Paxton Post 36, May - June 23

Paxton Post

Issue 36 May - June 2023

THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

Paxton Post THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

Issue 36 May - June 2023

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North Luffenham and during World War 2 it was used as a training base for warplanes. In January 1945 a training mission went wrong and, like here, a Lancaster bomber crashed in the village soon after take-off, killing 7 crew members. Miss Etchells would not have seen this however as she died in 1939 whilst living in Stamford. She was 80 years of age, having spent about 47 of them teaching at our school.

Maybe we could suggest a road to be named after her in the future.

Editorial by Julie Stock I hope you all enjoyed the last issue of The Paxton Post. I had some very positive feedback with everyone happy to see so many articles included once again. In March I attended the Parish Council meeting to ask whether we could afford to print the whole magazine in colour but there are a lot of demands for funds at the moment so we will have to wait for now. Please send your articles and photos/posters for inclusion to me at woodbeez48@gmail.com.

* Please remember that you can also read the magazine online via the Community tab on the Parish Council website at https://greatpaxtonpc.gov.uk/. If you’d like to contribute to the next issue, please note the deadline dates below. We now have an advertising policy for local businesses as well. Please contact me if you’re interested in this.

Deadline Dates for Upcoming Issues The Paxton Post is published 6 times a year. Cut off dates are now the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please see the table below for these dates. It is the responsibility of contributors to ensure articles are submitted to the Editor by these dates. Thank you.

Edition July – August September – October November – December January – February March-April May – June

Copy deadline 15 June 15 August 15 October 15 December 15 February 15 April

Paxton Post is published by Easiprint Ltd in association with Great Paxton Parish Council and is funded by the Council. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, neither the editor, the printer or the Parish Council can be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, the publisher or the Parish Council.

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North Luffenham and during World War 2 it was used as a training base for warplanes. In January 1945 a training mission went wrong and, like here, a Lancaster bomber crashed in the village soon after take-off, killing 7 crew members. Miss Etchells would not have seen this however as she died in 1939 whilst living in Stamford. She was 80 years of age, having spent about 47 of them teaching at our school.

Maybe we could suggest a road to be named after her in the future.

Editorial by Julie Stock I hope you all enjoyed the last issue of The Paxton Post. I had some very positive feedback with everyone happy to see so many articles included once again. In March I attended the Parish Council meeting to ask whether we could afford to print the whole magazine in colour but there are a lot of demands for funds at the moment so we will have to wait for now. Please send your articles and photos/posters for inclusion to me at woodbeez48@gmail.com.

* Please remember that you can also read the magazine online via the Community tab on the Parish Council website at https://greatpaxtonpc.gov.uk/. If you’d like to contribute to the next issue, please note the deadline dates below. We now have an advertising policy for local businesses as well. Please contact me if you’re interested in this.

Deadline Dates for Upcoming Issues The Paxton Post is published 6 times a year. Cut off dates are now the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please see the table below for these dates. It is the responsibility of contributors to ensure articles are submitted to the Editor by these dates. Thank you.

Edition July – August September – October November – December January – February March-April May – June

Copy deadline 15 June 15 August 15 October 15 December 15 February 15 April

Paxton Post is published by Easiprint Ltd in association with Great Paxton Parish Council and is funded by the Council. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, neither the editor, the printer or the Parish Council can be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, the publisher or the Parish Council.

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Miss Etchells though also taught all children to sew and knit. Fred Luddington said that he wasn’t too keen on this at the time, but it came in very useful when needing to repair clothes when in the trenches in World War 1. Incidentally, Fred didn’t start school until he was 5 years old rather than the normal age of 3 as he lived at College Farm, and it was deemed to be too far to walk!

Bert Goodwin was taught by her about 14 years later than the others mentioned, as his mother had been earlier. He also described Miss Etchells as being very strict and stern, sometimes even cruel - but fair. He did admit though she would help anyone, as long as they were not slacking. She also ran classes in the Reading Rooms (Towgood Institute) twice a week to help any older boys who needed extra help. She wrote and produced the Christmas concerts, and she served on the Parish Council. In 1921 she laid a wreath at the unveiling of the war memorial as 7 of the soldiers named on it had been taught by her.

Around 1928 when she was aged 69, she was approached by the Rowley family. They owned a huge house and land in St Neots where Priory Park is now and they contributed much of the money to fund the new cinema. They also owned a Manor House and most of the houses in the village of Morcott in Rutland. They were moving back and, despite her age, wanted Miss Etchells to run the school there.

She was difficult to replace after such a long time in charge here. Her replacement was a Miss Coles who was described as being more interested in nature walks than discipline. Some school inspectors on a visit found out that for many years the school had not even been using the correct curriculum. I wonder if it partly explains the poor academic record of the school.

There is a coincidental link between the two villages in which she spent most of her life. Morcott is close to the former RAF base of 4

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Miss Etchells though also taught all children to sew and knit. Fred Luddington said that he wasn’t too keen on this at the time, but it came in very useful when needing to repair clothes when in the trenches in World War 1. Incidentally, Fred didn’t start school until he was 5 years old rather than the normal age of 3 as he lived at College Farm, and it was deemed to be too far to walk!

Bert Goodwin was taught by her about 14 years later than the others mentioned, as his mother had been earlier. He also described Miss Etchells as being very strict and stern, sometimes even cruel - but fair. He did admit though she would help anyone, as long as they were not slacking. She also ran classes in the Reading Rooms (Towgood Institute) twice a week to help any older boys who needed extra help. She wrote and produced the Christmas concerts, and she served on the Parish Council. In 1921 she laid a wreath at the unveiling of the war memorial as 7 of the soldiers named on it had been taught by her.

Around 1928 when she was aged 69, she was approached by the Rowley family. They owned a huge house and land in St Neots where Priory Park is now and they contributed much of the money to fund the new cinema. They also owned a Manor House and most of the houses in the village of Morcott in Rutland. They were moving back and, despite her age, wanted Miss Etchells to run the school there.

She was difficult to replace after such a long time in charge here. Her replacement was a Miss Coles who was described as being more interested in nature walks than discipline. Some school inspectors on a visit found out that for many years the school had not even been using the correct curriculum. I wonder if it partly explains the poor academic record of the school.

There is a coincidental link between the two villages in which she spent most of her life. Morcott is close to the former RAF base of 4

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another boy who had ruined one of Dick’s paintings. For this, Dick says that he was punished by being hit with a cricket bat. Cricket stumps were also sometimes used as well as a hairbrush, though this was usually on the girls.

Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival IT’S BACK! Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th September Sponsored by: I am delighted to report the Scarecrow Festival will be back for a third year!! As many of you know, I felt I was unable to carry on with the Scarecrow Festival single handedly, but thanks to some amazing people in the village there is now a Scarecrow “committee”!

Miss Etchells, on the left, with her class of 1902.

It didn’t stop boys misbehaving though. At harvest time they would play a trick on the teachers by coming to school with a pocketful of mice. These would be released, and the children would see Miss Etchells scream and clamber onto her desk.

Boys had a subject called Sloyd carpentry. This was a type of teaching originating in Sweden which looked at education in a non-vocational manner. It was designed to help children develop skills together with showing the need for accuracy and quality. In Sweden it would have been carving wood but here it was cutting cardboard, presumably with sharp knives. It was regarded as a modern approach away from the traditional three Rs, which seems quite surprising for a small, simple village.

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another boy who had ruined one of Dick’s paintings. For this, Dick says that he was punished by being hit with a cricket bat. Cricket stumps were also sometimes used as well as a hairbrush, though this was usually on the girls.

This means the event will hopefully be bigger and better than ever before! So put the date in your diary and get those scarecrow thinking caps on!

The committee have decided there will not be a theme again, as we do not want to deter people from entering. Anything goes! It is still completely free to enter, and this year we have changed the prize categories. You will be in with a chance of winning one of the following: Best Named Scarecrow - £50 cash from Hire or Buy Group Funniest Scarecrow - £50 voucher for The Bell Most original Scarecrow - £50 cash from Peter Anderson Cars We had 59 official entries in our first year, 71 last year – let’s try and get over 100 this year! Without your fantastic creations there will not be a festival, so please do join in if you can.

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Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival IT’S BACK! Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th September Sponsored by: I am delighted to report the Scarecrow Festival will be back for a third year!! As many of you know, I felt I was unable to carry on with the Scarecrow Festival single handedly, but thanks to some amazing people in the village there is now a Scarecrow “committee”!

Miss Etchells, on the left, with her class of 1902.

It didn’t stop boys misbehaving though. At harvest time they would play a trick on the teachers by coming to school with a pocketful of mice. These would be released, and the children would see Miss Etchells scream and clamber onto her desk.

Boys had a subject called Sloyd carpentry. This was a type of teaching originating in Sweden which looked at education in a non-vocational manner. It was designed to help children develop skills together with showing the need for accuracy and quality. In Sweden it would have been carving wood but here it was cutting cardboard, presumably with sharp knives. It was regarded as a modern approach away from the traditional three Rs, which seems quite surprising for a small, simple village.

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This means the event will hopefully be bigger and better than ever before! So put the date in your diary and get those scarecrow thinking caps on!

The committee have decided there will not be a theme again, as we do not want to deter people from entering. Anything goes! It is still completely free to enter, and this year we have changed the prize categories. You will be in with a chance of winning one of the following: Best Named Scarecrow - £50 cash from Hire or Buy Group Funniest Scarecrow - £50 voucher for The Bell Most original Scarecrow - £50 cash from Peter Anderson Cars We had 59 official entries in our first year, 71 last year – let’s try and get over 100 this year! Without your fantastic creations there will not be a festival, so please do join in if you can.

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This is the plan for the festival week: SCARECROWS As before, scarecrows will need to be on display from 10am on Saturday 16th until end of day on Sunday 24th September (so consider the wonderful British weather when making your scarecrow!) As mentioned, there is no theme, and it is free to enter. A completed entry form (included within the next edition of The Paxton Post) is required in order to be eligible to win the prizes, and this form must be returned by 10th September. You will then be given an official entry number that needs to be displayed near your scarecrow for the week, so that people can vote for your creation. You do not need to use straw, but if you would like to then I am hoping the lovely residents of College Farm may be able to donate some again.

FIRST DAY SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER – THE BELL PUB CAR PARK FOOD, CRAFTS, AND GAME STALLS – FROM 12 NOON Food vendors, craft stalls, game stalls and hopefully face painting will be available in The Bell car park on the first Saturday of the festival week.

FANCY DRESS COMPETITION – 3PM Children are invited to attend The Bell garden at 3pm on 16 th for a fancy dress competition – no theme, and free to enter! (Age 11 and under). Prizes to be won!

VOTING / WINNERS Voting by the public will take place all week using the voting slips available on the map/scarecrow entry list. People will be asked to vote for their favourites according to the three categories. These votes will be counted on the afternoon of Sunday 24th September by the 6

This is the plan for the festival week: SCARECROWS As before, scarecrows will need to be on display from 10am on Saturday 16th until end of day on Sunday 24th September (so consider the wonderful British weather when making your scarecrow!) As mentioned, there is no theme, and it is free to enter. A completed entry form (included within the next edition of The Paxton Post) is required in order to be eligible to win the prizes, and this form must be returned by 10th September. You will then be given an official entry number that needs to be displayed near your scarecrow for the week, so that people can vote for your creation. You do not need to use straw, but if you would like to then I am hoping the lovely residents of College Farm may be able to donate some again.

FIRST DAY SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER – THE BELL PUB CAR PARK FOOD, CRAFTS, AND GAME STALLS – FROM 12 NOON Food vendors, craft stalls, game stalls and hopefully face painting will be available in The Bell car park on the first Saturday of the festival week.

FANCY DRESS COMPETITION – 3PM Children are invited to attend The Bell garden at 3pm on 16 th for a fancy dress competition – no theme, and free to enter! (Age 11 and under). Prizes to be won!

VOTING / WINNERS Voting by the public will take place all week using the voting slips available on the map/scarecrow entry list. People will be asked to vote for their favourites according to the three categories. These votes will be counted on the afternoon of Sunday 24th September by the 6

GREAT PAXTON HISTORY SOCIETY - Graham James This edition’s dip into the archives provides an insight into the story of a formidable villager who helped shape the lives of hundreds of Great Paxton children.

Miss Maude Sarah Etchells was born in 1859 in Warwickshire. We don’t know when she moved here but in 1881, aged 21, she was living as a lodger with a family on the Main Road, as the High Street was then known. She later moved into the schoolhouse which adjoined the school at the top of Church Lane. She shared the house with her nephew who was a musical student.

We are lucky that some villagers wrote their memories of life here during Miss Etchells’ long tenure, so we have Rowena Bryan, Dick Ashton, Fred Luddington and Bert Goodwin to thank for these stories.

Rowena was at the school from about 1902 to 1910. Children spent their whole schooling here until they were 13, if they were needed to help in working on the land, or 14 if they showed a potential promise of further education. This was very rare in Great Paxton. She described Miss Etchells as very strict, not allowing children to have any contact with other children in the classroom, either verbal or even visual. She would watch over them, peering over her goldrimmed spectacles. Rowena was actually scared of her and if she saw her in the distance cycling towards her, she would hide. Her discipline was in full sight as her cane hung on the wall behind her desk. Once, whilst trying to cane a boy on the hand, he whisked it away so that she missed. He then did it again leading to her dragging him over her desk and caning his backside.

Dick Ashton, who was at the school at about the same time, describes more methods of punishment. He was in a fight with 55

GREAT PAXTON HISTORY SOCIETY - Graham James This edition’s dip into the archives provides an insight into the story of a formidable villager who helped shape the lives of hundreds of Great Paxton children.

Miss Maude Sarah Etchells was born in 1859 in Warwickshire. We don’t know when she moved here but in 1881, aged 21, she was living as a lodger with a family on the Main Road, as the High Street was then known. She later moved into the schoolhouse which adjoined the school at the top of Church Lane. She shared the house with her nephew who was a musical student.

We are lucky that some villagers wrote their memories of life here during Miss Etchells’ long tenure, so we have Rowena Bryan, Dick Ashton, Fred Luddington and Bert Goodwin to thank for these stories.

Rowena was at the school from about 1902 to 1910. Children spent their whole schooling here until they were 13, if they were needed to help in working on the land, or 14 if they showed a potential promise of further education. This was very rare in Great Paxton. She described Miss Etchells as very strict, not allowing children to have any contact with other children in the classroom, either verbal or even visual. She would watch over them, peering over her goldrimmed spectacles. Rowena was actually scared of her and if she saw her in the distance cycling towards her, she would hide. Her discipline was in full sight as her cane hung on the wall behind her desk. Once, whilst trying to cane a boy on the hand, he whisked it away so that she missed. He then did it again leading to her dragging him over her desk and caning his backside.

Dick Ashton, who was at the school at about the same time, describes more methods of punishment. He was in a fight with 55

committee and the winners announced at The Bell pub and via a Facebook live feed. (Please note, entrants can only win one category).

It is set to be a wonderful event for all the family, So come on Great Paxton, let’s put our fantastic village on the map!

Jo, Raqi, Andrea, Julie, Karen, Tara and Val GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com

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committee and the winners announced at The Bell pub and via a Facebook live feed. (Please note, entrants can only win one category).

It is set to be a wonderful event for all the family, So come on Great Paxton, let’s put our fantastic village on the map!

Jo, Raqi, Andrea, Julie, Karen, Tara and Val GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com

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Chef’s Corner – Sarah at The Bell

We were very relieved when, two days later, Mandy turned up in a suitably sized van and with a very infectious enthusiasm. Her charity regularly arranges lorries, and she reassured us that the donations will be very gratefully received.

She wanted to pass on her sincere thanks to everyone who kindly donated.

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Chef’s Corner – Sarah at The Bell

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We were very relieved when, two days later, Mandy turned up in a suitably sized van and with a very infectious enthusiasm. Her charity regularly arranges lorries, and she reassured us that the donations will be very gratefully received.

She wanted to pass on her sincere thanks to everyone who kindly donated.

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FROM GREAT PAXTON TO UKRAINE – Graham James After news broke of the dreadful devastation caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, villager Diane James felt that something should be done to help the survivors. After a search for organisations that were sending out aid, we arranged to deliver whatever we collected to a mosque in Cambridge.

The appeal went out and Great Paxton answered in style. After just three days we realised that it was going to be more than a car full.

However, when we looked at the mosque’s website to check something and read that they were unable to take any more bags of clothing, we were left in a bit of a quandary. In the meantime, the gifts continued to arrive with one person alone bringing 10 sacks. As we had virtually lost the use of our dining room and half of the hall, we were getting rather keen to find an alternative charity to take the pile of not just clothes but also footwear, tents and sanitary wear.

After many phone calls and internet searches, we discovered that charities were only wanting financial donations. We were therefore very relieved when I happened to see that someone in Little Paxton was helping some local Ukrainian families. We quickly made contact with him, and he put us in touch with a charity based in Lincolnshire that had been set up to send aid in the way of clothes and other items to families in Ukraine, and even to troops on the front line. https://m.facebook.com/Boxes-of-Hope108281751797753/?ref=page_internal A phone call to Mandy, the founder of the charity, at last sounded promising and, having checked that no donors had any objection, we arranged for her to come and collect the bags and sacks. Firstly though, we thought that it was best to check with her whether she would be able to take all the sacks, which had now grown to a grand total of 60.

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FROM GREAT PAXTON TO UKRAINE – Graham James After news broke of the dreadful devastation caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, villager Diane James felt that something should be done to help the survivors. After a search for organisations that were sending out aid, we arranged to deliver whatever we collected to a mosque in Cambridge.

The appeal went out and Great Paxton answered in style. After just three days we realised that it was going to be more than a car full.

However, when we looked at the mosque’s website to check something and read that they were unable to take any more bags of clothing, we were left in a bit of a quandary. In the meantime, the gifts continued to arrive with one person alone bringing 10 sacks. As we had virtually lost the use of our dining room and half of the hall, we were getting rather keen to find an alternative charity to take the pile of not just clothes but also footwear, tents and sanitary wear.

After many phone calls and internet searches, we discovered that charities were only wanting financial donations. We were therefore very relieved when I happened to see that someone in Little Paxton was helping some local Ukrainian families. We quickly made contact with him, and he put us in touch with a charity based in Lincolnshire that had been set up to send aid in the way of clothes and other items to families in Ukraine, and even to troops on the front line. https://m.facebook.com/Boxes-of-Hope108281751797753/?ref=page_internal A phone call to Mandy, the founder of the charity, at last sounded promising and, having checked that no donors had any objection, we arranged for her to come and collect the bags and sacks. Firstly though, we thought that it was best to check with her whether she would be able to take all the sacks, which had now grown to a grand total of 60.

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WI – Have you ever thought of joining?

The WI was formed in 1915 to give women a voice and to be a force for good. As Great Paxton doesn’t have its own WI, perhaps I can tell you about The Offords branch and extend an invitation for you to join?

Our group has been in existence for over 100 years! We do have some members who live in Great Paxton and would be happy to welcome more, of any age. Our older members give us the backbone, but we need younger members to secure our future!

We currently have about 25 members, but would welcome new faces to bring fresh ideas, skills and enthusiasm. The WI, first and foremost, gives you the chance to meet other people in a friendly setting, and to be inspired to try new things – or to share your skills with others. It can be whatever you want it to be. You would have the opportunity to contribute by helping with the running of the group, but it’s certainly not essential.

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month in The Offords Village Hall in Offord Cluny at 7.30. There is a programme of events for these monthly meets; often we have a speaker, or someone to demonstrate a skill, perhaps an author or historian or a food tasting.

Last month we had a demonstration of making cold porcelain flowers. There is a short meeting during the course of the evening to conduct business and make announcements, but the rest of the time is social with a raffle, refreshments and a competition. We try new crafts ourselves and are just starting a small Knit, Natter and Books group.

We arrange several outings each year, the last one being Ten Pin Bowling with lunch. One of our members has written a poem 9

WI – Have you ever thought of joining?

The WI was formed in 1915 to give women a voice and to be a force for good. As Great Paxton doesn’t have its own WI, perhaps I can tell you about The Offords branch and extend an invitation for you to join?

Our group has been in existence for over 100 years! We do have some members who live in Great Paxton and would be happy to welcome more, of any age. Our older members give us the backbone, but we need younger members to secure our future!

We currently have about 25 members, but would welcome new faces to bring fresh ideas, skills and enthusiasm. The WI, first and foremost, gives you the chance to meet other people in a friendly setting, and to be inspired to try new things – or to share your skills with others. It can be whatever you want it to be. You would have the opportunity to contribute by helping with the running of the group, but it’s certainly not essential.

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month in The Offords Village Hall in Offord Cluny at 7.30. There is a programme of events for these monthly meets; often we have a speaker, or someone to demonstrate a skill, perhaps an author or historian or a food tasting.

Last month we had a demonstration of making cold porcelain flowers. There is a short meeting during the course of the evening to conduct business and make announcements, but the rest of the time is social with a raffle, refreshments and a competition. We try new crafts ourselves and are just starting a small Knit, Natter and Books group.

We arrange several outings each year, the last one being Ten Pin Bowling with lunch. One of our members has written a poem 9

recording the fun we had. The August meeting is a Tea Afternoon, usually in a garden. In January we have a New Year Dinner. It’s all very friendly and a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends.

Thank you to Paul who was assisted by Chris Hall and Jacqueline Wieczorek in the production of the project.

Please do visit and enjoy this unique walk through history to the present day.

The Offords WI is a part of the Huntingdon & Peterborough Federation of WIs. So not only would you have access to the events we run in The Offords, but also the events and outings arranged by the Headquarters in Huntingdon. These activities are open to all the many small branches across the district and include, so far this year, such things as Group Walks, an outing to Bletchley Park, theatre trips and various courses in crafts and skills – a recent one being a crochet workshop. Members receive a local monthly newsletter and also a larger nationally focused magazine.

If anything mentioned appeals to you, please do come along to one of our meetings. You can come as a visitor (£4.50) before deciding whether to join, and we will be happy to see you and explain more about what we do.

Our next meetings are as follows: Tuesday 11 April Speaker: Alison Williamson Subject: Whyte Wytch Artisan Cows Cheese Tuesday 9 May Speaker: Sally Clay Subject: Jewellery Making

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Will we see you then? We hope so!

Marion Warden Please contact Jenny Murby (President) on 01480 811474 with any questions.

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recording the fun we had. The August meeting is a Tea Afternoon, usually in a garden. In January we have a New Year Dinner. It’s all very friendly and a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends.

We look forward to several baptism and wedding services in the summer into autumn in Great Paxton Church. Please do contact Annette if you would like to discuss holding one of these lovely occasional offices.

Thank you to the Great Paxton School Community for coming into church for a wonderful end of spring term service just before Easter. The singing and words chosen were very uplifting. We wish the children, staff and school families a happy and productive summer term 2023!

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Thank you to Paul who was assisted by Chris Hall and Jacqueline Wieczorek in the production of the project.

Please do visit and enjoy this unique walk through history to the present day.

The Offords WI is a part of the Huntingdon & Peterborough Federation of WIs. So not only would you have access to the events we run in The Offords, but also the events and outings arranged by the Headquarters in Huntingdon. These activities are open to all the many small branches across the district and include, so far this year, such things as Group Walks, an outing to Bletchley Park, theatre trips and various courses in crafts and skills – a recent one being a crochet workshop. Members receive a local monthly newsletter and also a larger nationally focused magazine.

If anything mentioned appeals to you, please do come along to one of our meetings. You can come as a visitor (£4.50) before deciding whether to join, and we will be happy to see you and explain more about what we do.

Our next meetings are as follows: Tuesday 11 April Speaker: Alison Williamson Subject: Whyte Wytch Artisan Cows Cheese Tuesday 9 May Speaker: Sally Clay Subject: Jewellery Making Will we see you then? We hope so!

Marion Warden Please contact Jenny Murby (President) on 01480 811474 with any questions.

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We look forward to several baptism and wedding services in the summer into autumn in Great Paxton Church. Please do contact Annette if you would like to discuss holding one of these lovely occasional offices.

Thank you to the Great Paxton School Community for coming into church for a wonderful end of spring term service just before Easter. The singing and words chosen were very uplifting. We wish the children, staff and school families a happy and productive summer term 2023!

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Churches Trust (£3000) and The National Churches Trust (£2142) as well as a donation from the MilleniumFest Committee. Any further donations towards redecoration will be most appreciated.

Our new QR code is very easy to use if you have a phone and bank card!

The Results of the April Great Paxton Church 100 Club draw. £100 Number 48 Paul Clarke £50 Number 115 Paul Richards £25 Number 196 Peter Dunn Thanks to everyone who supports the Great Paxton Church 100 Club and to Graham Bevan who organises this essential fundraising scheme for our 1,000 year old church.

THE OFFORDS WI OUTING We all went Ten Pin Bowling in the alley out at Pidley, Lunch and drinks to follow – better not get tiddly!

We all tried hard to make a strike: we chose the smoothest ball, We tripped and danced along the mat and no-one had a fall!

But oh, the balls were heavy and wonky was the lane, Our legs and backs complained a lot, our shoulders felt the pain.

But on we ploughed: it’s so much fun, or so we all declared, And yes, we cheated just a bit – but no-one really cared.

For we knew who was winning, though we sometimes broke the rules, Its having fun that matters – the WI aren’t fools!

We couldn’t read the final score: it didn’t really matter, We’d had a lovely morning, some dinner and a natter.

So, join your local WI: we really are quite nice, If life seems just a little drab – well we can add some spice.

We’re not all jam and knitting and some of us can’t bake, But we are part of something good and friends you’ll surely make!

Marion Warden

June brings a Local History Exhibition to church.

