Meldreth Matters, October 2015

October 2015

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Meldreth Matters, October 2015 Contents include …

October Events in Meldreth Mettle Hill: the Next Step National Poetry Day First Lines Poetry Group Friends of Holy Trinity Church News Friends of BIDII Village Christmas Cards Meldreth Parish Charities Women’s Group, Good Companions and WI Gardening Ralph Vaughan Williams MLHG Coffee Morning What’s On for Children Pre-School Primary School Introduction to the U3A A10 Foxton-Harston Cycle Path Volunteering Opportunities Parish Council District Councillor’s Report County Councillor’s Report News from Cambridgeshire CC News from Heidi Allen MP Melbourn Sports Centre Local Events in October Save Money on Energy Bills Planning Matters Local Healthcare News Fundraising for Charity Local Links Index to Advertisers Local Telephone Numbers

Page 2 3 4-5 6 8-9 11-12 14-15 15 17 18-19 20 22-23 23 24 25 26-27 28-29 30-31 33 37-41 42-44 46-47 48-49 50-51 53 54-55 56-57 58-60 62 65 66 67 68

Welcome to the October issue of Meldreth Matters.

It hardly seems possible that autumn is already upon us.

Despite a reasonable start to the summer, the school holidays were dominated by changeable weather, with only a few warm and dry days.

From the Primary School pupils’ memories of their holidays, shown on pages 26-27 of this issue, it would seem that camping was probably not the best choice for this year. Parents may therefore be pleased to see that our list of suggested activities for children and families on page 24 of this issue includes several that are indoors!

Finally, a reminder that the deadline for the Meldreth and Orchard Manor consultation is 2nd October and that all completed Mettle Hill questionnaires must be returned by 10.00pm on Sunday 4th October.

Kathryn

Cover: Meldreth Manor in 2000 photographed by Richard Burns

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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October Events in Meldreth To have your event listed, please email meldrethmatters@hotmail.com Friday 2nd October, 7.30pm Melbourn and Meldreth Parish Churches Harvest Supper Meldreth Village Hall Tickets £6.50 in advance only from Sue Toule on (01763) 260955 or Pat Ames on (01763) 261130 Children 12 and under free Saturday 3rd October, 10.30am - 12 noon Elin Way ‘Community Coffee Break’ Please come along to this month’s Coffee Break and enjoy a refreshing cup of filter coffee or tea, together with biscuits, at very reasonable prices. A ‘Bring and Buy’ cake stall will also be held and we would appreciate donations of home-made cakes or biscuits for sale. We look forward to seeing you.

Saturday 10th October, 7.00 for 7.30pm Quiz Night with Supper Meldreth Village Hall This will be a fun quiz – teams of six are required but if you can’t get a full team, please still join us and we can include you in another team.

Tickets will cost £10 each to include your supper and there will be a licensed bar and a raffle held at this event.

Tickets must be purchased by 8th October Please see back page for details Friday 23rd October, 7.30pm Friends of Holy Trinity present “China and World War II”: a talk by Hans van de Ven Holy Trinity Church See page 9 for details 2

Mettle Hill: The Next Step Don’t forget to have your say.

This is YOUR opportunity to have a say in the future of a piece of land owned by the village and therefore by us all.

You can return your completed questionnaires to the following places: The porch at Holy Trinity Church, North End Meldreth The bar at The British Queen, High Street, Meldreth The Post Office, One Stop Shop, High Street, Meldreth The Parish Clerk’s Office, Elin Way, Meldreth

All completed questionnaires need to be returned by 10.00pm on Sunday 4th October

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National Poetry Day: 8th October Chain of Wild Flowers, Melbourn Invites you to celebrate at The Hub, Melbourn on Thursday 8th October, 9.00am to 5.00pm Heart of yellow delicate flowers, A deep green garden under The ripples of a fierce blue sky The theme this year is LIGHT. Please come and join us for writing time using our word hoard and come and look at the exhibition of images of the wild flower plots we have planted in the village, poems already written, and find out about the Second World War love story behind the project.

This is a free entry day open to all. Participate or just enjoy the day over a cup of coffee. There will be a small book stall.

At 1.45pm there will be a free shadow puppet play upstairs called “Thora and the Marvellous Bear” performed by the one and only Professor Gallivanti. Taken from the tales of the Norwegian Peer Gynt, Peer and Thora meet mischievous trolls in a lonely inn … what will happen?? Suitable for all ages from 5 upwards. Also on sale will be the Bold Beasts books, which cost £6.99 and tell of the adventures of Henrietta Hen. For further details please telephone Liz on (01763) 263107 or Yvonne on (01763) 262254.

Clare Crossman Hello again everyone, sorry it’s been so long. As 8th October is National Poetry Day I thought I would send you a contribution (see facing page). I hope to see some of you at our exhibition at The Hub as detailed above.

Children, or anyone, just try this trick. Draw a large circle on a piece of card. Divide it into seven equal parts and colour each part in one of the colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet in that order. Pin it onto a tree or post and spin it. What happens?

Yvonne Chamberlain 4

To the Rainbow and Back WHITE is my light and I surround you all You never see me, but by me you see I illuminate our turning global ball And have seven colours hid in me.

RED usually signals to you some danger A traffic sign, or too hot ember To warning you I am no stranger Heed me not, the price you will remember.

ORANGE glow I bring at sunset And to night faces around the camp fire bright My namesake tastes so sweet and wet I am such a friendly light.

YELLOW is my round and smiling flower Looking like our sun star burning bright Giving to our Earth such brilliant power That to see unshielded kills our sight.

GREEN I use to cloak our rolling meadows And Tom Jones sings of “grass of home�

Summer trees provide the citrise shadows That cool us if too far we roam.

BLUE of crystal, my glistening sea: Azure sky above is particle reflecting Ice shelf, pale blue chasms cracking free Tell us our world we are neglecting.

INDIGO my colour much unknown Of mid evening sky at night Or grapes now ripened after being sown An exotic, dark and fulsome light.

VIOLET, not shrinking, glowing last End of spectrum fading into grey Shining now the rain has past Completing its refracting role today.

So we are seven colours up on high Special wavelengths to entrance your sight Rainbow colours, arching in the sky Spin us all together, make again light so white.

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Yvonne Chamberlain

Fine Lines Poetry Group A new poetry course started at the Plough in Shepreth on Monday 21st September. It is running for ten weeks with a break for half term and will finish on Monday 30th November. There will be a charge of ÂŁ10.00 per session.

If you have ever written any poetry or have wanted to, you might enjoy this group. It will work through writing exercises, looking at existing poems, conversation and there will be lots of time to write in the session.

Please come along and try it for yourself!

The tutor Clare Crossman, lives in Meldreth. She has published three collections of poetry with Shoestring Press, Nottingham; the last one being Vanishing Point in December 2013.

She collaborated with Causton and Walker on Fensong: A Ballad of the Fen, which was toured by Creative Arts East and Arts in Cambridge on tour between 2010 and 2012 and performed at the Essex Book Festival and Romsey Festival Cambridge. Clare taught for many years in adult education for Newcastle University and Start Arts Cambridgeshire.

To participate, all you need is a pen and paper, your own imagination, the desire to express yourself and a wish to explore and write poetry.

For more information email claremcphee@netscape.net or visit www. clarecrossman.info.

Fine Lines Poetry Group

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Friends of Holy Trinity www.foht.org.uk Sunday 6th September, 11th Car Show The 11th Car Show was held on a splendid sunny Sunday afternoon, having been organised by The Friends as part of their fundraising activities to preserve the fabric of the oldest building in Meldreth. Just under 50 cars were on display amongst the gravestones in the churchyard, dating from 1924 and covering an eclectic mix.

The extremes of vehicles can be seen from Mr Marsh’s butcher’s van capable of perhaps 40 mph, while the Ferraris and Lotus Formula Ford Hill Climb special are capable of much more, with silver Ultima’s maximum at 205 mph.

The event was not all about speed but was a chance for the public to see cars from over the years and also for the owners to enjoy discussing the finer points of their cars and comparing notes. One rare sight was two MG model WA of which only 369 were made and only 23 are surviving.

To complement the cars there was a selection of older motorbikes and two pedal bikes made by John Brown of Comberton dating from 1925.

A further attraction was a pictorial display of the recently restored most rung church bells in the world with a CCTV camera capturing the movements of the bells when rung.

The ladies supplying teas were kept very busy all afternoon. To round off the event, there was music from the Memphis Jazz Band.

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This Month’s Event Friday 23rd October, 7.30pm: China and World War II A talk by Hans van de Ven based on his passion for Chinese history Tickets cost £7.50 (Friends £7.00) to include wine and nibbles.

Tickets are available from: Robert Long - (01763) 261365 Mary Gregory - (01763) 260120 Steve Marshall - (01763) 261442 Peter Chilvers - (01763) 260472

Forthcoming Events: Friday 13th November: Quiz

by Colin Limming, including a Ploughman’s Supper January 2016: Annual Supper Date to be confirmed Friday 12th February 2016: HM Diplomatic Service A talk by Sir David Wright GCMG LVO former ambassador to Korea 1990-1994 and Japan 1996-1999 John Price

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Church News Church Heating The final work on this project will start shortly.

John Price Meldreth Bells Return The eight bells of Holy Trinity church in Meldreth are now ringing out again, after a major restoration project.

I'm delighted to report that they sound excellent and ring very smoothly.

The old bells and frame were removed in April and the bells taken to Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. There the bells were cleaned, tuned (apart from the tenor) and fully equipped with new fittings. Meanwhile, much work was needed in the tower, putting in a new floor and cutting pockets in the walls for the new beams.

The bells returned to Meldreth at the end of August, along with their new steel frame and were installed within a week. All the bells are now on the same level, although it was a bit of a squeeze to fit them all in.

It's an impressive bit of engineering and now looks very striking, with the bright red sides to the frame and the fresh shiny parts of the bells where they have been tuned.

There will be a service of dedication for the bells at 4.00pm on Saturday 3rd October, led by the Bishop of Ely, to which all are welcome.

Peter Hinton

Joint Parish Prayer Group The Prayer Group will be meeting on Tuesday 20th October at 8.00pm at 85 North End, Meldreth. Please join us if you feel the need for meditation and prayer. Prayer requests are also welcomed and will be treated in strict confidence.

Marion Long, (01763) 261365 11

All Saints Bazaar – Holy Trinity’s Contribution As in previous years, Holy Trinity Church will be making a contribution to the All Saints Bazaar which is to be held on Saturday 14th November. Following the great success of the stall last year, we will once again have a ‘Chocolate Tombola’ table at the event.

