Cople News June 2021 by Ian Whiting

Cople News June 2021

Terrapin seen in lake in Cople Pits area

Editor’s Notes The front page shows what we think is a terrapin sunning itself on a piece of wood floating in one of the lakes in Cople Pits. It is unusual to see them and I was very surprised to see it there, I have to say. I suspect it is an abandoned pet as I’ve heard they have a very nasty bite!! But I may be wrong. As life begins to return more and more to normal, any organisation that would like their activities advertised in the magazine, please feel free to contact us so that we can resurrect the calendar page in the centre of the magazine. Don’t forget to get your article in before 15th of the month. A new article this month is a report from the Parish Council,. This is very welcome but this month it meant we had to find a couple of pages worth of ‘stuff’ to fill the magazine. On page 12, there’s an easy knitting pattern for Poppies that could be attached to the net over the Church wall for Remembrance Day. On page 13, We’ve put a copy of an old postcard of Cople we found in the Archive while looking for something else to fill the pages. We think it is of the corner of what is now Grange Lane and Willington Road, but the road layout seems different.

Libby & Linda

Mobile Library

The mobile library is on the road again, but is moving it’s stopping point in the village. It will come in on Tuesday 1st June and fortnightly thereafter, but it will stop at the Five Bells between 10.10 and 10.20am. This will now be it’s only stop in the village.

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

Advertising Rates

Annual Charges: Full Page £96.

Half Page £48.

Delivered free to every home in Cople every month circulation 360 copies 3

Letter from the Curate Every year, usually in April, I like to buy a pair of sunglasses. I need them to see comfortably when I drive but buying them also reminds me that Summer is just around the corner. Even in the chilliest Spring, my new sunglasses hold the promise of long warm days to come. In the frosty Spring of 2021, I’ve needed the reminder that eventually, I will get to the beach; that sunnier times lie ahead. Of course, we’re hoping for more this year, aren’t we? We’re looking forward to restrictions relaxing further this month so that we can finally see our way out of the pandemic. Going away even for a short break, means packing a bag. As I rummage for sunhats and beachwear, I usually find that some of my old holiday gear has passed its best. And as we look forward to sunny days beyond the pandemic, there will probably be some parts of our old life we don’t want to take with us. If it’s time to replace a beach towel that’s looking tired after a year in a drawer, it could be time to make changes in other areas of life. When lockdown restrictions encouraged us to stay local for shopping & relaxation, some of us learned to appreciate what’s on offer locally. It could be time to continue supporting those local businesses we relied on & spend less in places run by bigger companies. Perhaps daily walks have reminded us of the beautiful place we live in & we want to step into a post lockdown world where our souls are restored by time spent near home as well as visits to beautiful places further away. As I look back over the recent past, & forward to happier times, I am thankful that through it all, I have known God was with me. When life became difficult in ways I could never have imagined, the grace of God didn’t fail me. Looking back over his life, one hymn writer put it like this: “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.” Wearing my new sunglasses as I drive to meet my friends & family or sit on the beach, this Summer, I’m confident that my future is safe in the hands of the loving God. He has been with us all no matter what we’ve endured & one day he can lead us home. Katie 4

Dates for All Saints Cople, June 2021 Sunday 6th

09.30am 11.00am

Sunday 13th

Sunday 20th

Sunday 27th

Morning Praise livestreamed from Cople Church Holy Communion at Moggerhanger Church

09.30am

Morning Praise livestreamed from Moggerhanger Church by Archdeacon Dave Middlebrook

11.00am

Holy Communion at Willington Church led by Archdeacon Dave Middlebrook

09.30am

Morning Praise livestreamed from Willington Church

11.00am

Holy Communion at Cople Church

09.30am

Morning Praise livestreamed from Cople Church by Rev’d Ray Porter

11.00am

Holy Communion at Moggerhanger Church led by Rev’d 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 current contact details for Cople Church are as follows: Telephone 01234 831421. email; cmwcurate@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

