January 2020 Happy New Year.

Touching moment young Edward and Baldock legend G La Roche - Photo by Lisa Burgess

Raising awareness of what’s on & where to find things locally

Issue 63 January 2020

www.onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Baldock, Ashwell, Weston and surrounding villages

Welcome

As we write this we are just one week away from Christmas, wondering where the year has gone and when on earth we are going to find time to start the Christmas shopping!

Despite our last minute present dash, the town has been full of Christmas spirit throughout December.

Massive congratulations and thank you's are owed to Katy and Stuart Matthews and their fantastic team who organised this years Christmas Fair! They covered all bases with amazing food, drink and entertainment ahead of the big Christmas light switch on - they even dressed and helped to choose the tree!

This months cover photo was a no brainer for us, an awesome moment of community spirit and two generations joining together, captured during G La Roche's set at the Christmas Fair. Social media lit up when the picture was posted and the front cover demands started rolling in. And apparently G has made it his mission to get in the cover of every issue throughout 2020!

The Baldock Rotary Club need a huge round of applause for the Christmas lights in the town and helping Santa's sleigh make its way around Baldock and the surrounding villages putting smiles on the younger residents faces.

It's nice to have the election out of the way before the New Year. 2020 will certainly be an interesting year for the country, who knows where we'll be this time next year!

As always the new year presents us all with the perfect opportunity to reset and have a fresh start. If you're looking to get in shape or shift a few festive pounds read the Slimming World members story on page about the two young ladies who did exactly that last year.

If you need a good fitness challenge to aim for, why not sign up for the infamous Baldock Beast? This year it will take place on Sunday 23rd February, you can find more details on page 23.

We'd like to wish all our team, advertisers and you a very happy and prosperous 2020!

Paul & Jacqui info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk Jacqui Calver 07973 788418

Disclaimer All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however On Our Doorstep Baldock cannot take any responsibility for the content of adverts or services provided by the advertisers. Reproduction on whole or in part of this publication without prior permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited.

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Baldock Christmas Fayre Good weather brought the crowds out in Baldock for another great community event at the Christmas Fayre on Saturday 7 December. Visitors went around the town to the 60 stalls, spread out at different venues. Signs made by the boys at Brandles school signposted people around and it was nice to see so many venues used. On the high street a funfair, ‘food hero’s’ food court and a bar run by The Baldock Beer fes val commi ee kept everyone refreshed.

The new organisers Stuart Ma hews, Katy Ma hews, Alistair Willoughby and Tara Geere were really happy with the amazing turnout. ‘We are really grateful for everyone who came down and

supported us, the weather was much be er than in previous years and meant everyone could stay and listen to The G ‘Balstock’ La Roche music line up.

The stage had a brilliant compare in Darren Woodhouse. Complete with an inflatable stage sponsored by SRM security so that the music and Simon the Snowman could keep the crowds entertained un l Father Christmas arrived in Baldock Rotary sleigh to turn

on the new lights on the tree again sponsored by SRM security.

The Tree fes val and Gingerbread house compe on had some high standard entries.

The remembrance tree collec on with money to The Garden House Hospice is being counted alongside the Collec on buckets on the street in aid of the Herts and Essex air ambulance.

The commi ee will be planning for bigger and be er next year. Date to be announced in the new year ...

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At Weston Way Nursery School.

On Friday 22nd November we had our annual Christmas Pudding Day, a tradi on that has been going on at the nursery for well over 40 years!

It is always exci ng to see all the children walking up the path to the nursery clutching their bag of ingredients. The children are encouraged to weigh out the various ingredients at home with their parents.

Parents and Grandparents are invited to come with the children to help in the pudding making process. The nursery had a very fes ve atmosphere with Christmas music playing and smells of

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cinnamon, lemon zest and treacle!

We had over 70 addi onal helpers and they did an admirable job of ensuring every child went home with a pudding with the cooking instruc ons. There was a great deal of clearing up to do a erwards but with so many helpers the nursery was back to its 'former glory' in no me at all.

Some of the parents' comments: 'Proof of the pudding will be in the ea ng on Christmas Day! We thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

Great organisa on and the chance to meet other parents within the group.'

'I thought it was a lovely ac vity which helped to encourage the children's independence.'

'We had a really lovely morning on Christmas Pudding Day. My daughter was so excited and loved the fact that she has a special badge to keep forever. We can't wait to eat the pudding!'

'I thought it was a lovely, fun and well organised event. My son and I enjoyed it and it was lovely to see the nursery in full swing!'

Beavers Go Wild!

In November 1st Baldock Beavers visited Shrepreth Wild Animal Park.

We all met at our Scout hut with all our bags for the day and sleeping bags for the night!

We then walked to Baldock train sta on and the lovely railway people escorted us on the train to Shepreth.

They were very friendly and helped us across the tracks so we arrived at Shepreth Wild Animal Park safely.

We had a lovely day at the park seeing all the animals and playing on their pirate ship. The beavers especially liked the o ers, gers and bat cave.

Once the park closed it was ge ng dark and the beavers were really excited to be able to take the train back to Baldock, followed by a very noisy walk through the town back to our Scout hut.

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There was no let up to the fun as we then ate fish and chips and played games before ge ng ready for bed.

I would like to report that all the beavers were so exhausted a er a fun packed day in the outdoors they all fell asleep instantly and slept all night ll 7am.

However, they did all sleep eventually and some did struggle to wake up in me for bacon bu es the next morning before going home.

A really good day out was had by all.

Copy Deadline for the February issue is 15th January

Baldock Rotary Club recently welcomed Arai Rinko, a visitor from Japan, to the club. Rinko is being supported by Baldock Rotary Club as a Global Scholar and will spend 12 months in the UK studying and visi ng Rotary clubs in the area.

