Kempston calling january 2017

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JANUARY 2017

PRICELESS

Great Denham – New Group 5th January

Great Denham – New Group 6th January

Great Denham Golf Club, Carnoustie Drive, MK40 4FF Thursday Evenings 7:30pm from the 5th January Liz 07969 030689

Great Denham Golf Club, Carnoustie Drive, MK40 4FF Friday Mornings 9:30am from the 6th January Glynis 07565 504395

MONDAYS (Inc. Bank Holidays)

THURSDAYS

Kempston

Bedford

Kempston East Church Hall, Foster Road, MK42 8DA Monday Mornings 9.30am & 11:30am Gerry 07592 314291 Centenary Hall, Bedford Road (Behind Council) MK42 8BG Monday Afternoon/ Evenings 3.30pm, 5:30 pm & 7:30 pm Gerry 07592 314291

Scott Hall Community Centre, Barford Avenue, off London Road, MK42 0DS Thursday Mornings 9:30am Holly 07968 719951

TUESDAYS Brickhill Morning, Afternoon & Evenings Sessions St Marks Church Centre, Calder Rise, off Avon Drive, MK41 7UY Tuesday Mornings 9.30am & 11.30am Tuesday Afternoon/ Evenings 3.30pm, 5.30pm & 7.30pm Lorrie 01234 340473

Bromham Bromham Lower School, Grange Lane, MK43 8NR Tuesday Evenings 5.30pm & 7.30pm Susan 07717 870513

Elstow Christian Fellowship Church, High Street, MK42 9XP Thursday Evenings 5:30pm & 7:30pm Glynis 07565 504395

Oakley The Old School Hall, Lovell Road, MK43 7RX Thursday Evenings 7:30pm Karen 07841 075100

SATURDAYS Bedford The Bedford Sixth Form, Bromham Road, MK40 2BS Saturday Mornings/ Midday 8.30am, 10.30am & 12:30pm Karen 07841 075100

Wixams Lakeview Village Hall, Brooklands Avenue, MK42 6AB Tuesday Evenings 5.30pm & 7.30pm Danielle 07462 444645

WEDNESDAYS Bedford Scott Hall Community Centre, Barford Ave, off London Rd, MK42 0DS Wednesday Evenings 5:30pm & 7:30pm Holly 07968 719951

slimmingworld.co.uk 0344 897 8000

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES (Self-employed) for members past and present.

For more information contact Susan on 07717 870513

2 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

KEMPSTON TOWN COUNCIL 104 Bedford Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8BG Tel: 01234 851005 www.kempstontowncouncil.com Email: kempstoncouncil@btconnect.com Office hours: 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday

Kempston Town Council wishes everyone a Happy New Year!

Let’s all work together to care for Kempston and each other.

Lower School who gave a lovely performance (pictured below). There were a few moist eyes in the audience.

Santa has had enough!

Well it is all over now! All that time preparing and it is gone in a flash! Santa has taken his shoes off and having a well earned rest. He is pretty full up with carrots and mince pies and as for the whisky.....!

However before his busiest time he did manage to drop into Kempston for the Christmas lights ‘switch on’ by the Mayor, Carl Meader.

The brass band played some very festive music as many children told Santa their wishes – let’s hope that he was able to make most of them come true!

Tea and tears

Many of Kempston’s senior citizens joined Carl Meader for tea just before Christmas.

They were entertained by the choir from Bedford Road

At the other end of the age range students from the new Kempston Challenger Academy (previously Hastingsbury) gave a confident example of drama!

Kempston is very lucky to have so many good schools with such dedicated staff and students. A raffle raised £138.50 for the Mayor’s charity (Keech Hospice Care and Road Victims Trust).

has not changed significantly since last month’s report.

The Borough is planning to reduce the opening hours by 9.5 hr per week.

Kempston Town Council is trying to minimise the closure time and are discussing with Bedford Borough any possibilities that may exist.

There are also plans by the Council to alter the management structure of community centres throughout the Borough. It seems that there are several options.

They are all intended to save the Borough Council money.

Kempston Town Council will continue to discuss the situation.

Borough officers’ visit

A few steps forward

Kempston Town Council is still involved in the long running saga of improving the Saxon Centre. The ‘condition MEETINGS TAKING PLACE IN survey’ of the underground JANUARY/FEBRUARY car-park roof and the centre’s Kempston Town Council’s last surface has been completed and results are imminent.

PLANNING COMMITTEE.........10 January at 6.30pm meeting welcomed officers These will dictate the next from the Bedford Borough TOWN COUNCIL MEETING ....10 January at 7.30pm Council to discuss Kempston moves. library and also the future of COMMUNITY SAFETY FORUM .23 January at 6.30pm community centres.

SURGERIES

PLANNING COMMITTEE .......14 February at 6.30pm These discussions take place against the backdrop of TOWN COUNCIL MEETING...14 February at 7.30pm massive cuts in their budget from Central Government.

All meetings held at Kempston Town Council and are open to the public

The situation with the library

Sainsbury’s Surgeries Every Saturday 10:30am – 12 noon Cllr Meader Surgery on 1st Saturday of each month 10-11am

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KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 3

Local charity wins prestigious award A REGisTEREd charity that supports the families and friends of those bereaved by fatal road collisions has been awarded the prestigious Prince Michael international Road safety Award (PMiRsA) for the quality of post-crash care given to victims.

The Road Victims Trust (RVT), who were founded in 1995, provide free emotional and practical support to persons affected by fatal road collisions in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

Unique working partnerships with the Police Forces and Road safety Partnerships across the three counties enable the RVT to offer support to those in need.

A highly skilled and bespoke team of Volunteers and Coordinating staff delivers face to face counselling and support for as long as is needed. Last year the RVT supported in excess of 500 people who were affected by the 84 deaths on the roads of the three counties.

The PMiRsA was founded in 1987 and each year gives public recognition to those who have improved road safety. The award winners were introduced to HRH Prince Michael of Kent at the award ceremony at The savoy Hotel, London on Tuesday 13th december 2016. Pictured with HRH Prince Michael were Chair of Trustees Lyn Hesse and Chief Executive, Mark Turner.

COUNSELLING

speaking about the award, Chair of Trustees of RVT, Lyn Hesse said: “We are all very proud and honoured to win an award of such international standing. This is a tribute to all of the RVT staff, Volunteers and Partners

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4 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

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EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

Dexter meets police commissioner

PC Mark West is a happy man. “i’m in the job i always wanted to do and i’ve got the best partner in dexter”, says the Constable who works in the dogs’ Unit for Bedfordshire Police, which attends incidents across the Triforce area of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire tracking criminals or missing people.

Mark prepared for his role by acting as a “puppy walker” before joining the Unit fulltime which meant raising young police dogs from pups until they join the training programme. “it means helping to socialise them and get them used to all sorts of environments,” said Mark. “We can hatch release our dogs who jump from the back and out over our laps for a pursuit and it’s no good if they stop still as they don’t recognise a shiny floor or an escalator.” dogs are gradually introduced to demanding situations even when trained, “if it was a public order problem with a noisy crowd i’d try to take dexter in with another, more experienced dog because it’s incredible how they teach one another and bring them on,” said Mark.

