Meldreth Matters, March 2018

March 2018

In this issue ...

Community Litter Pick Parish Council Election Events include … Good Friday Craft Workshop MLHG Coffee Morning Quiz Nights

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Contents People David Piggott 4-5

Local Facilities/Issues Maycroft 25 Mettle Hill 20

Village Groups Friends of Holy Trinity 16 Local History Group 19 Photographic Club 12 Prayer Group 9 Pub Club 21 WI 15 Women’s Group 24

Letters Speeding Traffic Update 9 Gardens & Nature Book Review 6-7 Gardening 14-15 Local/National Government County Councillor 28-29, 39 District Councillor 26-27 Heidi Allen, MP 52-53 Parish Council 34-39 PC Elections 10-11 Planning Applications 54

Children & Education Events for Children 45 Pre-School 40 Primary School 42-43 What’s On Summary of Meldreth Events 3 Football Club Fixtures 25 Local Events 46-47 Meldreth Spring Ceilidh 19 Meldreth Trail Orienteering 24 Village Litter Pick 2

Advice/Information Advertisers’ Index 64 Car Safety for Pets 56-57 Fire Service 61 Mobile Warden Scheme 51 Neighbourhood Watch 22-23, 57 Police Service 59 Refuse Collections 59 Village Directory 62-63 Volunteering 30

Charities Home-Start 58 Laptops for Africa 50-51 Meldreth Parish Charities 48

Cover: Snowdrops in Melwood by John Hagger (see http://bystargooseandhanglands.blogspot.co.uk) The opinions expressed in the letters and articles in this magazine are those of the writers, who are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within them.

The last date for copy is the 12th of each month.

Copy should be submitted by email where possible, to meldrethmatters@hotmail.com or delivered to the Editor, Kathryn Betts at 36 North End, Meldreth, SG8 6NT Tel. (01763) 268428 The Editor reserves the right to withhold from publication or to shorten if necessary, any article or letter sent to her.

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Editorial Welcome to the March issue of Meldreth Matters.

Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th March sees the Great British Spring Clean; a campaign that aims to bring people together across the country to clear up the litter that blights our towns, villages, countryside and beaches. Here in Meldreth, our own Litter Pick will take place on Sunday 4th March. Last year’s litter pick resulted in about 45 bags of rubbish being cleared from our village so it’s a very worthwhile exercise. See below for details of this year’s event.

This month’s village events are listed opposite. We also have a varied selection of articles for you this month, so I hope you enjoy reading the magazine and finding out about all that our village has to offer.

Kathryn

Meldreth Community Litter Pick Volunteers wanted Last year we organised a successful litter pick in the extremities of the village not covered by our Parish Council's Litter Picker. About sixteen brave souls cleared nearly 3km of verge-strewn rubbish.

This year we would like to repeat the process. Our throw-away society has ensured that there is certainly a need to clear the same areas as last year!

The Pick will take place on Sunday 4th March.

Meet at 9.00am opposite 24 Fenny Lane at the water filtering station. All are welcome. For further information email gvborgo@borgognon.net or contact Philippa Hart on 07811 323571.

Graham Borgonon

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March Events in Meldreth

Friday 2nd, 7.00pm for 7.30pm

Friday 2nd, 7.00pm Lib Dem Quiz Village Hall

Meldreth Primary School PTA Quiz Night

£8 or £5 unwaged, including Ploughman’s supper. Cash bar.

Tickets from Philippa Hart 07811 323571

Meldreth Primary School

Friday 2nd, 8.30-11.00pm Live Rock Music With Wolf Pack Eternit Sports & Social Club, Whaddon Road All welcome Free entry, licensed bar with real ale

Thursday 15th 12.00-2.00pm Pub Club The British Queen See page 21 for details

Friday 30th, 10.00am12.00 noon

Monday 19th, 10.00am MLHG Coffee Morning & AGM Elin Way Community Room

Good Friday Craft Workshop and Easter Egg Hunt Holy Trinity Church

See page 19 for further details

See back cover

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David Piggott Many readers will be saddened to learn of the death of David Piggott on Tuesday 30th January.

David was, for many years, the face of Meldreth Railway Station.

We hope to include an obituary in the April issue, but in the meantime here is an article David wrote for Meldreth Matters, which was first published in the November 2003 issue.

The booklet produced to mark David’s retirement, which includes this and other anecdotes, is now available on the Rail User Group website: http://meldrethsheprethfoxtonrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ Memorable-Moments-with-David-Piggott.2.pdf.

Thank you, David.

As dawn breaks over the turkey farm, approach building with trepidation. Find remnants of vodka and Ribena party (must look for alcoholic health freak). Better than yesterday’s whisky and Lucozade.

Spot travellers for 06.02 on platform (do they ever see their homes in daylight?). Open door, switch on ticket machine, tell Ely I’ve arrived (why do they always claim never to have heard of Meldreth?).

07.00 Sell ticket to Ely. Deny ever having heard of it.

07.30 Train to Cambridge delayed.

Forced to admit that tomorrow’s 07.41 wouldn’t be on time if it started now. Sell more tickets.

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08.07 On time. Watch as passengers make coronary-inducing dashes for the doors. Sell more tickets. This time in a hurry. Have two styles of transactions; with and without a chat.

08.30 Think up complicated problem to keep company help desk on their toes. Concerned to find they have never heard of Meldreth.

09.00 Cheap tickets start. Culture seekers head for London. Record season ticket sales. Realise that quill pen and ledger would be quicker than our computer system. Must admit that two fingers may not be enough for a keyboard but do have uses, particularly after a managerial visit.

10.00 Make coffee. Phone King’s Cross re: lost property. They’ve vaguely heard of Meldreth. Lost mobile phone found along with 3,000 others. Phone transport police re: sudden arrival of ladder in garden.

They’ve never heard of Meldreth. Spell L-A-D-D-E-R slowly for them.

Old timer appears to tell me his father was the last station master to live in the house. As he is the fifth person this year to make this claim, I ask how crowded the place was in those days. He tells me how busy the goods yard used to be. That’s why it closed I suppose …

11.00 Team arrives to survey station for platform extensions, display panels and shelter for Cambridge side. Sing “Tell me the Old, Old Story”. They assure me it will happen. Resolve to buy new winter coat as Hell is about to freeze over. They admit that they had never heard of Meldreth. Consoled by sale of ticket to Yeovil Junction. Call them to ask if they are open on a Sunday. They’ve never heard of Meldreth.

Tell them the passenger is making herself a cup of tea. Sound of hysterical laughter.

12.00 Asked to work on Sunday at Cambridge.

Accept as I need practice in ticket selling. Put up new posters. Quick clean of waiting room, spraying lots of polish so people think I’ve worked hard.

13.00 Two French tourists. Explain concept of unpunctuality. They are intrigued. They’d never heard of Meldreth either. Them, I forgive.

Last trains depart. Passenger appears shortly afterwards. Short shrift given.

13.20 Close doors. takings for the day.

Twenty-four minutes now allotted to count up

13.32 Depart.

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Book Review “The Fight for Beauty: Our Path to the Future”

by Fiona Reynolds ‘Is there no nook of English ground secure from rash assault’ Wordsworth ‘The Fight for Beauty’ is an argument from someone who is aware of what is happening to us and to Nature. Reynolds’ knowledge of literature, history and society informs this book. She quotes shocking statistics; one in four children in the UK do not play outside more than once a week, one in ten children have never visited the countryside.

The area over which parents allow their children to roam unsupervised has shrunk by ninety percent in a single generation (less physical freedom than free-range chickens), we are depriving children of play and the access to inspiration. The RSPB’s report, the State of Nature 2013, calculated that in the previous 50 years 60 percent of woodland species had declined, including butterflies and birds, invertebrate species and woodland flowering plants. The reasons for this are many: bad land management, lack of light, no nesting sites, the removal of dead wood and leaf litter causing disturbance, forestation on naturally occurring bog land and peat mosses which affects our carbon store, and intensive farming on a large scale. Carbon, when farmed intensively, dries out and carbon losses from soil have accounted for ten percent of UK carbon emissions since 1850. It takes around five hundred years to build up a top soil and we are losing it at a rate of 2.2million tonnes a year. Reynolds believes that this is because of a lack of joined up policy between agencies and a more insidious story of the decline of beauty as an idea, in the current belief that only the economy really matters. We have become consumers rather than citizens, seeking instant gratification so perhaps even the word beauty is elitist.

Reynolds shows how delight in a landscape became the need to defend it in the nineteenth century when ‘a new breed of business opportunists spotted the commercial potential of the age old industries of the Lake District: slate quarrying and mining for copper’. Enter Wordsworth and Ruskin scorning the invasion of people and industry which would lay waste to their beloved natural landscapes. It was this cultural atmosphere which surrounded the founding of the National Trust.

Octavia Hill took ragged children out of London to Romford and Epping forest to let them experience clean air, trees, growing flowers 6

and grass. She wrote: ‘The need of quiet, the need of air, the sight of sky and of things growing seem human needs common to us all’. From this vision, the National Parks movement was also formed.

The white tailed sea eagle, osprey, the golden Eagle, wolves and pole cats had gone from England by 1915. Charles Rothschild, an amateur etymologist, set up the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves in 1912. He and a group of naturalists began collecting information. He bought and saved Wicken Fen, one of the last surviving undrained remnants of the Fens and his movement led eventually to the 1949 Act for Nature for which 73 National nature reserves were proposed: ‘to preserve wild species of flora and fauna. This became the Nature Conservancy Council. But there was nothing to protect nature outside these when after the Second World War: agriculture and forestry were intensifying. Draining land, destroying habitat and uncontrolled urbanisation brought pesticides and pollution. In the 1950’s salmon disappeared from the whole length of the Thames and it was declared devoid of oxygen. Pesticides killed otters in rivers.

It was the voluntary bodies, RSPB and Wildlife Trust, which fought back. These movements broadened to include the charity Common Ground. They wrote the first action guides to local conservation which were designed to show people how they could protect and identify what they cared about locally. Wildlife milestones and apple trees were the first things to be celebrated as ‘the commonplace, the local, the vernacular and the distinctive ’the battles fought led to in 2011 to a white Paper The Natural Choice ‘aiming to secure the value of the environment with the idea of a new biodiversity strategy with a 25 year plan. Citing research at the University of Essex where people from all social classes were consulted and remembering the factory worker in 1902 who sent 2s 6d to the National Trust, writing: ‘All my life I have longed to see the Lakes. I shall never see them now but I should like to help keep them for others’. Reynolds concludes: The human spirit needs beauty and can’t live without it. The economy on its own meanwhile will not save the planet from irreversible damage and will not make us happy.