Rinko is being hosted by Rotarian Keith Bri er and his wife Carol and will be studying at the London School of Economics. She came to Baldock Rotary Club to make a presenta on which introduced herself to members and described her background, educa on and her degree studies to date.

She was born in Yokohama and went to school in Kawasaki and did her undergraduate degree at Osaka, Kobe and Toronto. She is a member of Yokohama Azami Rotary Club which was the first female centred Rotary Club in Japan, having 10 female members of the 14 members.

For the next 12 months her studies at the LSE will be in the Department of Anthropology studying for an MSc in 'China in Compara ve Perspec ve', the theme of which will focus on the language / educa on policy in Xinjiang province in western China.

You may recall that this topic has featured in the news recently and is the subject of much debate about the Chinese policy in this area.

Rinko's research will look at language policy / ideology as a cause behind the conflict.

Following her gradua on, she will begin a PhD in Linguis c Anthropology and hopes to become a specialist in China / Xinjiang ma ers and to contribute to the resolu on of the ethnic conflict.

Rinko gave an enlightening talk and was praised for her English language skills and her excellent presenta on.

Keith and Carol will host Rinko in Baldock over Christmas which should lead to an interes ng exchange of seasonal customs.

Baldock Rotary Club looks forward to welcoming Rinko back to the club during her stay in this country.

Rotarian Paul Lucke

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Successful New Years Resolutis It is likely that when reading this you are feeling a bit deflated, (or inflated!)

You may be si ng reading this on your new IPad wearing your new jumper, smelling deligh ully of your new a ershave/perfume but feeling a li le miserable due to the January slump. The dark mornings make it difficult to get out of bed and the weather causes you to fantasise about ge ng back under the duvet as soon as possible.

Never fear! The days are staying lighter for longer and spring is just around the corner. ..

At the end of the Christmas break, a er we have eaten twice our body weight in food and worked our way through the alcohol stock, it is easy to reflect on our lives and make decisions to make some changes, perhaps to be fi er, lose weight, stop smoking, drink less alcohol or to be nicer to people! Pu ng them into ac on is a lot more difficult.

We know that an unhealthy lifestyle isn't the best thing for us and that we are pushing our luck, we know all of this but surely, this isn't something we need to worry about just yet, is it?

The thing with health problems is that they sneak up on us without us realising that they're happening. We naturally lose muscle mass as we age, if we are

not ac ve our muscle mass decreases 0.5-2% per year which results in a 2-4% loss of muscle strength. Our fat percent increases and before we know it we are over-weight. This all starts to happen as young as our 30's. A sedentary lifestyle contributes to this process and we gain even more weight which increases the risk of developing a whole shopping list of medical problems including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthri s and some forms of cancer. Add into the mix nico ne, alcohol and stress and we really are well and truly stru ng along the road of self - destruct.

Every year we vow to do something about it but by the end of March we've given up.

There are lots of reasons why we fail, we aim too high, we crave what we are denying ourselves or we just don't have the right mindset.

Locus of Control Psychologists believe that Locus of Control is an important part of our personality; it refers to our percep on regarding our des ny, whether we feel we are in control or we are at the mercy of external forces, otherwise known as Internal and External Locus of Control.

People with Internal Locus of Control: Are more likely to take responsibility for their own ac ons .Tend to be less influenced by the opinions of other people. Are self-mo vated and tend to work hard to achieve the things they want .Feel confident in the face of challenges People with external Locus of Control: Blame outside forces or other people for their circumstances or failures .Don't believe that they can change their situa on themselves .Frequently feel hopeless or powerless if faced with difficult situa ons .Are not self-mo vated Basically, if you are more towards the Internal Locus of Control being successful with your New Years' Resolu ons will be easier than if you have more External traits. This doesn't mean that you can't reach your goals, it just means that you may need more support. For smokers, this would mean that if they try to stop on their own it usually results in failure but with the support of a trained specialist and some nico ne replacements they will be more likely to succeed.

In the fitness world we see this all the me; the customer who comes in and needs extra support and mo va ng every step of the way to others who just want to get on with it with minimal contact with fitness instructors. Everyone is different and a the team at Knights Sports Centre are trained to be able to recognise those who need extra help.

No ma er if you have tried before we are ready to help you try again, remember the choices we make and how we live our lives result from what we believe, influences from other forces and our personality, these can all be re-taught you just have to know how to do it!

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2019 Poppy Appeal Photo - David Chapman

A er the phenomenal success of the 2018 Poppy Appeal (Over £20,000), we were concerned that we would not be anywhere near that total for this year.

However, we, and that means everyone, have managed to collect a total for the two weeks of selling poppies of £16, 284.60!

A massive thank you to all the collectors, establishments who hosted Poppy Pots, Tesco, Baldock Xtra Services and the Great Northern Railway who allowed our

collectors to operate on their premises, and of course all the generous supporters who donated such huge sums.

Whilst the main effort for the Poppy Appeal is the two weeks prior to Remembrance Sunday, when we sell poppies and merchandise, we con nue to raise funds through the rest of the year.

This may be from organised events such as concerts, dinners or coffee mornings, or from the contents of your home collec ng pots.

The funds raised by the Poppy Appeal will be used in their en rety to provide support to the Armed Forces Community, which includes serving and re red soldiers, sailors and airmen, but also their widows and families, whenever they find themselves in hardship.

