Paxton Post 38

Paxton Post THE MAGAZINE FOR GREAT PAXTON

Issue 38 September - October 2023

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Editorial by Julie Stock The History Society are holding a special event on September 11. It’s also not long till The Scarecrow Festival from September 16 - 24.

Look out for more details in this issue of both events.

The printer has put the magazine online for us via the Community tab on the Parish Council website at https://greatpaxton-pc.gov.uk/.

If you’d like to contribute to the next issue, please note the deadline dates below and send your contributions to me at julie.stock@btinternet.com. 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 November – December January – February March – April May – June July – August September – October

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

The 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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Information about who to contact re: local services Local services are divided between Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the local town and parish councils.

Huntingdonshire District Council • Housing (Policy and Strategy maintenance of the Housing Register, housing advice, homelessness, housing grants and housing association development and nominations).

• Economic Development.

• Local Planning and Planning Applications.

• Elections and Registration.

• Street Cleaning and grounds maintenance.

• Licensing.

• Benefits.

• Leisure.

• Business Rates.

• Council Tax collection.

• Car Parks.

• Waste Collection.

• Environmental Health.

If you have issue with any of the above services, please contact me, Richard West, District Councillor, Great Paxton Ward: Email Richard.west@huntingdonshire.gov.uk or Richard.west@buckdencambs.co.uk Phone: 01480 811467 or leave message on: 07841 866630

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Cambridgeshire County Council • Education • Children’s Services • Community Safety • Adult Services • Roads and Traffic Trading Standards • Registration of Births Deaths and Marriages • Libraries and Heritage.

Museums • Public Health • Strategy and Development • Waste Disposal Planning Minerals • Maintenance of Public Footpaths Town and Parish Councils have some specific responsibilities but may overlap with other tiers including: • Consultation on Planning and other issues • Allotments • Cemeteries • Recreation Facilities • Public Toilets • Bus Shelters • Village Hall • War Memorials

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Great Paxtonians - Bert Goodwin, 1921-2018 A series of articles about people who have lived in Great Paxton or have a connection with the village.

Herbert William Goodwin was born in Great Paxton in January 1921. He lived here until 1941 when he joined the army. After the war he came back to St. Neots. Though he never lived in Great Paxton again, he retained a strong connection with the village for the rest of his life and researched much of our history. If you have ever been on one of my history walks around the village, it is Bert’s research and memories that have formed their main basis.

1941 shortly after joining the army.

Bert’s father was a tenant farmer in the village, they lived initially at Low Farm and then Accommodation Farm on the High Street on the corner of London Lane. The name came from its use as temporary accommodation for itinerant farm workers when they were needed early in the year and later at harvest time.

As a young boy one of Bert’s jobs was to deliver milk from the farm both before and after school almost as soon as the cows were milked. Refrigeration was almost unknown, so it was important not to have it standing around.

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“On dry summer evenings when grass was scarce, my job would be minding cows by the roadside where they found fresh grass.”

“As there were so few cars one could enjoy the street as a playground for hoops, marbles and games with bows and arrows made from a willow stick, a piece of string and reeds from down the river.”

At 13 Bert left school and went to work as a labourer on a local farm.

The job only lasted 3 weeks as he did not enjoy life on the land.

After some weeks he found a job as an errand boy at Flinders grocers shop close to St. Neots Market Square. He was paid eight shillings for a 53 hour week. He gradually progressed to shop assistant. In 1936 he changed jobs to work for C.E. Evans, a builder in Cambridge Street, St Neots. He enjoyed the work and learned the basics of bricklaying and painting and decorating. It was in the late 1930s that Bert met his future wife, Hilda, who worked for Lord and Lady Eltisley on the Croxton Park Estate.

Sometime between 1936 and 1938 Bert travelled to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War with the International Brigade. He returned to Britain via 6 months spent in Canada before returning to Great Paxton. As preparations for the Second World War were made Bert took a maintenance job at the White House on Paxton Hill, where the firm making ‘Harley Landing Lamps’ for aircraft had relocated from East London housed in what had been a huge 5 storey battery chicken farm but was now taken down by 2 storeys.