You will find details of the June local history display elsewhere in the Paxton Post, but it is great that the group are so active and willing and able to share their findings.

The Vicar and PCC are very grateful to Paul Ward who has crafted the amazing timeline of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day.

The series of posts and carved wooden plaques run alongside the churchyard path and the outcome is a remarkable creative endeavour for the village.

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Churches Trust (£3000) and The National Churches Trust (£2142) as well as a donation from the MilleniumFest Committee. Any further donations towards redecoration will be most appreciated.

THE OFFORDS WI OUTING We all went Ten Pin Bowling in the alley out at Pidley, Lunch and drinks to follow – better not get tiddly!

We all tried hard to make a strike: we chose the smoothest ball, We tripped and danced along the mat and no-one had a fall!

But oh, the balls were heavy and wonky was the lane, Our legs and backs complained a lot, our shoulders felt the pain.

But on we ploughed: it’s so much fun, or so we all declared, And yes, we cheated just a bit – but no-one really cared.

For we knew who was winning, though we sometimes broke the rules, Its having fun that matters – the WI aren’t fools!

We couldn’t read the final score: it didn’t really matter, We’d had a lovely morning, some dinner and a natter.

So, join your local WI: we really are quite nice, If life seems just a little drab – well we can add some spice.

We’re not all jam and knitting and some of us can’t bake, But we are part of something good and friends you’ll surely make!

Our new QR code is very easy to use if you have a phone and bank card!

The Results of the April Great Paxton Church 100 Club draw. £100 Number 48 Paul Clarke £50 Number 115 Paul Richards £25 Number 196 Peter Dunn Thanks to everyone who supports the Great Paxton Church 100 Club and to Graham Bevan who organises this essential fundraising scheme for our 1,000 year old church.

Marion Warden

June brings a Local History Exhibition to church.

You will find details of the June local history display elsewhere in the Paxton Post, but it is great that the group are so active and willing and able to share their findings.

The Vicar and PCC are very grateful to Paul Ward who has crafted the amazing timeline of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day.

The series of posts and carved wooden plaques run alongside the churchyard path and the outcome is a remarkable creative endeavour for the village.

50

11

The full annual report is available by emailing Annette: canonannettereed@gmail.com Meetings are on 4th Monday of the month at The Bell Pub, Great Paxton 7.30-9.30pm The Crafty Belles gather in The Bell courtesy of our lovely Rachael.

We normally have a monthly craft that we try to do within the evening. We tend to show each other crafts we know and share knowledge. Some are more exciting than others it has to be said. So, if you have an interest in joining us please do. We are a friendly bunch, and you will be welcomed. Contact Diane James for more information at diane.james42@outlook.com We’re about to embark upon a new challenge that will run until its completion. It’s an embroidered panel to commemorate King Charles III’s forthcoming coronation. It will not be finished in time to hang on 6th May though! We do hope to hang it before the year is out and Rachael has given her blessing to hang it in the room of The Bell where the Crafty Belles have been meeting for the last 5 years!

Here is a sneaky view of what it might look like. I’m sorry you won’t see it in technicolour here, but you will be able to pop into the pub and see it for real at some point.

I will keep you posted.

12

Bob Hacking and Andrea Goodyer were elected as church wardens for a further year and Andrea also continues as PCC Secretary.

Jacqueline Jackson was elected as our ongoing treasurer. Graham Bevan and Andrea will be our Deanery Synod representatives for the coming year and Graham is our deputy warden. As well as those named above, five others were elected to serve on the PCC. Ann Nicholson stood down after over 25 years’ service on the PCC and was presented with some flowers as a token of thanks. We are grateful to everyone who gives their time and resources to supporting the Great Paxton Church community in any way.

The South Aisle Project begins The refurbishment of the South Aisle will commence during the last week in April with preparations being made to relocate the 19th century mechanical organ from the south aisle into the north aisle.

This work is being undertaken by Norman Hall and Sons who refurbished the organ in 2020. They will be making a new box for the electrical organ blower which currently is lodged in a stone structure on the exterior south wall. The blower will be inside the church henceforth in its new box in the north aisle. It may be that the organ is well covered for a few weeks whilst the south aisle is renovated to prevent any dust getting into the instrument.

Once the organ is in its new position, the rotten flooring of the south aisle can be taken up and a new surface prepared to receive an Ancaster Stone floor. This work is being undertaken by the Strickland brothers, Martin and Steve who replastered the interior walls in 2020. These works are partly funded by Cambridgeshire Historic 49

The full annual report is available by emailing Annette: canonannettereed@gmail.com Meetings are on 4th Monday of the month at The Bell Pub, Great Paxton 7.30-9.30pm The Crafty Belles gather in The Bell courtesy of our lovely Rachael.

We normally have a monthly craft that we try to do within the evening. We tend to show each other crafts we know and share knowledge. Some are more exciting than others it has to be said. So, if you have an interest in joining us please do. We are a friendly bunch, and you will be welcomed. Contact Diane James for more information at diane.james42@outlook.com We’re about to embark upon a new challenge that will run until its completion. It’s an embroidered panel to commemorate King Charles III’s forthcoming coronation. It will not be finished in time to hang on 6th May though! We do hope to hang it before the year is out and Rachael has given her blessing to hang it in the room of The Bell where the Crafty Belles have been meeting for the last 5 years!

Here is a sneaky view of what it might look like. I’m sorry you won’t see it in technicolour here, but you will be able to pop into the pub and see it for real at some point.

I will keep you posted.

12

Bob Hacking and Andrea Goodyer were elected as church wardens for a further year and Andrea also continues as PCC Secretary.

Jacqueline Jackson was elected as our ongoing treasurer. Graham Bevan and Andrea will be our Deanery Synod representatives for the coming year and Graham is our deputy warden. As well as those named above, five others were elected to serve on the PCC. Ann Nicholson stood down after over 25 years’ service on the PCC and was presented with some flowers as a token of thanks. We are grateful to everyone who gives their time and resources to supporting the Great Paxton Church community in any way.

The South Aisle Project begins The refurbishment of the South Aisle will commence during the last week in April with preparations being made to relocate the 19th century mechanical organ from the south aisle into the north aisle.

This work is being undertaken by Norman Hall and Sons who refurbished the organ in 2020. They will be making a new box for the electrical organ blower which currently is lodged in a stone structure on the exterior south wall. The blower will be inside the church henceforth in its new box in the north aisle. It may be that the organ is well covered for a few weeks whilst the south aisle is renovated to prevent any dust getting into the instrument.

Once the organ is in its new position, the rotten flooring of the south aisle can be taken up and a new surface prepared to receive an Ancaster Stone floor. This work is being undertaken by the Strickland brothers, Martin and Steve who replastered the interior walls in 2020. These works are partly funded by Cambridgeshire Historic 49

We were hoping to have a short service on May 7th in the afternoon at Great Paxton Church to mark the Coronation. But due to the likelihood of the repair works having just begun and the organ being in pieces as it is relocated from the south aisle to the north aisle, it is best not to plan anything too ambitious!

However, there will be a Benefice Celebration of the Coronation weekend on Sunday May 7th at 10.45am at Little Paxton Church to which anyone, of course, is invited from our four churches and beyond.

Here is a prayer for our new King Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.

Bless his reign and the life of our nation.

Help us to work together so that truth and justice, harmony and fairness flourish among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen The Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on Sunday March 13th in church after the morning service.

A full report of the activities of Holy Trinity Church year ending 2022 was given to all who attended along with the audited accounts. 2022 will be remembered for holding the Millennium Fest in July in and around the church, following previous unsuccessful attempts due to Covid.

Grateful thanks were expressed to everyone who had made the festival possible and such a success. The new Lancaster Memorial was also dedicated in the churchyard in May, the fruits of diligent planning and gaining of permissions.

48

We were hoping to have a short service on May 7th in the afternoon at Great Paxton Church to mark the Coronation. But due to the likelihood of the repair works having just begun and the organ being in pieces as it is relocated from the south aisle to the north aisle, it is best not to plan anything too ambitious!

However, there will be a Benefice Celebration of the Coronation weekend on Sunday May 7th at 10.45am at Little Paxton Church to which anyone, of course, is invited from our four churches and beyond.

Here is a prayer for our new King Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.

Bless his reign and the life of our nation.

Help us to work together so that truth and justice, harmony and fairness flourish among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen The Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on Sunday March 13th in church after the morning service.

A full report of the activities of Holy Trinity Church year ending 2022 was given to all who attended along with the audited accounts. 2022 will be remembered for holding the Millennium Fest in July in and around the church, following previous unsuccessful attempts due to Covid.

Grateful thanks were expressed to everyone who had made the festival possible and such a success. The new Lancaster Memorial was also dedicated in the churchyard in May, the fruits of diligent planning and gaining of permissions.

48

When we held the above event in July last year, we invited villagers to put suggestions in as to what would be interesting for the community to read in 2100 when the capsule will be opened. We took those into consideration and added other items and information over the last few months. Now, we’re doing a final project to ask if you’d like to leave a short note in an envelope to a grandchild who might still live here or perhaps to whoever is living in your house in 2100 to tell them about your time in the house and your experience of Great Paxton during 2020/2. Chris Hall has advertised this on the village Facebook pages and he’s left some envelopes in the Community Shop. Please do take that opportunity if you’d like to but we’ll be needing you to complete by 16th June as per Chris’s notice.

As you’ll see in the History Society pages, we’re holding an exhibition in the Church over the weekend of 1st and 2nd July 2023 and we’re planning tea, coffee, cake, escorted tower trips to see the old graffiti and bells. We’re also planning to officially ‘bury’ the TIME CAPSULE within Holy Trinity Minster on the afternoon of Sunday 2nd July (time to be confirmed). To this end, we’ve just purchased some lovely reclaimed oak which Alan Smith, one of the bell ringing team will fashion into a cradle to hold the capsule. We’d love you and especially the children to come and be part of this bit of village history. This final ceremony sees the last part of the Millenniumfest event completed. It has been an honour to deliver this with the team.

Diane James, Millenniumfest Project Manager 13

When we held the above event in July last year, we invited villagers to put suggestions in as to what would be interesting for the community to read in 2100 when the capsule will be opened. We took those into consideration and added other items and information over the last few months. Now, we’re doing a final project to ask if you’d like to leave a short note in an envelope to a grandchild who might still live here or perhaps to whoever is living in your house in 2100 to tell them about your time in the house and your experience of Great Paxton during 2020/2. Chris Hall has advertised this on the village Facebook pages and he’s left some envelopes in the Community Shop. Please do take that opportunity if you’d like to but we’ll be needing you to complete by 16th June as per Chris’s notice.

As you’ll see in the History Society pages, we’re holding an exhibition in the Church over the weekend of 1st and 2nd July 2023 and we’re planning tea, coffee, cake, escorted tower trips to see the old graffiti and bells. We’re also planning to officially ‘bury’ the TIME CAPSULE within Holy Trinity Minster on the afternoon of Sunday 2nd July (time to be confirmed). To this end, we’ve just purchased some lovely reclaimed oak which Alan Smith, one of the bell ringing team will fashion into a cradle to hold the capsule. We’d love you and especially the children to come and be part of this bit of village history. This final ceremony sees the last part of the Millenniumfest event completed. It has been an honour to deliver this with the team.

Diane James, Millenniumfest Project Manager 13

March 2023 Report from District Councillor, Richard West Planning Matters Planning officers are in discussion with the applicant and agent reference applications 22/01426/FUL58, High Street, and 22/01359/FUL Land West of the Bungalow River Lane.

The following application is ongoing and has missed the target date: 22/02484/FUL 25 Brookside 30 Jan 2023.

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 maryP2707@hotmail.com Please do contact Annette with any enquiries about weddings, baptisms, and funerals. We can be very flexible with days and times for these special services.

Regular services at Great Paxton Church

Two other applications are in progress: 23/00156/HHFUL 47 Rectory Close target date 23 March 2023 and 23/00190/HHFUL 22 London Lane 18 April 2023.

Application 22/02302/FUL 51, London Lane 30 Jan 2023 has been approved.

Huntingdon Community Engagement Meeting The following items were discussed: POLICING STRUCTURE • Inspector • 1 Sergeant, 7 Constables, 3 PCSOs at Huntingdon • 1 Sergeant, 2 Constables, 2 PCSOs at St Ives and Ramsey • 1 Sergeant, 4 Constables, 1 PCSO at St Neots • Supported by 24/7 Reactive team, CID Specialist team operational support.

1st Sunday in the month: 9.00am Prayer Book Communion 2nd Sunday in the month: 11.00 All Age Worship 3rd Sunday of the month: 11.00am Holy Communion 4th Sunday of the month: 11.00am Morning Prayer •

For news from all of our four churches in the Paxtons benefice, please go to our website: www.thepaxtonsbenefice.org or benefice Facebook page @The Paxtons Benefice The Coronation Weekend

CRIME UPDATE • Drugs 146 down to 92 • Dwelling Burglary including building site 42 up to 55 • Robbery 15 down to 11 • Weapons 35 down to 20 14

47

March 2023 Report from District Councillor, Richard West Planning Matters Planning officers are in discussion with the applicant and agent reference applications 22/01426/FUL58, High Street, and 22/01359/FUL Land West of the Bungalow River Lane.

The following application is ongoing and has missed the target date: 22/02484/FUL 25 Brookside 30 Jan 2023.

We may hold some of our services in the chancel during May due to the building works taking place.

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 maryP2707@hotmail.com Please do contact Annette with any enquiries about weddings, baptisms, and funerals. We can be very flexible with days and times for these special services.

Regular services at Great Paxton Church

Two other applications are in progress: 23/00156/HHFUL 47 Rectory Close target date 23 March 2023 and 23/00190/HHFUL 22 London Lane 18 April 2023.

Application 22/02302/FUL 51, London Lane 30 Jan 2023 has been approved.

Huntingdon Community Engagement Meeting The following items were discussed: POLICING STRUCTURE • Inspector • 1 Sergeant, 7 Constables, 3 PCSOs at Huntingdon • 1 Sergeant, 2 Constables, 2 PCSOs at St Ives and Ramsey • 1 Sergeant, 4 Constables, 1 PCSO at St Neots • Supported by 24/7 Reactive team, CID Specialist team operational support.

CRIME UPDATE • Drugs 146 down to 92 • Dwelling Burglary including building site 42 up to 55 • Robbery 15 down to 11 • Weapons 35 down to 20 14

1st Sunday in the month: 9.00am Prayer Book Communion 2nd Sunday in the month: 11.00 All Age Worship 3rd Sunday of the month: 11.00am Holy Communion 4th Sunday of the month: 11.00am Morning Prayer •

We may hold some of our services in the chancel during May due to the building works taking place.

For news from all of our four churches in the Paxtons benefice, please go to our website: www.thepaxtonsbenefice.org or benefice Facebook page @The Paxtons Benefice The Coronation Weekend

47

Holy Trinity Minster Church Great Paxton

•

All Racially Aggravated Crime 12 up to 19 cases.

SURVEY RESULTS Concerns over parking, speeding, drugs.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Under the age of 16 survey received 119 returns. Young people ongoing concerns over knife crime, youth gangs and sexual violence against girls.

POLICE FOCUSING ON Stop search and Anti-Social Behaviour in Huntingdon town centre.

Contact details: Vicar: Canon Annette Reed Tel: 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens: Mr Bob Hacking 1 Mint Lane Great Paxton 01480 219846 Mrs Andrea Goodyer 7a Church Lane Great Paxton andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconnected.com

POLICE and CRIME COMMISSIONER round table meeting Main points made: • • •

New legislation from National Government on dealing with serious violence County Lines.

Rural Crime Team been increased in number since showing improvements in reducing crime.

There will be increase in Police Officers.

AT DISTRICT COUNCIL • •

Full meeting of the council on 29 March 23 March Peer Challenge Corporate Governance Committee on internal audit.

Church Treasurer: Mrs Jacqueline Jackson jnmunro@btinternet.com 46

Holy Trinity Minster Church Great Paxton

15

•

All Racially Aggravated Crime 12 up to 19 cases.

SURVEY RESULTS Concerns over parking, speeding, drugs.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Under the age of 16 survey received 119 returns. Young people ongoing concerns over knife crime, youth gangs and sexual violence against girls.

POLICE FOCUSING ON Stop search and Anti-Social Behaviour in Huntingdon town centre.

Contact details: Vicar: Canon Annette Reed Tel: 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens: Mr Bob Hacking 1 Mint Lane Great Paxton 01480 219846 Mrs Andrea Goodyer 7a Church Lane Great Paxton andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconnected.com

POLICE and CRIME COMMISSIONER round table meeting Main points made: • • •

New legislation from National Government on dealing with serious violence County Lines.

Rural Crime Team been increased in number since showing improvements in reducing crime.

There will be increase in Police Officers.

AT DISTRICT COUNCIL • •

Full meeting of the council on 29 March 23 March Peer Challenge Corporate Governance Committee on internal audit.

Church Treasurer: Mrs Jacqueline Jackson jnmunro@btinternet.com 46

15

GREAT PAXTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL Mount Pleasant Great Paxton Cambs PE19 6YJ Telephone: 01480 472132 Fax: 01480 471735 E-Mail: office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk www.greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr L Frost Deputy Headteacher: Miss A Miller Great Paxton Church of England Primary School It seems to have been a long while since we featured in the village newsletter, so hopefully this will become a regular update feature again for the school.

So much has happened over the last few years – having worked through the pandemic and then continuing the recovery process to enable children to overcome many challenges, fill gaps in education and helping them to achieve the best that they can.

As a small school, our numbers on roll have increased significantly and we now welcome 110 children daily, meaning we are close to our maximum capacity of 119. Many new families have joined our community and we continue to provide the best support and care that we can.

OFSTED Recently, the school was inspected by OFSTED and the report can be found here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/ 16

45

GREAT PAXTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL Mount Pleasant Great Paxton Cambs PE19 6YJ Telephone: 01480 472132 Fax: 01480 471735 E-Mail: office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk www.greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr L Frost Deputy Headteacher: Miss A Miller Great Paxton Church of England Primary School It seems to have been a long while since we featured in the village newsletter, so hopefully this will become a regular update feature again for the school.

So much has happened over the last few years – having worked through the pandemic and then continuing the recovery process to enable children to overcome many challenges, fill gaps in education and helping them to achieve the best that they can.

As a small school, our numbers on roll have increased significantly and we now welcome 110 children daily, meaning we are close to our maximum capacity of 119. Many new families have joined our community and we continue to provide the best support and care that we can.

OFSTED Recently, the school was inspected by OFSTED and the report can be found here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/ 16

45

Great Paxton Community

Village Shop Spring time update The shop has received two pieces of great news in recent weeks: 

We have a new manager - Val Paul recently moved into the village from outside the area and started working with us on 3rd April. If you haven’t already met Val, please call in and say hello.



We received a grant from the Coton Wind Farm Fund that covers our losses for the 2021/22 financial year and enables us to continue trading.

As we started 2023 we were wondering how we might keep the shop going. This news throws us a vital lifeline for which we are very grateful.

As Val started working at the shop, we said goodbye and thank you to Lotty who helped us as Interim Manager for the last six months and is now off to travel the world. Good luck Lotty!

If you’re a regular customer, please continue to support the shop. If you haven’t used us for a while please come and give us a try.

There are several ways that you could support the shop and help us to provide a valued service to Great Paxton: 

Shop with us on a regular basis – We know that our prices can’t always compete with the big supermarkets but our convenience makes up for that. We regularly review our prices across all products to offer the best value that we can.



Give a little time to volunteer - Just an hour or two each week makes a big difference to the shop and enables us to provide a consistent service to the village.

The health and wellbeing benefits of volunteering are well documented and we know you’ll enjoy your time with us if you choose to help. Full training is given to all volunteers and getting started is easy. Call in and have a chat if you’re interested.



Join the Management Committee – Do you have relevant experience that could help us? Can you see where we could improve? Could you spare some time to benefit your local community? Your input could make the difference.

If you have any comments or suggestions about how we can improve please do contact us via email at: chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

Curriculum Over the last few years, we have greatly improved our curriculum intent and implementation in all areas, focusing on a very progressive, knowledge-based curriculum. Virtually all subjects have adopted a new approach and scheme and both staff and children are enthused by the new style in learning. This is an ongoing process and one we are continuing to review so that we can assess the full impact of all the changes made and continue to enhance our provision further.

Activities After a few years of not being able to undertake residential trips for children, we were delighted that these commenced again last year.

Children participated in two extremely successful residential trips, one in the summer of 2022 to Hilltop (Norfolk) for Y5 and Y6 and another for Y4 and Y5 to Rock UK (Northampton) in the autumn of 2022. Residentials trips are an amazing experience for the children, often for some it is the first time they are away from their parents.

Children get to learn so many new skills and participate in a variety of amazing activities. Memories are created for children for such a long time. The children will not let me forget that I set off the fire alarm accidently at 5am on the last one! Currently, we are planning for 2 more residential trips in 2024 – watch this space!

Our fireworks extravaganza remains as popular as ever and we had 90 children attending last year. The music is played live, and the fireworks are timed with a laser show to create an amazing experience for the children. Thanks to Mr Galvin and his family, this event continues to thrive. Check out the last display below: https://youtu.be/18SLCElCmvU

Great Paxton Community Village Shop Limited: 48a High Street, Great Paxton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6RF web: www.greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk Registered under the Community Benefit Society by the Financial Conduct Authority number 7299

17

Great Paxton Community

Village Shop Spring time update The shop has received two pieces of great news in recent weeks: 

We have a new manager - Val Paul recently moved into the village from outside the area and started working with us on 3rd April. If you haven’t already met Val, please call in and say hello.



We received a grant from the Coton Wind Farm Fund that covers our losses for the 2021/22 financial year and enables us to continue trading.

As we started 2023 we were wondering how we might keep the shop going. This news throws us a vital lifeline for which we are very grateful.

As Val started working at the shop, we said goodbye and thank you to Lotty who helped us as Interim Manager for the last six months and is now off to travel the world. Good luck Lotty!

If you’re a regular customer, please continue to support the shop. If you haven’t used us for a while please come and give us a try.

There are several ways that you could support the shop and help us to provide a valued service to Great Paxton: 

Shop with us on a regular basis – We know that our prices can’t always compete with the big supermarkets but our convenience makes up for that. We regularly review our prices across all products to offer the best value that we can.



Give a little time to volunteer - Just an hour or two each week makes a big difference to the shop and enables us to provide a consistent service to the village.

The health and wellbeing benefits of volunteering are well documented and we know you’ll enjoy your time with us if you choose to help. Full training is given to all volunteers and getting started is easy. Call in and have a chat if you’re interested.



Join the Management Committee – Do you have relevant experience that could help us? Can you see where we could improve? Could you spare some time to benefit your local community? Your input could make the difference.

If you have any comments or suggestions about how we can improve please do contact us via email at: chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

Curriculum Over the last few years, we have greatly improved our curriculum intent and implementation in all areas, focusing on a very progressive, knowledge-based curriculum. Virtually all subjects have adopted a new approach and scheme and both staff and children are enthused by the new style in learning. This is an ongoing process and one we are continuing to review so that we can assess the full impact of all the changes made and continue to enhance our provision further.

Activities After a few years of not being able to undertake residential trips for children, we were delighted that these commenced again last year.

Children participated in two extremely successful residential trips, one in the summer of 2022 to Hilltop (Norfolk) for Y5 and Y6 and another for Y4 and Y5 to Rock UK (Northampton) in the autumn of 2022. Residentials trips are an amazing experience for the children, often for some it is the first time they are away from their parents.

Children get to learn so many new skills and participate in a variety of amazing activities. Memories are created for children for such a long time. The children will not let me forget that I set off the fire alarm accidently at 5am on the last one! Currently, we are planning for 2 more residential trips in 2024 – watch this space!

Our fireworks extravaganza remains as popular as ever and we had 90 children attending last year. The music is played live, and the fireworks are timed with a laser show to create an amazing experience for the children. Thanks to Mr Galvin and his family, this event continues to thrive. Check out the last display below: https://youtu.be/18SLCElCmvU

Great Paxton Community Village Shop Limited: 48a High Street, Great Paxton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6RF web: www.greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk Registered under the Community Benefit Society by the Financial Conduct Authority number 7299

17

Sport As a passionate enthusiast of sport, the school continues to provide children with opportunities to compete in a variety of events. The school still participates in the yearly Priory Park run and the children always amaze us and do themselves proud.

The school football team has been extremely successful. Last year, the team made it as far as London to compete in the ESFA SE England Regional Finals as we qualified as the Eastern region champions. We played against the champions from Essex, Sussex and Kent. What an experience for the team! Most recently, we made it through to the final of the Small Schools competition where we faced an excellent Alconbury team. That was a tough match and Alconbury were victorious.

maybe longer, it depends on the weather, it starts to deteriorate in prolonged wet and cold in the autumn and winter.

Many thanks to Chris Hall for discussions when I was planning and for helping me to assemble it, also to Jacqueline Wieczorek for tireless proof reading, pointing out daft mistakes and for very helpful suggestions. If you wish to show your appreciation there are QR codes to scan and make a contribution to the upkeep of the church on the first and last posts.

Paul Ward

Our after-school football club remains popular, and we are hoping to extend this to children in Y1-3 next September. We are also hopeful of a girls’ football team starting in the summer.

PTA The PTA are hoping to be able to hold our summer fete this year – the first time in a while. The plan is for it to take place on Friday 30 th June 4pm-7pm. More details to follow but add the date to your diary as it would be amazing to see as many people there as possible.

Church As a school, we always enjoy the special services each term held in the church, even though Cannon Annette makes the staff perform to the children at the end of each one! It was also a privilege watching some of our children perform at the 1000-year celebration last year.