Remembrance is also a major func on of the Royal Bri sh Legion, as seen with the parade and service observed at the Baldock War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday. An es mated 700 people joined together in this community event to remember those who made the ul mate sacrifice. We were once again blessed with clear dry weather, perhaps as a result of having four local clergymen to lead the service. Knights Templar School students provided music, Richard played the 'Last Post' immaculately and more students read out the names of the fallen. Lead by the deputy Lord Lieutenant, Janie Wentworth-Stanley represen ng the Queen, Sir Oliver Heald Q.C. and representa ves of military and ex-service associa ons, local authori es, youth organisa ons, churches and schools, plus local organisa ons laid their wreaths.

It was a pleasure to hear the young voices clearly sing the hymn and Na onal Anthem, a credit to their leaders. Young Ruby sang her poignant song with great skill and hear elt emo on.

The service would not have been possible without the joint efforts of numerous people distribu ng orders of service, 'Troopers' Motorcycle club who acted as stewards, Rob Scahill who provided the P.A. system, P.C. Sean Deal whose team kept us safe, Tim Litchfield and the K.T.S. students. Equally important was the support from Tracey Chapman in providing the Youth Wing of the Community Centre and the ladies who served up the well-needed cup of tea a er the service, not forge ng Tescos who provided the makings.

The Royal Bri sh Legion, Baldock branch meets (generally) on the third Monday of each month. For further informa on and to see images from Remembrance Sunday, visit our Facebook page.

Paul Middleton.

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JANUARY MOVIES JANUARY 1st - JO JO RABBIT A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism. Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures

JANUARY 1st - THE GENTLEMEN The Gentlemen is a Guy Ritchie film in the classic sense, back to the days of Lock Stock and Snatch. A star-studded sophisticated action crime comedy, it follows American expat Mickey Pearson who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him

JANUARY 17th - BAD BOYS FOR LIFE Whatcha gonna do? Bad Boys for life is coming to a cinema near you! Will Smith and Martin Lawrence link up as old-school cops Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. It seems Burnett is looking forward to retirement, but Lowrey isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet and manages to persuade his partner to undertake one last mission. Along with a newly created elite team with Mike and Marcus go up against the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.

JANUARY 17th - BOMBSHELL Already an Osar tipped movie, with a star studded cast.

Based on the real scandal from back in 2016, Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and contraversial media empire of all time; Fox News, and the explosive story of the women who brought it down the infamous media mogul Roger Ailes ,who created it.

Staring Chalize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and John Lithgo

JANUARY 24th - THE PUBLIC Two-time Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbour.

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The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless and mentally ill, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians who often build emotional connections for the regular patrons. At odds with library officials over how to handle an extreme weather event, the Patrons turn the building into a homeless shelter for the night. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand off with police.

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EXERCISE IN 2020– SHALL I? The new decade has dawned, and if you are honest you need to live a healthier lifestyle. Every paper, magazine and tv advert is telling you it's me to exercise.

You've got the odd twinge here and there and all in all, it's probably best to wait un l the weather warms up and your joints feel be er. There's quite a bit of Christmas chocolate s ll hanging about that needs to be dealt with too, so best to get on with that and think about things for a few weeks - or is it?

If you do have some twinges there will be a reason for them and you should get them checked out before you embark up on any exercise.

Our Osteopath Tom fully assessed a pa ent recently, iden fying ghtness and imbalances in the lower back, he treated the pa ent and gave her stretching exercises to do. He also referred the pa ent to Ian our Podiatrist as he believed there were other issues as the pa ent was complaining of foot pain as well as back pain which are o en connected.

Our podiatrist Ian iden fied a bunion on her le foot and leg length discrepancy and prescribed custom insoles.

Pain in the upper body in lower back, hips, knees can o en stem from an issue with ankles or feet. Ortho cs (correc ve insoles) can help – the mere men on of having ortho cs may make you cringe but the great Usain Bolt is an Ambassador for Enertor Ortho cs which are prescribed here by Podiatrists at Amber.

So, if Mr. Bolt is relying on them for performance, you can too.

Exercise is good for the soul and is proven to help with our mental health. Our pa ent is back out walking and playing badminton and her feet and back issues she tells us, have lessened considerably.

Have you ever returned from a walk or an ac vity and said to yourself “I wish I hadn't done that”? You feel good! So, serve up a bowl of “feeling pleased with yourself” and let somebody else finish the selec on boxes and Christmas cake.

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NextBase 422GW Dash Cam with Emergency Service Notication and Alexa Dash Cams have become a hugely popular and important piece of in-car technology. Not only do they act as an independent witness in court by recording everything that happens both in front of your car as well as behind (if you have a rear-view camera), in fact, Tesla has recently updated their vehicles to support 'Sentry' mode to monitor all around the car using their mul ple cameras.

The increase in Dash Cam use has by recognised by insurance companies and police as an extremely helpful accessory in the event of both accidents and other inves ga ons where individuals have gone missing and have been picked up on dashcam.

In the UK, the law states that a Dash Cam must NOT distract the driver or obscure the view of the road. If you decide to share the footage, faces and number plates should be blurred and unrecognisable. so bear this in mind if you decide to upload some footage to Facebook or YouTube.

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I have spent the last couple of weeks reviewing the NextBase 422GW a dashcam burs ng with so many features, it would be impossible to list everything here!

Out of the boxes, the main dashcam and the addi onal rear camera module are both solidly built devices with a comfor ng amount of weight about them that feels durable. I also had a NextBase MicroSD card to store my footage. You also receive a very long power cable with 12v connector and the op on of using either suc on or s cky mount to affix the camera to your windscreen.

The 422GW's features rely heavily on the use of an iOS or Android App which connects over both Bluetooth for general communica on and WiFi for downloading videos to your device. It also supports Alexa and Handsfree calling which was quite useful as it allows voice instruc ons to download the recorded video to your mobile device (if that's your thing!). You can also enter emergency informa on into the app which allows the device to automa cally contact the emergency services if it detects an accident. Don't worry, it won't do this immediately, you do get to intervene before Police or Ambulances are summoned.

