Out & About in the Offords - October - November 2022

October - November 2022

RIP Queen Elizabeth II

The passing of Our Queen feels like we've all come to the end of that book that was always on our bedside table. A reliable book we enjoyed dipping into. We all read the chapters, some were good, some sad, some funny, some full of drama, some surprising. We all loved that book and although we're sad the book has ended, it was the end we hoped for.

Paddington says Goodbye to The Queen

Paddington sat down sadly

On a green and quiet glade And pulled a sandwich from his little hat Made with the nicest marmalade

He had heard sad news this very day That the Queen’s life had come to an end He cried because that day they met She had become his bestest friend

They had shared some tea

That very day when to the Palace he had been invited He remembered he could hardly speak He was so very very excited

Although he was just a little bear And she a regal queen

Watching her take that sandwich out her bag Was the best thing he had seen

He wondered if any body else would miss her Now that she had gone And his heart was filled up to the brim When he turned his little phone on

He saw that Facebook had been flooded With her pictures old and new And that he himself that little bear Was also in them too

Although today he is the saddest That he has ever been He will always lovingly remember The day he had tea with the Queen

Welcome

Welcome to this edition of Out and About, the Offord Village Magazine. It aims to promote the community by sharing village news and useful contacts. In addition to the printed edition delivered to every home in the Offords, an on-line full colour edition can be accessed via the village websites.

We encourage new contributors with a story to tell. Articles are accepted from organisations and individuals so long as they are not political or offensive. We welcome photographs, news stories and poems from villagers. It should be noted, however, that some articles may represent the opinions of the writer and not represent the opinions or views of the editors. Reader submissions are published in good faith with the intention of creating an inclusive publication. We may need to defer entries if we receive too many at once. Contributions are included free of charge. You can contact the editorial team via offordOandA@gmail. com

Most of the cost of production is covered by the revenue from advertising and we are grateful to our loyal advertisers. Production costs are also supplemented by an annually reviewed grant from the Parish Council.

Out and About is delivered free of charge because a willing team of volunteers brave the elements come rain or shine to bring it to your door. We hope you find something to interest you in this edition.

AllSaintsWildlifeProject Update

During the Summer months our focus has been on providing ideal habitat and food sources for our declining butterfly population. As I mentioned in the last edition, we took part in The Big Butterfly Count in the hope to improve on last years count of ZERO. On 19th July Alan and I spent the allotted time of 15 minutes Butterfly spotting and were very encouraged by our results.

LargeWhiteButterfly–13

SmallCopperButterfly–1

PeacockButterfly–2

CommonBlueButterfly–2

TOTAL–18

We are taking more steps to entice even more into the churchyard by providing food and shelter for butterflies and their larvae in the form of honeysuckle, foxgloves, ivy, bluebells, clover and carefully managed nettles. You will see 2 new insect houses erected on a post. They have slits in the wooden front and inside the boxes are pieces of bark to mimic a crevice of a tree. Five species of butterfly over winter in the U.K. The Brimstone, Comma, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral. We hope they, along with other species of overwintering insects, will make use of these new boxes.

The wildflower area is taking a while to get established. Although thousands of seeds were sown in Spring, the soil has been so dry that nothing really germinated except Borage and a few poppies. I will be re-sowing this area in autumn in the hope it will be more successful next year.

We had some welcome visitors to the churchyard lately in the form of a Hummingbird hawk-moth feeding on a buddleia and several miner bees in the grass. Miner bees are ground nesting bees of which there are around 100 species. They are solitary bees which means they aren’t controlled by or serve a queen in a hive like honey bees or bumble bees. They reside in loose groups living in the same area and share the same resources, mainly in holes or mounds of soil in your lawn. The Ivy mining bees have been feasting on the Ivy flowers full of pollen at the end of Summer/Autumn.

Fiona Fitzhugh

Peacock Butterfly

Butterfly Houses

Miner Bee

Offord Primary School

Have you got a child that will be turning 5 between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024? Application for Reception places at Primary School are now open.

We would like to invite you to have a tour of Offord Primary School to see the provision that we offer the children for yourself.

We have set dates for you to have a tour of the school, see the children ‘in action’ and ask questions about the school.

Tours dates are:

Wednesday 28th September at 9.30am

Tuesday 11th October at 2pm

Monday 21st November at 3.30pm

Please contact the school office by email or phone to book your tour.

We look forward to showing you our wonderful school.

A few of our new Reception children playing on our new play equipment in our EYFS outdoor learning area.

Every Friday morning we hold our Celebration Assembly. We share some of the brilliant learning and behaviour that our children have shown during the last week. Parents and carers are invited to the assembly and can either attend in person or join us virtually through TEAMS.

We very much enjoy celebrating the achievements of the children and when the Learner of the Week raises the trophy, I would not be surprised if the cheers from the rest of the children could be heard all around the village.

Our value of ‘Working Together to Achieve’ can be seen in many ways, including helping other children, putting effort into improving writing, being polite and respectful to all around and listening and participating in all lessons and being a great role model.

This really is one of my favourite times of the week :)

Congratulations to the first group of children that received the Headteacher’s Awards and Learner of the Week this academic year.