During the late summer of 1940 Bert joined a band of 42 local men initially called the ‘Parashots’ but who quickly became the ‘Home Guard’. Churchill had appealed to every town and village to form such forces mostly for defence against any paratroops that might rain 7

from the skies. After a month they were issued with 5 rifles and patrolled the high ground near Toseland Road in shifts.

By 1941 Mr Harley was losing staff to the war effort and though Bert wanted to join the RAF as an air gunner, he was asked to help out on the farm at Great Paxton, agriculture being a reserved occupation.

Following further staff changes Bert was given the job of milking the cows, his least favourite farm job. He was now working 7 days a week with no time off. It was this turn of events that led him to join the army.

Bert went to Cambridge and enlisted in the 30th artillery regiment. He served in North Africa at Tobruk and the second battle of El Alamein where he was wounded and spent several months recovering largely in field hospitals. He spent a tour of duty (6 months) with the SAS but chose to re-join his old unit instead and fought in Italy at the battle of Monte Cassino as the allies drove the German army north out of the country.

Bert witnessed the death of his friend Yeshwant Ghadge of the British Indian Army in Italy who was awarded a Victoria Cross for gallantry. He pressed Indian and British officials to secure some support for his widow and later found that Yeshwant’s name had been omitted from a memorial in London. By Bert’s intervention his friend’s name was added.

After the war Bert returned to St. Neots and lived in Eynesbury for the rest of his life. On retirement he was able to indulge his passion for local history, transcribing wills and documents in Huntingdon Record Office, helping to found St. Neots Local History Society and writing many informative articles for the society’s local history magazine.

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2004 in Città de Costello, Italy on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the town involving Bert and his regiment.

________________________________________________________ Information from Elaine Donaldson’s eulogy for Bert given at his funeral 9th February, 2018 and other articles printed in an issue of the St. Neots Local History Magazine published in memory of Bert.

You can read the fascinating story of Bert’s wartime service in his book ‘Tobruk to Trieste’ available from online sellers.

Paul Ward 9

COMPOSTING AN EASY AND GREEN WAY TO REDUCE WASTE Composting is an easy and green way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for gardening. Not only does it help the environment, but composting can also save you money by reducing the amount of waste you have.

WHY SHOULD I COMPOST? Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and helps to reduce the need for chemical fertilisers, making your garden healthier, and also to retain moisture in the soil, reducing the need for watering.

HOW DO I START COMPOSTING 1. Choose a compost bin or pile: you can buy a compost bin or make one yourself.

2. Gather organic materials: your compost needs a mix of both green and brown materials. Green materials are rich in nitrogen, such as grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and tea bags. Brown materials are carbon-rich, such as dried leaves, wood chips, sawdust and shredded newspapers. Try to keep your mix of greens and browns balanced.

3. Add air, water and soil: Composting needs oxygen to break down the organic material: i) To provide adequate aeration for your compost, stir it regularly. ii) Make sure your compost is moist but not soggy. Add water if needed or let it dry out a bit if it’s too wet. iii) Finally, add a handful of soil to introduce beneficial bacteria and fungi that will help to break down the material.

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WHAT CAN I PUT IN MY COMPOST BIN? To make compost at home, you’ll need to put the correct items into your compost bin. You can add organic materials such as kitchen scraps like vegetable peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and fruit.

Other items that can be added to your compost bin include grass clippings, leaves, shredded newspaper, sawdust, straw and animal manure (from vegetarian animals only).

REMEMBER NOT TO ADD MEAT OR DAIRY PRODUCTS, PET WASTE, PLASTIC OR GLASS TO YOUR COMPOST BIN (You can add these items to Hot Composters).

RICHARD WEST DISTRICT COUNCILLOR EMAIL Richard.west@huntingdonshire.gov.uk or Richard.west@buckdencambs.co.uk TELEPHONE 01480 811467 OR 07841 866630

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Great Paxton Reading Group We have been busy reading two books recently: 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens was the first. Well, I could not put it down and it made me cry. Such a compelling read and this was Delia Owens' first fiction book.

Delia is in her 70s and has written fact books about wildlife in her earlier years - so to have written such a brilliant book - it has been in the best seller's list for weeks. It has been made into a film. I watched it and the movie outlines the story slightly differently, but it is all there! Wow, definitely one to pick up and read again!

