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Issue 17 November 2020

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At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

Kid’s Got Talent Scene By You Crossword Feature

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NOTE FROM THE EDITOrS We wish you a very warm welcome to the November edition of LivingLife Magazine. It has to be said, the months do seem to be whizzing by at an amazingly fast rate, where does the time go? It is hard to believe that our next edition will be the December edition which of course means we have Christmas to look forward to. Coming up in this month’s magazine we have the latest instalment of our Beautiful Bedfordshire Gardens feature where we visit Ann & Cyril’s garden in Henlow Village. Do you have an interesting garden? If so, we would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch. We also get to meet Phil Trevor, who is this month’s Kid’s Got Talent, he’s a twelve-year-old programmer and web This month’s cover photo was designer who runs his own business. Wow! That boy’s got talent! captured by Kate McBurney during an evening Our cover photo this month was captured last(John’s year onwife) Remembrance Sunday. stroll across the farmers fields Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 rules and restrictions, Remembrance services,

| Andrew Martin |

parades and marches planned for this year and to take place Compeon Sunday neardue Henlow Village. 8th November, will no longer happen in their usual format / capacity.

tition Winner

JULY

There may well be some short services taking place, with limited wreath laying and invite only attendees, but the majority of people are being encouraged to stay at home. We understand that this will be deeply disappointing for all who were due to attend or take part and we hope that you can remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves in some other way.

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

Every year the nation unites to make sure that no-one is for| John McBurney | gotten and to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

Kind Regards, Andrew & John

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

Competition Winner

october

a big well done to:

Vanessa Hall

Who was the closest to spotting the hidden drone pilot in last month’s photo & won £25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 8 10 12 16 18 20 22 24 26 29 30

Beautiful bedfordshire gardens kidâ€™s got talent artisans in the yard diddy directory introducing Festus Akinbusoye local Macmillan support stondon scouts invite you life after lockdown - acre wood scene by you november crossword spot the drone pilot..... win ÂŁ25 branching out supports community

30 DAVID YULE

07714 418448

nothinglikewood@gmail.com Facebook/Instagram: Nothinglikewood ETSY SHOP: NothinglikewoodCRAFT

If you would like to give a beautiful and functional wooden spoon as a gift, then visit my ETSY shop or contact me directly. I make wooden spoons and bowls using traditional craft knives and axes. The wood that I carve is all sourced locally and ethically. I also take commissions for spoons, bowls, serving boards, house signs and stand alone items of furniture. 4

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garden

Beautiful Gardens of Bedfordshire Ann & Cyril Everard, High Street, Henlow

Check out all the photos on our blo g

www.livinglifemag

azine.co.uk/blog

Discovering beautiful gardens in the local area. Welcome to our latest instalment of beautiful gardens. This time we were kindly invited to visit the amazing garden of Ann & Cyril Everard who live in Henlow Village. With a prominent position on the High Street, it is a garden that really does grab your attention with its huge array of potted plants and colour. We were treated to a guided tour of the garden whilst Cyril explained all… “I’ve lived in this house since it was built some 48 years ago. I spend a lot of time working on the garden. It is all day when planting but on average I spend about 3 hours a day in the garden. Just watering the plants takes an hour and a half every day! Nowadays I’m not very quick due to my age and ailments and as such this year’s garden could be the last time that it incorporates so many potted plants. My favourite aspect of the garden are the colours, especially the Dahlias, Begonias and the Hydrangeas. We get most of the flowers and the plants from Watts Nurseries in Upper Caldecote, but many of

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the plants, like the Hydrangeas, we grow from cuttings. People do stop and take photographs. It is a fantastic feeling knowing that our garden brings joy to people.” Ann added: “Whilst I was out in the garden a lady was passing by and she suddenly stopped and said, “You must make everybody stop and smile with your garden”, it is a real pleasure to receive such nice comments like this.”

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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.

Phil Trevor age: 12 from: shefford Name:

Q. Briefly explain your talent. My talent is HTML coding and website building. I am self-taught and have spent many weeks researching and learning new ways of coding to make websites look good. Q. How did you teach yourself HTML Coding and Script writing? I watched lots of YouTube videos and still watch at least one per day to keep my knowledge fresh. Q. Do you attend training courses or watch tutorials on YouTube? I am not able to attend training courses because most of the online course require you to be over 16, as I’ve only just turned 12 I watch YouTube videos instead. Q. What is the most challenging aspect? Making the websites mobile responsive. This means that if you open a website up on a PC, mobile phone, Ipad etc. the text and pictures will always change to fit the screen size. Q. You run your own web design business, what is it called and how did this come about? My business is called Make Your Web (www.makeyourweb.co.uk). I started learning coding when I was 10. During Lockdown I really got in to it and have learnt a lot of new stuff. The inspiration to start my own business came when I looked at some local businesses and realised that they either didn’t have any web presence or that their website was very basic. Q. Is it difficult running your own business and having to go to school? Not really as I get home and I still have a few hours each evening and the weekends. During school I think about what to add to the websites I’m designing – obviously only during break times!! Q. Which aspect of running your own business do you enjoy the most / least? I get excited when a new customer sends a message on my ‘Contact Us’ form and least enjoyable would be when I think I’ve finished a site but then find a bug which needs fixing, that’s really frustrating!