While working for the police, the dogs have their own dog Welfare Volunteers to check their living and transport conditions, such as air conditioning. They work until around 7-9 years old. “The larger dogs tend to retire early but dexter is only small so he’ll go on for a long time. He has ‘small man syndrome’ though and

gets angry really quickly which can be useful in this role.”

The dog handlers keep their dogs at home but house them in outdoor kennels and are not allowed to let them mix with children. “i know dexter would never hurt my kids but he comes in when they’ve gone to bed and spends some time with me and my wife,” he said. When German shepherds like dexter retire they are

offered first to their handlers and, if they cannot be housed this way, owners are sought who are used to working dogs who live outside, such as gamekeepers and farmers and the Force maintains a waiting-list of suitable future owners.

“We’ll never let him go though,” says Mark “my wife would kill me, even though i see more of him than her!”

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KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 5

50 years at the crease Court takes action

A ViLLAGE cricketer celebrated 50 years at the crease on his 65th birthday and vowed to carry on until he could no longer run between the wickets.

Winston Jermy, from Harris Close in Kempston, started playing for Thurleigh aged 15 in 1966 and he’s turned out for someone every week of the season since then. For the past 23 years it’s been for Riseley. But before that he represented Britannia Works in Bedford, Roxton and Clapham.

He’s been captain of the Riseley midweek side for the past ten years and is well known throughout the sport as the local gardener who took over the sponsorship of the league when its original backer pulled out.

When he started off Winston was a fast bowler but even though he’s now a slow one he still turns his arm against much younger batsmen. His best return was 8-22 against Oakley more than 20 years ago. “i love the game, the team spirit and the sense of community,” he said. “i’ll carry on until i can’t get to the crease anymore.”

He’s taken eight wickets several times, a hat trick three times and more than 1,000 wickets in his 50 year career; his one regret is not that he never made a century but that he never even got to 50 with the bat, 46 not out being his best score.

The event for 100 guests at the Vesuvio Hotel in sharnbrook raised more than £750 for the sue Ryder Hospice at Moggerhanger.

on cashpoint gang

A COURT has ordered the confiscation of more than £28,000 from a gang member who was jailed last year for his part in a series of cash point raids across the Eastern region.

The order was made against Joseph Upton, 45, who was jailed for five years in May last year after admitting conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal motor vehicles in 2012.

He and three other gang members jailed for the same offences also had a series of strict conditions placed on them during the serious Crime Prevention Order Hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (2 december). The orders will start when they are released and mean they will have to keep police updated on things like the phones and cars they use.

serving a sentence of four years and nine months and Alfred stanley smith, 38, who is serving four years, will all be subject to the order.

The case was brought by the Eastern Region special Operations Unit (ERsOU) which investigated the men’s nine month smash and grab and burglary spree.

After the case detective inspector Geoff Knight said: “This hearing sends out a message that we will utilise all available legislation to ensure offenders feel the full weight of the law and that we will hamper all efforts to commit further crime.”

No order was made against a John Leonard smith, 41 and fifth man, whose part in the Albert smith, 40, who are each offences was less significant.

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6 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

Kempston Over-50s Club on the move

AFTER more than three years of meeting in the Community Room at the Asda distribution Centre at Marsh Leys, the Kempston Over50s Club is relocating its meetings to the Kempston East Methodist Church Hall in Foster Road, Kempston with effect from January 2017.

The club is a social group for men and women from all walks of life, the only membership requirement being that they are more than half way to getting their congratulatory telegram from the queen or future king!

Meetings are held from 2-4pm on the first Thursday of every month and feature a visiting speaker followed by light refreshments and a chance to chat with fellow members.

Over the coming months topics will cover the history of the scottish regiments billeted in Bedford during World War i, back garden wildlife photography and meanderings in Myanmar (Burma).

The group also have occasional day trips to the east coast, London and other places of interest.

Membership is a very reasonable £10 a year, plus a small door charge at meetings.

The Over 50’s are very grateful to Asda for having providing premises for the club and would like to publicly thank the local management and staff for their kindness and hospitality.

Changes to company policy means that finding a new venue has become necessary, but every cloud has a silver lining, as the new location will make the club more easily accessible to local residents who don’t have their own transport. Existing members hope that this will result in new faces joining what is an increasingly thriving and active group in the local community.

For more information on Kempston Over-50’s Club please contact david Longman on Bedford 303737 or Maureen shaw on Bedford 302163

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

Mountain high business

FORMER Dame Alice school girl Fay Manners is carving out a combined business of high tech and snowboarding skills on the slopes of Chamonix.

The 29-year-old who studied at Loughborough before joining Unilever and Datasift and working in advanced analysis of online social media, now runs her

business from France combined with being a trained snowboard instructor.

Fay, formerly of Blunham, and her skiing parter Fred Dibblee have been blogging about the challenges facing Brits abroad post-Brexit – combined with advice on the best places to take a skiing trip in Europe.

KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 7 TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com

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KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 9

NEWS FROM THE HALF MOON

In memory of Mr Rob Skipper who we sadly lost in April this year, a cheque for £723.97 was handed over to Mr Roger Skipper (Robs father) for the Kempston Boys Brigade. The money was raised by the last orders quiz team, which he was a founding member of, along with Dave Simms and Nickie Mcglory. The Brigade was such a big part of Robs life, so it was a fitting tribute to this exceptional person who gave up so much of his time to help others.

Daubeney Academy’s Christmas concert On Wednesday 7th December 2016 Daubeney Academy held its annual Christmas Concert at the Kempston East Methodist Church. The evening featured a variety of performances including Daubeney’s Singers, Rock Band, Ukulele group, Recorder group, Orchestra, Drama club and a number of soloists. There was also a guest performance by Bedfordshire Big Band; a community group that aims to inspire a new generation of musicians. The evening was a great success and a big thank you must go to Kempston East Methodist Church for the use of their beautiful church. Many thanks also go to Mr Randall, Miss Saunders, Mr Boast, Mr Alleyne, Mr Thorogood, Mr Knight and Mr Masih for helping with the organisation of the concert. Well done to everyone involved for a very special night!

16 seater Mercedes minibus After another very successful bonfire night at the Half Moon in Kempston, £1256.00 was raised for the poppy appeal, Nickie and Steve would like to thank all those who gave up their time to make this happen. A big thank you to Gill Plant Hire who sponsored the event.

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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

Bedford College No 1 for New Year

THE ANNUAL Bedford College Achievements Ceremony was a glittering occasion inside the Bedford Corn Exchange.

The college’s track record now means it is No 1 not just in the county but in the economic region with the latest Government data proving is has more 16-18 year olds, more apprentices, more University-level and part-time students than anywhere else.

Principal and CEO ian Pryce CBE catalogued the list of world-beating achievements and awards achieved by college staff and students for the audience of civic dignitaries, ViPs and proud parents. “success is about an orgnanisation’s environment and ours comprises our community, our employers, our governors, our staff, our students and their supporters and i want to thank each in turn,” said Mr Pryce, “We are lucky to have MPs on our patch who take a keen interest in our work, particularly Richard Fuller. similarly our local authorities are supportive and Mayor dave Hodgson is actively championing growth in apprenticeships.”

