Cople News
November 2021 FRIENDS OF COPLE CHURCH GIN NIGHT & COMPETITION Saturday 27th November @ 7:00pm in the Village Hall Tickets £15
Ticket price includes 1 Gin + Free Gin Glass, Range of Gins to try, Food, Bar, Quiz and Philla will serenade you. Bring along your own flavoured gin and win the coveted ‘Cople Flavoured Gin Trophy’! Or be a judge! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
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Editor’s Notes
We have a bumper edition this month, our first edition over 44 pages, so it looks as through the small flame of light that is life back to normal is beginning to glow brighter. Lots of news for you—additional Training on the Defibrillator is available. Please attend if you can, your action may save someone’s life. It is not difficult anyone can learn. See page 27 GNiC need your help again with a collection for the Foodbank on Thursday 4th November (see details on page 39) and the Mother’s Union report gives a great insight into how the Foodbank work on page 31. Our night-out at the Bromham Cinema was excellent, (despite the uncomfortable chairs—must remember to take a thicker cushion next time). Their next showing is on Friday 26th November, see page 10 for more details. Remembrance Sunday is on 14th November with the Act of Remembrance at the Moggerhanger War Memorial at 10.30am then a Remembrance Service for Cople and Willington Churches together at Willington Church from 10.45am. Please Note the change of time. Friends of Cople Church are holding their Gin Night on 27th November, as the poster says ‘What could possibly go wrong!!’ The Friends are also encouraging those of you who shop on-line to set up a ‘GoRaise’ account—for more details see page 25. Sheerhatch School are looking for your unwanted items to help fund a new out-door classroom—see page 32. We’re make a new attempt to gather together ‘Memories of Cople’ as we have a new kind person who is willing to pull together everyone's memories. And finally, it is sad to see that our curate Katie Franks is leaving the village for pastures new. We all wish her the very best with her new life. 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
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. And finally,… …. my last article for this magazine. As you know, it’s time for me to move on. As I step out into a new adventure, I’ve been looking back over my time at the Benefice of Cople, Moggerhanger and Willington. You may remember that I first joined you as a student for 2 years, then returned to complete my time as a curate. As I looked back, I have found so much to be thankful for. I learned so much from Revd Fiona Gibson and from you, the people of the parishes; some of you I’ve got to know in church and others in the village. You’ve taught me about loving our neighbours as I’ve seen you looking after each other. You welcomed and encouraged me as I found my feet in your village. None of us wanted to endure a pandemic, but it was a privilege to be locked down in the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside with you. But now God is calling me onward. It’s time for me to travel from the familiar to the new. As I do so, I know God will be with me. He’s been with me throughout my life so far, as I’ve travelled through the bad and good, leading me forward, giving me courage to keep going when I couldn’t see the way ahead, comforting me and giving me strength when the way was tough. As I’ve travelled through the last few years, I have learned much about God. Our local countryside has reminded me of the goodness of his creation. And I have learned that if God calls, he will provide. He called me out of my life as a working Mum to train for Ordination. He called me out of my home in Bedford to live here as your curate. I have grown as I’ve followed him, as I’ve seen him answering prayers, providing people to support me along the way. So, as I travel onward, travelling with God into a new corner of his world, I recommend that you follow him too. Follow him as he leads you to know him better and to love other people as he does. As I go, I leave you a prayer which may be familiar: Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus for all the blessings you have given me, For all the pain and insults you have borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, of you three things I pray: To see you more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen With my love and prayers, Katie 4
Dates for Local Churches, November 2021 Tuesday 2nd
09.15am
Morning Prayer at Moggerhanger Church
Thursday 4th
09.30am
Morning Prayer at Willington Church
09.30am
Morning Praise livestreamed from Willington Church
11am
Holy Communion at Moggerhanger Church
09.30am
Morning Prayer at Willington Church
Sunday 7
th
Thursday 11th Sunday 14
th
09.30am
Thursday 18th Sunday 21
st
Thursday 25 Saturday 27 Sunday 28
th
th
th
Remembrance Sunday Shortened Holy Communion livestreamed from Moggerhanger Church
10.30am
Act of Remembrance livestreamed from Moggerhanger War Memorial
10.45am
Remembrance Service for Cople and Willington Churches together at Willington Church (Please Note change of time)
09.30am
Morning Prayer at Willington Church
09.30am
Morning Praise livestreamed from Willington Church
11am
Holy Communion at Cople Church
09.30am
Morning Prayer at Willington Church
7.30pm
PCC Meeting
10.30am
Coffee morning in Cople Church
09.30am
Morning Praise livestreamed from Moggerhanger Church
11am
Holy Communion at Willington Church
If anyone would like to join the livestreamed Morning Praise services, please contact Mel Ebbage at cmwbenefice@gmail.com For details of Benefice Choir practice dates, see page 16
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Cople Memories.
