LivingLife - Issue 16 (Shefford) by livinglifemag

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Issue 16 March 2020

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Featured this month Fly-tipping in our villages

Also inside

Diddy Directory Room 101 Whatâ€™s On Guide

A FAIR MOT TEST FOR A FAIR PRICE WWW.THEGARAGESHEFFORD.CO.UK E: INFO@THEGARAGESHEFFORD.CO.UK

T: 01462 414820

A: 2B ST FRANCIS WAY, SHEFFORD, SG17 5DZ (NEXT TO MORRISONS)

The Garage Shefford is a small friendly and family run company. Our team has over 40 years experience in the motor trade and provides an honest, reliable and cost effective service, which is approved by both the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and Trust My Garage. We believe in providing a fair MOT test for a fair price.

MOT Testing - £35

Including classes 4 • 5L • 7 (Cars, vans, minibuses, motorhomes, and goods vehicles up to 3500kg)

A/C RECHARGE

SERVICING & REPAIRS

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC

DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR: •

SERVICES: add an MOT to your Interim, Annual, or Major Service to save

•

UNIFORMED SERVICES: 10% discount when you show your ID

•

SENIOR CITIZENS: automatically qualify for 10% off

The Garage Shefford reserves the right to revoke or rescind these offers at any point, without notice. Identification may be required for Uniformed Services (professional ID or Blue Light Card) or Seniors discounts.

PROUD TO BE APPROVED BY...

Can you FIND the golden ticket?

Keep a keen eye out in this magazine for this month’s Golden Ticket. If you find it simply give us a call and quote the 5 digit code on the ticket to claim the prize.

Roll over

Current prize

£75

Monthly prize of £25! If this it is not claimed, then the prize money will roll over to the following month! Winners agree to being published in LivingLife Magazine. The editor’s decision is final

Get in touch with us: We would love your feedback on what you enjoyed about this edition, and of course, any areas where we could improve.

01462 414265

admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in LivingLife magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, publisher or their agents. Whilst every reasonable care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information included within this publication, the publishers take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in LivingLife Magazine. The content is not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOrS Welcome to the March edition of LivingLife Magazine. During February we battled against storms Ciara and Dennis and with many trees, roof tiles and fence panels blown down, we hope everyone stayed safe and came through unscathed. Storms aside, February was a fantastic month for us. We visited Shefford Lower School to present them with a cheque for £300, the proceeds from the sale of our 2020 Calendar. It’s a great feeling to give something back to the community and we look forward to further fund-raising projects in the future. Inside this month’s magazine we have our usual selection of regular features including a hilarious Room 101 write-up from Lindsay Edwards, plus a heroic Kid’s Got Talent contribution from Holly Smith, who is running a half marathon to fund-raise for Stevenage Haven. We also have an informative article about fly-tipping and how you can help prevent it, plus a fascinating look at the origins of local place names thanks to Dan Connors.

| Andrew Martin |

| John McBurney |

Yet again, nobody found last month’s Golden Ticket, as such it is still up for grabs, with the rollover prize pot now standing at £75! Remember, there is only one Golden Ticket, inserted inside a randomly selected magazine, so be sure to check your copy to see if you are a winner!

Kind Regards, Andrew & John

Please pass to a friend, recycle or compost after reading.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

20 A big welcome to our new advertisers this month......

5 6 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

charity cheque handover booking holidays through travel agents what’s in a place name? fly-tipping in our villages spotlight on... the garage shefford kid’s got talent artisans in the yard crossword answers room 101 delivery boys’ review diddy directory scene by you march crossword what’s on guide spot the difference Feature d advert iser

Crystal leisure pools mount pleasant golf club This publication wouldn’t be possible without the support of our advertisers. Please ensure you mention us when you contact them. We still have a few spaces left. If you have a business in the area, feel free to get in touch

Advertising deadline for April - 10th Mar - visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk

