Paxton Post Edition 10

Issue 10

Paxton Post

January - February 2019

THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

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"Our business is built around 3 things, As we care about our customers and the service we provide, this enables our business to grow from strength to strength. Over the past 38 years, our customer records have flourished, but our values remain. 'Our pride is in our promise offering the best value and customer service'�.

This is your magazine, and it needs your contributions.

All contributions to the next issue of the magazine are gratefully received. We particularly welcome: • News of village events • Photographs from the village • Private for sale adverts • Recipe ideas • Letters to the Editor • Reviews and Opinions • Anything you feel the village would be interested in.

Contributions should be sent to Simon using the details below: Email: simon@easiprintandcopy.co.uk Telephone: 01733 602302 Post: Easiprint, Suite 5, 4 Blenheim Court, Peppercorn Close, Peterborough, PE1 2DU

The Paxton Post is delivered to every home in Great Paxton, and advertising is available at competitive rates. Advertising is not only great local exposure for local businesses, but it also helps support this village magazine, which is a real asset to Great Paxton.

The Paxton Post is published every two months.

Our rates are: Quarter Page Mono - £ 5.00 per issue Full Page Mono - £15.00 per issue Half Page Mono - £ 8.00 per issue Full Page in Colour - £20.00 per issue Advertisements should be sent to Simon using the details below: Email: simon@easiprintandcopy.co.uk Telephone: 01733 602302 Post: Easiprint, Suite 5, 4 Blenheim Court, Peppercorn Close, Peterborough, PE1 2DU

You adv r herert e

Recycling Waste Green Waste Thursday 3rd January Monday 14th January Wednesday 16th January Monday 28th January Wednesday 30st January Monday 11th February Wednesday 13th February Monday 25th February Wednesday 27th February For more information on your bin collections, including what goes in what bin visit http://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins-waste/

Black General Waste Wednesday 9th January Wednesday 23rd January Wednesday 6th February Wednesday 20th February

Paxton Post is published by Easiprint Ltd in association with Great Paxton Parish Council. It is funded by the Parish Council, with help from advertisements. Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, neither the Editor nor the Parish Council can be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or the Parish Council.

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Service times at Holy Trinity Church.

1st Sunday in the month: 9.00am Prayer Book Holy Communion 2nd Sunday in the month: 11.00am All Age Worship.

3rd Sunday in the month: 11.00am Holy Communion.

4th Sunday in the month: 11.00am Morning Prayer.

Vicar: Canon Annette Reed 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens: Mr Bob Hacking 1 Mint Lane, Great Paxton 01480 219846

Mrs Sarah Gray, 12 Church Lane, Great Paxton 01480 214015

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 MaryP2707@hotmail.com Anyone is most welcome to contact Annette with an enquiry about a wedding baptism or funeral. If you would like her to visit you, please do get in touch.

The Facebook page for the benefice of the Paxtons with Southoe and Diddington: @ The PaxtonsBenefice 4

CHARITY RACE NIGHT In aid of the Recreation Ground

At The Bell On 9th February Racing starts at 8pm Papa Cucina wood fired pizza oven will also be there serving yummy pizza

12th April -VICAR’s CRAZY, CURIOUS QUIZ Venue: Village Hall starting at 7.30. Teams of up to 6, £5 per head inc buffet.

To book a place or team, please call Graham Bevan on 212637 or Diane and Graham James on 406938

13th April - AFRICAN DRUMMING ‘TASTER’ WORKSHOPS Tickets on sale from the village shop or from Diane and Graham James on (01480) 406938 or Diane's mobile, (07522) 449535 from mid January. There will be 32 places for each of the 45 minute sessions that will be separated by 20 mins for refreshments. A nice activity whilst the children are on school holidays. Get your tickets soon as we expect this to be very popular. All welcome!

9th to 16th - June HOLY TRINITY FEAST WEEK This festival dates back to at least the 18th century which our Reverend Annette Reed would like to see reprieved.

9th June PAXTON PLACE OPEN GARDEN With stalls, afternoon tea and some traditional games for the children and adults to get involved in.

Running through Feast week - HISTORY OF GREAT PAXTON EXHIBITION in Holy Trinity Church (staffed during afternoons by History group members).

Running through Feast week -VILLAGERS COMPETITION - A Floral door wreath Create a beautiful floral wreath to adorn your door during the week. Judges will walk around village on a given day to choose a winner who will be announced during activities on Holy Trinity Sunday on 16th Themes and categories to be announced. Let's make our village look beautiful for our feast week celebrations

16th June (a.m.) - HOLY TRINITY DAY SERVICE followed by....