Calling all current and former Cople residents! We would like to publish a booklet of recollections and memories of Cople and need your help. Do you have any memories or photographs of times gone past that we can incorporate into the article? Memories of growing up in Cople or stories told by parents or older residents? If so, we would love to hear from you. If you would like your stories to be included, please contact Karen at k.hindmoor@outlook.com Karen has kindly offered to coordinate this in conjunction with Sheerhatch School, Year 6 pupils who, where appropriate (and under teacher supervision) would love to chat to contributors to the project, We anticipate that with the publication will be next summer.
amount
of
investigation
required,
We are very excited to start this and be able to glimpse some of the village history, Many thanks to those who have contributed already. Libby & Linda
The Friends of Cople Church The Friends raise money for the upkeep of the historic Grade 1 listed All Saints Church in Cople and many of you will have attended events we have run – safari supper, barn dance, pantomimes, talks, quizzes, etc. The fund-raising committee do all the organising, but often we are short of helpers on the night to serve food or drink, be on the door to check tickets etc., or simply help set up and clear up. So, we are looking for volunteers to help at events. The benefit of doing this is that helpers get free entry – you can still enjoy the event and eat and drink. If you are new to the village, it is a great way to meet people. So, if you wish to get involved in this way please contact: Miles Tetley – 07738 999340 or milotetley@gmail.com
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Eating Out In!!
This month we didn’t get to eat out out; but managed to eat in!! A Chinese Take-away from China Express, 10 Market Square, Sandy 01767 692245. Open Tuesday to Sunday 5.00pm to 9.30pm Ordering by phone is easy and with 2 lines available, you are unlucky to not get straight through. The choices are vast as with most other Chinese restaurants (did I mention you can also eat in their restaurant if you wish). Appetisers—prices range between £2.20 & £9.50 for Mixed Hors D’Ouevres for 2; Soups—prices range between £2.80 & £3.20; Rice Dishes available in regular or large portion sizes — from £2.50 to £6.50; Chow Mein Dishes—from ££4.00 to £7.60; Chicken and Duck—from £5.20 to £6.50; Pork—from £5.50 to £6.00; Beef and Lamb—from £5.50 to £11.00 for Fillet steak dishes; Seafood—from £6.20 to £10.00 for a Thai Seafood Trio; Sweet and Sour; - from £5.50 to £6.20 Curry—from £4.80 to £6.20; Chop Suey—from £4.80 to £6.20; Vegetables—from £3.50 to £6.20; Foo Young Dishes—from £4.80 to £6.20; Szechuan Style (spicy) - from £5.20 to £6.20; Desserts—from 20p for a fortune cookie to £3.80. Then the Meals for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 range from £9.50 to £78.00. Our party ordered Mini vegetable rolls (4); Chicken Chow Mein; Chicken Fried Rice; Chicken with Young Corn and Chinese Mushrooms; Sweet and Sour Sauce (bit of a theme from our friends); a large portion of egg fried rice; Beef Curry; Sweet & Sour Chicken Cantonese style all for £35.00. Everything tasted very nice and was still nice & hot when we got home. Scores: Service—easily 5.0 out of 5.0 after all we served ourselves!!, but collection was quick & easy; Food—5.0, excellent choice of dishes, with just enough in each portion so no waste; Cleanliness and virus awareness—4.0, the waiting hall is very tidy but can occasionally get crowded at weekends; Value for money—5.0. Total out of 20 = 19.0
Roland Butter 9
Mobile Hairdresser/ Barber Do you need a haircut? Local, Reliable and Friendly Fully qualified and experienced
Call Donna 01234 838980 or 07773 553055
Blunham Community Cinema Village Hall, Blunham MK44 3NN The Blunham Community Cinema presents on Friday 26th November, the film ‘On the basis of sex’ (Cert 12a) starring Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer and Justin Theroux The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Film starts promptly at 7.30pm, doors open at 7pm. Entry by ticket only. Adults £5.00, Children £3.00. Family (2A + 2C) £10.00. Sweets, Drinks, Ice cream and Popcorn are available. For tickets or any further information contact Sue on 01767 640515 or 07783 046020. Covid Guidelines may be in force.
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donnasmall906@gmail.com
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Cople Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group
The Cople Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group was established in February 2021 with the aim of producing a neighbourhood plan for the village which would put in place planning policy to guide future development. A neighbourhood plan is about the use and development of land and may contain a vision, aims and planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities or allocation of key sites for specific kinds of development. If successful at referendum, a neighbourhood plan will become part of the statutory development plan for the village.
