Meldreth Matters, October 2019

October 2019

In this issue …

Letters to the Editor New Park & Ride Speedwatch

Events include …

Craft Market FOHT Talk Messy Church

Contents People Brian Pepper 5 Frank Reynolds 4-5

Transport Meldreth Speedwatch 25 Rail User Group 44

What’s On in October Craft Market 24 FOHT Talk 7 Fundraising Event ...back page Local Events 20-21 Melbourn Ghost Walk 9 Summary of Meldreth Events 3

Gardens & Nature Cutting Jim & Jane’s Hedge 10 Gardening 8-9 Melwood 28-29 Miscellaneous Alzheimer Walk 30-31 Letters to the Editor 35

Village Groups Craft Group 23 Friends of Holy Trinity 7 Meldreth Cycling Group 23 Photographic Club 22 WI 26 Women’s Group 6 Zumba 26

Local/National Government Local Councillors 38-40 Local Police Surgeries 51 New Park & Ride 42-44 News from Heidi Allen 52-53 Parish Council 47-49 Planning 50-51

Children & Education Events for Families 18 Messy Church 19 Preschool 13 Primary School 14-16 Toddlers Group 17

Advice/Information Advertisers’ Index 64 Charity News 59-60 Chimney Fires 56-57 Energy Efficiency Review 55 Mobile Warden Scheme 44 Neighbourhood Watch 36-37 Refuse Collections 33 Village Directory 62-63

Sport Football Fixtures 3 John Fallon Memorial Cup 17

The opinions expressed in the letters and articles in this magazine are those of the writers, who are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within them.

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

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

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Editorial Welcome to the October issue of Meldreth Matters.

It was lovely to meet so many of the magazine’s deliverers recently. Our thanks go to them all for ensuring that Meldreth Matters is delivered to all houses and businesses in the village every month.

There is information on a number of local clubs and groups in this issue, so why not try something new this autumn and go along to one of their meetings? There are also lots of local events listed; please see the following page and our events summaries on pages 18-21 for details. Next month will see another article in our series of “Favourite Jaunts from Meldreth”. If you have a favourite day out, we would welcome contributions to this series.

Finally, I would like to thank Robin Farbridge for his help with this issue. It’s not often that I’m able to go on holiday the day before the copy deadline and return a couple of days before the magazine needs to be completed!

Kathryn

This Month’s Cover Pictures Meldreth became decidedly "steamy" towards the end of August with two steam-hauled trains gracing our local railway line.

The upper photograph shows the B1 Class 4-6-0 number 6130 “Mayflower" which came through the village on Saturday 31st August.

The lower image is the streamlined A4 Pacific number 60009 "Union of South Africa", photographed on Friday 23rd August. “Mallard”, another locomotive of this class, set the world speed record for steam-hauled trains at 126mph between Peterborough and Grantham on 3rd July 1938.

Photographs and text by Ralph Betts

Meldreth Matters is Online To view this or past issues, follow us on: issuu.com/meldrethmatters

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October Events in Meldreth Friday 4th, 8.30-11.00pm

Saturday 12th

Live Rock Music with Wolf Pack

10.00am-12 noon

Eternit Sports and Social Club Whaddon Road, Meldreth

Meldreth Village Hall

Craft Market

Organised by Meldreth Bowls Club

All welcome, free entry, licensed bar

See page 24

Sunday 13th

Thursday 17th, 7.30pm

3.30-5.30pm

Friends of Holy Trinity Church

Messy Church: The man in the tree

Talk by Tamsin Wimhurst on David Parr House, Cambridge

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church

See page 19

See page 7

Saturday 19th

Football Fixtures

7.00pm - midnight Sunday 20th, 10.30am

Fundraising Event in aid of the Leukaemia Research Fund and Neurosciences ACT

Saturday 26th, 3.00pm Sunday 27th, 10.30am

Eternit Sports and Social Club See back page 3

Frank Reynolds (1935 - 2019) Frank, a family man, friend to all and a good neighbour was born on 14th July 1935 in Wing near Aylesbury, Bucks. He was one of seven children and due to his father’s job as a shepherd, the family moved several times, eventually moving to a cottage in the village of Newton in Cambridgeshire. Sadly, Frank’s father passed away due to illness, and as their home was a tied cottage, the family were made homeless.

Frank’s family moved to Fenstanton, but due to the major change in his life of meeting Mary, Frank moved in the opposite direction and lodged with her aunt in Thriplow. It was an unusual encounter of Frank and Mary meeting up as Frank was sitting in a bus shelter and Mary was passing by. Frank spoke to Mary and said “Do you want to go to the pictures?” to which Mary replied “I suppose so as I’ve got nothing better to do”. Six months later they were married in 1960; a marriage which lasted for 59 years.

Mary and Frank went to live in Fowlmere in a thatched cottage for three years, but due to a large chimney fire had to leave and seek accommodation from the local council. Mary would tell you that Meldreth was definitely not a place she wished to move to at that time, and when they were handed the keys to the house in what is now Elin Way but then a part of Howard Road, Meldreth, Mary was not amused!

Mary, Frank and their eldest daughter Stella, moved to Meldreth in 1963 and Mary would soon find out that she could not have been happier anywhere else! The next two children Wayne and Kerry were to be born in Meldreth.

Frank was always willing to help others; which led him to volunteer his services and help to build Meldreth Primary School’s swimming pool.

Getting his hands dirty and wanting to help others was a theme throughout Frank’s life until he was physically unable to, whether it be unblocking neighbour’s drains, clearing chimneys, mowing lawns, giving lifts to the shops or other excursions for elderly neighbours, Frank was always there.

He was a hard worker, working first of all as a builder’s labourer, a typical “Jack of all trades”, turning his hand to many tasks over a period of more than twenty years. Frank then worked for Cambridge Water Company in 1975 and remained for a further twenty years, but 4

due to serious hand injury, was forced to retire at the age of 59, but as I mentioned earlier he continued to help his neighbours.

Frank always found the time to talk and loved talking about his job and interests in great detail. His main hobby outside of family life was fueldriven static engines, which he either exhibited or visited rallies and shows to see.

With deep regret on the part of the family, thirteen months ago as his health declined and he was unable to be cared for at home, Frank moved into the TLC Nursing Home in Cherry Hinton where he was cared for extremely well by the staff.

Even in bad health, Frank retained a great interest in his hobby of engines and was taken on a special birthday outing last July to the Quy Park Steam Rally which he enjoyed immensely.

Frank passed away peacefully in the nursing home on 5th August and leaves behind his wife Mary, three children, ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

David Hollamby, family friend and former neighbour

Brian Pepper (1938-2019) Meldreth Local History Group is sad to announce the sudden death of Brian Pepper on 11th September.

Brian spent his childhood in Meldreth, before moving to Royston.

Brian was a member of Meldreth Local History Group and regularly attended our meetings, where he made us all laugh with his stories and anecdotes. He had a fantastic memory and we are lucky to have several pages of his memories of growing up in the village on our website, www.meldrethhistory.org.uk.

A tribute to Brian will be published in the November issue of Meldreth Matters.

Joan Gane Chairman Meldreth Local History Group 5

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group We are a small friendly group and we meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month except in December and we vary our venue between All Saints Community Hall in Melbourn and Holy Trinity Church Meeting Room in Meldreth. We either have a guest speaker or in house entertainment followed by tea/coffee and biscuits. There is a fee of £1 on the evening and a chance to make a donation to our charity of the year which is Acorn House at Addenbrookes Hospital which supports families who have children in hospital.

In August, 21 members went to a meal at The British Queen in Meldreth where both the company and food were good; our thanks to Angela for booking this. In September, we had our joint Parishes Harvest Supper which the Women’s Group organised so our thanks to them and to all who helped. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 22nd October when we meet at All Saints Community Hall, Melbourn to prepare our decorations for The Christmas Tree Festival in Meldreth.

We shall have our jewellery stall at All Saints Autumn Fayre on Saturday 16th November and look forward to seeing you there. If you have any donations of jewellery, or odd broken bits of gold earrings/ cufflinks etc. we will be happy to accept them. We would appreciate the donations in advance to enable us to price them (we hold odd bits of gold until we have enough to sell). We would appreciate your support on the day too so do come along.

All our meetings begin at 7.45pm. Come along if you’d like to, or if you want to know more please contact one of the committee members.

Pat Smith (01763) 262575, (01763) 60955, Anne Harrison (01763) 261775, Angela Leach (01763) 262793, Pat Ames (01763) 261130 and Kimmi Crosby.

Pat Smith

New to the village?

Information on village facilities and over 25 local groups is available at

www.meldrethhistory.org.uk 6

Friends of Holy Trinity www.foht.org.uk Chiswick End Open Gardens - Sunday 1st September The Friends’ committee are most grateful to Julie Draper and Joan Gane for organising this event which raised over £1,000. See pages 8-9.

This Month’s Event: Thursday 17th October, 7.30pm Talk by 'Tamsin Wimhurst' on David Parr House, Cambridge This is one of Cambridge's best kept secrets. It opened to the public in May for the first time in two years, having been closed during the conservation project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which was entitled ‘Life and Art in a Worker’s House’.

Tickets cost £7.50 (Friends £7.00) and include wine and nibbles. They are available from: Mary Gregory - (01763) 260120 John Price - (01763) 260048 Peter Chilvers - (01763) 260742

Future Events: Sunday 17th November - A talk by Liz Dams about the Hedgehog Hospital at Shepreth Wildlife Park where Liz is both a Trustee and Education Officer. The work of the staff and volunteers plays an important part in the welfare of hedgehogs locally and the numbers admitted to the hospital each year are significant.

Donations of old newspapers are always welcome for bedding; just put them in the brown bins near the hospital entrance.