“Governors are now planning ahead to 2021 further securing the college’s position as one of the most stable and successful in the FE sector,” he added.

Guests speaker for the evening was young entrepreneur Zak Resinato. After training at Bedford College, Zak has gone on to national success with deals with sainsbury’s and retail parks opening 13 Jagged Edge barber pods and shops. His combination of creative talent and business vision has been supported by Bedford College which has entered into a unique academy arrangement for training 50 Jagged Edge staff.

“Congratulations to everyone here at Bedford College and my message is to invest energy in enjoying what you do, whatever your career choice,” said Zak. He joined ian Pryce in presenting certificates to the three finalists in the student of the Year Award. The winner was Emma Lemon a BTEC Higher National diploma student in Art & design, and runners-up were Oskar Kutyla BTEC Level 3 diploma in Engineering and Mia Tomlinson Foundation degree in Child & Family studies.

A wide range of businesses and organisations sponsored many of the prizes awarded to students.

NATIONAL SUCCESS

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 11

Wedding winners

FLEURETTE Florists have won a national bouquet for their wedding flowers.

The long-established business in Harpur street won The English Wedding Eastern Region award at an event held in Manchester.

Peter Vincent and Claire Polhill accepted the award on behalf of their top team who prepare not just beautiful bridal bouquets, but stylish decorations for wedding venues. said Claire: “This was a new awards especially for the wedding

industry and as we think our team produce work which is quite outstanding we decided to give it a go.

Weddings are an important part of any florist business and so we were delighted to bring back the certificate to Bedford.”

As well as weddings, Fleurettes, which has parking at the back of the shop for easy collections, organises bouquet deliveries evenings and weekends, decoration of venues for all occasions, office and organisational planting and funeral flowers.

Huge thanks MACMILLAN Cancer Support wish to express their immense gratitude for the last 40 years of service Bedford Committee have given in support of the charity.

They wish to thank all members past and present for all the fundraising and other activities the committee have carried out over the years.

Since its creation in the 70s, the committee has raised over £2m, a fantastic achievement!

These funds have made a tangible difference to the lives of people in Bedfordshire affected by cancer as it has, for instance, funded nurse posts and helped to raise money to build the Primrose Unit.

Jessica Wilson Regional Fundraising Manager: “We cannot thank the Bedford Committee enough for their hard work and dedication to fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support. Their support has allowed us to be there for people affected by cancer in the local community.”

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POLiCE are appealing for information after three shotguns were stolen after a property in Wood End Road, Cranfield, was burgled.

On Wednesday (30 November) between 7pm and 7.20pm, the front door of the property was forced open and jewellery, a number of Christmas presents and three shotguns – which were locked away – were stolen.

One of the guns is produced by sabel, and a second is a women’s shorter barrelled AYA model. dC Kevin Howes, said: “All three guns were legal and registered. The loss of the shotguns are of great concern and enquiries are underway to identify those responsible. if you saw anything suspicious in the area in the days leading up to the burglary, or you believe you have seen the guns, please come forward with any information.”

Anyone with information should contact dC Howes via 101 quoting crime reference number: Jd/49313/ 2016, or telephone Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Prebend Charity Concert

THE Great Ouse Orchestra is being reunited on January 21st for the Prebend Charity Concert at st Andrew’s Church, Bedford.

Christopher Ridley, timpanist at the Royal Opera House and peripatetic music teacher at Bedford school, is coordinating the event and conducting the orchestra for a fabulous night of classical music. “it is a real privilege to be working with so many of Bedford’s finest musicians in support of the local Prebend Centre.”

Ryan Flecknell, Prebend CEO: “We are honoured to have been chosen as their charity for this event and we are really excited about the concert. Chris, Lisa and team have put a lot of thought and planning into providing a wonderful night to remember.

“Homelessness and rough

sleeping have been one of many unfortunate consequences of years of government austerity.

Nationally the crisis is becoming more visible in every town and city.

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WOOTTON Golf society has been established for over seven years now with members ranging over quite a wide area from Buckingham to ipswich. We play on average once a month at courses within Bedfordshire and neighbouring counties.

We are a very friendly group of golfers of all standards, we play a mixed selection of golfing formats including stableford, matchplay and stroke play. We always have a weekend trip away which is thoroughly enjoyed by all, this year it was at The Mcdonald Portal Complex in Chester, next year we are hoping to travel to Blackpool to play some of the old links courses.

Locally we have seen an increase of 104% in rough sleeping in 2015 compared to 2014 and 2016 continues to see this upward trend.

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Wootton Golf society also collect money for charity throughout the year which is presented to a worthy charity voted on by our members.

This year we have collected well over £500 for a young girl who is in desperate need of life changing operation. if you are a seasoned golfer or have just taken the game up and wish to play amongst other like minded, friendly golfers on a regular basis please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 13

New Vicar at All Saints Church Kempston A letter from the new vicar at All Saints Church, Kempston

N October, i announced to three of my churches in the Colsterworth Group, that i will be leaving them in January, to become Vicar of Kempston and Biddenham, in the diocese of st Albans. it is an exciting opportunity for Liz and i, and we look forward very much to serving you in your communities.

Liz and i have lived here in Lincolnshire for nearly seven years now, and while there have been challenges, it has been wonderful time for us. i have been responsible for five parishes, which is due to become seven. Much of the work has involved links with two very good Church of England schools. i will miss these schools, and the children, who often breathe life into our church buildings. school work has been the corner stone of my ministry in Colsterworth, and has provided an ocean of opportunity to build up relationships with the local community.

in the time we have been here we have seen a real growth in the relationship between communities and the church, and a deeper understanding of God. sometimes the growth is clear, but also, at times, unperceivable.

These are, in part, rural communities, and working alongside the farming communities has taught me faith, that what God is doing beneath the soil, can, often remain hidden from sight.

The nature of ordained ministry is that we spend a great deal of time accompanying people through painful, often tragic times of their life. Because of this, the relationships we build cannot be merely superficial, so leaving our friends in Lincolnshire is not easy, but

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

In February the new vicar, Rev’d Eric Lomax, will start work at All Saints Church in Kempston, and St James Church, Biddenham. He is to be licensed by Bishop Alan of St Albans at All Saints Church, Kempston on Tuesday 31st January, and will conduct his first service on Sunday 5th February at 10.30am.

God calls us to new things, and we must respond to that call. it helps that i have a varied background. i come from the Wirral peninsula, and i trained full time in their college in Blackheath. This experience brought me into contact with many areas of sector ministry including industrial mission, hospital chaplaincy, forces chaplaincy, and in prisons. i am also a qualified youth worker, a qualified teacher and experienced secondary head of religious studies. i am in awe of the commitment that my wife, Liz, shows in this. she is a secondary music teacher who extends her work to training other teachers around the country in performing arts. she has offered her resignation in a girl’s school in Grantham, in order to support my ministry in Kempston and Biddenham. she hopes to teach music privately when we move. in ministry, communi-

ties often forget the sacrifice made by spouses in supporting their partner’s ministry. We feel strongly that we should always seek God’s will for both of us, and not just myself.