Our next book was 'The Midnight House' by Amanda Geard. This again was Amanda's debut novel but having read it about a month ago, I needed to pick it up again to write this. It ended too soon I thought, and I wanted to know a bit more about the characters and where they went. It is a nice read but did not grip me.

Amanda Niven

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Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival IT’S TIME! Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th September With only a week or so to go, we are really looking forward to seeing all your scarecrows. If you have not already entered, you have until Sunday 10th September to do so (see the enclosed Entry Form for details). We have some amazing prizes again this year so please do have a go!

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 You will be able to see the scarecrows all week, but the main event is from 12pm on Saturday 16th September at The Bell carpark. We have food vendors, craft stalls, face painting, sweetie jars, tombola, and family games.

We also have the Fancy Dress Competition for children 11 years and under at 3pm. Free entry, no theme, and great prizes to be won.

Judged by Reverend Annette and Raqi, and quite possibly the Mayor of St Neots!

If you would prefer a quiet half hour, why not pop to the church where they will be serving tea and cake!

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Grab a list of scarecrow entries and map (available from the shop, church or pub) so you don’t miss any on your village walk. Use the form on the back to vote for your favourites and be entered into the prize draw (courtesy of Ibbetts!)

It really is set to be great festival, but your support is needed. Come on everyone, let’s put Great Paxton on the map!

Jo, Raqi, Andrea, Julie, Karen, Tara and Val gp-scarecrow.online/

GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com

@

GreatPaxtonScarecrowFestival

We would like to say a massive thank you to Hire or Buy Group for sponsoring the event, and to The Bell, Peter Anderson Cars, and Ibbetts for the prizes.

Sa t u r d a y 16 t h t o Su n d a y 24 t h Sep t em b er Take a walk round our village to see all the fantastic scarecrows!

(Map and voting form available from the Community Shop and The Bell.

Vote for your favourite and enter the prize draw)

Sponsored by

Saturday 16th September 12pm to 5pm – The Bell Pub Carpark Street Food Vendors • Family Games • Arts & Craft Stalls Children’s Fancy Dress Competition (age 11 & under)

Printed by

Sunday 17th September 10am – The Rec Ground – Car Boot Sale gp-scarecrow.online/

@ GreatPaxtonScarecrowFestival

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www.tbpc.co.uk

Great Paxton Scarecrow Festival ENTRY FORM - SCARECROW FESTIVAL - 16TH TO 24TH SEPTEMBER 2023 First Name

Surname

Address

Scarecrow Entry Name

Postcode

Your allocated official entry number

You will be sent this nearer the time to display next to your scarecrow

Mobile No Tel No

Email

FREE ENTRY! Complete in full

27 Towgood Way OR 37 Meadow Way OR GPscarecrow.festival@ yahoo.com

and return no later than Sunday 10th Sept to either:

OR

The Bell pub OR

Great Paxton Community Shop

INFORMATION Only your imagination can limit your design! Go traditional, or as creative as you want! Just ensure the materials you use will withstand the elements for a week as your scarecrow should be in your front garden / where it can be seen by 10am on Saturday 16th until 5pm on Sunday 24th Sept and judging will take place all week by the public. You DO NOT have to use straw and there is no theme for this first year. Only entries that have an official entry number will be eligible to be entered into the competition.

(If you would like to enter but have nowhere to display your scarecrow, contact GPscarecrow.festival@yahoo.com)

Scarecrow Trail sheets will be available from Facebook, the pub and community shop from 10am on Saturday 16th. Use this so you don’t miss any scarecrows on your walk around the village. Follow the map to view all the entries as you are the judges! (Judging by the public will take place for the whole week.) A voting sheet with instructions will be attached to the map. Vote for your favourite by 12noon on Sunday 24th Sept. Votes will be calculated and the winner announced at the pub and on Facebook on Sunday 24th.

BEST NAMED SCARECROW - £50 cash - donated by Hire or Buy Group FUNNIEST SCARECROW - £50 voucher for The Bell – donated by the pub MOST ORIGINAL SCARECROW - £50 cash – donated by Peter Anderson Cars Thank you to: The Bell Follow us on Facebook at @GreatPaxtonScarecrowFestival or at to keep up to date with scarecrow news!

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What to do with a glut of Courgettes? Make a cake of course!