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The most obvious feature of a dashcam is the quality of the video that it takes.

The 422GW packs a F1.3 sensor recording at 1440p at 30 FPS or 1080p at 60 FPS. The quality of the video is excellent even in low light and darkness, I was seriously impressed. If you (like I did) installed the addi onal rear camera, the unit records both videos at the same me and you can set the rear camera to either record inside the cockpit or the rear window. I was unsure how this would turn out, but again I was really impressed with the results.

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We hope everyone enjoyed a happy Christmas.

The Christmas term is certainly a busy one in schools and Hartsfield is no excep on. Hartsfield children performed fes ve shows to their parents/carers as well as members of our school community. The Friends of Hartsfield organised a wonderful Christmas Fair, raising nearly £3000 for school. As well as providing a fun a ernoon, this money is invaluable in enhancing the educa on opportuni es of all our children.

The photo here shows Mrs Prior, with some Year 3 & 4 children who have forged community links with some residents of Magdalene Court. This is proving to be a very enriching rela onship that is valued by all. Our visits to Magdalene Court incorporate playing card and other games, reading

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and cha ng as well as enjoying talking about shared experiences.

Residents have visited school performances throughout the year and talked to our Year 6 children about WWII. Even in the winter months, outdoor ac vity is important for all our children.

We have recently had some of the fencing in our grounds moved to enable children to have a con nuous hard surface on which to run/walk our ‘daily mile’ of exercise.

The new year brings new opportuni es for children to try something new with lots of extra-curricular clubs available for children throughout the school. We encourage children to ‘have a go’ and see what new skills they can develop. This spring we will be offering clubs for French, Spanish, Crea ve Chefs, Street Dance, Labtots and Art to name a few on top of our year rounds sports clubs and choir.

If any families with nursery aged children are looking at school op ons, please do look at our school website www.hartsfield.herts.sch.uk for informa on about our school and an opportunity to view to view the school on 8th January before the applica on window closes on 15th January 2020.

Baldock County Market We have just Celebrated our 35th Birthday in Baldock Country Markets started as WI Markets in 1919 when people were encouraged to grow and produce their own food for sale. Baldock WI Market began in 1984 in the Community Centre in Baldock. In 2004 on the advice from the Charity Commissioners the WI separated from the Markets as they are a charity and we are a business and that is when Country Markets began. Herts Country Markets Ltd have 9 Markets in Her ordshire spread over the County and to become a member of one of the Markets a 5p membership fee is charged.

Baldock Country Market is held every Friday morning (except Good Friday) in the Victoria Public House, Sun Street from 9.30am to 11.45pm. We sell a wide variety of cakes, biscuits and savouries and we have a gluten free cook. All our cooks have to have a Level 2 Hygiene Cer ficate in order to produce for us. We also sell jams, marmalades

and preserves, fruit juice, chutneys and honey, vegetables, plants, flowers, free range eggs and a wide variety of cra .

We have ample sea ng inside and you can buy tea, coffee and la es as well as homemade bar snacks. It is a chance to meet up with friends.

We do have a stall at local events eg the annual Baldock Street Fair and the Christmas Market. We will also provide catering for cricket teas, funeral teas, celebra on cakes, office mee ngs and special foods for those with food intolerances.

You may see some of our members walking around Baldock town centre on a Friday morning calling on our customers in the local shops and offices for people who cannot leave work to visit us. We also offer a delivery service around Baldock for those who cannot get out to see us, and could offer a delivery service in the early evening for those of you at work. We can be contacted on: 07887 924 929 or email baldockcountymarket@outlook.com or take a look at our facebook page Baldock County Market Do visit the Market and see what we have on offer – we look forward to seeing you.

We hope you had wonderful celebra ons to welcome in the new decade! We thought you might like to hear what tradi ons some other countries have when it comes to New Year's Eve. Some are very different to our tradi ons…

Spain - Eat a grape with every strike of the bell at midnight for prosperity - only then can you say "Happy New Year!"

Finland - Throw molten metal into cold water then predict the future from its shape – a heart or ring means a wedding, a ship signifies travel and a pig means plenty of food.

Croa a - It's ok to have roast pork, wild boar or rabbit stew for dinner on New Year's Day but not lobster or crab as they move backwards (or sideways!) which can lead to setbacks in the coming year.

Italy - Wear red underwear for good luck, throw pots, pans and clothes out of the window to let go of the past and eat len ls for money and good fortune.

Colombia - Walk around the block with an empty suitcase for lots of travel in the New Year and wear yellow underwear for good luck!

Ecuador - Make a large scarecrowlike doll, o en in the image of some disliked person or celebrity, and set them on fire at midnight, symbolising riddance of the bad things from the past year.

Brazil - Wear white to ward off bad spirits and in coastal towns give offerings (usually flowers) to Lemanjá, Goddess of the Sea, and jump seven waves for good fortune.

Japan - Dress up in the coming years' zodiac animal, decorate your house with lobsters for longevity and clean the house from top to toe.

South Africa - Throw old furniture or appliances out of the window (police in Johannesburg have cracked down on this due to the number of pedestrian injuries!)

And now that your own New Year celebra ons are over why don't you make 2020 the year you get organised with Wills, Las ng Powers of A orney or a pre-paid Funeral Plan? We are here to help as soon as you are ready!

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Baldock Gardens

By Graham Tapp

Happy new year.

I've just written the first three words, and now I'm sitting staring at the heading above them wondering where the 33 years since I moved to Baldock have gone? Many things have changed in the horticultural world in that time. It seems that we have some significant changes coming to our gardens and countryside. If you look around you as you walk out and about, not necessarily in the country, but in the local planted areas, you will see subtle changes.