Mothers Union

Members met on Zoom for their meeting in May and were joined by Katie our Curate and Liz Hutchinson, one of our Cluster Coordinators. We discussed various questions about lockdown, including did we learn a new skill, what did we miss most and how has lockdown affected us? Prayer played a big part within the MU and going back to biblical times, prayer figured greatly in times of epidemics and plagues and of course during this current pandemic. Our next meeting will again be via Zoom on Monday 14th June at 2pm. We also have our Wave of Prayer this month on Wednesday 23rd June at 2pm. Prayer Gardener God, we delight in the abundance and beauty of your creation. Remind us always to establish and form habits that will protect and honour the earth for our own sake and for those who will come after us. Amen (MU Prayer Diary) 8

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.

Brenda. 07761627621

Cople Village Trust 200 Club Cash Prize Draw The 200 club raises funds for the Village Hall and Playing field and needs your support. Give yourself the chance to win every month as these people did in May 2021.

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

173 189 244

Verity Yarrow John Bayliss Jackie Benbow

We have some spare numbers for 2021, so now is your opportunity to win. Please see a trustee or call on 01234 838004 for a number for £12.00 per year.

Hi my name is Tracy and my business is well established within Willington. I provide a full range of treatments: Waxing, Electrolysis, Eye Treatments. Relaxing Body Massage, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology. Pedicures, Manicures, Shellac Gel Varnish. Facials, including Non-Surgical Facelifts. With over 20 years experience in the beauty industry I will always welcome new customers and be happy to sit down and discuss your requirements. 15% off your first treatment (new customers only)

Telephone: 01234 831894 or 07825 615839 email: tracy.essentialbeauty@gmail.com follow me on Facebook: @essentialbeautytracy 35 Chapel Lane, Willington.

ALL COVID SAFE, WEARING FULL PPE and COVID POLICY IN PLACE.

Easy Ribbed Knit Pattern This pattern gives a full ribbed knitted poppy and is an easy pattern for beginners. The ply of your yarn doesn’t matter providing you adjust your needle size to suit. Use a smaller needle size than you may otherwise use. For instance, if you are using a 8 ply yarn and usually knit with 4mm needles, try 3.75mm. The size of the poppy will change depending on your yarn and needles. Colour A—1 ball red yarn (one ball will make a number of poppies) Colour B—small amount of green or black for the centre of the poppy or a button. Body of Poppy Using Colour A cast on 60 stitches. Row 1 - 10: K2 P2 (for a slightly smaller poppy do 8 rows of rib) Row 11: Knit 2 together across the row. Row 12: Slip 1 stitch, K2 together, pass the slipped stitch over … repeat across the row Break off yarn with long tail and thread back through the remaining stitches and pull tight. Join edges with mattress stitch. Centre of Poppy Using Colour B cast on 8 stitches and knit a square (approx. 8— 10 rows) of stocking stitch (knit a row, purl a row). Cut yarn leaving a tail and thread through live stitches. The purl side is the right side. Run a line of running stitch around the outside of the knitted square and ease enough to pull the edges of the square into a around shape and tuck under. Finishing Stitch the centre tucked side down to body of poppy and overstitch with yarn, or alternatively use a black or green button as the centre of your poppy. Start again!! 12

We found this old postcard of Cople in the archive of Cople News. It may be of some interest to some of you. We think it shows the corner of the Churchyard, on the corner of Grange Lane and Willington Road, but we’re not sure exactly. Anyone out there know? 13