Maypole dances either in churchyard or adjoining orchard if we can obtain 6

permission from the alpacas! (We will be approaching the School, Brownie and Rainbow leaders soon to ask if children could learn how to do a sequence of Maypole dancing.)

16th June (p.m.) SUMMER MUSIC from CAMBRIDGE VOICES who gave us a wonderful programme of music to start our WWI commemorations. Tickets will be on sale from our village community shop or from Diane and Graham on 01480 406938 or mobile 07522 449535 from March.... book early to avoid disappointment.

We are planning to continue crafting in the new year following the enjoyment off poppy crafting. Two projects have been identified. One is the creation of a massive length of ‘HERITAGE’ BUNTING which will be used at many village events over years to come. If you would like to be part of that, we will be asking families or individuals to craft a pendant and personalise/decorate it in any medium that will be lasting such as cloth, felt, knitted or crocheted.

More information, crafting dates and template will be circulated.

The second is quite an ambitious project for which we need to seek funding.

It will be to create TAPESTRY SEAT PADS for the Church to make it more comfortable for its regular congregation, family occasions and the concerts/entertainment we hope to continue offering to residents of the village and surrounding area. Whilst we will take a little time to secure that funding, we will in the meantime, be offering villagers the opportunity to sponsor a 100cm x 30cm x 2.5cm pad to commemorate a special occasion such as a birth, wedding, special anniversary etc. Sponsorship is yet to be confirmed but it will be to cover the cost of the required materials. The work will be done voluntarily by the crafting group and if you would like to join us when we start we would welcome your help. No experience is necessary as tuition can be offered.

*Please look out for news updates from January on Great Paxton Community and Great Paxton Remembers facebook sites and also, all of the village noticeboards, future editions of Paxton Post the Community shop notice boards and the village website.

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Myself and the team would like to wish all our customers, old and new a very Happy New Year.

We are planning a number of events including our year anniversary and also thinking about St Patrick's night and Easter, so please watch this space.

As always there is still lots going on at The Bell. We are shutting our kitchen from 1st January 2019 to 16th January where we shall be doing some maintenance work to the kitchen and also updating our menu. We plan on making some changes whilst keeping some of the more popular dishes but bringing in new ones to try as well. We are also looking to expand our specials board. Food has really taken off here at The Bell and we want to maintain our home-cooked menu, whilst still being able to give something a little a different as well.

2018 has seen a number of changes at The Bell and we want to keep moving forward and offering customers something they want, a family, friendly, village pub atmosphere.

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and also review us on Trip Advisor. We also have our website, http://www.mybellpub.com

Happy New Year to you all and we look forward to seeing you soon

We have our Whiskey Tasting Event on 25th January at 8:30pm. Tickets are ÂŁ20 each and will allow you to taste up to 20 whiskies. Please contact Rachael at The Bell should you wish to purchase a ticket.

Rachael Martin Manager 01480 700107 thebellgreatpaxton@yahoo.com

We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month at 11:00 at The Bell. We have tea or coffee and cake, we chat together and then either have a quiz, play games such as Dominos etc. We now have a bingo game which we have

tried out once, everyone enjoyed it and we had small prizes for 1st line & 1st full house etc. We don’t intend to do Bingo every time, just now and again.

Angela, Marion, Sue & Phyllis

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Thank you to everyone who helped the village commemorate the 100 years since the end of World War One in November. It was a magnificent effort and really showed what can be done with enthusiasm and encouragement.

The book ‘Great Paxton Remembers’ (copies still available in the Community Shop) will be a lasting tribute to the men on the War Memorial, and the big display items have been stored in the church for next year.

We are planning a revised local history meeting on Monday 21st January 2019 at The Bell 7pm to 9pm if you would like to come along. We will be thinking about what we want to do next year and how we will manage the group. Some ideas already being thought about include trips out, speakers in, as well as the resurrection of the Holy Trinity Feast week 9th to 16th June. This event dates back to at least the 18th. century and the planning has already started. There will be all sorts of events, concerts, village competitions and exhibitions happening including Paxton Place open gardens with stalls, afternoon tea and some traditional games for the children and adults to get involved in, so lots of help will be needed please. Think of the fetes we attended in the past and all the lovely games. For details see elsewhere in Paxton Post.

Also running through Feast week there will be a History Of Great Paxton Exhibition in Holy Trinity Church (staffed afternoon opening by History group members please) so we would like everyone to help here as well, creating and curating the exhibition. It is also hoped that during the week there will be

dancing aroundthe old maypole which has been found and (we hope) restored.