Cople Parish Council has appointed a Consultant to advise and guide the development of the Neighbourhood Plan. The group has obtained grant funding to finance the creation of the plan. The group is compiling an evidence base to provide an overview of Cople. This will include information on subjecs such as population, environment, employment, transport links and strategic context. The group will be seeking to engage the wider community of Cople, to gain from their knowledge and seek their views. We are looking for volunteers to join the group to help produce the neighbourhood plan and to contribute to the development of Cople. If you are interested, please email the Clerk to the Parish Council, Anne
Pape at clerk@cople-pc.gov.uk.
Robert Bellew, Chair
Bell Ringers Update. The learners are now close to being able to take the next big step that of ringing unaided. Once they are able to do that safely they are able to assist on occasions such as ringing before services and special occasions such as Weddings and at Christmas Easter and other celebrations. It will be very satisfying to have enough ringers available without having to muddle through and borrow people from other towers. For the time being practice night has been moved to Wednesdays at 7. 30pm. Photo shows Sue Hillyard who has been ringing at Cople for many years and at one time was Tower Captain. Mike Vacher 12
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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. 07761 627621
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Nearly New Centre Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm & Saturday 10am to 1pm At Sue Ryder Palliative Care Home St. John’s Moggerhanger
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Benefice Choir
The Benefice Choir is made up of members from all three parishes. It was formed about 12 years ago and they are hoping that some new members would be able to join them, as they have changed the day and time of their practices. Below are the dates of the practices for November 2021: Wednesday 3rd — St Lawrence’s, Willington @ 09.30am Wednesday 10th — All Saints, Cople @ 09.30am Wednesday 17th — St Lawrence’s, Willington @ 09.30am Wednesday 21st — All Saints. Cople @ 09.30am If you are interested, please come along and join in. Shirley Jones
Benefice Choir Carols
Calling all Boys, Girls, Mums and Dads, and Grandparents. We’re coming up to Christmas!! At our Village Churches we sing carols at Christmas and I hope you will help us to choose your favourite ones. So, thinking caps on!! You can let me know which is your favourite Christmas Carol by sending your ideas to Mel at cmwbeneficeoffice@gmail.com by 12 November, so we can use as many as we can in our services. Can’t promise to use them all, but we’ll do our best. Off you go! Shirley Jones
Blunham and District Gardening Club The November meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd November at 7.30pm Our speaker will be Anne Godfrey talking about ‘Some like it hot’ (choosing plants that will cope with full sun and drought). Refreshments will be served. Visitors are welcome.
For any further information contact Brenda Leaf on 01767 640623 16
Poppies GNiC would like to say a very big Thank You to Libby for knitting so many poppies to add to our poppy display for Remembrance Day. They are gratefully received, and I am sure the village will enjoy seeing them. Thank You! If anyone else would like to donate knitted poppies, please could you deliver them to 56 Willington Road, Cople before 30th October.
Mobile Library News The mobile library is now 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 November are 10th and 24th. Books have to be ordered and collected as we are still not allowed onto the van to browse.
Knit and Stitch At last we can meet again in the Five Bells on alternate Fridays from 10.00am until 12 noon. Come along to the first get-together on November 5th and bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery or just bring along yourself to chat and enjoy coffee and cake.
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Your Village Needs You. COPLE VILLAGE TRUST (Registered Charity No. 1090113)
Why not join? Why not have more than one number? 200 CLUB Monthly draw of £60 - £30 and £10 – you never know your luck may be in! Subs are due each January, however you can join at any time of the year. Prize winners for October 2021 1st prize of £60 2nd prize of £30 3rd prize of £10
237 124 295
Jill Ebbs Pamela Marco Mark Thomas
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
Tuesday Club. Absent for the whole of 2021, we are excited to hopefully recommence talks and activities from January 2022. We meet on the second Tuesday evening of each month at 7.30pm. All are Welcome More information to follow in the December edition. Eithne Dandy Contacts: Joy Duthie 01234 838407 & Jane Barnard: 01234 838004 18
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.