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Cople Parish Council Introduction Cople Parish Council meets six times a year, from now, Councillor David Small and Councillor Marie Hinkley will be publishing a brief synopsis of the meetings in the Cople News to keep residents updated with latest information, news and plans for the village. Cople Parish Council A Parish Council meeting was held virtually on 26 th April 2021, this was attended by five Parish Councillors, the Clerk and a Borough Councillor. There was no representation from any members of the public. If you feel that you would like to raise a concern or issue, you are very welcome to attend any of the Parish Council meetings to voice these. Fly tipping Stephen Moon, Borough Councillor, reported on fly tipping and that Bedford Borough Council, had issued fines. Discussion was held about how long the booking system for the Tidy Tip will be in place, also a concern that residents taking waste to the tip had been turned away. A complaint is being launched with the Borough Council. Cylce Track It was reported that currently no funds were available for a cycle track between Cople and Willington. Speed on A603 Councillor Moon will raise extending the 30mph limit between Willington village and Dog Farm on the A603 with Bedford Borough Council Highways. Digital Connectivity Information has been uploaded onto the Parish Council website about Digital Connectivity in Cople. Central government has announced a new project for the roll out of fibre. Bedford Borough was in the second wave of the project. MK44 3 had been flagged as non-rural in the voucher scheme; Councillor Sankersingh would raise this with Bedford Borough Council. Discussions were underway in Cardington with BT Open Reach around the installation of fibre. Safer cycle routes Councillor Sankersingh had spoken with previous Parish Councillors who had been looking into Safer Cycle Routes. 3 items had been looked into: - Connecting to National Route 51 - Widening of footpath on A603 - Footpath connecting Cople to Cardington The 3 items had been put forward to Sustrans and to Bedford Borough Council; Councillor Sankersingh would follow up on these. Councillor Miller-Donkin suggested that access to the bridle path from Dog Field be looked into. Councillor Hughes will raise this with the Rights of Way Officer. 20

Cople to Cardington footpath Councillor Hughes had met with the Estate Manager to discuss the possibility of a permissive path between Cople and Cardington on Southill Estate land. Councillor Hughes will also be meeting with the Rights of Way Officer to discuss the path and the need for a bridge to cross Cople Brook. Speed Watch There is a lot of concern around vehicles speeding through Cople, Councillor Marie Hinkley has been in contact with the Speed Watch coordinator at Bedfordhsire Police and advised that the vetting process was now in progress. The Borough Council speed van has been in Cople village on a more regular basis monitoring speed of late. We will hopefully be able to monitor speeding traffic on a much more regular basis once all the vetting has been completed. Cople Play Park Councillor Marie Hinkley has spoken with Cople Village Trust regarding the play facilities adjacent to the village hall. The Village Trust did not currently have any funds available for upgrading the play area. Councillor Hinkley has investigated how neighbouring villages had funded play facilities. Councillor Hinkley has joined the Village Trust Committee. This is with a view to renewing the much outdated play space. Watch this space……….

Highways Issues • Potholes on Grange Lane outside of The Vicarage have been reported to Bedford Borough Council Highways. • Hedges on Willington Road, opposite numbers 71-85, need to be cut back. • The verge had been successfully reinstated following the works on Water End earlier in the year. • Councillor Small has looked into damage to the bank by moles and had monitored for period of time. It was agreed that these matters would not be reported to Highways. Community litter pick - Sunday 4th July 10.30am A date was agreed for the Community Litter Pick, Bedford Borough Council will assist with the event. The meeting point is Willington Road outside the Church, where equipment will be distibuted. Councillors Small and Sankersingh will take charge on the day. Please do come along and join us. 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 19th July 2021 at Cople Village Hall. All members of the public are entitled to attend the meeting and are cordially invited by the Council to do so. 21

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History of Cople (part 3 or is it 4?) This email came in from Shirley Bailey (formerly Hilyard). I feel I must correct Mr Whiting re the history of Cople. I was born and brought up at Moxhill Farm, went to school in Cople and had many relatives in the village. My maternal grandparents lived in the third house in from the Cardington end of Grange Lane and the second one in was Mr Jeeves, the cobbler, where we all took our shoes to be mended. The prisoner of war huts were behind these houses and they were German soldiers. We were forbidden to go near but would peek at them from the back gardens. My grandparents had no well that we knew of but like everyone else had to cross the road to standpipes and carry all the water for washing etc in heavy buckets. The bungalows and playing field opposite was built on marker garden land owned by Mr ‘Tiny’ Hart. The field next to the playing field bisected by the brook is Fan Close. It was a lovely meadow then where we played and paddled in the brook. I wonder if your correspondent was an evacuee as we had quite a number of London children billeted in the village. They seemed like aliens to us country kids. They were streetwise and cheeky. Perhaps I played over Fan Close with your correspondent. Cople House was where Woodlands now stands was owned by the Barnard family and they were like squires of the village. Their dog cemetery is still in Woodlands. The Land Army girls were billeted in the big house and I went there quite often as my mum worked for a time in the kitchens. We had two of them working at Moxhill Farm and I remember them taking me on a coach trip to Southend, the first time I had seen the sea. The mound behind the houses in Northill Road was always known as The Butts, built in the 1914 – 18 War as a practice shooting range. The building on the edge of Sheerhatch Wood was a dugout manned by airmen who put up barrage balloons to try to lure 24