Clare Crossman To get involved with Melwood Conservation Group, contact: Jim Reid (01763) 260231; Bruce Huett (01763) 232855 Website: Melwood.btck.co.uk 7

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Letter to the Editor Speeding Traffic Update In March 2016 I originated a petition with the aim of obtaining a reduction in the speed limit on the roads through our village. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of this move and the petition was handed to Meldreth Parish Council.

I thought I should let all those community-minded residents who signed the petition and who are concerned about the safety of their families know what has happened to date.

Although we have an active Speedwatch Team who work diligently to educate local motorists, very little has been done by Meldreth Parish Council about the traffic. They have formed a Traffic Group on which, fortunately, I have been invited to sit but there has been only one meeting (last September) and that was without its chairman. Further meetings are yet to be arranged.

The “20’s Plenty” signage is deemed, by some, to be unsuitable as it is difficult to police but reduction to 20mph on some of our roads is one of the options I shall be championing.

I am still trying to make our roads safer and would like your input so if you have had a ‘near miss’ or you have particular difficulties on any of our village roads please let me know where and when in writing by email or via the Parish Clerk’s office in Elin Way. Pat Gilmore gilmorepat@aol.com

Joint Parish Prayer Group The Prayer Group will be meeting on Tuesday 20th March at 8.00pm at 85 North End, Meldreth. We welcome prayer requests which are treated in strict confidence. For more information please telephone me on (01763) 261365.

Marion Long 9

Meldreth Parish Council www.meldreth-pc.org.uk

ELECTION 3 r d M ay 2 0 1 8 Meldreth Needs You! Are you interested in becoming a Parish Councillor?

Would you like to find out more about what is involved?

Perhaps you have been on a Council elsewhere.

If you would like to find out what goes on at a Council meeting, just come along to the Village Hall on the first Thursday of the month at 7.30pm or contact the Parish Clerk on (01763) 269928 or email parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk for more information.

Stand For What You Believe In The next election is on 3rd May 2018 The best way to find out what it’s like to be a Parish Councillor it to talk to someone who is a current Councillor. The Parish Council website www.meldreth-pc.org.uk has information on Meldreth Parish Council, including the names and contact details of the current Clerk and Councillors, plus the dates, agendas and minutes of the meetings.

Getting Elected: To stand for election you must: 1. Be a UK or Commonwealth citizen; or be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union.

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2. Be at least 18 years old.

3. Be an elector of the Parish or in the past twelve months have occupied land or other premises in the Parish (as owner or tenant) or worked in the Parish (as your principal or only place of work) or live within three miles of the Parish boundary.

What do Parish Councils do?

A Parish Council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the Parish. It is the level of local government closest to the community, with the district authority and the county authority further up the hierarchy.

Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. Probably the most common topics that Parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention and roads and highways.

Parish councils have a number of powers they can use and have the ability to negotiate with other decision-making organisations such as the district, county or unitary council, health authorities, police etc. In this respect Parish councils are extremely powerful.

These organisations know that a Parish Council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something and that its views should be taken seriously.

How much time does it take up?

Councils usually meet once a month for the council meeting to which members of the public are also invited. Meetings may last two or three hours, depending on what’s on the list of items to discuss. The Council also has committees to deal with specific subjects, such as planning matters.

How long do I serve for as a Parish Councillor?

Once elected, councillors sit on the council for four years. If they then want to stay in the post they can stand for re-election. This does not mean that you have to stay for four years. If you find it’s not for you, or you can no longer meet the commitment, you can stand down.

For more information or for a nomination packs please contact the Parish Clerk on (01763) 269928 or email parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk.

Nomination packs may also be obtained from South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). Completed nomination forms must be taken to the SCDC offices in Cambourne by 4.00pm on Friday 6th April 2018.

Meldreth Parish Council 11

Melbourn and District Photographic Club http://melbournphotoclub.com With just two months of the season to go, we have a full and varied programme including seven competitions, a lecture, a club evening and the annual AGM. Our programme for March is as follows: Sunday 4th

EAF Print Championships at Fulbourn

Tuesday 6th

Pairs Cup Competition. Judge: Alison Jenkins

Tuesday 13th

Club Evening – and now for something different (and something serious)

Saturday 17th

Melbourn Trophy Final at Foxton; Judge: TBA

Tuesday 20th

3rd Open Print Competition.

Judge: Colin Strong

Tuesday 27th

Images of Iceland. Lecture by Colin Westgate

Meetings are held weekly at 7.30 - 9.30pm on Tuesdays at Foxton Village Hall from September to April.

The Club has a diverse membership, a friendly and supportive atmosphere and welcomes new members, whatever their ability.

Anyone wishing to know more details or to see some of our work should Peter North: Winter Shadow visit our website at melbournphotoclub.com or email me at melbournphotoclub@hotmail.com.

Peter North Secretary

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Notes from a Small Garden We had our monthly Veg Plus Club meeting at the Dumb Flea two days before I started on these notes. Despite a rather grisly day, we had a good turn out. There was lots of support for removing one of our big beds and grassing it over, but we also got good suggestions for a shrub to fill a gap and hide the tree house which is still in use; good shape, right height, deciduous, interest all year round (we always want the impossible!). In the end it was a competition between a Cercis (cercis canadensis “Forest Pansy”) Cornus Mass and a viburnum, perhaps viburnum plicatum f. tormentosum “Mariesii”. The first is a nice shape, more of a small tree, with crimson flowers born on bare stems and good green, heart-shaped leaves turning bronze in the autumn. In the end we have decided against this lovely shrub/tree in favour of the viburnum as we already have a nice specimen of a bronze Rhus nearby. But consulting the RHS A-Z Encyclopedia, Peter noted a species named f. tomentosum “Nanum Sempiflorens” which purports to bear florets from spring to autumn.

This sounded splendid. However could we find this plant in “Plant Finder” or be able to buy it from notable nurseries? The answer was no! I think I shall ring the RHS and get advice as we want at least a three year old plant, now that we are older in years alas.

Sadly one of our members died this week as I was writing this copy.

Sandra Searles and her husband Rob made a lovely garden in North End, which we all enjoyed visiting. We shall miss her greatly as she always attended our meetings, bringing with her a plant, cutting or some vegetables.

Jim and Jane were very keen to raise the subject of winter-flowering shrubs this month, some of which members brought to the meeting. It is good to think ahead and plant now so that you can begin to enjoy them next winter if you don’t have them already. Plant bulbs around their bases if you can. I have listed those which have a strong scent first and mostly their common names: Daphnes, jasminium nudiflorum, winter box, winter-flowering honeysuckle, winter sweet, Mahonia, viburnum fragans. Those with flowers, berries or other colour interest include the dogwoods, hazels, forsythia, garrya elyptica, hollies, witch hazels (difficult to grow round here but cornus mass is a suggestion), cotoneasters, eleagnus, pyrcantha, rubus (for white stems) willows and 14

the snowberry (children love to pinch these berries) and viburnums.

I haven’t listed jobs for this month, but google it and you will find plenty! I shall certainly be pruning the roses.

This month’s Veg Plus Club meeting will be at 5.30pm on 13th March at 6 Chiswick End. Good gardening now that spring is truly on the way.

Julie Draper juliedraper@dumbflea.co.uk

Meldreth WI Although the weather has not been too favourable, some of our ladies have still managed some local walks. How nice to see the spring flowers starting to bloom. Can this cold weather be on its way out?

Seven of our ladies went to see The Sawston Youth Theatre to see a performance of “Sister Act”. These shows are always so good and many of the students go on to a stage or film career.

Our speaker in February told us about the history of Pilates. Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883 and even though he was a sickly child he became a body builder. He came to England in 1912 and worked for Scotland Yard teaching self-defence. He was interned in Lancaster Castle along with other German citizens where once again he taught wrestling and self-defence. He emigrated from Germany to America in about 1925 and in New York he and his wife Clara taught Contrology—the using of mind and body. They trained many ballet dancers and soon the society ladies of New York followed the Pilates style of exercise. There are many forms of the exercises among which is the sitting Pilates, which we did. And very relaxing and soothing it was … with not too many moans, oohs and aahs.

We will be holding our AGM this month. We will also be having a “rummage sale” and a pudding taster, so come along and join us at 7.30pm on Thursday 8th March in Meldreth Village Hall. Don’t have too much to eat before you come along!

Kathleen Thompson 15

Friends of Holy Trinity www.foht.org.uk Our Next Event: Saturday 14th April - Blue Skies Swing Band Concert, 7.30pm Holy Trinity Church Playing music from the “Great American Songbook” consisting of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century, many of which were played by Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and many more bands. The evening will include some vocals.

Tickets £10 (including a glass of wine or juice) are available from: Robert Long - (01763) 261365 Mary Gregory - (01763) 260120 John Price - (01763) 260048 Peter Chilvers - (01763) 260742

Future Events: Friday 11th May, 8.00pm AGM in the Church Meeting Room The architects Quinquennial Inspection report has recently been received, covering the condition of the fabric of the church, and an item on the agenda will be to review contributions to support future fabric projects.

Sunday 3rd June Open Gardens A chance to visit a selection of gardens in the village plus a plant stall, other attractions in the church and teas in the Meeting Room.

Sunday 2nd September 14th annual Churchyard Car Show John Price

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Meldreth Local History Group Coffee Morning “Spirits of the Mel” and AGM Monday 19th March 10.00am Elin Way Community Centre We welcome everyone to join us for our AGM (very short) followed by a presentation, including film clips, on the River Mel. Following this we would be delighted to hear your memories of the Mel: swimming, fishing, jumping, dam building and other fun activities.

These memories will be used to inspire further elements of a film about the river to be completed in 2018. The final completed film will be shown in the village at a later date.

Bruce Huett Meldreth Local History Group

Save the Date!

Meldreth Spring Ceilidh Meldreth Village Hall, Saturday 12th May in aid of The MindEd Trust Charity, Meldreth.

Dust off those dancing shoes for a relaxed evening of village fun and laughter and, of course, Ceilidh dancing. Music by the Cambridge University Ceilidh Band.

For early bookings contact Harry Stevenson on 07771 695391 or email Harry at meldrethspringceilidh@yahoo.com.