Our Easter Service filled the church, and it was fantastic having so many members of the community attend.

18

43

Sport As a passionate enthusiast of sport, the school continues to provide children with opportunities to compete in a variety of events. The school still participates in the yearly Priory Park run and the children always amaze us and do themselves proud.

maybe longer, it depends on the weather, it starts to deteriorate in prolonged wet and cold in the autumn and winter.

The school football team has been extremely successful. Last year, the team made it as far as London to compete in the ESFA SE England Regional Finals as we qualified as the Eastern region champions. We played against the champions from Essex, Sussex and Kent. What an experience for the team! Most recently, we made it through to the final of the Small Schools competition where we faced an excellent Alconbury team. That was a tough match and Alconbury were victorious.

Many thanks to Chris Hall for discussions when I was planning and for helping me to assemble it, also to Jacqueline Wieczorek for tireless proof reading, pointing out daft mistakes and for very helpful suggestions. If you wish to show your appreciation there are QR codes to scan and make a contribution to the upkeep of the church on the first and last posts.

Paul Ward

Our after-school football club remains popular, and we are hoping to extend this to children in Y1-3 next September. We are also hopeful of a girls’ football team starting in the summer.

PTA The PTA are hoping to be able to hold our summer fete this year – the first time in a while. The plan is for it to take place on Friday 30 th June 4pm-7pm. More details to follow but add the date to your diary as it would be amazing to see as many people there as possible.

Church As a school, we always enjoy the special services each term held in the church, even though Cannon Annette makes the staff perform to the children at the end of each one! It was also a privilege watching some of our children perform at the 1000-year celebration last year.

Our Easter Service filled the church, and it was fantastic having so many members of the community attend.

18

43

A Time-Line of Monarchs to Mark the Coronation of King Charles III Great Paxton Churchyard - from now to the end of September The previous time-line to mark Great Paxton's 1,000th year went up on the anniversary in 2020 and then again in 2022. Someone mentioned to our vicar Annette Reed that it would be nice for it to go up again for the coronation.

Community Room On behalf of the Parish Council, Church and School, we continue to manage the bookings for the Community Room. If you would like to hire out the room, or the school for an event, activity, meeting, party etc… please get in touch with Mrs Edwards in the school office – office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk

As it had already had two outings and needed essentially re-doing due to the ravages of the weather, I decided on a different theme: a record of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day. So, monarchs of Mercia, then England and then the United Kingdom arranged in a line from the gate to the door of our church.

The last few years have been exceptionally hard on us all. It remains an unprecedented time for families with challenges and hard times still ahead. But one element stays constant, and that is how proud we are of our children and our community. It continues to be an honour being the headteacher at our wonderful school and I am grateful for such amazing staff who support our constant drive for improvement. Their relentless effort enables us to make this a school to be proud of, a school where children are safe and a school where children can be happy and achieve their best. Thank you to all our pupils, families and members of the community for putting the ‘Great’ into ‘Paxton.’

In the process I've learned more about the history of our kings and queens than I ever knew before! Game of Thrones fans will recognise some of the story lines; fact can be even more extreme than fiction.

Amongst others there's Harthacnut who was so incensed at his halfbrother Harold I (Harefoot), taking the throne of England while he was off in Norway dealing with that bit of the empire, that on his return, even though Harold was dead by then, he had him dug up, beheaded and thrown in a marsh by the Thames. Harold's supporters however gathered the bits up and re-buried him in a London church.

Spare a thought also for the unpopular William II (Rufus) who, after being killed by a "stray" arrow while hunting was left where he lay while the nobles went to secure the treasury and decide who was the next king. His body was found by a passing arrow maker.

Best Wishes Mr Lee Frost Headteacher

It was the most beautiful morning in the church yard assembling it in the sunshine with blue skies and birdsong. While the weather can't be guaranteed it's a very relaxed way to learn about our history and see how the coronation of King Charles III fits into our story.

The time-line will be in place probably until the end of September, 42

19

A Time-Line of Monarchs to Mark the Coronation of King Charles III Great Paxton Churchyard - from now to the end of September The previous time-line to mark Great Paxton's 1,000th year went up on the anniversary in 2020 and then again in 2022. Someone mentioned to our vicar Annette Reed that it would be nice for it to go up again for the coronation.

Community Room On behalf of the Parish Council, Church and School, we continue to manage the bookings for the Community Room. If you would like to hire out the room, or the school for an event, activity, meeting, party etc… please get in touch with Mrs Edwards in the school office – office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk

As it had already had two outings and needed essentially re-doing due to the ravages of the weather, I decided on a different theme: a record of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day. So, monarchs of Mercia, then England and then the United Kingdom arranged in a line from the gate to the door of our church.

The last few years have been exceptionally hard on us all. It remains an unprecedented time for families with challenges and hard times still ahead. But one element stays constant, and that is how proud we are of our children and our community. It continues to be an honour being the headteacher at our wonderful school and I am grateful for such amazing staff who support our constant drive for improvement. Their relentless effort enables us to make this a school to be proud of, a school where children are safe and a school where children can be happy and achieve their best. Thank you to all our pupils, families and members of the community for putting the ‘Great’ into ‘Paxton.’

In the process I've learned more about the history of our kings and queens than I ever knew before! Game of Thrones fans will recognise some of the story lines; fact can be even more extreme than fiction.

Amongst others there's Harthacnut who was so incensed at his halfbrother Harold I (Harefoot), taking the throne of England while he was off in Norway dealing with that bit of the empire, that on his return, even though Harold was dead by then, he had him dug up, beheaded and thrown in a marsh by the Thames. Harold's supporters however gathered the bits up and re-buried him in a London church.

Spare a thought also for the unpopular William II (Rufus) who, after being killed by a "stray" arrow while hunting was left where he lay while the nobles went to secure the treasury and decide who was the next king. His body was found by a passing arrow maker.

Best Wishes Mr Lee Frost Headteacher

It was the most beautiful morning in the church yard assembling it in the sunshine with blue skies and birdsong. While the weather can't be guaranteed it's a very relaxed way to learn about our history and see how the coronation of King Charles III fits into our story.

The time-line will be in place probably until the end of September, 42

19

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS AT THE BELL By the time this gets to you we will have celebrated being at The Bell for 5 years. Andy and Carol as owners and me, Raqi as your nutty landlady! What a 5 years it has been at the helm. It has certainly been my proudest 5 years working to serve the customers and villagers. It’s been amazing despite so many setbacks including Covid and a cost of living crisis! The support has been overwhelming at times, but unconditional as well. I feel very lucky to be landlady/manager here.

As I have managed the day to day running, Andy and Carol have been doing other things in the background and The Bell has seen huge developments in our 5 years.

We have a new marquee and the first ever outside bar; we are putting in a new play park, completely digging up the garden and renovating it making it better for events and for people to enjoy in the summer; we have completely renovated the kitchen and brought in the highly rated Rationale Ovens. We have seen a huge increase in events and people hiring us to celebrate their special occasion! It has been an incredible 5 years.

We have had celebrity chefs here including Jamie and Amee Queen from Papa Cucina, Johnny Pope from Flaming Nora’s and even the Trainee Chef (Nathan) for steak nights!! It’s been great working alongside these people to create memorable events! Okay, maybe not celebrities, but good friends!!

We also hit number 1 on Trip Advisor in St Neots (out of 80); we were also in the top 15-20 out of hundreds of places to eat in Cambridgeshire! This is something for a small village pub on the outskirts of St Neots.

We were told that a former garage owner on the High Street sold petrol in the 1960s, but also had a small shop selling electrical equipment such as televisions. Has anyone any memories to add to this please?

‘Show and tell’ items were a carbide lamp for a bicycle, a flying shuttle and thread for weaving, and a full bottle of cod liver oils from the 1946-54 Ministry of Food. Two pictures were shown one of Green Farm, also known as Adams Lane Farm, and one of London Lane.

We welcome anyone with an interest in our village or history in general, once a month, usually the second Monday at 7.30pm in The Bell pub, which opens especially for us. The May meeting is cancelled since it clashes with the Coronation, and the following week is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, which all should attend.

Therefore, the next Great Paxton History Society meeting will be June 12th, 7.30 pm, at The Bell.

STOP PRESS – there will be a small history exhibition in the church on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. There will be light refreshments for sale by the History Society. The TV screen will be showing the bells in action, as well as the graffiti and we hope there will be the opportunity for some to climb to the graffiti chamber in the tower on Sunday afternoon. You will be able to see the (hopefully nearly completed) re-design of the church interior to create a flexible space for gatherings in the south aisle, which has required the organ to be moved.

Jacqueline Wieczorek

20

41

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS AT THE BELL By the time this gets to you we will have celebrated being at The Bell for 5 years. Andy and Carol as owners and me, Raqi as your nutty landlady! What a 5 years it has been at the helm. It has certainly been my proudest 5 years working to serve the customers and villagers. It’s been amazing despite so many setbacks including Covid and a cost of living crisis! The support has been overwhelming at times, but unconditional as well. I feel very lucky to be landlady/manager here.

We were told that a former garage owner on the High Street sold petrol in the 1960s, but also had a small shop selling electrical equipment such as televisions. Has anyone any memories to add to this please?

As I have managed the day to day running, Andy and Carol have been doing other things in the background and The Bell has seen huge developments in our 5 years.

We have a new marquee and the first ever outside bar; we are putting in a new play park, completely digging up the garden and renovating it making it better for events and for people to enjoy in the summer; we have completely renovated the kitchen and brought in the highly rated Rationale Ovens. We have seen a huge increase in events and people hiring us to celebrate their special occasion! It has been an incredible 5 years.

We have had celebrity chefs here including Jamie and Amee Queen from Papa Cucina, Johnny Pope from Flaming Nora’s and even the Trainee Chef (Nathan) for steak nights!! It’s been great working alongside these people to create memorable events! Okay, maybe not celebrities, but good friends!!

We also hit number 1 on Trip Advisor in St Neots (out of 80); we were also in the top 15-20 out of hundreds of places to eat in Cambridgeshire! This is something for a small village pub on the outskirts of St Neots.

20

‘Show and tell’ items were a carbide lamp for a bicycle, a flying shuttle and thread for weaving, and a full bottle of cod liver oils from the 1946-54 Ministry of Food. Two pictures were shown one of Green Farm, also known as Adams Lane Farm, and one of London Lane.

We welcome anyone with an interest in our village or history in general, once a month, usually the second Monday at 7.30pm in The Bell pub, which opens especially for us. The May meeting is cancelled since it clashes with the Coronation, and the following week is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, which all should attend.

Therefore, the next Great Paxton History Society meeting will be June 12th, 7.30 pm, at The Bell.

STOP PRESS – there will be a small history exhibition in the church on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. There will be light refreshments for sale by the History Society. The TV screen will be showing the bells in action, as well as the graffiti and we hope there will be the opportunity for some to climb to the graffiti chamber in the tower on Sunday afternoon. You will be able to see the (hopefully nearly completed) re-design of the church interior to create a flexible space for gatherings in the south aisle, which has required the organ to be moved.

Jacqueline Wieczorek

41

Great Paxton History Society Website https://greatpaxtonhistory.weebly.com/ Please do visit the website and see what has been uploaded. If anyone has some more memories and pictures of people and places in Great Paxton, we would be pleased to have them.

Email greatpaxtonhs@yahoo.com Also visit https://greatpaxton1000.co.uk for more village history information.

A small select group were at The Bell on Monday 13th March for our meeting, but that didn’t stop conversation. We are hoping to get a couple of outside speakers to visit, and one has been booked for September – further details in a later edition.

A lot of work has been done to discover more about the previous vicars of the Parish with a view to expanding the existing list hanging in the church. The cost of the final calligraphic masterpiece was discussed, and it was decided to wait before applying for any grants, which would be needed. A lengthy discussion was had about how we can produce a suitable interim piece in the meantime, which also allows more time for extra research from Ely, Lincoln and Holyrood archives. If anyone knows how the original list was compiled, and from what sources, please let me know. Memories were shared of past vicars from some of our members. It seems some (and their dogs) were quite scary to small children. More welcome – please tell us your memories.

We were given a list of village farms and the names of the farmers to be added to the village archives, and research done to find out more.

The village would have looked completely different 50 years ago, with very few buildings on the east side of the High Street, and none in the fields behind them.

40

Great Paxton History Society Website https://greatpaxtonhistory.weebly.com/ Please do visit the website and see what has been uploaded. If anyone has some more memories and pictures of people and places in Great Paxton, we would be pleased to have them.

Email greatpaxtonhs@yahoo.com Also visit https://greatpaxton1000.co.uk for more village history information.

A small select group were at The Bell on Monday 13th March for our meeting, but that didn’t stop conversation. We are hoping to get a couple of outside speakers to visit, and one has been booked for September – further details in a later edition.

A lot of work has been done to discover more about the previous vicars of the Parish with a view to expanding the existing list hanging in the church. The cost of the final calligraphic masterpiece was discussed, and it was decided to wait before applying for any grants, which would be needed. A lengthy discussion was had about how we can produce a suitable interim piece in the meantime, which also allows more time for extra research from Ely, Lincoln and Holyrood archives. If anyone knows how the original list was compiled, and from what sources, please let me know. Memories were shared of past vicars from some of our members. It seems some (and their dogs) were quite scary to small children. More welcome – please tell us your memories.

We were given a list of village farms and the names of the farmers to be added to the village archives, and research done to find out more.

The village would have looked completely different 50 years ago, with very few buildings on the east side of the High Street, and none in the fields behind them.

40

We have had 6 chefs in my 5 years and finally got lucky with Sarah who has been here nearly 2 years!

In terms of pub teams we are excelling at this also!

• A Crib Team (although season has closed and will return in Sept) New players welcome.

• Three (but maybe 4 pétanque) teams - Starting in April/May • Ladies Darts Team • Two Thursday Darts Teams • Two Football Teams All of these are heavily linked with the pub and are our bread and butter in terms of keeping us alive and busy in the week when potentially we could be quiet.

We also have other groups who utilise us like The History Group and The Crafty Belles, as well as all the committee meetings that we host including The Scarecrow Festival Committee, The Shop Committee, The Rec Committee, The PTA, and even St Neots Town FC for Colts come here!!! Being a villager and having been heavily involved in so much over the years, it’s always a pleasure to have these people associated with the pub and using it. It is also imperative as a business we support these as best we can.

Do follow my Facebook page for daily updates, my website for menus and what else is going on. All details are below!

We have the King’s Coronation and Afternoon Tea from 1-5pm on Saturday 6th May (Booking only) and then a singer in the evening!

We have Ouse Valley Singles Club (not a singles group but a singing group) Ticket Only £5 on Friday 12th May 8pm onwards. We have Soul Man Sunday 28th May ticket only £5 pp.

21

We have had 6 chefs in my 5 years and finally got lucky with Sarah who has been here nearly 2 years!

In terms of pub teams we are excelling at this also!

• A Crib Team (although season has closed and will return in Sept) New players welcome.

• Three (but maybe 4 pétanque) teams - Starting in April/May • Ladies Darts Team • Two Thursday Darts Teams • Two Football Teams All of these are heavily linked with the pub and are our bread and butter in terms of keeping us alive and busy in the week when potentially we could be quiet.

We also have other groups who utilise us like The History Group and The Crafty Belles, as well as all the committee meetings that we host including The Scarecrow Festival Committee, The Shop Committee, The Rec Committee, The PTA, and even St Neots Town FC for Colts come here!!! Being a villager and having been heavily involved in so much over the years, it’s always a pleasure to have these people associated with the pub and using it. It is also imperative as a business we support these as best we can.

Do follow my Facebook page for daily updates, my website for menus and what else is going on. All details are below!

We have the King’s Coronation and Afternoon Tea from 1-5pm on Saturday 6th May (Booking only) and then a singer in the evening!

We have Ouse Valley Singles Club (not a singles group but a singing group) Ticket Only £5 on Friday 12th May 8pm onwards. We have Soul Man Sunday 28th May ticket only £5 pp.

21

Booking for food always remains recommended as we get so busy and do turn people away and with events times can change as well.

•

Website is: www.mybellpub.com Facebook: The Bell, Gt Paxton Tel: 01480 700107 or 07701038433 Email: thebellgreatpaxton@yahoo.com You know where we are! Keep supporting and doing what you do best… drinking, eating, laughing and enjoying us because we are certainly enjoying this journey.

Raqi and The Bell Team * Pétanque and Teams update We had our Pétanque AGM last night and it’s brilliant to finally announce that we have 4 teams playing. We have two on a Tuesday night and two teams on a Wednesday! That’s great for us and will keep us busy on a Wednesday night!

I want to take this time to thank Brian who has been our Club Chairman for a number of years (before I took over at The Bell). He has done a sterling job looking after the club. He has organised the functions and kept the club going. Thank you Brian! We welcome Kevin Grice as Chairman to the club, and I look forward to working with you to organise club events and functions.

Welcome to our captains Tuesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell B: John Holden Wednesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell Ringers: Steve Milligan 22

Booking for food always remains recommended as we get so busy and do turn people away and with events times can change as well.

•

•

MOST IMPORTANTLY – The Annual Parish Meeting takes place at 7pm on Monday 15th May in the Main Hall at the Primary School.

The Parish Council would like as many residents as possible to attend.

Councillors want to listen to your views to enable a forward or action plan for the village to be produced which will identify problems, come up with ideas and act as a foundation for funding opportunities. This approach will also help the Parish Council to set and plan future budget and spending priorities. At the same time and given that the District Council is reviewing its Local Plan, Councillors believe it is essential that residents discuss its attitude towards potential new development and possible sites that might be considered suitable in the Parish so that when consulted under the Local Plan Review the Parish Council can properly and accurately reflect your views.

Please join us on MONDAY 15th May starting at 7pm.

39

•

Website is: www.mybellpub.com Facebook: The Bell, Gt Paxton Tel: 01480 700107 or 07701038433 Email: thebellgreatpaxton@yahoo.com You know where we are! Keep supporting and doing what you do best… drinking, eating, laughing and enjoying us because we are certainly enjoying this journey.

Raqi and The Bell Team * Pétanque and Teams update We had our Pétanque AGM last night and it’s brilliant to finally announce that we have 4 teams playing. We have two on a Tuesday night and two teams on a Wednesday! That’s great for us and will keep us busy on a Wednesday night!

I want to take this time to thank Brian who has been our Club Chairman for a number of years (before I took over at The Bell). He has done a sterling job looking after the club. He has organised the functions and kept the club going. Thank you Brian! We welcome Kevin Grice as Chairman to the club, and I look forward to working with you to organise club events and functions.

Welcome to our captains Tuesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell B: John Holden Wednesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell Ringers: Steve Milligan 22

After a great deal of thought, Councillors have concluded that the everyday running of the Community Room was best left in the hands of the Primary School although, it is hoped that information on the availability of the room for hire will feature elsewhere in this edition of the ‘Post’. The Parish Council has offered to contribute to some cosmetic improvements to the Room to make it more attractive to hire.

Councillors agreed to continue to support the activities of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Great Ouse Valley Trust in 2023/24 and to look again at the potential for printing full colour copies of this magazine at its budget meeting in the Autumn.

An interesting account of a recent Huntingdon Community Policing Meeting was presented to the Council meeting.

Notes are available to read in full on the Parish Council website www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

•

•

After a great deal of thought, Councillors have concluded that the everyday running of the Community Room was best left in the hands of the Primary School although, it is hoped that information on the availability of the room for hire will feature elsewhere in this edition of the ‘Post’. The Parish Council has offered to contribute to some cosmetic improvements to the Room to make it more attractive to hire.

Councillors agreed to continue to support the activities of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Great Ouse Valley Trust in 2023/24 and to look again at the potential for printing full colour copies of this magazine at its budget meeting in the Autumn.

An interesting account of a recent Huntingdon Community Policing Meeting was presented to the Council meeting.

Notes are available to read in full on the Parish Council website www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

MOST IMPORTANTLY – The Annual Parish Meeting takes place at 7pm on Monday 15th May in the Main Hall at the Primary School.

The Parish Council would like as many residents as possible to attend.

Councillors want to listen to your views to enable a forward or action plan for the village to be produced which will identify problems, come up with ideas and act as a foundation for funding opportunities. This approach will also help the Parish Council to set and plan future budget and spending priorities. At the same time and given that the District Council is reviewing its Local Plan, Councillors believe it is essential that residents discuss its attitude towards potential new development and possible sites that might be considered suitable in the Parish so that when consulted under the Local Plan Review the Parish Council can properly and accurately reflect your views.

Please join us on MONDAY 15th May starting at 7pm.

39

REPORT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL As residents will be aware, the Parish Council always actively considers and responds to proposed planning applications for the Village. There are several ongoing applications at the moment, some of which have been outstanding for some time. District Councillor Richard West has concurred with the views of the Parish in expressing his disappointment at the failure of the District Council’s Planning Service to meet its targets. One approved recently, however, (and contrary to the views of the Parish Council and neighbours) was the application to demolish 4 existing garages north of 51 London Lane and to replace these with one dwelling. This was a disappointing outcome.

We have some new faces joining us and some of the old ones staying.

Let’s hope for a great season!!

At their meeting in March, the Parish Council heard about the current position of the Community Shop and the Recreation Ground. Grants and ways to assist and support the activities of both these important facilities in the Village will be considered at the May meeting.

*

Some quick sound bites: • The Parish Council awarded its Grounds Maintenance Contract for the next three years to Buchans Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance. There may well be some teething problems whilst the new team settles in but if there are any issues with their work or ‘missed bits’ please let the Clerk know by email clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk • Balfour Beatty has been asked to replace seven streetlight units on the High Street. Hopefully, this work costing almost £8000 will be programmed in shortly.

• The Parish Council will apply for funding towards a 20mph zone on the High Street and Estate Roads in Great Paxton under a new annual programme being run by the County Council.

So that’s: One crib team One ladies’ darts team Four pétanque teams Two Thursday Darts team Two football teams!!

Not bad for a little village pub!! Now to get some points and some prizes!!!

Great Paxton Reading Group Our last book to read was ‘The Other Passenger’

by Louise Candlish – a book about a year in the life of a character and his interaction with his partner and friends, mainly on his journeys to and from work in London. I always enjoy reading about London as I worked there for a number of years. A very easy book to read but it seemed to have no depth although ‘Richard & Judy’ raved over it!

On another note, I had a knock on my door after the last Paxton Post was door dropped to everyone – a Villager who had read my last piece and they gave me the third book in the series – ‘Dawnlands’ by Philippa Gregory to read – thank you again! It was good (not as good as the other two) as it seemed to end abruptly – maybe there is another book in the series unwritten!

Amanda Niven

38

23

REPORT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL As residents will be aware, the Parish Council always actively considers and responds to proposed planning applications for the Village. There are several ongoing applications at the moment, some of which have been outstanding for some time. District Councillor Richard West has concurred with the views of the Parish in expressing his disappointment at the failure of the District Council’s Planning Service to meet its targets. One approved recently, however, (and contrary to the views of the Parish Council and neighbours) was the application to demolish 4 existing garages north of 51 London Lane and to replace these with one dwelling. This was a disappointing outcome.

We have some new faces joining us and some of the old ones staying.

Let’s hope for a great season!!

At their meeting in March, the Parish Council heard about the current position of the Community Shop and the Recreation Ground. Grants and ways to assist and support the activities of both these important facilities in the Village will be considered at the May meeting.

*

Some quick sound bites: • The Parish Council awarded its Grounds Maintenance Contract for the next three years to Buchans Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance. There may well be some teething problems whilst the new team settles in but if there are any issues with their work or ‘missed bits’ please let the Clerk know by email clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk • Balfour Beatty has been asked to replace seven streetlight units on the High Street. Hopefully, this work costing almost £8000 will be programmed in shortly.

• The Parish Council will apply for funding towards a 20mph zone on the High Street and Estate Roads in Great Paxton under a new annual programme being run by the County Council.

38

So that’s: One crib team One ladies’ darts team Four pétanque teams Two Thursday Darts team Two football teams!!

Not bad for a little village pub!! Now to get some points and some prizes!!!

Great Paxton Reading Group Our last book to read was ‘The Other Passenger’

by Louise Candlish – a book about a year in the life of a character and his interaction with his partner and friends, mainly on his journeys to and from work in London. I always enjoy reading about London as I worked there for a number of years. A very easy book to read but it seemed to have no depth although ‘Richard & Judy’ raved over it!

On another note, I had a knock on my door after the last Paxton Post was door dropped to everyone – a Villager who had read my last piece and they gave me the third book in the series – ‘Dawnlands’ by Philippa Gregory to read – thank you again! It was good (not as good as the other two) as it seemed to end abruptly – maybe there is another book in the series unwritten!

Amanda Niven 23

Growing Potatoes in a Pot It's certainly been challenging times on the Allotment these past few weeks. We have had our fair share of rain, much more than we need really. Planting potatoes - being one of the first crops to plant - had to be delayed due to the soil being so wet. That being said, I know many gardeners who grow them in all sorts of containers, especially if you are short of space. Old dustbins, buckets, plastic pots, old sinks and large plastic bags all work well, potatoes are not too fussy about the soil. I have been known to grow them on my compost heap but must admit, initially, they grew themselves from old peelings!

If you are interested in growing your own, here's how.

I chose Organic Charlotte potatoes, but you can use any variety, even using your potatoes from the supermarket. An ideal depth for your container is about 60-90cm, approximately 10-15 gallon capacity, just make sure that you have drainage holes at the bottom.

making all kinds of important financial decisions (more time off school was a popular choice). The guides also held a charity quiz evening for their parents and friends. They raised £105.00 in total with £52.50 going to the charity Bliss and £52.50 going to brain tumour research. They did incredibly well and came up with some tough questions. Well done Guides! We waved goodbye to four of our older guides at the end of this term. We were all sad to see them go but wish them every success in their futures.