January 2020 - Annual Supper; date to be confirmed Thursday 20th February 2020 - Talk by Peter Allen, BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster Friday 29th May 2020 - Jane Eyre by “This Is My Theatre” Group in the nave of the Church.

John Price 7

Notes From a Small Garden Most of this column for October will be taken up with an account of Chiswick End Open Gardens (including Sherida and John’s garden in Whitecroft Road) on Sunday 1st September, which was held in aid of The Friends of Holy Trinity. We had a marvellous day and there were lots of complimentary visitors. The teas at Joan and Tim’s were a huge success; they had a number of helpers including Joan and Tim’s family and their garden was much admired.

Before the Open Gardens day I visited Tim’s vegetable patch where his lettuces, beans and courgettes were still in abundance; we both remarked that our “second lot” of beans were doing better than the first growth which had produced very few. Despite my watering of our French beans we had a very poor crop. However, I grow them over metal arches and haven’t moved them for three years and I think this may have something to do with it.

Sherida and John’s garden in Whitecroft Road looked superb. They must win the prize for the highest number of plants and shrubs. But they are planted in such a subtle way that one never feels that the effect as a whole is ‘spotty’. Chris and Shoona’s garden is unusual with mini zen gardens, loved by one of their daughters. Shoona loves painting pots and there were plenty of plants to admire. John and Hilary set their garden up for children’s play, which was highly valued by us as we had two grandchildren staying! Their garden is at its best in spring and early summer and is laid out especially for family and friends to sit in and socialise. In his lovely back garden, Dick had much to show us.

He is an expert vegetable grower and trainer of fruit trees. As something new, we included in the program some delightful front gardens in the lane, so that visitors didn’t miss them. Dawn’s hanging baskets are always a delight; numbers 6 and 6a had beautiful roses out for all to see, including Darcy Bussell and Gertrude Jekyl. Lynne and James’ front garden has lovely roses too and a delightful knot garden.

But perhaps the most unusual was Nigel’s planting of alternate fennel and rosemary against his fence, all looking very healthy after last year’s loss of sweet peas, eaten of course by slugs!

It will be October by the time you read this. Maybe we are due to have another warm spell before then, but it will soon be time to be poring over seed and bulb catalogues. I intend to plant the Welsh daffodil in 8

our soon-to-be a meadow in the front garden. We already have some ox-eyed daises and purple loosestrife flowering and I am ready with some wild flower mixes and yellow rattle, which should reduce the growth of the grasses, to plant in March/April.

As always there are great articles in the RHS magazine and I am determined to visit Daws Hall on the Essex Suffolk border. It melds an arboretum, gardens and a nature reserve with a satisfying blend according to the owners. It is open for autumn colour days on Sunday 27th October and Sunday 3rd November, from 12 noon until 4.00pm.

Daws Hall, Henny Road, Lamarsh Bures COB 5EX. Guided tours by appointment.

Good gardening from Jim and me.

Julie and Jim juliedraper@dumbflea.co.uk

6.30pm onwards, Melbourn Hub 9

Cutting Jim and Jane’s Hedge The Veg Plus Club discovered that Jane had been struggling alone with their privet hedge and found that she couldn’t reach the top. It’s a big hedge and a big job!

In August, Veg Club with their electric and petrol hedge cutters came to the rescue and within an hour and a half the job was done plus some pruning in the back garden. Some rather bemused bystanders watched with interest – perhaps they wanted to hire our facilities but didn’t say so!

In return, Jim and Jane’s granddaughter made a truly gorgeous “thank you” cake for the workers. Jim cut the cake at tea time in Joan and Tim’s garden at the Chiswick End Open Gardens day, which all added to the fun.

Would that all our meetings were so useful and exciting!

Veg Plus Club We meet monthly in each other’s gardens, and admire and sympathise with each others successes and failures, swap plants, seeds and expertise. All welcome.

For details of our meeting dates and times, please contact Sandra Ray, sandra_ray@btopenworld.com.

Julie Draper 10

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Meldreth Preschool With preschool now in full swing for the Autumn term, there are plenty of new faces getting to know the ropes and plenty of familiar ones to be spotted. As always, the children are spending plenty of time outside making the most of the last of the warm weather and the chance to burn some energy, practice their social and gross motor skills, and learn about nature with our vegetable garden.

The preschool were lucky enough be awarded a grant for new furniture from the One Stop Carriers for Causes fund. This will allow us to replace some of the slightly tired units and provide the children with a fresh and stimulating environment. We are very grateful for the money as we are a charity and we rely on donations and grants of this kind to replace equipment and ensure that the children get all the learning opportunities they deserve. With that in mind, the preschool will be hosting a Bingo night on Friday 1st November. The details are still to be confirmed, so please keep an eye out for news nearer the time and get your dabbers ready for a fun night and a chance to support the preschool and the children that we care for.

It is also a time of change for the preschool. The current committee are moving on and hoping that a new team will take the helm and lead the preschool into the future.

Helen Kirbyshire, the outgoing treasurer has been an incredibly steady hand on the purse strings and has steered the preschool through some tough times with her seemingly unending energy and business acumen.

Sarah Port, the outgoing secretary, has been the voice of reason when dealing with difficult decisions, has undertaken a huge amount of work on the business and legal side of running the preschool and been a reassuringly safe pair of hands and always ready to tackle the toughest jobs. Thanks to both of them for their tireless support and hard work over the last few years; without them the preschool would not be the success it is today. At the time of writing, the incoming committee were not yet in place, but we are looking forward to welcoming some fresh faces and new ideas soon! If you want to get in touch with the preschool, please email on manager@meldrethpreschool.com or call 07518 173653.

Meldreth Preschool 13

Meldreth Primary School www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk It was Eighty Years Ago Today! The school doors were reopened for a new year on Tuesday 3rd September and in our first assembly of the year, the children were told how eighty years ago (plus a couple of days) World War Two commenced and with it, the great evacuation of children from urban centres like London, to relative rural safety in places like Meldreth. On 1st September 1939, our school opened its doors not only to the 39 children on roll from the village, but also to an additional 55 children who had arrived as evacuees from London!

As a ‘free-write’ following the assembly, children drafted their own imagined letters to home, as evacuees recently arrived in Meldreth to stay with their new ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles’. The pictures are from our own ‘evacuee day’ in school back in the summer of 2018.

Andrew Jones Deputy Headteacher Dear mother, How are you? I am well, though I fear Edward has caught a cold. He is in bed and wishes that you could be here with him. When I waved you goodbye at the station, I knew that I would be safe.

The journey out of London was quick, though Edward found it a bore.

We played I Spy but he soon lost interest.

Luckily, a cheery-looking woman brought round a slice of cake for each of us and that kept him occupied. Eventually, we arrived at a place called Shepreth where a sharp, mean-looking woman came and took us outside to a cart, which we climbed on board and were led to another village, called Barrington.

Charlotte D

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Dear mummy, The day we left you, I was desperately trying to cling on to you, but then I knew I just had to step up and be brave. We finally arrived in Meldreth with a squeak of brakes and a deafening ‘honk!’. A very strict looking woman with a whip came shouting down the carriage, “Grab your things! Remember your gas masks!’ We jumped off the train onto the platform with about 100 other children, most of them I didn’t know.

Lucia M Dear mother, Meldreth is a majestic and colourful environment. Most of the people are wonderful, except for my teacher, Mrs Gilbert, who whips me and treats me like a slave! Our new cottage is a straw one, not the best quality, but I know that Sienna and I will make it work. We have been asked to help out as milkmaids, although at first I didn’t know what a milkmaid was or did!

Scarlett M Suddenly, I felt my loving mum’s warm calming hand brush against my own as she ushered me onto the train. This was the worst moment; Little Jim placed into my care, still screaming like I was inside. “ Don’t leave me!” I whispered to my mother. Now tears were thrashing down my face. “Goodbye!” I screamed, as I clung viciously to little Jim and stepped onto the timber train. This was it. The end. For now at least.

The train tooted its horn and the rustic doors shut; they closed all happiness and love. A new adventure was arising and maybe I need to be happy about this new experience. Wiping the tears of my face, I turned around to see all of these children wearing rags and carrying bags like me. In the distance I saw a seat next to the window. Once I sat down, I reluctantly did my last wave to mother and then we went.

A thought came to my mind that puzzled me; “Where are we going?” I prayed it would be a safe place with caring people to look after us.

Annabel W Dear Diary, I’m alone with strangers in a strange house, in a strange village in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, I’m on a farm, which is the home to some weird animals, that are called cows, pigs and chickens. The chickens look a tiny bit like the pigeons in London, but 15

not really. I’m trying to relate things to home, but that is really hard, when everything is a hundred miles away to what it is back in London.

I miss mother and Cassie, she’s lucky she has one older sister and two younger brothers. Who would dare to split them up? No one though, thought I would want a friend, not even another child to talk to, boy or girl. Help me Lord!

Eva R In a few minutes I will be with my new family in the safe countryside village called Meldreth. I am feeling lots of different emotions: adventurous, terrified and the worst of all really homesick. Lots of thoughts are going through my head, most of them saying will my parents die? 1 minute. 30 seconds 15, 5, 0. I stepped out of the train and smelt the country air. Clearer, less polluted air than I had ever breathed in before. Walking down the alleyway I realised that this place would be my new home. The summer holidays had just ended and it’s like it’s started again, but there’s a major difference … no family. No Mum to read me a bedtime story. No friends to play with.

Chris Ladds

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Toddlers Group Come and play with your babies and toddlers at Meldreth Toddlers Group. The group runs every Wednesday during term times from 9.30-11.30am in Meldreth Village Hall. The group is run by fellow mums and we serve plenty of tea and biscuits!