Tickets cost £20.00 and include a light supper and a drink upon arrival.

Sharon Dunford 19

Mettle Hill: Safety Work Residents may have noticed that contractors have recently been busy at Mettle Hill and we thought it would be helpful to explain what has been done.

The Parish Council bought this site a few years ago when it was decommissioned from its previous use and, for a good number of years, the buildings and other infrastructure remained unattended. During this lengthy period the eight brick buildings on the site deteriorated to a point where some were in danger of collapse. In addition the site contained the remains of drainage and sewerage works in the form of large and unshielded holes in the ground.

The Parish Council recently took advice on its legal position with regard to a duty of care towards those who might choose to venture onto the site. We concluded that under the Occupiers Liability Act 1984, we had a potential liability to anyone entering the site, regardless of whether they had permission to do so. In view of this, the Council decided to undertake essential safety work as a matter of urgency.

After the necessary tendering process, the buildings have now been demolished, the various holes filled and obstacles such as lampposts and other posts were removed.

Although we now consider that our land is safe from the previous hazards, we do advise the community not to go onto the site because the ground is quite rough and the demolition spoil has not been removed. More comprehensive clearance will await any decision about the long-term future of this site.

In that context, I can perhaps briefly report that the Council continues to investigate the future uses to which this village asset might be put.

Various proposals came forward during and subsequent to the community consultation and the investigation of these proposals involves a great deal of detailed work. No conclusion has yet been reached and investigations will continue.

Richard Goddin Chairman Meldreth Parish Council

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Fancy meeting others on the third Thursday of the month at the British Queen?

First meeting: Thursday 15th March 12.00 – 2.00pm All welcome Coffee, sandwiches, soup drinks and more are all available from the pub Just turn up!

Contact Julie Draper on (01763) 260323 or 07976 879350 juliedraper@dumbflea.co.uk for any queries 21

Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch Burglaries happen in Meldreth, too.

Although Meldreth is generally a low-crime village, there have been burglaries in the Stocks area of the village since Christmas.

Dwelling Burglary is one of Cambridgeshire Constabulary's priorities for 2018, which is an indication both of its rate of occurrence compared to other crime in the county, and the devastating effect it can have on victims.

Much of the following security advice was published in Neighbourhood Watch articles last year, but it is repeated here to emphasise that security measures don't have to be expensive or complicated; they simply have to be followed. Homes with no security measures in place are five times more likely to be burgled than those that do have simple security measures.

The following tips can all be followed without requiring the installation of additional security measures: Lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house,

even if you are just out in the garden.

Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from the

letterbox; a device could be used to hook keys through the letterbox.

Get a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your property.

Leave radios and lights on a timer to make the property appear

occupied.

Secure bikes at home by locking them to an immovable object

inside a locked shed or garage.

Keep ladders and tools stored away, particularly after gardening.

Don't leave them outside where they could be used to break into your home.

Ensure side gates are locked to prevent access to the rear of the

property, and make sure the fences around your garden are in good condition.

Improve natural surveillance at the front of your property, for

example by trimming high hedges.

22

Remove valuables from within view of ground floor windows.

In addition to the above, there are security measures that require a bit more work and expense, but which will make your home even more secure: Install a visible burglar alarm.

Install good outdoor lighting or motion sensor security lights.

Install a driveway alarm, which acts as a deterrent to protect your

home perimeter.

Plant spiky plants in vulnerable areas.

Even if you have all of the above security measures in place, if you are going away on holiday: Ask trusted neighbours to open and close your blinds or curtains

to give the appearance that someone is at home.

Ask trusted neighbours to put bins back in place if they are being

collected while you are away.

If you aren't leaving your car at home, ask a neighbour or friend

to park their car on your driveway.

If you have been the victim of a burglary, call the Police on 101. But if you witness a burglary in progress (an intruder inside or leaving a property), be wary of disturbing or approaching the intruder; instead, call the Police on 999.

The advice in this article was adapted from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary website: go to https://www.cambs.police.uk/informationand-services/Burglary and follow the links on the right hand side.

If you would like to be involved in crime prevention in Meldreth with Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch, please contact Graham Borgonon on (01763) 260358.

Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch

See also an important scam alert on page 57.

23

Meldreth Trail Orienteering: April 2018 What is TrailO? TrailO is a form of orienteering where participants have to determine which of several flags is at the centre of a circle on the map. It does not involve running and is designed to allow those with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users, to compete on equal terms with able-bodied participants. At the highest level, TrailO has its own European and World championships.

What is happening in Meldreth?

We are planning a public activity for the afternoon of Saturday 28th April 2018. We will start at the Village Hall any time between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. The cost will be £3 per adult, children under 16 free. More details next month!

Anyone prepared to help with marshalling, and any other enquiries please contact david@coton.me.uk.

David Coton

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group We held our AGM in January which was chaired by our president Rev. Lizzie Shipp. Accounts and reports were presented and approved. We also voted to support Cambridge Street Pastors as our charity for this year.

The new programmes were made available; if you would like a copy please contact one of the committee members.

Our March meeting will be on the 27th when we meet in All Saints Community Hall, Melbourn at the usual time of 7.45pm, when Audrey Drage will speak to us about Macular Degeneration.

We are a small friendly group and you are welcome to come along and join us, we have no membership fee and only charge £1 on the night to cover costs and we end the evening with tea/coffee and biscuits. If you would like a lift to a meeting or to know more about the group please contact one of the committee members: Pat Smith (01763) 262575, Sue Toule (01763) 260955, Anne Harrison (01763) 261775, Angela Leach (01763) 262793, Pat Ames or Kimmi Crosby.

Pat Smith 24

Meldreth Football Club Fixtures Saturday team home fixtures (subject to change) 3rd March, 17th March Sunday team home fixtures (subject to change) 4th March, 25th March Joan Fallon

Maycroft Care Home It is early February as we write, sitting in the old courtyard in unexpected sunshine. Such a blessing at this time of the year. The huge beech trees soaring against the wind-blown sky stand so stark against the deep blue; the reach of their branches thinning to the bud-ready tips awaiting the thrum of spring.

We are writing this in what is being caalled Super Moon Week. The moon certainly looked huge. We were told that we had two full moons in January. The hugger mugger of the swirl and whirl of our earth, sunrise and sunset, the unfolding of the seasons. As one of our residents said, “I am quite thankful to put up my feet and call ‘hurry up spring’”.

In recent ad lib activities, we have been reading poetry, which brings back happy memories of old favourites of childhood such as I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by Wordsworth. Our small but growing collection of poetry books provide much enjoyment. Our plans for visits in 2018 to local beauty spots are taking shape, as are other entertainments in-house.

Carol and Ray 25

District Councillor’s Report Local Plan Consultation By the time you receive this magazine, the consultation on the Inspector’s modifications to the Local Plan will have been completed. A decision upon whether she will recommend the Plan for approval may not reach councillors before purdah prior to district elections taking place, so we may not have an adopted Plan until the middle of the year.

The South Cambridgeshire District Council planning department is still at risk of designation (also known as special measures) because of the number of appeals it is losing on five-year housing land supply cases. In laymen speak, the Marley appeal would fall into this category. The implication of being designated seems to be that the Planning Inspectorate takes the income from planning from SCDC, notwithstanding that their planning department continues to do the majority of the work. However, there would also be the opportunity to bypass the SCDC planning department and go direct to the Inspectorate with an application. SCDC is lobbying hard to avoid this happening.

The cost thus far to the Council of the Local Plan Inspection is £750,000.

Council Budget Many County Councils are reporting that their coffers are empty and my County Councillor colleagues have been speaking for some considerable time on the pressures Cambridgeshire faces, mainly because of the huge chunk social care takes out of the county budget.

SCDC is in the process of agreeing a budget for the next year and setting its financial forecasts for the medium term. The future, while not dire, is not exactly rosy. Reserves, which have built up to a healthy £11 million, will have to be drawn down over the next five year to a level of £2.5 million, just to keep services going. The Council is also taking part in a Fairer Funding Review which looks likely to result in a large proportion of business rates being collected locally by the District but diverted to the County Council to plug the social care gap. Like all planning and housing authorities up and down the country, SCDC is struggling to build council dwellings at the same rate as they are sold under the right to buy scheme; this is made even harder since the government takes 70% of the proceeds from of each dwelling sold.

Residents may also be interested to learn that SCDC no longer receives any government grant and may in fact become a net payer to the government under new funding rules.

26

Recycling My additional blue bin arrived just after the beginning of February, so it took around ten days from my online request. Although the service runs very efficiently, there are reports of missing bins so please do bring any problems to my attention.

Youth Council I met Amanda Silvester, a County Council Youth Officer to discuss setting up the Youth Council. She is delighted to offer her support and will be looking into the logistics of starting a council up.

I am delighted to report that I have also been contacted by a Year 11 Meldreth resident keen to help establish a council. Should any young people aged between 11 and 19 in Meldreth be interested in getting involved, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Home-Start I have now swum sixteen of the 21 miles I need to cover before the HomeStart Aquathon on Sunday 4th March, and have raised nearly three quarters of my ÂŁ2,000 target. If you very kindly wish to support HomeStart (whose premises are at Valley Farm in Meldreth) and sponsor me, please go to https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ philippahart1. Many thanks.

Litter Pick Just a reminder that the Litter Pick takes place this year on Sunday 4th March to coincide with the with the Keep Britain Tidy nationwide Great British Spring Clean campaign (http:// www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-ourcampaigns/great-british-spring-clean).

We are meeting at 9.00am opposite 24 Fenny Lane at the water filtering station and all are welcome.

Councillor Philippa Hart Meldreth and Shepreth Ward philippajhart@btinternet.com 07811 323571

27

County Councillor’s Report Council Tax The controlling group has decided, against expectations, to go with a 2.99% general council tax rise, following several years of council tax freeze. It is proposing that the extra funds raised be used to bolster reserves rather than support front-line services. (I voted to allocate extra funds to services.) Not taking the rise would have exacerbated the council’s terrible financial position, evidence of which is perversely shown in the next item, which illustrates that because the council often can’t afford to run services, a pattern of charging for services is becoming more predominant. But this often affects people who can least afford it.

Changes to the ‘Fairer Contributions Policy’ Proposals are being made to increase the contributions for council services paid by people receiving benefits. The consultation on ‘Changes to the Fairer Contributions Policy’ proposes that people receiving benefits should pay much more towards the cost of their own care. The whole of the higher rate of Personal Independence Payments will be included in assessments, whereas at the moment the higher rate for care, for the Disability Living Allowance, is not counted. The council would be taking an additional £27.45 a week from some of the most vulnerable individuals. I’ve now circulated via social media, the consultation which was due to conclude on Friday 23rd February.

