A Meldreth Garden

The darker evenings and colder wetter days limit my ability to get into the garden. I have though, populated winter pots with tulips and daffodils, stored away summer pots that are not frost hardy and am currently cutting down some damson trees that are dead. Small branches are put through the shredder for the compost heap, other branches are cut into lengths for the wood pile and trunks are cut up for fire logs. Two wood piles, one old, one new, have a good selection of wildlife inhabitants including big black beetles, staghorn I think. The log piles form an effective screen.

Now is the time to get to grips with winter pruning as structures can be better viewed after leaf fall. I have trees needing control; an apple will be severely lopped back so that apples can be picked readily and a fig tree is growing too tall and lush. With standard fruit trees, the aim is to develop a cup shaped open arrangement of branches. A number of shrubs can be hard pruned if they have become disorderly including, juniper, lilac, elder Sambucus, philadelphus, deutzia, weigela and Japanese rose Kerria japonica. They won't like you after severe cutting back but they will come back rejuvenated for the loss of a year’s flowers in some cases. Viburnums, evergreen or deciduous, respond well to a severe pruning as do camellias. Be careful though as some plants including forsythia can sulk and die following severe cutting back so it is better to remove a portion of older branches every year over three years. If hardiness is an issue, then it is better leave pruning to the springtime.

When bushes have gone into irretrievable decline, now is a good time to take hardwood cuttings especially if the plant is one that you value. Many deciduous climbers can also be propagated in this way, e.g. fallopia and lonicera species. I should cut to the ground one of my black bamboos Phyllostachys nigra; I don't know if I'm brave enough but it would provide me with a plentiful supply of canes for next year.

Plant of the month, winter box, is an easy, slow growing evergreen shrub, with glossy, deep green leaves. In winter, inconspicuous, very sweetly scented, creamywhite flowers are followed by glossy black berries. My winter box Sarcococca confusa has never been attacked by either box tree caterpillar or box blight.

I have been on the allotment cutting autumn fruiting raspberry canes to the ground, weeding, feeding and removing dead and dying leaves from winter brassicas, purple sprouting broccoli and Tuscan Kale Brassica oleracea 'Nero di Toscana', the vegetable of last resort; I am also staking up flopping Brussels sprouts and broccoli. I am also harvesting carrots, turnips, radish, chard, leeks and celeriac; the latter has done really well. The beetroot has been attacked by rodents who are now turning their attention to carrots that I will lift and store.

In the cutting garden I have planted Sweet William Dianthus barbatus, grown from seed sown in late summer, and drumstick allium, ‘Globemaster’. I will be digging up and transplanting some gladioli bulbs that appeared spontaneously in the garden and finally, I will transplant an established asparagus for its foliage.

The Flower Garden

 Cut out hellebore leaves to allow the flowers to shine.

 Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding; grape vines are pruned back to their basis structure.

 Trees and shrubs can be planted and transplanted throughout the winter.

 Regularly remove any diseased or dead vegetation from overwintered plants.

 Those seeds that that require a period of freezing weather (vernalisation) before they will germinate, should be sown in sharp sand

 Pot up lily bulbs and tulips.

 Sow pelargonium seeds for summer bedding.

The Vegetable Garden

 Sow onion seed.

 Cut back autumn fruiting raspberry canes to the ground.

 Lift and store half hardy vegetables like beetroot, celeriac and carrots; celeriac particularly is susceptible to frosts.

 Care for seedlings and plants stored in the greenhouse and in cold frames.

 Winter prune apple and pear trees, apply a winter wash and place grease bands around apple trees.

 Cut back asparagus stems to ground level once they have died back and mulch the asparagus bed.

Enjoy your Garden.

Village Hall Garden

The new garden at the Village Hall was officially opened on Sunday 5th November by Richard Goddin, Chairman of Meldreth Parish Council.

Photographs by Kathryn Betts

Iain McPhee

Village Christmas Cards www.meldrethhistory.org.uk

Meldreth Local History Group has produced some new full-colour multiview Christmas cards this year. These are available to purchase now.