Thea Harrison

John Fallon Memorial Cup Competition The third John Fallon Memorial Cup competition was held in August over four evenings at Eternit Sports & Social Club. This year five teams entered, creating a min-league, with the final being held on Wednesday 21st August, when Foxton Reserves played Orwell Reserves in a close game, with Orwell winning 2-1. A total of £1126.67 was raised for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. This fund remains open in John’s name, if anyone else would like to contribute.

Thank you to the following, whose support made this possible: Ben Fox, who organised the competition, Orwell Reserves, Foxton Reserves, Melbourn Saturdays, Meldreth Captain of Orwell Reserves Sundays and Litlington Football being presented with the cup Clubs who played in the competition, Eternit Sports & Social Club for

by Joan Fallon hosting the event and the many people who donated raffle prizes, including Leach & Sons Butchers, Fieldgate Nurseries, The British Queen, Emma Watters and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Joan, Caroline & David Fallon 17

What’s On for Children and Families in October Saturday 5th October, 2.30pm - 3.30pm Lego Club, Royston Library, Market Hill, Royston SG8 9JN For 5 to 12 year olds. Book at the library. £2. First Saturday of each month.

Sunday 6th October, 3.00pm Heroes and Villains Concert, Saffron Hall, Audley End Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4UH Tales of dragons and knights, trolls and crossbows with stirring music and pictures. Tickets £14 adults, £6 under 16s. www.saffronhall.com.

Saturday 12th October, 12.00pm Foxton Scarecrow Festival, St Laurence’s Church CB22 6RP View the scarecrows, sample the refreshments, do the children’s quiz and find the special hidden scarecrow. Prize-giving in the church at 4.30pm with the Foxton Singers.

Saturday 19th October - 3rd November, 11.00am - 4.15pm Pumpkin Carving, Wimpole Hall, Arrington, SG8 0BW £4 for children 5 years and over. Tools and pumpkins provided.

Normal admission charges (free for National Trust members). Book on: www.nationaltrust.org.uk or 0344 249 1895.

Sunday 20th October, 12.00pm A Brief History of Music, Stapleford Granary, Bury Road, Stapleford CB22 5BP 600 years of Western musical history in 90 minutes through stories in song. Fun and fast-moving. Lots of instruments. Tickets £12, £8 for under 16s, from www.staplefordgranary.org.uk.

Tuesday 22nd October, 10.30am - 12.00pm, 1.30pm - 3.00pm Ancient Boats, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge CB2 1RB Learn about ancient migration round the Mediterranean and make your own boat from clay and fabric. Book on (01223) 332904. Ages 5-7 must be accompanied (morning session). Ages 8 to 12 in the afternoon.

Monday 28th October - Friday 1st November, 9.45am - 12.30pm Junior Heroes Holiday Club, Royston Methodist Church SG8 7AU Crafts, stories, songs, games for children ages 4 - 11years.

Free admission. Ring (01763) 208381.

Compiled by Hilary Crawforth 18

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

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

Thursday 3rd to Sunday 27th October, 11.00am to 5.00pm The Cambridge Show Kettle’s Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQ New exhibition featuring work of 22 artists based in and around Cambridge. Programme of events, performances and talks to accompany exhibition. Gallery, shop and café open Tuesday to Sunday.

See: www.kettlesyard.co.uk for further details.

Thursdays 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st October, from 10.00am Wandlebury Weekly Healthy Walking Group Wandlebury Ring, Gog Magog Hills, Cambridge CB22 3AE Popular social walking group meets each Thursday throughout the year.

Choice of two weekly short walks (about 1.5 miles), one slower for newcomers or the less fit. Refreshments available afterwards.

Saturday 5th October, 10.00am to 5.00pm & Sunday 6th October, 2.00pm to 5.00pm 20th Ashwell Book Weekend St Mary’s Church, Mill Street, Ashwell, Baldock SG7 5LY Wide selection of fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children to browse and buy. Tea, coffee and home made cakes available.

Entrance £1, children under 16 free.

Friday 11th to Sunday 13th October, at varying times Harvest Festival Weekend, with Ceilidh, 7.30pm on Friday 11th October. Ely Cathedral, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4DL Weekend begins with Harvest Ceilidh in beautiful setting of Lady Chapel. Tickets £10 (to include a drink), children £7.50, from Box Office on (01353) 660349. Then on Saturday, floral, food and farming displays with lunchtime concert. See: www.elycathedral.org for details.

Friday 11th October to Friday 1st November, 10.00am to 5.00pm Idling in India - a Photography Exhibition Stapleford Granary, Bury Road, Stapleford, Cambridge CB22 5BP An exhibition by author/photographer Annie Owen who has travelled extensively in India. Opens with a talk by her on Thursday 10th October, 7.30pm. Free event, no need to book but donations welcome.

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Saturday 12th October (to Sun 15th December), 10.00am - 4.00pm Hoards: a hidden history of ancient Britain.

Museum and Art Gallery, Priestgate, Peterborough PE1 1LF British Museum exhibition ends its UK tour in Peterborough. Amazing collection of prehistoric, Roman, early medieval and later hoards. Plus a series of related talks at the Museum. Tickets for talks, £6 from www.vivacity.org/heritage-booking or call (01733) 864663.

Monday 14th to Sunday 27th October, at varying times Cambridge Festival of Ideas. Venues across Cambridge The Festival returns for its 12th year with 273 mostly free events including debates, workshops, talks, exhibitions and performances celebrating the arts, humanities and social sciences. To book and see full programme, see: www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk Friday October 18th, 10.00am to 12.00pm Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Support Banyers House, Melbourn Street, Royston SG8 7BZ Freshly-baked cakes; tea/coffee supplied by Banyers House. Raffle. £3 Saturday 19th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm Ely’s Apple Festival 2019 Palace Green (opposite Cathedral) Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4EW Take along apples from your garden to find out what variety you’ve been growing. Plus competitions, Morris dancing, story-telling, games and apple-related activities and food with an apple twist!

Sunday 20th to Saturday 26th October, 10.00am to 4.00pm Cambridge Drawing Society Art Exhibition The Leys School, Fen Causeway, Cambridge CB2 7AD Over 250 original artworks by selected local artists. Paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture, encompassing a wide variety of styles, media and genre. Most artworks will be for sale. Admission is free.

For further information see www.cambridgedrawingsociety.org.

Wednesday 23rd October, 7.30pm An Evening with John Humphrys Saffron Hall, Audley End Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4UH Legendary presenter of Radio 4’s flagship current affairs programme, Today and Mastermind discusses his life and career. Tickets £10-£20 from www.saffronhall.com. NB Saffron Hall events book up quickly!

Compiled by John Crawforth 21

Melbourn and District Photographic Club www.melbournphotoclub.com Following the start of the new season in September, we have a full and varied programme for the late autumn months including two lectures, four competitions and three club evenings.

Power of the Herd by Stephen de Havilland

October’s meetings are as follows: 1st:

Open Projected Image Competition. Judge: Howard King

8th: A Year on the Coast. Lecture by Justin Minns 15th: 1st Open Print Competition. Judge: Colin Strong 22nd: Club Evening: Advanced Lightroom Techniques/Editing in groups 29th: Night Photography & All Sorts. Lecture by Peter Warne Meetings are held weekly from 7.30 - 9.30pm on Tuesdays in Foxton Village Hall from September to April each year.

The Club has a diverse membership, a friendly and supportive atmosphere and welcomes new members whatever their ability. Anyone wishing to know more details or see some of our work should visit our website at melbournphotoclub.com or email me at melbournphotoclub@hotmail.com.

Peter North Secretary, Melbourn & District Photographic Club 22

Meldreth Marvels Cycling Group Members of the Meldreth Cycling Group are pictured on a recent stop at the Charity Pop-up CafĂŠ in Haslingfield.

Our rides take place on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Why not join us for the next one?

We depart from the lay-by opposite Meldreth church at 9.15am sharp and are usually back by noon. The rides are about 20 miles at an easy pace and there is usually a cafe stop.

John Rogger 23

MELDRETH BOWLS CLUB is holding a

CRAFT MARKET in MELDRETH VILLAGE HALL Saturday 12th October 10.00 am – 12 noon

Lots of stalls selling a variety of items, including jewellery, honey, skincare, hand sewn/patchwork and knitted items, woodturning, art prints, ceramics – and more!

Refreshments will be available – bacon butties, cakes, tea, coffee, all at reasonable prices.

No entrance fee Parking available

Organised by: MELDRETH BOWLS CLUB North End, Meldreth, Royston SG8 6NR www.meldrethbowlsclub.co.uk Queries: telephone Vivien Constable on (01223) 207557 or email secretary@meldrethbowlsclub.co.uk 24

Meldreth Speedwatch Along with about 180 groups across Cambridgeshire, Meldreth’s eleven volunteers carried out Speedwatch sessions on five of our village’s key routes in the busy morning rush hours.

Forty-seven deployments, amounting to over 70 volunteer hours, ran in the period February to July 2019. In total, around 10,200 vehicles passed through our watches, of which some 597 were exceeding the statutory speed limit. That’s about 5.8%.

In their countrywide review for July the police observed that numbers of vehicles speeding had reduced. This is also our perception for the Meldreth roads we monitor. Whether this is down to improving driver behaviour or just increased traffic flow, may be debatable.

For Meldreth the biggest traffic flow is measured in Station Road where outgoing traffic feeds in from Kneesworth and Whaddon roads and North End. This mixes with our own village commuting vehicles. The sheer volume keeps speed well within the limit.

The police receive data from Speedwatch groups and owners of speeding vehicles are then contacted by the police. Repeat offenders may find a police officer on their doorstep. Speedwatch is about education. It is not enforcement which is the job of the police.

Traffic volumes are increasing year on year and with more and more people cycling (17% up on 2008 figures) safety is paramount. Keeping to statutory speed limits reduces the possibility of accidents. Meldreth Speedwatch has village road safety as its aim.