Open Art Exhibition,

All Saints' Church

Saturday 22nd October 10am - 5pm,

Sunday 23rd October 11am - 5pm

No charge for submitting work and there will be no charge to view the exhibition.

Donations to the church and to cover the costs of the exhibition will be welcome and appreciated.

A commission of 20% will be charged on works sold and this 20% commission will go to All Saints' church

Submissions:

17th October 11am-2pm and 6-7pm at the Vicarage in Buckden

18th October 1-4pm and 6-8pm All Saints' Church, Offord Cluny

Please go to this webpage for more details

https://www.shorturl.at/delr8

OffordGardenersAssociation

The OGA is saddened by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the RHS, of which we are members. She enjoyed all things Floral and she will be greatly missed. We pass on our condolences to the Royal Family.

As I said last time I would report on the Summer Show. It went better than expected, with 17 people entering 101 exhibits, which were down on past years, but it was to be expected after the hot dry summer we had. We thank everyone who contributed to make the show a success.

October 20th meeting is a talk by Peter Walker on Gardens of Yorkshire, and our monthly competition is a nature photograph taken in your garden.

November 17th is our A.G.M. with our monthly competition being winter berries and leaves. This will be a social event with cheese and wine and an opportunity to get involved. Make a difference and help keep the OGA thriving. We need someone to take on the role of Secretary, as sadly since we lost our previous Secretary, our Treasurer has been doing two roles and we need help. We ask all members to consider coming forward to help keep us running as a village group. As part of the AGM you will also have the opportunity to make your own Christmas table decoration, with all materials provided, as well as practical instructions.

We welcome new members, all meetings are at 7:30pm in the village hall. You do not need to be an expert gardener, we are here to help promote gardening as a healthy outdoor activity.

Enjoy Your Gardening John 811148

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OFFORD VILLAGE HALL HIRE

Offord Village Hall is available for hire for all types of functions:

Wedding Receptions, Christenings, Private parties etc.

The Hall has disabled access and facilities and comprises of: a large main hall with a stage, refurbished kitchen, bar, separate committee room and a car park.

The hall is licensed for music.

Daytime rates are priced per hour (minimum 2 hours) with reduced rates for regular users. Weekend evening rates available on request.

For further details please contact For further details (including availability, hiring process and rates) please visit our website www.offordvillagehall.org.uk or contact our Bookings Secretary Helen Bosworth on 01480 811892 or email bookings@offordvillagehall.org.uk

JULY

OFFORD

WINNERS

£20 No. 030 Gemma Walton

£15 No. 145 Alan Crook

AUGUST

£20 No. 291 E J Letzer

£15 No. 085 Karen Wildber

£10 No. 078 Joe Bosworth £10 No. 025 June Bacon £ 5 No. 186 Anthony Dear £ 5 No. 107 Marlene Alderman

The next GRAND DRAW will take place in December and the monthly draws will be taking place at Village clubs and events. There are still a few shares available if you would like to join.

Contact Helen Bosworth on 811892 or Jenny Murby on 811474 for further details.

OffordSeniorCitizensClub

In July we held our Annual Garden Party in one of our members’ gardens. The weather was kind to us and we certainly needed the gazebos for shade. There was a wonderful choice of cakes, endless cups of tea and coffee and a good raffle, a lovely afternoon was had by all.

Garden Party

At our August Harvest meeting members enjoyed an excellent ploughman’s supper followed by dessert. Members provided a wide variety of harvest produce and food items which were then auctioned off, a great help for club funds. We were also very pleased to welcome a new member.

Our meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month in the Village Hall, Offord Cluny at 6.30pm. If you would like to come along and join us, you would be made very welcome.

For further information please call Marlene Alderman on 01480 810609 or Sue Barimore on 01480 810763.

Offord VillageHall

As we mourn the loss of Her Majesty the Queen, we send our condolences to her family and all of those left behind whose lives she touched. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations held here in the Village Hall in June seem more poignant now and we are pleased we were able to celebrate her historic reign.

Since the beginning of the summer holidays the village hall has been busy with its maintenance and cleaning programme. The store cupboard has had a tidy and we have had numerous trips to the tip and the charity shops for unwanted items to be recycled. The oven has been professionally cleaned and looks pristine and ready for action.

The audio-visual project to bring our equipment and systems up to date to benefit all hall users is very near to installation. This has required a lot of planning and selecting of the best options for our needs. Thank you to the team of people who have met on many occasions to sort this out.

‘The Railway Children’ film night, held on Saturday September 3rd was screened in conjunction with Creative Arts East who help to promote the arts in rural locations. This ‘live performance’ by York Theatre Royal Productions was filmed at The National Railway Museum and featured the original engine from the 1970’s film. Everyone enjoyed this nostalgic trip back in time, many people remembering the original film.

The next film is ‘Road Dance,’ also shown in conjunction with creative Arts East, will be shown on Friday October 21st. This is a feel-good film and features a young girl living in the Outer Hebrides in a small village in the years just before WWI. Her life takes a dramatic change when a tragedy befalls her.