Between us we have five children in their twenties. Two of the girls work in London for media companies (Blue144, and the daily Telegraph), and the other writes science GCsE exam papers in Guildford. One of the boys is a chef, and the other works in a residential home for ex-offenders. Of these, it is only Rachael, who is likely to be living with us full time. Our children have a close relationship with each other, and are all very excited at the prospect of us living in Bedfordshire.

Often when people see me, they will see me with a camera. i have enjoyed taking images since i was a child, and that is my way of framing and interpreting the world. i see photo-imaging as an art form and a means of expression.

Often i will use traditional cameras and processing, if i can get away with using photographic chemicals in the kitchen. i get some of my kicks out of exploring the work of some of the great photographers of the past. i cannot talk about my family without mentioning Nutmeg. Nutmeg is an eighteenmonth old chocolate Labrador who provides Liz and i with a constant excuse for needing to go on walks together. My family is important to me, and time with Liz and the kids is both an obligation and a pleasure. it is wonderful that you have invited us to join you in Kempston and Biddenham. i believe that God has called us to share with you in your journey of faith, and we both look forward to spending time getting to know you all.

God bless – Eric Lomax

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THE Road Runner Community Bus has recently received a grant to purchase a new bus from the department for Transport Community Minibus Fund.

They held an official launch of the new vehicle in November at the King William in Kempston.

Kempston Town Mayor Mr Carl Meader, previous volunteer drivers, representatives from the Parish Councils, whose area they operate in, were all invited to the event.

Road Runner provides a regular timetabled service throughout a number of areas of North Bedfordshire which have inadequate or no other service. Without this operation many residents in the small hamlets and villages who have no car would have to rely on taxi services to visit shops and doctors etc. Their passengers are almost all elderly and disadvantaged local residents who do not have their own transport and who travel free-of-charge with a Local Authority Bus Pass. The service helps to improve their quality of life and reduce their isolation. The Community Bus is a totally non-profit making and staffed by volunteers.

Local dance school joins in The Court School of Dancing in Kempston took part in the Nationwide Big Thank You weekend. The Big Thank you weekend is organised by Join In which is part of the Sport and Recreation Alliance and is an opportunity for organisations to recognise their Volunteers. So on Saturday 18th December 2016, Reg Challinor, Principal at the Court presented Big Thank You certificates to five volunteers, Daisy and Ellie Doerffer, Emma Simms, Roisin Thorburn and Melissa Robinson thanking them for their work with the children in the Social Dance Class. There is a fifth certificate to be presented to Abigail Jones who couldn’t be there on Saturday.

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Great news for Bedford Hospital Dealer with £20k of drugs gets jail

A MAN has been sentenced to almost five years in prison for drugs offences.

Majid Achtar, 29, from Bedford, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply a class A drug.

Achtar was arrested on 21 January after police received intelligence about a property in Bedford. When officers arrived at the flat, a bag containing more than £20,000 worth of cocaine was thrown from the window.

He will now spend the next four years and eight months behind bars.

detective Constable Paul Breed said: “We will not tolerate drugs in Bedfordshire and are committed to clamping down on individuals such as Achtar who wreak havoc on the lives of others by pedalling their dangerous and illicit substances. “i’m pleased with the sentence handed out today which will see this reckless individual locked away for the foreseeable future, and i hope that this acts as a warning to anyone who thinks that they are above the law.”

Three other people were arrested at the same time as Achtar and were also sentenced today.

Hassan Nazir, 18, and Jessica Cocquet, 21, from Bedford, were both given a 21 month suspended sentence for possession with intent to supply in relation to the same incident.

A fourth person, Lisa Fragpane, 27, also from Bedford, was found guilty of obstructing the police in relation to the same incident. she was given a six week suspended sentence.

CLAMP DOWN

Editor’s comment: What do you think about the level of sentencing? Here on our newsdesk we feel it is too lenient – let us know your thoughts.

BEdFORd Hospital has been announced as one of the Lead Partners to deliver the Health Education England (HEE) second wave of training for the new nursing associate role. some 24 sites across the country have been selected in this new tranche to deliver the training over two years joining 11 sites announced in October. The training will start in 2017.

Nursing Associates will work alongside existing nursing care support workers and fully-qualified registered nurses to deliver hands-on care for patients. The role will bridge the gap between health and care support workers, who have a care certificate and graduate registered nurses. it has been developed to enable nurses to focus on the more advanced elements of their jobs and to offer

improved career pathway opportunities to emerging talent.

The sites bring together a wide range of organisations including educational institutions, care homes, acute, community and mental health trusts and hospices, representing the variety of places where Nursing Associates will provide care for patients.

Tracey Brigstock, Acting director of Nursing and Patient services for Bedford Hospital said: “We are delighted to have been selected as one of the lead partners to deliver this training.

This is great news not only for the hospital in helping to tackle some of the recruitment challenges we currently face but for all those wishing to find a route into nursing.”

Professor Lisa Bayliss Pratt, director of Nursing said: “The

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high level of interest in delivering training for this important role means that we have been able to select even more sites to take forward the training.

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Sailing off the chart Pavilion celebrates second

VOLUNTEERs have been pushing the boat out to promote Bedford to 2017 vistitors at a national event held at the NEC Birmingham.

Graham Mabbutt, Pat Mathias (photographed) and ian Morse gave out 100s of in & Around Bedford booklets and John Bunyan Boat Cruise leaflets and postcards and recorded 60 plus expressions of interest from Coach/Tour Operators/Organisers.

“A very worthwhile if somewhat tiring day! We even met with some who had already been on the boat on our public cruises and they all expressed their satisfaction with their trip. Even if it results in just a handful of bookings in 2017 we will get a return on the investment made by, among others, BedfordBid which gave £750 to fund our stand at the show to support tourism promotion,” said Graham, volunteer Commercial director of the John Bunyan Boat.

BedfordBid was one of the original funding supporters of the John Bunyan Boat and has continued to support the tourist crowd-puller which has to date taken 22,000 on river cruises. in addition BedfordBid which represents 500 levy-paying businesses in the town

birthday with award

centre, has promoted Heritage Bedford which includes attractions like the boat and local museums.

“Bringing in visitors from far and wide to the town centre is part of the brief of the Bid and although the council has responsibility for the Tourist information Centre, currently at the bus station, businesses want to see a proactive approach to pulling in people from outside of Bedfordshire,” said BedfordBid director Christina Rowe, “The volunteers attached to the boat do a fantastic job and we are delighted to be able to support them.”

PAViLiON at the Park, the café situated in Bedford Park in the beautiful Victorian pavilion building, has just celebrated its second birthday and received a very welcome gift, being named Bedfordshire’s small Business of the Year.

The small Business of the Year award, announced at a recent ceremony featuring the great and good of Bedfordshire, recognises exceptional businesses operating at a turnover of less than £5m.

This award comes hot on the heels of further recent success for Pavilion at the Park, which was included in the 2017 Good Food Guide, and is the only restaurant in Bedford to be featured in the Guide.