To know more about Speedwatch go to http://www.speedwatch.info. If you would like to volunteer for your local Speedwatch team, please email us on csw.meldreth@btinternet.com.

You would be very welcome.

Graham Borgonon Meldreth Speedwatch Team

25

Meldreth WI It was a pleasantly perfumed evening for our September meeting when Angela Deavall from Boxworth Botanicals brought a selection of creams and lotions for us to try and told us about the healing properties of herbs. It all started fifteen yeas ago when her daughter asked for some cream that would help her itching legs and so the business grew.

All products are made from herbal extracts and as far as possible are chemical free. We were able to try some of the products and smell the oils; the lavender oil smelled so much more freshly picked lavender than some shop products.

Previous visits were discussed among which was the visit some of our members had made to the Reformed Synagogue in Cambridge.

Seventy-two members from the county were made very welcome and had Jewish customs explained to them.

Next month we will have Robert Burridge speaking about the true story of the Titanic. This is an open meeting so please bring your husbands, sons, daughters and friends. There will also be a produce auction.

We hope to see you on Thursday 10th October at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. How nice it will be in the cold evenings with the new heating now installed.

Kathleen Thompson

New Zumba Class Please come along to a new Zumba class in Meldreth Village Hall on Monday evenings from 8.00-9.00pm. I am a mum from the village and run a friendly and fun class. People of different ages are welcome.

The class currently costs ÂŁ5 pay as you go or ÂŁ20 for a block of five sessions. If you would like more information please give me a call or just come along and give it a try!

Thea Peacock 07930 893201 26

Whaddon Road, Meldreth, SG8 5RL

Club Facili es

Entertainments

Licensed bar Hall available for private hire for any occasion (compe ve rates) Fully equipped gymnasium (annual subscrip on) Snooker room, Pool table Large children's outdoor ac vity area Bowls green, Petanque pistes Football pitches, changing rooms

1st Friday of the month Melbourn Rock Club One Saturday a month Melbourn Rock Club Rock and Roll Night Every Thursday night Eternit bingo—starts 7.30pm Local gig venue

Big charity events during the year Motorcycle Rally - Air Ambulance - Mini Chill weekend - Camping - Local Chari es Club Charity - LUPUS

PC Repairs Advice & Installation of Home Networks Help with Selecting a computer Fault Finding Brian Girling 01223 208529 (Wimpole) E-mail bg@moncraft.co.uk We can also provide the following services: Design of brochures, posters, business cards, etc.

A4/A3 laminating • A4 comb-Binding Small print runs on A6 to A3 media

Dust Free Wood Floor Sanding & Restoration

Is your Wooden Floor in need of Sanding?

Call today on 01223 863 632 Please quote “Meldreth Mag” Denny Lodge Business Park, Ely Road, Chittering

27

Melwood’s Summer Holiday There are a number of reasons for not working in the wood over the summer months, not the least amongst which is the need of the workers for their own summer holidays. After the spring flowers have finished their display, the stems of Hedge Parsley and Garlic Mustard need to be cut before too much seed is cast and an invasion next spring is prevented. This is normally about the end of May or beginning of June; thereafter the wood can be left through the months of June, July and August. Meadows however frequently need a cut in early summer to prevent the more dominant species crowding out everything else and by late autumn a second cut should open up the sward to allow seeds to germinate in spring. This year the two halves of the meadow have been cut at different times, so that colourful but slightly invasive species such as Field Cranesbill can still put on a show but remain under control. It is important, after each cut, to rake off the fallen material before it forms a mat and smothers all else below it, hard work for the team but manageable because it is only half the meadow each time.

Within the wood, little needs to be done over these mid-summer months. Nettles may require some control and this year Bedstraw (Goose grass) was particularly rampant and had to be cleared from around the smaller trees planted over the last couple of years. A Bird Cherry and an Oak sapling planted in spring 2018 are looking very healthy, as are the larger Hornbeam and Crab Apple planted at the same time.

The wire netting used to protect the smaller plants needs strong stakes to support it, otherwise it seems to get flattened by animals in the wood. Deer are thought to be the most likely culprits. We are hopeful that rabbit damage may be reduced this winter, as it seems possible that a fox has taken up residence in the wood. Time will tell whether the hole we discovered is a fox’s earth or the result of a badger digging up the remains of a wasp’s nest that existed at about the same point in 2018.

The wood has always been noted for its spring flowers but gradually we are getting some colour into the summer period. Dusky Cranesbill flowered well but is easily missed unless you look for it. The Nettleleaved bellflower was much more obvious and although not yet abundant, remains strong in a couple of sites and is starting to turn up 28

in new areas. Stinking Iris plants introduced in 2018 did well to flower in their first year. Their bright scarlet seeds will soon be visible as the seed pods open, giving rise to one of the plant’s many other names, the Roast Beef Plant. Personally, I wouldn’t fancy roast beef as rare as that.

The autumn work started at the beginning of September and a number of areas were cleared with a brush-cutter. Marker stakes were used to pinpoint bellflowers that were either still in bloom or had not yet ripened and spread their seed. Further native daffodils have been obtained and will be planted when there is a bit of moisture in the soil.

Further attempts to establish foxgloves will be made either in this autumn or next spring. A few seedling trees and bushes are being brought on in pots to provide replacements for some of the older Ash trees, a few of which are now looking in poor health. Sycamores may need to be controlled to allow enough light into the wood for these saplings to make good progress. The next work party, in October, will continue to cut the floor of the wood to clear the ground for spring bulbs, which could start to emerge as early as late December or January if the winter is mild.

Jim Reid Melwood Conservation Group http://melwood.btck.co.uk If you are interested in joining the conservation work, please contact: Jim Reid (01763) 260231 or Bruce Huett (01763) 232855.

Lost Property If you have lost an item around the village please contact Mick Taylor, the Meldreth Litter Picker, on (01763) 261118 in addition to posting on the Spotted in Meldreth Facebook page, as Mick is not on Facebook.

Judy Damant Meldreth Parish Council Clerk 29

The Alzheimer Walk 2019 When I reminded everyone in the August ‘Meldreth Matters’ about the Alzheimer’s Walk taking place from Maycroft Care Home, I asked you to wish for dry weather for the occasion. Well, not only was it dry but there was brilliant sunshine - almost too hot for some!

A good number of people turned out, including residents and staff from Maycroft, with several generations of some families and at least one dog! It is always a very comradely occasion and good to meet up with old friends from past walks and others that we haven’t seen for sometime. People did not stop talking as we walked down the High Street and up Flambards Close. Everyone worked hard with their buckets collecting cash from shoppers, passers by and generous drivers who stopped their cars to make a donation. I did not feel able to walk along the river this year, so my son and his wife went on my behalf and really enjoyed it. Going at a leisurely pace they got around in 45 minutes while watching the dog running after sticks, retrieving them and then having a good cool down in the stream and shaking himself over anyone in his way. The cows were in the meadow approaching the mill and were well behaved, keeping right over to the other side of the field near the hedge.

I think it was too hot for many to go up to the Church to meet the more able, energetic walkers. However, Jane Paxton and others were still around shaking their buckets! It was very refreshing when we returned to Maycroft, as the grounds of the home are beautiful with so many long-established trees, under which we all sat, well shaded, for drinks, sausage rolls and cakes. When all the building work is completed, it will be an idyllic place to go and sit. I believe we are really fortunate to have a home of this size in Meldreth, not too big to have a truly family 30

atmosphere and where many of the staff have remained constant for a number of years.

Nigel Wigg Home Improvement Specialist

Our exertions this year have already raised over £1500! We did have a splendid few hours together and everyone did a wonderful job for an excellent cause.

We will publish information about the handover of the cheque when it is available, in the months coming up to Christmas.

• Exterior and interior home decorating

• Tiling • Carpentry • Refurbishment • Timber carport and veranda design and construction

• General home repairs • Pruning / hedge and tree trimming • Professional service

Thank you once again to everyone who supported us,

nigelwigg@gmail.com T 01480 700266 M 07801 057514

Rosemary Childerley and all the staff at Maycroft

Richard Burns

MELDRETH

ELECTRICIAN For installation, repair or advice please call

LANDSCAPES

Tel: Mob:

Design & Layout Plans

01763 263 121 07958 028 729

sockets@richardburnselectrician.co.uk Part P approved Certified installer

Hard Landscaping & Lighting Planting & Water Features Pergolas, Decking, etc

Tel: 01763 261463 www.meldrethlandscapes.co.uk Kneesworth Rd., Meldreth, Royston, Herts

31

Compliant to BS7671 Based in Meldreth

Meldreth Village Di Monday

Tuesday 10.00am-12.00 Handbells 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts

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

7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters 8.00-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

9.00-10.30am Yoga

9.15am Cycling Group

9.30-11.30am Meldreth Local History Group

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

Wednesday 9.30-11.30am Toddler Group 5.30pm Slimming World 6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.30pm Slimming World 7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

Thurs 10.00am Hart 6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

7.30pm Parish

9.30-11.30am Toddler Group 5.30pm Slimming World 6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.30pm Slimming World

10.00am Hart

10.00am-12.00 Handbells 10.40-11.30 Mob. Library 5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts 7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics 7.00-10.00pm Crafters 8.00-10.00pm Old Time Dancing

9.30-11.30am Toddler Group 5.30pm Slimming World

10.00am Hart

6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.30pm Slimming World

6.00 - 6.45pm

7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

7.00 - 9.00pm 7.30pm FOHT Church (see pa

9.00-10.30am Yoga

9.15am Cycling Group

5.30pm Slimming World

10.00am Hart

9.30-11.30am Meldreth Local History Group

10.00am-12.00 Handbells

7.30pm Slimming World

5.00-6.00pm Martial Arts

7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates

11.00-12.00 Trigger Point Pilates

7.00 - 8.00pm Aerobics

11.00-12.00 Trigger Point Pilates

4.00-5.00pm A 6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates 7.30pm WI

8.00-9.00pm Zumba

9.00-10.30am Yoga 11.00-12.00 Trigger Point Pilates 8.00-9.00pm Zumba

12.00-2.00pm 4.00-5.00pm A

7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

7.00-10.00pm Crafters

8.00-9.00pm Zumba 9.00-10.30am Yoga 11.00-12.00 Trigger Point Pilates 8.00-9.00pm Zumba

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

10.00am Hart

9.30-11.30am Toddler Group 5.30pm Slimming World

6.00 - 6.45pm Pilates

6.00-7.00pm Brownies 7.30pm Slimming World

7.00 - 9.00pm Tennis

7.45-9.00pm Bell Ringing

Church Services and Bell Ringing are held at Holy Trinity Church. Cam Valley Crafters and Meldreth L Brownies, Messy Church & Melbourn and Meldreth Women’s Group meet in the Holy Trinity meeting Holy Trinity Church. All other events are held in the Village Hall unless otherwise indicated.