Plants and trees are slowly being infected by diseases that should not be found in Great Britain or Europe.

We have some enormously skilled and very talented Scientists in this country and in collaboration with our European partners are trying very hard to counter these attacks, you may not hear of or see some of these dreadful diseases for a while yet. Still, I can confirm they are on the way or here hiding within our plant scape.

One such disease is something called Xylella, in simple terms, to explain it has many forms and the three we need to be aware of and extremely concerned about are - Xylella.fastidiosa.pauca - Xylella. fastidiosa.multiplex and Xylella.subsp.fastidiosa. These will cause havoc and most likely kill the infected plants. A legal requirement of the general public will be to report and destroy them before they take hold under new notifiable plants, pests and diseases laws that will inevitably be passed by Government shortly. Brexit or not, we will have to work with our European friends to try and stop the never-ending march towards our countries of such destruction.

You may think "Destruction"? and ask what is he talking about this time?

Let me explain, In Southern Italy, there is at this very moment a nasty bacterial disease, it is, in fact, one of the Xyelella's mentioned earlier. It arrived on an infected coffee plant and subsequently established its self in the Olive Groves that are abundant in that part of Italy upwards of sixty million trees. This particular strain is found widely over central and southern America, in coffee, citrus and vines.

Having reached Europe it has discovered many host plants that have no resistance to it and will die in large numbers.

Returning to my quote "Destruction" now it is killing thousands of Olive trees — some with a history thousands of years old.

The Italian Government have decided that a significant barrier area is to be imposed.

The many infected trees, plant nurseries and plantations, are now under mandatory Law to destroy and burn, both not the infected and all host plants.

Now you can see that the word destruction is accurate for these infections — mile after square mile of plantations condemned to destruction.

Along with the desolation, now comes bankruptcy of the farmer's whose families have been growing these for thousands of years.

You may still wonder what has that to do with me? Well, to illustrate two of our immediate problems here already. We have a problem called Ash dieback; this is likely to kill most strains of Ash tree to be found in Great Britain, this will create another big gap in our woodlands and hedgerows. Horse chestnut trees, our beloved conker trees, are also showing signs of there imminent demise. You will see mid-summer onwards through the growing season their leaves starting to look like there burnt; you will also see dark scars showing on the main branches that weep a nasty dark liquid, These are all signs that the trees will die many years before their natural end.

On a commercial point, bacterial canker is rife in North Herts and much broader areas; this will attack and eventually kill most stone fruit trees, Cherry including flowering types, Plums, Apricot and peach. I have a dozen Cherry trees that must be at least forty years old that have contracted it and will need destroying very soon, probably this winter.

Another instance of a long term disease we have here on the farm is that Verticillium Wilt contaminates the field immediately behind the Garden Centre.

It probably arrived here in a contaminated seed consignment many years ago finally building up to a level

St Johns

Tapps, The Baldock Garden Centre

prohibiting many plant species from being grown. I will have to produce only cereals for a minimum of thirty years, so that's at least another ten to go.

Verticillium wilt and Xylella are infections that cause the plants to die from lack of water; their mode of attack is to block the straw-like vascular cells that transfer water and nutrients to the leaves.

Some of you will remember our field used to be a riot of colour from the dry flowers we used to grow along with the considerable mix of vegetables grown for our long-gone farm shop.

As small garden or allotment growers you will not have to worry about many seed-borne diseases as the quality control by the seed companies in Great Britain is now second to none and infection very unlikely, provided you buy from reputable companies. You do not want to take seed from well-intentioned friends; this applies to seed potatoes as well. Your friends will have no idea their plot could be infected, just as I had no idea of my soil being affected until it became unprofitable.

My last comment for this piece is that no matter what the excuse, please do not try and bring in seed or plant materials from another country even if it is from Europe. Any material correctly imported will have had a stringent inspection and proven pest and disease-free.

A very substantial fine will be your reward if caught. You must have a plant passport for all plants imported, and that is a costly process.

I will try and write about something less sad next time.

Hope you have a good 2020.

Cheers Graham

n O s ’ t a h W Letchworth Parkrun A free 5km run every Saturday at 9am, Grange Recreation Ground, SG6 4PN. Very welcoming for new runners - see www.parkrun.org.uk/letchworth for details

Baldock Country Market Every Friday morning until Christmas - The Victoria pub Sun Street Baldock 9.30am - 12pm

Monkey Music Classes Every Friday classes running from 9.30 at the Baldock Community Centre contact Katherine on 01462 -626735

The Royal British Legion Baldock Branch Third Monday of every month - The Orange Tree Norton Road -7:30pm

Baldock Rotary Club Meets every Wednesday 12.00 for 12.30 (except if 5th Wednesday in month) at Baldock Bowls Club West Ave, Baldock. Contact Paul Redwood 01462 835795

Garden House Hospice - The Med 30 Challenge All through out January start the year by moving for 30 mins everyday choose an activity that suits you running, walking, cycling and help raise funds for the Hospice.

Contact Jake for more information on 01462 -679540

Rocketman Friday 10th Jan 19.30pm, Baldock Arts And Heritage Centrewill be showing the film. Tickets availlable online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/bahc or on the door £4.99 per person, certification 15.

The Knights Templar School Baldock Tuesday 14th January 15.45pm - 17.45pm NHSSP training event is designed to develops leadership skills with pupils working towards a leadership award

Baby Sing & Play Wednesday 15th January 13.30pm - 14.30 Park Drive Health Centre Baldock. A fun interactive session for babies with singing and actions

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Volunteer Day Arts & Heritage Centre Saturday 25th January, 11am - 3pm, pop in and find out how you can help us and socialise with our friendly team.