If you would like to register your daughter to join Rainbows / Brownies or Guides please follow the below link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-achild/

1. Place your container in a sunny, frost-free spot, before you add your compost,.

2. Add 10cm of compost to the bottom and place 3-5 potatoes on the surface, approximately a fist hand apart. (If they have been chitted, meaning they have sprouted, all the better, as they will grow more quickly) and cover with another layer of compost.

3. Water the container allowing the water to drain through.

4. When the shoots appear and have grown to 15-20cm, cover them with another layer of compost, continue with this method until the container is full. Remember to water, especially when compost is dry.

5. The potatoes should be ready just after they have flowered.

6. Tip the potatoes out, they each will probably be the size of a large egg and enjoy!

Using your own organic compost is always best if you have any but as I said before potatoes aren't too fussy where they grow.

24

37

Growing Potatoes in a Pot It's certainly been challenging times on the Allotment these past few weeks. We have had our fair share of rain, much more than we need really. Planting potatoes - being one of the first crops to plant - had to be delayed due to the soil being so wet. That being said, I know many gardeners who grow them in all sorts of containers, especially if you are short of space. Old dustbins, buckets, plastic pots, old sinks and large plastic bags all work well, potatoes are not too fussy about the soil. I have been known to grow them on my compost heap but must admit, initially, they grew themselves from old peelings!

If you are interested in growing your own, here's how.

making all kinds of important financial decisions (more time off school was a popular choice). The guides also held a charity quiz evening for their parents and friends. They raised £105.00 in total with £52.50 going to the charity Bliss and £52.50 going to brain tumour research. They did incredibly well and came up with some tough questions. Well done Guides! We waved goodbye to four of our older guides at the end of this term. We were all sad to see them go but wish them every success in their futures.

I chose Organic Charlotte potatoes, but you can use any variety, even using your potatoes from the supermarket. An ideal depth for your container is about 60-90cm, approximately 10-15 gallon capacity, just make sure that you have drainage holes at the bottom.

If you would like to register your daughter to join Rainbows / Brownies or Guides please follow the below link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-achild/

1. Place your container in a sunny, frost-free spot, before you add your compost,.

2. Add 10cm of compost to the bottom and place 3-5 potatoes on the surface, approximately a fist hand apart. (If they have been chitted, meaning they have sprouted, all the better, as they will grow more quickly) and cover with another layer of compost.

3. Water the container allowing the water to drain through.

4. When the shoots appear and have grown to 15-20cm, cover them with another layer of compost, continue with this method until the container is full. Remember to water, especially when compost is dry.

5. The potatoes should be ready just after they have flowered.

6. Tip the potatoes out, they each will probably be the size of a large egg and enjoy!

Using your own organic compost is always best if you have any but as I said before potatoes aren't too fussy where they grow.

24

37

Rainbows / Brownies / Guides Update It has been a busy half term for the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Rainbows have continued being Super Rainbows, while Brownies and Guides have continued with their 'Skills for my future badge'. We all welcome a restful Easter break now before the summer term starts.

Rainbows: This term we have carried on our super hero / super rainbow activities by learning some super skills like listening, thinking about others and thinking for ourselves and not following the crowd. Learning lots about each other and as a unit. We also learnt and played some new games as well as lots of crafts from key rings to super hero sock puppets. We are looking forward to the summer term when we can get out and about with other units.

Potatoes aren't the only vegetables to grow in pots, courgettes are perfect as you will only need 1 plant.

Here's a list of others happy in pots.

French dwarf beans Radishes Lettuce Spinach Chilies Kale Tomatoes Happy growing from Gaynor Christie Chairperson Great Paxton Allotments and Sensory Garden

Brownies: This term Brownies have continued working on their 'skills for my future' badge. We have explored the type of equipment some job professions may use, making fajitas from scratch as well as creating cards for our neighbours as a random act of kindness. We finished the term off with an Easter egg hunt and some funny egg and spoon races.

Guides: This term Guides have also continued with their 'skills for my future; badge, learning some life hacks, making their own board games from scratch and becoming the governments treasury for an evening, 36

25

Rainbows / Brownies / Guides Update It has been a busy half term for the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Rainbows have continued being Super Rainbows, while Brownies and Guides have continued with their 'Skills for my future badge'. We all welcome a restful Easter break now before the summer term starts.

Potatoes aren't the only vegetables to grow in pots, courgettes are perfect as you will only need 1 plant.

Here's a list of others happy in pots.

French dwarf beans Radishes Lettuce Spinach Chilies Kale Tomatoes

Rainbows: This term we have carried on our super hero / super rainbow activities by learning some super skills like listening, thinking about others and thinking for ourselves and not following the crowd. Learning lots about each other and as a unit. We also learnt and played some new games as well as lots of crafts from key rings to super hero sock puppets. We are looking forward to the summer term when we can get out and about with other units.

Happy growing from Gaynor Christie Chairperson Great Paxton Allotments and Sensory Garden

Brownies: This term Brownies have continued working on their 'skills for my future' badge. We have explored the type of equipment some job professions may use, making fajitas from scratch as well as creating cards for our neighbours as a random act of kindness. We finished the term off with an Easter egg hunt and some funny egg and spoon races.

Guides: This term Guides have also continued with their 'skills for my future; badge, learning some life hacks, making their own board games from scratch and becoming the governments treasury for an evening, 36

25

Speedwatch Update – Chris Hall Here are some statistics relating to traffic and speeding in Great Paxton. All information was gathered by the MVAS speed sign you may have seen in different positions around the village.

The latest position we have been able to obtain for the unit is at the Offord end of the village pointing north. This should offer some protection for an area badly affected by speeding.

If you have any questions about the way the Parish Council attempts to combat speeding or maybe you would like to volunteer to help with some of the speed calming measures, including Speedwatch, please contact me at chris.hall@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

The warm days and long sunny evenings of spring and summer are both blessing and curse for us beekeepers as there’s been plenty of family evenings where I’ve had to pop out and collect a swarm in a cardboard box just as dinner has been put on the table, much to my wife’s annoyance.

When I get a call to visit another garden or park to rescue a swarm that’s decided to rest for the evening and needs to be collected and removed before causing chaos for a homeowner when ‘Tiddles the cat’ or ‘Monty the nosey Labrador’ goes to investigate. Normally they can quickly and safely be escorted into a new home.

The bees in the swarm are usually part of another colony which will have grown in size and then split to allow a new Queen to remain and regrow the colony leaving the cluster of bees to search for a new location to set up home. Although many people say to leave them be and they’ll find their own location or they’ve been known to move into a property and need professional removal, unfortunately as many as 80% of swarms don’t survive on their own without assistance. Whilst in a swarm the bees are docile as they gorge on honey stores prior to departure so often I can just gently scoop them up into a box and go (please don’t try this yourselves!!!) If you’re lucky enough to receive a swarm please call me on 07798 746073 or message via Facebook/Instagram (Ouse Valley honeybees). I’ll do all I can to assist but please remember that this is a devotion of love to our sweet pollinators.

26

Speedwatch Update – Chris Hall Here are some statistics relating to traffic and speeding in Great Paxton. All information was gathered by the MVAS speed sign you may have seen in different positions around the village.

The latest position we have been able to obtain for the unit is at the Offord end of the village pointing north. This should offer some protection for an area badly affected by speeding.

If you have any questions about the way the Parish Council attempts to combat speeding or maybe you would like to volunteer to help with some of the speed calming measures, including Speedwatch, please contact me at chris.hall@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

35

The warm days and long sunny evenings of spring and summer are both blessing and curse for us beekeepers as there’s been plenty of family evenings where I’ve had to pop out and collect a swarm in a cardboard box just as dinner has been put on the table, much to my wife’s annoyance.

When I get a call to visit another garden or park to rescue a swarm that’s decided to rest for the evening and needs to be collected and removed before causing chaos for a homeowner when ‘Tiddles the cat’ or ‘Monty the nosey Labrador’ goes to investigate. Normally they can quickly and safely be escorted into a new home.

The bees in the swarm are usually part of another colony which will have grown in size and then split to allow a new Queen to remain and regrow the colony leaving the cluster of bees to search for a new location to set up home. Although many people say to leave them be and they’ll find their own location or they’ve been known to move into a property and need professional removal, unfortunately as many as 80% of swarms don’t survive on their own without assistance. Whilst in a swarm the bees are docile as they gorge on honey stores prior to departure so often I can just gently scoop them up into a box and go (please don’t try this yourselves!!!) If you’re lucky enough to receive a swarm please call me on 07798 746073 or message via Facebook/Instagram (Ouse Valley honeybees). I’ll do all I can to assist but please remember that this is a devotion of love to our sweet pollinators.

26

35

Life as a beekeeper by Pete Gorton, Ouse Valley Honeybees Growing up in a busy household of 5 children I would never have expected to become a beekeeper. Having been drawn into a career fixing diggers and plant machinery on building sites, little did I know that with an unusual twist of fate and luck I would soon become the guardian of a few thousand yellow stripy ladies who, dependent on the weather, may or may not be pleased to see me when I visit!

Without knowing anything about beekeeping I found myself entered into a competition online to win a hive, training course and suit.

Being a naturally unlucky person, I had no expectations to win and was suddenly thrown into reality with a ‘congratulations you’ve won!!’ phone call. With the idea of a beehive living in my garden politely yet forcefully declined by my long-suffering wife, my brain went into overload, finally finding a local landowner to assist with locating my first apiary. Fast forward 5 years and I’m now the keeper of approximately 16 hives in our local area each housing up to 50000 bees. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed educating and assisting others when needed.

Now as we’re well into spring and the long hazy days of summer fast approaching it’s the busy time for me to be down at the hives inspecting and ensuring that my colonies are not being a nuisance to the surrounding area by swarming. This is done by carefully managing the colony size, carrying out a split if required and inspecting for a Queen cell being produced. All this is easily done on a domestic colony, but we can’t guarantee it won’t happen as ‘bees will be bees’ or check on wild local colonies.

Local charity, PECT, in partnership with Cambridgeshire ACRE is to continue free energy advice service to households in Cambridgeshire (Fenland, Huntingdonshire, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City).

After the cold weather we have experienced over the last few weeks, and the rise in energy costs, we are all feeling the pinch when it comes to our energy bills. Residents can benefit from an advice call or a home visit with an experienced energy advisor. They will be able to share tips on how you can save money on your energy bills, access financial support, improve your home efficiency and reduce any energy debts. They are also delivering training to front-line workers to help them support residents with basic energy advice and where to direct help.

Nikki Dekker, Energy Lead at PECT commented, “At the moment support like this is much needed. We hope we can continue to help households save money, be comfortable and warm in their homes, and also reduce energy use or make sustainable changes that have a positive impact on the environment.

With Cambridgeshire ACRE and the support of local frontline workers, this service will make a difference to many households in the community.”

“We are so pleased to be able to continue our collaborative work with PECT to support households across the county through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Working together we will provide the information and resources that households need to stay warm and

34

27

Life as a beekeeper by Pete Gorton, Ouse Valley Honeybees Growing up in a busy household of 5 children I would never have expected to become a beekeeper. Having been drawn into a career fixing diggers and plant machinery on building sites, little did I know that with an unusual twist of fate and luck I would soon become the guardian of a few thousand yellow stripy ladies who, dependent on the weather, may or may not be pleased to see me when I visit!

Local charity, PECT, in partnership with Cambridgeshire ACRE is to continue free energy advice service to households in Cambridgeshire (Fenland, Huntingdonshire, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City).

Without knowing anything about beekeeping I found myself entered into a competition online to win a hive, training course and suit.

Being a naturally unlucky person, I had no expectations to win and was suddenly thrown into reality with a ‘congratulations you’ve won!!’ phone call. With the idea of a beehive living in my garden politely yet forcefully declined by my long-suffering wife, my brain went into overload, finally finding a local landowner to assist with locating my first apiary. Fast forward 5 years and I’m now the keeper of approximately 16 hives in our local area each housing up to 50000 bees. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed educating and assisting others when needed.

Now as we’re well into spring and the long hazy days of summer fast approaching it’s the busy time for me to be down at the hives inspecting and ensuring that my colonies are not being a nuisance to the surrounding area by swarming. This is done by carefully managing the colony size, carrying out a split if required and inspecting for a Queen cell being produced. All this is easily done on a domestic colony, but we can’t guarantee it won’t happen as ‘bees will be bees’ or check on wild local colonies.

34

After the cold weather we have experienced over the last few weeks, and the rise in energy costs, we are all feeling the pinch when it comes to our energy bills. Residents can benefit from an advice call or a home visit with an experienced energy advisor. They will be able to share tips on how you can save money on your energy bills, access financial support, improve your home efficiency and reduce any energy debts. They are also delivering training to front-line workers to help them support residents with basic energy advice and where to direct help.

Nikki Dekker, Energy Lead at PECT commented, “At the moment support like this is much needed. We hope we can continue to help households save money, be comfortable and warm in their homes, and also reduce energy use or make sustainable changes that have a positive impact on the environment.

With Cambridgeshire ACRE and the support of local frontline workers, this service will make a difference to many households in the community.”

“We are so pleased to be able to continue our collaborative work with PECT to support households across the county through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Working together we will provide the information and resources that households need to stay warm and 27

healthy, whilst helping them to reduce their bills and deal with any outstanding energy bills,” said Kirsten Bennett, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire ACRE. “This kind of support is needed now, more than ever before and we are grateful to the Energy Redress scheme for entrusting us with further funding to help those most in need.”

Booze and Brushes We meet once a month in The Bell for some step-by-step painting over a glass of wine. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everyone leaves with their very own work of art. We experimented with an abstract piece using palette knives for our last piece. No artistic skills are required, just a willingness to come along and have a go.

The project, named CHESS (Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service), has already been running for around 2 years and the current funding will ensure it can continue until December 2024.

To refer yourself or someone else for support, fill out the form on our website*: www.pect.org.uk/energy-advice. *Residents outside of the area eligible for support will be referred to other services that are applicable in their region.

Sessions are £10 which includes all materials and your canvas to take home.

If you would like to join us, please message me on 07903 571774 or email sarahpeters266@gmail.com.

If you are a frontline worker, send us an email at energyadvice@pect.org.uk to find out more about the service and how you can get involved.

The next dates are 2nd and 9th May at 7.30pm, booking is essential.

Next project – an abstract cow!

About PECT PECT (www.pect.org.uk) is an independent charity creating more sustainable places. We are working to protect and enhance the environment to leave a legacy for future generations.

About Cambridgeshire ACRE Cambridgeshire ACRE (www.cambsacre.org.uk) works alongside the rural communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, helping them take action to make positive changes to their local neighbourhoods.

28

healthy, whilst helping them to reduce their bills and deal with any outstanding energy bills,” said Kirsten Bennett, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire ACRE. “This kind of support is needed now, more than ever before and we are grateful to the Energy Redress scheme for entrusting us with further funding to help those most in need.”

The project, named CHESS (Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service), has already been running for around 2 years and the current funding will ensure it can continue until December 2024.

To refer yourself or someone else for support, fill out the form on our website*: www.pect.org.uk/energy-advice.

33

Booze and Brushes We meet once a month in The Bell for some step-by-step painting over a glass of wine. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everyone leaves with their very own work of art. We experimented with an abstract piece using palette knives for our last piece. No artistic skills are required, just a willingness to come along and have a go.

*Residents outside of the area eligible for support will be referred to other services that are applicable in their region.

Sessions are £10 which includes all materials and your canvas to take home.

If you would like to join us, please message me on 07903 571774 or email sarahpeters266@gmail.com.

If you are a frontline worker, send us an email at energyadvice@pect.org.uk to find out more about the service and how you can get involved.

The next dates are 2nd and 9th May at 7.30pm, booking is essential.

Next project – an abstract cow!

About PECT PECT (www.pect.org.uk) is an independent charity creating more sustainable places. We are working to protect and enhance the environment to leave a legacy for future generations.

About Cambridgeshire ACRE Cambridgeshire ACRE (www.cambsacre.org.uk) works alongside the rural communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, helping them take action to make positive changes to their local neighbourhoods.

28

33

10

7

10

7

Regular annual EventsSchool PTA Summer fete Scarecrow Festival Remembrance Sunday service School Christmas fayre in November Christmas lights switch-on/craft stalls Carols around the tree outside the Bell

Community defribrillator

greatppta@outlook.com Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival | Facebook 01480 211048 01480 472132 01480 700107 01480 211048 nicolahurden@live.co.uk

Michelle Oakley Joanna Hartley-Clark - to be confirmed Canon Annette Reed Julie Marks Rachael Martin Canon Annette Reed

Nicola Cooper

School PTA Summer fete Scarecrow Festival Remembrance Sunday service School Christmas fayre in November Christmas lights switch-on/craft stalls Carols around the tree outside the Bell

Community defribrillator

GP Community group GP Community Selling group Save our village- against a new housing scheme Sow and Grow - gardening advice

Regular annual Events-

Other Facebook groups –

GP Community group GP Community Selling group Save our village- against a new housing scheme Sow and Grow - gardening advice

01480 214163 jonathan.djanogly.mp@parliament.uk

01480 877215 01480 406795

Other Facebook groups –

Great Paxton Community Group Great Paxton Community Selling Group Great Paxton - Save Our Village Great Paxton Sow & Grow

Bus times at Adams Lane/High Street Bin collection details Huntingdon District Council (HDC) Cambridgeshire County Council Hospitals GP Practices Libraries Ibbetts - from tractors to nails Garages; repairs - 2 in village Post boxes Cinemas WI (Women's Institute) Volunteering opportunities Maps of walks in the College Farm area School bus to Longsands– details of stops and time Police – general non-emergency number U3A – St Neots Places of Worship Nature Reserve – Paxton Pits, Little Paxton Railway station, St Neots Museum, New Street, St Neots Member of Parliament

Highways, roads, potholes, line marking, etc Addenbrookes, Cambridge 01223 245151 Buckden and Little Paxton surgeries 01480 810216 Huntingdon Library and Local Archives 0345 045 5225 01480 473452 CMS, River Lane 01480 476901 Mount Pleasant - opposite the school - 4.45 p.m.

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Other information https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/2021/10/ting-

Bus times at Adams Lane/High Street Bin collection details Huntingdon District Council (HDC) Cambridgeshire County Council Hospitals GP Practices Libraries Ibbetts - from tractors to nails Garages; repairs - 2 in village Post boxes Cinemas WI (Women's Institute) Volunteering opportunities Maps of walks in the College Farm area School bus to Longsands– details of stops and time Police – general non-emergency number U3A – St Neots Places of Worship Nature Reserve – Paxton Pits, Little Paxton Railway station, St Neots Museum, New Street, St Neots Member of Parliament

https://dews-coaches.com/userfiles/Service65July20191.pdf www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon 01480 416416 Lakeside Surgeries, St Neots 01480 406722 St Neots Library 0345 045 5225 Ibbetts, River Lane, Great Paxton Paxton Hill Garage Ltd 01480 217806 Outside the community shop - 9.00 a.m.

Cineworld - St Neots and Huntingdon 0330 3334444 Nearest are in St. Neots, Offord or Yelling branches Village Shop, Church led events, Guides, speedwatch Great Paxton Walking Routes_December 2020.pdf Transport – Longsands Academy 0345 0455208 101 University of the Third Age (U3A) Holy Trinity Minster Church - Great Paxton Paxton Pits Nature Reserve 03450 264700 (central number) www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk Jonathan Djangoly

Other information

Gas - leak issues Electricity - supply issues Water - supply and mains issues

Gas - leak issues Electricity - supply issues Water - supply and mains issues

0800 111999 0800 316 3105 0800 771881

Emergency numbers for

Emergency numbers for

07473 213556

sarahpeters266@gmail.com woodbeez48@gmail.com

greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 01480 700107

Jacqueline.wieczorek@gmail.com football@greatpaxtonfc.co.uk mobilelibraries@cambridgeshire.gov.uk www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/7322305/great-paxton 07928 461032 clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 07561 320538 greatppta@outlook.com Michael.fairs@gmail.com 01480 472132

diane.james42@outlook.com Contact - Rachael Martin - 700107 07790 857729 07715 460818 07540 491068

chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

girlguidinggreatpaxton@gmail.com gilliansmith462@btinternet.com 07704 857636 01480 394727 01480 211048 01480 219846 / Andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconected.com 01480 472132

Nicola Cooper

Michelle Oakley Joanna Hartley-Clark - to be confirmed Canon Annette Reed Julie Marks Rachael Martin Canon Annette Reed

Great Paxton Community Group Great Paxton Community Selling Group Great Paxton - Save Our Village Great Paxton Sow & Grow

https://dews-coaches.com/userfiles/Service65July20191.pdf www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon 01480 416416 Lakeside Surgeries, St Neots 01480 406722 St Neots Library 0345 045 5225 Ibbetts, River Lane, Great Paxton Paxton Hill Garage Ltd 01480 217806 Outside the community shop - 9.00 a.m.

Cineworld - St Neots and Huntingdon 0330 3334444 Nearest are in St. Neots, Offord or Yelling branches Village Shop, Church led events, Guides, speedwatch Great Paxton Walking Routes_December 2020.pdf Transport – Longsands Academy 0345 0455208 101 University of the Third Age (U3A) Holy Trinity Minster Church - Great Paxton Paxton Pits Nature Reserve 03450 264700 (central number) www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk Jonathan Djangoly

0800 111999 0800 316 3105 0800 771881

Michelle Oakley Gillian Smith Andy Ottley Mary Parnham Canon Annette Reed Bob Hacking / Andrea Goodyer Julie Edwards Andy Wylde Diane James Graham Holton - Mens/Sally Ritson - Ladies Chris Horne Mitch Wilson Danny Love-Fulton Enquire at The Bell Jacqueline Wieczorek Jamie Stenton Cambridgeshire CC - Towgood Way Post Office - in The Bell car park Tony Elliott Christine Brandon(Clerk) Simon Black Michelle Oakley Michael Fairs Julie Edwards Not currently open Chris Hall Rachael Martin Sarah Peters Editor - Julie Stock Trevor Smith

Contact

nicolahurden@live.co.uk

greatppta@outlook.com Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival | Facebook 01480 211048 01480 472132 01480 700107 01480 211048

01480 214163 jonathan.djanogly.mp@parliament.uk

01480 877215 01480 406795

Highways, roads, potholes, line marking, etc Addenbrookes, Cambridge 01223 245151 Buckden and Little Paxton surgeries 01480 810216 Huntingdon Library and Local Archives 0345 045 5225 01480 473452 CMS, River Lane 01480 476901 Mount Pleasant - opposite the school - 4.45 p.m.

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/2021/10/ting-

07473 213556

sarahpeters266@gmail.com woodbeez48@gmail.com

greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 01480 700107

Jacqueline.wieczorek@gmail.com football@greatpaxtonfc.co.uk mobilelibraries@cambridgeshire.gov.uk www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/7322305/great-paxton 07928 461032 clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 07561 320538 greatppta@outlook.com Michael.fairs@gmail.com 01480 472132

diane.james42@outlook.com Contact - Rachael Martin - 700107 07790 857729 07715 460818 07540 491068

chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

girlguidinggreatpaxton@gmail.com gilliansmith462@btinternet.com 07704 857636 01480 394727 01480 211048 01480 219846 / Andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconected.com 01480 472132

Contact method

Michelle Oakley Gillian Smith Andy Ottley Mary Parnham Canon Annette Reed Bob Hacking / Andrea Goodyer Julie Edwards Andy Wylde Diane James Graham Holton - Mens/Sally Ritson - Ladies Chris Horne Mitch Wilson Danny Love-Fulton Enquire at The Bell Jacqueline Wieczorek Jamie Stenton Cambridgeshire CC - Towgood Way Post Office - in The Bell car park Tony Elliott Christine Brandon(Clerk) Simon Black Michelle Oakley Michael Fairs Julie Edwards Not currently open Chris Hall Rachael Martin Sarah Peters Editor - Julie Stock Trevor Smith

Rainbows/Brownies/Guides Allotments and community garden Cub Scouts - no longer active Church Bell ringers Church - Holy Trinity Minster Churchwardens Community Room - at school Community shop Crafty Belles Craft Group Darts Crib Team Exercise group Football Club - adults Friendship Club History Society Football - colts Mobile Library - every 3rd Monday - 3:10 -3:45 Mobile Post Office Van - every Tuesday 2-4 OBAS (fishing) Parish Council Petanque PTA Recreation Ground Great Paxton Primary School Pre-school Speedwatch The Bell Painting group Paxton Post - village magazine Woodsooners Golf Society

Rainbows/Brownies/Guides Allotments and community garden Cub Scouts - no longer active Church Bell ringers Church - Holy Trinity Minster Churchwardens Community Room - at school Community shop Crafty Belles Craft Group Darts Crib Team Exercise group Football Club - adults Friendship Club History Society Football - colts Mobile Library - every 3rd Monday - 3:10 -3:45 Mobile Post Office Van - every Tuesday 2-4 OBAS (fishing) Parish Council Petanque PTA Recreation Ground Great Paxton Primary School Pre-school Speedwatch The Bell Painting group Paxton Post - village magazine Woodsooners Golf Society

Organisations, Clubs and activities

Contact

Organisations, Clubs and activities

Contact method

A more detailed version is available online at www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk - April 2023

A more detailed version is available online at www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk - April 2023

Regular annual EventsSchool PTA Summer fete Scarecrow Festival Remembrance Sunday service School Christmas fayre in November Christmas lights switch-on/craft stalls Carols around the tree outside the Bell

Community defribrillator

greatppta@outlook.com Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival | Facebook 01480 211048 01480 472132 01480 700107 01480 211048 nicolahurden@live.co.uk

Michelle Oakley Joanna Hartley-Clark - to be confirmed Canon Annette Reed Julie Marks Rachael Martin Canon Annette Reed

Nicola Cooper

School PTA Summer fete Scarecrow Festival Remembrance Sunday service School Christmas fayre in November Christmas lights switch-on/craft stalls Carols around the tree outside the Bell

Community defribrillator

GP Community group GP Community Selling group Save our village- against a new housing scheme Sow and Grow - gardening advice

Regular annual Events-

Other Facebook groups –

GP Community group GP Community Selling group Save our village- against a new housing scheme Sow and Grow - gardening advice

01480 214163 jonathan.djanogly.mp@parliament.uk

01480 877215 01480 406795

Other Facebook groups –

Great Paxton Community Group Great Paxton Community Selling Group Great Paxton - Save Our Village Great Paxton Sow & Grow

Bus times at Adams Lane/High Street Bin collection details Huntingdon District Council (HDC) Cambridgeshire County Council Hospitals GP Practices Libraries Ibbetts - from tractors to nails Garages; repairs - 2 in village Post boxes Cinemas WI (Women's Institute) Volunteering opportunities Maps of walks in the College Farm area School bus to Longsands– details of stops and time Police – general non-emergency number U3A – St Neots Places of Worship Nature Reserve – Paxton Pits, Little Paxton Railway station, St Neots Museum, New Street, St Neots Member of Parliament

Highways, roads, potholes, line marking, etc Addenbrookes, Cambridge 01223 245151 Buckden and Little Paxton surgeries 01480 810216 Huntingdon Library and Local Archives 0345 045 5225 01480 473452 CMS, River Lane 01480 476901 Mount Pleasant - opposite the school - 4.45 p.m.