32

ary - October 2019

sday

beeps Fitness Table

Friday

Saturday

Sunday 9.45am Family Communion and Sunday School

8.30-11.00pm Live Rock Music with Wolf Pack, Eternit Sports & Social Club

Council 10.00-12 noon Craft Market (see page 20)

beeps

ACRO Fitness

8.00am Holy Communion 3.30pm Messy Church (see page 19)

Copy Deadline for the November Issue

beeps

7.00pm to midnight Fundraising Event, Eternit Sports & Social Club (see back page)

Pub Club, BQ ACRO F. Pilates

9.45am Family Communion and Sunday School

T. Tennis T Talk age 7)

beeps

8.00am Holy Communion

Fitness Table

beeps Fitness Table

Refuse Collections Black bins: 1st, 15th, 29th Blue/Green bins: 8th, 22nd

School half term: Monday 21st to Friday 25th October

ocal History Group meetings are held in the Sheltered Housing Community Centre, Elin Way. room. The Mobile Library Service visits Bell Close. The Cycling Group meets in the lay-by opposite 33

Home Extension Plans Thinking of extending your home?

I have helped many local people with ideas, practical solutions and preparing drawings for approval.

I offer competitive fees and my initial visit is free ring John Clements on 01763 - 263275 to arrange an appointment.

ADDS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & DRAWING SERVICE

adds.clements@btinternet.com

WALKERS PARTNERSHIP SOLICITORS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE OR UPDATE YOUR WILL?

We offer a FREE ini al appointment to discuss your circumstances, offering advice on Wills including ring-fencing your home from care and guidance regarding Inheritance Tax Nil Rate Bands.

HOME VISITS are available at NO EXTRA CHARGE within a 20-mile Radius of Royston.

SATURDAY MORNING appointments available on the following dates:*

12th OCTOBER and 26th OCTOBER 2019 FREE WILL SERVICE for the over 55s through the Cancer Research Free Will Scheme.

For more information please contact:Fish Hill Chambers, 2-3 Fish Hill, Royston, Herts. SG8 9JY Tel: 01763 241 121 t.pilcher@walkerspartnership.co.uk Wills | Probate | Lasting Powers of Attorney | Conveyancing | Commercial Property *home visit appointments are subject to availability, Saturdays by appointment only,

34

Letters to the Editor Children Playing It was lovely for our children to have such wonderful weather which allowed them to play outside at the Recreation Ground this summer.

So often nowadays, we struggle to get children active and they spend far too long on gadgets such as mobile phones and gaming consoles, so it was good that they could spend their days in the fresh air, kicking a ball around at the rec and using the five-aside goals kindly installed by the Parish Council.

Unfortunately, some residents complained to the children that balls occasionally go into gardens which, if you buy a house backing on to a recreation ground, might surely be expected! These children are polite when they ask for the balls back and actually feel anxious when adults tell them they are going to report them for playing! I would seriously ask if we want a generation of kids that sit in their rooms not being able to communicate because they have lost the art of true conversation as they only communicate through devices? And that as they don’t play or exercise their obesity levels increase? Or do we want our children to be outside enjoying the weather, playing and using the facilities at our local recreation ground like the good old days? Please remember, you were young once!

Nicky Sell Meldreth Matters Always a fantastic magazine and always worthy of an award!

I particularly love the cover for September. Well done!

Name supplied

Chiswick End Open Gardens We would like to thank all those who visited Chiswick End Open Gardens on Sunday 1st September. Also, those who made a cake.

It was great to have so many people enjoying tea whilst sitting in the sun in our garden. We were pleased to see you all. It was a real community event.

Joan and Tim Gane 35

Neighbourhood Watch: Scam Call and Fraud Checklist Unknown Telephone Calls Simply Google: "who called me". This takes you to: https://whocalled.co.uk. Type the number you need to check. The site may grade the number and you may see other comments and or can leave one yourself.

Fraud Reporting ActionFraud 0300 123 2040. Website: www.actionfraud.police.uk.

It is easier to register possible fraud online if victims can do this.

Telephone Preference Service (TPS) Registration: 0345 070 0707. Website: http://www.tpsonline.org.uk.

Its free! But takes about six weeks to activate. Unfortunately, international call centres are outside the remit of UK law so TPS doesn't help with them.

BT Scams If a caller claims to be from BT and you are concerned, ask them to leave notes on your account and you can then call BT on 0800 800 150 to confirm the call is genuine. Always check that the telephone line has been cleared by the fraudsters and you are able to dial out as normal.

For even greater security, use a different telephone line.

This advice comes from: http://home.bt.com/news/bt-life/warning-overfraudulent-call-centres-11364051915807. Report Scam Calls to BT: https://www.bt.com/consumer/edw/scams.

Online Crime Reporting https://www.cambs.police.uk/report/Report-Shared/Report-a-crime.

More urgent, but not 999? Call 101!

If you want to let NHW Meldreth know of any criminal activity you have witnessed or which has affected you in the village, please email csw.meldreth@btinternet.com or call Graham on (01763) 260358. The above information was correct at the time of going to press but is subject to change.

Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch

36

Neighbourhood Watch Mobile Phone Delivery Scam Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, as demonstrated by this one, which just looks like a wrong delivery, perhaps combined with an opportunistic theft. The scam comes in two variants, but both involve a high value item, such as a top-of-the-range mobile phone, that has not been ordered by the victim. In the first version, a package is delivered to the victim, then some time later, a fraudster posing as a courier calls at the address and says that they delivered the package by mistake and asks for it back. Most people would probably hand the package back to the "courier". In the second version, a package is snatched from the delivery driver just as he is about to deliver it. The delivery driver is not part of either version of the scam, and is simply delivering the package.

Clearly, if the package is snatched as he is about to deliver it, it can be extremely distressing for the delivery driver.  If you receive an unexpected high value package such as a phone, contact the retailer immediately and arrange for it to be sent back, as the scammer may have attempted to intercept the delivery or will pose as a courier to collect the item,  If a courier unexpectedly comes to your home to collect an item, don’t hand it over. Check their credentials and call the company they claim to represent. If you have doubts, contact the police.  If you receive an unexpected package or an unexpected package is snatched just before it is delivered to you, it may be a sign that the fraudsters have managed to get hold of your personal details.

Carefully check your bank accounts and credit cards for suspicious activity.  As always, be careful with your personal data. Ensure personal documents such as bank and credit card statements are not left lying around, and are shredded before throwing away.

If you're not sure whether something is a scam please talk to one of the trusted contacts in Meldreth: Graham (01763) 260358, Linda (01763) 261405, Peter (01763) 260323 or Tim (01763) 262801. Always report scams to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk: every report matters.

For more information on Neighbourhood Watch, please contact Graham Borgonon on (01763) 260358.

Meldreth Neighbourhood Watch 37

District and County Councillors’ Reports Once again, we gave quite a long report to Meldreth Parish Council, reckoning that with so much change going on all around us it is best to stay informed. This is an abbreviated version; the full report is on Susan’s website, www.susanvandeven.com, on the Meldreth page.

River Mel Pumping Melbourn Parish Council is meeting with the Environment Agency this Friday with a view to arranging the pumping of water into the very dry River Mel. We’ve had reports of the same in Shepreth and Whaddon.

(Please see section later in this report on drought.)

Drains Highways have confirmed that drains have been jetted throughout the High Street. However, we’ve asked for a list of which drains were jetted and when; the officer who runs the list returns from annual leave on Thursday.

Kissing gate Local permission has been obtained for replacing the kissing gate along the path from High Street to the Station. Now awaiting advice from the County Council to advise on next steps.

Car Club The club is now running in our area, run by Enterprise. There are a few cars stationed at the Enterprise car rental facility adjacent to the garden centre in Shepreth (formerly Wyevale). Cars can be stationed in areas where there’s demand, but not on the public highway. Village Hall car parks are the sorts of places that would be acceptable. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.

Foxton Travel Hub Public Consultation 9th September – 21st October, with public consultation event Tuesday 8th October 6.00-8.30pm, Foxton Village Hall. This proposal is for a 750-space car park near Foxton Station. For details see: https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk/foxton-travel-hub-consultation.

A new ‘temporary’ Southwest Cambridge Park and Ride Please see article on pages 42-44 on what is quite a complicated situation!

Drought?

Within the Cambridge region we continue to experience lower than average rainfall. This is now starting to generate concerns among the 38

public, relating to levels within watercourses and the local environment.