Having had an allotment on The Recreation Ground for 4 years now, every year I say to myself, "only sow 2 courgette plants" but I always end up planting more. The result being loads of courgettes and wondering what to do with them all. Even after donating to the village shop or giving them away, I still find them hiding behind their large spikey leaves getting bigger and bigger. They are a wonderful vegetable and quite diverse. I have pickled, spiralled, stuffed and sautéed them but this year, I decided to make a chocolate courgette cake. It was so delicious and moist, I thought I would share the recipe, I do hope you will give it a try.

You will need: Ingredients 350g self-raising flour 50g cocoa powder 1 tsp mixed spice 175ml extra-virgin olive oil 375g golden caster sugar 3 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 500ml grated courgette (measure by volume in a measuring jug, but it's about 2 medium courgettes; if using 1 overgrown one, peel first and take out seeds) 140g toasted hazelnut, roughly chopped For the icing 200g dark chocolate, chopped 100ml double cream Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, mixed spice and 1 tsp salt. In another bowl, 18

combine the olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and grated courgette. Mix the dry and wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the toasted hazelnuts. Line a 24cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 40-50 mins, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the icing, place the chocolate in a bowl and bring cream to the boil in a saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until completely smooth and melted. Leave the icing to cool slightly and thicken, then spread it over the cake so it’s covered, and the icing starts to drip down the sides and enjoy!

P.S. It can be frozen without the icing.

Gaynor Christie Chairperson Great Paxton Allotments and Sensory Garden If you are interested in having an allotment or helping in the Sensory Garden please contact our secretary Gillian Smith whose details are on the contacts page.

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Booze and Brushes – August ‘23 Wow! What started out as a few friends and a splash of paint in The Bell has gone further than I ever expected! Over the last few months we’ve painted a lotus flower, a beach scene, a moody black and white scene with a choose-your-own tree, the boat and of course McMoo, our Highland cow who made a second visit. If you fancy joining us we’re a very informal group, no previous art skills are required, just come and have a go. We meet most Tuesdays at The Bell in Great Paxton, booking is essential, just drop me a message – 07903 571774.

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Little Paxton Gardening Club Where gardening and friendships blossom Join us in our 45th Sapphire Anniversary year.

Monthly club meetings will once more resume in September at 8pm in Little Paxton Village Hall with the following schedule:-

6th Sept

Dr Gwenda Kyd “Plants to Drugs”

Corinne Price 4th Oct

The Swiss Garden – Restoration of a Regency Gem.

Dr Gwenda Kyd, a scientist and complimentary medicine practitioner, who has worked on plant trials at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens with a talk on ‘Plants to Drugs’.

Corinne Price, who is currently the Manager at The Shuttleworth Trust and has previously been involved in the management of the restoration of a range of conservation projects, will be talking to us about The Swiss Garden and the Restoration of a Regency Gem.

Visitors are always welcome - £2 per meeting, payable at the door.

You do not need to be an expert but enthusiasm helps!

For more information, please contact: PAULA HAYWARD Tel. 01480 473 122

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GREAT PAXTON SCHOOL 1992

At the recent village history exhibition at the church, along with the story behind the 1,000 year old building, a lot of interest was created by this photo of the village school taken in 1992, the last year at the old school before moving to its current location in Mount Pleasant.

People were recognising their children or just remembering faces from the past. We soon gathered information about who many of the children are on the photo, but there are still some gaps which we would love to fill.

A couple of people who stood out to some people were none other than our now famous landlady Rachael, coincidentally standing near the daughter of her boss.

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Another famous Rachel there was Rachel Dunn, well, famous with anyone with even a passing interest in netball. She is one of the most famous British players in the history of the game and is still playing top-level club netball after 20 years of huge achievements. She won 92 caps for England and has won 7 Super League titles. Teams she has played for include Team Bath and Wasps. She first played for England in 2004 and went on to win Bronze medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth games (netball is not an Olympic sport) and a silver at the 2010 World Netball Series and represented England at world cups in the 2010’s.

When you consider that she also works for the NHS as a genetic technologist at the Genetics Laboratory hospital in Birmingham, you can easily see what an inspiring villager she has become.

I could imagine the other Rachael might not have excelled at netball!