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1 Wood Lane, Willington Beds MK44 3QT Email: jkobrien@live.co.uk
ACE PEST LIMITED Fast Efficient Service
Rats, Mice, Fleas, Moles, Wasps, Bird Proofing etc We offer very competitive rates with normally same day service Proprietor: Mr J. T. Hillyard Telephone 01234 - 838391
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Planning Permission
New Build Houses
Residential Extensions
Building Regulation Drawings
To discuss your upcoming project please contact: Thomas Cropley 07734465308 Tom@gostwickarchitecture.com 11 Gostwick Place, Willington, Bedford
Gostwickarchitecture.com
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 21
Cople Parish Council
Introduction Cople Parish Council meets six times a year, we publish 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 at Cople Vilage Hall on Monday 20 th September 2021, this was attended by five Parish Councillors, the Clerk and a Borough Councillor. There were apologies from two Parish Councillors. There were two members of the public who joined the meeting. Public Participation • A resident spoke to the Parish Council about the cost of transport to post-16 education and the unfairness of this cost to rural areas. A group of Cople residents had raised this with the Borough Council, spoken to the Mayor and written formally to the Mayor. The resident was looking for support from the Parish Council and would like to work with other local Councils. The Clerk would contact other local Parish Council Clerks to see if other Parishes were dealing with this issue and would look into the matter being raised at the next Town and Parish Council Network meeting. If you feel that you would like to raise a concern or issue, you are very welcome, please can you contact the Clerk in advance of the meeting if you wish to attend. The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 15th November at 7.30pm. Borough Councillors report A603 issues Costings for the extension of the 30mph speed limit past Dog Farm had been received and passed to residents. Councillor Moon advised that it would be helpful if the Parish Council could consider a contribution towards the scheme. A planning application had been put forward for New Road Farm and this was ongoing. Willington Road residents had advised the Chair that there had been a noticeable reduction in road noise following the change to the speed limit on the A603. Safer cycle routes Councillor Sankersingh had contacted Councillor Martin-Moran-Bryant. There was not currently any funding available but it was recommended that the Parish Council continued to look into the matter. The Parish Council agreed that this matter would be developed via the Neighbourhood Plan. Cople to Cardington Footpath Updates were awaited from the Borough Council and the Southill Estates. The bridge at the end of Grange Lane had been damaged in a road traffic collision. The Clerk would contact the Rights of Way Officer to make her aware of the damage and ask that if extensive repairs were required could a footway could be incorporated for pedestrians. Speed Watch Councillor Hinkley provided an update prior to the meeting. The group now had 5 volunteers. Councillor Hinkley extended her thanks to the new members. Areas for safe Speed Watch had been identified on 22
Grange Lane, Northill Road and Willington Road. Training has now taken place with the Cardington Speed Watch group and Cople now has it’s own Speed Watch team with the first session taking place on Willington Road on Monday 11th October 2021. Vehicle Activated Signs Renhold Parish Council had been contacted regarding the impact of the vehicle activated signs (VAS) in Renhold. There were now four locations set up in Renhold parish, and the two VAS units were being rotated. The data was shared with Bedford Borough Council Highways and the Police. The data had been used to secure a funding bid for improving highways safety from the Police. A discussion was held around the safety of the Grange Lane, Willington Road and Northill Road junction. The Clerk would contact Gareth Turner to arrange a visit to discuss the junction. It was agreed to keep a log of road traffic collisions in the village with Councillors to send details of any incidents to the Clerk. Cople Village Play facilities Quotes have now been received from Wicksteed and Hags, designs and quotations are still awaited from Kompan. Councillor Miller Donkin advised that play facilities were being installed in Ickwell. It may be helpful to contact Ickwell Parish Council to ascertain what funding opportunities they had identified. Digital Connectivity Councillor Sankersingh updated: The Willington-Cople Community Full Fibre project intends to use as many government gigabit vouchers to ensure as many premises across the area can get access to full fibre connection without having to pay for it. Councillor Sankersingh is working with a resident (Shane Horlock), Willington Parish Council and Borough Council Stephen Moon to deliver the project. Openreach is working on a revised quote for the community. Current vouchers are worth £403,000 with the estimated build costs at £622,000 but that build cost is expected to be lower to £560,000. Hence a gap of more than £150,000 needed in vouchers which is about 100+ more premises to register. The current numbers are 103 residential and 34 businesses in Willington, and 47 residential and 17 businesses in Cople. It is expected that 712 residential/ commercial properties be covered by the project and have access afterwards to 1Gbit broadband. The next steps are Openreach to submit revised quotes, the community is working on a brochure to circulate to the community to get more registrations. Legal advice may be required when looking at signatories for the contract. Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group The Cople Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group made a recommendation to appoint a consultant to support the development and completion of the Cople Neighbourhood Plan. The Steering Group had agreed that consultants and funding for consultants should be sought and quotes received. The group approached four consultants and three responses were received. The Steering Group also applied for funding from Groundwork (Ministry of Housing, Communities, Local Government) which was secured to fund the preferred consultant and ancillary expenses. The Group recommended Sally Chapman be appointed as the Neighbourhood Plan Consultant. This was based on the lowest quote; working on nearby communities, and presenting to the Steering Group. RESOLVED: That the appointment of Sally Chapman as the Neighbourhood Plan Consultant be ratified. Cont. on page 26 23