the German bombers away from Cardington Camp. Cardington Camp was then a hive of activity, he station and railway still running. Every airman came to Cardington to be kitted out. My mother worked there for a time and I had petticoats and bodices made of parachute silk. Dad got friendly with the airmen in the dugout and they once gave us a tin of Golden Syrup. Suet dumplings covered in Golden Syrup for dinner. We thought we were in heaven.

As you can see there are now numerous stories about Cople coming in to Cople News. If anyone would be interested in compiling all of these stories and several others that Ian Whiting has recorded from visits to several people who used to live in the village, please get in touch with me at coplenews@gmail.com Libby Sands, Editor

GNiC Foodbank Collection Once again the village of Cople showed how much it cares about others with a tremendous food donation to the Bedford Foodbank. Below are photographs of the collected goods. Once more GNiC cannot Thank You enough. The next collection date is Thursday 5th August. Well Done.

Eating Out

THE CROWN, 2 Northill Road, Northill, Beds, SG18 9AA 01767 62733 At last I am out! Out, out but not in. Thankfully on the day I visited The Crown in Northill with "The Blonde' (my friend) it was a lovely sunny lunchtime. I was excited, new clothes on & new shoes, as the shops have been open a couple of weeks now I was really looking forward to catching up with my friend whilst being served food & drink. Luxury. The welcome was friendly & I was asked to do track & trace on the NHS app or if I did not have the app they would take my details. I was asked to sanitise my hands before I was sat at a lovely table in the sun which we had requested. I would say 80% of the tables had cover over them & were well spaced out. We were given paper menus which we could keep as each person has their own menu & it is not used by another customer. Cutlery was delivered in a paper napkin & now just the very hard choice of choosing what to eat. The menu looked fabulous, lots of choice, 8 starter choices ranging from prawn & crab tian to pan fried bubble & squeak cake all about the £7.50 mark. A choice of 10 mains, fish, meat, burgers & vegetarian options, so I chose roasted breast of duck, hassle back potato, tender stem broccoli, thyme & port sauce £16.95. ‘The Blonde’ chose roasted loin of cod, spring crushed potatoes, chargrilled asparagus & tartar sauce £15.95. We both had a glass of cold dry white wine. They also had the option of puddings at £6.50 including sticky toffee pudding as well as sandwiches, ciabatta or panini's available Tuesday to Saturday lunchtimes. The children menu had a good choice for £9 which includes sweetie shop ice cream. The food was delicious, chunky white cod cooked to perfection & served like it was made on MasterChef. The duck was slightly pink & with the sauce it tasted divine. The potato was like a roast potato but with more flavour & the broccoli melted in your mouth. I loved it & so did The Blonde.

We chatted in the sun & life felt almost normal. The service was good, friendly but not intrusive & we had a lovely lunch. One & only one criticism is that the plates could have been cleared quicker but considering all the amendments our local pubs & restaurants have made I was happy to forgive that, I was having fun. I will defiantly be booking here again, one evening where we can sit inside, & the ‘Red Head’ and I will have the works. The bill came to £45 in total, and we left a tip .... as a bit like The L’Oréal advert ...they were worth it! Scores: Total out of 20. Service 4.5; Food virus aware 5; Value for money 4.5 Total 19!