Contributions of any ‘chocolate’ items, e.g. biscuits, sweets or drinks, etc. will be gratefully received. Please note that ‘out of date’ items will not be accepted.

There will be covered boxes placed in both churches to receive your contributions. If you would prefer to deliver items personally, then please contact Sally Simmonds on (01763) 222639, Marilyn MacLeod on (01763) 263108 or Marion Long on (01763) 261365. We will need to complete our collection of your ‘goodies’ by Tuesday 10th November in order to arrange our items.

We thank you in advance for your help and please look out for the collection boxes!

Marion Long

Church Services Saturday 3rd October 4.00pm Service of Dedication for the new bells, led by the Bishop of Ely Sunday 4th October 9.45am Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School Sunday 11th October 8.00am Holy Communion 6.30pm Service of Wholeness and Healing Sunday 18th October 9.45am Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School Sunday 25th October 8.00am Holy Communion Marion Long 12

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‘Friends of BIDII’ - a Brief Introduction Our first introduction to BIDII (Benevolent Institute of Development Initiatives) was in 2003 when two ladies, Dorcas and Faith, visited Meldreth as guests of Christian Aid. We were so impressed by Dorcas and Faith that we kept in touch.

In 2004 we were able to make a brief visit to Machakos and witness some of their work with local communities. Over the years we have spent more time with the team at BIDII and have been fortunate enough to visit various projects such as the Lita community, an agricultural project; Mbee, a water project; Muikambe, a large water project partly funded by Christian Aid; Majengo self-help group run by a Muslim community for orphans; Kwa Makaa, a project building weirs to harness water, Wikwatyo, a community with HIV Aids; Milome community, fishpond, mushrooms and livestock.

More recently David visited BIDII and witnessed several projects and was very impressed at the progress with the Kwa Makaa weir project.

He also visited Kavingoni community who are successfully improving their wellbeing by growing the correct crops, building a dispensary and being involved in the Rural Transport Network. You may have seen the last item on Comic Relief - it is a motorbike that is used to deliver medicines and also transport pregnant women to antenatal clinics and hospital for the delivery of their babies. And finally David visited Kamumbu, a self-help group who deal with child protection issues.

One key to the continued success of these projects is that BIDII teach the groups to become entrepreneurs using Savings and Loans Accounts (SLAs), a very transparent process run within the group so that they partly fund the projects themselves and take ownership.

Each project will have a member of BIDII as a coordinator for the duration of the project. BIDII’s main role is to work with the local communities to find ways to improve agricultural methods, improvement to healthcare and education.

Their method of operation is to approach major sponsors such as Christian Aid, Elton John Aids Foundation, Virgin Unite and Comic Relief to secure funding for projects and put together a project plan which includes the training of members of the community; the trained members will then train others in order to bring the project to fruition.

We have witnessed first-hand how lives have been transformed by the dedication and hard work of BIDII. 14

During David’s visit in June of this year he was fortunate enough to spend time with Margaret Kisilu, Chief Executive Officer, and the rest of the BIDII team. On returning home, after much discussion and prayer, we have formed ‘Friends of BIDII’.

‘Friends of BIDII’ will support the team rather than individual projects.

This decision has been made because BIDII ia good at what it does, securing project funding and training. However, they themselves receive very little towards the day to day running costs of the organisation; so much so that the team, who have been together for more than 15 years, are currently receiving only 30% of their wages.

If you wish to learn more about BIDII and their work visit www.bidii/ngo.org or speak to us at our fundraising events.

David & Lesley Hollamby Friends of BIDII

Meldreth Village Christmas Cards Meldreth Local History Group will be selling Christmas cards of the village again this year. We have two brand new designs of snowy, village scenes still priced at just £5 per pack of 10 cards (i.e. five cards of each of the two designs).

Cards will be on sale from the beginning of November but please order early to avoid disappointment as supplies are limited.

Place your order by calling Tim or Joan Gane on (01763) 260129.

Tim Gane

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Meldreth Parish Charities comprising Lettice Martin (1562) Robert Halfhead (1658) 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: provision of books and equipment for students costs involved in hospital visits special payment to relieve sudden financial distress, illness or infirmity costs associated with medical prescriptions Applications are invited and can be made to any of the Trustees or the Clerk. Applications are, of course, treated as strictly confidential.

Trustees Mrs Ann Askham (01763) 262133 Mrs Jane Bates (01763) 261638 Mr Graham Borgonon (01763) 260358 Mrs Joan Fallon (01763) 262822 Theresa O’Malley (01763) 260433 Clerk to the Trustees 17

Melbourn and Meldreth Women’s Group Our August meeting was a meal at The Green Man, where the service and food were excellent. There was lots of lively chatter which came to a grinding halt when we all started eating! It was a night of food and friendship which was enjoyed by all who attended.

Our next meeting will be on 27th October in All Saints Community Hall Melbourn, when we will be preparing our decorations for the Christmas Tree Festival in Holy Trinity Church, Meldreth. Please bring ideas and craft material with you or let any of the committee members know if you would like us to provide any particular items.

We have a change of speaker for our meeting on 24th November: Mark Osborne will be speaking to us about Kairos, which is a charity that goes into prisons. This should be a very interesting evening so feel free to join us in the Meeting Room at Holy Trinity Church at our usual time of 7.45pm.

We will again being having a jewellery stall at All Saints Bazaar in November and would be grateful for any donations of jewellery or broken single gold items such as earrings or cufflinks. The jewellery will be sold at the bazaar and scrap items of gold will be kept and sold when we have sufficient. Ideally if you could give these items to Pat Smith in advance it will enable them to be sorted and priced before the bazaar. We would also be grateful for any volunteers to help man the stall on the day as it can get quite busy.

If you would like to know about Women’s Group please contact Pat Smith on (01763) 262575, Sue Toule on (01763) 260955, Anne Harrison on (01763) 261775 or Angela Leach on (01763) 262793.

Pat Smith

Good Companions Numbers were depleted for our trip in September, when we enjoyed a pleasant ride through the country lanes to Coton Garden Centre where we spent a very pleasant few hours and enjoyed tea and cake. Best wishes to those who were unable to join us; I hope you are all feeling better.

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Our next meeting will be on Thursday 1st October at 2.00pm in Elin Way Community Centre. We will be having a short service led by Mary to celebrate Harvest Festival, followed by tea, a chat and raffle. All are welcome.

L. G. Pocknell, Secretary (01763) 261432

Meldreth WI It was a small but select gathering for our September meeting.

Maureen, our President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests. Among the items discussed were forthcoming visits and day schools. The walking and keep fit groups have now started. There have been some very pretty walks throughout the good weather we have had this summer(!) often ending with a cup of tea somewhere.

Our speaker at the meeting was Steve Price of 'The Bobby Scheme' . I must admit that before the talk, I was not aware of 'The Bobby Scheme' but what a good thing it is. The Bobby Scheme secures the homes of victims of crime aged 60 and over and of non victims aged 65 and over and of disabled residents. The scheme works with a number of agencies including the Police, local authorities and other charities. In July of this year alone they had 102 referrals. Of these, 92 were older residents victims of crime. Also visited were 39 homes belonging to the victims of domestic violence.

How many of us have garden sheds with windows so anyone can see what is stored inside? If possible, keep all expensive garden tools in a locked garage. The Bobbies will fit door and window alarms and other security devices. They will offer advice to anyone who may feel vulnerable in their home. They will also will supply and fit key safes at a cost of £50 or £80.

Steve’s talk opened a lot of eyes to extra measures we can make to keep us and our homes safe. For more information, visit www.thebobbyscheme.org, email sas@cpstrust.org or telephone (01480) 413311.

Next month our speaker will be Carol Pook, who spoke to us last year about Ruth Ellis. I’m sure that her forthcoming talk on 'The First Woman Doctor' will be just as interesting.

Kathleen Thompson 19

Notes From a Small Garden In the plastic glazed greenhouse, the tomatoes and cucumbers are yeilding their final fruits now.

Jim and Jane have taken the strawberries, which were grown from seed, inside. Julie, who sowed her seeds two or three weeks later, is still gathering cucumbers and tomatoes in her poly tunnel. In Jim's main greenhouse the melons are ‘almost’ a failure. On the other side of this greenhouse the perpetual flowering carnations are growing slowly and will make large plants for late spring and summer next year. The white ones Jim gave Julie are just flowering now and have an almost overpowering scent especially in the evening.

Jim's cold frame will be set with over wintering lettuce (Winter Density) and he is clearing a space in which to sow broad bean seeds. Julie is trying some of Sarah Raven's lettuce mixtures for a change, plus American land cress. To her joy, some lambs lettuce self-seedlings have come up already.

Good results from Jim's garden this year include apricots, plums, runner beans, peaches, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Indifferent results have been achieved with the melons, broad beans and mange tout.

Julie has a wonderful crop of both medlars and quinces this year.

Another of Julie's successes has been being able to pick water-cress, instead of buying it, which she sowed in a big tub of compost earlier in the summer and has kept well watered since.

Julie can still see in her mind's eye, her father scything the orchard with a lovely rhythmic swish and asked Jim for the best way to keep a scythe. The old boys’ way was to hang it over a low branch of an apple tree and keep it outside. The damp will keep the wooden part tight and the rust on the blade will make it easier to sharpen.

Things to do Prepare sites for new shrubs and fruit trees. Level the ground and water well before laying turf for new lawns or repairing patches where the grass has died.

Good gardening to everyone.

Jim and Julie juliedraper@dumbflea.co.uk, (01763) 260323 jane_eggleton@yahoo.co.uk, (01763) 261824 20

MELDRETH WEDNESDAY 5.30pm & 7.30pm Meldreth Village Hall Hig h Street, Meldreth Tel: Karen 01763 243604

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21

Ralph Vaughan Williams and Meldreth Ralph Vaughan Williams (18721958) is known to many as a collector of British folk songs. In his early 20s he was particularly keen to add to his collection words and tunes from local people in areas he visited. He would edit the words and tunes he collected, producing the wonderful music and songs we know today. He was friendly with Lucy Broadwood, the Hon Sec of the Folk Song Society in London. Lucy had connections with Cottenham and Ralph went to see her friend Charlotte Dann there and collected songs from her and others whilst staying in Meldreth with his first wife Adeline, in 1906 and 1907.

Ralph’s first connections with Cambridge where when he was an undergraduate at the university between 1892 and 1894 studying for his B Music degree and in 1896, for a History degree. It is said that he was a keen cyclist and knew the area around Cambridge. He would frequent various public houses in Cambridgeshire getting to know the locals.

One such man was called Ginger Clayton or possibly Ginger Selles.

Neither name is known to have existed in Meldreth at that time. Some researchers have been looking for Ginger Clayton.