FUND-RAISING CALENDAR RAISES £300

by John McBurney

n February we visited Shefford Lower School to present a cheque for £300 to the Shefford Lower School PSA (Parent Staff Association). The money raised was the proceeds from the sale of our 2020 fundraising calendar that we produced at the end of last year. The school and the PSA will put the money to good use! We would like to thank everyone who purchased a copy of the calendar and also thank the local photographers who kindly allowed their photos to be used in the project. In the photo, John (our community editor) presents the cheque to Phillipa (PSA Secretary), Mrs Pamela Finch (Head teacher), Kim (PSA Chair) & Kerry plus a friendly bunch of school kids (mostly year 4s). A fantastic visit! Don’t forget to mention LivingLife when contacting advertisers

travel

Contribution thanks to

BOOKING THROUGH HIGH STREET TRAVEL AGENTS

Richard Abery Spitfire Travel

01462 850489

onsumers should book holidays through travel agents rather than doing it themselves online to ensure financial protection and support the high street, the CAA says. New research from the CAA’s ATOL scheme found that many travellers could be leaving themselves vulnerable to illegitimate travel companies by not checking for and ensuring they have adequate financial protection in case things go wrong. The study of more than 4,000 adults found that two thirds (65%) have not been put off their desire to book a holiday this year by the collapse of Thomas Cook. But a third (33%) do not know how to check for ATOL protection when booking their holiday. More than half (57%) aim to book at least one international holiday for 2020, with 49% saying they would rather go on several short trips throughout the year than one big two-week break. The study also found that 16% will not visit the same destination more than once. The CAA said: “Going to a travel agent not only supports local retailers and the high street but can be financially beneficial for travellers. “With expert knowledge of the travel industry and special relationships with suppliers across the world, travel agents and tour operators can negotiate deals and craft tailor-made holidays to suit any interest”. Head of ATOL licensing Michael Budge added: “The ease of searching for your next break online, separately sourcing the flights and accommodation that suits you, is attractive to many holidaymakers. However, aside from supporting stores on our high streets and in our shopping centres, booking with a travel agent or tour operator means you have access to expert knowledge of destinations, activities, hotels and flights and can utilise the relationships travel agents have spent years negotiating with suppliers to get the best deals on your next trip. Whether you are looking for the next big family holiday or just a two-night city break, booking an ATOL protected package holiday with your high street travel agent means you can book with the confidence that, no matter what happens to your travel agent or tour operator, you will be financially protected.”

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history

WHAT’S IN A PLACE NAME?

by Dan Connors

ave you ever wondered how the place you live in came to have its name? Many of the towns and villages we live in have been in existence for many hundreds of years and the name will have changed over time. There are several place name endings that can help give us a clue to the name and original reason for a settlement developing. In the days before substantial bridges people crossed rivers at places where the water was shallower and often settlements grew up here. Anywhere with a ‘ford’ at the end of the place name is likely to have been one of these places. The rivers in those days would have looked very different to those we see now and much of the surrounding land would have been marshy. ‘Hurst’ refers to a wooded area, usually a hill. ‘ Cote’ comes from the Saxon word for house. So, let’s go on a tour of some of our local towns and villages. Maybe we start off at the settlement on the now forgotten River Camel (Campton) before walking along the river to the Sheep Ford (Shefford). Crossing the river and wet marshy ground we head north to land occupied by the southern Gifla tribe (Southill). From there we walk east to the area of thorny bush (Broom) before heading south again, crossing the river somewhere along the long ford (Langford) before reaching Hen Hill (Henlow) and finally ending our journey at the dry piece of land known as Aelfric’s Island (Arlesey).

Note: Our local villages will have developed over a long period of time and not all of the place names may have been in use at the same time. Some of the place names may have had multiple meanings. If you are interested in looking up other place names then the ‘Key to English Place Names’ is available at http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/ 8

Place

Original Meaning

Arlesey Biggleswade Campton Chicksands Clifton Gravenhurst Haynes Henlow Ickwell Langford Lower Caldecote Lower Stondon Meppershall Northhill Old Warden Shillington Southill Stanford Stotfold Upper Caldecote Upper Stondon