Does your child have an amazing talent?

if so, please get in touch at admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk 8

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local art

Shop Local and Handmade this Christmas!

Contribution thanks to

Erika Price

and collective Artisans

Artisans in the Yard FB@Artisansintheyard

At Artisans In The Yard we have a fabulous array of unique, handmade items to help with all your Cristmas shopping needs. We don’t sell anything mass-produced or manufactured - every item on display has been individually handcrafted by one of our hand-picked artisans. Even our greetings cards are handmade originals or prints of the artist’s own artwork. We have paintings, prints, jewellery, sculptures, turned wood, ceramics, soft furnishings, teddies, candles and even furniture. What’s more, all our items are lovingly produced within a 30 mile radius of Shefford - whatever you choose, it will directly support a local artisan and contribute to the local economy! Our Covid-safe gallery is open 10-4 on Fridays & Saturdays, and at other times by arrangement. You can also purchase from our website. We’ll even deliver locally for you! So give a unique and memorable gift this Christmas, shop local and handmade at Artisans In The Yard!

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The

Diddy

Directory

the guide to local trades & businesses cost effective, contract free advertising

£20 £30 1 Area

2 Areas

• Seasonal pruning & maintenance • Lawn care and weeding

A professional, friendly, local gardening service making your garden somewhere for you to enjoy

• Planting for seasonal interest • Composting and mulching for garden health • Gardening to encourage wildlife

Claudia McCullough 07907 303130 mulberrygardening.co.uk

Book your advert today - visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/diddy

FAIRWAY BAR & BISTRO AT MOUNT PLEASANT GOLF CLUB

NEW OPENING TIMES Sun-Thurs 9am to 6pm kitchen closes at 5pm Fri & Sat 9am to 10pm kitchen closes at 9pm

NEW TAKEAWAY MENU As well as our dine in options, we are delighted to announce we have added to our takeaway menu due to popular demand and can now offer freshly cooked takeaways on Friday and Saturday evenings. All orders need to be placed and paid for in advance, call 01462 810104 or email events@mountpleasantgolfclub.co.uk to order Fish and chips £10 Battered sausage and chips £7 Clubhouse burger and fries £10 Plant burger and fries £9 Beef bourguignon and mash £10

Thai lemongrass & chilli chicken curry £10 Lamb tagine and Moroccan couscous £12 Lemon sponge £3 Chocolate torte £3 Treacle tart £3

In addition to our normal lunch time menu we are offering a very reasonable set menu for just £10 for two course or £15 for three course, booking advisable.

For all our latest menus, offers and golfing news please visit our website mountpleasantgolfclub.co.uk

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CHRISTMAS AT MOUNT PLEASANT GOLF CLUB

HAMPERS & GIFT BOX Christmas day hamper, dinner with all the trimmings - prepared and ready to cook Boxing day hamper - selection of cold meats, cheeses, chutney and wine Chef's gift hamper - selection of home cooked goodies

EATING WITH US THIS CHRISTMAS We will be adding the traditional turkey with all the trimmings and a special Christmas club sandwich to our normal lunchtime and Sunday menus, but we will also be offering a special festive evening menu as well. So if you would like to join us with either your work colleagues or friends and family, we will accommodate all your requirements inline with the government Covid-19 secure guidelines. Please visit our website to view our festive menus, hampers and gifts. We would like to thank you for your support and assure you that we are doing everything we can to make the Fairway Bar & Bistro as safe as possible for both you, our valued customers, and our staff. Christmas is going to be a bit different this year so we would like to bring a little festive cheer. Please call or email for more information and bookings