Oil Club donation to CAB drop-in service, Melbourn Hub This year’s Oil Club rebate will go to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, specifically to support the drop-in service at the Melbourn Hub, which takes place on the first and third Thursdays from 9.00am - 12.00 noon.

This service is free and open to all South Cambridgeshire residents. A similar service in Bassingbourn was discontinued due to lack of take-up.

Community Sweeper Some of you have asked about this scheme in which volunteers are being trained up to drive the South Cambridgeshire street sweeping vehicle and supplement the minimal work that the councils are now able to carry out. Last autumn, SCDC invited Melbourn Councillor Jose Hales and me to initiate this as a pilot project for Melbourn and the A10 cycle path. If successful, the intention is to roll it out to other villages. Currently, a pool of volunteers is being trained up and the machine will be deployed in the near future. Volunteers come from Foxton, Melbourn and Royston. Training includes whole days of 28

health and safety and vehicle operation, and basic driver’s assessment.

The vehicle will most likely be stored in Melbourn, and together we will agree the schedule for operation.

Greenways This is about building up a stronger network of walking/cycling paths connecting South Cambridgeshire village transport corridors into Cambridge. One of the corridors is ‘Melbourn Greenway’ and the proposal includes a link to Royston. The consultation event at the Melbourn Hub in late January was well attended, with people coming from a wide area including Bassingbourn and Royston. Another consultation event will be geared to students at Melbourn Village College. Various suggestions have been made about improving paths connecting Bury Lane Farm Shop to Fieldgate along the bridleway, Kneesworth Road to the A1198, etc. Please respond to the consultation

by Thursday 15th March 2018 – Google Greater Cambridge Partnership Greenways, ‘Melbourn Greenway’.

My questions to the February Council meeting: Children’s Centres: (1) Given assurances set out in the Children's Centre consultation response, that families should continue to receive the services and support they need, perhaps in an even better way than before, how exactly will provision be made in each area where a current children’s centre is to be ‘re-designated’ from Sunday 1st April 2018? Please provide specific information for each case. (2) What has been the total cost of preparing options for and carrying out the Children’s Centre Services consultation?

Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership: Looking ahead at the Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership and steps to align its responsibilities with the work of the Combined Authority, how will the Leader ensure that the LEP's geographic remit (including financial support) for strategic crosscounty border transport infrastructure is addressed by the Combined Authority?

I’m afraid I didn’t get much of an answer to any of my questions, though I’m pleased that the chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee accepted my invitation to visit Bassingbourn Children’s Centre, which is closing on 1st April 2018, in order to explain how the service will continue to be delivered.

Susan van de Ven, County Councillor Susanvandeven5@gmail.com 07905 325574 29

Volunteering Opportunities Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service runs a Community Champion scheme to spread fire safety messages and encourage residents to carry out safety checks on their homes. Volunteers work across the county and we're always looking for more people to join us.

Community Champions speak to local communities about home fire safety and escape plans, as well as referring those people who don't feel confident about undertaking a check of their own home. They may also be asked to complement the service already being delivered by attending community events and providing support, as well as being part of our consultation community.

Community Champions participate in training that enables them to develop interpersonal skills, enhance their CVs, make new friends and improve their knowledge of the work undertaken by the CFRS. No previous qualifications or specific skills are needed to become a Community Champion and we are always looking to build a team of people with different skills sets, backgrounds and abilities.

The scheme is run by charity Groundwork on behalf of the service.

To find out more about the Community Champions scheme, contact Emma Prestidge on (01480) 587140 or email emma.prestidge@groundwork.org.uk.

Cambridge Re-Use We are currently recruiting for van crew, van drivers and receptionists to join our dedicated team.

In return we offer travel and lunch expenses; 25% discount and free delivery on any purchases made from the charity; experience in the charity sector; a warm friendly atmosphere with tea, coffee and biscuits, and sometimes donuts and fruit.

For further information on how to apply please contact Cara (Manager) on (01223) 414554 or email cara@cambridgereuse.org.uk.

Registered Charity No: 1139265 30

AFFORDABLE PLUMBING FIXED PRICE SMALL WORKS: We can make life a little easier

Taps changed/repaired Ball valves changed Cisterns repaired/replaced Blockages cleared Outside taps installed Washing machine/dishwasher installation Radiators replaced, trv valves fitted/changed

Local Community Services at Moorlands Court

Day Centre Our friendly day centre is open from 10 am to 3 pm, Tuesdays to Fridays.

Interesting activities, sociable atmosphere, home cooked lunch.

All at Affordable prices Free no obligation quotes Contact Michael 07850 652838 or 01223 264658 Email: affordableplumbing99@yahoo.co.uk ALL WORK GUARANTEED FULLY INSURED

Transport available for older people living in Melbourn and nearby villages.

From just ÂŁ7.90 per day.

To find out more, just call us at Moorlands Court on 01763 260564, or email: denise.taylor@chsgroup.org.uk

General Building Works, Home & Garden Improvements Tel: Mike on 07950 211 878 Or

email: benjaminandfredericks@outlook.com www.benandfred.co.uk @benandfred 31

Meldreth Village D Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

The copy deadline for the April issue of Meldreth Matters is Monday 12th March

Thur

2.00pm G. Co

1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 1 19 20 21 2 26 27 28 2 To view issues of Meldreth Matters online, follow us on Issuu: https://issuu.com/meldrethmatters

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

7.30pm Parish

9.30-11.30am Meldreth Local History Group 7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

10.00am-12.00 Handbells 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters

9.15-11.15am Baby & Toddler Group 6.00-7.00 Brownies 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.30pm WI

8.00-9.00pm Strutology

7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

10.00am Meldreth Local History Group Coffee Morning & AGM (see page 19) 7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing 7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

9.15am Cycling Group 9.15-11.15am Baby & 10.00am-12.00 Handbells Toddler Group 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts 6.00-7.00 Brownies 5.30pm Veg Club Plus, 6 Chiswick End 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters 8.00-9.00pm Strutology

12.00-2.00pm (see page 21)

10.00am-12.00 Handbells 10.40-11.30am Library 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters 8.00pm Prayer Group 8.00-9.00pm Strutology

9.15-11.15am Baby & Toddler Group

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

9.15am Cycling Group 10.00am-12.00 Handbells 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters 8.00-9.00pm Strutology

9.15-11.15am Baby & Toddler Group

6.00-7.00 Brownies 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00pm 6.00-7.00 Brownies 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing Tennis

Last day of s

Church Services and Bell Ringing are held at Holy Trinity Church. The Prayer Group meets at 85 meetings are held in the Sheltered Housing Community Centre, Elin Way. Brownies, Messy Churc Mobile Library Service visits Bell Close. The Cycling Group meets in the lay-by opposite Holy Tri 32

iary - March 2018

sday

ompanions

Friday

Saturday

Sunday 9.00am Litter Pick, 24 Fenny Lane (see page 2) 9.45am Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School 2.30-6.30pm Tea Dance 5.30pm Meat Raffle, BQ

7.00pm for 7.30pm PTA Quiz, Primary School 7.00pm Lib Dem Quiz, Village Hall 8.30-11.00pm Live Rock Music, Eternit Sports & Social Club (see page 3)

1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 5 16 17 18 2 23 24 25 9 30 31

m Fitness

m Table

h Council

8.00am Holy Communion

m Fitness

5.30pm Meat Raffle, British Queen

9.45am Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School 5.30pm Meat Raffle, British Queen

m Pub Club

m Fitness

m Table

m Fitness

9.45am Palm Sunday Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School

m Table

m Fitness

m Table

5.30pm Meat Raffle, British Queen

10.00am - midday Good Friday Craft Workshop and Easter Egg Hunt, Holy Trinity Church (see back cover)

school term

North End. Cam Valley Crafters, Good Companions and Meldreth Local History Group ch & Melbourn and Meldreth Women’s Group meet in the Holy Trinity meeting room. The nity Church. All other events are held in the Village Hall unless otherwise indicated.

33

Meldreth Parish Council www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Extracts from the unapproved Minutes of the Parish Council held on Thursday 1st February 2018 in the Green Room of Meldreth Village Hall.

Present: Councillor R Goddin, Chairman; Councillor N Pellatt, Vice Chairman; Councillor J Fallon, Councillor R James, Councillor C A Land, Councillor D Lee, Councillor R A Searles, Councillor A Young In attendance: J Damant (Clerk), Councillor S van de Ven (CCC), Councillor P Hart (SCDC) Apologies for absence: Councillor A Keena (personal reasons) Public Participation There were twelve members of the public in attendance.

A member of the girl guides requested some funding to help with costs involved with going to Romania to teach under privileged children.

Councillor Young advised her to contact the Clerk to request an application for the Community Benefit.

Major concerns were raised by members of the Showmen community who live opposite the Council's site at Mettle Hill regarding the possibility of the Council establishing a Park Homes scheme on the site.

They do not consider that it would be a suitable project for this land, as there could be problems in the future. The Chair said that the matter of Park Homes and Mettle Hill was on the agenda and would be discussed in full by the Parish Council. The Showmen also expressed concern that the recent works carried out on the site have left it vulnerable and that the bund needs to be looked at.

Village Traffic Group: will there be any meetings to be able to move this project forward and would it be possible to put a notice in Meldreth Matters informing residents that the matter of the survey carried out is still in hand and that the Parish Council have not forgotten about it? It was suggested by Councillor Young that if the resident wished to put in an article regarding the traffic survey which they had implemented then they could, as an individual. Councillor Young also stated that a meeting of the group will be undertaken soon.

34

Report from District Councillor The report (see pages 26-27) was circulated. Additional items: there has been no further information regarding the Marley/Eternit application.

Councillor Hart also confirmed that the Planning Department is looking at going paperless and all applications will have to be seen via the website.

Report from County Councillor The report (see pages 28-29) was circulated. Additional items: the pot hole in Elin Way has now been repaired.

Office IT Computer System Councillor Young reported that the new computer system is in the process of being installed and should be completed soon. The next phase is to sort out the new BT broadband but this will be undertaken once all the data has been transferred to the new system.