If you enjoy dancing, come to our Halloween Hootenanny. This is a barn dance with a Ceilidh band called Passerida. If you have never been to one before do not be worried, they have a caller who tells you exactly what to do. It is also a dance where you can come on your own as a good deal of the dances involve moving around. Before you know it, you will be dancing like a professional!

Our AGM is on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022, at 7:30pm and we hope that you will come as we have had exciting news. Julie Angell, who has links with the village, has produced a memory book for Offord Village Hall, which was originally called the Recreation Hut. This piece of local history, which has been carefully compiled, is a fascinating record of the village hall’s journey.

Following the AGM there is a Management Committee Meeting. We still need more people to join our Trustee body. If you think you might be interested,

please contact me for more information secretary@offordvillagehall.org.uk. We are a very friendly group of people and enjoy ourselves alongside the more serious task of maintaining the hall for everyone in the community to use. Offord Village Hall is the heart of the community and is a great place to meet people and enjoy yourself into the bargain. Helen Ellis Secretary Offord Village Hall

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

QUIZ NIGHT Saturday October 15th 7:30pm for a prompt 7:45pm start. Bring your own food and drink. Tickets £5 Teams of up to six people (can be made up on the night).

FILM NIGHT Friday October 21st ‘Road Dance’ Certified 15 7:30pm Licenced bar available. Tickets £5 from www.ticketsource.co.uk

HALLOWEEN HOOTENANY Saturday October 29th 7:30pm – 11pm. A Barn Dance for all ages. Dancing to Ceilidh band ‘Passerida’ whose callers will get you dancing like a professional! A Ploughman’s supper is included in the ticket price of £12.50p. A licenced bar will also be provided.

PRIZE BINGO Friday November 18th Eyes down 7:30pm Free entry and refreshments.

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Saturday December 17th 7:30pm – 11pm Dancing to the popular Melody Beats. Put on your dancing shoes to start the Christmas season. Or simply sit back and enjoy the music. Refreshments and a licensed bar will be provided. Further details to follow.

QUIZ NIGHT Saturday January 28th, 2023. 7:30pm for a prompt 7:45pm start. Bring your own food and drink. Tickets £5 Teams of up to six people (can be made up on the night).

All events are subject to change. You can find more details of all the above events with ticket prices and how to get them by visiting our website www.offordvillagehall.org.uk.

ThursdayClub

Hello Everyone,

Quite a few of our members joined in the WW2 gathering at Graveley in August. We watched the Canadian maritime patrol aeroplane fly above us and the Lancaster doing three flypasts. Exciting, but emotional at the same time thinking of all who lost their lives in WW2.

On 1st September the club members had lunch at the Three Horseshoes, Graveley which was enjoyed by everyone.

Ten members attended the Heritage open day at Shuttleworth in September. A fabulous day out visiting the Swiss Gardens, House and Hangars. We even travelled on a 1913 double decker bus.

Other members who didn’t come on the visit had their usual meeting in the village hall.

We are a social club for any age and any gender. Visitors are very welcome. £1 a session entitles you to light refreshments and a convivial two hours from 12.00 to 2.00pm.

If you would like further information please contact Doreen Rowbury 811025 or Sheila Reece 812238

All Saints Church News

Dear people of the Offords, Different locations give you a different view of the same thing: stars, for example.

Holidays looked forward to can very quickly seem quite a time ago, just a month or so after they have been enjoyed. A few nights away did give me a memory I am holding onto dearly though, a good view of the stars. Camping in the last week of August I lay on my back and stared up at the dark sky above. I saw for the first time in a year or so the Milky Way. In the sky were so many stars, some familiar, and so many more. Running diagonally across the sky was the blurry strip of lightness that is our galaxy. I stared at the cross sectional view of the vast spiral of stars of which our own sun is just one of many millions. The Milky Way is there above us all the time but a good view needs less street light than here at home (I've nothing against street lights by the way!)

This short Norfolk break brought some verses from the psalms to mind: the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:9)

God's steadfast love overwhelms me, and Psalm 136 gives many reasons to give thanks to God, for his steadfast love endures forever. God does love us, in all times and places. Ministry and mission in the benefice of All Saints' and St Mary's is all about the steadfast love of God, and because of the steadfast love of God.

Art has been important to me since very early on. I see enjoying art as part of our human nature, and see that our human nature is from God. Imago Dei, that is, we are made in the image of God. As I said in my last letter, we are having an Open Art Exhibition in All Saints' Church, 22nd-23rd October (Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm).

There is no charge for submitting work and there will be no charge to view the exhibition. Donations to the church and covering the costs of the exhibition will be welcome and appreciated. A commission of 20% will be charged on works sold and this 20% commission will go to All Saints' Church for the vital work of mission and ministry (our ministry aka parish share that I spoke about in the last letter), repair and upkeep. Paintings, drawings, prints, and small (table top) sculptures are welcome.