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Other information https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/2021/10/ting-

Bus times at Adams Lane/High Street Bin collection details Huntingdon District Council (HDC) Cambridgeshire County Council Hospitals GP Practices Libraries Ibbetts - from tractors to nails Garages; repairs - 2 in village Post boxes Cinemas WI (Women's Institute) Volunteering opportunities Maps of walks in the College Farm area School bus to Longsands– details of stops and time Police – general non-emergency number U3A – St Neots Places of Worship Nature Reserve – Paxton Pits, Little Paxton Railway station, St Neots Museum, New Street, St Neots Member of Parliament

https://dews-coaches.com/userfiles/Service65July20191.pdf www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon 01480 416416 Lakeside Surgeries, St Neots 01480 406722 St Neots Library 0345 045 5225 Ibbetts, River Lane, Great Paxton Paxton Hill Garage Ltd 01480 217806 Outside the community shop - 9.00 a.m.

Cineworld - St Neots and Huntingdon 0330 3334444 Nearest are in St. Neots, Offord or Yelling branches Village Shop, Church led events, Guides, speedwatch Great Paxton Walking Routes_December 2020.pdf Transport – Longsands Academy 0345 0455208 101 University of the Third Age (U3A) Holy Trinity Minster Church - Great Paxton Paxton Pits Nature Reserve 03450 264700 (central number) www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk Jonathan Djangoly

Other information

Gas - leak issues Electricity - supply issues Water - supply and mains issues

Gas - leak issues Electricity - supply issues Water - supply and mains issues

0800 111999 0800 316 3105 0800 771881

Emergency numbers for

Emergency numbers for

07473 213556

sarahpeters266@gmail.com woodbeez48@gmail.com

greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 01480 700107

Jacqueline.wieczorek@gmail.com football@greatpaxtonfc.co.uk mobilelibraries@cambridgeshire.gov.uk www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/7322305/great-paxton 07928 461032 clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 07561 320538 greatppta@outlook.com Michael.fairs@gmail.com 01480 472132

diane.james42@outlook.com Contact - Rachael Martin - 700107 07790 857729 07715 460818 07540 491068

chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

girlguidinggreatpaxton@gmail.com gilliansmith462@btinternet.com 07704 857636 01480 394727 01480 211048 01480 219846 / Andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconected.com 01480 472132

Nicola Cooper

Michelle Oakley Joanna Hartley-Clark - to be confirmed Canon Annette Reed Julie Marks Rachael Martin Canon Annette Reed

Great Paxton Community Group Great Paxton Community Selling Group Great Paxton - Save Our Village Great Paxton Sow & Grow

https://dews-coaches.com/userfiles/Service65July20191.pdf www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon 01480 416416 Lakeside Surgeries, St Neots 01480 406722 St Neots Library 0345 045 5225 Ibbetts, River Lane, Great Paxton Paxton Hill Garage Ltd 01480 217806 Outside the community shop - 9.00 a.m.

Cineworld - St Neots and Huntingdon 0330 3334444 Nearest are in St. Neots, Offord or Yelling branches Village Shop, Church led events, Guides, speedwatch Great Paxton Walking Routes_December 2020.pdf Transport – Longsands Academy 0345 0455208 101 University of the Third Age (U3A) Holy Trinity Minster Church - Great Paxton Paxton Pits Nature Reserve 03450 264700 (central number) www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk Jonathan Djangoly

0800 111999 0800 316 3105 0800 771881

Michelle Oakley Gillian Smith Andy Ottley Mary Parnham Canon Annette Reed Bob Hacking / Andrea Goodyer Julie Edwards Andy Wylde Diane James Graham Holton - Mens/Sally Ritson - Ladies Chris Horne Mitch Wilson Danny Love-Fulton Enquire at The Bell Jacqueline Wieczorek Jamie Stenton Cambridgeshire CC - Towgood Way Post Office - in The Bell car park Tony Elliott Christine Brandon(Clerk) Simon Black Michelle Oakley Michael Fairs Julie Edwards Not currently open Chris Hall Rachael Martin Sarah Peters Editor - Julie Stock Trevor Smith

Contact

nicolahurden@live.co.uk

greatppta@outlook.com Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival | Facebook 01480 211048 01480 472132 01480 700107 01480 211048

01480 214163 jonathan.djanogly.mp@parliament.uk

01480 877215 01480 406795

Highways, roads, potholes, line marking, etc Addenbrookes, Cambridge 01223 245151 Buckden and Little Paxton surgeries 01480 810216 Huntingdon Library and Local Archives 0345 045 5225 01480 473452 CMS, River Lane 01480 476901 Mount Pleasant - opposite the school - 4.45 p.m.

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/2021/10/ting-

07473 213556

sarahpeters266@gmail.com woodbeez48@gmail.com

greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 01480 700107

Jacqueline.wieczorek@gmail.com football@greatpaxtonfc.co.uk mobilelibraries@cambridgeshire.gov.uk www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/7322305/great-paxton 07928 461032 clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk 07561 320538 greatppta@outlook.com Michael.fairs@gmail.com 01480 472132

diane.james42@outlook.com Contact - Rachael Martin - 700107 07790 857729 07715 460818 07540 491068

chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

girlguidinggreatpaxton@gmail.com gilliansmith462@btinternet.com 07704 857636 01480 394727 01480 211048 01480 219846 / Andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconected.com 01480 472132

Contact method

Michelle Oakley Gillian Smith Andy Ottley Mary Parnham Canon Annette Reed Bob Hacking / Andrea Goodyer Julie Edwards Andy Wylde Diane James Graham Holton - Mens/Sally Ritson - Ladies Chris Horne Mitch Wilson Danny Love-Fulton Enquire at The Bell Jacqueline Wieczorek Jamie Stenton Cambridgeshire CC - Towgood Way Post Office - in The Bell car park Tony Elliott Christine Brandon(Clerk) Simon Black Michelle Oakley Michael Fairs Julie Edwards Not currently open Chris Hall Rachael Martin Sarah Peters Editor - Julie Stock Trevor Smith

Rainbows/Brownies/Guides Allotments and community garden Cub Scouts - no longer active Church Bell ringers Church - Holy Trinity Minster Churchwardens Community Room - at school Community shop Crafty Belles Craft Group Darts Crib Team Exercise group Football Club - adults Friendship Club History Society Football - colts Mobile Library - every 3rd Monday - 3:10 -3:45 Mobile Post Office Van - every Tuesday 2-4 OBAS (fishing) Parish Council Petanque PTA Recreation Ground Great Paxton Primary School Pre-school Speedwatch The Bell Painting group Paxton Post - village magazine Woodsooners Golf Society

Rainbows/Brownies/Guides Allotments and community garden Cub Scouts - no longer active Church Bell ringers Church - Holy Trinity Minster Churchwardens Community Room - at school Community shop Crafty Belles Craft Group Darts Crib Team Exercise group Football Club - adults Friendship Club History Society Football - colts Mobile Library - every 3rd Monday - 3:10 -3:45 Mobile Post Office Van - every Tuesday 2-4 OBAS (fishing) Parish Council Petanque PTA Recreation Ground Great Paxton Primary School Pre-school Speedwatch The Bell Painting group Paxton Post - village magazine Woodsooners Golf Society

Organisations, Clubs and activities

Contact

Organisations, Clubs and activities

Contact method

A more detailed version is available online at www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk - April 2023

A more detailed version is available online at www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk - April 2023

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healthy, whilst helping them to reduce their bills and deal with any outstanding energy bills,” said Kirsten Bennett, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire ACRE. “This kind of support is needed now, more than ever before and we are grateful to the Energy Redress scheme for entrusting us with further funding to help those most in need.”

Booze and Brushes We meet once a month in The Bell for some step-by-step painting over a glass of wine. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everyone leaves with their very own work of art. We experimented with an abstract piece using palette knives for our last piece. No artistic skills are required, just a willingness to come along and have a go.

The project, named CHESS (Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service), has already been running for around 2 years and the current funding will ensure it can continue until December 2024.

To refer yourself or someone else for support, fill out the form on our website*: www.pect.org.uk/energy-advice. *Residents outside of the area eligible for support will be referred to other services that are applicable in their region.

Sessions are £10 which includes all materials and your canvas to take home.

If you would like to join us, please message me on 07903 571774 or email sarahpeters266@gmail.com.

If you are a frontline worker, send us an email at energyadvice@pect.org.uk to find out more about the service and how you can get involved.

The next dates are 2nd and 9th May at 7.30pm, booking is essential.

Next project – an abstract cow!

About PECT PECT (www.pect.org.uk) is an independent charity creating more sustainable places. We are working to protect and enhance the environment to leave a legacy for future generations.

About Cambridgeshire ACRE Cambridgeshire ACRE (www.cambsacre.org.uk) works alongside the rural communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, helping them take action to make positive changes to their local neighbourhoods.

28

healthy, whilst helping them to reduce their bills and deal with any outstanding energy bills,” said Kirsten Bennett, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire ACRE. “This kind of support is needed now, more than ever before and we are grateful to the Energy Redress scheme for entrusting us with further funding to help those most in need.”

The project, named CHESS (Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service), has already been running for around 2 years and the current funding will ensure it can continue until December 2024.

To refer yourself or someone else for support, fill out the form on our website*: www.pect.org.uk/energy-advice.

33

Booze and Brushes We meet once a month in The Bell for some step-by-step painting over a glass of wine. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everyone leaves with their very own work of art. We experimented with an abstract piece using palette knives for our last piece. No artistic skills are required, just a willingness to come along and have a go.

*Residents outside of the area eligible for support will be referred to other services that are applicable in their region.

Sessions are £10 which includes all materials and your canvas to take home.

If you would like to join us, please message me on 07903 571774 or email sarahpeters266@gmail.com.

If you are a frontline worker, send us an email at energyadvice@pect.org.uk to find out more about the service and how you can get involved.

The next dates are 2nd and 9th May at 7.30pm, booking is essential.

Next project – an abstract cow!

About PECT PECT (www.pect.org.uk) is an independent charity creating more sustainable places. We are working to protect and enhance the environment to leave a legacy for future generations.

About Cambridgeshire ACRE Cambridgeshire ACRE (www.cambsacre.org.uk) works alongside the rural communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, helping them take action to make positive changes to their local neighbourhoods.

28

33

Life as a beekeeper by Pete Gorton, Ouse Valley Honeybees Growing up in a busy household of 5 children I would never have expected to become a beekeeper. Having been drawn into a career fixing diggers and plant machinery on building sites, little did I know that with an unusual twist of fate and luck I would soon become the guardian of a few thousand yellow stripy ladies who, dependent on the weather, may or may not be pleased to see me when I visit!

Without knowing anything about beekeeping I found myself entered into a competition online to win a hive, training course and suit.

Being a naturally unlucky person, I had no expectations to win and was suddenly thrown into reality with a ‘congratulations you’ve won!!’ phone call. With the idea of a beehive living in my garden politely yet forcefully declined by my long-suffering wife, my brain went into overload, finally finding a local landowner to assist with locating my first apiary. Fast forward 5 years and I’m now the keeper of approximately 16 hives in our local area each housing up to 50000 bees. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed educating and assisting others when needed.

Now as we’re well into spring and the long hazy days of summer fast approaching it’s the busy time for me to be down at the hives inspecting and ensuring that my colonies are not being a nuisance to the surrounding area by swarming. This is done by carefully managing the colony size, carrying out a split if required and inspecting for a Queen cell being produced. All this is easily done on a domestic colony, but we can’t guarantee it won’t happen as ‘bees will be bees’ or check on wild local colonies.

Local charity, PECT, in partnership with Cambridgeshire ACRE is to continue free energy advice service to households in Cambridgeshire (Fenland, Huntingdonshire, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City).

After the cold weather we have experienced over the last few weeks, and the rise in energy costs, we are all feeling the pinch when it comes to our energy bills. Residents can benefit from an advice call or a home visit with an experienced energy advisor. They will be able to share tips on how you can save money on your energy bills, access financial support, improve your home efficiency and reduce any energy debts. They are also delivering training to front-line workers to help them support residents with basic energy advice and where to direct help.

Nikki Dekker, Energy Lead at PECT commented, “At the moment support like this is much needed. We hope we can continue to help households save money, be comfortable and warm in their homes, and also reduce energy use or make sustainable changes that have a positive impact on the environment.

With Cambridgeshire ACRE and the support of local frontline workers, this service will make a difference to many households in the community.”

“We are so pleased to be able to continue our collaborative work with PECT to support households across the county through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Working together we will provide the information and resources that households need to stay warm and

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27

Life as a beekeeper by Pete Gorton, Ouse Valley Honeybees Growing up in a busy household of 5 children I would never have expected to become a beekeeper. Having been drawn into a career fixing diggers and plant machinery on building sites, little did I know that with an unusual twist of fate and luck I would soon become the guardian of a few thousand yellow stripy ladies who, dependent on the weather, may or may not be pleased to see me when I visit!

Local charity, PECT, in partnership with Cambridgeshire ACRE is to continue free energy advice service to households in Cambridgeshire (Fenland, Huntingdonshire, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridge City).

Without knowing anything about beekeeping I found myself entered into a competition online to win a hive, training course and suit.

Being a naturally unlucky person, I had no expectations to win and was suddenly thrown into reality with a ‘congratulations you’ve won!!’ phone call. With the idea of a beehive living in my garden politely yet forcefully declined by my long-suffering wife, my brain went into overload, finally finding a local landowner to assist with locating my first apiary. Fast forward 5 years and I’m now the keeper of approximately 16 hives in our local area each housing up to 50000 bees. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed educating and assisting others when needed.

Now as we’re well into spring and the long hazy days of summer fast approaching it’s the busy time for me to be down at the hives inspecting and ensuring that my colonies are not being a nuisance to the surrounding area by swarming. This is done by carefully managing the colony size, carrying out a split if required and inspecting for a Queen cell being produced. All this is easily done on a domestic colony, but we can’t guarantee it won’t happen as ‘bees will be bees’ or check on wild local colonies.

34

After the cold weather we have experienced over the last few weeks, and the rise in energy costs, we are all feeling the pinch when it comes to our energy bills. Residents can benefit from an advice call or a home visit with an experienced energy advisor. They will be able to share tips on how you can save money on your energy bills, access financial support, improve your home efficiency and reduce any energy debts. They are also delivering training to front-line workers to help them support residents with basic energy advice and where to direct help.

Nikki Dekker, Energy Lead at PECT commented, “At the moment support like this is much needed. We hope we can continue to help households save money, be comfortable and warm in their homes, and also reduce energy use or make sustainable changes that have a positive impact on the environment.

With Cambridgeshire ACRE and the support of local frontline workers, this service will make a difference to many households in the community.”

“We are so pleased to be able to continue our collaborative work with PECT to support households across the county through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Working together we will provide the information and resources that households need to stay warm and 27

Speedwatch Update – Chris Hall Here are some statistics relating to traffic and speeding in Great Paxton. All information was gathered by the MVAS speed sign you may have seen in different positions around the village.

The latest position we have been able to obtain for the unit is at the Offord end of the village pointing north. This should offer some protection for an area badly affected by speeding.

If you have any questions about the way the Parish Council attempts to combat speeding or maybe you would like to volunteer to help with some of the speed calming measures, including Speedwatch, please contact me at chris.hall@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

The warm days and long sunny evenings of spring and summer are both blessing and curse for us beekeepers as there’s been plenty of family evenings where I’ve had to pop out and collect a swarm in a cardboard box just as dinner has been put on the table, much to my wife’s annoyance.

When I get a call to visit another garden or park to rescue a swarm that’s decided to rest for the evening and needs to be collected and removed before causing chaos for a homeowner when ‘Tiddles the cat’ or ‘Monty the nosey Labrador’ goes to investigate. Normally they can quickly and safely be escorted into a new home.

The bees in the swarm are usually part of another colony which will have grown in size and then split to allow a new Queen to remain and regrow the colony leaving the cluster of bees to search for a new location to set up home. Although many people say to leave them be and they’ll find their own location or they’ve been known to move into a property and need professional removal, unfortunately as many as 80% of swarms don’t survive on their own without assistance. Whilst in a swarm the bees are docile as they gorge on honey stores prior to departure so often I can just gently scoop them up into a box and go (please don’t try this yourselves!!!) If you’re lucky enough to receive a swarm please call me on 07798 746073 or message via Facebook/Instagram (Ouse Valley honeybees). I’ll do all I can to assist but please remember that this is a devotion of love to our sweet pollinators.

26

Speedwatch Update – Chris Hall Here are some statistics relating to traffic and speeding in Great Paxton. All information was gathered by the MVAS speed sign you may have seen in different positions around the village.

The latest position we have been able to obtain for the unit is at the Offord end of the village pointing north. This should offer some protection for an area badly affected by speeding.

If you have any questions about the way the Parish Council attempts to combat speeding or maybe you would like to volunteer to help with some of the speed calming measures, including Speedwatch, please contact me at chris.hall@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

35

The warm days and long sunny evenings of spring and summer are both blessing and curse for us beekeepers as there’s been plenty of family evenings where I’ve had to pop out and collect a swarm in a cardboard box just as dinner has been put on the table, much to my wife’s annoyance.

When I get a call to visit another garden or park to rescue a swarm that’s decided to rest for the evening and needs to be collected and removed before causing chaos for a homeowner when ‘Tiddles the cat’ or ‘Monty the nosey Labrador’ goes to investigate. Normally they can quickly and safely be escorted into a new home.

The bees in the swarm are usually part of another colony which will have grown in size and then split to allow a new Queen to remain and regrow the colony leaving the cluster of bees to search for a new location to set up home. Although many people say to leave them be and they’ll find their own location or they’ve been known to move into a property and need professional removal, unfortunately as many as 80% of swarms don’t survive on their own without assistance. Whilst in a swarm the bees are docile as they gorge on honey stores prior to departure so often I can just gently scoop them up into a box and go (please don’t try this yourselves!!!) If you’re lucky enough to receive a swarm please call me on 07798 746073 or message via Facebook/Instagram (Ouse Valley honeybees). I’ll do all I can to assist but please remember that this is a devotion of love to our sweet pollinators.

26

35

Rainbows / Brownies / Guides Update It has been a busy half term for the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Rainbows have continued being Super Rainbows, while Brownies and Guides have continued with their 'Skills for my future badge'. We all welcome a restful Easter break now before the summer term starts.

Rainbows: This term we have carried on our super hero / super rainbow activities by learning some super skills like listening, thinking about others and thinking for ourselves and not following the crowd. Learning lots about each other and as a unit. We also learnt and played some new games as well as lots of crafts from key rings to super hero sock puppets. We are looking forward to the summer term when we can get out and about with other units.

Potatoes aren't the only vegetables to grow in pots, courgettes are perfect as you will only need 1 plant.

Here's a list of others happy in pots.

French dwarf beans Radishes Lettuce Spinach Chilies Kale Tomatoes Happy growing from Gaynor Christie Chairperson Great Paxton Allotments and Sensory Garden

Brownies: This term Brownies have continued working on their 'skills for my future' badge. We have explored the type of equipment some job professions may use, making fajitas from scratch as well as creating cards for our neighbours as a random act of kindness. We finished the term off with an Easter egg hunt and some funny egg and spoon races.

Guides: This term Guides have also continued with their 'skills for my future; badge, learning some life hacks, making their own board games from scratch and becoming the governments treasury for an evening, 36

25

Rainbows / Brownies / Guides Update It has been a busy half term for the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Rainbows have continued being Super Rainbows, while Brownies and Guides have continued with their 'Skills for my future badge'. We all welcome a restful Easter break now before the summer term starts.

Potatoes aren't the only vegetables to grow in pots, courgettes are perfect as you will only need 1 plant.

Here's a list of others happy in pots.

French dwarf beans Radishes Lettuce Spinach Chilies Kale Tomatoes

Rainbows: This term we have carried on our super hero / super rainbow activities by learning some super skills like listening, thinking about others and thinking for ourselves and not following the crowd. Learning lots about each other and as a unit. We also learnt and played some new games as well as lots of crafts from key rings to super hero sock puppets. We are looking forward to the summer term when we can get out and about with other units.

Happy growing from Gaynor Christie Chairperson Great Paxton Allotments and Sensory Garden

Brownies: This term Brownies have continued working on their 'skills for my future' badge. We have explored the type of equipment some job professions may use, making fajitas from scratch as well as creating cards for our neighbours as a random act of kindness. We finished the term off with an Easter egg hunt and some funny egg and spoon races.

Guides: This term Guides have also continued with their 'skills for my future; badge, learning some life hacks, making their own board games from scratch and becoming the governments treasury for an evening, 36

25

Growing Potatoes in a Pot It's certainly been challenging times on the Allotment these past few weeks. We have had our fair share of rain, much more than we need really. Planting potatoes - being one of the first crops to plant - had to be delayed due to the soil being so wet. That being said, I know many gardeners who grow them in all sorts of containers, especially if you are short of space. Old dustbins, buckets, plastic pots, old sinks and large plastic bags all work well, potatoes are not too fussy about the soil. I have been known to grow them on my compost heap but must admit, initially, they grew themselves from old peelings!

If you are interested in growing your own, here's how.

I chose Organic Charlotte potatoes, but you can use any variety, even using your potatoes from the supermarket. An ideal depth for your container is about 60-90cm, approximately 10-15 gallon capacity, just make sure that you have drainage holes at the bottom.

making all kinds of important financial decisions (more time off school was a popular choice). The guides also held a charity quiz evening for their parents and friends. They raised £105.00 in total with £52.50 going to the charity Bliss and £52.50 going to brain tumour research. They did incredibly well and came up with some tough questions. Well done Guides! We waved goodbye to four of our older guides at the end of this term. We were all sad to see them go but wish them every success in their futures.

If you would like to register your daughter to join Rainbows / Brownies or Guides please follow the below link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-achild/

1. Place your container in a sunny, frost-free spot, before you add your compost,.

2. Add 10cm of compost to the bottom and place 3-5 potatoes on the surface, approximately a fist hand apart. (If they have been chitted, meaning they have sprouted, all the better, as they will grow more quickly) and cover with another layer of compost.

3. Water the container allowing the water to drain through.

4. When the shoots appear and have grown to 15-20cm, cover them with another layer of compost, continue with this method until the container is full. Remember to water, especially when compost is dry.

5. The potatoes should be ready just after they have flowered.

6. Tip the potatoes out, they each will probably be the size of a large egg and enjoy!

Using your own organic compost is always best if you have any but as I said before potatoes aren't too fussy where they grow.

24

37

Growing Potatoes in a Pot It's certainly been challenging times on the Allotment these past few weeks. We have had our fair share of rain, much more than we need really. Planting potatoes - being one of the first crops to plant - had to be delayed due to the soil being so wet. That being said, I know many gardeners who grow them in all sorts of containers, especially if you are short of space. Old dustbins, buckets, plastic pots, old sinks and large plastic bags all work well, potatoes are not too fussy about the soil. I have been known to grow them on my compost heap but must admit, initially, they grew themselves from old peelings!

If you are interested in growing your own, here's how.

making all kinds of important financial decisions (more time off school was a popular choice). The guides also held a charity quiz evening for their parents and friends. They raised £105.00 in total with £52.50 going to the charity Bliss and £52.50 going to brain tumour research. They did incredibly well and came up with some tough questions. Well done Guides! We waved goodbye to four of our older guides at the end of this term. We were all sad to see them go but wish them every success in their futures.

I chose Organic Charlotte potatoes, but you can use any variety, even using your potatoes from the supermarket. An ideal depth for your container is about 60-90cm, approximately 10-15 gallon capacity, just make sure that you have drainage holes at the bottom.