If anyone reading this recognises any faces on the photo, and has not told me yet, please contact me at grahamajames1@gmail.com.

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NEWS RELEASE

1st August 2023 Have your say on Dog Control Public Space Protection Order proposal Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is inviting residents to have their say on proposals to extend the current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO): Dog Control in Huntingdonshire for a period of three years.

A PSPO helps to tackle anti-social behaviour locally and is aimed at ensuring public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour.

Since 2017, HDC have enforced a PSPO for Dog Control, which includes measures such as requiring dogs to be kept on leads in certain areas, monitoring areas where dogs aren't allowed and making sure owners clean up after their dogs. This PSPO was renewed in October 2020, keeping the same conditions. HDC is renewing the PSPO for Dog Control following increased service requests in relation to dog control.

This PSPO makes the current conditions clearer and includes measures to tackle out of control dogs. The conditions are to challenge the behaviours of irresponsible dog owners or those in charge, which 30

includes protecting public spaces from dogs which damage or destroy other animals, cause people alarm and/or distress, and from people responsible for dogs that repeatedly stray.

Executive Councillor for Customer Services, Councillor Stephen Ferguson, said: “There have been some unfortunate incidents that HDC have received in relation to dog control issues and reports of heavily fouled areas.

“We are giving residents an opportunity to have their say on the future of PSPO Dog Control across the district so that we can ensure everyone feels safe and welcome around Huntingdonshire.

“We know that most dog owners are responsible but there are some that are not, and the new conditions makes the pre-existing conditions clearer whilst also implementing a new requirement to tackle out of control dogs.

“The PSPO will also allow us to continue to create a better Huntingdonshire for future generations by protecting our public spaces and keeping them green and clean.”

In Section 59(8) of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 states “A public spaces protection order must be published in accordance with regulations made by the Secretary of State”. It is the Statutory Guidance for this Act which states that members of the public and relevant bodies should be consulted on a proposed PSPO. Have your say here: Public Space Protection Order: Dog Control Public Consultation - Huntingdonshire.gov.uk Responses need to be made by Monday 28 August 2023.

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Great Paxton History Society Presents…..

An evening with Liz Davies (recently retired Curator of St Neots Town Museum) Venue:The Bell marquee, Great Paxton Date: Monday, September 11th Time: 7.30pm - doors open from 7pm Charge: £3 (pay on the door) Everyone is welcome Topics that Liz will cover will include…….

Hear about the Kimbolton hoard of Iron Age stater coins The St Neots bread riots due to drought-led wheat shortages in 1795 Update of finds from local area excavations Donations in relation to the Black Bull Inn, Great Paxton Most interesting item in the museum’s collection from Liz’s viewpoint St Neots Quads Annie Izzard

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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.

We welcome anyone with an interest in our village or history in general, once a month, usually the second Monday at 7.30 in The Bell pub, which opens especially for us. The next dates are August 14th, September 11th, and October 9th.

September 11th will be a special meeting with speaker Liz Davies, starting at 7.30pm. Entrance to The Bell marquee will be from 7pm, and there will be a charge of £3 to help with the hire and fee. Cash only please. Liz is the recently retired curator of St. Neots Museum, and she will be telling us about her work there, and some interesting facts about our village of Great Paxton. She has a visual presentation, and we hope she will bring some artefacts as well for us to see.

Watch for posters.

Our history open weekend at the beginning of July was very successful, with most people coming on the Sunday afternoon to be entertained by the Peppercorns Academy Adult Choir and to witness the placement of the Millenniumfest Time Capsule. This will remain in the church for the next 70 years to be opened in 2100. Many people took the opportunity to climb the bell tower to see the graffiti and the bells at the top, others saw them via the video from ground level. We thank you for the generous donations to Holy Trinity Minster Church and Great Paxton History Society.

Jacqueline Wieczorek 33

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Great Paxton History Society - Graham James For this edition’s look into the archives, I am going back just 30 years and looking at the minutes of a Parish Council meeting. It is interesting to see that, in many ways, the issues do not change much over the years and how difficult it is on occasions to make changes.

It was reported that the problem with flooding under the railway bridge in River Lane is yet to be resolved. Works were being undertaken to repair the footpath along by the river and to open up the footpath to Toseland.