Anyone remember the dance movements or the music?

After this January meeting, dates have been booked with The Bell for the second Monday every month so that we don’t clash with other meetings (such as the Parish Council meeting) and other activities at the pub. We realise that Monday will not be good for everyone but we had to choose a regular day that didn’t clash with evening food being served. The next meetings will therefore be Monday 11th February, Monday 11th March, Monday 8th April, 7pm to 9pm.

The Facebook page ‘Great Paxton Remembers’ has been converted to act as the page for our local history group, and broadens the scope of the Honouring Great Paxton... page from just Remembrance Sunday and World War One research to Great Paxton local history in all its forms. We will keep researching the names of the WW1 survivors, the WW2 names, and there are lots more projects proposed. There will be regular updates in Paxton Post, on the new Village website (https://greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk) and there will also be posters in the community shop, the pub and on the village noticeboards.

We hope many of you will join us at The Bell on Monday 21st January, at 7pm, but if that’s not possible and you would like to be informed of what is happening please let me know your phone number or email contact and house address and I will find a way of contacting you.

Jacqueline Wieczorek, 01480 477035 Jacqueline.wieczorek@gmail.com

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Your Parish Council met in October and November and this is a report of those meetings and news since then.

To address the continuing problem of vehicle speed in the village, the Parish Council has again asked Cambridgeshire County Council to support an application for funding towards the installation of two build out features on the High Street.

Our case was made to a County Council Panel in December and the Parish Council is hopeful of a positive response to our request by March.

Thank you to all who responded to the Parish Council’s survey on the Cycle Path.

Whilst most replies were in support of the project, overall, the response was disappointing and so a further request for views has been placed on Facebook to try and attract feedback from those residents who regularly use social media.

In the meantime, Councillors were hoping to meet with County Council Officers to discuss whether they would be prepared to support and project manage a scheme in Great Paxton given that Highways England have expressed an interest in helping to fund it. More news next time!

Ownership of the land to the rear of The Bell Public House has been raised with the Parish Council as there is support from some residents to bring this into community use. Responsibility for this land lies with the Recreation Ground Committee and a meeting to discuss how it might be used in the future is to be held in the New Year. Please keep a lookout for the meeting date and venue.

The Parish Council has been awarded two grants from the Cambridgeshire

Community Foundation which will be used for new Speedwatch equipment (which will be shared with neighbouring parishes) and a new junior swing at Saxon Green Play Space. Hopefully you will see both in the village by Spring.

One of the most important jobs of a Parish Council is to sets its budget for the new financial year. In Great Paxton, this discussion takes place over two meeting and existing and potential expenditure is very carefully reviewed. The Parish Council was determined not to impose any additional financial burden on its residents so has agreed a budget which will result in no increase in the precept for 2019/20.

You might have had the opportunity to visit the new Council Website? This can be found at greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk This replaces the Great Paxton Village Website maintained so well by David Lloyd for many years. This new site will try to keep you informed of the activities and decisions of your Parish Council and up to date, as best it can, on what’s happening in your village and community. The Parish Council hopes to continue to improve the way it displays information to make sure that you find the new site useful, informative, appealing and easy to navigate. We would appreciate your feedback on any aspect of the site and any thoughts you might have on how we can make it better! The Parish Council hope that you find it an asset to the village.

EXTRAORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING. Former Councillor Mrs Barbara Boddington.

At Huntingdonshire District Council on Wednesday 19 December for the Conferment of the Title of Honorary Alderwomen under section 249 of the local government act 1972, was the Council in sincere appreciation of distinguished public service to the District and people of Huntingdonshire, and to the former ward of Gransden and The Offords to confer the title of Honorary Alderwoman on former District Councillor Mrs Barbara Boddington.

Barbara was first elected in 2003 becoming ward member for Gransden , and The Offords including Great Paxton.

During her 15 consecutive years in office, championed the cause of the ward with great rigor and enthusiasm.

Barbara contributed to a wide range of Council activities, serving a consecutive 13 years as a member of the Development Control Panel now the Development Management Committee, and the Standards Committee until 2016.

In more recent times was a member of the Licensing and Protection Panel and Overview and Scrutiny.

Barbara undertook number of roles for the Council and was Chairman of the Council, a role which was taken on with great diligence and enthusiasm during some difficulty and lengthy Council debates.

Barbara was also Chairman of the Development Management Committee and the Employment Committee having been Vice Chairman was committed to ensuring that the committees operated to the highest possible standards.