English Folk music with Odete Mitchell Wednesday 29th January, 20:30-23:00 The Orange Tree Baldock enjoy an evening of Old English Folk music

Baldock Beast Sunday 23rd February 2020. For more information on how to enter go to: www.baldockeventsforum.org.uk

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In December, 148 Knights Templar students arrived at The Spirella Ballroom, Letchworth looking very glamorous and obviously excited for an evening of fes ve fun!

The students were treated to a lovely 2- course meal, all the while being entertained by wonderful musical performances from Emily Walls, Freddy Goldscheider, Joan Ariel and Ed Bell. The students were also wowed by the up-close trickery and illusions of our magician, Sam Prior.

The students behaved impeccably on the night and

a er the formali es of dinner, musical performances and awards were out of the way, the students danced the night away to a playlist created by the Dinner Dance Commi ee.

We would like to thank the Dinner Dance Commi ee for their reless work and effort in organising this event alongside Mrs Fearfield and making it such a memorable occasion.

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New Beginnings?

Wow! Didn't that decade fly by. It seems to me that as I get older the years gets shorter. The months just whizz by, except January, which chugs along for three months. I do feel a li le sorry for January, it is a er all, just a normal month. But it has the most unfortunate place on the calendar, coming a er the excitement of the fes ve season. Thirtyone long days of cold, rain and perhaps snow. Yes, the longest night has passed, but it just doesn't feel like it does it. No money, cold, bored and not much to look forward to for thirty-one days.

Going to work and coming home in the dark and generally trudging through the month wishing it was over with. Every other month seems to have something going for it, February has Valen ne's Day, March heralds the start of spring and promises of lighter, warmer days and so on through the year un l we are back to it again. Some blithering idiot somewhere invented Dry January because life wasn't bad enough and added to that we are all encouraged to give up something we enjoy, smoking, ea ng, si ng on the sofa because we should all be healthy. Perhaps we should sling in a Bank Holiday or move the Six Na ons, just to add some cheer to the month, something exci ng but free because we're all skint.

I'm not quite ready for the old folks home yet (despite what my kids say), but I do feel that the pace of life is slowing somewhat. This will be the first start of a new decade where I'm just in charge of myself and no one is responsible for me. It's quite a sobering thought. I'm no longer a mum in a sense. I will always be a mum of course, but I don't steer their paths anymore. Looking back, I think I've been ok at it, I've made some horrendous mistakes at paren ng, namely leaving my two-year-old home alone (we took all the others with us) while we visited a friend.

Complete panic ensued when we counted the kids out of the car and realised our grave error. Equally I've had some amazing triumphs. Far too many to choose one. All four of them appear to be well rounded and slightly mad. They all have a good work ethic and slightly dubious morals, I like them, they really are good people. Job done!

This is my me now. I've never been one to make plans, I've always plodded along, dealing with life as it unfolds.

Boyfriends, husband, kids all seemed to have just happened; a bit like, oh!

Ok! I'm doing this now, head down and onwards. But on the back of my GCSE

win last year, I am making plans. Yes, me, planning! Big reveal ...wait for it… I am going to study to be a teacher. This year, with the support of my colleagues, I am going to turn it around and do something for me. This newfound voca onal pursuit has taken me a bit by surprise if I'm honest. I was never a child (or an adult) who knew what they wanted. Where my peers were going to be Policemen, Scien sts and Astronauts, I never thought I could and so never did. I am a li le worried, pa ence has not been a great friend of mine but I'm willing to give it a go. I have a huge po y mouth that will need to be toilet trained, and I'm not en rely sure why I want to go back to looking a er Kevin and Perry. My boss and I have devised a cunning plan and with some hard work and a bit of luck this me next year Rodney, I'm going to be a teacher.

The GCSE thing last year appears to have woken my brain out of the parental fug and I have found that I am eager to feed the hungry beast. The thing is, if it all goes ts up, at the very least, I tried. I did something that I've not ever tried before. I think that's the key isn't it, the trying? Stepping out of your comfort patch every now and then must be a good thing. Who knows where it will lead me, a degree by the me I'm sixty? Teacher of the year when I'm sixty-five? or just a burnt out old lush in two years' me. Oh, hang on, I think I've done the la er already. Twice!

Wishing you all an amazing new decade, I hope you feel you can make a difference, for you or someone else. I wish you success and happiness in all that you do. But most of all, just be you, you are just right as you are.

Happy New Decade xxx

Nicky

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2020

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1 onion, finely chopped 2cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 tbsp mild curry powder 500g cauliflower florets 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1cm dice 100g passata 300ml hot vegetable stock 400g can black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed Salt and freshly ground black pepper 100g fresh peas 150g baby leaf spinach, roughly chopped Cucumber salad and freshly cooked plain basmati rice, to serve

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On the 31st December 2018 Kimberley Merrifield and her Niece Abbie Brown made a life changing resolu on stood at their New Year's Eve buffet table . . . 2019 would be the year that they lost weight! With the decision made and a quick search on google they commi ed that night to joining Slimming World in Baldock on 2nd January. With a stunning 6 stones and 10lbs lost between them, they talk here to “On Our Doorstep” about their journey together this past year.

Kimberley: I was ge ng ready for our family party on New Year's Eve last year and when I was bending over to put on my socks I had to sit up and take a breath as I was struggling to breath! I actually got quite upset, took a look in the mirror and thought “something has to change”. Later that evening I was standing with my niece Abbie at the buffet table and told her how awful I felt about myself and that I intended to join Slimming World and make a change. I was delighted when Abbie said she wanted to come along too.