The original score for the song ‘The Trees They Do Grow High‘ shows a heading of Clayton (Meldreth) (Selles “Ginger”) written under the title. The original score can be seen on the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society website, www.rvwsociety.com.

Vaughan Williams stayed on holiday in Meldreth in 1906 in the house known as The Warren which still stands today near College Farm in North End. The Warren was initially called Belgrave House and was built circa 1896 by John George Mortlock, a London china merchant, who owned many properties in Meldreth.

22

A letter written to his great friend, the composer Gustav Holst has Williams’ address as The Warren, Meldreth, July 1906.

He liked the Meldreth area so he and Adeline rented the house again in the summer of 1907.

Adeline was a cellist and pianist. She was also a Above: The Warren, North End cousin of Virginia Woolf.

She and Ralph had many London friends and it may have been a contact with the Mortlock family that brought them to their house in Meldreth.

His brother in law Hervey Fisher was very ill during their stay in Meldreth in 1907. It is not clear if he was saying with them as Ralph refers in a letter to a friend that his holiday is ‘a funny one’ and ‘he felt the need to take frequent long walks’. He said he could not concentrate on his music at home.

Recently some local musicians, Mary Humphreys and Anahata, have produced an album of the songs Ralph Vaughan Williams collected. It is called ‘Cold Fen’ from WildGoose Records. They sing many of the songs local to this area.

Joan Gane Meldreth Local History Group

Meldreth Local History Group Coffee Morning Meldreth Local History Group will be holding another of its popular coffee mornings on Monday 2nd November. The event will be held from 10.00am to midday in the Sheltered Housing Community Room in Elin Way and the topic this time will be Meldreth’s Orchards.

Please join us for free refreshments.

Kathryn Betts Secretary, MLHG 23

What’s On for Children and Families in October Monday 19th October to Sunday 1st November Cambridge Festival of Ideas The Festival includes many events for children, some highlighted here.

Other themes are Superheroes, Explorers and Collectors, Exploring Abstract Art. See the full programme at festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk Wednesday 21st October, 10.00-11.00am or 1.30-2.30pm The Grand Total, Fitzwilliam Museum A museum session for grandparents and pre-schoolers, introducing them to museum objects through stories, rhymes and activities. Book online. Free.

Saturday 24th October, 10.30am to 4.00pm Prehistory Day, Archaeological Unit Try your hand at ‘hunting’ with a spear thrower or bow and arrow, make your own rock art and pottery. Drop in. Free. Cambridge Archaeological Unit, 34A and B Storey’s Way, Cambridge CB3 0DT Monday 26th October, 11.00am to 3.00pm Petal Power, Botanic Garden Find out about the science of flowers with artist Alex Hirtzel. Create a petal with willow withies, tissue paper and lots of glue. Drop in.

Normal garden entry charge for adults.

Tuesday 27th to Saturday 31st October (times vary) Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks, Arts Theatre A light hearted look at history at the Arts Theatre, 6 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ £15 for children, £20 for adults. Box office (01223) 503333. Book online: www.cambridgeartstheatre.com Wednesday 28th October, 10.00am to 12.00 noon Spiders! Wandlebury Country Park Hunt for spiders then get creative. Bring a drink and snack. For children 5+ (must be accompanied by an adult) £6.50 per child.

Book online: www.cambridgeppf.org Friday 30th October, 10.00am to 2.00pm Who can resist the power of play? Playful Learning Zone

Small group activities. Try some experiments and have a go at Lego puzzles for all ages. Drop in. Free. Faculty of Education, Hills Road.

Compiled by Hilary Crawforth 24

Meldreth Pre-School www.meldrethpreschool.com Autumn is already upon us, with plans being laid for half term and Halloween.

The children have settled in really well, Victoria is proving to be an excellent leader and our staff are fabulous.

This term the children are looking at autumn and winter, the natural world and “all about me”; to help the new children to settle in. These are exciting topics that involve lots of walks around the village and using natural resources.

Our Pre-School is currently struggling financially due to government cuts in our funding. We are doing all we can to ensure we can stay open by applying for grants and planning lots of fundraising. Look out for future fundraising events coming up.

We are still looking for a new treasurer as well as general committee members. If you are interested please contact us for more details. You don’t have to be a parent, anyone from the village would be welcomed.

Please email preschool@meldrethpreschool.com for more details or pop into the setting and speak to the staff.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We are a friendly Pre-School offering a quality term time service at competitive rates in line with NEF funding. We take children from the age of two and are happy to welcome children in nappies. You can find out about our Pre-School by visiting our website www.meldrethpreschool.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Staff Vacancies We are looking for friendly, enthusiastic workers with a CACHE Level 2/3 in Childcare to join our team as qualified bank/staff.

For more information about this opportunity please contact Sarah Isle preschool@meldrethpreschool.com.

Meldreth Pre-School 25

Meldreth Primary School www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk It can take a little while for the children to come into land and fully focus back in the land of learning! Small wonder when you think of all the things they were getting up to in the summer holidays.

Andrew Jones Deputy Headteacher Lottie, age 5: My favourite thing was body boarding on the beach.

Jude, age 5: My favourite thing was Legoland and Dinosaur Land. I had lots of fun. I saw lots of Lego and lots of dinosaurs.

Lucia, age 5: I went to Disneyland, Florida and I saw the castle. It was great.

Finley, age 6: I went on a bike ride with my dad!

Cora, age 6: I went to the seaside and my brother sneakily put seaweed in my shoe!

Tom W, age 6: On my birthday, we went on a boat ride in Wales and a seal came and knocked on the side of the boat.

Eva, age 6: I walked up a mountain in the dark in Turkey!

Alfie, age 7: My best thing I did this summer was going to the arcade and playing pac-man. Also I got over 1000 tickets and got four pacman ghosts and a pac-man.

Alexander, age 7: My favourite thing in the holiday was when I went to Ireland and met my French friend.

Emma, age 8: The best thing I did this summer was going to the animal park in France, because we got to see my favourite animal – a deer and get ice cream, but we had to walk all the way down the hill to get it.

George Munday, age 8: We went to a restaurant and my dad said ‘We have a booking for Munday’, but the man said, ‘Yes. But it’s only Sunday, come back tomorrow,’ so my dad said, ‘No – Munday! That’s our name!’

Gracie, age 8: we were walking in the woods when our husky dog ran off and we were looking for it everywhere and calling its name, but 26

without us realising, it had run all the way round and come up behind us and it made us all jump when we saw it again!

Lola, age 9: I was in Brighton with my grandma and grandpa and I put my hands on this machine thing and it made my hair all go up with electricity! It looked really funny.

Henry, age 9: I drove a tractor in Cornwall!

Megan, age 9: In the holidays, I went to Thorpe Park for my brother’s birthday. We stayed the night in the Shark Hotel.

My favourite ride was Swarm. I think I won the screaming prize on all the rides!

Liam, age 11: Going to Wells by the Sea. Basically we didn’t get out of the caravan because it was hammering down so much!

Kurt, age 10: - I went camping and it was raining EVERY DAY. Our tent was quite old so it flooded and we decided to go home early. We threw the tent in the bin. My brother was dreading the camping trip so, when we went home, he was SO happy!

27

Introduction to the U3A So – you’re newly retired. Congratulations. No more crowded trains or gridlocked traffic. No more drawn-out management meetings or working late. Your time is your own and you can make new friends and start new hobbies and sports.

Of course, first there’s the decorating and the jobs around the house – carpet shampooing, cleaning out the conservatory, giving the cooker a really good clean. The garden probably needs a makeover and the garage will have to be sorted out. And then there are the grandchildren – time now for regular child-minding. Plus the savings and investments; it’s definitely time to get them sorted out.

But, wait a minute – what about hobbies and new friends? For most of our lives our days were filled with tasks, routines, responsibilities – hours and hours doing what someone else told us to do, or what we felt we should be doing. Why continue in that vein?

So stop, sit down and relax for a minute. Have you ever heard of the U3A? No? Then I have a nice surprise for you. The U3A, the University of the Third Age, is a membership organisation for people like you – people who are glad to be retired and who want to make new friends while getting stuck into some interesting new activities. It’s a national network of independent learning-for-pleasure cooperatives.

U3As use the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to run interest groups and activities.

Our nearest U3A, based in Melbourn and with over 500 members living locally, was formed 25 years ago. We run over 30 groups in topics as varied as family history, Scrabble, French conversation, art, poetry, bridge and hand-bell ringing. Sports include table tennis, yoga, short tennis and croquet. These are all great opportunities for meeting new people and having a good laugh together. We have quizzes and excursions and our monthly speaker meetings have covered numerous topics including gardening, spying, Dickens’ London, steam engines and Churchill. There are national opportunities too – summer schools in subjects like digital photography, archaeology, current affairs and creative writing. There are also science lectures, concerts and museumbased shared learning projects.

So, if this has whetted your appetite, forget the carpet shampooing and the cooker. Give yourself some me-time: come to a U3A meeting and 28

meet some like-minded people. We meet on the third Thursday of the month at 2.45pm at Melbourn Village College. You’ll get a warm welcome and I promise you won’t look back!

Maureen Moody

From the Archives This month’s dip into the archives has produced this advertisement which appeared in the Cambridge Daily News on 4th August 1920.

For sale was the former Meldreth Brewery and Mantling (now called Manting) house, pictured below.

More information on the brewery is available at www.meldrethhistory.org.uk.

29

A10 Foxton–Harston Cycle Path Work will start in early October to upgrade the off-road A10 path linking Foxton up to the Sagentia turn-off at Harston Mill.

This is the first phase of the overall Foxton-Harston cycle/pedestrian A10 project; the next will be work on the route through Harston itself from Sagentia northward, though this is still being conceptualised.

Phase 1 will take about 20 weeks and no doubt will create traffic holdups and high frustration at times. Hopefully, this key step toward a continuous off-road link to Cambridge will be felt to be a helpful thing in years to come.

Today, the time needed for a peak-time trip to Cambridge by bicycle compared to a trip by car is not very different. Figures taken in 2013 indicated 190,000 cars going in and out of Cambridge every day.

Funding for the A10 project comes directly from the Department for Transport, which is investing in cycle links in and around Cambridge as an anti-congestion measure; it is also providing funds to strengthen public transport options.

There is an equally compelling case to be made for alternatives to driving short trips close to home. As a Councillor, I get many complaints about traffic, including very local issues that are difficult or impossible to solve: insufficient parking and traffic hold-ups around local schools and shops, car parking on pavements, the need for more yellow lines and more signage to tell cars where not to stop, etc.