Submissions will be chiefly (and preferably) taken in on two dates:

17th October 11am-2pm and 6-7pm at the Vicarage in Buckden 18th October 1-4pm and 6-8pm All Saints' Church, Offord Cluny

On the reverse of your, framed, work, please add your name, a title for the work if you have one, a price for the work if you wish to sell it, your address, phone number and, preferably, email address. Please go to this webpage for more details https://www.shorturl.at/delr8

The steadfast love of God, for you, has no end and no beginning. As it says in another of my favourite psalms In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed (Psalm 139:16)

With love, FrDavidSheppard ParishPriestofBuckdenwiththeOffords

https://allsaintsoffordcluny.wordpress.com/ 07792128503 (day off: Friday)

We pray to be generous and visible people of Jesus Christ https://www.elydiocese.org/about/strategy/vision/

All are welcome at All Saints and it has been an honour to hold the Book of Condolence during the national period of mourning for our late Queen Elizabeth. Thank you to all who visited and spent a quiet time reflecting on her life and leadership. The book which was closed the day after the funeral will be archived for posterity.

ALL SAINTS SERVICES OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2022

2nd October 11am Harvest Festival – followed by lunch in the village hall

9th October 9.30am Holy Communion

16th October 6.00pm Songs of Praise - followed by refreshments

23rd October 9.30am Holy Communion

30th October 9.30am Service for All Saints Day

6th November 9.30am Family Service 6.00pm All Souls Service

A reflective service to remember loved ones who have died and to support the bereaved

13th November 9:50am Remembrance Service

Wreath laying at Offord Cluny War Memorial beforehand

20th November 6.00pm Songs of Praise – followed by refreshments

27th November 9:30am Holy Communion

Please help us to keep our village church alive. Throughout the pandemic we became increasingly reliant on donations and thank all those who would normally give to the collection at services but who have set up electronic payments or saved in their collection boxes. If your collection box is full of coins, please contact Bob Bargh 810237 or John Storey 810763 and someone will collect the box from you. We do not receive financial help from the Diocese, the Church of England or any other body. As we struggle to raise funds to replace the roof we also have to raise money to heat and maintain the building and pay our share of ministry costs.

We are dependent on, and greatly encouraged by donations from the congregation and other villagers.

Some of you give using the website ‘Give a little’. You can find a link to this on our website and on the All Saints Offord pages on ‘A church near you’.

We have a QR code you can scan if you are reading Out & About in the paper version. Lots of us do. The site offers you a choice of donation amounts

£1 / £3 / £5 or an option to name your amount.

If you feel you can ‘give a little’ to All Saints it will bring us a step nearer to a new roof and will help keep the church open for worship and for when you or your family and friends need it. Church is for everyone, it’s not a private members club.

Fund raising and social events are planned through to the end of 2022. All events in the Village Hall unless otherwise stated.

October

15th Bacon Butties 10am – 12

22nd & 23rd Art Exhibition All Saints Church November

5th Bacon Butties & Hot Dogs 10am - 12 26th & 27th Christmas Tree Festival 12 noon - 4pm Church and VH

December

2nd Band Concert in the Church 8pm (Tickets in advance)

Offord Tots

July 2022 saw the end of an era for Tots group as our fantastic volunteer leader Nikki Mitchell, after 6 fun packed years, stood down, as all her children now attend school. We’ve got a tall order to live up to after so many fun filled, crafty and activity packed sessions! Thank you Nikki, you are an inspiration!

After a very successful crowd funding petition, we were able to purchase an activity climbing frame to help our little ones explore and develop their gross motor skills. Thank you so much to all those who donated and to Rebecca for all her hard work making it happen.

We’ve had a refresh and tidy up of all the toys so September saw us open again after the summer break with a fresh new look and bags of energy for the year ahead.

We’ve now got a card reader for those that don’t carry cash and we are continuing to welcome children from babes in arms to pre school age and of course their parents and carers. Come along to let the little ones burn off steam and you enjoy a cuppa and a sit down at the same time!

Annual BBQ

On 4th September we held our annual fund raising BBQ for the Church. It was attended by nearly 70 people and with live music from a 4 piece band, it proved to be a very successful and enjoyable afternoon. Many thanks go to everyone who helped and supported the event.

The Friends of St Peters Church

After a quiet summer which gave the Friends time to recover from the busy month of June, we were delighted to welcome back Claude Bourbon at the beginning of September for a fantastic guitar concert and who impressed the appreciative audience with his stunning master class of a stage performance. Claude last performed in the church in 2018. He loves this venue as it perfectly suits his type of music and after each visit asks to return.

You could have heard a pin drop as Claude finished one song and moved onto another. We are so lucky that Claude loves to perform in St Peter’s as he travels in America, across Europe and the UK to play in front of packed audiences, with thousands of people enjoying listening to this virtuoso.

The church was open in mid September for the annual National Heritage Open Days, which is a celebration of England's architecture and culture that allows visitors free access to a wide variety of English historical landmarks. As the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II happened only two days before this event, there was uncertainty whether we could open the church, however, the HOD organisers and the CCT decided that after careful consideration and with deepest respect, all events could go ahead for local communities. Therefore we opened the church and welcomed visitors on both days of the weekend.