01462 810104 EVENTS@MOUNTPLEASANTGOLFCLUB.CO.UK MOUNTPLEASANTGOLFCLUB.CO.UK STATION ROAD, LOWER STONDON SG16 6JL

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Crime & Policing

Candidate for Police & Crime Commissioner Election

Contribution thanks to

Festus Akinbusoye www.fest4bedspcc.co.uk enquiries@fest4bedspcc.co.uk

I hope to be your next elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Bedfordshire in 2021. PCCs are elected by the public to set the strategic priorities for the policing area and hold the Chief Constable accountable for delivering these, ensure support is there for victims, and work with the Chief Constable to oversee the reduction of crime in the area. In short, PCCs are there to be the voice of the public in dealing with the police. Here in Bedfordshire, we have seen the investment in police increase from ÂŁ102m in 2010 to just over ÂŁ120m in 2020/21. This has also meant officer numbers are increasing again after the cuts of a few years ago. I have seen the valuable addition these new officers are to our police force having done over 200 frontline duties as a Special Constable in two months. I commend our police officers for their remarkable work in keeping us safe. While I welcome the increased investment, we absolutely need it to be sustained and increased. Under successive governments, we have been funded as a rural area, when in fact, we have similar crime challenges compared to larger urban areas like Birmingham, Manchester and parts of London. I want to work with the government, in making the case for this unfair funding formula to be fixed once and for all if elected as your next Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021. I live in rural Bedfordshire and have done so for ten years. My children attend school in the area, and I recently volunteered over 200 frontline hours in two months as a Special Constable with Bedfordshire Police. I run a business which employs about sixty staff and have mentored young offenders in prison, served as a link governor for the Offender Learning and Skills Services at a further education college, and currently am a board member at a YMCA. My time spent getting to understand the challenges facing our police force, working to rehabilitate offenders, and nearly 20 yearsâ€™ experience running a business puts me in the best position to lead a policing area that delivers for residents in both our urban and rural communities. I will be a Police and Crime Commissioner for all of Bedfordshire and with your support, we can become an outstanding police area. 16

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Stamp Duty

up to

ÂŁ500,000 21

until march

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Charity Events

Local Restaurant Raises Funds For Macmillan O

n Sunday 27th September the Spice Lounge Indian Restaurant in Langford raised vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support by hosting their very own ‘Raise a Cup’ event as part of the charity’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Customers were able to enjoy a hot drink and a cake and make a donation. Ali, the manager at the Spice Lounge, said: “Macmillan Cancer Support deliver amazing work and we hope that our ‘Raise a Cup’ event contributes to the fantastic fundraising efforts taking place across the UK. I would like to thank everyone who attended the coffee morning helping to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. We have raised £200 for this good cause. Also, a big thank you to The Langford Hideaway Cafe for donating the lovely cakes also Liz and other locals for the contribution.”

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Temporary Opening Hours for Arlesey Resource Centre & Library Open Tuesday and Thursday 11.30am - 3.30pm Wednesday and Friday 9am - 1pm Closed Saturday â€“ Monday Please remember there is currently no entry to the Library. All returns must be placed in the outside drop box when closed or in the box at the door when open. All withdrawals must be requested either by

Phone 01462 731469 Email: enquiries@arleseyresourcecentre.org.uk

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community

Contribution thanks to

1st Stondon Scouts Invite You To Join Their Adventure

Catherine Wakely

Group Scout Leader 1stStondon.GSL@gmail.com

07968 082620

st Stondon Scout Group have grown from nothing to a membership of over 60 children in the past six and a half years – and now they are looking for new Scout Leaders to join the adventure.

Seven years ago, there were no Scouts in Stondon, the last section having closed ten years before. In the spring of 2014 1st Stondon Scout Group re-opened and now provides weekly adventure, friendship and life skills for over 60 children. Of course, at present things are rather different from normal and the Scouts are having their meetings over Zoom (as are the Beavers and Cubs) but we hope to return to face-to-face Scouting in the New Year. In addition to the Zoom meetings the children have taken part in several “Virtual Camps” and special Lockdown Challenge Badges. Back in 2014 most of the Leaders were new to Scouting. However, the Scout Association provides training courses for leaders to learn all the required skills, and the District team provided support at meetings while the new leaders got going. Now the Group has a strong team of Leaders who support each other, though they can still call on the District as needed. Kate says: “I wasn’t a Scout as a child, but when I heard about the new group opening in Stondon I thought it sounded like a great thing for the children. I’ve been a Leader for six years now and I love seeing their faces when we do exciting activities - watching them grow is so rewarding. We have fun every week and it’s a pleasure to see the children learning new skills and building relationships with their peers.” At Christmas the Scout section’s Leaders are stepping down as they are moving away, and the Group needs new Leaders to keep the Scout section open. Volunteering as a Scout Leader can be very flexible, fitting around other commitments – most Leaders have busy jobs and lives, but find it hugely fulfilling to give something back to the community, helping the children learn new skills and have new experiences. Leaders receive training from the Scout Association, and have support from the rest of the Leaders in the group as well as the District, County and National organisation. 1st Stondon’s Scout section is growing fast, providing adventure, activities and life skills for boys and girls aged 10½ to 14. Leaders attend weekly meetings (although this can be flexible as we understand that Leaders can’t always be there every week) and do planning as a team to provide a balanced programme of activities. The Scouts regularly go on hikes and nights away, and we’d love enthusiastic new Leaders who are keen on camping, outdoor cooking, adventurous activities and having a great time!