Aelfric’s Island Biccel’s Ford River Camel Settlement Cicca’s Sands Riverbank Village Coppice Wood Hill Enclosures Hen Hill Gicka’s Spring Long Ford Lower Cold Cottages Lower Stone Hill Maple Tree Nook of Land Land of the north Gifla’s Old Look-Out Hill Hill called the steep one Land of the south Gifla’s Stony Ford Stud Fold Upper Cold Cottages Upper Stone Hill

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COMMUNITY

Fly-tipping: The scourge of the local countryside by John McBurney

n February we witnessed some shocking examples of fly-tipping and illegal dumping in the local area. The photos we captured tell the story. Here we provide some useful information that could help prevent similar occurrences.

Various locations along country road from Ireland to Shefford

Report fly-tippers To stop fly-tippers in their tracks, they need to know their actions have consequences. A potential £40,000 fine is a sure-fire way to get the message across. Log local fly-tipping hotspots and keep a note of the number plates of vehicles seen dumping waste. You can report this information to Central Bedfordshire Council by phoning 0300 300 8302 or email customer.services@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Once word gets around that our community reports anyone they see fly-tipping, it’s a safe bet that the number of incidents will start to fall. Always stay safe: never approach or photograph fly-tippers, and don’t investigate the waste – it could be dangerous. Please do not interfere with waste material as it may be hazardous or potentially be used as evidence. Using a contractor? Make sure they’re legit A contractor willing to deal with your building or garden waste sounds like the ideal option. But do your detective work before you sign on the dotted line. Anyone removing waste from a home improvement project or garden makeover needs to be registered as a waste carrier. Unlicensed contractors are more likely to dump your waste somewhere they shouldn’t. If waste from your home is found in the wrong place, you may be held accountable – whether you knew that’s where it was destined for or not. 10

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A Garage you can trust in The Garage Shefford is a friendly and family run business conveniently located next to Morrisons supermarket in the lovely village of Shefford. We are a small team that pride ourselves on the quality and friendly service that we give to our customers. Our professionally trained staff have over 45 years of experience in the motor industry and are able to deal with any vehicle issue or question you might have. Although just a small business, we offer a large choice of services including computer diagnostic testing, MOTs, fixed price servicing, and seasonal checks to keep your vehicle running well throughout the year. Our MOTs are very competitively priced as we believe in offering a fair test for a fair price. It’s not just cars we can test but vans, minibuses, and motorhomes too. For those with a bit of knowledge, that’s classes 4, 5L, and 7. Our tests start from just £35 and we include one free retest if it’s needed. In fact, if you combine an MOT with one of our fixed price vehicle services there is a further discount, bringing the MOT cost down to as little as £20. We offer three different types of fixed price services on all makes & models. These are an oil service, an annual service, and a major service. They include a 26, 54, and 65 point vehicle check respectively, and start from £109.95. In summer we can help keep your vehicle cool with an AC recharge from £45.00. There’s also the option of adding deodoriser treatment to make your vehicle smell beautifully fresh. When the colder weather is approaching, we offer a Winter Safety Check to put your mind at rest and make sure your car is ready for the additional challenges winter presents. We believe in supporting our local community and try to use local businesses for our parts and supplies whenever we can. We also offer discounts to emergency personnel, members of the Armed Services, and senior citizens. We love what we do and are proud to be members of the RMI (Retail Motor Industry Federation), Trust My Garage, and Approved Garages. We’re always honest, and strive to give all of our customers a cost effective service and excellent value for money. For more information why not pop by? We’re open 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday, and every other Saturday from 8am - 2pm. We’ve got a clean waiting area which is both child and dog friendly, has free coffee and wifi, and toys for children.

Call: 12

Web:

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Welcome to our monthly feature: ’Kid’s Got Talent’ The place where we showcase the amazing talents of local children. We hope this will help motivate and inspire other children to discover new sports and hobbies.