Roland Butter 29

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Down on the Farm 4 The arable crops on the farm are now all drilled, with the linseed going into a very dry seedbed in mid-April. Thankfully, the Bank Holiday rain came along, & it has now all germinated & can be seen up the rows & we are now looking forward to a sea of blue down the lane in summer. The main job that I am doing at the moment is getting the wildlife plots ready to grow next year’s bird food. This will not be for harvesting, but to leave intact for the birds to eat the seeds directly from the heads of the ripe plants. We have 7 of these plots spread around the farm amounting to about 12 acres. I will create a fine seedbed as the seeds planted are very small. Drilling will take place in late May when the soil is warm and hopefully damp. The resulting plants will grow on to produce their seed by the Autumn. A mixture will be planted to provide a variety of food for different species of birds, as well as nectar for insects. The plant mixture sown includes three types of Millet, Sorghum, Linseed and Triticale. Also included are Phacelia, Quinoa and Fodder Radish as they provide nectar as well as seed for winter food. These plants are also chosen for their ability to keep standing in the winter and also to keep the seeds in their heads & not to shed them on to the soil. One of the biggest challenges to growing this bird food is to stop the hares, pigeons, deer & rabbits from nibbling off the tender shoots as they emerge & also to stop weeds from choking out these little seedlings. If chemicals are used to kill off the weeds you invariably kill off some of what you are trying to grow. The trick is to try & have a clean seedbed before you sow. It’s actually more difficult to grow these areas than the fields of Wheat and Linseed grown on the farm. We have been doing this for nearly 20 years now, & as a result our arable bird populations are very high. Many of the RSPB Red listed species, including Yellowhammer, Grey Partridge, Skylarks, Linnets & House Sparrows, now abound on the farm, which gives us enormous pleasure. We receive some state funding for these & other environmental areas on the farm to help offset some of the cost. On the wildlife front, two much overlooked & often confused species are the pigeons & doves. The one we all know is the Wood Pigeon. This big, fat, grey bird with his white collar & amusing courtship routines of bowing, strutting & hopping, now common in our gardens, used to be a bird mainly found on farmland. They particularly enjoyed areas of market gardening where they used to delight in eating the young brassica plants, such as cabbage, cauliflower & 32

Brussel sprouts. With the demise of the horticultural industry in the 1970s , the pigeons turned their attention to the expanding areas of Oil Seed Rape. If not controlled, they are quite able to destroy a crop as it emerges or as it tries to grow in a hard winter. Hence the plethora of bird scaring devices that bang & flap throughout the winter to try and discourage these hungry flocks. Now the Rape acreage is falling, more & more of these eating machines have discovered the easy pickings that there are to be had in our gardens, happily eating what we put out for the little birds. What is surprising about these birds is that they feed their young ‘milk’. This ‘milk’ is actually regurgitated seed, semi digested to make a milky mush for the young squabs to eat from their parents’ throats. This also provides them with all the moisture they need. (the chicks of other species require insects and bugs for their moisture). It takes one adult to provide for one chick, hence you will only ever find two eggs in a pigeon’s crude stick nest. In your garden you will also see Stock Doves. They are a bit smaller than the pigeon, have no coloured collar but do have a beautiful bluey breast & a turquoise patch on the side of the neck. They may well be accompanied by the slightly smaller Collared Dove. It is paler grey in colour but has a very characteristic black ring round its neck. 50 years ago these birds were quite a rarity, but now they are a very common bird of farm and garden. Sadly the opposite has happened to the beautiful Turtle Dove. This lovely bird, with its mottled brown back & pinky blue chest, has suffered a population crash of 90% in the same time. Being a migratory bird from South of the Sahara, it encounters similar hazards to those faced by the Cuckoo, plus the fact that is persecuted by hunters on it’s journey both North & South.