If you would like to register your daughter to join Rainbows / Brownies or Guides please follow the below link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-achild/

1. Place your container in a sunny, frost-free spot, before you add your compost,.

2. Add 10cm of compost to the bottom and place 3-5 potatoes on the surface, approximately a fist hand apart. (If they have been chitted, meaning they have sprouted, all the better, as they will grow more quickly) and cover with another layer of compost.

3. Water the container allowing the water to drain through.

4. When the shoots appear and have grown to 15-20cm, cover them with another layer of compost, continue with this method until the container is full. Remember to water, especially when compost is dry.

5. The potatoes should be ready just after they have flowered.

6. Tip the potatoes out, they each will probably be the size of a large egg and enjoy!

Using your own organic compost is always best if you have any but as I said before potatoes aren't too fussy where they grow.

24

37

REPORT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL As residents will be aware, the Parish Council always actively considers and responds to proposed planning applications for the Village. There are several ongoing applications at the moment, some of which have been outstanding for some time. District Councillor Richard West has concurred with the views of the Parish in expressing his disappointment at the failure of the District Council’s Planning Service to meet its targets. One approved recently, however, (and contrary to the views of the Parish Council and neighbours) was the application to demolish 4 existing garages north of 51 London Lane and to replace these with one dwelling. This was a disappointing outcome.

We have some new faces joining us and some of the old ones staying.

Let’s hope for a great season!!

At their meeting in March, the Parish Council heard about the current position of the Community Shop and the Recreation Ground. Grants and ways to assist and support the activities of both these important facilities in the Village will be considered at the May meeting.

*

Some quick sound bites: • The Parish Council awarded its Grounds Maintenance Contract for the next three years to Buchans Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance. There may well be some teething problems whilst the new team settles in but if there are any issues with their work or ‘missed bits’ please let the Clerk know by email clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk • Balfour Beatty has been asked to replace seven streetlight units on the High Street. Hopefully, this work costing almost £8000 will be programmed in shortly.

• The Parish Council will apply for funding towards a 20mph zone on the High Street and Estate Roads in Great Paxton under a new annual programme being run by the County Council.

So that’s: One crib team One ladies’ darts team Four pétanque teams Two Thursday Darts team Two football teams!!

Not bad for a little village pub!! Now to get some points and some prizes!!!

Great Paxton Reading Group Our last book to read was ‘The Other Passenger’

by Louise Candlish – a book about a year in the life of a character and his interaction with his partner and friends, mainly on his journeys to and from work in London. I always enjoy reading about London as I worked there for a number of years. A very easy book to read but it seemed to have no depth although ‘Richard & Judy’ raved over it!

On another note, I had a knock on my door after the last Paxton Post was door dropped to everyone – a Villager who had read my last piece and they gave me the third book in the series – ‘Dawnlands’ by Philippa Gregory to read – thank you again! It was good (not as good as the other two) as it seemed to end abruptly – maybe there is another book in the series unwritten!

Amanda Niven

38

23

REPORT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL As residents will be aware, the Parish Council always actively considers and responds to proposed planning applications for the Village. There are several ongoing applications at the moment, some of which have been outstanding for some time. District Councillor Richard West has concurred with the views of the Parish in expressing his disappointment at the failure of the District Council’s Planning Service to meet its targets. One approved recently, however, (and contrary to the views of the Parish Council and neighbours) was the application to demolish 4 existing garages north of 51 London Lane and to replace these with one dwelling. This was a disappointing outcome.

We have some new faces joining us and some of the old ones staying.

Let’s hope for a great season!!

At their meeting in March, the Parish Council heard about the current position of the Community Shop and the Recreation Ground. Grants and ways to assist and support the activities of both these important facilities in the Village will be considered at the May meeting.

*

Some quick sound bites: • The Parish Council awarded its Grounds Maintenance Contract for the next three years to Buchans Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance. There may well be some teething problems whilst the new team settles in but if there are any issues with their work or ‘missed bits’ please let the Clerk know by email clerk@greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk • Balfour Beatty has been asked to replace seven streetlight units on the High Street. Hopefully, this work costing almost £8000 will be programmed in shortly.

• The Parish Council will apply for funding towards a 20mph zone on the High Street and Estate Roads in Great Paxton under a new annual programme being run by the County Council.

38

So that’s: One crib team One ladies’ darts team Four pétanque teams Two Thursday Darts team Two football teams!!

Not bad for a little village pub!! Now to get some points and some prizes!!!

Great Paxton Reading Group Our last book to read was ‘The Other Passenger’

by Louise Candlish – a book about a year in the life of a character and his interaction with his partner and friends, mainly on his journeys to and from work in London. I always enjoy reading about London as I worked there for a number of years. A very easy book to read but it seemed to have no depth although ‘Richard & Judy’ raved over it!

On another note, I had a knock on my door after the last Paxton Post was door dropped to everyone – a Villager who had read my last piece and they gave me the third book in the series – ‘Dawnlands’ by Philippa Gregory to read – thank you again! It was good (not as good as the other two) as it seemed to end abruptly – maybe there is another book in the series unwritten!

Amanda Niven 23

Booking for food always remains recommended as we get so busy and do turn people away and with events times can change as well.

•

Website is: www.mybellpub.com Facebook: The Bell, Gt Paxton Tel: 01480 700107 or 07701038433 Email: thebellgreatpaxton@yahoo.com You know where we are! Keep supporting and doing what you do best… drinking, eating, laughing and enjoying us because we are certainly enjoying this journey.

Raqi and The Bell Team * Pétanque and Teams update We had our Pétanque AGM last night and it’s brilliant to finally announce that we have 4 teams playing. We have two on a Tuesday night and two teams on a Wednesday! That’s great for us and will keep us busy on a Wednesday night!

I want to take this time to thank Brian who has been our Club Chairman for a number of years (before I took over at The Bell). He has done a sterling job looking after the club. He has organised the functions and kept the club going. Thank you Brian! We welcome Kevin Grice as Chairman to the club, and I look forward to working with you to organise club events and functions.

Welcome to our captains Tuesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell B: John Holden Wednesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell Ringers: Steve Milligan 22

Booking for food always remains recommended as we get so busy and do turn people away and with events times can change as well.

•

•

MOST IMPORTANTLY – The Annual Parish Meeting takes place at 7pm on Monday 15th May in the Main Hall at the Primary School.

The Parish Council would like as many residents as possible to attend.

Councillors want to listen to your views to enable a forward or action plan for the village to be produced which will identify problems, come up with ideas and act as a foundation for funding opportunities. This approach will also help the Parish Council to set and plan future budget and spending priorities. At the same time and given that the District Council is reviewing its Local Plan, Councillors believe it is essential that residents discuss its attitude towards potential new development and possible sites that might be considered suitable in the Parish so that when consulted under the Local Plan Review the Parish Council can properly and accurately reflect your views.

Please join us on MONDAY 15th May starting at 7pm.

39

•

Website is: www.mybellpub.com Facebook: The Bell, Gt Paxton Tel: 01480 700107 or 07701038433 Email: thebellgreatpaxton@yahoo.com You know where we are! Keep supporting and doing what you do best… drinking, eating, laughing and enjoying us because we are certainly enjoying this journey.

Raqi and The Bell Team * Pétanque and Teams update We had our Pétanque AGM last night and it’s brilliant to finally announce that we have 4 teams playing. We have two on a Tuesday night and two teams on a Wednesday! That’s great for us and will keep us busy on a Wednesday night!

I want to take this time to thank Brian who has been our Club Chairman for a number of years (before I took over at The Bell). He has done a sterling job looking after the club. He has organised the functions and kept the club going. Thank you Brian! We welcome Kevin Grice as Chairman to the club, and I look forward to working with you to organise club events and functions.

Welcome to our captains Tuesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell B: John Holden Wednesday: Bell A: John Bowskill Bell Ringers: Steve Milligan 22

After a great deal of thought, Councillors have concluded that the everyday running of the Community Room was best left in the hands of the Primary School although, it is hoped that information on the availability of the room for hire will feature elsewhere in this edition of the ‘Post’. The Parish Council has offered to contribute to some cosmetic improvements to the Room to make it more attractive to hire.

Councillors agreed to continue to support the activities of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Great Ouse Valley Trust in 2023/24 and to look again at the potential for printing full colour copies of this magazine at its budget meeting in the Autumn.

An interesting account of a recent Huntingdon Community Policing Meeting was presented to the Council meeting.

Notes are available to read in full on the Parish Council website www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

•

•

After a great deal of thought, Councillors have concluded that the everyday running of the Community Room was best left in the hands of the Primary School although, it is hoped that information on the availability of the room for hire will feature elsewhere in this edition of the ‘Post’. The Parish Council has offered to contribute to some cosmetic improvements to the Room to make it more attractive to hire.

Councillors agreed to continue to support the activities of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Great Ouse Valley Trust in 2023/24 and to look again at the potential for printing full colour copies of this magazine at its budget meeting in the Autumn.

An interesting account of a recent Huntingdon Community Policing Meeting was presented to the Council meeting.

Notes are available to read in full on the Parish Council website www.greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk

MOST IMPORTANTLY – The Annual Parish Meeting takes place at 7pm on Monday 15th May in the Main Hall at the Primary School.

The Parish Council would like as many residents as possible to attend.

Councillors want to listen to your views to enable a forward or action plan for the village to be produced which will identify problems, come up with ideas and act as a foundation for funding opportunities. This approach will also help the Parish Council to set and plan future budget and spending priorities. At the same time and given that the District Council is reviewing its Local Plan, Councillors believe it is essential that residents discuss its attitude towards potential new development and possible sites that might be considered suitable in the Parish so that when consulted under the Local Plan Review the Parish Council can properly and accurately reflect your views.

Please join us on MONDAY 15th May starting at 7pm.

39

Great Paxton History Society Website https://greatpaxtonhistory.weebly.com/ Please do visit the website and see what has been uploaded. If anyone has some more memories and pictures of people and places in Great Paxton, we would be pleased to have them.

Email greatpaxtonhs@yahoo.com Also visit https://greatpaxton1000.co.uk for more village history information.

A small select group were at The Bell on Monday 13th March for our meeting, but that didn’t stop conversation. We are hoping to get a couple of outside speakers to visit, and one has been booked for September – further details in a later edition.

A lot of work has been done to discover more about the previous vicars of the Parish with a view to expanding the existing list hanging in the church. The cost of the final calligraphic masterpiece was discussed, and it was decided to wait before applying for any grants, which would be needed. A lengthy discussion was had about how we can produce a suitable interim piece in the meantime, which also allows more time for extra research from Ely, Lincoln and Holyrood archives. If anyone knows how the original list was compiled, and from what sources, please let me know. Memories were shared of past vicars from some of our members. It seems some (and their dogs) were quite scary to small children. More welcome – please tell us your memories.

We were given a list of village farms and the names of the farmers to be added to the village archives, and research done to find out more.

The village would have looked completely different 50 years ago, with very few buildings on the east side of the High Street, and none in the fields behind them.

40

Great Paxton History Society Website https://greatpaxtonhistory.weebly.com/ Please do visit the website and see what has been uploaded. If anyone has some more memories and pictures of people and places in Great Paxton, we would be pleased to have them.

Email greatpaxtonhs@yahoo.com Also visit https://greatpaxton1000.co.uk for more village history information.

A small select group were at The Bell on Monday 13th March for our meeting, but that didn’t stop conversation. We are hoping to get a couple of outside speakers to visit, and one has been booked for September – further details in a later edition.

A lot of work has been done to discover more about the previous vicars of the Parish with a view to expanding the existing list hanging in the church. The cost of the final calligraphic masterpiece was discussed, and it was decided to wait before applying for any grants, which would be needed. A lengthy discussion was had about how we can produce a suitable interim piece in the meantime, which also allows more time for extra research from Ely, Lincoln and Holyrood archives. If anyone knows how the original list was compiled, and from what sources, please let me know. Memories were shared of past vicars from some of our members. It seems some (and their dogs) were quite scary to small children. More welcome – please tell us your memories.

We were given a list of village farms and the names of the farmers to be added to the village archives, and research done to find out more.

The village would have looked completely different 50 years ago, with very few buildings on the east side of the High Street, and none in the fields behind them.

40

We have had 6 chefs in my 5 years and finally got lucky with Sarah who has been here nearly 2 years!

In terms of pub teams we are excelling at this also!

• A Crib Team (although season has closed and will return in Sept) New players welcome.

• Three (but maybe 4 pétanque) teams - Starting in April/May • Ladies Darts Team • Two Thursday Darts Teams • Two Football Teams All of these are heavily linked with the pub and are our bread and butter in terms of keeping us alive and busy in the week when potentially we could be quiet.

We also have other groups who utilise us like The History Group and The Crafty Belles, as well as all the committee meetings that we host including The Scarecrow Festival Committee, The Shop Committee, The Rec Committee, The PTA, and even St Neots Town FC for Colts come here!!! Being a villager and having been heavily involved in so much over the years, it’s always a pleasure to have these people associated with the pub and using it. It is also imperative as a business we support these as best we can.

Do follow my Facebook page for daily updates, my website for menus and what else is going on. All details are below!

We have the King’s Coronation and Afternoon Tea from 1-5pm on Saturday 6th May (Booking only) and then a singer in the evening!

We have Ouse Valley Singles Club (not a singles group but a singing group) Ticket Only £5 on Friday 12th May 8pm onwards. We have Soul Man Sunday 28th May ticket only £5 pp.

21

We have had 6 chefs in my 5 years and finally got lucky with Sarah who has been here nearly 2 years!

In terms of pub teams we are excelling at this also!

• A Crib Team (although season has closed and will return in Sept) New players welcome.

• Three (but maybe 4 pétanque) teams - Starting in April/May • Ladies Darts Team • Two Thursday Darts Teams • Two Football Teams All of these are heavily linked with the pub and are our bread and butter in terms of keeping us alive and busy in the week when potentially we could be quiet.

We also have other groups who utilise us like The History Group and The Crafty Belles, as well as all the committee meetings that we host including The Scarecrow Festival Committee, The Shop Committee, The Rec Committee, The PTA, and even St Neots Town FC for Colts come here!!! Being a villager and having been heavily involved in so much over the years, it’s always a pleasure to have these people associated with the pub and using it. It is also imperative as a business we support these as best we can.

Do follow my Facebook page for daily updates, my website for menus and what else is going on. All details are below!

We have the King’s Coronation and Afternoon Tea from 1-5pm on Saturday 6th May (Booking only) and then a singer in the evening!

We have Ouse Valley Singles Club (not a singles group but a singing group) Ticket Only £5 on Friday 12th May 8pm onwards. We have Soul Man Sunday 28th May ticket only £5 pp.

21

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS AT THE BELL By the time this gets to you we will have celebrated being at The Bell for 5 years. Andy and Carol as owners and me, Raqi as your nutty landlady! What a 5 years it has been at the helm. It has certainly been my proudest 5 years working to serve the customers and villagers. It’s been amazing despite so many setbacks including Covid and a cost of living crisis! The support has been overwhelming at times, but unconditional as well. I feel very lucky to be landlady/manager here.

As I have managed the day to day running, Andy and Carol have been doing other things in the background and The Bell has seen huge developments in our 5 years.

We have a new marquee and the first ever outside bar; we are putting in a new play park, completely digging up the garden and renovating it making it better for events and for people to enjoy in the summer; we have completely renovated the kitchen and brought in the highly rated Rationale Ovens. We have seen a huge increase in events and people hiring us to celebrate their special occasion! It has been an incredible 5 years.

We have had celebrity chefs here including Jamie and Amee Queen from Papa Cucina, Johnny Pope from Flaming Nora’s and even the Trainee Chef (Nathan) for steak nights!! It’s been great working alongside these people to create memorable events! Okay, maybe not celebrities, but good friends!!

We also hit number 1 on Trip Advisor in St Neots (out of 80); we were also in the top 15-20 out of hundreds of places to eat in Cambridgeshire! This is something for a small village pub on the outskirts of St Neots.

We were told that a former garage owner on the High Street sold petrol in the 1960s, but also had a small shop selling electrical equipment such as televisions. Has anyone any memories to add to this please?

‘Show and tell’ items were a carbide lamp for a bicycle, a flying shuttle and thread for weaving, and a full bottle of cod liver oils from the 1946-54 Ministry of Food. Two pictures were shown one of Green Farm, also known as Adams Lane Farm, and one of London Lane.

We welcome anyone with an interest in our village or history in general, once a month, usually the second Monday at 7.30pm in The Bell pub, which opens especially for us. The May meeting is cancelled since it clashes with the Coronation, and the following week is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, which all should attend.

Therefore, the next Great Paxton History Society meeting will be June 12th, 7.30 pm, at The Bell.

STOP PRESS – there will be a small history exhibition in the church on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. There will be light refreshments for sale by the History Society. The TV screen will be showing the bells in action, as well as the graffiti and we hope there will be the opportunity for some to climb to the graffiti chamber in the tower on Sunday afternoon. You will be able to see the (hopefully nearly completed) re-design of the church interior to create a flexible space for gatherings in the south aisle, which has required the organ to be moved.

Jacqueline Wieczorek

20

41

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS AT THE BELL By the time this gets to you we will have celebrated being at The Bell for 5 years. Andy and Carol as owners and me, Raqi as your nutty landlady! What a 5 years it has been at the helm. It has certainly been my proudest 5 years working to serve the customers and villagers. It’s been amazing despite so many setbacks including Covid and a cost of living crisis! The support has been overwhelming at times, but unconditional as well. I feel very lucky to be landlady/manager here.

We were told that a former garage owner on the High Street sold petrol in the 1960s, but also had a small shop selling electrical equipment such as televisions. Has anyone any memories to add to this please?

As I have managed the day to day running, Andy and Carol have been doing other things in the background and The Bell has seen huge developments in our 5 years.

We have a new marquee and the first ever outside bar; we are putting in a new play park, completely digging up the garden and renovating it making it better for events and for people to enjoy in the summer; we have completely renovated the kitchen and brought in the highly rated Rationale Ovens. We have seen a huge increase in events and people hiring us to celebrate their special occasion! It has been an incredible 5 years.

We have had celebrity chefs here including Jamie and Amee Queen from Papa Cucina, Johnny Pope from Flaming Nora’s and even the Trainee Chef (Nathan) for steak nights!! It’s been great working alongside these people to create memorable events! Okay, maybe not celebrities, but good friends!!

We also hit number 1 on Trip Advisor in St Neots (out of 80); we were also in the top 15-20 out of hundreds of places to eat in Cambridgeshire! This is something for a small village pub on the outskirts of St Neots.

20

‘Show and tell’ items were a carbide lamp for a bicycle, a flying shuttle and thread for weaving, and a full bottle of cod liver oils from the 1946-54 Ministry of Food. Two pictures were shown one of Green Farm, also known as Adams Lane Farm, and one of London Lane.

We welcome anyone with an interest in our village or history in general, once a month, usually the second Monday at 7.30pm in The Bell pub, which opens especially for us. The May meeting is cancelled since it clashes with the Coronation, and the following week is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, which all should attend.

Therefore, the next Great Paxton History Society meeting will be June 12th, 7.30 pm, at The Bell.

STOP PRESS – there will be a small history exhibition in the church on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July. There will be light refreshments for sale by the History Society. The TV screen will be showing the bells in action, as well as the graffiti and we hope there will be the opportunity for some to climb to the graffiti chamber in the tower on Sunday afternoon. You will be able to see the (hopefully nearly completed) re-design of the church interior to create a flexible space for gatherings in the south aisle, which has required the organ to be moved.

Jacqueline Wieczorek

41

A Time-Line of Monarchs to Mark the Coronation of King Charles III Great Paxton Churchyard - from now to the end of September The previous time-line to mark Great Paxton's 1,000th year went up on the anniversary in 2020 and then again in 2022. Someone mentioned to our vicar Annette Reed that it would be nice for it to go up again for the coronation.

Community Room On behalf of the Parish Council, Church and School, we continue to manage the bookings for the Community Room. If you would like to hire out the room, or the school for an event, activity, meeting, party etc… please get in touch with Mrs Edwards in the school office – office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk

As it had already had two outings and needed essentially re-doing due to the ravages of the weather, I decided on a different theme: a record of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day. So, monarchs of Mercia, then England and then the United Kingdom arranged in a line from the gate to the door of our church.

The last few years have been exceptionally hard on us all. It remains an unprecedented time for families with challenges and hard times still ahead. But one element stays constant, and that is how proud we are of our children and our community. It continues to be an honour being the headteacher at our wonderful school and I am grateful for such amazing staff who support our constant drive for improvement. Their relentless effort enables us to make this a school to be proud of, a school where children are safe and a school where children can be happy and achieve their best. Thank you to all our pupils, families and members of the community for putting the ‘Great’ into ‘Paxton.’

In the process I've learned more about the history of our kings and queens than I ever knew before! Game of Thrones fans will recognise some of the story lines; fact can be even more extreme than fiction.

Amongst others there's Harthacnut who was so incensed at his halfbrother Harold I (Harefoot), taking the throne of England while he was off in Norway dealing with that bit of the empire, that on his return, even though Harold was dead by then, he had him dug up, beheaded and thrown in a marsh by the Thames. Harold's supporters however gathered the bits up and re-buried him in a London church.

Spare a thought also for the unpopular William II (Rufus) who, after being killed by a "stray" arrow while hunting was left where he lay while the nobles went to secure the treasury and decide who was the next king. His body was found by a passing arrow maker.

Best Wishes Mr Lee Frost Headteacher

It was the most beautiful morning in the church yard assembling it in the sunshine with blue skies and birdsong. While the weather can't be guaranteed it's a very relaxed way to learn about our history and see how the coronation of King Charles III fits into our story.

The time-line will be in place probably until the end of September, 42

19

A Time-Line of Monarchs to Mark the Coronation of King Charles III Great Paxton Churchyard - from now to the end of September The previous time-line to mark Great Paxton's 1,000th year went up on the anniversary in 2020 and then again in 2022. Someone mentioned to our vicar Annette Reed that it would be nice for it to go up again for the coronation.

Community Room On behalf of the Parish Council, Church and School, we continue to manage the bookings for the Community Room. If you would like to hire out the room, or the school for an event, activity, meeting, party etc… please get in touch with Mrs Edwards in the school office – office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk

As it had already had two outings and needed essentially re-doing due to the ravages of the weather, I decided on a different theme: a record of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day. So, monarchs of Mercia, then England and then the United Kingdom arranged in a line from the gate to the door of our church.

The last few years have been exceptionally hard on us all. It remains an unprecedented time for families with challenges and hard times still ahead. But one element stays constant, and that is how proud we are of our children and our community. It continues to be an honour being the headteacher at our wonderful school and I am grateful for such amazing staff who support our constant drive for improvement. Their relentless effort enables us to make this a school to be proud of, a school where children are safe and a school where children can be happy and achieve their best. Thank you to all our pupils, families and members of the community for putting the ‘Great’ into ‘Paxton.’

In the process I've learned more about the history of our kings and queens than I ever knew before! Game of Thrones fans will recognise some of the story lines; fact can be even more extreme than fiction.

Amongst others there's Harthacnut who was so incensed at his halfbrother Harold I (Harefoot), taking the throne of England while he was off in Norway dealing with that bit of the empire, that on his return, even though Harold was dead by then, he had him dug up, beheaded and thrown in a marsh by the Thames. Harold's supporters however gathered the bits up and re-buried him in a London church.

Spare a thought also for the unpopular William II (Rufus) who, after being killed by a "stray" arrow while hunting was left where he lay while the nobles went to secure the treasury and decide who was the next king. His body was found by a passing arrow maker.

Best Wishes Mr Lee Frost Headteacher

It was the most beautiful morning in the church yard assembling it in the sunshine with blue skies and birdsong. While the weather can't be guaranteed it's a very relaxed way to learn about our history and see how the coronation of King Charles III fits into our story.

The time-line will be in place probably until the end of September, 42

19

Sport As a passionate enthusiast of sport, the school continues to provide children with opportunities to compete in a variety of events. The school still participates in the yearly Priory Park run and the children always amaze us and do themselves proud.

The school football team has been extremely successful. Last year, the team made it as far as London to compete in the ESFA SE England Regional Finals as we qualified as the Eastern region champions. We played against the champions from Essex, Sussex and Kent. What an experience for the team! Most recently, we made it through to the final of the Small Schools competition where we faced an excellent Alconbury team. That was a tough match and Alconbury were victorious.

maybe longer, it depends on the weather, it starts to deteriorate in prolonged wet and cold in the autumn and winter.

Many thanks to Chris Hall for discussions when I was planning and for helping me to assemble it, also to Jacqueline Wieczorek for tireless proof reading, pointing out daft mistakes and for very helpful suggestions. If you wish to show your appreciation there are QR codes to scan and make a contribution to the upkeep of the church on the first and last posts.

Paul Ward

Our after-school football club remains popular, and we are hoping to extend this to children in Y1-3 next September. We are also hopeful of a girls’ football team starting in the summer.

PTA The PTA are hoping to be able to hold our summer fete this year – the first time in a while. The plan is for it to take place on Friday 30 th June 4pm-7pm. More details to follow but add the date to your diary as it would be amazing to see as many people there as possible.

Church As a school, we always enjoy the special services each term held in the church, even though Cannon Annette makes the staff perform to the children at the end of each one! It was also a privilege watching some of our children perform at the 1000-year celebration last year.

Our Easter Service filled the church, and it was fantastic having so many members of the community attend.

18

43

Sport As a passionate enthusiast of sport, the school continues to provide children with opportunities to compete in a variety of events. The school still participates in the yearly Priory Park run and the children always amaze us and do themselves proud.

maybe longer, it depends on the weather, it starts to deteriorate in prolonged wet and cold in the autumn and winter.