The Parish Council were however able to quash the rumours going around that the road up London Lane was going to be continued up to Adams Lane!

The road safety committee’s report was lengthy and detailed. They confirmed that the topic of speed and safety through the village was still at the forefront of the council. A sub-committee had been formed to liaise with the Police to discuss the proposed traffic calming measures. Again, this could have been written this year.

One of their objectives really stood out, given the often-criticised speed of some drivers on the High Street. This was to attempt to get the speed limit there reduced from 40mph to 30mph. There was also a plan to reduce the limit on the top of Paxton Hill to 40mph. Well, this was nearly achieved recently.

However, there was also a report of a meeting with the County Council about the provision of additional streetlights on the High Street and we’re still a long way away from achieving this objective.

At least there was no more talk about a by-pass through the village, between the High Street and the railway, as had been considered once!

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Some crime statistics were published, and they make interesting reading. It was reported that in just over 4 months in 1992/93 there were 4 house burglaries and 4 car thefts (that is actual thefts of cars, not thefts from cars), and this was reported to be very favourable compared with other nearby villages. I would imagine that the current figures would be much better.

Oh, and there were complaints about the amount of dog mess on the streets.

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Holy Trinity Minster Church Great Paxton

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 Church Treasurer: Mrs Jacqueline Jackson jnmunro@btinternet.com 38

Tower Captain: Mrs Mary Parnham 01480 394727 maryP2707@hotmail.com Do contact Annette if you are thinking of having a youngster baptised or holding your marriage service in Great Paxton Church.

Services at Great Paxton Church We hold a variety of different types of Christian worship, and you will always find a very warm welcome.

Here is our regular service pattern.

1st Sunday 9.00am Prayer Book Holy Communion 2nd Sunday 11.00am All Age Worship 3rd Sunday 11.00am Common Worship Holy Communion 4th Sunday 11.00am Sunday Morning Prayer

An easy way to donate towards the upkeep of Holy Trinity Church.

Below is our new QR code and if any readers would like to make a one off donation towards looking after our 1,000 year old building, the code is easy to use with a mobile phone and debit card. Thank you.

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Completed!

The South Aisle Project at Great Paxton Church

We are very pleased to report that the new stone floor has now been laid in the south aisle after taking up the old rotten floor boards and joints.

It means we now have a flexible space in the south aisle, ideal for chairs with a good view of the platform in front of the chancel or for exhibitions or tables and chairs for catering. The work was carried out by brothers Steve and Martin Strickland who had also undertaken replastering works over the past three years.

In the picture, the chairs are ready to welcome parents of our primary school children for their July end of term service.

The late 19th century organ is now placed happily in the north aisle and the Hall brothers, our organ builders, even sourced a newer organ blower pump for us as the previous one had seen better days.

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The last remaining job in this phase of work is the redecoration.

We have c£900 funds for some of the redecoration needed but the PCC still has a shortfall to complete all of the work. Hopefully that can be raised by May 2024 when the redecoration would need to be done. Thanks to everyone who has supported the South Aisle Project including the Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust’s grant of £3,000. * The Timeline will be in the churchyard for a few more weeks…

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.

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

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

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Congratulations to Graham Bevan!

On the evening of Tuesday June 27th there was a Service of Evensong at Ely Cathedral which also celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust.

The Trust raises funds and distributes grants and interest free loans to churches for repairs and development of facilities. Great Paxton Church has benefitted from grants from CHCT for several projects over the years including the South Aisle Project.

Graham Bevan from the village has taken part in three annual CHCT Ride and Stride days and raised over £8,000 which has been shared between CHCT and Great Paxton Church.

To acknowledge his efforts, Graham was presented with a citation certificate at the Evensong Service by the Bishop of Ely and several friends from Great Paxton Church were able to join him on this very special occasion. Well done, Graham!

Graham and his wife Margaret in Ely Cathedral.

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The Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride Day – September 9th 2023.

Introducing our new Ride and Striders – Alex and Gareth Macey!

Graham has decided to hang up his cycle clips as far as taking part in the CHCT annual Ride and Stride, but we are all delighted that brothers Alex and Gareth Macey from Great Paxton will be taking on the sponsored cycle ride challenge this year.