A press release from Cambridge Water: ‘We are closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with the Environment Agency (EA). We are not at the point where we believe a drought should be declared. We have suffered from some exceptionally low levels of rainfall and without the rainfall, ultimately the whole system isn’t sustainable in the long term.

There’s no imminent risk of anyone’s taps running dry, as there are adequate supplies to meet everyone’s demand at the moment but we’re really conscious of the environmental impact associated with the abstraction of our water. We’re working very closely with the Cam Valley Forum and the EA. We’ve limited the volume that we abstract and reduced our licence capacity in order to make sure we minimise that environmental impact. We’ve done that by using some alternative sources and moving water around. However, in the longer term with the continued growth in population we are going to find it increasingly difficult to do that. New developments will have a significant impact on demand; to meet future demands, we are working on our 25-year planning and investment strategy. Invariably, we’ve all got a part to play in this. We all need to recognise that water is a precious resource and that we often take it for granted. So we all need to avoid any waste or misuse of water. Increasingly we will need to implement recycling of grey water and rainwater harvesting, which will reduce the amount of water abstraction and allow us to better meet future needs.

We work with Water Resources East, where we look at the challenge across the region and what needs to be done. Within that group there are water companies and representatives from agriculture and energy, so all the users of this precious resource. Our challenge is to collectively look at how we can meet everyone’s needs in a sustainable way. So the options we are discussing at the moment, construction of reservoirs, transfer mains using rivers to transfer water from wetter parts of the country and also desalination, which is an extreme measure and quite expensive to operate but potentially offers a solution to the problem.’

County Council Recycling Centres: new permit scheme for vans and trailers In October, CCC is to introduce a van and trailer e-permit scheme across Cambridgeshire’s nine household recycling centres (HRCs). The scheme will allow the Council to better regulate the use of vans and 39

trailers at HRCs helping to ensure only household waste is delivered to sites. Any resident planning to visit an HRC with a van or trailer should obtain an e-permit using an online system beforehand. These e-permits will be limited to twelve visits per year. To allow larger household and garden jobs, there will be an exemption to the scheme for trailers up to 1.5m (5ft) in length (excluding the towing mechanism bar) and 570 litre capacity. Between 2012/13 and 2016/17 there was a 20% rise in waste collected at tips, perhaps because unlawful trade waste is being disposed of at HRCs, which is ultimately at a cost to council tax paying residents. It could also be because householders can’t put old TVs etc in their bins. The result is likely to be a big increase in fly-tipping.

Cambridge Ice Rink The new ice rink in Cambridge is now open. The company building this had a lot of money from the University but SCDC was able to make them a large loan when they overran their budget due to finding lots of unexploded bombs on the site, an old military airfield run by Marshalls in Cambridge. We made the loan because we felt that this would be a significant attraction to the residents of South Cambridgeshire.

Genome Campus (Thanks to Councillor Douglas De Lacey of Girton who wrote this for his Parish Council): South Cambridgeshire has had a second briefing on the Genome Campus' proposals for a vast expansion of their site together with 1500 dwellings which would be exclusively for employees. The current workforce is some 2500; they anticipate this would rise to in excess of 8000. Therefore, a great deal of ancillary development is also envisaged including a school, hotel and retail units.

The proposals go against the South Cambs Local Plan but entail significant benefits for the community. It will also not fit the 40% affordable housing requirement because of the restrictions on how the housing will be handled; the scheme will make an overall loss not the usual developer's profits. We were told the total cost of the scheme is ÂŁ932,822,110.00; they must have some very competent bean-counters!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch should you have any questions or concerns: our contact details are in the Village Directory on page 62 of this magazine.

Meldreth Matters. Philippa Hart, District Councillor Jose Hales, District Councillor Susan van de Ven, County Councillor 40

New Yoga Class for Meldreth Meldreth Village Hall Mondays 9.00 – 10.30 am Starts 14th January 2019 and runs weekly during term time Friendly, supportive classes in a non-competitive environment helping you to develop strength, flexibility and well-being. Suitable for all abilities. £10 drop-in or £90 for a 10 class pass.

More details at www.yoga2.co.uk or email Chris and Shelagh: yoga2@btinternet.com

41

A New ‘temporary’ Park and Ride at Hauxton A site for a new Park and Ride has been approved by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, though it still requires planning permission.

It’s on the south side of the M11 junction in Hauxton and is officially called Cambridge South West Park and Ride.

This is a deeply fraught issue, largely arising in reactive mode to the inability of the Addenbrooke’s site staff and other Cambridge-bound commuters to get to work. The Addenbrooke’s site, now called Cambridge Biomedical Campus, has grown significantly but there is little car parking space for staff. Many doctors, nurses and others therefore rely on Trumpington Park and Ride, which is often at capacity; some work is already underway there for a small extension.

The new Park and Ride will cost about £20 million, from the Greater Cambridge Partnership budget (that’s government money for strategic growth, not council funding). It will increase traffic on local roads, and by decree of the Mayor can only be ‘temporary’. What does that mean?

The Mayor says the facility must be adapted to serve a new form of public transport (the funding for which is unknown) that would obviate the need for the currently planned P&R. Details of construction will become known at the planning application stage. The trenches that have recently appeared in the ground are part of the archaeological work preceding a planning application.

To give a sense of scale, the Trumpington P&R facility has about 1600 car park spaces, while the new Cambridge South West facility will have 2200 car park spaces. In addition to this extra capacity is a proposed 750-space car park, the ‘Foxton Travel Hub’. That’s quite a volume of car traffic coalescing around the A10, in an effort to intercept Cambridge-bound vehicle traffic, and it will inevitably introduce new problems. For more information on the Foxton Travel Hub, see https:// www.greatercambridge.org.uk/foxton-travel-hub-consultation/ or do attend the public consultation drop-in event Tuesday 8th October from 6.00-8.00pm Foxton Village Hall.

This extreme reactive situation reflects a failure over many years by the Local Transport Authority (previously Cambridgeshire County Council, now the Mayor) to develop a high-quality public transport system to mitigate against an increase in private car use. Instead, the local bus network has diminished rather than strengthened.

42

How did we get to this point?

Ten years ago, in 2009, there was cause for hope as the then Government’s ‘Transport Innovation Fund’ award was made to Cambridgeshire County Council to develop a sophisticated bus and public transport network, feeding in and out of Cambridge. Traffic modelling had shown that if nothing was done, gridlock congestion would become the norm.

This TIF was contingent upon the introduction of a Cambridge congestion charge, the proceeds of which would finance the public transport network. It was intended that the first step would be the creation of the public transport network; the congestion charge would only be introduced once public transport alternatives had been established, allowing private car drivers a choice.

The County Council supported the project on a cross-party basis, but then the government of the day found it didn’t have the money to deliver it, and it was abruptly cancelled.

In 2010, the County Council’s administration made national news by announcing that it intended to remove all bus subsidies, effectively ending rural bus services. A threat of judicial review caused the decision to be suspended pending a public consultation. Once having satisfied the requirement of a public consultation, the council amended its decision, so that subsidies would be removed in a phased manner instead of all at once, even though the consultation demonstrated the public harm that would be caused by the loss of rural bus services.

Those services that still survive, including the 127 in our area, have won annual stays of execution. Meanwhile other commercial services (like the old number 26 from the Mordens, Litlington, Bassingbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth, Barrington, Harston and on to Cambridge) have been withdrawn because of a fall in passenger numbers, attributed in part to buses getting stuck in traffic congestion and students ending up late for college.

It is this failure to develop public transport in the Greater Cambridge area (with the exception of rail which serves only a limited area) that has contributed to the current predicament whereby traffic into Cambridge is frequently gridlocked and Park and Ride is full.

Meanwhile, the Biomedical Campus continues to grow, and staff arriving from villages without public transport have no other option but to drive. What a mess.

Please note, if you are travelling to Addenbrooke’s from the A10 corridor, the relatively new Stagecoach Bus A from Royston, stopping at Melbourn, Shepreth, Foxton, Harston and Trumpington P&R, going 43

to Addenbrooke’s and on to Cambridge Station, Cambridge Regional College and St Ives, is a good and reliable service to hospital, partly because it follows the Guided Busway track from Trumpington P&R and misses out a chunk of Cambridge traffic congestion. And in case you were wondering, it is within this broad context that funding for the A10 cycle path was justified.

We’d be happy to try and answer any questions.

Susan van de Ven, Jose Hales and Philippa Hart County and District Councillors

Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group We meet next on Wednesday 9th October 7.30-9.00pm, at Shepreth Village Hall, in the meeting room around the back. Our agenda will be posted at meldrethsheprethfoxtonrail.org.

Susan van de Ven railusergroup@gmail.com 07905 325574 Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme Supporting people in Melbourn, Meldreth & Shepreth Can we help you? Your relative? Your neighbour?

What is the service?

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

Who provides the services?

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

What will it cost?

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

How can I join?

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

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme is a registered charity 44

Coton Electrical for all Domestic wiring Full rewiring Consumer units Lights and switches New sockets Gardens Kitchens & bathrooms

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Mobile: 07957 256320 Phone: 01763 260400 www.yourgreenlounge.com

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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 46

Meldreth Parish Council www.meldreth-pc.org.uk Meeting held on Thursday 5th September 2019 The main points of this meeting are set out below; the full formal minutes can be viewed on the website at www.meldreth-pc.org.uk and on the Parish Council notice board; these will be presented for approval at the next Parish Council meeting.