Working Group Updates/Reports Meldreth Futures Working Group (MFWG) It was reported that no new applications have been received. The MFWG have been looking further into the possibility of redoing the Parish Plan, now known as the Community Led Plan. A new Steering Group will be set up to look into this matter and will be a separate identify from the MFWG, though many of the members may be the same. Steering Groups are slightly different to Working Groups and are run independently of the Parish Council. Parish Councillors are not allowed to hold any positions of office as this is a Community Led Plan and thus should be run as such and not run as part of the Parish Council.

Village Traffic Working Group There has been no meeting but Councillor Young stated that a meeting will take place soon.

Mettle Hill Working Group Update from Councillor Goddin. He described the work being done to investigate Mettle Hill and that it was all a matter of public record in the Council’s minutes. Park Homes is one of the possibilities identified in the village survey a few years ago. The Parish Council has therefore been investigating this option and other possibilities identified in that survey. At no point has it been discussed or agreed that this is or will be the outcome of what will be established on the Council’s land at Mettle Hill. It is one of several options presently being explored, which 35

includes the possibility of leaving the site in its present condition for a decision to be made in the future. The Council will continue to look into this matter as requested by the community. The security bund was disturbed for access during the recent safety work and it does not appear to be as solid as it was prior to these works; some kind of bollards or concrete blocks may need to be installed. Clerk to make some local enquiries. It was also noted that the final decision on the future of Mettle Hill will be taken by the Parish Council once all the information has been gathered and the results can be discussed. For the time being the working group will continue to investigate all options.

Councillor Hart will also go back to the planning department at SCDC to see where things stand with regards to planning issues for Mettle Hill.

Councillor Searles suggested that retirement homes may be an option worth investigating further.

The land has now been cleared and made safe which the Parish Council had a duty to undertake and the area is now considered to be much safer than it was.

Tennis Club Working Group There has been no report or meeting held. It was suggested that the working group meet in June for a 6 month update, to review the working in particular of the booking system.

Major Projects Pavilion Construction Decoration of the pavilion is due to commence on the 5th February and will last for two weeks. Both football teams have been notified.

Security for Pavilion CCTV policy to be signed off by parish council. Due to some further information needed, i.e. Human Rights Act Policy the Clerk suggested this be deferred till March. Equipment is to be installed once the decorators have finished.

Church Wall Update on the proposed working party between the Parish Council and Church representatives. Clerk is still waiting to hear from the Church with a second representative being put forward, this will give two from the Council and two from the Church.

36

Ongoing Projects Playground Councillor Fallon reported that the equipment appears to be in good working order. However, one of the stepping stones along the trim trail still needs to be filled but at the moment the wood is too wet.

There will also be another site meeting to look at the swing matting.

Councillor Fallon will attend.

Quotes are being obtained for clearing and building up the banks of the ditch at the recreation ground.

Questions were raised by the Recreation Working Group as to whether the ditch abutting the recreation ground which SCDC cleared can be looked into as well.

Concern was expressed that if a fence were erected during the new development then access to this part of the ditch would be very limited.

Clerk will check with SCDC to see if anything can be done to protect the ditch and keep it maintained. There is a duty as a Riparian Owner towards this ditch and new owners need to be made aware of their responsibility. It was also suggested that there should be more trees within the recreation ground and another tree within the play area. It was suggested the Clerk contact S106 Officer to see if there was any funding available for trees.

Street Light Survey Survey to replacing the lights along North End (SC1-SC9) and Chiswick End (SC10-SC13. Site meeting is being arranged. Clerk is still having issues in getting Balfour Beatty to set a date for the survey.

Proposed Closure of the Railway Crossing on Footpath 10 Councillor James reported that there has been no update at the moment.

Defibrillators Parish Council agreed to purchasing wipes and replacement lungs which are needed for the simulator manikins during training. The defibrillator for the Village Hall is now working. The defibrillator for the red telephone box has been received; just waiting for the telephone box to be refurbished after which the machine can be installed. The magnets have been received which shows the defibrillator's code (this is the same for both devices) and Councillors will distribute these to every household and business within Meldreth.

Housing Survey carried out by Cambridgeshire Acre Cambridgeshire Acre will attend the March meeting.

37

Budget Process (Precept for 2018/19) The draft budget had been circulated with additional items for possible elections and the position of a Data Protection Officer. It was agreed that a precept of £60,000 with the remainder if needed of £48,000 coming from the reserves.

Mary Course Fund Councillor Searles reported that in the past this had been a fixed rate bond but this facility is no longer available. It was agreed at the last meeting that the Parish Council will continue to pay the Primary School £60.00 reflecting Mary Course's interest (agricultural, village and countryside). The Capital fund will thereby be reduced.

Other Items Recording Meetings As there was no proposer this matter was not discussed any further and no action was taken.

South Cambs Boundary Changes The consultation has now closed but there is no update at the moment.

Becoming a Councillor Councillor van de Ven ran this event to help inform residents what is involved with becoming a councillor for SCDC, CCC and the Parish Council. Parish Council will be represented by standing councillors.

Parish Council and SCDC are up for election in May 2018. [See pages 10-11.]

Councillors' Reports: Councillor Goddin: will attend the MHI hearing to put forward the Parish Council's request for parts of the verges along North End to be kerbed on 5th February.

Councillor Land: queried if any progress has been made on placing bollards around the Stock's Area.

There being no further discussion the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.30pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 1st March 2018 at 7.30pm.

Meldreth Parish Council The official Minutes of Meldreth Parish Council are those signed in Public Meetings by the Chairman. They are available for public inspection from the Clerk and can also be accessed on the Parish Council website at www.meldreth-pc.org.uk or on the Parish Council notice boards, opposite the One Stop Shop and at the corner of Elin Way and Whitecroft Road.

38

Meldreth Parish Council - Contact Details http://www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Parish Office, Meldreth Sheltered Scheme, Elin Way, Royston SG8 6LT

Office hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12.30-2.30pm By appointment at other times Parish Clerk: Mrs J Damant (01763) 269928 Mrs C J Fallon

(01763) 262822

parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk joan.fallon@btinternet.com

Mr R Goddin (Chairman) (01763) 260061

goddin@btinternet.com

Dr R James

(01763) 261085

roger@rogerjames.net

Mr A Keena

(01763) 260267

alankeena@aol.com

Mr C A Land

(01763) 261004

c.land963@btinternet.com

Mr D Lee

(01763) 261571

david@oakrits.plus.com

Mr Nigel Pellatt (Vice Ch) (01763) 262444

nppellatt@btconnect.com

Mr R A Searles

(01763) 260435

robert.searles@btinternet.com

Mr A Young

(01763) 263484

andrewmpc@gmail.com

Monthly Drop-in Councillor Advice Surgery Surgeries take place as follows: The first Monday of each month, 3.00-4.00pm, with Meldreth and Melbourn District Councillors Philippa Hart and Jose Hales, Melbourn Hub cafĂŠ.

The third Monday of each month, 3.00-4.00pm at The Limes Community Room, High Street Bassingbourn.

Philippa Hart, District Councillor philippajhart@btinternet.com, (01763) 261255 Susan van de Ven, County Councillor susanvandeven5@gmail.com, 07905 325574 39

Meldreth Preschool www.meldrethpreschool.com As the first signs of spring are peeping out, the children of the preschool have been continuing their work on mindfulness, how to be good friends and focussing on the importance of relaxation as well as play.

This has included learning some yoga poses which the children have been encouraged to practise at home, so hopefully the preschool parents had a relaxing half term holiday.

The next half term will see the children learning about how to stay safe, in a variety of situations to help them gain confidence and understand how to keep themselves out of danger.

The preschool committee also held an Emergency General Meeting to discuss the possibility of incorporating the preschool into a Charitably Incorporated Organisation. This would offer more protection to the preschool, its staff and the committee, so we are pleased to be taking positive steps to secure the future of the preschool for years to come.

The committee have also been meeting with the school regularly to discuss the upcoming building work and the plans for the preschool to move into a new building at the school some time around the end of the year. Now that the building work has started, we are making plans to ensure a smooth transition from the Village Hall to the school.

This half term will also see the departure of our manager, Lianne, for maternity leave. We all wish her well for her new arrival and look forward to meeting the new baby.

If you want to make an appointment to come and look around, meet the staff and see what the preschoolers get up to then please get in touch on 07518 173653 or email manager@meldrethpreschool.com to speak to our team and learn more.

Meldreth Preschool

Be Seen, Be Safe!

Cyclists and pedestrians: Please wear bright, light or reflective clothing Pedestrians, please carry a torch Cyclists, use front and rear lights 40

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Meldreth Primary School www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk Dragonologists Recently Kingfisher Class have explored the exciting world of Dragons.

We had a strange disturbance in our classroom with tables and chairs turned upside and books strewn around. On closer inspection we found a Dragonology guide and a request to make a new guide book.

Becoming Dragonologists has been great fun. All the children have explored descriptive writing and developed super skills of including lots of detail within their writing. We’ve invented new dragons and written information pages about them, described dragon worlds using all our senses and written amazing poems.

During our Woodland Learning in Melwood we’ve used the natural resources to create dragons on the woodland floor and trees. Perhaps you spotted some?

Finally in our artwork we looked closely at dragon eyes and the curved shapes created with their scales. We have used this as inspiration for our batik artwork and sewing.

Kate Samways SENCo Meldreth Primary School

I can see the beautiful mountains covered in crispy snow and around me there are lots of tall, green trees and sharp, cold bushes. The sky is bright blue with nearly no clouds.

I can hear eagles squawking loudly on the top of the beautiful mountains and squirrels quickly jumping from branch to branch. What other animals do you think could be in the forest?

I am touching the bumpy, still tree trunks and I feel the cold, fast air hitting my face.

I can smell the fresh air.

Maya 42

The sports dragon is famous for football. You can find lots of these dragons in the world.

His body is gold and his claws are blue. These dragons are the size of a monkey. Watch out, his jaws are dangerous!

You can find them in a football ground and sports halls all over the world.

Toby

My dragon’s wings are shaped like thin triangles. Its claws are bright red like blood leaking out of a nose.

The scales are as soft as felt that people use for sewing.

The creature’s jaws are as indestructible as a bumpy rock.

My calm dragon’s eyes are as white as the stars twinkling in the night sky.

Its tail wags about like a dog’s tail when it eats a treat.

He flies elegantly through the blue sky filled with white thin clouds.

Chloe P Dagger-like claws that smash.

Rocking tail when he swishes it.

As frightening as can be.

Gliding through the soft clouds.