For more information about joining our adventure, contact Catherine Wakely. 20

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education

Life after lockdown for the Early Years!

Contribution thanks to

Jane Roberts Acre Wood Day Nursery

01462 835550 www.acrewooddaynursery.co.uk

ooking back from lockdown to date, the pandemic has definitely caused the profession to rethink how they operate their childcare setting. From only being allowed to accept children of key workers and vulnerable children until the wider opening on the 1st June 2020 to the schools going back and the new “norm” of operation from September, communication with parents and carers has been important; offering the reassurance that government guidance was being followed and the Covid risk assessment was in place and put into practice. Given the furlough and job situation, some providers have reassured parents that their child’s place was secure until their working situation became clearer, without cost to them in the intervening time, whereas some parents have not been so fortunate. Offering flexible sessions, to cater for parents working shifts or from home, have been appreciated.

From the outset, child carers have continued to work with bubble groups of children in well-ventilated space and spending as much time as possible outside in the fresh air irrespective of the weather. Children have adapted to washing their hands more than usual but to them, their play has not changed. Messy play is very much a part of their learning and development though now water play always contains soap and sand and play dough are single use only. Dried pasta play is no longer on the agenda lest curious children are tempted to taste it only for their playmates to repeat the exercise. Meals are brought to the children’s base room to avoid mixing in corridors. The cleaning regime, always a thorough process pre-pandemic, has since evolved to include frequent sterilising of the common hand-touch points in communal areas, handwashing stations at all entrances to the setting and anti-bacterial hand gel at the door of each nursery room. Nurseries have had to embrace the concept of bubbles including the staff “bubbling” themselves. Communal staff rooms have been closed in favour of smaller “bubble spaces”. Visitors and parents are always going to pose a large risk of bringing Covid to a setting. Visitors, if their visit is essential, must wear a face covering. Parents are asked to drop off and pick up from their designated entrance/exit to the building; social distancing posters and markers are evident at these points. Many settings now have database apps through which parents can be kept updated about their child’s day through photos and commentary. All other general videos, photos and virtual show-arounds have moved to social media, though the majority of settings are still able to offer parents out of hours appointments for viewing. These new ways of working are keeping babies and children as safe as possible while they continue to learn, develop and socialise. 22

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SCENE BY YOU Your chance to share your favourite photos

Submit your photo for the next edition www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/myphotos

1 4

2 5 A big thanks to this monthâ€™s submissions

3 24

Christine Hark

Georgina Webb

Heydon Arnott

Kerry Dellar

Linda Parcell

Crayfish in the river Mushrooms growing in Polehanger Autumn Sunset Silhouette Red Kites Fighting Roe Deer on the Run

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puzzles

The November edition

CROSSWORD Answers on 21

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Spot the Drone Pilot

Win

£25

It’s competition time! The drone pilot who captured this image has been magically removed from the photo, can you deduce exactly where he is positioned? Place a cross (‘X’) where you think the drone pilot is standing (just like ‘Spot the Ball’ puzzle), then take a photograph of this page with your phone or device and submit your entry here: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/drone Close date 15/11/2020. Only 1 entry per person. Judge’s decision is final.

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community

Tree Removal Work Completed Branching Out help out in the Community

Our LivingLife ph

otographer captur ed lots of photos durin g the day www.livinglifemag azine.co.uk/blog

ack in March the local community came together to help remove a fallen tree from St. Mary’s Churchyard in Henlow. Unfortunately not all of the work could be completed as specialist machinery was required in order to carry out the work properly and safely. The remaining work to remove the tree was successfully completed on Saturday 26th September. Skilled tree surgeons from ‘Branching Out Tree & Garden Services’, a local business based

in Lower Stondon, joined forces with volunteers to remove the damaged tree. Once again local residents turned up on the day to help out and show their support, and were generously rewarded with a huge supply of free logs. The Rev. Shaun Speller, the vicar at St. Mary’s Church said, “We are again immensely grateful to the team from Branching Out in the giving of their time and expertise, and the volunteers involved in clearing away the remainder of the fallen tree. Community spirit is invaluable at any time and especially in these extraordinary times.” Kerrie Morris, from Branching Out added: “We just like to do nice things where we can and always like to help out the local community.” James Morris from Branching Out said, “The ancient tree was damaged and as a result it was unsafe for our tree surgeons to climb it. We needed to use specialist equipment which is where the Spider MEWP came in. The MEWP is a mobile elevated working platform which allowed us to gain access to the tree safely.” 30

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