Discussions and decisions  Streetlights Project: There are changes in the management arrangements for street lights and parishes will henceforth be directly responsible for meeting the usage charges, rather than indirectly through the County Council. Discussions are taking place with other parishes and brokers to determine a cost effective arrangement with an agreed energy supplier. Maintenance responsibilities remain with the County Council.  Futures Working Group: Financial support was agreed as follows:

£1,500 to Meldreth Croquet Club as a contribution towards new rabbit proof fencing; £521 to Melbourn Amateur Dramatic Society for an additional microphone to be used in Meldreth Village Hall. An application in respect of the Meldreth Local History Group website was deferred until October as further information is required.  Kissing Gate at Station Footpath: The replacement with a more

accessible arrangement remains under review and County Councillor Susan van de Ven will keep us informed.  Meldreth Traffic Working Group: The mobile speed indicator

device has been ordered and discussions are taking place with Highways regarding road markings. These would include yellow lines near the Stocks junction where there is concern that parked vehicles are obstructing the view of traffic towards North End. Aurora will also be asked to request that their staff do not park in this location.  Mettle Hill: It was noted that our contractors have restored the

ditch on the north east boundary of the site.  Melwood: It was agreed to reimburse £25 in respect of the bird

walk organised with the British Trust for Ornithology.

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 GoCold Development Appeal: It was agreed that Councillor

Goddin and Mrs J. Damant (Clerk) would attend this Appeal hearing on Wednesday 13th November 2019 at South Cambridgeshire District Council. Councillor Goddin will offer to address the hearing and District Councillor Philippa Hart will also attend. The written submission to the Inspector and the requests under S106 were approved.  Street Name for Development at 70 Whitecroft Road: Thirteen

names were submitted for consideration, eight from the developer and five from local sources. A vote was taken on each of the names and “Westacre” was unanimously agreed to be supported by the Parish Council. It was noted that this was the name of the house on the site in which the Dash family lived and it was the preferred choice of the family. None of the other twelve names received majority support. The final decision will be taken by SCDC.  Recreation Ground: It was agreed that our Recreation Ground

Group would meet with the Futures Group to produce an overall plan for the recreation ground, to ensure that any equipment is installed in accordance with such an agreed plan. Alternatives for an early replacement of the “kick board” will be investigated as it is recognised that this is a popular piece of equipment. It was agreed that the second basketball/netball hoop would be ordered at a cost of £1500 including installation.

The new access gates at the Howard Road entrance have been installed. A new fence panel will be installed and a safety rail alongside the edge of the ditch. The ditch itself is scheduled to be cleared in the near future.

Signs will shortly be erected at the Recreation Ground with regard to dogs and dog fouling.  Tennis Courts Booking System: Councillor James agreed to

investigate alternative booking systems; it was noted that the LTA system reported on by the Tennis Club could be expensive and difficult to set up. This will be considered again at the October Council meeting. In the meantime the arrangements with the British Queen will continue.

Meldreth Parish Council

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

Office hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12.30-2.30pm By appointment at other times Parish Clerk: Mrs J Damant (01763) 269928 Mr R Goddin (Chairman) (01763) 260061

parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk goddin@btinternet.com

Mr R A Searles (Vice Ch)

(01763) 260435

robert.searles@btinternet.com

Mrs C J Fallon

(01763) 262822

joan.fallonpc@gmail.com

Mr N Garner

(01763) 268328

nickphgarner@gmail.com

Mrs P Gilmore

(01763) 263138

patgilmore.mpc@gmail.com

Dr R James

(01763) 261085

roger+pc@rogerjames.net

Mr C A Land

(01763) 261004

conradland@btinternet.com

Mr Nigel Pellatt

(01763) 262444

nppellatt@btconnect.com

Mr A Young

(01763) 263484

andrewmpc@gmail.com

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

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Planning Matters Parish Council Reference and Address

Detail

Parish Council Recommend

70 Whitecroft Road, S/1920/19/DC

Discharge of conditions (3) Materials and (14) Street Management of planning permission S/0241/18/FL.

Information Only. Noted with no comments

Chiswick End S/2635/19/VC

Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) pursuant to planning permission S/2635/19/VC

Recommend ‘No Recommendation’ with comments. ‘Concern was expressed as the drawings were not clear with regards to drainage and thus not to cause problems as flooding is an issue in this area’.

12 Chiswick End, S/2329/19/LB

Retention of roof lights W18 and W12, one set of patio doors with 2 side lights (minor changes to previous submission of S/1820/14/LB.

Recommend ‘Support’ with no comments.

SCDC Decisions Reference and Address

Parish Council Recommend

29 Elin Way, S/1906/19/FL

Permission has been for rear extension to replace existing conservatory

80a High Permission granted for replacement of conservatory roof Street, S/2243/19/FL 64 Whitecroft Permission granted for the erection of rear single storey annex Road S/2195/19/FL 2 Fenny Lane, Permission granted for installation of iron railing on top of a Geneva House wall resulting in a height of 1.41m S/2268/19/FL 50

Other Items: GoCold Development S/1502/17/FL Appeal Hearing on Wednesday 13th November at 10.00am at SCDC offices. Councillor Goddin and the Clerk will attend this appeal.

GoCold Development S/1502/17/FL A meeting was attended by Councillors Goddin and Gilmore, the Clerk and Mr Josh Rutherford (Highways officer) to look at the possibilities of extending and improving the footway from the railway bridge on Station Road towards Fieldgate. Two proposals were discussed: 1. To extend the footway but this leads to concerns that land behind the stench pipe and telegraph pole would need to be considered and this would be an extra cost.

2. Install a footway extension which would go in front of the stench pipe and telegraph pole along with a chicane. Highways will forward costings for both projects.

S106 Projects Other ideas for S106 projects were for improvements to the Village Hall.

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

Local Police Surgeries Join us at a police surgery to seek crime prevention advice or chat about any concerns in your community.

Surgeries will be held in Melbourn Hub, High Street Melbourn on the following Tuesdays: 1st October, 10.00am to 12 noon 5th November, 12.00 noon to 2.00pm 10th December, 2.00pm to 4.00pm Melbourn Parish Council 51

News From Heidi Allen, MP www.heidiallen.co.uk Well, nobody can accuse politics these days of being boring! The events of the past month have certainly tested our parliamentary democracy to the full.

As a result of the fast-moving national situation, I spent the month of August holding pop-up surgeries at various locations in and around the constituency; I am enormously grateful to the café owners, publicans, supermarkets and my team for facilitating these. It is always so important for me to hear the opinions of my constituents and gauge the feeling on the ground. So, in an effort to hear from all of you, in alphabetical order, thank you to the constituents of Bar Hill, Bourn, Cambourne, Dry Drayton, Fowlmere, Gamlingay, Girton, Grantchester, Great Eversden, Guilden Morden, Queen Edith’s, Sawston, Shelford, Shepreth and Swavesey who turned out in droves to express their opinions and share their concerns. If I haven’t visited your patch yet, please keep an eye on my website as I’ll be holding more meetings shortly.

It is my responsibility to represent these concerns on the national stage and consequently, I have been working extremely hard to ensure that our parliamentary process is upheld and that my constituents are placed front and centre of any future decisions that impact the United Kingdom. By the time you read this, events will have moved on again but please keep talking to me to express your opinions and ideas as we navigate unchartered territory.

Roads were a focus this month for me, as I attended the Duxford Road Safety Day, arranged by one of the families in my constituency whose lives have been devastated by dangerous driving. Since I became aware of the laws surrounding dangerous driving, I have worked with several families in the constituency for over two years to try to get the law changed. I also met with the then Secretary of State, Rory Stewart to ask when the legislation to make the law tougher would be brought forward. In spite of consulting on this and preparing a response which toughens up dangerous driving punishments, the government have not yet brought this before the House. We urgently need to ensure that this law is changed, so that more lives are saved. I will continue to push for action on this important reform issue.

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I returned to Duxford to celebrate the Duxford Soap Box Derby which is always one of my favourite constituency events.

This brilliant event raises vital funds for Cancer Research UK and brings out the clowns in all of us!

Residents career around a grand prix track in any sort of Heidi and Phil Allen at the Duxford Soap Box improvised go kart Derby on Sunday 1st September 2019 vehicle – I think I even saw someone travelling in a bath!

The power of the South Cambridgeshire community to do good should never be underestimated. I’m looking forward to hearing the total amount raised.

As ever, my newsletter can only provide a snapshot of my work but if there is anything you would like to talk to me about, please visit my website for details of my upcoming surgeries - https://heidiallen.co.uk/ constituency-surgeries. In the meantime, if you would like to contact me, please email heidi.allen.mp@parliament.uk or call my office on (01223) 830037. My team and I are always available to help constituents with any concerns.

I look forward to sharing more news with you next month.

Heidi Allen MP

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Free Energy Efficiency Reviews for Businesses Small and medium sized businesses in the wider Cambridgeshire area are being offered free independent professional advice, delivered by some of the best energy efficiency consultants in the country, to help them enhance their green credentials this autumn.

The free energy efficiency reviews are made possible thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and will help businesses to identify the cost and carbon savings that can be made through becoming more energy efficient, giving their businesses a competitive advantage whilst being eco-friendly too.

Since its inception in 2017, the Business Energy Efficiency (BEE) programme, delivered by Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), has supported over 200 businesses in the wider Cambridgeshire area identifying over £1.2million of potential cost savings, and 6,290 tonnes of carbon savings. That’s the equivalent of 1145 flights from London to Sydney.

With carbon reporting requirements potentially on the horizon for every business, BEE is urging organisations to act now and take advantage of the free energy efficiency reviews, allowing businesses to prioritise where energy efficiency measures will have the biggest impact, in order to make well informed business decisions.

Antony Gough, Project Manager at BEE, explained, “Our fully-funded reviews are undertaken by highly experienced professionals. They will look at the energy usage within your company, and identify the cost and carbon savings available from switching to alternative technologies such as LED lighting, heating and insulation, or solar PV. If you wish to undertake any of the recommendations, the team at BEE can help you to identify any suitable funding sources that are available to you.”

There are general eligibility criteria that need to be met to qualify for support from BEECP, but typically 95% of organisations contacting the programme are likely to be eligible.