We have also designed some new multiview notelets which are blank inside. So that we can assess the print run required for the notelets, please place an advance order with us.

The cards and notelets are both A5 size and cost £5 per pack of ten cards. Cards may also be purchased individually for 60p. To purchase the Christmas cards or to place an order for the notelets, please telephone Joan or Tim on (01763) 260129. All money raised will go towards supporting the work of Meldreth Local History Group. To see our range of merchandise, visit www.meldrethhistory.org.uk/about/mlhgmerchandise/merchandise.

Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Rail News

Rail Station Ticket Office Closures – No Longer Happening

The Government has announced a welcome abandonment of its plan to close Meldreth and Royston ticket offices.

Good Luck to Bern at Royston

We wish our wonderful Meldreth ticket office manager Bern Parsons all the best in his full-time job, now at Royston Station.

Mobile Assistance Teams

A new service is underway at our three stations, for anyone who may need mobility assistance embarking or disembarking at Meldreth, Shepreth or Foxton.

GTR Explains

Mobile assistance teams are in place to provide you with assistance at some of our accessible stations when they are unstaffed and there are train services scheduled to call there, including:

 Assistance with getting on and off trains

 Assistance around the station and to the platform

 Assistance with luggage

 A guiding arm if you are blind or visually impaired

 Boarding and alighting with wheelchairs/powerchairs, scooters and mobility aids

 Assistance to and from connecting train services and onward transport, for examples buses, trams and taxis within the station area.

How

to Contact our Mobile Assistance Teams

If you choose to book and your journey involves travelling to or from one of our stations served by a mobile assistance team, we will arrange this as part of your booking. If you chose not to book your assistance, then you can also arrange assistance upon arrival at the station by:

 Pressing the “emergency & assisted travel” button on a station Help Point

 Calling our freephone number: 0808 168 1238 (only to be used for emergencies and immediate assisted travel support at the station)

 Texting us on 07970 511077

Whether you chose to pre-book your assistance or prefer more flexibility, where possible we recommend arriving 20 minutes before your train’s scheduled departure time. This is so we can make sure arrangements are in place at your destination (or interchange) station such as the availability of staff and transport.

Needless to say Meldreth has step-free access only on the Cambridge-bound platform. When you book your journey, arrangements will be made for a lift from Shepreth or Royston Stations.

Susan van de Ven and Sarah Grove Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership railusergroup@gmailcom

Travelling by Train? Please Check First!

Engineering works and strikes are planned during December. On Sunday 3rd December there will be no trains at Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth and Royston Stations and there will be no replacement bus service. Please check before travelling: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/status-and-disruptions.

Little Hands Nursery School

The Moor, Melbourn

A Private Nursery School specialising in quality care & preschool education for the under fives

High staff to child ratio, individual child centred planning & learning, Flexible booking system for the 08.00am –5.30pm nursery day. Optional holiday clubs available, dedicated baby room for children under two

We accept nursery funding giving 15 & 30 hours/week of free funded nursery for all 3 and 4 year olds & eligible 2 year olds

For further information contact Sharon Tutty,nursery manager on 01763 260964 lh-melbourn@btconnect.com

Little Hands is also at Bourn, Linton and Newton visit the website at www.littlehands.co.uk

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme

Supporting people in Melbourn, Meldreth & Shepreth

Can we help you? Your relative? Your neighbour?

What is the service?

We offer twice weekly visits and daily phone calls to support elderly or mobility impaired residents in their own homes by building a friendship and helping prevent social isolation. We can carry out errands such as local shopping, collecting prescriptions, paying bills or going to the Post Office so people can remain supported and independent at home. We can also help couples or those living with their family. We are also trained to support people living with dementia.

Who provides the services?

Mobile wardens, who have all been carefully selected for their caring nature and are DBS checked.

What will it cost?

We do make a small charge for the services, which is from as little as £7.50 per week.

How can I join?

For more information please contact Jeannie on 07808 735066 or Jane on 07592 821976.

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme is a registered charity