Old eyes.

No one can defeat it.

Harry 43

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What’s On for Children and Families in March Saturday 3rd March, 11.00am to 3.00pm Rainforest Riches, Cambridge Botanic Garden CB2 1JE Find out about rainforest foods like chocolate, banana and vanilla. Try some! Track down plants, find out about Fairtrade. Free, drop-in event.

Normal admission for accompanying adults. Ring (01223) 331875.

Tuesday 6th March, 10.00 to 11.30am It’s Magic, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge CB2 1RB Explore the Museum’s art and make some of your own to take home.

For ages 2 to 5 years. £3 per child. Book on (01223) 332904.

Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th March, 10.00am to 5.00pm (4.00pm Sunday) East Anglian Model Railway Exhibition, Wood Green , Kings Bush Farm, London Road, Godmanchester PE29 2NH The biggest show in the East. For details, visit www.stneotsmrc.com.

Saturday 17th March, 2.00 to 4.00pm MAKE! Stay in Touch, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge CB21 RB View the Flux exhibition then create your own clay sculpture, guided by an artist. For ages 11 to 13 years. £5. Book on (01223) 332904.

Saturday 17th March, Sunday 18th March, Thriplow Daffodil Festival, Thriplow village SG8 7RD Daffodil displays, refreshments, live music, stalls, open gardens. This year is the 50th Daffodil Weekend. For details ring (01763) 209047.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th March, 10.00am to 5.00pm St Albans South Signal Box open day, AL1 3AJ Demonstrations, signals to operate, railway exhibits, a garden railway, light refreshments. Videos and a slideshow of the restoration. Free but donations welcome. 18 steps to the upper floor. www.tlr.ltd.uk.

Friday 30th March to Sunday 23rd September, The Making of Harry Potter, Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Leavesden WD25 7LR A special treat for Harry Potter fans, this tour includes sets, props, costumes and information about how the film was made and special effects created. Tickets £33 for accompanied children, 5 to 15 years. £41 adults. Some saver tickets available. See www.wbstudiotour.co.uk.

Compiled by Hilary Crawforth 45

Local Events in March Here is a selection of events happening nearby this month.

Wednesday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March, 11.00am to 12.45pm Wimpole’s Wednesday Walk Wimpole Hall, Arrington, Cambridgeshire SG8 0BW Walk around Wimpole’s parkland and woodland paths. Experienced leader will point out interesting features, history, wildlife and show the best viewpoints. Walks change each week and range from 2.5 to 4.5 miles. Free. Often muddy in winter. See: www.national trust.org.uk.

Monday 12th to Sunday 25th March, varying times and venues Cambridge Science Festival 2018 Huge range of talks, films, debates, demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ events - most free. Download full programme at: sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk or call (01223) 766766 for details.

Tuesday 13th March, 2.00pm (doors open 1.30pm) Tea with the Doctor and Medical Teacher Freemason’s Hall, Bateman Street, Cambridge CB2 1NA Alan Gelson, retired GP, will entertain with stories of his medical training and long career. Tickets £13 (includes afternoon tea) in aid of The Sick Children’s Trust from (01638) 751474.

Saturday 17th to Friday 30th March, 10.00am to 4.00pm Daffodils at Chippenham Park Gardens Chippenham Park, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 5PT Superb Spring show of daffodils, other bulbs and blossom in delightful lakes, woods and parkland setting. Entry £5, children free. Refreshments in Potting Shed Cafe. See: www.chippenhamparkgardensinfo.

Saturday 17th March, 8.30am, Men’s Breakfast Meeting Village Hall, Foxton, Cambridgeshire CB22 6RN The guest speaker will be from the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Service. Call Tony Garrick on (01763) 221658 or Mark Howard on (01223) 503377 to reserve your place. All are welcome.

Saturday 17th March, 10.00am to 2.00pm Spoon Carving and Whittling Wandlebury Country Park, Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AE Learn to carve items from green wood safely. Discover a rewarding new hobby and get inspiration for future projects. Booking essential. Tickets £30 (members £25): www.cambridgeppf.org or call (01223) 243830.

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Saturday 17th March, 10.30am to 12.00 noon ‘Coffee Stop’ at All Saints Church Community Hall, Melbourn Coffee morning with home produce and cake for sale, plus tombola and raffle. In aid of SRUK (Scleroderma and Raynaud’s Disease UK) Saturday 17th March, 7.30 pm (doors open 7.15pm) Ceilidh Evening with the Cyriacs Melbourn Village College, The Moor Melbourn, SG8 6EF In aid of Royston and South Cambs Home Start. Tickets £15 to include supper (sausage or burger; vegetarian option available). Licensed bar and raffle. Book on (01763) 262262 or email: admin@hsrsc.org.uk.

Sunday 18th March, 10.00am to 4.00pm Orwell Vintage and Antique Fair Orwell Village Hall, High St, Orwell, Cambridgeshire SG8 5QN Over 20 stalls of antiques, vintage wares, collectables, retro clothing, jewellery etc. Home made refreshments. Admission £1. Free car parking.

Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th March, 7.30pm each evening 51st Sawston Drama Festival of One Act Plays The Marven Centre, New Road, Sawston, Cambs CB22 4BN Comedies, thrillers, tragedies - two or three plays per evening. Tickets £8 (concessions £7). Available from (01223) 880023 or at the door on the night. For further details see: www.wherecanwego.com.

Sunday 25th March, 10.00 am start Birdwatching at Fowlmere and Therfield For a good chance of seeing recently-arrived reed and sedge warblers at Fowlmere pools then on to Therfield for woodland migrants and Pasque flowers. Free. Organised by Watford RSPB group. Meet Fowlmere RSPB Reserve car park, 10.00am. Contact (01923) 854509.

Saturday 31st March, 7.30pm Henry Blofeld: 78 Retired Bishop’s Stortford Theatre and Rhodes Arts Complex Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3JG The BBC’s ‘voice of cricket’ commentator has hung up his microphone after 50 years. An entertaining evening of stories/anecdotes - including some not allowed on live radio! Tickets £21.50 from (01223) 710200.

Compiled by John Crawforth 47

Meldreth Parish Charities Meldreth Parish Charities (Charity Number 233979) comprises: Robert Halfhead (1658), Lettice Martin (1562) and James Addlestone (1723) These ancient bequests were set up to provide an annual income which was originally disbursed at the discretion of the Trustees. Over time, this purpose was modified by the introduction of the Welfare State and Social Benefits and subsequently the Trustees have been able to use the annual income to provide assistance to residents who have a particular need that cannot be met by normal sources of income or support.

A reminder that we are here to help: There is money available from these historic bequests to help Meldreth residents or village organisations with a particular financial need that cannot be met through normal sources of income or support.

Examples: y Provision of books /equipment for students y Costs involved in hospital visits, medical prescriptions, etc. y Special payments to relieve sudden financial need, illness or infirmity Applications are invited and can be made to any of the Trustees or the Clerk. Applications are, of course, treated as strictly confidential.

Clerk to the Trustees: Theresa O’Malley (01763) 260433 Trustees:

Mrs Ann Askham (01763) 262133 Mrs Jane Bates (01763) 261638 Mr Graham Borgonon (01763) 260358 Mrs Joan Fallon (01763) 262822 Theresa O’Malley Clerk to the Trustees

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Dust Free Wood Floor Sanding & Restoration

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Call today on 01223 863 632

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Gift vouchers and hair accessories available.

Little Hands Nursery School The Moor, Melbourn

Little Hands is a Private Nursery School specialising in quality education for the under fives and offers:

01763 260431

Flexible hourly booking - open 08.30 to 16.30 Term time bookings with optional holiday club Bumble Bee room for children 12 – 24 months Ladybird room for 2 year olds Butterfly room for children 3-5 years With optional “ready for school sessions”

45 Whitecroft Road , Meldreth Tuesday & Thursday 9am - Late Monday &Wednesday closed Friday 9am - 6pm Sat 9am - 3pm

All sessions have a high staff to child ratio and are available for eligible funded 2 year olds and all funded 3/4 year olds with no extra charges Categorised as “Outstanding” by Ofsted

For further information contact Anne McCrossen: 01763 260964 lh-melbourn@btconnect.com Little Hands is also at Bourn, Linton and Newton visit the website at www.littlehands.co.uk

Make a difference every day – Make every day different Support Workers and Learning Support Assistants – £16,731 - £17,745 p.a.

If you want a career you can be passionate about and not just a job then talk to us!

We’re looking for caring people who want to make a difference to join our team and support the truly amazing and inspiring children and young people we work with.

Other vacancies also available

Training provided, no previous experience necessary but a bonus if you do.

Call to us today on 020 3617 0186 or 01763 268000 or visit www.the-aurora-group.com/careers.

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Laptops for Africa For some time now, around this part of the year, we have appealed through MM's pages for any unwanted or discarded laptops to be donated for refurbishment and sent for use in a poor part of West Africa, namely, the Cameroon. Here we have long supported a local NGO which runs humanitarian projects in poor rural areas of the North West Province of that country.

Starting with school building and refurbishment back in the mid nineties, they have expanded to engage in training medics for work in rural clinics, have created a fantastic Bio Farm Training Centre to improve the efficiency and skills of poor farmers, most of whom are women, as well as many other projects empowering women and helping disadvantaged remote and rural people of all faiths.

The NGO, called SHUMAS, is supported among others by several UK and EU charities many of whom regularly send volunteers to work alongside local staff and their unpaid helpers. Our refurbished laptops are taken out by UK volunteers in personal luggage so we know they get to the NGO. Just before Christmas a group of Cambridgeshire paramedics who were going out to work in rural clinics, took our complete stock with them!

SHUMAS has a desperate need in its expanding organisation for portable computers which allow staff in the field to keep records and file reports. It also passes on any surpluses to local schools. In the words of the SHUMAS General Coordinator, Stephen Ndzerem, supplying laptops â€œâ€Ś creates a massive impact. Our senior as well as junior staff members depend on your support. We extended the assistance to some poor three university students and a local council.

Our greatest thanks to your donors!"

With every donated machine, our first task is to scrub the hard disk completely clean of any residual software or data using special programs. We follow up with a component check and replace any defective parts that are needed. An Open Source 'Linux' distribution which includes office suites similar to those of Windows and other proprietary brands, is then loaded. This is cost-free software which many experts claim to be more resistant to malware infections and is 50

particularly suitable for older hardware. Linux may not be seen on many household machines in the developed world, but it powers many super computers and servers around the world.