Autumn Craft Fair Sunday 23rd October 12pm to 4pm

We are looking forward to the return of this popular, busy and successful long standing event, which is well liked by both stall holders and visitors.

We have many previous stalls but are pleased to welcome several new stallholders to the church, including Jemma Dell, more well known locally as ‘the Yelling Pig, who spins and weaves wool from her own sheep. Jemma will be giving spinning demonstrations and talks throughout the afternoon so it will be a wonderful opportunity to watch a talented craftsperson at work.

As usual, there will be the hot soups and rolls, together with delicious home made cakes for sale, all made by the Friends Group.

Free entry and free parking on the adjacent archery field. What a great way to start your Christmas shopping by supporting local, talented crafts people. Full page poster within this edition.

Armistice Wreath Laying at the Offord Darcy War Memorial in St Peter’s Church Friday 11th November at 10.45am

This is our customary wreath laying ceremony at 11am on the 11th November when the Friends, together with the Parish Council, lay a poppy wreath on the

Offord D’Arcy War Memorial, the fine stained glass window and brass plaques in the church. We remember those from Offord D’Arcy who died during the two World Wars and especially we remember Harold Victor Collins and Frank Charles Currington, both of Offord Darcy, who died for their country in WW1 and who are buried in St Peter’s churchyard.

Carols by Candlelight Service - Sunday 4 December 4pm

It’s time to put this date in your diary for this service of lessons and carols telling the Christmas story, a fitting start to the festive season. Plans for this highly popular, if somewhat chilly, service are getting organised. This service is suitable for all ages and features popular carols led by a choir who volunteer for this occasion interspersed with traditional Christmas bible readings. The Friends decorate the church and organise the lighting of around 150 tea lights and candles. A truly wonderful and atmospheric occasion for the start of the festive season.

Website

The Friends Group have always had a website which was visited by many people but unfortunately it has gone past its sell by date and has crashed. We have a new website administrator who is busy investigating suitable alternative websites that would be a good fit for us, so as soon as we can decide on the best one, we will be up and running again.

During this very hot and dry summer we recorded temperatures of 26C in the church, which although was nothing like the 40C exterior temperatures, it felt comparatively cool. When we experience the cold, unheated church in the winter, especially at the Carols by Candlelight Service, we hope to remember the warm, sunny summer days and wish we could draw on that warmth.

Visiting the church

Although we repeat the following wording in every edition of Out & About, we highlight that for security reasons the church is kept locked. Do get in touch if you would like to visit the church. Please remember to sign the visitor book whenever you visit as visitor numbers are important.

As a reminder, the driveway to the church is privately owned, with limited vehicular access. Visitors to the church should leave their cars at the road end of the drive. There is space for two Blue Badge Holders close to the church gates.

Jenny Griffiths

Friends of St Peter’s Church

07776 426103 • Jennygriffiths908@btinternet.com

OffordWomensInstitute

Members from The Offords W I spent a very pleasant afternoon at Buckden Towers where we enjoyed a guided tour of the house and grounds. Our guides explained finer details of the architecture and the long history of this wonderful building. Although right on our doorstep, and somewhere that most of us pass by, we seldom venture inside.

We were privileged to enter the house as this is not always possible. We were shown the Chapel and crypt where we gasped with surprise at the stained glass. There are gardens, great trees and a lake in the grounds. These can be accessed at almost any time. We ended up in the beautiful Knot Garden, where we enjoyed tea and cakes and relaxed in the sunshine.

This outing was on the day after HM Queen Elizabeth II passed away. It was good to be together in the residence of at least one former Queen, Catherine of Aragon, and we marked the occasion by leaving flowers under our WI tree on The Offords Millennium Green.

Our September meeting was a talk about Sustainable Fashion given by a speaker who works with major chain stores. We learned some interesting truths and myths about fabrics, their effect on the environment and methods of recycling.

Our speakers do cover some most interesting topics and we would love to welcome new Members to enjoy these, and the outings and other things that we do. On the second Tuesday of each month, we meet in the Village Hall at 7.30. At the October meeting, the speaker is Marcia Davies from Anglian Water. Her talk is entitled: Where Does Your Poo Go? Where indeed? The meeting is open to everyone and there will be a buffet to enjoy. So please come and meet us! Can we tempt you with a Ten Pin Bowling lunchtime trip in November?

Marion Warden

Enquiries to Jenny Murby (President) on 01480 811474 Email: jenny@murby.uk

With the effect of global warming quickly becoming more apparent, there has been a vast rise in the focus of individuals, businesses and local authorities to take immediate and long terms actions to reduce the impact they have on our environment. The bulk of the attention has been put on how we as individuals can do our part in reducing our personal impact. This has since been extended to businesses with many companies, both locally and afar, putting sustainability to the forefront of their future strategies.

Huntingdonshire District Council implemented a trial of the ‘Sustainable Communities Business Pledge’ aimed at local businesses, offering guidance on how they can increase their contribution to climate action just by making a few minor changes with high impact effects. The trial proved very successful with local businesses large and small, returning extremely positive feedback on how this has created a positive effect within their company and among their workforces.