The school football team has been extremely successful. Last year, the team made it as far as London to compete in the ESFA SE England Regional Finals as we qualified as the Eastern region champions. We played against the champions from Essex, Sussex and Kent. What an experience for the team! Most recently, we made it through to the final of the Small Schools competition where we faced an excellent Alconbury team. That was a tough match and Alconbury were victorious.

Many thanks to Chris Hall for discussions when I was planning and for helping me to assemble it, also to Jacqueline Wieczorek for tireless proof reading, pointing out daft mistakes and for very helpful suggestions. If you wish to show your appreciation there are QR codes to scan and make a contribution to the upkeep of the church on the first and last posts.

Paul Ward

Our after-school football club remains popular, and we are hoping to extend this to children in Y1-3 next September. We are also hopeful of a girls’ football team starting in the summer.

PTA The PTA are hoping to be able to hold our summer fete this year – the first time in a while. The plan is for it to take place on Friday 30 th June 4pm-7pm. More details to follow but add the date to your diary as it would be amazing to see as many people there as possible.

Church As a school, we always enjoy the special services each term held in the church, even though Cannon Annette makes the staff perform to the children at the end of each one! It was also a privilege watching some of our children perform at the 1000-year celebration last year.

Our Easter Service filled the church, and it was fantastic having so many members of the community attend.

18

43

Great Paxton Community

Village Shop Spring time update The shop has received two pieces of great news in recent weeks: 

We have a new manager - Val Paul recently moved into the village from outside the area and started working with us on 3rd April. If you haven’t already met Val, please call in and say hello.



We received a grant from the Coton Wind Farm Fund that covers our losses for the 2021/22 financial year and enables us to continue trading.

As we started 2023 we were wondering how we might keep the shop going. This news throws us a vital lifeline for which we are very grateful.

As Val started working at the shop, we said goodbye and thank you to Lotty who helped us as Interim Manager for the last six months and is now off to travel the world. Good luck Lotty!

If you’re a regular customer, please continue to support the shop. If you haven’t used us for a while please come and give us a try.

There are several ways that you could support the shop and help us to provide a valued service to Great Paxton: 

Shop with us on a regular basis – We know that our prices can’t always compete with the big supermarkets but our convenience makes up for that. We regularly review our prices across all products to offer the best value that we can.



Give a little time to volunteer - Just an hour or two each week makes a big difference to the shop and enables us to provide a consistent service to the village.

The health and wellbeing benefits of volunteering are well documented and we know you’ll enjoy your time with us if you choose to help. Full training is given to all volunteers and getting started is easy. Call in and have a chat if you’re interested.



Join the Management Committee – Do you have relevant experience that could help us? Can you see where we could improve? Could you spare some time to benefit your local community? Your input could make the difference.

If you have any comments or suggestions about how we can improve please do contact us via email at: chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

Curriculum Over the last few years, we have greatly improved our curriculum intent and implementation in all areas, focusing on a very progressive, knowledge-based curriculum. Virtually all subjects have adopted a new approach and scheme and both staff and children are enthused by the new style in learning. This is an ongoing process and one we are continuing to review so that we can assess the full impact of all the changes made and continue to enhance our provision further.

Activities After a few years of not being able to undertake residential trips for children, we were delighted that these commenced again last year.

Children participated in two extremely successful residential trips, one in the summer of 2022 to Hilltop (Norfolk) for Y5 and Y6 and another for Y4 and Y5 to Rock UK (Northampton) in the autumn of 2022. Residentials trips are an amazing experience for the children, often for some it is the first time they are away from their parents.

Children get to learn so many new skills and participate in a variety of amazing activities. Memories are created for children for such a long time. The children will not let me forget that I set off the fire alarm accidently at 5am on the last one! Currently, we are planning for 2 more residential trips in 2024 – watch this space!

Our fireworks extravaganza remains as popular as ever and we had 90 children attending last year. The music is played live, and the fireworks are timed with a laser show to create an amazing experience for the children. Thanks to Mr Galvin and his family, this event continues to thrive. Check out the last display below: https://youtu.be/18SLCElCmvU

Great Paxton Community Village Shop Limited: 48a High Street, Great Paxton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6RF web: www.greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk Registered under the Community Benefit Society by the Financial Conduct Authority number 7299

17

Great Paxton Community

Village Shop Spring time update The shop has received two pieces of great news in recent weeks: 

We have a new manager - Val Paul recently moved into the village from outside the area and started working with us on 3rd April. If you haven’t already met Val, please call in and say hello.



We received a grant from the Coton Wind Farm Fund that covers our losses for the 2021/22 financial year and enables us to continue trading.

As we started 2023 we were wondering how we might keep the shop going. This news throws us a vital lifeline for which we are very grateful.

As Val started working at the shop, we said goodbye and thank you to Lotty who helped us as Interim Manager for the last six months and is now off to travel the world. Good luck Lotty!

If you’re a regular customer, please continue to support the shop. If you haven’t used us for a while please come and give us a try.

There are several ways that you could support the shop and help us to provide a valued service to Great Paxton: 

Shop with us on a regular basis – We know that our prices can’t always compete with the big supermarkets but our convenience makes up for that. We regularly review our prices across all products to offer the best value that we can.



Give a little time to volunteer - Just an hour or two each week makes a big difference to the shop and enables us to provide a consistent service to the village.

The health and wellbeing benefits of volunteering are well documented and we know you’ll enjoy your time with us if you choose to help. Full training is given to all volunteers and getting started is easy. Call in and have a chat if you’re interested.



Join the Management Committee – Do you have relevant experience that could help us? Can you see where we could improve? Could you spare some time to benefit your local community? Your input could make the difference.

If you have any comments or suggestions about how we can improve please do contact us via email at: chair@greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk

Curriculum Over the last few years, we have greatly improved our curriculum intent and implementation in all areas, focusing on a very progressive, knowledge-based curriculum. Virtually all subjects have adopted a new approach and scheme and both staff and children are enthused by the new style in learning. This is an ongoing process and one we are continuing to review so that we can assess the full impact of all the changes made and continue to enhance our provision further.

Activities After a few years of not being able to undertake residential trips for children, we were delighted that these commenced again last year.

Children participated in two extremely successful residential trips, one in the summer of 2022 to Hilltop (Norfolk) for Y5 and Y6 and another for Y4 and Y5 to Rock UK (Northampton) in the autumn of 2022. Residentials trips are an amazing experience for the children, often for some it is the first time they are away from their parents.

Children get to learn so many new skills and participate in a variety of amazing activities. Memories are created for children for such a long time. The children will not let me forget that I set off the fire alarm accidently at 5am on the last one! Currently, we are planning for 2 more residential trips in 2024 – watch this space!

Our fireworks extravaganza remains as popular as ever and we had 90 children attending last year. The music is played live, and the fireworks are timed with a laser show to create an amazing experience for the children. Thanks to Mr Galvin and his family, this event continues to thrive. Check out the last display below: https://youtu.be/18SLCElCmvU

Great Paxton Community Village Shop Limited: 48a High Street, Great Paxton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 6RF web: www.greatpaxtoncommunityshop.co.uk Registered under the Community Benefit Society by the Financial Conduct Authority number 7299

17

GREAT PAXTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL Mount Pleasant Great Paxton Cambs PE19 6YJ Telephone: 01480 472132 Fax: 01480 471735 E-Mail: office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk www.greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr L Frost Deputy Headteacher: Miss A Miller Great Paxton Church of England Primary School It seems to have been a long while since we featured in the village newsletter, so hopefully this will become a regular update feature again for the school.

So much has happened over the last few years – having worked through the pandemic and then continuing the recovery process to enable children to overcome many challenges, fill gaps in education and helping them to achieve the best that they can.

As a small school, our numbers on roll have increased significantly and we now welcome 110 children daily, meaning we are close to our maximum capacity of 119. Many new families have joined our community and we continue to provide the best support and care that we can.

OFSTED Recently, the school was inspected by OFSTED and the report can be found here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/ 16

45

GREAT PAXTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL Mount Pleasant Great Paxton Cambs PE19 6YJ Telephone: 01480 472132 Fax: 01480 471735 E-Mail: office@greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk www.greatpaxton.cambs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr L Frost Deputy Headteacher: Miss A Miller Great Paxton Church of England Primary School It seems to have been a long while since we featured in the village newsletter, so hopefully this will become a regular update feature again for the school.

So much has happened over the last few years – having worked through the pandemic and then continuing the recovery process to enable children to overcome many challenges, fill gaps in education and helping them to achieve the best that they can.

As a small school, our numbers on roll have increased significantly and we now welcome 110 children daily, meaning we are close to our maximum capacity of 119. Many new families have joined our community and we continue to provide the best support and care that we can.

OFSTED Recently, the school was inspected by OFSTED and the report can be found here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/ 16

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Holy Trinity Minster Church Great Paxton

•

All Racially Aggravated Crime 12 up to 19 cases.

SURVEY RESULTS Concerns over parking, speeding, drugs.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Under the age of 16 survey received 119 returns. Young people ongoing concerns over knife crime, youth gangs and sexual violence against girls.

POLICE FOCUSING ON Stop search and Anti-Social Behaviour in Huntingdon town centre.

Contact details: Vicar: Canon Annette Reed Tel: 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens: Mr Bob Hacking 1 Mint Lane Great Paxton 01480 219846 Mrs Andrea Goodyer 7a Church Lane Great Paxton andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconnected.com

POLICE and CRIME COMMISSIONER round table meeting Main points made: • • •

New legislation from National Government on dealing with serious violence County Lines.

Rural Crime Team been increased in number since showing improvements in reducing crime.

There will be increase in Police Officers.

AT DISTRICT COUNCIL • •

Full meeting of the council on 29 March 23 March Peer Challenge Corporate Governance Committee on internal audit.

Church Treasurer: Mrs Jacqueline Jackson jnmunro@btinternet.com 46

Holy Trinity Minster Church Great Paxton

15

•

All Racially Aggravated Crime 12 up to 19 cases.

SURVEY RESULTS Concerns over parking, speeding, drugs.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Under the age of 16 survey received 119 returns. Young people ongoing concerns over knife crime, youth gangs and sexual violence against girls.

POLICE FOCUSING ON Stop search and Anti-Social Behaviour in Huntingdon town centre.

Contact details: Vicar: Canon Annette Reed Tel: 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens: Mr Bob Hacking 1 Mint Lane Great Paxton 01480 219846 Mrs Andrea Goodyer 7a Church Lane Great Paxton andrea.goodyer@clinicallyconnected.com

POLICE and CRIME COMMISSIONER round table meeting Main points made: • • •

New legislation from National Government on dealing with serious violence County Lines.

Rural Crime Team been increased in number since showing improvements in reducing crime.

There will be increase in Police Officers.

AT DISTRICT COUNCIL • •

Full meeting of the council on 29 March 23 March Peer Challenge Corporate Governance Committee on internal audit.

Church Treasurer: Mrs Jacqueline Jackson jnmunro@btinternet.com 46

15

March 2023 Report from District Councillor, Richard West Planning Matters Planning officers are in discussion with the applicant and agent reference applications 22/01426/FUL58, High Street, and 22/01359/FUL Land West of the Bungalow River Lane.

The following application is ongoing and has missed the target date: 22/02484/FUL 25 Brookside 30 Jan 2023.

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 maryP2707@hotmail.com Please do contact Annette with any enquiries about weddings, baptisms, and funerals. We can be very flexible with days and times for these special services.

Regular services at Great Paxton Church

Two other applications are in progress: 23/00156/HHFUL 47 Rectory Close target date 23 March 2023 and 23/00190/HHFUL 22 London Lane 18 April 2023.

Application 22/02302/FUL 51, London Lane 30 Jan 2023 has been approved.

Huntingdon Community Engagement Meeting The following items were discussed: POLICING STRUCTURE • Inspector • 1 Sergeant, 7 Constables, 3 PCSOs at Huntingdon • 1 Sergeant, 2 Constables, 2 PCSOs at St Ives and Ramsey • 1 Sergeant, 4 Constables, 1 PCSO at St Neots • Supported by 24/7 Reactive team, CID Specialist team operational support.

1st Sunday in the month: 9.00am Prayer Book Communion 2nd Sunday in the month: 11.00 All Age Worship 3rd Sunday of the month: 11.00am Holy Communion 4th Sunday of the month: 11.00am Morning Prayer •

For news from all of our four churches in the Paxtons benefice, please go to our website: www.thepaxtonsbenefice.org or benefice Facebook page @The Paxtons Benefice The Coronation Weekend

CRIME UPDATE • Drugs 146 down to 92 • Dwelling Burglary including building site 42 up to 55 • Robbery 15 down to 11 • Weapons 35 down to 20 14

47

March 2023 Report from District Councillor, Richard West Planning Matters Planning officers are in discussion with the applicant and agent reference applications 22/01426/FUL58, High Street, and 22/01359/FUL Land West of the Bungalow River Lane.

The following application is ongoing and has missed the target date: 22/02484/FUL 25 Brookside 30 Jan 2023.

We may hold some of our services in the chancel during May due to the building works taking place.

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 maryP2707@hotmail.com Please do contact Annette with any enquiries about weddings, baptisms, and funerals. We can be very flexible with days and times for these special services.

Regular services at Great Paxton Church

Two other applications are in progress: 23/00156/HHFUL 47 Rectory Close target date 23 March 2023 and 23/00190/HHFUL 22 London Lane 18 April 2023.

Application 22/02302/FUL 51, London Lane 30 Jan 2023 has been approved.

Huntingdon Community Engagement Meeting The following items were discussed: POLICING STRUCTURE • Inspector • 1 Sergeant, 7 Constables, 3 PCSOs at Huntingdon • 1 Sergeant, 2 Constables, 2 PCSOs at St Ives and Ramsey • 1 Sergeant, 4 Constables, 1 PCSO at St Neots • Supported by 24/7 Reactive team, CID Specialist team operational support.

CRIME UPDATE • Drugs 146 down to 92 • Dwelling Burglary including building site 42 up to 55 • Robbery 15 down to 11 • Weapons 35 down to 20 14

1st Sunday in the month: 9.00am Prayer Book Communion 2nd Sunday in the month: 11.00 All Age Worship 3rd Sunday of the month: 11.00am Holy Communion 4th Sunday of the month: 11.00am Morning Prayer •

We may hold some of our services in the chancel during May due to the building works taking place.

For news from all of our four churches in the Paxtons benefice, please go to our website: www.thepaxtonsbenefice.org or benefice Facebook page @The Paxtons Benefice The Coronation Weekend

47

We were hoping to have a short service on May 7th in the afternoon at Great Paxton Church to mark the Coronation. But due to the likelihood of the repair works having just begun and the organ being in pieces as it is relocated from the south aisle to the north aisle, it is best not to plan anything too ambitious!

However, there will be a Benefice Celebration of the Coronation weekend on Sunday May 7th at 10.45am at Little Paxton Church to which anyone, of course, is invited from our four churches and beyond.

Here is a prayer for our new King Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.

Bless his reign and the life of our nation.

Help us to work together so that truth and justice, harmony and fairness flourish among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen The Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on Sunday March 13th in church after the morning service.

A full report of the activities of Holy Trinity Church year ending 2022 was given to all who attended along with the audited accounts. 2022 will be remembered for holding the Millennium Fest in July in and around the church, following previous unsuccessful attempts due to Covid.

Grateful thanks were expressed to everyone who had made the festival possible and such a success. The new Lancaster Memorial was also dedicated in the churchyard in May, the fruits of diligent planning and gaining of permissions.

48

We were hoping to have a short service on May 7th in the afternoon at Great Paxton Church to mark the Coronation. But due to the likelihood of the repair works having just begun and the organ being in pieces as it is relocated from the south aisle to the north aisle, it is best not to plan anything too ambitious!

However, there will be a Benefice Celebration of the Coronation weekend on Sunday May 7th at 10.45am at Little Paxton Church to which anyone, of course, is invited from our four churches and beyond.

Here is a prayer for our new King Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.

Bless his reign and the life of our nation.

Help us to work together so that truth and justice, harmony and fairness flourish among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen The Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on Sunday March 13th in church after the morning service.

A full report of the activities of Holy Trinity Church year ending 2022 was given to all who attended along with the audited accounts. 2022 will be remembered for holding the Millennium Fest in July in and around the church, following previous unsuccessful attempts due to Covid.

Grateful thanks were expressed to everyone who had made the festival possible and such a success. The new Lancaster Memorial was also dedicated in the churchyard in May, the fruits of diligent planning and gaining of permissions.

48

When we held the above event in July last year, we invited villagers to put suggestions in as to what would be interesting for the community to read in 2100 when the capsule will be opened. We took those into consideration and added other items and information over the last few months. Now, we’re doing a final project to ask if you’d like to leave a short note in an envelope to a grandchild who might still live here or perhaps to whoever is living in your house in 2100 to tell them about your time in the house and your experience of Great Paxton during 2020/2. Chris Hall has advertised this on the village Facebook pages and he’s left some envelopes in the Community Shop. Please do take that opportunity if you’d like to but we’ll be needing you to complete by 16th June as per Chris’s notice.

As you’ll see in the History Society pages, we’re holding an exhibition in the Church over the weekend of 1st and 2nd July 2023 and we’re planning tea, coffee, cake, escorted tower trips to see the old graffiti and bells. We’re also planning to officially ‘bury’ the TIME CAPSULE within Holy Trinity Minster on the afternoon of Sunday 2nd July (time to be confirmed). To this end, we’ve just purchased some lovely reclaimed oak which Alan Smith, one of the bell ringing team will fashion into a cradle to hold the capsule. We’d love you and especially the children to come and be part of this bit of village history. This final ceremony sees the last part of the Millenniumfest event completed. It has been an honour to deliver this with the team.

Diane James, Millenniumfest Project Manager 13

When we held the above event in July last year, we invited villagers to put suggestions in as to what would be interesting for the community to read in 2100 when the capsule will be opened. We took those into consideration and added other items and information over the last few months. Now, we’re doing a final project to ask if you’d like to leave a short note in an envelope to a grandchild who might still live here or perhaps to whoever is living in your house in 2100 to tell them about your time in the house and your experience of Great Paxton during 2020/2. Chris Hall has advertised this on the village Facebook pages and he’s left some envelopes in the Community Shop. Please do take that opportunity if you’d like to but we’ll be needing you to complete by 16th June as per Chris’s notice.

As you’ll see in the History Society pages, we’re holding an exhibition in the Church over the weekend of 1st and 2nd July 2023 and we’re planning tea, coffee, cake, escorted tower trips to see the old graffiti and bells. We’re also planning to officially ‘bury’ the TIME CAPSULE within Holy Trinity Minster on the afternoon of Sunday 2nd July (time to be confirmed). To this end, we’ve just purchased some lovely reclaimed oak which Alan Smith, one of the bell ringing team will fashion into a cradle to hold the capsule. We’d love you and especially the children to come and be part of this bit of village history. This final ceremony sees the last part of the Millenniumfest event completed. It has been an honour to deliver this with the team.

Diane James, Millenniumfest Project Manager 13

The full annual report is available by emailing Annette: canonannettereed@gmail.com Meetings are on 4th Monday of the month at The Bell Pub, Great Paxton 7.30-9.30pm The Crafty Belles gather in The Bell courtesy of our lovely Rachael.

We normally have a monthly craft that we try to do within the evening. We tend to show each other crafts we know and share knowledge. Some are more exciting than others it has to be said. So, if you have an interest in joining us please do. We are a friendly bunch, and you will be welcomed. Contact Diane James for more information at diane.james42@outlook.com We’re about to embark upon a new challenge that will run until its completion. It’s an embroidered panel to commemorate King Charles III’s forthcoming coronation. It will not be finished in time to hang on 6th May though! We do hope to hang it before the year is out and Rachael has given her blessing to hang it in the room of The Bell where the Crafty Belles have been meeting for the last 5 years!

Here is a sneaky view of what it might look like. I’m sorry you won’t see it in technicolour here, but you will be able to pop into the pub and see it for real at some point.

I will keep you posted.

12

Bob Hacking and Andrea Goodyer were elected as church wardens for a further year and Andrea also continues as PCC Secretary.

Jacqueline Jackson was elected as our ongoing treasurer. Graham Bevan and Andrea will be our Deanery Synod representatives for the coming year and Graham is our deputy warden. As well as those named above, five others were elected to serve on the PCC. Ann Nicholson stood down after over 25 years’ service on the PCC and was presented with some flowers as a token of thanks. We are grateful to everyone who gives their time and resources to supporting the Great Paxton Church community in any way.

The South Aisle Project begins The refurbishment of the South Aisle will commence during the last week in April with preparations being made to relocate the 19th century mechanical organ from the south aisle into the north aisle.

This work is being undertaken by Norman Hall and Sons who refurbished the organ in 2020. They will be making a new box for the electrical organ blower which currently is lodged in a stone structure on the exterior south wall. The blower will be inside the church henceforth in its new box in the north aisle. It may be that the organ is well covered for a few weeks whilst the south aisle is renovated to prevent any dust getting into the instrument.

Once the organ is in its new position, the rotten flooring of the south aisle can be taken up and a new surface prepared to receive an Ancaster Stone floor. This work is being undertaken by the Strickland brothers, Martin and Steve who replastered the interior walls in 2020. These works are partly funded by Cambridgeshire Historic 49

The full annual report is available by emailing Annette: canonannettereed@gmail.com Meetings are on 4th Monday of the month at The Bell Pub, Great Paxton 7.30-9.30pm The Crafty Belles gather in The Bell courtesy of our lovely Rachael.

We normally have a monthly craft that we try to do within the evening. We tend to show each other crafts we know and share knowledge. Some are more exciting than others it has to be said. So, if you have an interest in joining us please do. We are a friendly bunch, and you will be welcomed. Contact Diane James for more information at diane.james42@outlook.com We’re about to embark upon a new challenge that will run until its completion. It’s an embroidered panel to commemorate King Charles III’s forthcoming coronation. It will not be finished in time to hang on 6th May though! We do hope to hang it before the year is out and Rachael has given her blessing to hang it in the room of The Bell where the Crafty Belles have been meeting for the last 5 years!

Here is a sneaky view of what it might look like. I’m sorry you won’t see it in technicolour here, but you will be able to pop into the pub and see it for real at some point.

I will keep you posted.

12

Bob Hacking and Andrea Goodyer were elected as church wardens for a further year and Andrea also continues as PCC Secretary.

Jacqueline Jackson was elected as our ongoing treasurer. Graham Bevan and Andrea will be our Deanery Synod representatives for the coming year and Graham is our deputy warden. As well as those named above, five others were elected to serve on the PCC. Ann Nicholson stood down after over 25 years’ service on the PCC and was presented with some flowers as a token of thanks. We are grateful to everyone who gives their time and resources to supporting the Great Paxton Church community in any way.

The South Aisle Project begins The refurbishment of the South Aisle will commence during the last week in April with preparations being made to relocate the 19th century mechanical organ from the south aisle into the north aisle.

This work is being undertaken by Norman Hall and Sons who refurbished the organ in 2020. They will be making a new box for the electrical organ blower which currently is lodged in a stone structure on the exterior south wall. The blower will be inside the church henceforth in its new box in the north aisle. It may be that the organ is well covered for a few weeks whilst the south aisle is renovated to prevent any dust getting into the instrument.

Once the organ is in its new position, the rotten flooring of the south aisle can be taken up and a new surface prepared to receive an Ancaster Stone floor. This work is being undertaken by the Strickland brothers, Martin and Steve who replastered the interior walls in 2020. These works are partly funded by Cambridgeshire Historic 49

Churches Trust (£3000) and The National Churches Trust (£2142) as well as a donation from the MilleniumFest Committee. Any further donations towards redecoration will be most appreciated.

Our new QR code is very easy to use if you have a phone and bank card!

The Results of the April Great Paxton Church 100 Club draw. £100 Number 48 Paul Clarke £50 Number 115 Paul Richards £25 Number 196 Peter Dunn Thanks to everyone who supports the Great Paxton Church 100 Club and to Graham Bevan who organises this essential fundraising scheme for our 1,000 year old church.

THE OFFORDS WI OUTING We all went Ten Pin Bowling in the alley out at Pidley, Lunch and drinks to follow – better not get tiddly!

We all tried hard to make a strike: we chose the smoothest ball, We tripped and danced along the mat and no-one had a fall!

But oh, the balls were heavy and wonky was the lane, Our legs and backs complained a lot, our shoulders felt the pain.

But on we ploughed: it’s so much fun, or so we all declared, And yes, we cheated just a bit – but no-one really cared.

For we knew who was winning, though we sometimes broke the rules, Its having fun that matters – the WI aren’t fools!

We couldn’t read the final score: it didn’t really matter, We’d had a lovely morning, some dinner and a natter.

So, join your local WI: we really are quite nice, If life seems just a little drab – well we can add some spice.

We’re not all jam and knitting and some of us can’t bake, But we are part of something good and friends you’ll surely make!

Marion Warden

June brings a Local History Exhibition to church.

You will find details of the June local history display elsewhere in the Paxton Post, but it is great that the group are so active and willing and able to share their findings.

The Vicar and PCC are very grateful to Paul Ward who has crafted the amazing timeline of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day.

The series of posts and carved wooden plaques run alongside the churchyard path and the outcome is a remarkable creative endeavour for the village.

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Churches Trust (£3000) and The National Churches Trust (£2142) as well as a donation from the MilleniumFest Committee. Any further donations towards redecoration will be most appreciated.

THE OFFORDS WI OUTING We all went Ten Pin Bowling in the alley out at Pidley, Lunch and drinks to follow – better not get tiddly!

We all tried hard to make a strike: we chose the smoothest ball, We tripped and danced along the mat and no-one had a fall!