Not all machines will be suitable for reuse. We send such equipment to Cambridge Computer Recycling, a local licensed and specialist company which breaks e-waste into component parts for sustainable recycling.

It you have old laptops gathering dust in cupboards and lofts please consider donating them to begin a new life in a remote and poor part of the world.

You can read more about what SHUMAS does on their website: www.shumas-cameroon.org.

Please contact me if you would like to pass on a laptop by emailing gvborgo@shumas-cameroon.org or telephoning (01763) 260358.

Graham Borgonon

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme

Now operating in Meldreth Can we help you? Your relative? Your neighbour?

What are our Services?

The wardens make regular visits and telephone calls to provide social contact and friendship. They help people to keep safe and healthy in their homes and carry out errands around the villages for their clients, including shopping, collecting prescriptions and paying bills. Wardens assist clients to access other support they may need such as domestic help, home maintenance , meals or benefits etc.

What will it cost?

We do have to make a small weekly charge for the services. The fee is only ÂŁ6 per week (a little more for couples).

How can I join?

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

Melbourn Warden Scheme is a registered charity 51

News From Heidi Allen www.heidisouthcambs.co.uk Welcome to my latest parish newsletter - it’s been another busy month!

Some of the most productive local meetings I held this month have been with the Whippet bus company, Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke's hospitals, the County Council and Greater Cambridge Partnership.

Whippet have said hat the X3 bus service, which serves Papworth, Cambourne and the surrounding area, costs more to run than the revenue it generates, so it is vital that people use the service. As Royal Papworth will be relocating to the Addenbrooke's campus later in the year, I figured there must be some kind of win-win situation possible: staff will need to get to the campus and the bus needs more customers!

A second meeting with all affected parties saw us develop this proposal further and I'd like to say thank you to everyone involved for working with such a clear and open sense of partnership. I'll keep you updated with progress, but I'm hoping we can build a more resilient X3 service and help the Royal Papworth hospital too.

Last month saw the Ministry of Justice launch a consultation on the closure of Cambridge Magistrates’ Court. The consultation proposes that the work of the Court would be transferred to Cambridge County Court, Huntingdon Law Courts, Peterborough Magistrates’ Court or Cambridge Crown Court. The consultation revealed that Cambridge Magistrates’ Court sat for 2,376 hours out of a possible 7,620 hours in 2016/17. I have written to the Ministry of Justice to raise some questions about the consultation. A copy of the letter is available on my website - www.heidisouthcambs.co.uk and I will also post the response there. The consultation is open until the 29th March. Please do have your say: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cambridgemagistrates-court-proposal-on-its-future.

My mission to visit all schools in South Cambridgeshire continued in January with visits to Abbey College, Cambridge, Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Melbourn Village College, Meridian Primary School, Comberton and Monkfield Park Primary School in Cambourne. This month, a theme for many visits has been the 100th anniversary of women gaining the vote. Over the course of the centenary 489 women have been elected to the House of Commons and at the last election, 32% of MPs elected were women. However, the fact that all the women elected in the last hundred years would STILL not fill the House shows there is more do. A step in the right direction 52

is for young people to understand not only how our democracy works but that they own it. As I said to the women under and postgraduates at Murray Edwards College – don't think change is someone else's job.

If you care about something, you can have a powerful role in making it happen.

At the beginning of January, I was pleased to be invited to speak at the Allyance Mental Health Conference kindly hosted by St John’s College in Cambridge. The conference provided workshops for 200 nine and ten year olds from local primary schools. We hear only too often how young people can face challenges with their mental health so this conference offered children a safe environment in which they could talk about the feelings, seek support and equip themselves with practical skills. My particular thanks to Ann Jones and Jenny Jones for arranging this first class event.

As the A14 upgrade continues apace, I coordinated a meeting with Highways England and a number of landowners who are affected by the project. The work has been causing difficulties for residents in some of the neighbouring villages, including rat running through my own village of Elsworth! As such, I will hold future meetings with Highways England to monitor progress and issues. Please keep an eye on my website where I post a weekly update on the work being undertaken in our area.

Although my newsletter deliberately tends to focus on local issues, I continue to be busy on national issues in Parliament too. This month has seen me raise a range of matters from questioning the bosses of Carillion about the collapse of the company to speaking in the House about the Government’s welcome changes to Personal Independent Payment awards for people with mental health conditions.

The above is a brief snapshot of my work at Westminster but my website is regularly updated with more information and topics. If you have concerns or views about a local or national issue, please call in to one of my surgeries. The next one will be held on 3rd March from 10.00am to midday at Caldecote Primary School, Highfields Road, Caldecote, CB23 7NX. All are welcome, as I run a “no appointment necessary” system.

To contact me, please email heidi.allen.mp@parliament.uk You can also telephone my Westminster office on 020 7219 5091 about national issues or my constituency office on (01223) 830037 for local concerns.

Heidi Allen, MP 53

Planning Matters Parish Council Reference and Address

Detail

Parish Council Recommend

Former GoCold Building, Station Yard S/1502/17/FL

Demolition of existing factory building and office and construction of 24 dwellings with associate landscaping.

Amended Proposal Description Parish Committee recommend 'Refusal' with comments (please see full minutes of the Planning Committee for comments).

58 Whitecroft Road S/4467/17/FL 5 Oakrits S/0165/18/FL

Two storey side and rear Parish Committee recommend extensions.

'Support' with no comments.

Single storey rear extension, loft conversion with addition of dormer window and associated alterations.

Parish Committee recommend ‘Support’ with no comments.

Proposed by Councillor Young, seconded by Councillor Land, all agreed.

The full minutes of Meldreth Parish Council planning meetings are available on the Parish Council’s website, www.meldreth-pc.org.uk.

SCDC Decisions: there have been no decisions.

Meldreth Parish Council Editor’s Note: Full details of all planning applications may be viewed at this website: http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/wphappcriteria.display

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Cambourne Self Storage Outdoor Storage 24 Hour Access 7 Days a Week 365 Days a Year 24 Hour Remotely Monitored CCTV Sensor Flood Lighting Keypad Entry and High Security Locks, Vehicle Access Directly to Unit Doors

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Personal care for your feet in the comfort of your own home • Nail Trimming • Hard Skin & Cracked Heels • Corns & Verrucas • Fungal Nails Telephone

on 01763 261250 or 0791 3913955

Nancy Foster MCFHP MAFHP Registered Member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals

55

Car Safety for Pets Last week I was involved in a very nasty car accident on a fast road which has written off my truck and left me very stiff and sore. Both drivers are thankfully OK, but it could have been so much worse.

When I got home I realised that had I had my two dogs in the car, they probably wouldn't have survived the impact and it really got me thinking about travelling our pets safely. I used to travel with them loose on the passenger seat in their little basket. They wouldn't have made it.

I can't even bear to think about how awful it must be to lose a pet in a road accident and so I thought I would put together a little advice about how to make sure your journey is safe for both you and them!

The first priority is always to make sure that your pet does not distract you or inhibit your driving in any way. Sitting on laps is not safe for either of you and must be avoided at all costs. The laps of passengers are not safe either. Your pet will need correct restraint.

Cats, rabbits and other small pets that travel in carriers should be secured either with the carrier in a seatbelt in the middle of the passenger seat in the back, or secured in the footwell in the back. Be aware that cars have crumple zones and most carriers wouldn't survive a direct hit, so keep them away from the sides! I do not advise ever travelling any pet in the front of the car. Airbag velocity is such that if it were to go off it would most probably kill your pet.

Car harnesses for dogs are probably the best option and you get what you pay for. My research so far shows that cheaper options leave little or no protection and can easily just break, especially if you have a larger dog, so choose one which has been crash tested. A good car harness could cost you upwards of ÂŁ65 but in my opinion is worth every penny. You should put the dog in the back of the car, with the car harness attached to the seatbelt. If your car has rear airbags then consider placing your dog in the middle.

Putting your dog in the boot loose, even with a guard up, while it offers you protection, does not protect your pet from an impact, even if they are in a crate. You can buy crash tested crates which may be a good option if you want to use your boot for transporting your pet, but be aware that the crumple zone in most cars is extensive in the boot.

56

Booster seats can be used for smaller dogs, but it is very important that you use appropriate harnesses and seatbelt attachments with them as the dogs will be at head height and could be a real danger to you in an accident.

Please take this opportunity to consider how you are transporting your dogs, cats, rabbits or other pets and make any changes you deem necessary. I have heard of a few dogs now who have lost their lives in car accidents and I would really like to see things getting a lot safer. It’s bad enough dealing with the aftermath of an accident without having to cope with being completely heartbroken at the same time.

The good news is that we can make car journeys safer by instigating some simple changes. I'm off to buy a four seater!

Jo Brown Veterinary Nurse

Scam Alert There is a new scam being attempted in Meldreth by people telephoning from a "Safety Aware" organisation that claims to be linked to the Police and emergency services. It claims to be a special service for the over 55s and concerns a special device that needs to be professionally installed and for which there is an upfront charge of ÂŁ99. The caller is quite insistent to arrange an appointment; if an appointment is made it may be difficult to get rid of the salesperson without paying the charge.

This is clearly a scam. The caller will not give details of the company or its relationship to the police; the caller is very insistent about making an appointment; if the caller is challenged about the details, they end the call. Please be aware of this scam for yourself and on behalf of others.

Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch 57

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Reporting Non-Emergencies Online Non-emergency situations can now be reported to the police online if people would rather do that than call 101.

In October last year Cambridgeshire Constabulary re-launched their website with added functionality to report non-emergencies via specially designed forms or a live webchat. The live webchat option enables people to communicate directly with a member of staff in the control room, just as would be the case when calling 101. Online forms are processed in the same way as a call and the person reporting can expect a response within 24 hours.

Due to the high level of demand there are often queues when calling 101. Reporting online is quick, easy and free of charge.

Superintendent James Sutherland said: “In the digital age people are doing more and more online. I’m pleased that our website now has increased capability to allow people to contact us in this way. The system went through a thorough testing process and has been used successfully thousands of times since being introduced. Feedback from a recent survey suggested that some people wanted to communicate directly with a person rather than submitting an online form. The webchat function allows people to do exactly that. Reports submitted online are treated in the same way as when people call 101 and will receive the same outcome.”