Pavilion at the Park opened its doors in November 2014, following a bidding process to transform the dilapidated building, which was won

by Bedfordshire entrepreneur Emma Garrett, who also owns Kiosk at the Park in Russell Park. Current Head Chef Marcus Webber joined Pavilion at the Park on its first birthday. in just two years, the Pavilion has become firmly established as not just a café serving delicious food and

drink, but also as a hub for the community welcoming various local groups who use the café for regular meet-ups.

Emma Garrett said: “Our second birthday has come around really quickly and i feel as though we’ve achieved so much in this short time, which is testament to our fantastic team and the amazing support we’ve had from customers, associates and local businesses.

“For us, Pavilion at the Park is all about community and people, good food and wine, health and wellbeing and pulling it all together in a relaxed, friendly environment where standards are high and customer service is key. We encourage people to get out in the fresh air for all sorts of activities and events as well as offering delicious home cooked food, ethically sourced coffee and mouthwatering cake.

After winning small Business of the Year she said: “i am extremely chuffed, very excited. it was a really tough category. in the original nominations that were published there were 26 other businesses so i didn’t think for a moment that we’d get through to the last three.”

Harpur Centre rolls out free Wi-Fi

Michael R Peters raises £1500 for Bedford Hospital charity WHILE celebrating their 50th Anniversary Michael R Peters teamed up with the Friends of Bedford Hospital throughout 2016 to raise funds for this deserving charity by offering an LG LED 50” television and ten DAB radios as prizes in a raffle which was drawn recently.

Ticket sales raised over £1500 was raised during the period and the winner of the top prize was John Hulance seen pictured here with Felicity Scott chairperson of the Friends and Paul Mead MD of Michael R Peters.

THis year is the 40th birthday of Bedford’s Harpur Centre.

As an early birthday present, for all customers, shoppers can now have free Wi-Fi at the Centre.

All you need to do is log into HarpurFreeWi-Fi. James Burchell, on behalf of the Harpur Centre, said: “it will be a brilliant anniversary year at the Harpur Centre and we are delighted to already have installed free Wi-Fi for shoppers in the run up to Christmas to offer an even better customer experience.”

The Centre is also delighted to announce that the Wishing Tree Appeal in conjunction with Heart Radio received a great response this year and would like to thank shoppers for their generosity.

Thousands of gifts collected have been distributed by organisations that support underprivileged children and families in Bedfordshire and have been delivered in time for Christmas day. samantha Laycock from the Harpur Centre, said: “We would like to thank everyone for support-

ing our Harpur Centre Wishing Tree appeal this year. due to a fantastic response by our shoppers and local businesses, we are proud to announce that thousands of gifts for underprivileged children and families in Bedfordshire will be delivered in time for Christmas.”

––––––––––––––– BEDFORD Borough Council has been announced as National Champion for sustainability at the Public Sector Energy & Sustainability Awards 2016. The award recognises major investment in green energy production including, solar energy, hydro power and biomass.

Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson said: “Through targeted investment and a commitment to sustainability we have slashed our carbon emissions and have turned the council into a flagship for green energy and environmental good practice. I would like to congratulate everybody across the council who has helped contribute to this national success.”

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Major High Street success story

THERE was a celebratory event recently to mark the completion of the ‘Townscape Heritage initiative’ (THi) Project. The project launched in september 2011 with an aim to offer grants to improve traditional properties that were either derelict, in poor repair and/or vacant.

The project has made vast improvements to 16 properties in total within the High street and st Paul’s square area and this, along with town centre events, has helped to further increased footfall figures; with this year’s October numbers being the highest for six years.

The project, led by Bedford Borough Council, delivered £5m of investment into heritage buildings and initiatives in the High street area, helping transform its future.

Using funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bedford Borough Council and BedfordBid, the project levered £3m of private sector investment from property owners and tenants to refurbish 16 properties; creating new shopfronts, 36 new homes and bringing 33,000 sq. ft. of vacant space back into use, bringing a new vibrancy to the area.

The Mayor of Bedford Borough,

dave Hodgson, said: “The ‘before and after’ photos tell the story of what a dramatic difference this project has made to Bedford High street.

The funding from the partners involved has in turn levered in millions of pounds of external investment in the High street, transforming a long list of properties for the better. Every project has enhanced and in some cases revealed the rich heritage of the High street, while also helping to bring new life back to some previously long-derelict properties. The project has really

improved the look and feel of the High street, while the works have made another major contribution to our vision of a town centre which is attractive in its own right, for retail and also much more.”

A new public square will open next year with opportunity for more events and activities as a key hub within our major Riverside North regeneration scheme that will include a new 100 bedroom Premier inn hotel, a new Vue cinema, new riverside restaurants and around 50 apartments.

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Daubeney students show Apple recognises school their true colours

FROM January 2017, students at daubeney Academy will begin to earn and log credits online towards their Colours, a new system bespoke to the school which will allow youngsters to demonstrate that they are developing their character as well as their academic abilities. daubeney Academy’s Colours system links with its community’s shared values of: n Respect n Responsibility n Learning n Confidence n Honesty

credits (20 against each of the shared values) they will have earned their House Colours and will be rewarded with a metal pin badge that can be worn on their school blazer.

After all four badges have been earned, which may take a few years of effort towards developing their character against the shared values, students will also have earned their Challenger diploma. in order, the Colours that students who are committed not only to developing an outstanding character but also to daubeney Academy As well as working towards can gain are: gaining excellent academic qualin House Colours fications, daubeney students will n daubeney Colours be able make themselves more employable to businesses and n CMAT Colours attractive to colleges by gaining n Challenger diploma Colours the nationally renowned Challenger diploma, which will The unique Colours system is be offered as an integral part of the latest in a succession of excitschool life and daubeney’s drive ing developments for daubeney to produce effective contributors Academy as it moves towards to society. becoming an outstanding secondOnce students have earned 100 ary school.

FOUR BADGES

BEdFORd Girls’ school has been recognised as an Apple distinguished school for its extensive use of Apple technology in the curriculum.

The Apple distinguished school designation is reserved for schools that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, educational excellence, and demonstrate a clear vision of exemplary learning environments. in line with the school’s ethos of preparing girls for the future, BGs unveiled its strategy to integrate technology into teaching and learning in 2014, with the roll out of one-on-one iPad minis to all students across the whole school.

Miss Jo MacKenzie, Headmistress of BGs, said: “Enhancing traditional teaching and learning methods with iPads offers the girls and teachers the flexibility they need in a fast-paced learning environment. “instead of using a plethora of text-

books and folders, girls can now research, edit and submit work, in a more efficient way – providing a greater interactive, inquiry and collaborative experience.

“From an early age girls make decisions about which learning tools, whether that is iPads or more traditional tools which are the most appropriate for the tasks in hand.

“The Apple distinguished school title acknowledges the depth of integration of technology throughout the school, and our commitment to preparing girls for the future in a globalised world.” in addition, another key factor in BGs being awarded Apple distinguished school status is its production of iBooks. A regular stream of free iBooks, covering a variety of subjects and topics, are available for the girls to use for their curriculum and project work, with some published on iTunes.

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View from

In Focus with

Bishop Richard

Dave

by Rt Revd Richard Atkinson Bishop of Bedford

EARLiER in december i dedicated the new Prayer Garden at Holywell school in Cranfield; one of the Church of England schools in the diocese. Laid out around paths in the shape of the school badge (crossed keys and a sword), when the planting develops, it will provide an inspiring space for pupils and staff.