But oh, the balls were heavy and wonky was the lane, Our legs and backs complained a lot, our shoulders felt the pain.

But on we ploughed: it’s so much fun, or so we all declared, And yes, we cheated just a bit – but no-one really cared.

For we knew who was winning, though we sometimes broke the rules, Its having fun that matters – the WI aren’t fools!

We couldn’t read the final score: it didn’t really matter, We’d had a lovely morning, some dinner and a natter.

So, join your local WI: we really are quite nice, If life seems just a little drab – well we can add some spice.

We’re not all jam and knitting and some of us can’t bake, But we are part of something good and friends you’ll surely make!

Our new QR code is very easy to use if you have a phone and bank card!

The Results of the April Great Paxton Church 100 Club draw. £100 Number 48 Paul Clarke £50 Number 115 Paul Richards £25 Number 196 Peter Dunn Thanks to everyone who supports the Great Paxton Church 100 Club and to Graham Bevan who organises this essential fundraising scheme for our 1,000 year old church.

Marion Warden

June brings a Local History Exhibition to church.

You will find details of the June local history display elsewhere in the Paxton Post, but it is great that the group are so active and willing and able to share their findings.

The Vicar and PCC are very grateful to Paul Ward who has crafted the amazing timeline of the monarchs who have ruled over the area where Great Paxton lies from the 500s to the present day.

The series of posts and carved wooden plaques run alongside the churchyard path and the outcome is a remarkable creative endeavour for the village.

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11

recording the fun we had. The August meeting is a Tea Afternoon, usually in a garden. In January we have a New Year Dinner. It’s all very friendly and a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends.

Thank you to Paul who was assisted by Chris Hall and Jacqueline Wieczorek in the production of the project.

Please do visit and enjoy this unique walk through history to the present day.

The Offords WI is a part of the Huntingdon & Peterborough Federation of WIs. So not only would you have access to the events we run in The Offords, but also the events and outings arranged by the Headquarters in Huntingdon. These activities are open to all the many small branches across the district and include, so far this year, such things as Group Walks, an outing to Bletchley Park, theatre trips and various courses in crafts and skills – a recent one being a crochet workshop. Members receive a local monthly newsletter and also a larger nationally focused magazine.

If anything mentioned appeals to you, please do come along to one of our meetings. You can come as a visitor (£4.50) before deciding whether to join, and we will be happy to see you and explain more about what we do.

Our next meetings are as follows: Tuesday 11 April Speaker: Alison Williamson Subject: Whyte Wytch Artisan Cows Cheese Tuesday 9 May Speaker: Sally Clay Subject: Jewellery Making

•

•

Will we see you then? We hope so!

Marion Warden Please contact Jenny Murby (President) on 01480 811474 with any questions.

10

recording the fun we had. The August meeting is a Tea Afternoon, usually in a garden. In January we have a New Year Dinner. It’s all very friendly and a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends.

We look forward to several baptism and wedding services in the summer into autumn in Great Paxton Church. Please do contact Annette if you would like to discuss holding one of these lovely occasional offices.

Thank you to the Great Paxton School Community for coming into church for a wonderful end of spring term service just before Easter. The singing and words chosen were very uplifting. We wish the children, staff and school families a happy and productive summer term 2023!

51

Thank you to Paul who was assisted by Chris Hall and Jacqueline Wieczorek in the production of the project.

Please do visit and enjoy this unique walk through history to the present day.

The Offords WI is a part of the Huntingdon & Peterborough Federation of WIs. So not only would you have access to the events we run in The Offords, but also the events and outings arranged by the Headquarters in Huntingdon. These activities are open to all the many small branches across the district and include, so far this year, such things as Group Walks, an outing to Bletchley Park, theatre trips and various courses in crafts and skills – a recent one being a crochet workshop. Members receive a local monthly newsletter and also a larger nationally focused magazine.

If anything mentioned appeals to you, please do come along to one of our meetings. You can come as a visitor (£4.50) before deciding whether to join, and we will be happy to see you and explain more about what we do.

Our next meetings are as follows: Tuesday 11 April Speaker: Alison Williamson Subject: Whyte Wytch Artisan Cows Cheese Tuesday 9 May Speaker: Sally Clay Subject: Jewellery Making Will we see you then? We hope so!

Marion Warden Please contact Jenny Murby (President) on 01480 811474 with any questions.

10

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•

We look forward to several baptism and wedding services in the summer into autumn in Great Paxton Church. Please do contact Annette if you would like to discuss holding one of these lovely occasional offices.

Thank you to the Great Paxton School Community for coming into church for a wonderful end of spring term service just before Easter. The singing and words chosen were very uplifting. We wish the children, staff and school families a happy and productive summer term 2023!

51

FROM GREAT PAXTON TO UKRAINE – Graham James After news broke of the dreadful devastation caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, villager Diane James felt that something should be done to help the survivors. After a search for organisations that were sending out aid, we arranged to deliver whatever we collected to a mosque in Cambridge.

The appeal went out and Great Paxton answered in style. After just three days we realised that it was going to be more than a car full.

However, when we looked at the mosque’s website to check something and read that they were unable to take any more bags of clothing, we were left in a bit of a quandary. In the meantime, the gifts continued to arrive with one person alone bringing 10 sacks. As we had virtually lost the use of our dining room and half of the hall, we were getting rather keen to find an alternative charity to take the pile of not just clothes but also footwear, tents and sanitary wear.

After many phone calls and internet searches, we discovered that charities were only wanting financial donations. We were therefore very relieved when I happened to see that someone in Little Paxton was helping some local Ukrainian families. We quickly made contact with him, and he put us in touch with a charity based in Lincolnshire that had been set up to send aid in the way of clothes and other items to families in Ukraine, and even to troops on the front line. https://m.facebook.com/Boxes-of-Hope108281751797753/?ref=page_internal A phone call to Mandy, the founder of the charity, at last sounded promising and, having checked that no donors had any objection, we arranged for her to come and collect the bags and sacks. Firstly though, we thought that it was best to check with her whether she would be able to take all the sacks, which had now grown to a grand total of 60.

52

FROM GREAT PAXTON TO UKRAINE – Graham James After news broke of the dreadful devastation caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, villager Diane James felt that something should be done to help the survivors. After a search for organisations that were sending out aid, we arranged to deliver whatever we collected to a mosque in Cambridge.

The appeal went out and Great Paxton answered in style. After just three days we realised that it was going to be more than a car full.

However, when we looked at the mosque’s website to check something and read that they were unable to take any more bags of clothing, we were left in a bit of a quandary. In the meantime, the gifts continued to arrive with one person alone bringing 10 sacks. As we had virtually lost the use of our dining room and half of the hall, we were getting rather keen to find an alternative charity to take the pile of not just clothes but also footwear, tents and sanitary wear.

After many phone calls and internet searches, we discovered that charities were only wanting financial donations. We were therefore very relieved when I happened to see that someone in Little Paxton was helping some local Ukrainian families. We quickly made contact with him, and he put us in touch with a charity based in Lincolnshire that had been set up to send aid in the way of clothes and other items to families in Ukraine, and even to troops on the front line. https://m.facebook.com/Boxes-of-Hope108281751797753/?ref=page_internal A phone call to Mandy, the founder of the charity, at last sounded promising and, having checked that no donors had any objection, we arranged for her to come and collect the bags and sacks. Firstly though, we thought that it was best to check with her whether she would be able to take all the sacks, which had now grown to a grand total of 60.

52

WI – Have you ever thought of joining?

The WI was formed in 1915 to give women a voice and to be a force for good. As Great Paxton doesn’t have its own WI, perhaps I can tell you about The Offords branch and extend an invitation for you to join?

Our group has been in existence for over 100 years! We do have some members who live in Great Paxton and would be happy to welcome more, of any age. Our older members give us the backbone, but we need younger members to secure our future!

We currently have about 25 members, but would welcome new faces to bring fresh ideas, skills and enthusiasm. The WI, first and foremost, gives you the chance to meet other people in a friendly setting, and to be inspired to try new things – or to share your skills with others. It can be whatever you want it to be. You would have the opportunity to contribute by helping with the running of the group, but it’s certainly not essential.

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month in The Offords Village Hall in Offord Cluny at 7.30. There is a programme of events for these monthly meets; often we have a speaker, or someone to demonstrate a skill, perhaps an author or historian or a food tasting.

Last month we had a demonstration of making cold porcelain flowers. There is a short meeting during the course of the evening to conduct business and make announcements, but the rest of the time is social with a raffle, refreshments and a competition. We try new crafts ourselves and are just starting a small Knit, Natter and Books group.

We arrange several outings each year, the last one being Ten Pin Bowling with lunch. One of our members has written a poem 9

WI – Have you ever thought of joining?

The WI was formed in 1915 to give women a voice and to be a force for good. As Great Paxton doesn’t have its own WI, perhaps I can tell you about The Offords branch and extend an invitation for you to join?

Our group has been in existence for over 100 years! We do have some members who live in Great Paxton and would be happy to welcome more, of any age. Our older members give us the backbone, but we need younger members to secure our future!

We currently have about 25 members, but would welcome new faces to bring fresh ideas, skills and enthusiasm. The WI, first and foremost, gives you the chance to meet other people in a friendly setting, and to be inspired to try new things – or to share your skills with others. It can be whatever you want it to be. You would have the opportunity to contribute by helping with the running of the group, but it’s certainly not essential.

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month in The Offords Village Hall in Offord Cluny at 7.30. There is a programme of events for these monthly meets; often we have a speaker, or someone to demonstrate a skill, perhaps an author or historian or a food tasting.

Last month we had a demonstration of making cold porcelain flowers. There is a short meeting during the course of the evening to conduct business and make announcements, but the rest of the time is social with a raffle, refreshments and a competition. We try new crafts ourselves and are just starting a small Knit, Natter and Books group.

We arrange several outings each year, the last one being Ten Pin Bowling with lunch. One of our members has written a poem 9

Chef’s Corner – Sarah at The Bell

We were very relieved when, two days later, Mandy turned up in a suitably sized van and with a very infectious enthusiasm. Her charity regularly arranges lorries, and she reassured us that the donations will be very gratefully received.

She wanted to pass on her sincere thanks to everyone who kindly donated.

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Chef’s Corner – Sarah at The Bell

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We were very relieved when, two days later, Mandy turned up in a suitably sized van and with a very infectious enthusiasm. Her charity regularly arranges lorries, and she reassured us that the donations will be very gratefully received.

She wanted to pass on her sincere thanks to everyone who kindly donated.

8

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committee and the winners announced at The Bell pub and via a Facebook live feed. (Please note, entrants can only win one category).

It is set to be a wonderful event for all the family, So come on Great Paxton, let’s put our fantastic village on the map!

Jo, Raqi, Andrea, Julie, Karen, Tara and Val GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com

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committee and the winners announced at The Bell pub and via a Facebook live feed. (Please note, entrants can only win one category).

It is set to be a wonderful event for all the family, So come on Great Paxton, let’s put our fantastic village on the map!

Jo, Raqi, Andrea, Julie, Karen, Tara and Val GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com

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This is the plan for the festival week: SCARECROWS As before, scarecrows will need to be on display from 10am on Saturday 16th until end of day on Sunday 24th September (so consider the wonderful British weather when making your scarecrow!) As mentioned, there is no theme, and it is free to enter. A completed entry form (included within the next edition of The Paxton Post) is required in order to be eligible to win the prizes, and this form must be returned by 10th September. You will then be given an official entry number that needs to be displayed near your scarecrow for the week, so that people can vote for your creation. You do not need to use straw, but if you would like to then I am hoping the lovely residents of College Farm may be able to donate some again.

FIRST DAY SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER – THE BELL PUB CAR PARK FOOD, CRAFTS, AND GAME STALLS – FROM 12 NOON Food vendors, craft stalls, game stalls and hopefully face painting will be available in The Bell car park on the first Saturday of the festival week.

FANCY DRESS COMPETITION – 3PM Children are invited to attend The Bell garden at 3pm on 16 th for a fancy dress competition – no theme, and free to enter! (Age 11 and under). Prizes to be won!

VOTING / WINNERS Voting by the public will take place all week using the voting slips available on the map/scarecrow entry list. People will be asked to vote for their favourites according to the three categories. These votes will be counted on the afternoon of Sunday 24th September by the 6

This is the plan for the festival week: SCARECROWS As before, scarecrows will need to be on display from 10am on Saturday 16th until end of day on Sunday 24th September (so consider the wonderful British weather when making your scarecrow!) As mentioned, there is no theme, and it is free to enter. A completed entry form (included within the next edition of The Paxton Post) is required in order to be eligible to win the prizes, and this form must be returned by 10th September. You will then be given an official entry number that needs to be displayed near your scarecrow for the week, so that people can vote for your creation. You do not need to use straw, but if you would like to then I am hoping the lovely residents of College Farm may be able to donate some again.

FIRST DAY SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER – THE BELL PUB CAR PARK FOOD, CRAFTS, AND GAME STALLS – FROM 12 NOON Food vendors, craft stalls, game stalls and hopefully face painting will be available in The Bell car park on the first Saturday of the festival week.

FANCY DRESS COMPETITION – 3PM Children are invited to attend The Bell garden at 3pm on 16 th for a fancy dress competition – no theme, and free to enter! (Age 11 and under). Prizes to be won!

VOTING / WINNERS Voting by the public will take place all week using the voting slips available on the map/scarecrow entry list. People will be asked to vote for their favourites according to the three categories. These votes will be counted on the afternoon of Sunday 24th September by the 6

GREAT PAXTON HISTORY SOCIETY - Graham James This edition’s dip into the archives provides an insight into the story of a formidable villager who helped shape the lives of hundreds of Great Paxton children.

Miss Maude Sarah Etchells was born in 1859 in Warwickshire. We don’t know when she moved here but in 1881, aged 21, she was living as a lodger with a family on the Main Road, as the High Street was then known. She later moved into the schoolhouse which adjoined the school at the top of Church Lane. She shared the house with her nephew who was a musical student.

We are lucky that some villagers wrote their memories of life here during Miss Etchells’ long tenure, so we have Rowena Bryan, Dick Ashton, Fred Luddington and Bert Goodwin to thank for these stories.

Rowena was at the school from about 1902 to 1910. Children spent their whole schooling here until they were 13, if they were needed to help in working on the land, or 14 if they showed a potential promise of further education. This was very rare in Great Paxton. She described Miss Etchells as very strict, not allowing children to have any contact with other children in the classroom, either verbal or even visual. She would watch over them, peering over her goldrimmed spectacles. Rowena was actually scared of her and if she saw her in the distance cycling towards her, she would hide. Her discipline was in full sight as her cane hung on the wall behind her desk. Once, whilst trying to cane a boy on the hand, he whisked it away so that she missed. He then did it again leading to her dragging him over her desk and caning his backside.

Dick Ashton, who was at the school at about the same time, describes more methods of punishment. He was in a fight with 55

GREAT PAXTON HISTORY SOCIETY - Graham James This edition’s dip into the archives provides an insight into the story of a formidable villager who helped shape the lives of hundreds of Great Paxton children.

Miss Maude Sarah Etchells was born in 1859 in Warwickshire. We don’t know when she moved here but in 1881, aged 21, she was living as a lodger with a family on the Main Road, as the High Street was then known. She later moved into the schoolhouse which adjoined the school at the top of Church Lane. She shared the house with her nephew who was a musical student.

We are lucky that some villagers wrote their memories of life here during Miss Etchells’ long tenure, so we have Rowena Bryan, Dick Ashton, Fred Luddington and Bert Goodwin to thank for these stories.

Rowena was at the school from about 1902 to 1910. Children spent their whole schooling here until they were 13, if they were needed to help in working on the land, or 14 if they showed a potential promise of further education. This was very rare in Great Paxton. She described Miss Etchells as very strict, not allowing children to have any contact with other children in the classroom, either verbal or even visual. She would watch over them, peering over her goldrimmed spectacles. Rowena was actually scared of her and if she saw her in the distance cycling towards her, she would hide. Her discipline was in full sight as her cane hung on the wall behind her desk. Once, whilst trying to cane a boy on the hand, he whisked it away so that she missed. He then did it again leading to her dragging him over her desk and caning his backside.

Dick Ashton, who was at the school at about the same time, describes more methods of punishment. He was in a fight with 55

another boy who had ruined one of Dick’s paintings. For this, Dick says that he was punished by being hit with a cricket bat. Cricket stumps were also sometimes used as well as a hairbrush, though this was usually on the girls.

Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival IT’S BACK! Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th September Sponsored by: I am delighted to report the Scarecrow Festival will be back for a third year!! As many of you know, I felt I was unable to carry on with the Scarecrow Festival single handedly, but thanks to some amazing people in the village there is now a Scarecrow “committee”!

Miss Etchells, on the left, with her class of 1902.

It didn’t stop boys misbehaving though. At harvest time they would play a trick on the teachers by coming to school with a pocketful of mice. These would be released, and the children would see Miss Etchells scream and clamber onto her desk.

Boys had a subject called Sloyd carpentry. This was a type of teaching originating in Sweden which looked at education in a non-vocational manner. It was designed to help children develop skills together with showing the need for accuracy and quality. In Sweden it would have been carving wood but here it was cutting cardboard, presumably with sharp knives. It was regarded as a modern approach away from the traditional three Rs, which seems quite surprising for a small, simple village.

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another boy who had ruined one of Dick’s paintings. For this, Dick says that he was punished by being hit with a cricket bat. Cricket stumps were also sometimes used as well as a hairbrush, though this was usually on the girls.

This means the event will hopefully be bigger and better than ever before! So put the date in your diary and get those scarecrow thinking caps on!

The committee have decided there will not be a theme again, as we do not want to deter people from entering. Anything goes! It is still completely free to enter, and this year we have changed the prize categories. You will be in with a chance of winning one of the following: Best Named Scarecrow - £50 cash from Hire or Buy Group Funniest Scarecrow - £50 voucher for The Bell Most original Scarecrow - £50 cash from Peter Anderson Cars We had 59 official entries in our first year, 71 last year – let’s try and get over 100 this year! Without your fantastic creations there will not be a festival, so please do join in if you can.

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Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival IT’S BACK! Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th September Sponsored by: I am delighted to report the Scarecrow Festival will be back for a third year!! As many of you know, I felt I was unable to carry on with the Scarecrow Festival single handedly, but thanks to some amazing people in the village there is now a Scarecrow “committee”!

Miss Etchells, on the left, with her class of 1902.

It didn’t stop boys misbehaving though. At harvest time they would play a trick on the teachers by coming to school with a pocketful of mice. These would be released, and the children would see Miss Etchells scream and clamber onto her desk.

Boys had a subject called Sloyd carpentry. This was a type of teaching originating in Sweden which looked at education in a non-vocational manner. It was designed to help children develop skills together with showing the need for accuracy and quality. In Sweden it would have been carving wood but here it was cutting cardboard, presumably with sharp knives. It was regarded as a modern approach away from the traditional three Rs, which seems quite surprising for a small, simple village.

56

This means the event will hopefully be bigger and better than ever before! So put the date in your diary and get those scarecrow thinking caps on!

The committee have decided there will not be a theme again, as we do not want to deter people from entering. Anything goes! It is still completely free to enter, and this year we have changed the prize categories. You will be in with a chance of winning one of the following: Best Named Scarecrow - £50 cash from Hire or Buy Group Funniest Scarecrow - £50 voucher for The Bell Most original Scarecrow - £50 cash from Peter Anderson Cars We had 59 official entries in our first year, 71 last year – let’s try and get over 100 this year! Without your fantastic creations there will not be a festival, so please do join in if you can.

5

Miss Etchells though also taught all children to sew and knit. Fred Luddington said that he wasn’t too keen on this at the time, but it came in very useful when needing to repair clothes when in the trenches in World War 1. Incidentally, Fred didn’t start school until he was 5 years old rather than the normal age of 3 as he lived at College Farm, and it was deemed to be too far to walk!

Bert Goodwin was taught by her about 14 years later than the others mentioned, as his mother had been earlier. He also described Miss Etchells as being very strict and stern, sometimes even cruel - but fair. He did admit though she would help anyone, as long as they were not slacking. She also ran classes in the Reading Rooms (Towgood Institute) twice a week to help any older boys who needed extra help. She wrote and produced the Christmas concerts, and she served on the Parish Council. In 1921 she laid a wreath at the unveiling of the war memorial as 7 of the soldiers named on it had been taught by her.

Around 1928 when she was aged 69, she was approached by the Rowley family. They owned a huge house and land in St Neots where Priory Park is now and they contributed much of the money to fund the new cinema. They also owned a Manor House and most of the houses in the village of Morcott in Rutland. They were moving back and, despite her age, wanted Miss Etchells to run the school there.

She was difficult to replace after such a long time in charge here. Her replacement was a Miss Coles who was described as being more interested in nature walks than discipline. Some school inspectors on a visit found out that for many years the school had not even been using the correct curriculum. I wonder if it partly explains the poor academic record of the school.

There is a coincidental link between the two villages in which she spent most of her life. Morcott is close to the former RAF base of 4

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Miss Etchells though also taught all children to sew and knit. Fred Luddington said that he wasn’t too keen on this at the time, but it came in very useful when needing to repair clothes when in the trenches in World War 1. Incidentally, Fred didn’t start school until he was 5 years old rather than the normal age of 3 as he lived at College Farm, and it was deemed to be too far to walk!

Bert Goodwin was taught by her about 14 years later than the others mentioned, as his mother had been earlier. He also described Miss Etchells as being very strict and stern, sometimes even cruel - but fair. He did admit though she would help anyone, as long as they were not slacking. She also ran classes in the Reading Rooms (Towgood Institute) twice a week to help any older boys who needed extra help. She wrote and produced the Christmas concerts, and she served on the Parish Council. In 1921 she laid a wreath at the unveiling of the war memorial as 7 of the soldiers named on it had been taught by her.

Around 1928 when she was aged 69, she was approached by the Rowley family. They owned a huge house and land in St Neots where Priory Park is now and they contributed much of the money to fund the new cinema. They also owned a Manor House and most of the houses in the village of Morcott in Rutland. They were moving back and, despite her age, wanted Miss Etchells to run the school there.

She was difficult to replace after such a long time in charge here. Her replacement was a Miss Coles who was described as being more interested in nature walks than discipline. Some school inspectors on a visit found out that for many years the school had not even been using the correct curriculum. I wonder if it partly explains the poor academic record of the school.

There is a coincidental link between the two villages in which she spent most of her life. Morcott is close to the former RAF base of 4

57

North Luffenham and during World War 2 it was used as a training base for warplanes. In January 1945 a training mission went wrong and, like here, a Lancaster bomber crashed in the village soon after take-off, killing 7 crew members. Miss Etchells would not have seen this however as she died in 1939 whilst living in Stamford. She was 80 years of age, having spent about 47 of them teaching at our school.

Maybe we could suggest a road to be named after her in the future.

Editorial by Julie Stock I hope you all enjoyed the last issue of The Paxton Post. I had some very positive feedback with everyone happy to see so many articles included once again. In March I attended the Parish Council meeting to ask whether we could afford to print the whole magazine in colour but there are a lot of demands for funds at the moment so we will have to wait for now. Please send your articles and photos/posters for inclusion to me at woodbeez48@gmail.com.

* Please remember that you can also read the magazine online via the Community tab on the Parish Council website at https://greatpaxtonpc.gov.uk/. If you’d like to contribute to the next issue, please note the deadline dates below. We now have an advertising policy for local businesses as well. Please contact me if you’re interested in this.

Deadline Dates for Upcoming Issues The Paxton Post is published 6 times a year. Cut off dates are now the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please see the table below for these dates. It is the responsibility of contributors to ensure articles are submitted to the Editor by these dates. Thank you.

Edition July – August September – October November – December January – February March-April May – June

Copy deadline 15 June 15 August 15 October 15 December 15 February 15 April

Paxton Post is published by Easiprint Ltd in association with Great Paxton Parish Council and is funded by the Council. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, neither the editor, the printer or the Parish Council can be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, the publisher or the Parish Council.

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North Luffenham and during World War 2 it was used as a training base for warplanes. In January 1945 a training mission went wrong and, like here, a Lancaster bomber crashed in the village soon after take-off, killing 7 crew members. Miss Etchells would not have seen this however as she died in 1939 whilst living in Stamford. She was 80 years of age, having spent about 47 of them teaching at our school.

Maybe we could suggest a road to be named after her in the future.

Editorial by Julie Stock I hope you all enjoyed the last issue of The Paxton Post. I had some very positive feedback with everyone happy to see so many articles included once again. In March I attended the Parish Council meeting to ask whether we could afford to print the whole magazine in colour but there are a lot of demands for funds at the moment so we will have to wait for now. Please send your articles and photos/posters for inclusion to me at woodbeez48@gmail.com.

* Please remember that you can also read the magazine online via the Community tab on the Parish Council website at https://greatpaxtonpc.gov.uk/. If you’d like to contribute to the next issue, please note the deadline dates below. We now have an advertising policy for local businesses as well. Please contact me if you’re interested in this.

Deadline Dates for Upcoming Issues The Paxton Post is published 6 times a year. Cut off dates are now the 15th of the month prior to publication. Please see the table below for these dates. It is the responsibility of contributors to ensure articles are submitted to the Editor by these dates. Thank you.

Edition July – August September – October November – December January – February March-April May – June

Copy deadline 15 June 15 August 15 October 15 December 15 February 15 April

Paxton Post is published by Easiprint Ltd in association with Great Paxton Parish Council and is funded by the Council. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, neither the editor, the printer or the Parish Council can be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, the publisher or the Parish Council.

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Paxton Post

Issue 36 May - June 2023

THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

Paxton Post THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

Issue 36 May - June 2023