A representative of a pledging organisation stated… “The guidance alongside the audit process was a huge eye opener, and a few small changes bought many benefits. By simply focusing on recycling, we have nearly halved the cost of our waste disposal, vastly increasing the amount we recycle and minimising the amount of general waste we produce. By implementing a change in culture, this has enabled staff to adopt this ethos within their home, giving them the feel-good factor of contributing towards climate action. The pledge has also proved highly marketable with many clients stating they have chosen us over competitors, purely based on our focus to the betterment of our environment. Many thanks to Huntingdonshire District Council for creating the pledge and supporting us through the process”

The ’Sustainable Communities Business Pledge’ has proved such a success within Huntingdon, it has now been made available for all businesses across Huntingdonshire with more and more uptake across our region. Simply by decreasing the amount sent to landfill, reduces the greenhouse gases emitted, whilst saving on raw materials required to manufacture from new. Manufac-

One of the Hunts Waste Busters shares their thoughts on Huntingdonshire District Council’s Sustainable Communities Business Pledge:

turing from raw material requires more energy than the recycled equivalent, demonstrating small changes, playing a key role in our quest for Net Zero.

While the Pledge is aimed at businesses, there is still much we can do as individuals to assist. Following the Huntingdonshire Recycles social media pages, which offers helpful tips on waste reduction whilst keeping you up to date with the goings on among the Huntingdonshire District Council waste team. Posts encourage recycling soft plastics at many of our local supermarkets, cosmetics and medication packs at many of our local pharmacies or simply purchasing a food waste caddy and disposing of your food waste via your garden waste bin. Guidance on what waste belongs in which bin can be found by visiting www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins-waste/what-goes-in-which-bin/

To find out more about the ‘Sustainable Communities Business Pledge’ and how it can benefit your business, check out https://huntingdonshire.gov.uk/environmental-issues/sustainability-andgreener-living/information-for-businesses/.

Parish Council

Statement on Behalf of the Parish Council

The announcement of the death of our Queen Elizabeth II was sad news indeed. It is remarkable to think that all those under the age of seventy have known no other monarch in their lives. She has officiated at all the great ceremonies of State for as long as any of us can remember and her hard work throughout her reign, representing the country at every opportunity has been of enormous benefit in establishing the United Kingdom’s place in the World Order.

Accordingly, a Book of Condolence was set up in All Saints’ Church Offord Cluny with the Church open from 9am – 6pm for those who wished to add their signatures and thoughts. This will be archived but could be available for anyone wanting to add their thoughts and were unable to do so during the period of national mourning.

Charles III has now been publicly proclaimed King and as I write this we are now at the start of a series of ceremonies being held to honour the passing of Her Majesty, culminating in her State Funeral on September 19th and a further seven days of mourning thereafter.

We shall all face the difficult task of singing the National Anthem, with the last seventy years having firmly entrenched “Queen” into our heads.

Everyone at the Parish Council sends their condolences to the entire Royal family.

Ian Weitzel Chair of the Parish of Offord Cluny and Offord Darcy

ParishCouncil Report

August is always a quiet Council month with central government in recess. Apart from the recess the government’s main focus was on the election of a new leader of the Conservative party. We now have a new Prime Minister. Following the sad news of the Queen’s death we also have a new Monarch so it’s changing times for us all.

The Parish Council is the first tier of local government but also often the most visible as it’s the most ‘local’. Our councillors live in the parish so have a vested interest in making sure everything is well maintained. They work extremely hard to keep the parish ticking over and now this is especially difficult as we are 3 members short of a full contingency. This either means that tasks that were usually done will be left undone or that Council must employ outside contractors for everything, which ultimately will mean an increase in the Precept. If you are interested in becoming a Councillor, please get in touch for further information. The two main criteria are that you need to be over 18 years of age and have been registered on the Electoral Role for more than a year.

Our very loyal village handman, Barney Warner, has recently had to step down from his duties. Council is extremely grateful to him for everything he has done, often over and above what he was asked. We are now looking for a new handyman to work 30 hours per month from March to October and 10 hours per month from November to February. These hours will include emptying the bins on the recreation ground and millennium green and putting out the large bins on collection days. The rate of pay is £14.00 per hour. For further information please contact Cllr John Gatward on 01480 811148 or the Clerk on 07597 988763 or email clerk@offords-pc.gov.uk

We have again experienced vandalism on the Millennium Green with play equipment damaged. These repairs are not cheap and obviously are paid for by residents via their Council Tax. We would ask everyone to be

aware of what is happening and to report anything which might be relevant to police. Two additional cameras have recently been installed and the footage will be given to the police.

Following the very successful Survey Monkey poll regarding the provision of outdoor exercise equipment on the recreation ground, several pieces have been chosen as part of the installation and providing these fit into the area we have without impeding the football pitch they should be in place in the new few months.

Council has decided to look again at the possible provision of a Pavilion on the Recreation Ground. This would not only provide changing facilities for adult football teams and other sporting teams but also, hopefully, an additional meeting place for the village now that the Church Rooms are no longer useable. This is a very long-term project with funding secured via grants but if anyone has any thoughts or ideas please get in touch.