The Friends of Cople Church
We are pleased to announce that the much-touted Gin Event will finally take place on Saturday 27th November in the Village Hall at 7:00pm. The ticket price is £15, for which you will get: A Gin glass to take away – so we do not have to do any washing up! A token for 1 Gin or 2 soft drinks. Food (pate, cheese, cold meats, bread, fruit). Feel free to bring crisps, etc. Tonics, ice, and additions (lime, lemon, etc.). A table quiz. Philla will serenade you. Further gin tokens can be purchased at £10 for 3 or £4 for 1 – there will be many different gins to try. Seating will be communal, so there is no need to be part of or make up a party. Plus! Win the coveted Cople Flavoured Gin Trophy! There will be a competition to identify the best flavoured gin made by yourselves. Entry is free, simply requiring a 25ml bottle of your gin, just showing the flavour (sloe, blackberry, orange, rhubarb, strawberry, chilli, etc.) You can enter more than one flavour. The cost of being a judge is £10 payable on the night – you will have to taste the gins (an onerous task) and identify your top 3. The voting mechanism will be explained on the night. There will be a bar selling wine, beer, cider, and soft drinks if you need a break from gin or it is not you tipple of choice. There will be a raffle, so prize donations will be gratefully received, and at the end of the evening part used bottles of gin will be auctioned. If you wish to purchase tickets, please contact: Miles Tetley – 07738 999340 or milotetley@gmail.com Charlie Porter – 07790 335284 Please note, The Friends can now take card payments. 24
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Cont. from page 23 CPRE was holding a Neighbourhood Planning Workshop on Wednesday 20th October to bring together representatives from Parish and Town Councils in Bedfordshire to learn and share experiences of Neighbourhood Planning. The cost would be £49 per person. Councillor Sankersingh had circulated the details to the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group members. It was agreed that the Neighbourhood Plan Group Chair and one other member of the Group would attend. Councillor Sankersingh to send member details to the Clerk. Highway issues The following were reported to the Parish Council: Trees at the top of Woodlands Close overhanging the road. Vegetation from the plot of land on the corner of Northill Road & Water End overhanging the footway and concerns raised about the condition of the fence. The entrance to the Millennium Wood from Water End was becoming overgrown on both sides of the main gateway going from the bridleway. The back far entrance to the Millennium Wood was being impacted by a manure heap which was falling through the fence. Update requested on the works required on the Pork Lane bridleway. Overgrown weeds impacting on the footway on the approach to Cople turn on Bedford Road near to the Toll House Overgrown weeds impacting on the footway on Willington Road past Home Farm Conifers on Willington Road by Home Farm were overgrowing the footway Suspected damage to the bridge at the end of Grange Lane in Cople following a car collision was reported to the Parish Council on 11/09/2021. This was reported to the Borough Council Highways Emergency number. Consider and agree response to Local Plan 2040 consultation The Councillors discussed the Neighbourhood Plan Group response to the Consultation. The Parish Council was in agreement with the response from the Neighbourhood Plan Group and CPRE. It was agreed that the Clerk & the Chair would submit a response on behalf of the Parish Council. New matters for discussion at the next meeting A gate in the churchyard was in very poor condition. The PCC would be looking for 3 quotations. This would need to be discussed at the November Parish Council meeting. It was noted that the PCC had now received the relevant Orders' of Council regarding the closure of the churchyard. The PCC had suggested that the Parish Council and PCC formally correspond by letter regarding the matter to allow a record to be kept on file for both bodies. 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 15th November 2021 at Cople Village Hall. All members of the public are entitled to attend the meeting & are cordially invited by the Council to do so. 26
Christmas Tree Festival
The Friends of Cople Church will be holding a Christmas tree festival in the church this year Entrants will decorate a tree on the 17th December, these are to be displayed in the church on the 18th and 19th December. Viewing and judging of the best decorated trees will take place on 18th December. Tea, coffee, cakes and festive treats will be available on the day. GNIC anticipate lighting the big Christmas tree outside the church on the 9th Dec. More details on both events and how to participate are to follow in next months magazine.
Staying Alive The FREE “Staying Alive” CPR and Defibrillator demonstrations given by Donna Small, a State Registered Paramedic and David Small, retired Emergency Medicine Consultant in various locations around the village have been a great success, BUT there is room for more of you to learn how to save someone’s life. Keep your eyes open for flyers around the village or in the December edition of this publication for further dates. What you learn could save someone's life…. it could be your loved one, better to be helping keep them alive while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.