Name: holly smith

age: 12 from: langford Q. Briefly explain your challenge? A. I wanted to do a year 8 challenge at school, so I decided to run/walk a half marathon (4 minutes run, 1 min walk) and raise money for charity. Q. How did you get involved in running? A. I don’t really remember, my mum runs a lot, so one day I said I would like to go with her. That’s how it started. Q. Are you a member of a club / organisation? A. I belong to Sandy Athletics club. Q. When do you train, with who and for how long? A. As well as athletics, I run one morning before school and a long run at the weekend. I run with my mum or dad. Q. Who is the fastest, you or your mum? A. Over long distance, it’s mum. Sprinting, it’s me. Q. Do you enter any running events? A. I do cross country through school and I have done the ‘Race for Life’ a few times. Q. How can people sponsor you and donate? I have created an online donation page here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmandaSmith115 Q. Why support Stevenage Haven? A. I wanted to help homeless people, as I know that I am very fortunate, and others are not. I used to live in Stevenage, so it was a lovely charity. Q. Any advice or tips for anyone wanting to run for charity? A. Challenge yourself, choose a charity that means something to you, and remember, you can do it! Does your child have an amazing talent? if so, please get in touch at admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk

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Equestrian

Pet & Wildlife

Groundcare

Smallholding

Sandy Lane, Chicksands, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QB.

01462 810190 | www. chandlersfe.co.uk

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local art

LOOK WHAT’S NEW at Artisans in the Yard!

Contribution thanks to

Erika Price

and collective Artisans

www.ArtisansInTheYard.com FB@Artisansintheyard

Exciting new artwork is now on display from recent newcomers to the gallery, including artists Yvette Jordan, Sue Nicholls, Linda Helliar and Terry Wood. We also feature the stunning work of Karen Mangold and Annette Glenn, and this month we introduce Terry Branston’s vibrant acrylic landscapes. Our range of unique handcrafted gifts continues to expand. New this month are Louise Crookenden-Johnson’s delightful earthenware figures, and Hannah Jacobs’ beautiful cushions, doorstops and draught excluders. Also new are Kathy Taylor’s charming notebooks, handmade from repurposed & recycled paper and sari silk, and Simon Glenn’s salvaged wrench tables with reclaimed wood tops. You’ll find new sculptures from Jim Francis too, new pieces from Trish Sheath, and new turned wood from Henry Seebohm and Brian Pettifer. There’s always something new at Artisans In The Yard, and something to suit every taste and pocket.

Do drop by soon!

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ROOM

101

We caught up with Lindsay Edwards, a personal stylist from REIMAGISE, based in Biggleswade, who takes huge pride in offering a range of fun and supportive services which boosts an individual’s appearance and confidence. We met up with her to find out what she would put into Room 101…

Sticky tape

Rarely used, it spends the majority of its time bumbling around awkwardly in your kitchen drawer. When the time comes to wrap a gift, it finally surfaces to fulfil its purpose. and to make a complete show of itself (and you). As soon as a section is cut its sole intention is to stick to everything it shouldn’t, including itself. It repeatedly loses its own end, taking the assistance of several family members to find. Throughout this utter fiasco, the significant design flaw of its shape leads it to continually roll away from you. In short, it behaves like a complete annulus - I’m not being rude, look it up!

Fitting Rooms

Otherwise known as the room of doom. Once you have failed to secure privacy by pulling the - inch too short - curtain across, you will be greeted by the fulllength mirror inside. They say mirrors don’t lie, well, these ones do. As does the unnatural lighting, which highlights every lump, bump, shadow, wrinkle, blemish and facial hair you possess. At this point your fight or flight instinct will kick in… will you fight the distorted reflection and buy the top? Or flee as quickly as possible, only to be stopped by the fitting room assistant who smiles sweetly whilst asking ‘any good’?

Autocorrect

Working under the guise of being a useful tool, what it actually causes is a cringeworthy fest of typos. Gone are the days of sending a quick text. Now each text requires proof reading before sending. Or the receiver will need to spend 15 minutes trying to decipher what you actually mean. I sent a text recently asking for the receiver’s postcode ‘for sat nav purposes’ but autocorrect changed it to ‘for satanic purposes’. Cue the swiftly followed apology for typo text. Autocorrect is the technological equivalent of that irritating person who finishes everyone’s sentences. Incorrectly.