The two defibrillators in the parish located on the Village Hall and Church Rooms have recently been serviced and are in good working order. As the Church Rooms are no longer able to be used, the power will at some point be switched off and the unit relocated. Once this has been done, I will of course let everyone know.

The summer sports sessions were a huge success again this year. All sessions were fully booked and enjoyed by all. Council plans to repeat this next year.

As always, if there’s anything I can help with please get in touch.

Jackie Stanbridge

Parish Councillors 2022-2026

Ian Weitzel(Chairman)

Ronaldsway, Littleworth End Offord Darcy 01480 811697

Ian.Weitzel@offords-pc.gov.uk

John Gatward (Vice Chairman)

Simon Young (Chair of Planning)

5 Elm Drive 6 Pippin Close

Offord Cluny Offord Darcy 01480 811148 01480 81287

Richard.Gatward@offords-pc.gov.uk simon.young@offords-pc.gov.uk

Tina Dawson (Chair of Finance)

Caroline Savage

15 Park Way The Grove, 71 High Street Offord Cluny Offord Darcy 01480 539098 07966 14495

Tina.dawson@offords-pc.gov.uk caroline.savage@offords-pc.gov.uk

Liam Beckett David Gillbanks

5 Dunstall Close The Limes, High Street Offord Cluny Offord Darcy 07395 249 004 01480 812183

Liam.beckett@offords-pc.gov.uk david.gillbanks@offords-pc.gov.uk

Hilary Moorbey

125 High Street

Offord Cluny 07762133858

hilary.moorbey@offords-pc.gov.uk

Jackie Stanbridge

Clerk to the Council

Clerk@offords-pc.gov.uk 07597 988763

FarmersEdand Verity

Hi everyone!

What a busy and hot summer it has been! Since we last wrote, we have managed to mow and bale the hay, silage and straw that we need for the winter months ahead. But we are already needing to feed some of this hay, due to the grass all disappearing. The rain over the last few weeks has been a welcomed sight, as has the grass gradually turning green again.

Our spring calving concluded well, and we are really pleased to report all of the calves were born healthy without any assistance needed. We have an array of colours on our calves, as you may have seen in the village field. This is related to the genetics of the parents – and we feel, adds to the surprise when they are born.

The lambs have now all been weaned and are continuing to thrive. And the breeding cycle has once again started. The rams (entire male sheep) are back in with our first group of ewes (breeding adult female sheep), and are so far working well. We use the ‘ram effect’ with our sheep breeding pattern – this is completely natural and all about the hormone cycle of sheep. It works by the introduction of entire rams to ewes, who have not been in contact with any rams for several weeks, having a huge hormone surge which causes them to start cycling reproductively. The result, is a tight lambing period 5 months later. We will know shortly whether this has worked!

Talk again soon, Farmers Ed & Verity

FeettotheBeat

The Offords Line Dance Group

As reported in the last edition of Out & About, the numbers coming to the Tuesday morning sessions prove how popular these classes are, with generally over 30 people coming to each weekly class. For the past few weeks the numbers have been increasing to 35 and that is without some of our regulars who can’t come every week. We now have 5 men who although are outnumbered by the ladies, are equally, if not better, dancers. There is no discrimination at Izzy’s classes and all new dancers are welcome. Please contact Izzy if you would like more information.

We persevered through the long hot summer but when the Tuesdays were very hot Izzy was kind to us and we had slower dances. The only time we had to cancel the class was on the Tuesday when temperatures reached 40C – that was just too much for us all.

Izzy is hopeful that she may be able to arrange a Line Dance social in the Village Hall as we used to enjoy back in the pre Covid days of 2019, when regular ones were held, which attracted dancers from around the district. Watch this space.

Classes are held in Offord Village Hall every Tuesday from 10am to 12pm, with a refreshment break, when we have time to chat, and the added bonus of nice biscuits and cakes to celebrate any birthdays that week.

Jenny Griffiths

On behalf of IzzyBroganTel:07709344144

How we long for Summer when Winter grips this land, We dream of warmth and sunshine and all the things we’ve planned. We’ll picnic by the river and swim in silky lake, We’ll hold a garden party, cream tea with scones to bake. Pub gardens are enticing, or days down by the sea, We’ll paddle with an ice cream, then fish and chips for tea.

But when it comes, it’s far too hot – we plug in cooling fans, Or buy some air conditioning – that wasn’t in our plans. But worst of all, if we sit out with drinks and plates of food, Those wretched wasps invade us; oh, how they do intrude. So back indoors we scurry, the wasps have won the day, I’m going out tomorrow to buy a can of spray.

We have no rain, we face a drought, our plants get limp and sad, The lawn goes brown and crispy; that hosepipe ban is bad.

So next time Winter bugs us perhaps we should remember, The best of months in all the year - October and November.

St Neots United Reformed Church

The Church is now open again for worship, at the usual time of 11am. Some restrictions will remain in place for now. Face coverings will be optional but we understand some will prefer to continue wearing them for now. Hand sanitising will be encouraged and there will be good ventilation. We are now able to stream our services to YouTube every Sunday. Please contact us via our website for ID and Password. All are welcome.