To view the online reporting section of the constabulary’s website visit www.cambs.police.uk/report/. The live webchat function is available by clicking on the green icon on the bottom right of the page.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Refuse Collections Collections in March will be on the following dates: Black bins: 6th & 20th March Blue & Green bins: 13th & 27th March Kathryn Betts Editor 59

We can make life a little easier Local Community Services delivered from Moorlands Court Homecare: our fully trained carers visit you in your home.

Sitting service: a visit from our experienced staff gives family carers time for themselves.

Day Centre: based at Moorlands Court with a friendly and sociable atmosphere and includes a tasty 2 course lunch.

Meals service: nutritious, hot lunchtime meal delivered to you.

Housekeeping: we do those jobs which you can no longer manage, from cleaning and ironing, to bed changing and shopping.

To find out more, call us at Moorlands Court on 01763 260564 or email: denise.taylor@chsgroup.org.uk

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Fire & Rescue Service www.cambsfire.gov.uk Safe and Well Visits - Helping you to stay independent in your own home Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to supporting the safety and wellbeing of residents in all of the communities that we serve. The Safe and Well visit will provide us with sufficient information to support you and, with your permission, refer you to selected partner agencies, who will be able to support you further. We will not share your data with marketing companies or for other purposes.

Our visit will last no longer than 60 minutes and is completely FREE of charge. Our visit will assess six key elements: 1. Fire safety in the home, including cooking, general safety and escape plans.

2. Falls prevention, including simple remedial action such as replacing lightbulbs or taping down loose carpet.

3. Alcohol use: alcohol related hospital admissions are steadily increasing. We can provide you with helpful information.

4. Stay well and warm. Can you afford to heat your home? Do you have access to a hot meal? Do you access all the services available to you?

5. Crime reduction. We can provide advice on making your home more secure in addition to advice to make you less vulnerable to scams or fraud.

6. Smoking. Need a helping hand to quit? Our partners can offer you the help and advice you need to stop smoking.

You are under no obligation to answer any questions that you do not want to, but the more information you provide us with, the better we will be able to support you. We can also provide advice in relation to promoting the health and safety of individuals with hoarding concerns, as well as providing valuable information to care providers.

To find out if you are eligible for a visit, call us on (01480) 444500 or email us at firefire@cambsfire.gov.uk.

Cambridge Fire & Rescue Service 61

Mick Taylor—(01763) 261118 Graham Borgonon—(01763) 260358 (01763) 262158, open 7am-10pm, 7 days Sherida Richards—(01763) 262512 Paul Ray—(01763) 260304

Cycling Group Good Companions Local History Group Lunch Club Melwood Cons. Group

John Rogger (01763) 260809 Marian Oakman—(01763) 261481 (01763) 260129; www.meldrethhistory.org.uk Nikki & Julie 07599 292327 (01763) 232855; www.melwood.btck.co.uk

Photographic Group

www.melbourn-photographic-club.co.uk

Revelation U3A WI

Miriam Skuce—(01763) 262440 Chris Davison—(01763) 264189 Jane Bates—(01763) 261638

Sport

Bowls Club Croquet Club Meldreth United FC Table Tennis Tennis Club

Vivien Constable—(01223) 207557 Janet Pope (01763) 248342 07930 650036 Christine Knight—(01763) 261676 (01763) 243376; http://cspark.at/Meldr2

Church

Rev. Lizzie Shipp Rev. Mary Price Bells John Price (Friends)

(01763) 220626; https://allsaintsmelbournholytrinitymeldreth.co.uk (01763) 261569 Peter Hinton—(01763) 262045 (01763) 260048; www.foht.org.uk

Baby & Toddler Group Pre-School Primary School

Claire Thunder—07908 902017 07518 173653; www.meldrethPreschool.com (01763) 260432; www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk

Parish Council District Councillor District Council Offices

Please see details at end of Parish Council report Philippa Hart—(01763) 261255 03450 450500; www.scambs.gov.uk/ Susan van de Ven—07905325574 susanvandeven.mycouncillor.org.uk/ 0345 045 5200; www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ Heidi Allen—(01954) 212707; www.heidisouthcambs.co.uk/

Councils & Govt.

Clubs & Societies

Facilities

Litter Picker Neighbourhood Watch One Stop Village Hall Bookings Village Hall Chairman

Childn.

Village Directory

County Councillor County Council Offices MP

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Transport Health Support Services Emergencies NonEmerg.

Misc.

Station Ticket Office

Opening hours: Mon - Fri 7-11.15am, Sat 8.45am - 1.25pm

Rail User Group

(01763) 261833; www.melbourn.org.uk/railusergroup

Govia/Great Northern

www.thameslinkrailway.com

The Trainline Stagecoach Potholes, Highways problems, etc.

Streetlights (faulty)

www.thetrainline.com www.stagecoachbus.com/Cambridge 0345 045 5212; http://www2.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ HighwaysReports/Highways/ReportProblem1.aspx 08007838 247 - give location, fault & SC or CCC no.

Melbourn Surgery Addenbrooke’s NHS

(01763) 260220; Dispensary—(01763) 261246 (01223) 245151 111 (24 hour non-emergency number)

Childline

Community Transport Home-Start Mind (mental health) Samaritans

0800 1111 (24 hours) Cambridge: 0344 848 7979 Royston: 03444 111 444 www.citizensadvice.org.uk (01763) 245228; www.roytrans.co.uk (01763) 262262; www.hsrsc.org.uk 0300 123 3393 (9am-6pm M-F); www.mind.org.uk 116 123 (24 hours); www.samaritans.org

General Emergency Gas Electricity Anglian Water Cambridge Water

999 or 112 0800 111 999 0800 783 8838 03457 145145; www.anglianwater.co.uk (01223) 706050; www.cambridge-water.co.uk

Crimestoppers

S Cambs Fire & Rescue

0800 555 111; crimestoppers-uk.org 101; www.cambs.police.uk Report issues: www.contactcambspolice.uk (01480) 444500; www.cambsfire.gov.uk

Melbourn Hub

(01763) 263303; www.melbournhub.com

Royston Museum

(01763) 242587; www.roystonmuseum.org.uk

Citizens Advice Bureau

Police

Details of village groups and facilities can be found in the Meldreth Today section at www.meldrethhistory.org.uk.

Meldreth Matters Team: Chairman: Lesley Farbridge 261578; Editor & Layout: Kathryn Betts 268428; Distribution & Proof-reading: Ken McLean 261243; Treasurer, Secretary & Trade Advertising: Beverley Cottrell 262176; Advertising Layout: Richard Burns 263121; Editorial Assistant: Robin Farbridge; Founder Member: Ann Barnes Meldreth Matters is available online at issuu.com (search for Meldreth)

63

Advertising Rates Size per issue Half page £27.25 Quarter page £16.50 Eighth page £8.75 Business listing per line

6 months £134.00 £74.00 £43.00 £11.00

12 months £216.00 £118.00 £65.00 £16.00

Occasional full page advertising features are also available on request.

For all advertising enquiries, please email meldrethmatters@hotmail.com or telephone Beverley Cottrell on (01763) 262176.

Index to Advertisers Meldreth Matters depends entirely on advertising revenue to cover its production costs. Please mention Meldreth Matters when contacting our advertisers.

A10 Timber ....................................18 Affordable Plumbing .......................31 Art of Clean ....................................13 Art of Clean Wood .........................49 Aurora Meldreth Manor (Job) .........49 B2B Automotive ........................Cover Benjamin and Fredericks .................31 Cambourne Self Storage .................55 Cambridge Roofers (1) ...................60 Cambridge Sunblinds ......................13 CHS Day Centre .............................31 CHS Group .....................................60 Coton Electrical ..............................44 The Country Store ..........................55 Driver Needed (temporary job) .......13 Ely Design Group ...........................17 Eternit Sports and Social Club .........60 Four Counties Tree Services ............44 Gilhooly ............................................8 iPlaster ............................................41 Lawn Partners ................................44 The Letting Centre .....................Cover Little Hands Nursery School ...........49

Meadowsweet Gardens ...................17 Melbourn Flooring ....................Cover Melbourn Village College (1) ...........55 Meldreth Landscapes ........................8 Meldreth Plant Hire .............................

Michael Easton Personal Trainer ....44 Moncraft Computers ......................41 Nancy Foster Footcare ....................55 Newlings of Royston Funeral Service55 Nigel Wigg Home Improvement .....18 Penn Farm Physiotherapy ................17 Reflections Hair Studio ...................49 Richard Burns Electrician ................13 Rod’s PC Support ...........................18 Royston Fencing .............................41 Shelford Energy ..............................44 Slimming World .........................Cover Spice Hut Indian Takeaway ............17 Summit Landscapes ...........................8 Village Garden Services ...................13 Walkers Partnership Solicitors .........41 Wedding Stationery .........................17

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ot! h be with

Slimming World MELDRETH WEDNESDAY 5.30pm & 7.30pm Meldreth Village Hall High Street, Tel: Alison 07812 825 389 slimmingworld.co.uk

0344 897 8000

MELBOURN FLOORING AND INTERIORS LIMITED Cherry Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, SG8 6EY Tel: 01763 262413 Fax: 01763 262450 Vast Range of Carpets, Vinyls, Real Wood, Laminates, Karndean, Amtico and Project Floors Free Estimates - Fitting by experienced staff Dulux Paint stocked in a wide range of colours Over 6000 Wallpaper samples Colour co-ordination service by experienced staff Designer Fabrics, most with next day delivery - Curtain making service Match flooring to walls and fabric for a designer finish New Tile showroom at 26 Royston Road, Foxton, CB22 6SE, 01223 870011.

Covering all your tiling needs. www.melbournflooring.co.uk j.shepherd@melbournflooring.co.uk VISIT OUR LARGE SHOWROOM 9 TO 5 MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 TO 4 SATURDAY OR CALL ON 01763 262413 AND SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR FRIENDLY STAFF. AMPLE FREE PARKING.

Good Friday Craft Workshop and Easter Egg Hunt Holy Trinity Church, Meldreth Friday 30th March, 10.00 am - 12 midday Starting with a short act of worship and finishing with an Easter Egg Hunt.

All children and parents welcome.

Lots of paint and glue – please wear suitable clothing.

Children under school age should be accompanied; school age children can be signed in and out if a contact phone number of a responsible adult is left.

For further information contact Karen (01763) 261885, Ruth (01763) 260183, David (01763) 260085 or david@coton.me.uk or just turn up on the day.

We look forward to seeing you.

Meldreth Matters is printed by Plumridge Printers 41 High St Linton 01223 891407