At the same time, our health system is creaking - partly under the strain of illness related to physical inactivity. A local GP wrote to me with regard to supporting cycling and walking: there is a real need to facilitate safe ways of walking or cycling in rural areas. The obesity time-bomb should be enough to frighten local authorities into action.

You may be interested in this outstanding Cambridgeshire Public Health report on the physical and mental health benefits of walking, cycling and even the limited physical activity associated with using public transport (the jargon being ‘Active Transport’) – the benefits are enormous: www.cambridgeshireinsight.org.uk/JSNA/Transport-andHealth-2014/15.

And then there’s the fun factor: with or without lycra and whatever kind of bicycle it may be – ex-Thriplow dump or high end - cycling is a cheap and fun way of getting around. Cycling home in the dark under 30

the stars after an evening meeting is glorious. You can sing between the villages and no one will ever know!! Endorphins always unlock a conundrum or two. The Men’s Breakfast Club has kindly offered me the opportunity to indulge in this topic on 17th October [see page 55] so I will come prepared with a concise confessional!

If you’d like to learn more, help out, complain or enquire, the next meeting of the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign will take place on 15th October, 7.00 for 7.30pm, at TAP Biosystems, Grantham Close, SG8 5WY, on the Industrial Estate in Royston behind Tesco. Please email contacta10cycle@gmail.com if you would like to come along.

Susan van de Ven County Councillor (01763) 261833 susanvandeven5@gmail.com

Tackling Cycle Theft Cycle theft remains a concern across Cambridgeshire and is an issue frequently raised during police meetings. In Cambridge City, a cycle theft task group has been launched to coordinate efforts to reduce the number of cycles stolen and identify prolific offenders.

A host of organisations are working together to address the issue including Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cambridge Cycling Campaign, Station Cycles, Cambridge City Council Cycling/Walking Officer, Cambridge University, British Transport Police (BTP) and Neighbourhood Watch.

The task force will conduct visits to known hotspots to assess whether cycles are being locked securely, that locks are up to the recommended gold standard and whether security measures are being used to make it harder for thieves. The team also aims to encourage more cycle owners to provide their frame number when reporting theft which helps the police reunite owners with their stolen property more quickly.

As many as seven cycles are stolen every day in Cambridge City. Cycle theft is not a victimless crime and can cause great inconvenience and financial hardship to its victims.

Register your bike at www.immobilise.com—need bicycle model, make and frame number. Register at bikeregister.com Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner 31

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32

Volunteering Opportunities Please email meldrethmatters@hotmail.com if you need volunteers for your group or organisation.

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Panel Volunteers are wanted for this research panel. Research is not all about taking part in clinical trials and drug treatments; there are other ways you can be involved to make a difference to the medical research of the future.

If you have ever wanted to be involved in research but didn’t know how, here is one thing you can do‌ The National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre has a Patient and Public Involvement panel of volunteers who contribute to research.

They talk about their experiences, review documents, join focus groups or comment on research proposals.

We are now looking to expand our panel, which is currently made up of 35 volunteers. No prior experience or specialist knowledge is required and you can be of any age and from any background. All you need is a desire to get involved and contribute to make the research we do as relevant and accessible as possible. There is never any obligation to take part in reviewing a particular study and most of the work is conducted via email or post so travel is not necessarily required.

For more information or to become a member of the panel, please contact ppi@addenbrookes.nhs.uk Charles Smith, Patient & Public Involvement Officer, NIHR Rare Diseases Translational Research Collaboration, Barton House, Level 5, Box 406, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ.

33

Meldreth Village Di Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

2.00pm Good

DID YOU KNOW? Meldreth Matters is available online at free.yudu.com 7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

Thur

The copy deadline for the November issue of Meldreth Matters is Monday 12th October

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates

7.00 - 9.00 pm Tennis 7.30pm Paris

10.00am-12.00pm Handbell Ringing 4.00 - 6.00pm Martial Arts Classes for Children 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics

9.30-11.30am Baby & Toddler Group 5.30pm Slimming World

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.30 pm WI

6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.30pm Slimming World 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing 9.30-11.30am Baby & Toddler Group

9.30-11.30am Meldreth Local History Group

10.00am-12.00pm Handbell Ringing

7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

4.00 - 6.00pm Martial Arts 5.30pm Slimming World Classes for Children 6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.30pm Slimming World

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00 p Tennis

7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing 9.30-11.30am Meldreth Local History Group 7.30-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

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

10.00am-12.00 Handbells 4.00 - 6.00pm Martial Arts Classes for Children 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.45pm Women’s Group 8.00pm Prayer Group

9.30-11.30am Baby & Toddler Group

10.00am-12.00 Handbells

5.30pm Slimming World

10.45-11.30am Mobile Library 4.00 - 6.00pm Martial Arts Classes for Children

7.30pm Slimming World

5.30pm Slimming World 6.00-7.00pm Brownies

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00 p Tennis

7.30pm Slimming World 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00 p Tennis

7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics

Church Services and Bell Ringing are held at Holy Trinity Church. The Prayer Group meets at 85 N Councillors’ Surgeries, Meldreth Local History Group and the ‘Coffee Break’ mornings are held in Women’s Group meet in the Holy Trinity meeting room. The Mobile Library Service visits Bell Clo 34

ary - October 2015

rsday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

d Companions 10.30am-4.00pm Mouse Show m Fitness 7.30 pm Melbourn and Meldreth Parish Churches m Table Harvest Supper (see page 2) h Council

10.30am - 12 noon Coffee 9.45am Family Communion and New Break Seekers Sunday School 4.00pm Service of

m Fitness

7.00 for 7.30pm HomeStart Royston Quiz Night (see back page)

Dedication for the restored bells, Holy Trinity Church

m Table

pm Table

6.30pm Service of Wholeness and Healing

9.45am Family Communion and New Seekers Sunday School

m Fitness

m Fitness

8.00am Holy Communion

8.00am Holy Communion

7.30pm Friends of Holy Trinity Talk, Church (see page 9)

m Fitness

Half term is the week beginning 26th October

m Table

North End. Good Companions, A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign Meetings, District & County the Sheltered Housing Community Centre, Elin Way. Brownies & Melbourn and Meldreth ose. All other events are held in the Village Hall unless otherwise indicated.

35

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Meldreth Parish Council www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Extracts from the unapproved minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 3rd September 2015 at 7.30pm in the Green Room of Meldreth Village Hall.

Present: Mr C A Land - Chairman, Mr R A Searles - Vice Chairman, Mrs C J Fallon, Mr S Hawkins, Mr D Lee, Mr N Pellatt and Mr D Stewart In attendance: Mrs J Damant (Clerk) and Councillor S van de Ven (CCC) Apologies: Mr A Keena and Councillor P Hart Public Participation There were three members of the public in attendance. Residents from Sudely Grove, Station Road are concerned about HCV parking overnight in the nearby lay-by. Would it be possible to have a sign erected stating that there is 'No overnight parking'? Councillor van de Ven reported that she had also been in contact with Gavin Wiseman (CCC).

Report from County Councillor The full report is published on pages 46-47.

Solar Farms SunEdison (Bury Lane) on the one-off Community Benefit payment of ÂŁ50,000. The Parish Council has received the agreement. However, the agreement asks for projects to be listed and this still has not been agreed. So before this can be officially signed the question of which projects are to be funded still needs clarification.

Working Group – there are now five volunteers. David Lee and Alan Land will be the Parish Council representatives and the former will draw up the Terms of Reference.

Overnight Parking along Station Road: Cllr van de Ven reported that Mr Wiseman informed her that a sign could be erected as HCVs should not be parking in the lay-by. Mr Searles reported that there is also a freight advisory map which shows where HCVs are allowed to park overnight. Councillor van de Ven will get some costings for a sign and report back to the Parish Council. The 37

Parish Council has no objection to erecting a sign but needs costings before a decision can be made.

Eternit Proposed Planning: representative James Munnery contacted the Parish Council regarding Marley Eternit and asked to meet with the Parish Council.

New signage: the old Eternit sign is to be replaced by a sign for the Sports and Social Club. The Parish Council agreed to a temporary sign for one week; it would need planning permission for a permanent sign.

Registering Eternit Sports and Social Club as a 'Community Asset': the Clerk has received a response from Clare Gibbons (SCDC) stating that the facility has to benefit the whole community. Eternit need to officially notify the Parish Council.

Minor Local Improvements Grants (LSTF) CCC is inviting Parish Councils situated along the A428 corridor and the A10 south corridor to bid for funding to improve facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users.

Village Maintenance Hedge and trees along Whitecroft Road/Fenny Lane have now been cut back.

The possibility of having a pedestrian crossing sign near Fieldgate Nurseries was discussed. Highways Department recommend two signs at a cost of ÂŁ550 per sign including installation. The Parish Council discussed this but they also discussed the option of extending the footway from the station bridge towards Fieldgate.

Playground Monthly Report Play equipment has been checked and appears to be in good working order. Repairs to the rocking horse have been completed.

The trees in the play area appear to have a yellow mould. Mr Searles will inspect. There is a tree branch covering the light in the alley by the ditch. The ditch is overgrown and vegetation needs cutting back.

Some hedging along Bell Close leading to the Recreation ground needs cutting back; this could be an SCDC responsibility.

The zip wire will be turned around. This would leave room for the play area fencing to be extended, therefore allowing further play equipment to be incorporated.

38

The installation of new play equipment will commence on Monday 5th October and will continue for five working days. This will be followed by the installation of the wetpour surfacing, which has been scheduled to start on Monday 12th October, weather permitting Pavilion Mr Stewart said that the whole project will have to start again as the previous planning permission had lapsed. The suggestion of using the lapsed building 'footprint' and demolition of the existing building was seconded by Mr Hawkins. Mr Pellatt mentioned running any future plans by the Football Association if grants were going to be sought.

Meldreth Manor School A meeting took place with Mr Fenner and Mr Pellatt in attendance. Mr Pellatt reported that there are only nine children at Meldreth Manor and a similar number at Orchard Manor. This is felt by Scope to be non-viable. The consultation has been extended to 2nd October 2015.

[See page 42 for more information.]

Mettle Hill Questionnaires have been delivered to all households and are presently being returned.

Following a recent letter received by the Parish Council from the Showman's Guild, who have also contacted Councillor van de Ven, the Clerk has unfortunately been unable to make contact. It was noted that the sale of the Mettle Hill site to the showmen was an option on the questionnaire and response from the village was awaited.

Highway Items Shepreth Parish Council is in support of Meldreth trying to get the speed limit along North End/Meldreth Road reduced to 40mph. Mr Searles reported on progress with CCC. Mr Searles has completed the paperwork and circulated it to the Parish Council for comment. The Clerk will now send it to Shepreth Parish Council for its approval and/ or comments.