Come and visit the United Reformed Church which is on the High Street in St Neots. There is access without steps at the rear of the building near to Argos. Parking is available in Tebbutts Road car park, behind the Church.

For all Church matters please contact the Church Secretary, Jenny Gibbs, via our website for further information. www.stneotsurc.co.uk

Buckden

Minister: Rev. Sue Baker-Maher. Tel 473444. Stewards: Angie Barnes (810102)

Bob Baxter (810092)

Carol Swepstone (810053)

Do you have a bit of spare time and want to make a difference to a family’s life? Why not become a Home-Start Cambridgeshire volunteer.

As a home visiting volunteer for Home-Start Cambridgeshire you will be carefully matched with a family for up to 6 months, offering practical and emotional support. The focus of the support is what the family feel they need to help alleviate the strain they are under. Our role is to empower them to see they either have the resources within themselves to do this, or to signpost and support them to access longer term support within their community. Our aim is to help parents be the best they can be, in order to give their children the best possible start in life.

We are looking for volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences who know what it’s like to bring up small children. No qualifications are needed to become a Home-Start volunteer other than being committed, passionate and non-judgemental about supporting families to recognise and use the strengths they have to thrive.

Being a home visiting volunteer is hugely rewarding and builds a sense of achievement knowing that you have made a difference to the families you visit. We know it helps develop confidence as individuals and many of our volunteers move onto paid work after gaining skills and experience through Home-Start Cambridgeshire.

If you want to be part of our amazing team, please give us a call on 01480 700242 or email: office@homestartcambridgeshire.co.uk.

Dates for our next Volunteer Preparation Course are: 4th, 11th and 18th October 2022.

For more information check out our website www.theoffordplayers.co.uk or contact John on 810049.

Sarah Hogben

The Offord Players

Village Groups & Organisations

ApplepipsOutofSchoolClub CareyKelly 01480811977

Archery MarcBax 381172

BowlsClub CarolynBargh 810237

Brownies AnnWeitzel 811697

ChurchEvents JohnStorey 810763 BobBargh 810237

CommunityPolice c/oStNeots 456111 PoliceStn 03454564564

Cubs/Beavers AndyOttley 07704857636 info@paxtonscouts.org.uk

DistrictCouncillor SarahConboy 414900

DistrictCouncillor BrettMickelburgh 07441392492

DistrictCouncillor DebbieMickelburgh 07537121365

FriendsofStPeter’s LizHowes 812899

Guides AnnWeitzel 811697 juliehillsjohnson@gmail.com01480812549

NeighbourhoodWatch PeterRiley 811839

OffordCluny&Offord DarcyParishCouncil IanWeitzel 811697 ParishClerk JackieStanbridge 07597988763

OffordGardeners’Assn JanetBedingfield 810091

OffordSch,Headteacher KateRuddock 810308 ChairofGovernorsLizSimpkin 07976792463

OffordPTA ClaireFaux 810308

OffordDayNursery CareyKelly 01480811977

OffordTots NikkiMitchell 07872986326

PCSO RichardBraddick 07921094801

AnnWeitzel 811697

MarleneAlderman 810609

JohnKirby 810049

DoreenRowbury 811025

HelenBosworth 811892

HelenBosworth 811892

CarolTemple 812879

Whilst every effort is made to ensure information in this publication is accurate, we cannot be held responsible for any errors. The views expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Editor.

Directory of Advertisers

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11 A1 CHIMNEY SWEEP & MAINTENANCE

07508 051920

44 ABSOLUTE PLUMBING 01480 812549

42 ANGLIAN WATER 0800 0113774

31 BUDGENS 01480 819602

32 CM DECORATING 01480 810594

33 DK TILL COAL MERCHANTS 01223 232947

40 FLAIR UNISEX SALON 01480 810417

68 GRAVELEY GARAGE & MOTORCYCLES 01480 830462 & 831058

46 GREENSLEEVES 01767 651639

47 HOME-N-DRY 01487 840310 & 07766 576381

43 HUNTS SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND 01480 453438

67 HUNT & COOMBS SOLICITORS 01733 882870

47 JEZ ASHCROFT LTD 07708 031493 & 01480 812461

41 JODI FINCH & SON ELECTRICAL 07771 613848 & 01480 731599

61 JOHN SINCLAIR ELECTRICIAN 01480 273927 & 07815 903467

46 JUNE LEE PODIATRIST 01480 214392 & 07947 371107

30

KINGFISHER FUNERAL DIRECTORS 01480 471001

18 MOBILITY BATHING GROUP 01462 889097

31 MORE SPACE 01480 830130

11 OFFORD VILLAGE HALL 01480 811892

45 PAXTON HILL GARAGE 01480 217806

17 PLATINUM TOURS 01480 810560

10 THE HORSESHOE INN, OFFORD DARCY 01480 810293

29 W&H PEACOCK AUCTIONEERS 01480 474550

Anyone

Helen Northrop 07771

Sue Dorrington 07724 553101

Bob Bargh 01480 810237

Stephen Eayrs 01480 811816