Now it’s your turn! Do you want to banish your top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101? Submit your top 3 at: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/room101 18

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food & drink

DELIVERY BOYS’ REVIEW We check out the local restaurants & eateries

with.

by John McBurney & Andrew Martin and John the breaded French brie with cranberry compote and dressed salad. Our starters arrived, looking very well presented, served upon stylish slate plates, both were delicious, a great way to get things started. With an ideal gap between courses our mains soon arrived. John ordered the Cumberland sausages with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy and it was absolutely faultless, a traditional British meal prepared and cooked to perfection. Andrew opted for the Tomato & Last month we visited the Fairway Bar & Bistro mozzarella pizza with rocket and black olives. at Mount Pleasant Golf Club in Lower Ston- This went down a treat, the fresh stone baked don, a place we had wanted to visit for some base a highlight. time having heard some great things about the clubhouse, the menu and the food, and The clubhouse looks out across the shared although we don’t play golf, we discovered 9th/18th hole, commanding spectacular views that you don’t need to be a member of the club during the daytime, however, things are to come along. about to change. Located on Station Road in Lower Stondon, The shared hole it is easy to find, and on our arrival we dis- will soon become covered plenty of available spaces in the the 18th hole. A expansion car park. To get to the Bar & Bistro we went huge through the main doors and into reception and continued through into the clubhouse. A modern building, timber built, it’s spacious, warm and welcoming, contemporary in style, with a very smart looking bar area, and we were soon greeted by our waitress, Kayleigh and seated at a nicely laid dining table. It was Thursday night, which launched a new set menu, which means you can have 2 courses for £10 or 3 courses for £13. We both agreed that this was great value for money and considering we had been delivering magazines all day we opted for the 3 courses. The set menu offers a good range of dishes plus plenty of vegetarian and gluten free options too. For starters, Andrew chose the Plaice goujons with tartare sauce and lemon, 20

This Month’s Review Mount Pleasant Golf Club Station Rd, Lower Stondon, Henlow SG16 6JL

01462 810104

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project for the club over recent years has seen relax, socialise and dine out with friends and the addition and construction of 9 new holes. It family, where you’ll get great tasting food, is indeed exciting times for the club. the epitome of modern British cooking, plus service to match. Life is definitely good on the Finally, onto desserts, which arrived perfectly 19th hole! sized, and both came with fresh tasting fruit, perfect on the palate with just the right amount of sugary sweetness. John had the berry Eton mess with Chantilly cream and Andrew’s chocolate brownie arrived warm, delicious with the vanilla ice cream and berry compote. The perfect way to complete our meal. The service was exceptional from the friendly, attentive staff, and we were always asked if everything was OK. We also got to meet the chef team - Head Chef, Trace, and Sous Chef, Marc. It was interesting to chat with them and refreshing to hear how they have so much enthusiasm for what they do, whether it’s a lunch menu for two or a 5-course wedding feast for 80. So, what’s our verdict on the Fairway Bar & Bistro? It’s a modern, welcoming and spacious venue open to everyone. A fantastic place to

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Community

Volunteer to clean up Drover’s Spinney, Shefford Keep Shefford Tidy needs your help!

eep Shefford Tidy has entered the Co-Op’s “Win a CleanUp Crew” competition, as part of the Great British Spring Clean 2020. We are in with a chance of winning 5 helpers from the Co-Op to give us a hand clearing up the litter collected in Drover’s Spinney, behind Morrison’s car park. You may be aware that this nature reserve is blighted by litter that gets blown under the fence surrounding the car park. We have entered the competition with the full backing of Shefford Town Council but to qualify, we need 5 volunteers from our side to make up the team. All you need to do is…

1) Be available on Saturday, 28th March between 10am and 12noon 2) Visit the page below and click on the “Yes, I’ll help” button. Once we have 5 volunteers from our side, our event will be then be in with a chance of winning Co-op’s support. Thank you in advance, and fingers crossed!

https://co-operate.coop.co.uk/clean-up-yourcommunity/135467340 22

The

Diddy