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Home Delivery Service in Bedfordshire Villages 29
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Mothers Union Last month, members listened to a very informative talk from Sarah Broughton, Project Manager for Bedford Foodbank. They are paart of the Trussell Trust who oversee around 45– foodbanks and the Government get their data from the Trust’s database. They also work closely with others and excess food is shared with other foodbanks. Food is donated by individuals or companies and collected and sorted in a warehouse in Murdock Road, Bedford. The bags of food are weighed in and weighed out again. Before Covid they helped around 750 people, last moth it was 1000. Food has to be checked to make sure it is in-date as they do receive items well out-of-date. Lists of items needed are given to churches and schools and there are donations boxes in most supermarkets. A company bought a vehicle for the bank and as well as 3 part-time staff, they have around 100 volunteers without whom they could not run the operation. People are referred to the Bank by a number of Referral Agents, and they get a voucher to take to the bank. There are 7 Distribution Centres in church halls and Community Centres. On one occasion the Salvation Army served 50 households. They also cater for people who are lactose intolerant, gluten free and vegetarian. There are 4 different types of food parcels—single person, Couple or parent with a child, small family and large family. Hygiene packs are also given out. There is a lot more involved with running a Foodbank than we thought and we learned a lot from Sarah about how necessary the foodbanks are especially in current times. Our next meeting will be on Monday 8th November, 2pm at 22 Willington Road when we will be putting our shoebox together. Liz Buck Prayer for Remembrance Day Lord, today we remember with gratitude all who have given their lives to safeguard our freedom. We pray for those who mourn the untimely loss of loved ones who sacrificed their future for the sake of others. Amen (MU Prayer Diary 2021) 31
Friends of Sheerhatch School.
Dear Parents, Neighbours & Village Friends... We are raising funds for a new outdoor classroom at Sheerhatch Primary School, and we'd like to invite you to help with our fundraising. You're welcome to leave your bags of unwanted items at Sheerhatch Primary School (Cople or Willington sites) on the morning of Tuesday 30th November (before 9am). Any bags can be used. The more we collect, the more money we raise for the school, and it's a good excuse for a clear out, so please spread the word! You can donate the following ‘good quality’ items for RE-USE*: Men’s, Ladies’ and Children’s clothing; Paired shoes (tied together or elastic band around); Handbags, Hats, Bags, Scarves and ties, Jewellery; Lingerie, Socks, Belts, Soft toys; Household linen, Household curtains, Household towels; Household bedding (bed sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers); * We reserve the right to refuse any unsuitable items. We CAN NOT accept: Duvets and blankets, Pillows and cushions; School uniforms with and without logo; Corporate clothing and workwear; Textile off cuts, yarns or threaded material. Carpets, rugs and mats (including bath, shower and toilet mats); Soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing Any support is gratefully received, Friends of Sheerhatch (FOSH)
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
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Julie Scherrer 26 Grange Way Willington, Beds MK44 3QW Tel: 01234 838623 julie@scherrer.co.uk
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Cople Village Agent Update Jigsaws/Puzzle Books Now the nights are dark, would you like a jigsaw to help keep you occupied? Your Village Agent runs a jigsaw loan scheme for FREE. Wendy has over 50 titles to choose from and all you need to do is ask for a booklet which shows pictures of all the jigsaws available. You can keep them for as long as you like and when you have finished just call me and Wendy will collect them from you. Would you like a puzzle book to keep you occupied during the winter months? If so, Wendy has a small quantity to give to elderly residents for FREE. Just contact her. How else can my Village Agent help me? Do You Need Access to Disabled Toilets? Some disabled toilets can only be used by people who have a special RADAR key. If this would be helpful to you, Wendy can provide one. Please contact her. 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. 34
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 £60.00 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 (£89.60.). If your carer is below pension age and is caring for 35 hours a week for you, they might be able to claim carers allowance – contact Wendy for more information. 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.
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR YOUR VILLAGE AGENT’S CAMPAIGNS
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
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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
Telephone:
Barrie Taylor Mobile
01234 - 838676 07979 - 928186
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
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www.biggleswadetyres.co.uk
Phone for special discount on tyres using the code: COPLE MOT’s carried out while you wait. Phone 01767 60194 37
Live Music Nights & Events 5th November - Son of Kev 14th November - Philla Marshall Monthly- General Knowledge Quiz
YOGA CLASSES ARE BACK Cople Village Hall, Fridays between 10.00 and 11.00am — £6.00 per class
12 week specialised courses available. Yoga for healthy lower backs Freda Dodsworth British Wheel of Yoga Teacher Tel. 01767 627611 Or email Freda.yoga@gmail.com
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Foodbank Collection Dear Cople Residents, Thank you for all previous donations for our local Food Bank. It is all gratefully received. Our next collection date is Thursday 4th November. Please leave any items on your door step between 9.00 and 11.00am and then we will collect them from you and deliver to the local Food Bank in Bedford, who then distributes parcels to people who are currently in need. Items such as tinned food, toiletries, cereal, pasta, rice, long life milk and fruit juice, jams, crisps biscuits etc. are all welcome. If your donation appears to have been missed, please call 07746 624208 or 07702 616300 and leave a message, someone will collect as soon as they can. Thank you. GNiC
See also page 27 Where the Mother’s Union describe what they learnt about running a Foodbank.