Annette visited them recently at their home and they are busy planning their route and hope to cycle 40 miles between churches in the St Neots area and surrounding villages.

If anyone would like to sponsor the young gentlemen please do get in touch with Alex on: alex@phantomcoaching.com Their Mum Rosemary Macey will also have sponsor forms available leading up to September 9th.

You can read more about the CHCT Ride and Stride event on their website: https://camhct.uk 43

July’s 100 Club winners were: £100 Number 51 Doris Middleton £50 Number 113 Felicity Peacock £25 Number 187 Peter Dunn * Special Services and Events at Great Paxton Church this Autumn.

Sunday September 10th at 11.00am A service celebrating our pets – we would love you to bring your pet (if appropriate!) or picture of your pet.

Saturday September 16th – refreshments will be served in church 2.00pm to 5.00pm as part of the village Scarecrow Festival.

Sunday October 1st at 1.30pm – Holy Baptism Tuesday October 3rd 12pm to 2.00pm – Richard Harlow, the Archdeacon of Huntingdon, will be a guest a Great Paxton School.

Sunday October 8th at 11.00am – Harvest Festival at Church.

Donations of non-perishable foods and toiletries will be very welcome for Jimmy’s Night Shelter.

Sunday October 15th at 11.00am – A service to welcome Archdeacon Richard to Great Paxton Church for the first time and give thanks for the completion of our South Aisle Project.

Saturday October 27th at 1.00pm Holy Matrimony.

Sunday November 12th at 10.30am in the Churchyard: Remembrance Sunday with Act of Remembrance at 11.00am.

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Will Rev Cane be back to Great Paxton Church for the Scarecrow Festival?? * The Mobile Library visits Little Paxton, Eynesbury, Eaton Socon, Great Paxton, Offord Darcy and Offord Cluny on the 3rd Monday in the month (Round H15) Great Paxton: Towgood Way 2.55pm to 3.30pm As well as a large range of library books, you can get your NHS hearing batteries, replacement walking stick ferrules and you can dispose of old household batteries.

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Women’s Institute - Farming Life Anyone who has travelled through The Offords will have seen, at various times, there is a grazing of sheep or cattle in the fields near to St Peter’s church. It is a springtime delight to see the calves and lambs with their mothers and a reminder that we share a lovely rural environment with these creatures.

The July meeting of the WI offered a deeper insight into the process of raising farm animals and a demonstration of all the love, respect and planning that goes into it. We were delighted to welcome our speaker, Farmer Verity, who with husband Ed, farms ‘our’ field and several others around nearby villages.

It was a fascinating talk and made us feel very drawn into the life of a farming family. Verity is also a vet, so it is heartening to think that these animals, so local to us, enjoy a wonderful, mostly outdoor life.

They are so cared for and many of them stay with the family as treasured pets. The farms around us enhance all our lives and deserve our respect.

The WI meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the Offords Village Hall at 7.30. If you think you would enjoy hearing our talks or joining in with all our other activities, do come along.

Future Meetings: September 12th, 2023 Journey to Becoming a Published Author – Julie Stock October 10th, 2023 Cake and Biscuit Icing - Jen Spooner from Nanny Spoon’s Cakery November 14th, 2023 Shakespeare Groupie – Liz Dive Enquiries: Jenny Murby - Tel: 01480 811474; Email: jenny@murby.uk 46

Great Paxton Recreation Ground Preseason matches and training are now underway at the rec getting our adult, colt, and junior teams ready for the coming new season.

The repairs to the pavilion are now complete following the water leak and the changing rooms and entrance are looking great! Many thanks to Lenny at Carr Property Developments for managing this project for us. The mower is back up and running after a visit to Ibbetts and fundraising is underway with an initial grant of £2500 from the Hypercharge Foundation already in the bag. Further grant applications are in progress, and we hope to be in a position at the end of the year to get a new mower to help maintain the rec and the church yard to a high standard.

The allotments and sensory garden are looking amazing so please take a walk down and see the fruits of everyone’s hard work. There are also lots or blackberries around the edges of the field if you’d like to bring a tub and help yourself.

We have two new exciting fund-raising events this year. The beer festival on 2nd September at The Bell and a Car Boot sale at the rec on the 17th September. Please contact Rachael at the Pub for tickets and pitches for these events. Massive thanks to Rachael for all her help in making this happen.