Flooding The landowners have completed work on the ditch at College Bend Farm and CCC have installed a new gulley, which appears to have reduced flooding in this area. The Parish Council agreed to write to the landowners thanking them for the work done. The Parish Council would also like to thank Mr Mike Cooper (CCC) for all his help with this issue.

39

Boundaries Commission: CCC and SCDC The Clerk attended the Boundaries Commission Workshop for SCDC. It is proposed to reduce the number of District Councillors and redistribute wards so that they are more evenly sized. Some wards have over 3,000 electors.

It was proposed by Mr Searles that the Clerk write to Patrick Adams (SCDC) stating that Meldreth should be joined with Shepreth and Melbourn and that it would not be advantageous to anyone to be put with parishes that do not border us and are on higher ground over the A10.

Footway at The Boulevard The Clerk has contacted Jon Finney (SCDC) about this but has not received a reply. The Parish Council is confused at CCC’s suggestion that they put this footway on the Minor Highway Improvement Scheme when they were told that the costs would be met by the developer.

Mobile Warden Scheme There is one resident on the scheme which the Parish Council will contribute towards, as agreed in 2014.

Co-option of New Councillor The Clerk will notify SCDC. A notice will be put on the notice board and in Meldreth Matters.

Street Lighting Street lights along Station Road will be either dimmed or turned off for part of the night (8.00pm or 10.00pm until 6.00am). If communities wish to keep their lights on there is an extra cost of £12.00 per light per year starting in 2016/17, increasing by inflation in future years, plus a small contribution of £65 per year to cover the administration of this proposal.

Financial Assistance The Village Hall Trust has requested £3,150 for installing solar panels on the Hall roof. It was proposed by Mr Searles that money from the solar funds can be used for this and as it a cause that would benefit the whole village, the total cost of £6,300 should be supported.

The Clerk will enquire if the reported date of 1st October for a big reduction in the feed in tariff is going to have an effect on this project.

If so, the project needs to be agreed as soon as possible. Due to Government changes in solar power tariffs it was felt that a decision 40

had to be made as soon as possible and as the project meets all the requirements set out by both SunEdison and LightSource it was unanimously agreed to fund the whole cost of the Village Hall request from the LightSource Community benefit fund. The Clerk will contact the Village Hall Trustees.

Old Orchard near Melrose Being put Forward as a Community Asset The following response was received from Rob Mungovan of SCDC: “As the orchard does not have any public access at present it cannot currently be considered as an 'asset of community value'.�

Local Highway Improvement Initiative 2013/17: Deadline 2nd November It was agreed to install chicanes along Kneesworth Road and Whaddon Road. Mr Hawkins will attend the workshop being run at Whittlesford by the Highways Department and will complete the Minor Highways Improvement documents.

The next meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 1st October in the Green Room of the Village Hall.

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 board opposite the One Stop shop.

Meldreth Parish Council contact details: Web: www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Email: parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk Telephone: (01763) 269928 For contact details of Parish Councillors, see page 68.

Parish Office, Meldreth Sheltered Scheme, Elin Way, Meldreth SG8 6LT Office hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10.00 am to 12 noon.

By appointment at other times.

41

District Councillor’s Report Mettle Hill Consultation The whole village has been consulted via a document, one per household, asking residents to give their views on the future use of the Mettle Hill former travellers' site. The deadline for submitting your views is 4th October. Please do play your part in deciding the future of this village-owned land; we are not intending to extend the deadline, but would like to receive sufficient responses from all quarters of the village to achieve a good consensus.

Fillcup Field I attended the Planning Committee on 5th August when this application was passed by a 10:2 vote. This was reported and commented upon in last month’s Meldreth Matters and I have corresponded privately with the resident who wrote to the editor of both the Meldreth and the Shepreth magazines in order to address factual inaccuracies contained in the said letter.

Shared Services and SCDC news SCDC has entered into and is negotiating further shared services agreements with neighbouring councils in various departments which should bring economies of scale and costs savings. The Council is doing its best to minimise job losses. The Planning Department at SCDC is woefully understaffed and is seven planning officers short at both junior and senior levels. Competition from the private sector is strong. The Council has conducted an advertising campaign and has received some applications, both externally and internally so it is hoped that this will lead to recruitment and the Department regaining full capacity.

Meldreth and Orchard Manor Schools Many of you will already know that both these schools in Meldreth are facing closure in the spring. A consultation is in process: should you wish to take part, please do so by 2nd October by emailing consultation.meldreth@scope.org.uk for Meldreth Manor or consultation.orchard@scope.org.uk for Orchard Manor. Comments relating to both locations may be sent to either address.

Impact of Budget The Government requires local authorities to cut social rents by 1% across the board. At district level this will take ÂŁ134 million out of the 42

Housing Revenue Account and have a considerable impact on the Council's plans to invest in building further social housing. This is a serious blow to the forward thinking plans of SCDC and surely is counter to improving opportunities for those on low (and indeed in this area, middle) income to find additional housing in the protected rental sector.

SCDC Call Centre Sorry! More on SCDC. The number of calls not abandoned, owing to excessive wait times, has steadily reduced since members asked for these figures to be provided and in June the call centre hit its target of meeting 85% of calls not abandoned. I should be happy to hear from residents about their experiences when ringing the Council.

Local Plan The Local Plan is still suspended pending further work to be undertaken by SCDC. We are looking well into next year before any resolution is expected and the planning field is wide open. A judicial review has successfully overturned the ten houses or more threshold underneath which developers of small developments could have evaded community contributions.

Boundary Changes and All-out Elections SCDC has been consulting its Councillors and Parish Councils on proposed boundary changes and a move to all-out elections of District Councillors. I am the elected member for the ward of Meldreth and Shepreth, but it is possible that changes in boundaries and a reduction in the overall number of elected Councillors will lead to a geographical realignment of this ward. District Councillors are currently elected on a three-year rolling basis, but it looks likely that the District will be moving to all-out elections which will first take place in 2018. I will report further on both these possible developments when more is known.

Removal of Parish Councils' Automatic Right to Refer a Planning Application to SCDC Planning Committee SCDC Planning Committee is considering a proposal to remove a Parish Council's automatic right to request that the committee considers a planning application via a refusal at parish level. It would then require the local member, i.e. the District Councillor within a certain period to request the consideration of the application by the Planning Committee.

The reason for the withdrawal of this service is the failure, very often, when a PC has refused an application, to then send a Parish Councillor 43

to represent and support the PC's position by attending the committee.

It is also because a refusal by a PC involves the planning department in preparing a lengthy report for the PC in question, which renders the absence of a PC representative even more wasteful. It is hard to disagree with this position. It should, however, be borne in mind that if this were to go through, that although in many cases the views of the District Councillor will be synonymous with those of the PC, it may not necessarily be the case. This proposal would therefore have the effect both of removing the parish level of scrutiny and of compromising the integrity of a District Councillor if a PC seeks their councillor to request the application be considered in conflict with the position taken on an application by the Councillor.

Philippa Hart District Councillor, Meldreth and Shepreth Ward philippajhart@btinternet.com 07811 323571 or (01763) 261255

Protect Yourself Online There are many types of internet scams in operation but people can safeguard themselves against fraudulent emails by asking themselves these simple questions: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Do I know the sender?

Does the email contain misspellings designed to trick spam filters?

Does a virus warning appear?

Does the subject match the contents?

If the answer is no, don’t trust it – delete it.

Other top tips include: • your bank will never ask you to click on a link to confirm your

bank details.

• if you didn’t enter the competition why have you been sent a link showing you what you’ve won?

• make sure you have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed and keep it up to date!

Anyone who thinks they’ve been the victim of cyber-crime should report it to Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 1232040.

44

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

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45

County Councillor’s Report The following report was presented at the Meldreth Parish Council meeting on 3rd September 2015.

Cuts (or in Council speak, ‘Savings’): A very difficult year is coming up in terms of unavoidable, very harsh cuts, the effects of which will be felt in 2016/17. The Council has consistently raised council tax to the maximum threshold permitted by central government, but costs arising from factors such as significantly declining government revenue support grant, which makes up a very large proportion of the Council’s expenditure, and an aging local population, which by definition demands an ever growing need for specialist services, means that it is impossible to make ends meet.

Growth and economic prosperity in the greater Cambridge area, where unemployment is very low, triggers certain central government support, but this is limited and one-off capital funding cannot run public services.

Some services cannot be touched and that heaps the pressure on nonstatutory services. For example, many forms of education transport are statutory, but some are not. Among the many areas of concern is the future of subsidised transport and in particular, support for community transport services. Decisions have not been made yet but Councillors are trying to get to grips with the very difficult task ahead.

Meldreth Manor and Orchard Transition Service I’ve been in contact with families, who are understandably very concerned about future quality care for their children, and also staff, who share the same concerns. The trend over the past ten years is for increased placements at County Special Schools and I’ve arranged to visit the Granta School in Linton to understand the comparative quality of care. As mentioned above the Council, like other local authorities, is being forced to take decisions that go against the grain. Scope cited several key factors in the unsustainability of Meldreth Manor: one is the pattern of local authorities placing children in mainstream schools.

Another is the difficulty of staff retention and recruitment, due to competition with Cambridge area health providers.

Overnight parking Station Road I have had more reports of overnight HCV parking in Station Road, with associated environmental health issues.

The Highways Department has advised that HCVs over a certain weight should be 46

garaged, i.e. not on the public highway. If the Parish Council would support advisory signage, the Local Highways Initiative could be used.

Residents have already gone to the trouble of noting vehicle registration numbers but contacting the relevant operators, with the desired outcome, is not so simple.

Mobile wardens I’ve asked Melbourn Mobile Wardens for an update on the service in relation to provision for Meldreth residents. They are happy to expand the service and are always looking to recruit new wardens to make this possible. It’s good to hear that one Meldreth resident is being supported by the Parish Council and two are self-funding.

Room Hire: Rail User Group and Cycling Campaign These two groups will be meeting in the Elin Way premises over the next couple of months, one meeting each, continuing the practice of rotating round the villages with a stop in each once per year. Room hire cover by the Parish Council has been much appreciated and I hope it will be OK to continue this arrangement.

Mental Health Support The next date of Mind in Cambridgeshire’s public mental health service will be on 30th October, between 9.30am and 4.00pm at the Melbourn Hub. One-on-one sessions last one hour and are intended to provide practical advice and signposting to more specialist support if necessary.

All sessions are free of charge and appointments can be booked via the self-referral form at www.mindincambs.org.uk or by telephoning (01223) 311320.

One item to add: Station Gardening If you’d like to come along for a sociable morning of gardening at Meldreth Station, please join us on Wednesday 7th October at 10.00am, when we’ll be turning tubs around for the winter.