One of the possible developments for the garden is the display of a ‘prayer for the month’. Each month a much loved prayer would be chosen to offer a focus. it got me thinking. Which prayers would i choose?

An obvious contender must be the prayer that Jesus taught us – the Lord’s Prayer; that supreme guide to both our worship of God and our daily living. it is a prayer that many rightly use daily to anchor their lives. i might also choose the prayer of st Francis with its invitation to be agents of love: Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; – A reminder of the call to be peacemakers in our violent world.

For simple common sense and sheer practicality, i like the socalled serenity Prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr: God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. And for openness to the call of God there is the prayer of Charles de Foucauld with its demanding sentiments: Father, i abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, i thank you: i am ready for all, i accept all. Words that were prayed daily by a colleague dying of cancer expressing his commitment to walk with Jesus whatever might come.

Above all i would go for the Prayer of st Richard which has been a favourite ever since i discovered the excitement of sharing the name of a saint.

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. – Amen.

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DEVELOPMENT WILL BRING MORE FOOTFALL

EVERY January we are bombarded with predictions for the year ahead. This tends to be a mug’s game, as many wealthy bookies could tell you, but one thing is for sure: online shopping will continue to grow in the UK, increasing the challenge for the country’s high streets.

Latest official national figures show that online shopping has grown by a massive 25% in one year.

Online Christmas shopping records were on course to be broken, too. in this context, we need to focus on a clear vision for Bedford, of a town centre attractive as a destination in its own right, for retail but also for leisure, culture and food and drink. somewhere that offers something for people of all ages to enjoy, and is alive with activity during the day and the evening.

Another prediction for 2017 which we can make confidently is that Bedford will make big strides towards fulfilling this vision this year, for one key reason: Riverside North.

This major development, opening this summer, features the return of town centre cinema, new public space by the river, restaurants such as Wagamama and Zizzi and much more.

A long list of quality commercial operators have delivered a huge vote of confidence in Bedford and in this development by signing up to long term deals of twenty years and more.

The development will bring new footfall to the town, benefitting our existing traders, while it also creates 200 new jobs.

Bedford is already bucking the trend in a big way, with footfall figures and shop vacancy rates going in the right direction.

There’s more to be done to achieve that crucial vision of the town centre as an attractive destination for years to come, however.

Thanks to Riverside North, 2017 will represent an exciting step towards it, and an even more enjoyable town centre for all.

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In Focus with

Fuller Richard Fuller MP for Bedford & Kempston

WANT TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

THE Community Business school being held over five Thursday evenings in January and February, free and open to all, will provide advice, tips and insight to anyone in our town with an interest in business, or who runs a business, or who is developing a business idea.

i am passionate about small business. small and family businesses are right at the heart of our town and Bedford and Kempston should be known as the best place for anyone to start a business.

Part of that is developing a positive culture that encourages people to take a risk, that helps bring together teams of people who share a passion for the independence and purpose that running your own business can bring.

The Bedford Community Business school will give tips on “How to sell”, “How to Present Effectively”, “Getting Funded” and “developing Talent” amongst other topics.

Andy street, who ran The John Lewis Partnership until 2016, will start us off and later sessions will include dido Harding, CEO of TalkTalk and Margot James, the business minister and an entrepreneur herself.

so, if you care about the future of our town and want to make a difference why not spend two hours on five winter Thursday evenings at the Kings House on Ampthill Road and immerse yourself in a warm, welcome and positive programme that should leave you better informed and more motivated for the New Year ahead.

To register for your place at the FREE, Open to All, Bedford Community Business school, go to http://bit.ly/2hkisPg. i look forward to seeing you there.

Monthly update from the Police and Crime Commissioner

by Kathryn Holloway

BEDS TO GET MORE PCs

FiNALLY Bedfordshire Police received the first report from the police watchdog, Her Majesty’s inspectorate of Constabulary, to give it a “good” rating since i came into the role as Police and Crime Commissioner on May 5. This report was a vital one as it related to “legitimacy” – in other words the way the Force treats the public and its officers and staff. i was delighted that the inspection team specifically mentioned the work i have been doing, alongside the Force, to announce the brand new Community Policing Hubs of officers dedicated to more visible policing in towns across the county. These have been launched by me alongside the deputy Chief Constable and other key members of the Bedfordshire Policing team in each area to also explain the less visible detective work going on to protect the public locally, and also involve the manager of the Force Control Room detailing the challenges for call-handlers who have to assess the threat and risk to each caller, when balanced against all the other demands coming in for an immediate 999 response.

Opportunities are also available at each meeting to hear about the help which the public can offer their communities through becoming a special Constable or joining the invaluable “Watch” schemes, such as streetwatch and speedwatch, as a volunteer.

Hubs have been launched in the county including Bigglewade.

Community Policing is the destination for 96 more police constables recruited during my administration as PCC. in addition, the Police and Community support Officers, who have proved so popular in building relationships with Parish Councils, are also being increased. The Force now has 45 and 10 come into operation on January 19 2017. Two more sets of recruits – 16 in each intake – will be trained in May and July.

HMiC also recognised the valuable work being done by Bedfordshire Police to make sure that it looks and sounds like the population it serves with some 36% diversity in a recent intake of trainee PCs. i promised the public better policing of their communities and to be a Commissioner for All and i sincerely hope residents can see that i am doing everything possible to deliver on that promise.

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Long service awards

sTAFF at Bedford Hospital have been recognised at a special ceremony for collectively dedicating over 1300 years of continuous service at the Trust.

Audit trail to top prize

THE Bedfordshire-based office of accountancy firm MHA Macintyre Hudson has won a prestigious professional award for audit work.

The audit team of UK Top 20 accountancy firm, led by partners Andrew Moyser and Martin Herron, claimed the Top 50 Audit Team of the Year Award at the British Accountancy awards, warding off stiff competition from three strong rival teams.

MHA Macintyre Hudson was also one of six firms nominated for the Top 50 Tax Team of the Year.

Commenting on winning the award, Andrew Moyser, said: “This is a fantastic accolade for the audit team which was up against some strong competition.

“The award reflects our team’s consistent hard work and excellence in providing an essential service to a growing roster of clients.”

Martin Herron added: “Audit is a lynchpin service for the firm and we pride ourselves on delivering a very high quality, rigorous and consistent approach across all of our offices.

Over recent years the firm has focused on sector specialisms for audit partners and this has allowed us to gain a deep understanding of the environment that our clients operate in to further enhance our audit delivery and maintain our strong client relationships.”

Rakesh shaunak, Managing Partner and Group Chairman, added:” i am delighted that we have won Audit Firm of the Year at the British Accountancy Awards. Congratulations to everybody, it’s a major achievement for the firm.”

MHA Macintyre Hudson in Bedford achieved national fame by staging a successful pre-referendum debate at the Bedford Rugby Club in June. The event went to the top of the Twitter ratings on the day and led to representatives being asked to be in the audience of iTV debates with the then Prime Minister david Cameron and UKiP founder Nigel Farage.

The organisation has continued to help companies prepare for the implications of Brexit with a series of seminars.