Message from Editorial Team As our first year comes to an end, Libby and Linda would like to Thank our dedicated team of delivery persons, ably Captained by Brenda, without whom the Cople News wouldn’t drop through your door each month. If that happened it wouldn’t be worth while putting the magazine together. So Thank You one and all for the excellent work you do. Libby & Linda
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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, Tues, Thurs & Fri 9.15-12.15 & Wed 9—3pm 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 Stacey and Hayley at willingtots@outlook.com or call on 07972 148085
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DOWN ON THE FARM 9—Charles Porter As soon as the harvest has been gathered in, farmers’ thoughts and labours turn to getting the seeds drilled ready for next harvest. The planning for this is an ongoing process as you want to ensure that your farm has the right blend of species of plants so that you have a mixed rotation to help control pests and diseases, to spread the workload and to ensure that you don’t have all your cropping eggs in one basket. The timing of drilling of different crop types varies according to the crop as some need to have more growing time before winter than others. The first to be sown will always be Oil Seed Rape, although, as I have mentioned before, not much of this is grown round here now as it has become virtually impossible to control the insect pests that destroy it. OSR needs to be in the ground before mid August. The next to drill will be Winter Wheat, ideally done in late September / early October and the final one drilled will be Winter Beans, which need to be sown by late October. All these crops require a different type of seedbed and drilling technique. Put simply, the smaller the seed the finer the seedbed needs to be and the shallower it needs to be in the ground. Traditionally every acre of arable land was ploughed every year. In my grandfather’s time this would have all been done by horses. One man and a pair of horses being able to plough an acre (one and a quarter football pitches) a day, covering between 8 and 10 miles in the process. Before the days of weed-killers, ploughing was the only way to control weeds on a field scale. In his day possibly a third of the farm would be drilled in the autumn, the rest would still be ploughed, but later on into the autumn and winter. This would then be left fallow over winter when the frost would break it down ready to be harrowed in the spring to kill any overwintered weeds. The spring crops would then be drilled. As time went by tractors took over from horses, the early ones possible doing 2 or 3 acres a day. The big tractors you see working around here now do about 10 times this. But there is a problem with ploughing, it is costly in several ways, machinery, labour, fuel, environmentally and soil health. The first two are fairly obvious, but it is the next three points that are now our most pressing concerns. Ploughing is very fuel hungry which results in the emission of quite a lot of CO2 as well as other gasses. The massive amount of soil disturbance, and therefore aeration, caused by ploughing and the subsequent cultivations enhances the speed at which organic matter rots down and releases more CO2 into the atmosphere. Finally, there is the damage done to the soil as a living entity. The worms, microbes, fungi and other micro-organisms in the soil are affected very badly if the soil is thrashed about every year. Because of all this, we, as farmers, are being encouraged to try and establish our crops using as little cultivation as possible, a technique known as direct drilling or minimal tillage. With this method you use a specially designed drill which is able to make a narrow slot into the undisturbed 44
soil, place seeds into this slot and to then press the soil down to cover the seed to preserve the moisture which will make the seed germinate. For this technique to work well you need to use machines that all use the same tracks all the time. This ensures that most of the soil is never compacted by a machine squashing it down. A bit like a giant version of growing your garden veg in beds so you never have to walk on the soil. This is now possible by the use of satellite navigation which keeps combines, sprayers, fertiliser spreaders and drills in the same tracks. However, this system is not perfect. The soil needs to be free draining or to have man laid drains running through it. If this is not the case, then the soil can become waterlogged and the crops die or yield badly. We have got some fields that have been direct drilled for the last 8 years. Some have faired well and some definitely have not, and we have had very wet areas on the farm over the last two wet winters. So we have decided that a blend of direct drilling and an occasional cultivation of some sort to help the drainage is a more realistic route to help us establish our crops in a more environmentally friendly way. It was while we were carrying out one of these occasional cultivations this autumn that we had our best wildlife spectacle of the year. 16 Red Kites began feeding on worms disturbed by the cultivator, and they were completely un-phased by this huge machine, and some landed just a few metres away from it. These magnificent birds have now become a regular feature in the countryside and it is easy to forget how recently it is that they first appeared round here. In the 1980s Kites were nearly extinct in the UK, the last 20 pairs being in Wales. This was due to centuries of persecution by game keepers. Thirty years ago one of several reintroduction schemes was launched, and 13 young birds from Spain were released in the Chilterns. This has proved to be a great success and it has been estimated that there are now about 10.000 Kites in the UK. The first one spotted in Bedfordshire was about 12 years ago. Their food of choice is carrion and worms, however they are also partial to a bit of fresh meat as I witnessed when hay mowing. I had disturbed some pheasant chicks and within minutes a pair of kites swooped down and picked them all off one by one. Nature can be very cruel.