Susan van de Ven County Councillor susanvandeven5@gmail.com (01763) 261833

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News from Cambridgeshire County Council The Home Front: Cambridgeshire Commemorates Cambridgeshire has been commemorating the 70th anniversary of end of World War II. There will be an exhibition touring the county, displaying memories and images collected through projects run by us, the Museum of Cambridge and Age UK Cambridgeshire.

The exhibition will be displayed in museums and libraries across Cambridgeshire until February 2016.

Cambridgeshire Energy Switch Save money this Autumn with the Cambridgeshire energy switch which uses the collective bargaining power of residents to bid for better gas and electricity prices. For more details see page 56.

Free eNewspapers, eAudio books and eMagazines from Cambridgeshire Libraries Did you know you can read thousands of free eNewspapers without leaving your home? Our eNewspaper collection brings many national daily (Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Independent etc) international and local newspapers right to your doorstep. All are available to read using your PC, phone or tablet. Our free eAudio book collection has grown too with two brand new services available from BorrowBox and Ulverscroft. That means that, along with our OneClick Digital catalogue, there are over 2500 free eAudio books to download and enjoy! If that’s not enough, you can also download and read free eMagazines. There are over 40 to choose from including BBC Good Food, BBC Gardeners’ World, Cycling Weekly, Good Housekeeping, What Car? and many more.

All you need to access these fantastic services is a free library card. To get yours or to start reading, visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/library.

New Covenant Fund Local organisations can do their bit to help the armed forces community with the launch of this new fund worth £10 million by the Ministry of Defence. As part of the national Covenant Fund, small grants worth £20,000 and larger ones up to £500,000 will be available for projects to help service personnel, veterans and anyone with a connection to the armed forces living around Cambridgeshire.

For more details and to apply see www.gov.uk/government/ publications/covenant-fundguidance-on-how-to-apply 48

Scams The recent national Scam Awareness Month aimed to raise awareness of scams and prevent residents from becoming victims. You can read more about scams on our website at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ info/20113/scams or for further advice contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506.

Gas Safety Week - 14th-20th October The aim of this is to raise awareness of gas safety in the home. It’s important that you have your gas appliances safety checked every year and serviced regularly. Unsafe gas appliances put you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions. Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer - ask for their ID card and check it. You can check that they are registered at www.gassaferegister.co.uk.

Cambridgeshire Timebanking - Exchanging Time, Connecting Lives Timebanking involves people exchange time and skills (not money) within their community and is part of the increasingly popular 'sharing economy'. There are currently five Timebanks in Cambridgeshire, with over 12,000 hours exchanged and almost 500 individual members.

To enable you to find out more, the Cambridgeshire Timebanking Partnership is holding a free event, sponsored by Mills and Reeve LLP, on Tuesday 27th October from 7.00 to 9.00pm at Newnham College as part of Cambridge University’s Festival of Ideas programme. Book a place by visiting www.eventbrite.co.uk and search ‘Cambridgeshire Timebanking’ or email zoe.davidson@cambridgeshire.gov.uk, telephone (01223) 699672 or follow us on Twitter @TimebankCambs.

Natural Cambridgeshire Natural Cambridgeshire, the Local Nature Partnership, for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is developing a pilot project that aims to demonstrate the benefits of being physically active in the natural environment. As part of this we are carrying out a ‘mapping’ exercise to see if there are already any naturally active projects happening in the county. This could include health walks, gardening or allotment activities, practical conservation activities, cycling schemes or other activities based on a nature reserve, park or green space.

We would be very interested in what’s happening in your Parish.

For more information or to send in details contact phil.clark@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or send an email to nutan.patel@Cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Cambridgeshire County Council 49

News from Heidi Allen MP The second week of September signalled the return to Westminster’s ways for Heidi Allen as Parliament returned from its summer recess. In the weeks leading up to the return, Heidi found herself walking the wards at Addenbrooke’s, on the beat with Cambridgeshire’s finest, out with paramedics as an Ambulance observer and settling down for a cup of tea with a truly amazing constituent.

Keen to experience the daily work of the staff at Addenbrooke’s hospital Heidi visited on a number of occasions. She spent an afternoon with nurses on wards caring for the elderly and at the other end of the spectrum, joined consultants on a Friday evening in A&E and intensive care. A shift with paramedics helped Heidi to understand how the services interact and the conflicting pressures they face.

Friday 21st August was a night to remember for Heidi as she made the move from the wards to the cells, out and about with Cambridgeshire constabulary.

Experiencing the custody suite at Parkside station towards the end of the shift, Heidi had a window into the world that many of us fortunately never have to look at. Speaking afterwards, Heidi said, “I was truly humbled by the work that our emergency services do. I saw things I never thought I would and frankly I take my hat off to our police, paramedics, doctors and nurses. I couldn’t do what they do and they deserve our utmost respect.

To these real life heroes, all I can say is ‘thank you’.”

On Friday 4th September a very special constituent of Heidi’s celebrated his 97th Birthday. Heidi had the pleasure of being invited to tea with the birthday boy himself, the remarkable Frank Burton. One of only a handful of survivors from the first naval battle of WW2, Battle of the River Plate, Frank and Heidi enjoyed a cup of tea and a biscuit while Frank reminisced about his days in the Navy and more importantly, his prize winning vegetables. Describing her meeting with 50

Frank as one of the best parts of her job and an honour, it was the least Heidi could do to say thank you for Frank’s kind messages before and after the election.

The first week back was also the chance for a first visit to Parliament for some of Heidi’s younger constituents.

Pupils from Newton Community Primary School had the chance to go on a tour of the Houses of Parliament and meet Heidi.

Who knows, some might return as MPs one day!

Above: Heidi with Frank Burton

If you would like to contact Heidi about an issue, book a surgery appointment or find out what else she has been up to, visit her website www.heidisouthcambs.co.uk, email heidi.allen.mp@parliament.uk or telephone (01954) 212707.

Heidi’s next surgery date is Friday 9th October at 3.00pm in Longstanton.

Alex Lyons-Negus Administrative Officer

Reporting Faults and Problems Please report faulty streetlights by using freephone number 0800 7838 247, giving the SC or CCC identification number, street name, village and fault description.

Problems on the roads, including potholes and poor pavement surfaces should be reported on the Cambridgeshire County Council website: http://www2.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/HighwaysReports/Highways/ ReportProblem1.aspx.

Meldreth Parish Council 51

WE LISTEN SUPPORT ADVISE EMPOWER. YOU ASPIRE. There are many demands on a business owner’s time, and despite what most accountants think, the accounts are not usually at the top of the list! Having the support of a Business Advisor who not only takes care of the financial essentials but who listens and empowers you to focus on those areas that only you can deal with is essential in helping your business thrive.

If that’s the kind of relationship you want with your accountant, give us a call.

Bracey’s Accountants (Cambs) Limited HFL House 1 Saxon Way Melbourn Cambs SG8 6DN Tel: (01223) 929150 Email: tracey@braceys-accountants.co.uk

For your choice of Excellence .....

Granta Montessori School Shepreth Village Hall, Station Road, Shepreth, Royston, Herts.

Your local lawncare company, offering:

At Granta Montessori School, we are proud to offer a child-centered, Montessori environment where learning is joyful and caring, and where courtesy, acceptance and compassion prevail.

The foundations of “Learning for life” are acquired through a varied curriculum, which closely follows the Montessori Method of Education in conjunction with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

With a memorable and highly successful 26 years behind us – let us show you how we can help your child (2-5yrs) develop.

(Nursery Education Funding accepted) Places now available.

• Lawn moss killing • Scarification • Aeration • Complete weed and disease control • Bespoke feed programme • Reseeding • Hard surface moss & weed control

Please contact us for a free Lawncare Analysis

Tel: 01763 242909 meridian.lawncare@btconnect.com

For further information please call: Dianne Sinnatamby : 01223 502992.

52

Melbourn Sports Centre Melbourn Sports is committed to providing affordable sport and fitness to the local community.

We’re here to help you get started and stay motivated. Our swimming programme caters for a variety of tastes and abilities, including general, female-only and adult lane sessions plus parent and child ‘fun’ groups.

Here are some tips for successful swims: 1. Make it a habit: use a diary to schedule a weekly pool visit. Consider purchasing an annual swim pass to save money.

2. Take the kids: swimming is a great activity to get families moving and having fun together.

3. Swim with a friend: find a ‘swim buddy’. You will encourage and support each other and this will help you achieve and surpass your fitness goals.

4. Mix it up: the swimming pool is also a great playground and gym (even for non-swimmers), so vary your pool activities (such as aquafit) to get the most from this facility.

5. Join a club: if you’re enjoying swimming and want to get more involved, consider joining a club! Learning to swim will introduce you to a whole new world of water-based activities in the pool and beyond. But here at Melbourn Sports, we believe we have the facilities for everybody to enjoy fitness for life.

For further details on swimming at Melbourn Sports or any of our other activities, please visit our website, www.melbournsports.com, call in to the centre or telephone (01763) 263313.

Graham Johnson-Mack Melbourn Sports Centre

MELDRETH PLANT HIRE TEL: 01763 262738 DIGGERS, DUMPERS, BREAKERS, WHACKERS, ROTAVATORS. AVAILABLE FOR DAILY OR WEEKLY HIRE. WWW.MELDRETHPLANT.CO.UK 53

Local Events in October Here is a selection of events happening nearby in October.

To have your event listed, please email meldrethmatters@hotmail.com.

Until Sunday 1st November, 9.30am to 5.00pm The Imitation Game: the Exhibition, Bletchley Park This is the last month in which to visit the set of the Oscar-winning film and get a rare insight into how the story of codebreaking genius Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) was brought to life. A German Enigma machine features in the exhibition along with a replica of the ‘Bombe’ machine developed by Turing. www.bletchleypark.org.

Until Thursday 31st December Robinson College, Cambridge, Open Gardens The College’s beautiful gardens are open as part of the National Gardens Scheme. A mix of the formal and informal, the original Edwardian Gardens are linked to a wild woodland water garden with a small lake at the heart of the site. There are wide lawns, mature stately trees and striking herbaceous borders. Mondays to Fridays 10.00am to 4.00pm; Saturdays and Sundays 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Admission is by donation to charity. Please call the Porter’s Lodge (01223) 339100 for more details. Grange Road, Cambridge CB3 9AN. Wednesdays 7th, 14th and 21st October, 6.00-8.00pm Dancing Through History, Cambridge Museum of Technology, Cheddars Lane, Cambridge CB5 8LD Join in a country dance workshop with tutor Mike Ruff in partnership with the Museum of Technology, the Farmland Museum and Tradamis.