The Long service Awards were presented by Chief Executive, stephen Conroy and Chair, Gordon Johns who shone the spotlight on staff who have reached a key milestone of 25 years of service at the Hospital.

Over 50 members of staff and their guests were invited to the ceremony held in the The swannery restaurant in the hospital where they were presented with a certificate, commemorative 25 year badge and shopping voucher. stephen Conroy said: “As an organisation we are passionate about recognising staff who show commitment and dedication to the Trust and

Long Service Awards recipient Vivien Kilgour with Stephen Conroy and Gordon Johns.

Stephen Conroy with a number of Long Service Award recipients

Fabulous performance Children from Great Denham sang their hearts for their school carol service. The youngsters, all students of Great Denham Primary School, gave a fabulous festive performance for parents, grandparents and members of the community.

It was held in the newly opened Community Hall.

Four senior Doctors at the Trust who are all Long Service Award recipients

the work they do. This is why we celebrate the wealth of experience and expertise of our 53 staff members who have devoted the majority of their working lives to the hospital.

The ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate this great achievement together and thank these members of staff for their continuous service.”

Gordon Johns also commented: “it’s a very proud moment to be able to recognise the long-standing support and dedication of so many of our staff, who have worked tirelessly in delivering excellent patient care.

This dedication is crucial in helping the hospital progress health care services and increase patient benefits. All of the recipients of the Long service Awards 2016 are thoroughly deserving of this recognition.”

One of the Long service Awards recipients, Vivien Kilgour said: “since joining Bedford Hospital some 25 years ago i have seen the Trust grow in many ways - from the number of staff working here to the number of patients we treat. i have and will continue to enjoy working with such a brilliant team of staff who continue to go from strength to strength.”

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Cubs see the pandas

A GROUP of Cub scouts were lucky enough to see policing behind the scenes thanks to a visit organised

by Control Room inspector Rachael Glendenning. in december the group from 1st Haynes and Wilstead scout Group attended Bedfordshire Police Headquarters to find out all the ways in which police officers work to keep people safe.

As well as seeing the Control Room in action, the children also got to hear from insp Glendenning about the importance of using 999 and 101 appropriately, and saw how the front Enquiry Office helps members of the public. in addition the Cubs were given a demonstration from firearms officer PC Luke Glendenning, showing them how hard it can be to tell a real firearm from a fake one, before dog handler PC Neil Lambert and dogs Pd duke and Pd Kai showed off their special skills including searching for cash.

Finally the visit was topped off by seeing the inside of police cars or ‘pandas’, with a sneak peek at the blue flashing lights and sirens.

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BGS student in ground-breaking research effort

A BEdFORd Girls’ school sixth Form student has played a leading part in ground-breaking research looking at the effect of cultivating methods on soil health, and the role this has in global warming.

As part of the Nuffield Research Placement scheme, which provides over 1,000 students each year with the opportunity to work alongside professional scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians, 18year-old Nilufa Yasmin worked under the supervision of Cranfield University Phd student Michail Giannitsopoulos, who was leading the project. They spent four weeks (a total of 70 hours) testing five cultivating methods on two different types of soil: clay and snagsborough.

With previous research showing that reduced tillage methods, as opposed to deep ploughing, had been adopted to conserve soil health, Michail and Nilufa wanted to prove this theory worked.

“There is a high demand on sustainable food and this has led to a growing pressure on soil resources, so it’s vital research is done on the best agricultural methods, in order to produce enough healthy soil.

“Our research proved that the use

of reduced tillage methods leads to a marked increase in crop growth, which is hugely significant when considering the agricultural demand, but also issues with global warming. “it could be suggested that

results such as these indicate the use of minimum tillage treatments could have a positive effect on carbon sequestration as more CO2 could be stored as carbon within the soil. it has been shown that

improved soil aggregation has reduced the effect of CO2 increase, and so also global warming.”

Nilufa’s involvement in the project also led to her achieving the British science Association CREsT Gold award, a national accolade designed to encourage 16-19-yearolds to take part in sTEM activities, and a feat that stands out on a UCAs application. Nilufa hopes to study Biochemistry at university. she added: “The placement gave me a great opportunity to have a small taste of what it would be like to work in research in a university environment. it made me realise what i really wanted to do in the future and set me on my career path in science.” dr Helen Gates, Nilufa’s Tutor and Head of Chemistry at Bedford Girls’ school, added: “This experience will really set Nilufa apart from other science students, as she conducted and wrote up a piece of real research so early in her career.

“Nilufa has shown she is a true scientist, to have the opportunity to demonstrate these skills whilst still at school is fantastic and will give her the confidence to follow her ambitions.”

Volunteers needed, winter opening, and more!

JOHN Bunyan Museum & Library is gearing up for another brilliant year in 2017. Continuing its special winter opening times, doing major work to improve the collections store, and updating the museum lighting, and disabled access. We are also creating brand new children’s trails to help families explore, and enjoy the museum.

if you are interested in being part of the fantastic volunteer team who make this all possible; the museum is holding a recruitment event at 10.30am on saturday 21st January, for anyone interested in volunteering at the museum.

This independent (not funded by council or government) museum, part of Bunyan Meeting in the heart of Bedford’s Cultural Quarter, is run by a team of dedicated volunteers of all ages.

The museum needs volunteers to help welcome the visitor, and keep the museum open.

We are also looking for volunteers with skills and experience in working with schools, leading group tours, marketing, admin, or who have an interest in working with the collections.

For the first time we are also looking for volunteers to support Bunyan Meeting’s new arts initiative – The Basement @ Bunyan, as gallery stewards, and to support the various projects and activities that take place there.

Volunteer, diana Palmer said: “What i love

NEW ARTS INITIATIVE

about being a volunteer is the wide variety of people i’ve met – visitors from around the world and the other diverse volunteers. i enjoy the chances to get involved with other activities which help keep the museum vibrant: helping to produce children’s trails, craft activities,” The session is on the January 21, starts at 10.30am in the Foyer Coffee shop at Bunyan Meeting, (entrance off of Mill street) and includes a tour of the site.

The museum will be open 10am-3pm saturday 14th, 21st, 28th January, and 4th and

11th February.

Children’s workshops “Potions, Posies and Poems” in partnership with Bedford Chronicles start at 10.30 and 1.30 (each last 1hr 30mins) on Thursday 16th February, £3 per child, booking is advisable as numbers are limited.

The Museum will fully reopen on Tuesday 14th February 2017, and continue to open Tuesday to Saturday 11.00am4.00pm until October (Closed Good Friday) and admission is free.

24 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

Pensioner loses money in company take-overs

A RETiREd building society worker wonders if he is just the tip of the iceberg as his former employers have ‘lost’ his pension.

A pensioner form Bedford, aged 66, who does not wish to be named at the moment, started his working life with Bedfordshire Building society back in 1965 and paid a pension into Bedfordshire, which then became Gateway.

All this time he was paying into a pension. However the part that was the Bedfordshire/ Gateway Building society pension cannot be found by the current owners, Barclays Bank.

He said: “i joined the Bedfordshire pension scheme at aged 20, and when it became the Gateway, 2 per cent of my salary was deducted towards the pension.

i would like to hear from other people who worked there, to see if their experience is the same.”