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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
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Gardening in November Following on from the recent request for your homemade horticultural remedies for use in the garden, a number have been received. Thank you all for taking the time to forward them and some feature below. Please keep them coming. Unfortunately, thus far, none that have been received tackle an increasingly common place problem that can have a devastating impact upon a garden viz., box blight. Box (botanical name Bauxus) has been a regular sight in all kinds of gardens forever and is used in all sorts of ways to delineate beds, to create architectural shapes and textures or to provide the base material for those skilled in topiary to demonstrate their creative genius. Box blight then is a disease of leaves and stems and is caused by the fungus Cylindrocladium buxicola. Although roots of the plant are unaffected. It can spread rapidly, and in common with many fungal conditions, thrives in humid areas or those where air flow is problematic. If anyone reading this is concerned about the condition, please contact me and I will forward some further details or simply look up, if you are able to, box blight online and you will find a lot of information. Interestingly, if you trim box very regularly, the foliage will be denser and therefore more likely to thwart air flow, and this increases the probability of the plant contracting the disease! Onto your homespun gardening remedies to try! If you have a tree near your house that is frequented by a squirrel the sight of which excites your dog leading to much barking and therefore widespread misery to your neighbours, inconsiderately you can do nothing or, don your thinking cap and create an innovative and effective solution that works perfectly and involves no pain to either squirrel or to the tree! Get yourself some dark coloured, robust plastic sheeting, the sort available in builder’s merchants and presumably used in roofing. The wider the better, cut a piece, wrap around the trunk of the tree at around head height, secure bearing in mind you do not want to damage the tree and the squirrels’ claws are unable to gain any traction on the bark and therefore is unable to climb! Brilliant. Lateral thought at its best. Equally fiendish is the cunning rouse at persuading Muntjak etc., to stop nibbling your much-loved plants. No, not land mines, snipers or anything horrid but soap! In particular, Irish Spring Soap. Apparently, freely available at Amazon, one cuts it into cubes, simply threads some heavyduty florist’s wire through the pieces and dangle them around the garden. Muntjak do not like the smell and so are deterred.
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Indeed, grating soap using an old cheese grater, into the compost or back filled soil that goes on top of your newly planted bulbs can deter squirrels from digging them up. As with the muntjak, squirrels are, apparently, put off by the smell. If you should try any these, please let me know how you get on. Last month’s just for fun quiz question was: Montbretia, Dicentra Spectabilis and Japonica are all former names of plants regularly found in gardens in this country; what are their current names? The answers are, repectively, Crocosmia, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, and although regularly seen in plant names, the word Japonica, on its own, normally refers in this country to Chaenomeles or as it is also known, Ornamental Japanese Flowering Quince. This month’s just for fun question is: often to be seen walking the fields in agriculture, although also often employed in horticulture, what is the precise job of the agronomist?
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, to 01767 627581 or 07796 328855 or lawndocgardens@aol.com.
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. 49
Village Contacts Over 60's Club Secretary: Hazel Shreeves Tel: 01234 838817
Cople Web Site Contact: Ian Whiting Tel: 01234 838347 Email: ian@cople.org.uk Web Site:www.cople.org.uk
Mothers Union Contact: Jill Ebbs Tel: 01234 838659
Village Agent Wendy Worgan Tel:0800 039 1234
Cople Village Trust Chair: Catherine Bayliss Tel: 01234 838704
Mobile: 07717 269440 wendyw@bedsrcc.org.uk
Cople Sports & Social Club Chair: David Hughes Tel: 01234 838669
Cople Parish Council Clerk: Anne Pape
Tel: 01234 376645 clerk@cople-pc.gov.uk
Tuesday Club Contact: Joy Duthie Tel: 01234 838407
https://cople-pc.gov.uk/
Biggleswade Chronicle Village Correspondent: Jill Ebbs Tel: 01234 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 1.00 – 3.00pm 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, meetings, conferences etc. Main Hall and/or Committee Room - hire charge from £9 per hour, special rate of £25 for children’s parties (conditions apply). Bookings Officer, Laura Saunders—please email if possible villagehallenquiries@cople.org.uk or phone 07967 830790 Website: www.cople.org.uk/village hall 50
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