Try some dances that were popular in different periods - Georgian on 7th October, Victorian on 14th and 20th century and review on 21st. £10. Book in advance online at www.ticketsource.col.uk/ farmlandmusuem or email info@farmlandmuseum.

Sunday 11th October 10.30am to 4.00pm Cambridge Glass Fair, Knebworth Hall, SG1 2AX This year the Glass Fair has moved to a new venue and takes place in the tithe barns at one of England’s most treasured stately homes. With over 70 exhibitors, visitors will be able to find both antique and contemporary glass from all eras and to suit all tastes. Amongst the many experts attending will be Andy McConnell, from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. Extensive free parking with catering facilities onsite. Further information can be found at cambridgeglassfair.com.

54

Monday 12th October, 7.00pm Sue Perkins, Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge The Great British Bake Off presenter and comedian Sue Perkins will be talking about her first foray into writing. Her ‘laugh out loud and captivating memoir’ Spectacles will be published on 8th October.

Tickets £20 (including copy of the book), £8 for students are available from the box office (01223) 300085 or from the Festival Office at 7 Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3 EL. This event is part of the Cambridge Literary Festival with many other events scheduled for 28th/29th November. Visit cambridgeliteraryfestival.com for the full program.

Saturday 17th October at 8.30 am Men’s Breakfast Meeting, Foxton Village Hall County Councillor and Meldreth resident Susan van de Ven will speak about the A10’s new cycle and foot paths. Susan will also be talking about the problems and delays in repairing the Foxton Level Crossing gates. To book your breakfast please contact Mark Howard on (01223) 503377; email: Mark-Howard@UWclub.net or Tony Garrick on (01223) 510201; email: garrick.tony@gmail.com. We donated almost £500 to various charities in the last financial year.

Saturday 17th October 11.30am to 1.00pm Fungal Foray, Wandlebury Country Park Join an expert on mushrooms for a stroll around Wandlebury to discover its emerging autumn delights! Adults only. Booking essential.

Telephone (01223) 243830 or book online at cambridgeppf.org.

From Monday 19th October to Sunday 1st November Cambridge Festival of Ideas, various venues, Cambridge A packed programme of events tackling a range of issues such as censorship, free speech, privacy, democracy and more. There are film and music events, too. Visit festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk for full details.

Wednesday 28th October 11.00am to 1.00pm World War One Walking Tour from Great St.Mary’s to Gallipoli Part of this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas, this event explores the stories of Cambridge brothers who fought and died in 1915. Meet at the Great St. Mary’s Church main entrance on King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 3PQ. ‘Bring waterproofs, warm clothing and imagination’ for this gentle two hour walk around central Cambridge.

Free. Age 12 plus.

Compiled by John Crawforth 55

Cambridgeshire Energy Switch Save money on energy bills with the Cambridgeshire Energy Switch.

Previously, the scheme has enabled over 700 households within the county to make average savings of more than £200 per year and is backed by Cambridgeshire County as well as the County’s five District and City Councils. The Cambridgeshire Energy Switch scheme uses the collective bargaining power of residents to bid for better gas and electricity prices. The scheme is open to all residents, including those on either credit or pre-payment meters.

Register before midnight on Monday 12th October to find out whether you could save money on your energy bills. Registration is completely free with no obligations. To register online or find out more, visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/switch. Alternatively, email Energy.Switch@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or telephone (01223) 703874.

Cambridgeshire County Council

Community Oil Buying Scheme If you rely on oil to heat your home, community building, church or business premises, you might like to consider joining Cambridgeshire ACRE’s community oil buying scheme. Through our partnership with AF Affinity Limited, a subsidiary of Anglia Farmers Limited, our scheme makes the most of collective purchasing power. The larger the order we place, the more likely the heating oil suppliers will offer a reduced price for our members.

The annual membership fee for domestic users is £20 and that covers as many oil orders as you need during the course of a year. We find that members need to order around 1000-1500 litres a year to achieve sufficient savings to justify the membership fee. We offer an easy, online ordering system and send out email reminders each month so you’ll never forget to order oil again.

To find out more about the scheme, please visit www.cambsacre.org.uk/community-oil-buying-scheme.php or telephone Alison Brown on (01353) 865029.

Cambridgeshire Acre 56

Are you paying too much for your energy bills?

From 26th to 30th October, Citizens Advice is running a Big Energy Saving Week campaign to help you save on energy bills.

We can also help identify ways to increase your energy efficiency.

For information on reducing energy bills, switching providers, insulating your home and getting the financial support you are entitled to: • Visit our stand in Cambridge Central Library from 26th-30th

October • Visit our Bureau between 9.15am and 12.45pm at 66 Devonshire

Road, Cambridge • Barclays customers can also visit the St Andrew’s Branch where

we will have a stall and people on hand to help on Tuesday 27th October between 10.00am and 3.00pm • You can also pick up one of our leaflets at various locations around

Cambridgeshire

www.bigenergysavingweek.org.uk

#BESW15 Cambridge and District Citizens Advice Bureau. Charity: 1056102. UK Limited Company: 3191085. Registered office: 66 Devonshire Road, Cambridge. CB1 2BL. 'Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority' FRN: 617537

57

Planning Matters Parish Council Reference and Address

Detail

Parish Council Recommend

Land at Station Erection of eight Yard flats, bin store and S/1140/15/FL associated parking

Meldreth Parish Council recommend Approval with the following comments.

1. Clarification with the final layout with reference to the width of the access route to the station car park which appears to be reduced from 5m to 4m. 2. Concern on the number of car parking spaces. It is proposed that there will be 1 space for each unit - this could lead to an over spillage onto the roads, which is already a problem in this area. 3. Recommendation is based on information from the applicant that there will now be four affordable units. The Parish Council is happy to see the high standard of design in keeping with the history of the site.

Land between Railway and Sewage Disposal Works S/1616/15/VC

Meldreth Parish Council recommend 'No Objection' to the detailed changes to the project however they note that the splitting of the site into three seems to be a way to get around the Government’s new limitation on the proliferation of large solar sites.

Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of Planning consent S/1427/14/FL for Solar Farm and associated works

3 Woolpack Crown reduction Way Sycamore trees x 3 S/1972/15/TPO by 30%

Crown reduction is not a problem. They clearly cause a lot of shade at the end of Woolpack Way. If the three trees nearest the road were removed entirely, it would not seriously affect the tree cover, since the largest of the sycamores are behind them.

90 High Street S/1610/15/DC

This was for information only and has been duly noted. Parish Council had no comment to make.

Discharge of Condition 4 (tree protection) of Planning Consent S/2824/14/FL for detached double garage

58

Planning Matters Parish Council Reference and Address

Detail

Land off Erection of Whaddon Road six affordable S/1447/15/FL houses with associated car parking spaces

Parish Council Recommend Parish Council recommend 'Refusal' with comments: If SCDC are minded to approve this application can they take into account the following: 1. There should be a pedestrian access route via West Way to avoid people walking along the busy Whaddon Road. In the absence of this a footway is needed to access the Fenny Lane Crossroad area as this is a designated accident cluster spot. 2. Water run off: driveways should be semi-permeable or have a soakaway. 3. Refuse vehicles: the access road should be wide enough for refuse lorries to reverse into and pick up bins. Will this be a shared bin arrangement or will there be individual bins, as the area indicated does not appear to be large enough to accommodate the necessary number of individual bins. 4. Sewage: will the development have its own sewage disposal system separate from Burtons, which is maintained with costs to Burton residents?

5. Bats: it has been noted that there are bats in this area, near 1,2 and 3 Burtons which may be roosting on the site. 6. There appears to be a lack of a children's play area 7. The block of three houses, closest to Whaddon Road, should be turned clockwise so it is parallel to No. 1 Burtons fence to avoid overlooking.

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

Meldreth Parish Council Editor’s Note: Details of recent SCDC decisions can be found on the following page.

Full details of all planning applications may be viewed at this website: http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/wphappcriteria.display 59

Planning Matters SCDC Decisions Reference and Address Decision

Former scrapyard, ChiswickEnd S/1233/15/FL

Permission has been granted for change of use from scrapyard to commercial storage with ancillary storage building

76 North End S/1154/15/FL

Permission has been granted for proposed first floor extension and new front porch

Bury Lane Fruit Farm S/0604/12

Condition (3) lighting scheme, condition (4) surface water drainage and condition (5) water conservation strategy – have all hereby been discharged

17 North End S/1503/15/VC

Permission has been refused for Variation of Condition 4 (cill height of roof light) of planning reference S/0115/14 for side and rear extensions with detached garage

11 North End S/0214/15/FL

Permission has been granted for a veranda

11 North End S/0215/15/LB

Permission has been granted for a veranda and internal alterations to garage

11 North End, S/1213/15/FL S/1214/15/LB

Permission has been granted for alterations to existing chimney stacks and chimney pots

Meldreth Parish Council

Refuse Collections Collections in October will be on the following dates: Black bins: 2nd, 16th & 30th Green & blue bins: 9th & 23rd 60

Open Fire Safety Winter is coming and after seeing a rise in chimney fires last year, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging all residents to get their chimneys professionally swept before the cold sets in.

Top tips to enjoy an open fire safely: Sweep your chimney at least once a year and get brickwork inspected, especially the chimney breast and roof space.

Do not bank fires too high or overload the grate, and remember to let them burn down well and check the hearth before going to bed.

Use a fire or spark guard to prevent accidental fires.

Do not place objects on or over the mantle-piece which may cause you to stand too close to the fire to reach or use them.

Burn only suitable fuels and avoid burning resinous woods as soot builds up quickly.

Above all, ensure you have a working smoke alarm fitted on each floor of your home. For further information and advice, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, visit www.cambsfire.gov.uk or telephone (01480) 444500.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service

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Local Healthcare News from Royston Community Health What's happening at Royston Hospital? It’s a question I am asked over and over again. Many local people have been working towards a good outcome since April 2012 when the NHS decided to close Royston hospital and sell the six acre site to a care home provider. On the basis that a care home would need only two acres, we argued that the site could have a care home and other services too.

The NHS was undergoing a reorganisation around that time and the new structure allowed for the original plan to be shelved. They started to consider our ideas and work with us to develop a new plan. This has been a long time coming and we are not there yet, but a small group of us now work under the name Royston Community Health which is a not for profit Community Interest Company. We are working with the NHS to develop plans for a Health Hub for the people of the town and surrounding area. We are all unpaid volunteers.

