeks. If you try this, please let me know how you get on. 32

Other items of news, there has been a large increase in the number of untrained people calling themselves gardeners and tree surgeons. I regularly see the damage caused by these persons and I would urge you to employ the legal dictum: caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). Always ask to see a list of relevant qualifications. As I always say, while the levels of jeopardy are no where near comparable, would you rather visit an untrained dentist or one that has been trained over a period of years? The same with a car mechanic! Last month’s just for fun quiz question was:- influenced by the recent St. Valentine's Day then, the love apple is the original name for what fruit? Answer: Tomato. This month’s just for fun quiz question, why are shortly to come into flower, forget-me-nots (pictured), so called?

Belatedly, here are the answers to the Christmas Quiz. 1.What is the common name for the commonly occurring plant ‘Quercus’? OAK. 2. What is the botanical name of the attractive, tall, multi-coloured biennial plant used to treat heart conditions? DIGITALIS. 3. What part of the crocus is used to make the spice, saffron? YELLOW STIGMAS/ POLLUN. 4. What edible fruit has varieties including ‘Emperor’, ‘Red Tokay’, ‘Green Perlette’ and ‘Black Ribier’? GRAPES. 5. What strange sounding beet plant is grown to feed cattle and sounds like a squashed cider drinker, well, kind of?! MANGEL-WURZLE. 6. Why are tulips so called? FROM THE TURKISH FOR TURBAN BECAUSE OF THEIR SHAPE. 7. Name the 17th Century herbalist whose book The English Physician is still influential to this day? NICHOLAS CULPEPER. 8. The hard, white wood of Euonymous europaeus was once used to make an essential item for the wool industry from which the tree received what common name? SPINDLE. 9. The hardy, evergreen, flowering shrub Pieris thrives in limerich soil. True or false? FALSE. PIERIS ARE ERICACEOUS AND THEREFORE, HATE LIME. 10. The edible part of the banana is in fact a what? SEED POD. As usual, many thanks to all of you for contributing to this column, keep them coming, and please contact me with any gardening tasks or queries you may have, lawndocgardens@aol.com or tel: 01767 627 581 or 07796 328 855.

Lawn Doctor Garden Services Clearance, Redesign, Maintenance Tel: 01767 627 581 or 07796 328 855 Email: LawnDocGardens@aol.com Tree Care, Planting, Weeding, Hedge Trimming, Turfing, Jungle Clearing, Landscaping, Lawn Improvement, Patio/Drive Pressure Washing/Weedkilling, Holiday Watering etc., etc. 33

Village Contacts Over 60's Club Secretary : Hazel Shreeves Tel : 01234 838817

Cople Web Site Ian Whiting Tel : 838347 Email: ian@cople.org.uk Web Site :www.cople.org.uk

Mothers Union Contact: Jill Ebbs Tel : 01234 838659

Village Agent Wendy Worgan 0800 039 1234

Cople Village Trust Chair : Sandra Thacker Tel : 01234 831344

07717 269 440 wendyw@bedsrcc.org.uk

Cople Sports & Social Club Chair: David Hughes Tel : 01234 838669

Cople Parish Council Clerk to the Council:

Anne Pape 01234 376645 coplepc@outlook.com

Tuesday Club Joy Duthie Tel : 838407

https://cople-pc.gov.uk/

Biggleswade Chronicle Village Correspondent: Jill Ebbs Tel: 838659

GREAT NEIGHBOURS in COPLE is our local good neighbourhood scheme, which seeks to support residents of our village in a manner that will enable them to remain independent for as long as possible. Our volunteers help local people by giving some of their time to undertake tasks such as shopping, picking up prescriptions, light household duties, gardening or putting out the bins or by spending some time with people who may feel isolated or lonely. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or want to talk to someone about using the service please feel free to contact us on 07746 624208 on Monday to Friday between 1300hrs – 1500hrs or email us at gniccople@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook for further information.

Cople Village Hall & Playing Field Available for Hire for: Parties, Wedding Receptions, Meetings, Conferences etc. Main Hall and/or Committee Room - hire charge from £9 per hour, special rate of £25 for children’s parties of up to three hours (conditions apply). For more information contact 01234 838704 or villagehallenquiries@cople.org.uk 34

Cople Village Agent Update – April 2021 Village Agents provide a free, confidential service and are here to help people with a variety of issues – large or small. We are funded by Bedford Borough Council. We are DBS checked and operate in the strictest confidence. Although we are currently not able to visit people in their homes, we are able to provide advice and information over the phone. We can also drop off items and collect paperwork in a COVID safe and contactless manner, so if you have an urgent form that you need help with please contact Wendy. Blue badge Application Forms & Renewals – are you struggling to do your Blue badge renewal? If you are struggling to do an online renewal, or would like to apply for a Blue Badge, please contact Wendy she will be able to help you do this. St John’s Hospital Trust – a small quarterly payment of £75 can be given to people on a low income who have little or no savings. That’s £300 per year. To qualify you must be over 60, not working and have lived in Bedford Borough for at least 15 years. Contact Wendy for more details. Do You Need Help from Others for Your Personal Care? If you cannot manage to live without support, and are over pension age, you should be able to claim Attendance Allowance of £58.70 or more per week. This is not means tested. If you are paying care home fees you are also eligible to claim, including the Higher Level for night-time care (£87.65.). If your carer is below pension age and is caring for 35 hours a week, they might be able to claim Carers’ Allowance of £64.60. Contact Wendy for more information.

Summer Campaign Your Village Agent will be running a Summer Campaign with lots of useful items to keep you cool in the summer – details to follow.

Please call Wendy your Village Agent on Freephone 0800 039 1234 (and leave a message) or mobile 07717 269 440 or email Wendy on wendyw@bedsrcc.org.uk or connect with Wendy on Facebook at: BRCC Village Agent – Wendy Worgan 35

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9 Lurke Street Bedford MK40 3HZ Tel 01234 352414/350146 Email: sales@pandrinteriors.store Web: www.pandrinteriors.co.uk Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm Trade Welcome We have been supplying and installing bathrooms and kitchens in Bedford and surrounding areas for over 30 years. Bringing together reliable, skilful and trusted tradespeople we personally ensure every installation is completed to the highest possible levels of workmanship and the satisfaction of our clients TRADE WELCOME 36