I had pleasure of sharing ward duties with Barbara for 12 years her interests were the interests of the residents, not for personal gain only to serve the community, caring person who always made contribution at meetings, seeking to find solution to any issue.

Congratulations Alderwoman Mrs Barbara Boddington.

RICHARD WEST DISTRICT COUNCILLOR Great Paxton Ward Tel 01480 811467 Email richard.west@huntingdonshire.gov.uk

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We're looking forward to more adventures and fun over the coming term but had a jammed packed last half term of 2018.

We've been exploring more the new programme for both units; Rainbows have made chocolate truffles, explored secrets for survival, completed glow in the dark tracking and trails and tested their skills as birdie builders. Brownies meanwhile have following up the visit to the Fire Station by practising their fire safety skills, completed a glow stick trail and emoji challenge, took on a lego tower / promise challenge and making fairy houses.

As well we've seen 1 Rainbow and 2 Brownies make their promises this term (the Brownies by candle lit fairy houses that the girls had designed and made) and 2 Rainbows complete their time and Pot of Gold ceremony before they move onto Brownies. We were also very proud to be able to award Maddie, our Young Leader, with her Young Leader Qualification after she's put so much effort and time into completing all of the requirements.

There were plenty of events outside of the unit meeting for both groups to take part in. We were so proud to take part in Great Paxton Remembers by creating a small, leading the procession from the green down to the church, having Brownies read about one of the soldiers from the village and laying a wreath.

As well as commemorating 100 years since the end of WW1 we also commemorated 100 years since women first gaining the right to vote. We joined other Rainbows, Brownies and Guides from across our District to take part in Votes for Women Day. Girls and leaders came dressed as inspirational women from history and took part in a host of activities, crafts, games and an afternoon tea.

We continue to join with other guiding members from our Guiding District as we met for a special Christingle service hosted at Little Paxton Church. It always feels as it is the start of Christmas as we sing Away in a Manager in candlelight. We continued our festive theme for a joint Christmas party full of games, laughter and fun.

Volunteers We continue to look for additional adult volunteer to help support and grow Girlguiding in Great Paxton and help us provide more opportunities for gun, friendship and adventure for girls. If you think you'd like to get involved as an occasional helper or unit leader or you think you might be able to offer some skills, please do get in touch!

Waiting Lists We are currently operating waiting lists for Rainbows and Brownies. We'd recommend to anyone thinking about get the daughter involved in either Rainbows or Brownies to get them onto the waiting list sooner rather than later http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/joinus Contact Us Rainbows; 1stgreatpaxtonrainbows@gmail.com Brownies; 1stgreatpaxtonbrownies@gmail.com Emma, Tracey, Emma, Amy, Maddie, Tayla and Louise Girlguiding Great Paxton Volunteers

A Selection of Photos from the Rainbows and Brownies

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1st Gt.Paxton Brownies 1st Gt.Paxton Rainbows

Emma Christie

1stgreatpaxtonbrownies@gmail.com 1stgreatpaxtonrainbows@gmail.com

Church Bell Ringers Holy Trinity Church

Mary Parnham Canon Annette Reed

01480 394727 01480 211048 canonannettereed@gmail.com Churchwardens Bob Hacking 01480 219846 Sarah Gray 01480 214015 Community Room Julie Edwards 01480 472132 Crib Team Simon Black 01480 700107 Football Club Tom 07576 600523 Friendship Club Marion Reeves marionreeves@btinternet.com Gt. Paxton Community Shop 01480 218 624 Gt. Paxton Cubs Andy Ottley 07704 857636 Ladies Group Melanie Dingemans melanie.dingemans1@gmail.com OBAS Howard Fieldhouse 07824 569111 Parish Clerk Christine Brandon gppc1@outlook.com Petanque Brian Wright 01480 473697 Recreation Ground Michael Fairs Michael.fairs@gmail.com School Headteacher Lee Frost 01480 472132 Great Paxton Preschool Julie Edwards 01480 472132 St. Neots Police 101 Village Website www.greatpaxton.org Woodsooners Golf Society Martin Bazley 01480 21927 Walkers Group Linda Richardson 01480 213768 Any corrections please notify the editor or email jillatgp@gmail.com

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Abigail Best Electrolysis and Beauty Therapy Great Paxton, Cambridgeshire www.abigailbestelectrolysisandbeautytherapy.com https://www.facebook.com/abbybestgreatpaxton abby.best@btinternet.com 07929918965

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