Any services developed in the town will be for the villages too. If you would like to find out more about what we are doing, have your say about local services and support our group, please see our website at www.roystoncommunityhealth.org.uk where there is an online questionnaire as well as lots of information or find us on Facebook by searching Royston Community Health, please "like" our page or follow us on Twitter @RoystonCH. Maggie Allen, Royston Community Health

Meldreth Millennium Trails These trails were created to celebrate the life and environment of the community of Meldreth and to be a permanent marker of the second millennium.

These booklets include five trails around the village and include maps and illustrations. They cost ÂŁ3.50 and are available from Joan and Tim Gane, by telephoning (01763) 260129. Proceeds to Meldreth Local History Group.

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ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS

Nigel Wigg Home Improvement Specialist

FOR

• Exterior and interior home

PLANNING & BUILDING REGULATION APPLICATIONS

decorating • Tiling • Carpentry • Refurbishment • Timber carport and veranda design and construction • General home repairs • Pruning / hedge and tree trimming • Professional service

NEW PROPERTIES, EXTENSIONS, LOFT CONVERSIONS, ETC. CONTACT US now to arrange a FREE on-site meeting at your convenience to discuss your project.

ELY DESIGN GROUP ‘Architecture By Professionals’ www.elydesigngroup.co.uk/mm1.php

nigelwigg@gmail.com T 01763 262990 M 07801 057514

Tel: 01353 649649 Mob: 07939 158482 mail@elydesigngroup.co.uk

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.

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HOME FOOTCARE Jane Cavanna (MCFHP MAFHP)

For all your chiropody needs in the comfort of your own home.

Call today to book:

01777 816696 or 07769 347903 A10 TIMBER CO. For Timber & Sheet Material

Graded Timber Mouldings & Flooring Decking & Fencing Insulation Cutting & delivery service All enquiries welcome.

Little Hands Nursery School The Moor, Melbourn

www.a10timber.co.uk

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

Barwick Ford Ware, Herts. SG11 1AL Tel: 01279 842016 0808 155 3631 sales@a10timber.co.uk

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

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Fundraising for Charity Addenbrooke’s Breast Cancer Appeal Friday 23rd October Get together for a cuppa and cake to support local patients with breast cancer.

Can you host an afternoon tea party to help raise money for the Addenbrooke’s Breast Cancer Appeal? Invite friends, family and colleagues on Friday 23rd October, or a date convenient to you, for tea and fun ‘boobie’ bakes. How about bakewell tarts, chelsea buns or macaroons? It’s as easy as A, B, C! Your support will help fund clinical research into personalising treatment for patients with breast cancer.

To find out more please telephone Emily at Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) on (01223) 349297, email communityfundraising@addenbrookes.nhs.uk or visit www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/ABCappeal.

Home-Start Snowflake Tea Parties Could you help raise funds for Home-Start by hosting a tea party with your family and friends from your office, playgroup, school, book club etc? We will supply you with a “tea bag” fundraising pack with ideas for all you need to host an event. The pack includes invitations for your use, a snowflake cutter and recipes for any cakes or biscuits you may want to make for your event. If you want to host a tea party, please email us at admin@hsrsc.org.uk or call (01763) 262262.

“Please join me raising money for The Snowflake Appeal so that Home-Start can keep supporting unique and fragile children. Home-Start is in there, making a difference each and every day. It is changing all our communities for the future. It prevents parents’ difficulties from becoming their children’s problems.”

Kirstie Allsopp, TV Presenter, mum, stepmum, Home-Start ambassador 65

Local Links Cambridgeshire County Council County Councillor: Susan van de Ven Fix My Street

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk susanvandeven.mycouncillor.org.uk Email: susanvandeven5@gmail.com www.fixmystreet.com (Report, view, or discuss local problems)

Govia/Great Northern

http://www.thameslinkrailway.com

Holy Trinity Church

Main website: www.meldrethchurch.org.uk Friends’ website: www.foht.org.uk

Melbourn & District Photographic Group

www.melbourn-photographic-club.co.uk

Melbourn Hub

www.melbournhub.com

Melbourn Sports Centre

www.melbournsports.com

Meldreth History & Meldreth Today Meldreth Manor School

www.meldrethhistory.org.uk atschool.eduweb.co.uk/Meldreth/textandinfo/index.html

Meldreth Matters

free.yudu.com [search for Meldreth]

Melwood Conservation Group

www.melwood.btck.co.uk

Parish Council

www.heidisouthcambs.co.uk Email: heidi.allen.mp@parliament.uk www.meldreth-pc.org.uk

Pre School

www.meldrethpreschool.com

Primary School

www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk

Rail User Group

www.melbourn.org.uk/railusergroup/

Royston CAB

www.adviceguide.org.uk

MP: Heidi Allen

Royston & District Community Transport Shape Your Place South Cambs DC Stagecoach Train times/tickets

http://www.roytrans.co.uk/ http://southcambridgeshire.shapeyourplace.org/ www.scambs.gov.uk www.stagecoachbus.com/cambridge/ www.qjump.co.uk/index.html 66

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 .................................... 64 Algarve Villa .................................. 16 Art of Clean .................................... 32 Art of Clean Wood ........................... 7 B2B Automotive ............................. 13 Boiler Juice ..................................... 10 Bracey’s Accountants ..................... 52 Cam Valley Orchards ..................... 32 Cambourne Self Storage ................. 32 Cambridge Roofers ........................ 45 CHS Day Centre ............................ 36 CHS Group .............................. Cover College Farm B & B ....................... 16 Coton Electrical ............................. 36 The Country Store ......................... 64 Ely Design Group............................ 63 Eternit Sports and Social Club ........ 10 Fen Feeds Limited .......................... 32 Gilhooly ......................................... 36 Granta Montessori Shepreth .......... 52 Home Footcare .............................. 64 iPlaster ............................................. 9 James, Handyman ........................... 16 JPK Plumbing and Heating ............. 45 Keyholes Driving School ........... Cover

The Letting Centre ..................... Cover Little Hands Nursery School ............ 64 Lynn Driscoll Footcare ..................... 32 MCT Construction .......................... 10 Melbourn Flooring .......................... 63 Melbourn Village College ................. 64 Meldreth Landscapes ........................ 16 Meldreth Plant Hire .......................... 53 Meridian Lawncare .......................... 52 Michael Easton Personal Trainer ....... 9 Moncraft Computers ....................... 32 Newlings of Royston Funeral Service 13 Nigel Wigg Home Improvement ...... 63 Penn Farm Physiotherapy.................. 13 The Picture Framers .......................... 16 Richard Burns Electrician.................... 7 Rod’s PC Support ....................... Cover Royston Fencing ............................... 45 Royston Golf Club ............................. 7 Salisbury String Quartet ..................... 7 Shelford Energy .................................. 7 Slimming World ............................... 21 Spice Hut Indian Takeaway .............. 21 Summit Landscapes........................... 21

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Local Telephone Numbers Tennis Club: Tracy Aggett 243376 WI: Maureen Moody 260938 Meldreth United FC 07930 650036 Holy Trinity Church: Rev. Mary Price 261569 Adult Choir: Pauline Penfold 260163 Bells: Peter Hinton 262045 Friends: John Price 260048 Sunday School: Karen Lillie 261885 Melbourn: Doctors Surgery: appointments 260220 Dispensary 261246 Baby Clinic 262861 Library 269956 Village College 223400 U3A (Chris Davison) 264189 District Council 03450 450500 Housing Services 03450 450051 Waste, Recycling and Environmental Health 03450 450063 Councillor Philippa Hart 261255

Meldreth: Community Access Point 262199 Litter Picker: Mick Taylor 261118 Neighbourhood Watch: Police Co-ordinator Graham Borgonon 260358 Pre-School 07518 173653 Primary School 260432 Lunch Club - Nikki & Julie 07599 292327 Village Association (MVA) 07961 128323 Village Hall: Chairman: Paul Ray 260304 Hiring: Sherida Richards 262512 Meldreth Clubs and Societies: Babies & Toddlers Club: Lynda Heard 260545 Bowls Club: S. Lambert (01223) 207888 Croquet Club: Janet Pope 248342 Local History Group: Joan Gane 260129 Melbourn Mushroom Club 260258 Melwood Cons. Group: B Huett 232855 Revelation: Miriam Skuce 262440 Table Tennis: Christine Knight 261676

MELDRETH PARISH COUNCIL - CONTACT DETAILS http://www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Parish Office, Meldreth Sheltered Scheme, Elin Way, Royston SG8 6LT Parish Clerk: Mrs J Damant Mr D Lee Mrs C J Fallon Mr J Fenner Mr S Hawkins Mr A Keena Mr C A Land (Chairman) Mr Nigel Pellatt Mr R A Searles Mr D Stewart

parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk david@oakrits.plus.com joan.fallon@btinternet.com julian.fenner@tomblackwell.co.uk s.hawkins@dsl.pipex.com alankeena@aol.com c.land963@btinternet.com nppellatt@btconnect.com robert.searles@btinternet.com derekstewart67@hotmail.com

269928 261571 262822 268523 261451 260267 261004 262444 260435 261562

OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS Emergencies Crimestoppers Police (non emergency) S Cambs Fire & Rescue Cambridge CAB Royston CAB Childline Samaritans NHS Direct (24-hr service) Addenbrooke’s Hospital Report potholes (Highways) Royston Health Centre

Miscarriage Support Community Transport Anglian Water Cambridge Water Co. Gas Emergency Electricity Emergency National Rail Enquiries Stagecoach Cambus Cambs County Council Councillor: S. van de Ven S Cambs MP: Heidi Allen Home-Start R. & S. Cambs

999 or 112 0800 555 111 101 01223 376283 08448 487979 08444 111 444 0800 1111 08457 909090 0845 4647 01223 245151 0345 045 5212 242981

Village shop opens 7 am - 10 pm 7 days Tel. 01763 262158

07906 559756 245228 08457 145145 01223 706050 0800 111 999 08007 838838 08457 484950 01223 433250 0345 045 5200 261833 01954 212707 262262

Station tkt office opens Mon - Fri 7-11.15am, Sat 8.45am - 1.25pm Tel. 01223 453702

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; Cover & Advertising Layout: Richard Burns 263121; Founder Member: Ann Barnes

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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

The Letting Centre Setting Standards in Property Management •

Established 20 years and based in Melbourn, we manage around 100 properties in Cambridge and the surrounding area • We offer discounted management fees for multiple properties and free, no obligation visit to value for the purpose of rental • We have no ‘hidden’ fees and do not take commission on maintenance charges Call us for a Landlord Pack and Letting Centre leaflets providing information about fire, furniture, gas, electrical regulations or tax

The Letting Centre, 24b Orchard Road, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire SG8 6HH Tel. 01763 263039

Fax 01763 263458 email enquiries@letting-centre.co.uk www.letting-centre.co.uk

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