Much work is being done in the UK to help its survival. Bill Jordan & his team at his Pensthorpe reserve near Fakenham are putting in a huge amount of work to try & work out what people like us can do to help this bird, be it food or habitat. It loves scrubby areas like the big area between Willington & Octagon farm, so why they are now absent here, nobody knows. The repetitive songs of these four birds are very easy to recognise & are classics of a morning walk in sunny woodland. The Wood Pigeon, with its repeating, ‘Don’t Cry So -- Suki’. The Collared dove simply sings, ‘Don’t Cry So’. The Stock Dove has a hollow monotonous of ‘Wooo—ip ‘, & finally the one, that sadly, we are most unlikely to hear, the gorgeous ‘Turrr Turrr Turrr’ of the Turtle Dove, the sound that give it its name. Will we ever hear that enchanting song on the farm again? 33

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Gardening in June In the news this past month has been bamboo which is a very popular addition to many gardens. The reason? Some varieties are extremely invasive and there is the suggestion that plants should carry labels warning people of their rapid and in some cases dangerous growth which can be as rampant and as destructive as the infamous Japanese Knotweed. Nic Seal, founder of Environet, a British company which specialises in tackling invasive plants, believes the public should be made aware of the risk bamboo poses. Bamboo related questions to his company have doubled this past year and he told the Daily Mail website that 'It's time for garden centres and plant nurseries to take some responsibility for the escalating problem being faced by gardeners up and down the country who have bought bamboo in good faith with no warning of the risks'. So invasive are some types of bamboo that Mr Seal explained, 'I've even seen bamboo growing up between the skirting board and wall of a house, having encroached beneath the patio from next door's garden and exploited a weakness in the property's foundations.' Although I have never seen bamboo growing inside houses from plants outside, its roots can run rampant in a garden but also in the gardens next door and I, for many years, have advised clients that if they want it in their garden to grow it in large containers and then plant the containers in the ground so that they can’t be seen and vitally their roots cannot spread. If you are thinking of planting bamboo, and it is an attractive addition to many gardens, research it thoroughly before hand. Another non-indigenous delightful but destructive visitor to many gardens in this area is the muntjak and many of you regularly report damage caused by this fascinating animal. Top of the plants they like to eat are tulips but one gardener has noticed that for some reason, her red tulips are ignored! Has anyone else noticed the same? If you have, please get in touch as I am keen research this apparent anomaly in greater depth. And apart from the erection of good quality fencing, does anyone have any suggestions on how to deter muntjak without causing them any harm? I inadvertently disturbed one in a garden recently and it shot off with incredible pace and leapt over a four foot wall without any effort. 36

An incredible sight but not one my heart wishes to be replicated any time soon! Saw this recently and it made me smile. Hoping it elicits a similar response from you? Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad! The classic way of defining the difference between fruit and vegetables is the location of its seeds; internal = fruit, external = vegetable. But this makes for some very unusual classifications! Last month’s just for fun quiz question was: as if common names of plants weren’t ambiguous enough, two plants are often referred to as ‘Black Eyed Susan’, what are their correct botanical names? The answers are Thunbergia and Rudbeckia hirta. This month’s just for fun quiz question is: What group of plants don’t officially exist but are known to every gardener? 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.

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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 clerk@cople-pc.gov.uk

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 38

Charity Hair Cut for Little Princess Trust—Mine Viner I would like to in my small way make a difference to a child or young person’s battle against cancer. As a mother I cannot begin to imagine what these little and young people go through, it absolutely breaks my heart and I wish I could do more. I am not rich in cash but I am definitely rich in love so here's to spreading some love and putting a smile on someone’s face. Please join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of The Little Princess Trust by cutting my hair which is currently 64cm long!! and every donation will help. Did you know it costs around £550 to make one wig, and takes almost 12 donations to make a full head wig. I thank you in advance for your contribution (link above) and will keep you posted on my donation.....bring on Friday 14th May.

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Please share with your friends and help spread the love https://gofund.me/1d0c8b1f More information about The Little Princess Trust: When a child loses their hair to cancer, we'll be there with a free, real hair wig to help restore their confidence and identity. You can help us give hair and hope to children and young people, by funding real hair wigs and ground-breaking childhood cancer research projects.

Littleprincesss.org.uk/donate-hair

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