Abbie: I was relieved and excited as I had wanted to go to Slimming World for so long, but I didn't have the courage to walk through the door alone and face the scales. I had recently got engaged and I so wanted to lose weight and look the best I have ever looked on my wedding day. We joined in Baldock 2 days later and have never looked back.

Kimberley: The ea ng plan, Food Op mising, is just brilliant and so easy to follow. I couldn't believe how much food you can s ll enjoy just by making minor changes to the way you cook it.

It does not feel like a diet at all. I do definitely eat a lot more vegetables and healthier op ons though as I love the recipes and trying new dishes has made me more adventurous. The recipes are easy and full of flavour. My partner loves cooking the meals at home too and he has also lost 3 stone.

We are determined not to go back!

Lots of Love Mum

Abbie: The variety of food is amazing and this has really helped me get experimental in the kitchen. I have lots of favourite meals, and would never believe you can eat all of this and s ll lose weight, such as, loaded fries, spaghe bolognaise, bacon crumble mac and cheese and so many others. I have fallen back in love with food and cooking, and as a bonus I have so much energy. I feel fantas c and my fiancé has also lost a stone just through changes to our meals at home.

Kimberley: No food or drink is banned, so with modera on you can enjoy all your favourite treats. Wine has been a challenge but I s ck to the recommended amount, which means I can s ll enjoy a glass or two and s ll see the weight loss results. I also love cakes and pastries, but I have made alterna ves, there are loads of recipes for low syn cakes, sausage rolls, pas es etc. If you put your mind to it you definitely can do it.

Abbie: I love chocolate, and would o en eat 3 to 5 bars in a day! I s ll love chocolate but I use my syns carefully and to their full every day. I also make low syn bakes, and desserts, which I always serve with a side of fruit. Quite o en I find I am so full

a er filling up on everything else I don't even eat my chocolate!

Kimberley: Both Abbie and I have no ced huge increases in energy levels and fitness. Just every day life feels easier. Walking upstairs without ge ng out of breath, taking the dogs for longer walks, running around with younger family members or simply strolling into town to get some shopping. A rou ne blood test had showed dangerously high blood pressure, I also had high Cholesterol and suffered badly with heartburn. I'm now down from 3 BP tablets to just one, heartburn is no longer an issue at all, oh and I can put my socks whilst s ll breathing normally! I'm genuinely grateful and relieved as my health has improved massively.

Abbie: I am so proud of our journey, it has been amazing and fun from start to present, not the ordeal I imagined losing 4 stone could be. The support from Sandra our Consultant and the group has been fabulous and I would never have come this far without them.

We are all at different stages of our journeys in group and from different walks of life and age groups but every Wednesday evening we come together and help each other and that has been really important. My Aun e has been my number one supporter from day one and I would never have been able to do it without her. Going to group together means we have spent quality me together this year too, Wednesday night is my favourite night, I will keep a ending every week I can to stay at target and because I absolutely love it!

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This is the me of year when we start to reflect on our lives over the past year and wish to make changes for 2020 health and weight are always high on the list to tackle Losing weight can be a difficult process not made any easier by the conflic ng, and o en dangerous, advice out there in the world. We are constantly bombarded with TV programmes, adver sing and social media feeds full of pictures of food, and the presence of these can make the tempta on to veer away from healthy ea ng very strong.

Then there are weight loss pills and other commercial weight reducing programmes which focus upon restric ng

what you eat, rather than considering how you eat, or what you think about the food you are pu ng into your body. It's no surprise to have developed certain nega ve mindsets around what we put in our bodies.

Hypnosis for weight loss can be an effec ve method in challenging these mindsets and moments of tempta on, helping you to live a healthier life.

The aim of hypnotherapy for weight loss is to make you feel confident about your body, change nega ve thoughts about ea ng and help you lose weight responsibly, without impac ng your emo onal well-being. By targe ng the unconscious mind with powerful sugges on techniques, a hypnotherapist can help you develop a posi ve rela onship with food and exercise, which is key to healthy weight loss and long-term weight management.

An example of how you can change your mindset is by visualisa on, try this, making your self comfortable and close your eyes, taking three deep breathes and as you exhale think of the word relax and seeing yourself calm and posi ve and visualise the following. Ÿ Envisioning the body you want or the level of fitness/health you wish to achieve. Ÿ Imagining how you will feel with your new look and health. Ÿ Imagining yourself reaching that goal effortlessly. Ÿ Seeing how much you will have improved from today. Ÿ Imagining how energised and confident you will feel. Ÿ Realising that the more you exercise, the more you will want to exercise and the easier it will become to do so.

These techniques are designed to empower you and to train your subconscious mind so that you can take control of your choices. If you're worried that your rela onship with certain types of food is becoming unhealthy, however, hypnotherapy for food addic on could help you to break these nega ve thought pa erns.

Kim Holloway – www.total-therapy.co.uk JANUARY

2020

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Check their weight regularly, and make sure you are giving them the right amount and type of food.

Adjust the amount of food according to the lifestyle of your pet i.e. more food/more energe c food for working dogs or very ac ve dogs, less food or light/obesity type for spayed/castrated pets or if they are not very ac ve.

If your cat is overweight and on a diet, check at least weekly his/her weight: cats that lose weight too quickly can develop a condi on called hepa c lipidosis and this must be avoided. Cats are known to be very Obesity is a condi on which is more and sedentary, especially if they live indoors only. Try to wake up their hunter side! more frequently encountered in humans Consider a puzzle feeder or toys that but also in pets. It's a condi on in which dispense food, in order to simulate the the body contains too much fat due to an excess of food, or lack of proper exercise or "hunt for food" situa on. (much less commonly) a metabolic If you struggle to help your pet lose condi on such as hypothyroidism as this weight speak with a Vet or a Vet nurse. can also be a problem. Many owners feel They will be able to give you advice, feeding their pet is a way to show their and suggest the best food, they can love for them, but truly an overweight pet also see if tes ng for metabolic disease is predisposed to die earlier, as they could is indicated in your case. have diabetes, osteoarthri s and other inflammatory condi ons or even cancer.