Businesses can sign up for free expert advice, delivered by some of the best energy efficiency consultants in the country, at https://www.beecp.org/sign-up or call the BEE team on (01733) 882549.

Cath Boughton Marketing Officer, PECT 55

Chimney Fires In Cambridgeshire, we experience an average of 81 chimney fires a year. Whatever fire type you have or fuel you burn, it is vitally important you have your chimney swept to avoid a build-up of ash and soot.

As we enter autumn, follow our ‘top tips’ below to ensure your home is kept safe and warm all year round.

Chimneys and Fires  Have your chimney swept once a year or more frequently if you burn wood  Avoid burning resinous woods that quickly build up soot; only burn fuels suitable for your burner eg. never burn anything other than wood in a wood burner  Do not overload the grate/appliance. Do not bank fires too high and remember to let them burn out well before you go to bed  Check the hearth, floor and furnishings near the fire for hot sparks/ embers  Do not place objects on or over the mantelpiece which cause you to stand too close to the fire in order to reach them  Use a fire/spark guard to prevent accidental fires and make sure it has the kite mark or conforms to British/ European standards  Inspect your chimney breast, particularly the roof space. Make sure it is sound and that sparks/fumes cannot escape through cracks or broken bricks.

Wood/Multi-Fuel Burners  A qualified and competent engineer should install all wood/multifuel burners and boilers and regular maintenance should be undertaken to prolong the working life of such appliances.

Specialist servicing and maintenance will usually be provided by the company you purchased the appliance from but you can also refer to www.solidfuel.co.uk for advice and information.  Ensure correct ventilation is in place when the appliance is in use  Wood burning appliances should only be fuelled with the quality of wood recommended by the supplier  Regularly inspect the chimney and flues 56

 Generally wood should be kept dry and stored for around two years before use so that it is well-seasoned  Avoid wet or newly felled wood as this will cause tar/creosote deposits to form in the burning appliance and chimney  Avoid laminated chip boards which will leave binding glue deposits  For each slow burning period there should follow a quick burn to dry out unwanted tar/creosote deposits and to warm up the chimney again  At the end of each burning season and at least once during the season. the entire system should be cooled and thoroughly cleaned to maintain top performance.

Most importantly Fit a smoke alarm that carries the kite mark or British Standard Number 5446 and test your alarm weekly by pressing the test button and know the life of your battery. Always install a Carbon Monoxide alarm in the room where the burner is installed.

Cambridgeshire Fires & Rescue

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57

P.D. Property Services Specialists in made to measure window coverings: Beautifully made and locally produced Curtains and Roman Blinds Suppliers of Sanderson, William Morris, Harlequin, Scion, Prestigious Textiles Top branded designer Wallpapers and soft furnishings Roller, Vertical, Pleated, Wood, PVC and Aluminium Venetian Blinds Contemporary window dressings: Plantation shutters and Awnings Experts in home automated motorised solutions FREE- NO OBLIGATION QUOTATIONS. FIND US AT Phillimore Garden Centre, Cambridge Road, Melbourn. SG8 6EY Tel: 01763 263399 www.sageblinds.co.uk Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm & Sat 9am-4pm

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58

Charity News: HomeStart Royston & South Cambridgeshire AGM: Tuesday 22nd October We hope you can join us for our AGM at Melbourn Community Hub, 30 High Street, Melbourn, SG8 6DZ , at 8.00pm.

Parking is available in the car park opposite The Hub. Refreshments will be served from 7.30pm prior to the meeting.

This will be a perfect opportunity for you to hear about the difference we are making to families in our local community

Quiz Night: Saturday 26th October 7.00pm for 7.30pm Fowlmere Village Hall Chrishall Road, Fowlmere Royston, SG8 7RY We welcome teams of 6 and please feel free to give your team a name.

Unable to make a full team? Just let us know and we will include you in a team. £13.50 per person, to include a ploughman’s supper, licensed bar and a raffle.

Please reserve tickets by Thursday 24th October. Tickets are available from: Home-Start Royston & South Cambridgeshire, Unit 6, Valley Farm, Station Road, Meldreth, SG8 6JP. Tel: (01763) 262262 or email: admin@hsrsc.org.uk www.hsrsc.org.uk.

Fundraiser for Home-Start. Charity No. 1105385.

Tracy Aggett Office Manager, HSRSC 59

Charity News: Healthwatch Hear Here: Patients want to be listened to: Patients in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough want to be listened to by health professionals, especially those patients with long-term conditions who are often experts in their own health and want health professionals to listen and acknowledge their own knowledge and experience about their condition.

A new report from Healthwatch into people’s views on improving local NHS services shows that good communication is really important to people. Eight hundred people across the region gave their views to Healthwatch. Most want face-to-face meetings and they also want emails and letters about their health in simple, plain English with no complicated medical jargon.

Share your views too: Healthwatch, the independent champion for people using health and social care services, wants to hear from you.

Need information about health or care services?

Healthwatch can help you find:  Health or care services near to you  What to do if you have a concern or complaint  Organisations that can give you help or advice Get in touch:  Via our website: http://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/content/haveyour-say  Call us on 0330 355 1285 (local call number) or Email us at: enquiries@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk Read more about the “What would you do?” report on the Healthwatch website: http://www.healthwatchcambridgeshire.co.uk/news/what-would-you-do.

Kari Payne Communications Officer Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

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

Cycling Group Local History Group Lunch Club Melwood Cons. Group

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

Photographic Group

www.melbourn-photographic-club.co.uk

Revelation U3A WI

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

Sport

Bowls Club Croquet Club Meldreth United FC Table Tennis Tennis Club

Vivien Constable—(01223) 207557 Janet Pope—(01763) 248239 07930 650036 Christine Knight—(01763) 261676 (01763) 243376; http://cspark.at/Meldr2

Church

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

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

Baby & Toddler Group Hartbeeps Pre-School Primary School

Thea Peacock—07930 893201 Kelly@hartbeeps.com 07518 173653; www.meldrethPreschool.com (01763) 260432; www.meldreth.cambs.sch.uk

Parish Council District Councillors

Please see details at end of Parish Council report Philippa Hart—07811 323571 Jose Hales—07703 262649 03450 450500; www.scambs.gov.uk/ Susan van de Ven—07905 325574 susanvandeven.mycouncillor.org.uk/ 0345 045 5200; www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ Heidi Allen—(01954) 212707; www.heidiallen.co.uk

Councils & Govt.

Clubs & Societies

Facilities

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

Childn.

Village Directory

District Council Offices County Councillor County Council Offices MP

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

Rail User Group

07905 325574; www.meldrethsheprethfoxtonrail.org.uk

Transport

Govia/Great Northern

www.thameslinkrailway.com

The Trainline Stagecoach Potholes, Highways problems, etc.

Streetlights (faulty)

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

Health

Melbourn Surgery Addenbrooke’s NHS

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

Childline

Community Transport Home-Start Melbourn Time Bank Mind (mental health) Samaritans

0800 1111 (24 hours) Cambridge: 0344 848 7979 Royston: 03444 111 444 www.citizensadvice.org.uk (01763) 245228; www.roytrans.co.uk (01763) 262262; www.hsrsc.org.uk (01763) 263303; https://tol2.timebanking.org/melbourn 0300 123 3393 (9am-6pm M-F); www.mind.org.uk 116 123 (24 hours); www.samaritans.org

General Emergency Gas Electricity Anglian Water Cambridge Water

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

Crimestoppers

S Cambs Fire & Rescue

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

Melbourn Hub

(01763) 263303; www.melbournhub.com

Royston Museum

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

Misc.

NonEmerg.

Emergencies

Support Services

Station Ticket Office

Citizens Advice Bureau

Police

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

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

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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.

Abode Town & Country………Cover ADDS………………………………....34 AngliEAR Hearing ..........................41 Art of Clean ....................................46 Art of Clean Wood ..........................27 Aurora Meldreth Manor (Job)..........58 B2B Automotive ..............................12 Cam Valley Orchards ......................16 Cambourne Self Storage ..................46 Cambridge Solar ............................61 CHS Day Centre .............................12 CHS Group .....................................46 Coton Electrical ..............................45 The Country Store ...........................31 Dog Walker/Animal Sitter ...............46 Ely Design Group ............................16 Eternit Sports and Social Club .........27 Gilhooly ....................................Cover The Green Lounge ...........................45 Huw Shortle Window Cleaning .......49 iPlaster ............................................46 Lawn Partners ................................61 The Letting Centre ..........................11 Little Hands Nursery School ...........49

Melbourn Flooring ..........................57 Melbourn Village College (1) ............61 Melbourn Village College (2) .......Cover Meldreth Landscapes .......................31 Meldreth Plant Hire .........................53 Moncraft Computers .......................27 Nancy Foster Footcare .....................54 Newlings of Royston Funeral Service 54 Nigel Wigg Home Improvement ......31 Office to Let .......................…… ......11 P D Property Services ….…...….....…58 Penn Farm Physiotherapy……………27 Reflections Hair Studio ....................12 Richard Burns Electrician .................31 Rod’s PC Support ............................54 Royston Fencing ..............................49 Sage Blinds and Interiors .................58 Shelford Energy ...............................11 Slimming World ..............................45 Summit Landscapes ..........................34 Village Garden Services ...................11 Walkers Partnership Solicitors .........34 Yoga2 Classes ..................................41 Z Web Hosting ..........................Cover 64

G I L H O O LY

Unit 1, Whitecroft Rd, Meldreth, Royston, SG8 8NE

MOTS Cars and vans Service and repairs to all COMMERCIALS HORSE BOXES MINI BUSES

VANS

Flexible working hours to suit you Monday — Saturday

Phone Mick on: 01763 263248

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