A big thank you to the parish council for their financial support. With running costs exceeding £5k this support is much needed. If anyone would like to get involved in the rec with either fund raising, general maintenance or fresh ideas please get in touch. Also, the rec and pavilion are open for hire for your party or event. Many thanks for all the hard work from the volunteers who keep this going.

Michael Fairs 07950967250 47

REPORT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL Major headlines this time and some good news: • Because of problems and complaints over recent months with the performance of the contractor appointed to empty refuse & dog bins in the village, the Parish Council has asked the District Council to take over the contract. Hopefully, there has been an improvement in the reliability and standard of the service since July when this change was made. This decision will cost the Parish Council £4042 per annum (so £252.64 per bin).

• Upgrading of all Parish Council owned Streetlights has also been given the go-ahead. This scheme has been estimated to cost £10,246.00 although there may be some add-ons should UK Power Network need to become involved; the cost of this project is largely being met by the community infrastructure contribution received from developers of the garage site on the High Street.

• The County Council has approved our application for funding towards an additional MVAS (flashing mileage sign) post on the High Street and the installation of reflective hazard markers between Church Lane and the Manor Farm entrance to protect users of the footpath and prevent the grass verge being damaged by vehicles especially in winter.

• Following the Parish Meeting in May, work has started on a draft Parish Plan. This will specify the Parish Council’s responsibilities, assist understanding of what the Parish Council can deliver and enable transparent review and monitoring of services and actions. Ultimately, this document will be circulated to residents.

Following the disruption caused to residents by the road closure and works on Paxton Hill in June and notwithstanding the subsequent apology and donation from Anglian Water to the Community Shop, the Parish Council will post all future Highways Notices that it 48

receives to its ‘Facebook’ site so that residents are made aware as early as possible of any planned works or diversions!

Regrettably, the Parish Council has been requested to remind dog owners that it is an offence to allow your dog to foul and not remove the faeces from any land in the district of Huntingdonshire (and within your Parish!), unless the owner of the land in question has given you permission otherwise. If caught for this offence, a Fixed Penalty of £100 may be issued or further legal action taken.

Lastly, Huntingdonshire District Council has published the outcome of its ‘Call for Sites’ as part of the current Local Plan Review. Four sites have been submitted for potential development in Great Paxton. These are: • Site No 302: Land north of Harley Industrial Park, Paxton Hill is submitted for Commercial/Employment development.

• Site No 309: Land to the west of High Street, Great Paxton. Thirty homes are proposed.

• Site No 14: West of the High Street, Great Paxton. Nine plots proposed.

• Site No 368: Land east of Dovecote Lane, Great Paxton. 5-6 market dwellings/self-build plots proposed.

More detail about each submission is available on the District Council's Website using this link where you can make representations if you so wish: https://consult.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/kse/event/37393/peoplesub mission Next Parish Council Meeting – Monday 18th September 2023 at 7.30pm. Please come and join us.

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Great Paxton Community

Village Shop Summer update Since our last update in April, it’s been another dynamic period for your village shop: More changes on the management front - as Val decided to move on to pastures new in June, we thanked her for helping us through the spring time and have had the support of Harriet, Sarah and Lotty to see us through the summer. We’re pleased to announce that we have a new manager starting on 4th September. Jessica is a great addition to our team and we look forward to her joining us on a permanent basis.

A new committee for the coming year – at the Annual Members Meeting in June, a Management Committee of eight people was elected to serve for the coming year: • Andy Wylde • Janet Greiller • Pete Smith • Stephen Claffey • Terri Nichols • Harry Joseph • Rachael Martin • Jill Peters If you have any comments or questions about the shop, please get in touch.

A welcome donation from Anglian Water – after the disruption caused by the water issues and road closure on Paxton Hill in July, Anglian Water donated £250 to the shop as a compensation to the village and we thank them for this gesture of good will.

Rising energy costs are having an impact – the rate that the shop pays for its electricity has doubled recently so we have invested in a new, more energy efficient, freezer that uses electricity at half the rate of the old unit. The kind donation from the Millenniumfest committee enabled us to make this purchase.

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

A lot has changed in recent months.

There are several ways that you could support the shop and help us to continue 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.

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

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