As a consequence, if you really love your dog or cat, you should try to keep him/her fit and avoid overfeeding.

Obesity In Your Pets

KTS MOVEMBER As you can see from the photo Mr Breadmore and I were able to grow spectacular “Mo’s” this year in aid of Movember. We were both taking part to raise awareness about men’s mental health and suicide rates amongst young men and do not feel able to speak out and seek help related to mental health. This year the dona ons have really grown on us as the month progressed!

Following dona ons online and a bucket collec on around school I am delighted to announce that we have raised £200. Mr Breadmore and I would like to thank everyone who has donated and a special thank you to Darragh and Lewis from year 9 for organising the bucket collec on and giving up their break and lunch mes to support the cause.

Mr Ma hews

Keep your pets active this Winter

JANUARY

2020

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Photo - Andrew Hyde

M. 07884 430741 E. claire@goodridgeaccountants.co.uk W. www.goodridgeaccountants.co.uk

Baldock Beast Half Marathon - Sunday 23rd February 2020.

The rolling hills west of Baldock are famous in the running world as tough, unrelen ng but beau ful.

Many say that you can't really call yourself a hard core runner unless you have run them without pausing to get your breath or ease the searing pain in your legs.

Year on year we have people return to test themselves on these hills.

Why, so the famous phrase goes, because they are there. It doesn't ma er whether you fancy yourself as the next Mo Farah or just out to run to test yourself,

Our Proven System is Competitively Priced

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these hills will provide a challenge and intense enjoyment in equal measure.

So, why not join the fun.

Take part with the ever increasing number of everyday people to run this great half marathon in some of the most outstanding scenery around.

Its now in its 8th year and all proceeds go to the Baldock Events Forum whose role it is to help make Baldock a fantas c place to live.

The race is on Sunday 23rd February 2020. For more informa on on how to enter go to: www.baldockeventsforum.org. uk/baldockbeast The ques on is...

CAN YOU TAME THE BEAST?

Useful numbers Advice Citizen’s Advice Bureau Trading Standards Advice Samaritans

03444 111444 0300 300 8136 116 123

Councils North Hertfordshire District

01462 474000

Doctors Baldock Surgery

01462 892458

Dentist Victoria Place Dental Surgery

01763 313869

Emergency Utilities Gas Emergency Electric power cut

0800 111 999 0800 7838838

Hospitals Lister Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2 EMERGENCY HEALTH

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Library Baldock Library

0300 123 4049

Police Police

01707 354000

Schools Knights Templar Hartseld St Johns St Marys Brandles

01462 620700 01462 895267 01462 892478 01462 892347 01462 892189

Travel Arriva Buses National Rail Enquires National Bus line

08701 201088 03457 484950 0870 6082608

Vets Baldock Veterinary Centre

01462 895579

Nurseries Weston Way Nursery Merry Go Round

01462 892172 01462 896322

Play Groups Magic Moments Merry Go Round

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Plumbers Maben PE James

07949 120911 07816 586777

Window & Door repairs JML Windows Repairs Warrens Windows

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Barbers Micks of Baldock

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37

Mco

January Gallery

Please send your local snaps new or old to our facebook page or email info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

Baldock Rotary and Father Christmas - Paul Davey

An Autumn's evening in baldock - Guilio McEwan

Early morning on Clothall Road -Holly C

Father Christmas on his rounds Marie Baker

Does anyone recognise any faces VE day 8th May 1945.

Herbert Smith 'Jim'.

Beautiful Ashwell Museum after the renovation.

Janice Willis

Robbie & Reggie with Santa -Leah Anne Hayward

Rowney Warren Chicksands.

Graham Tomlinson

January Gallery

Please send your local snaps new or old to our facebook page or email info@onourdoorstepbaldock.co.uk

Perfect wintry morning at Hartseld school, - Cath McLeod

Remembrance Sunday - David Chapman

Dexter and Ozzy, They arrived separately both unwell and remain in an enclosed garden Nadia Picard-Cook

A very spooky Guilio McEwan An other brilliant halloween.

150 sweets gave out with a toy.

Frosty morning!

- Paul Dixon

Osca enjoying his walk at Weston woods - Mia Lloyd

Duchess of Sutherland approaching Baldock.

- Matt Porter

Baldock Town Youth members enjoying Halloween

Rotary club installing the xmas lights

Members of the Gifford Dance Academy

Squirrel Proof they said Laurence Browne

LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION Baldock, Ashwell & Weston Cards, Flyers, Menus & Leaflets We can deliver them all

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Thor enjoying life Donna Jacquet

Baldock 1st cooking up a storm at their Autumn Camp

Fluffy tailed Baldock resident - Margaret Dellar

Amazing reworks display, St Mary's School, Baldock Ryan Edwards

Finley waiting patiently for a treat.

Wendy Thompson

KTS Yaer 9 Futsal team booking their place in this years nal

Two little girls rescued and taken to Shepreth wildlife centre

Tara Geere grabbing a sele with two members of our delivery team

Twins Zachary & Marcus with Father Christmas Sam Bulley

Baldock & Clothall Wi’s nal meeting of the 2019 was spent with the U3A Ukelele Band

This years tree being delivered Stuart Matthews

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Come along and view our full range of products on display in our new show room.

Kindlelight’s friendly staff will be on hand to assist with any queries. Everyone is welcome.

Ample parking and refreshments available.

JANUARY

2020

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