He has also contacted his MP, Richard Fuller. A spokesman for Willis Towers Watson, who act for Barclays, said: “Our TAs team provides pensions administration services for companies, including member payments and communications.

“Unfortunately we have not been able to track down any record of the pension this gentleman refers to from the 1960s from the data we hold on behalf of our clients.

“Where we cannot find any records, next steps are to try to find out if he has any paperwork or further information that could prove helpful.” did you work for Bedfordshire Building society and has your pension been lost?

Please contact us if you have had a similar experience.

Man fined for cycling in town

£647 fine for dumping vehicle

Like all building societies, Bedfordshire underwent a series of takeovers, becoming the Gateway, then the Woolwich, before ending up with Barclays.

GONE MISSING

dOMiNiC smith of Leven Walk, Bedford was ordered to pay £351 at Luton Magistrates, after pleading guilty to cycling in the pedestrian area of Bedford.

Mr smith was stopped by a council officer whilst cycling in Midland Road in June this year. Mr smith was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice and after failing to pay the FPN the matter was referred to Luton Magistrates Court.

At a hearing on 13th december magistrates imposed a fine of £145 and Mr smith was also ordered to pay costs of £166 and a £40 victim surcharge.

Cllr Colleen Atkins, Portfolio Holder for Community safety and Regulatory services, said: “The Public space Protection Order was introduced in May this year for the safety of pedestrians in Bedford Town Centre and those in contravention of the PsPO will face a hefty fine for their anti-social behaviour.”

The Public space Protection Order restricts cyclists from riding through the main pedestrian area of the town centre between 9am and 6pm. Contravention will result in a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £75.

LAsT month sebastian Geslowski of Edward Road, Bedford was ordered to pay £647 at Luton Magistrates Court after being found guilty of abandoning a vehicle.

The Court heard that Mr Geslowski’s vehicle was reported as abandoned in spenser Road, Bedford and when a council officer inspected the vehicle it was found to be in poor condition, unlocked and without up to date tax or MOT. despite receiving a written request to remove the vehicle Mr Geslowski failed to do so and was subsequently charged with abandoning a vehicle contrary to The Refuse disposal Amenity Act 1978.

Mr Geslowski failed to attend court and was found guilty in his absence at a hearing on the 13th december 2016. Magistrates imposed a fine of £400 and the defendant was also ordered to pay £207 in costs and a £40 victim surcharge. deputy Mayor and Portfolio Holder for Environment Cllr Charles Royden said: “Bedford Borough Council has a zero tolerance attitude towards people who dump cars, there is a maximum fine for contravention of £2,500.”

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

Celebrating 150 years of singing

by Roger Barnard

i siNG with Bedford Choral society.

Next year, Bedford Choral society celebrates its 150th Anniversary, and is reckoned to be the seventh oldest choral society in the country. On sunday 30 April 2017, we will give a celebratory concert in the Bedford Corn Exchange, our regular venue, and perform, among other things, Mendelssohn’s Lauda sion. This work (no, i don’t know it either), was performed at the very first concert on 30 April 1867.

Tastes, of course, have changed, and Bedford Choral society does reflect such change in its concert programmes. Now, we have widened the repertoire to do everything from Monteverdi to Karl Jenkins, and last year tackled living Estonian composer Arvo Part - really challenging! Our concert programme is planned some years ahead and we’ve just settled on Haydn’s The seasons for November 2020!

Bedford Choral society also commissions new works. For instance, in the 150th Anniversary concert, we are singing Psalm 150, as set to music by our accompanist and assistant choir master Tim GrantJones. in fact, the theme of ‘150’ will be current the whole year. We are aiming to grow the choir from 125 members singing in the recent Mozart programme, to reach 150 by the time of the summer 2017 concert.

in particular, we are looking to recruit younger singers, both to enrich the quality of singing, to swell the sound we make, and to sustain the choir for the next number of years. To achieve this, we plan to take a small representative sample of our singers into Bedford school sixth forms, Bedford College and the University of Bedfordshire, early next year, aiming to enthuse young people enough to join us in rehearsals and sing with us in the summer. in that summer concert, ian smith, the choir’s long-standing Musical director, will conduct us in Michael Hurd’s shepherd’s Calendar, a beautiful setting of some of John Clare’s poetry. The first performance was given by southampton Choral society in 1975 – i know, ‘cos i was there! May i encourage you to look up Michael Hurd, read John Clare and join us in the audience on 17 June 2017 for the concert, when both will be celebrated.

Finally, if you’re something of a historian, you might like to read Michael Benson’s masterly account of the Bedford Choral society, from its beginnings in 1867, though to 1991, and with an afterword by ian smith, taking us up to today. Mike’s book is entitled ‘Bedford’s Musical society – A History of Bedford Choral society’, under the auspices of Bedfordshire Historical Record society, and published by The Boydell Press at £25.

Children have a ‘Raursome’ time The new and the old came together in Great Denham recently. Children at Great Denham Primary School have been learning about dinosaurs and particularly answer the question how did they make their mark? Year 1 and 2 children learned about when dinosaurs lived, studied dinosaur fossils and, in sum, became dinosaur experts. The children were then asked to think how they could leave their dinosaur mark on the community. At that very moment the school received a letter from the Chairman of the Parish Council and school governor, Jim Weir (pictured), asking if the school could help him decorate Great Denham’s brand new community hall. So the children worked with a local artist and created some clay tiles with different fossils on and each child’s fingerprint. Mrs Denise Burgess, headteacher, said: “Our children were the first children to use the community hall. Once there they watched some celebratory videos of the learning journey, which can be seen on our website. It was a great experience for them all. And when the children arrived back at school they had a dinosaur party, which was completely Raursome!”

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 25

E

Bedford’s great sporting icons – part 2

by Ken Broughton

x BRiTisH, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight Champion, Joe Bugner was born on March 13 1950 in szőreg, Hungary. The Bugner family fled their country after the 1956 soviet invasion which led to the Hungarian Uprising later that year. They moved to England and settled in Bedford and Joe attended Goldington Road school where he excelled in sports and won the national schools discus event in 1964. He joined Bedford Boys Club and it was here that he began boxing under the boxing coach Paul King. He had a very short amateur career, winning 13 of 16 bouts and then at the very young age of 17 turned professional.

Upon leaving school he started work at Allens, the Bedford Engineering Co. but when his boxing career began to rapidly progress he left Allens to concentrate on his career full time.

Joe lost his first pro fight to Paul Brown on a third round T.K.O. on december 20 1967 but with true grit and determination over the next three and a half years and showing great promise, he then challenged Henry Cooper for the British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight Championship on March 16,1971 at The Empire Pool, Wembley, winning on points over 15 rounds to become champion.

A few months later in the same arena he lost his titles to Jack Bodell but carried on and later regained the European title and in successive fights in 1973 fought both Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas, UsA and Joe Frazier at Earls Court in London and lost to both on points over 12 rounds.

Both Ali and Frazier were former World Heavyweight Champions. He fought Ali again on June 30 1975 for the world title after Ali had regained it from George Foreman who had won it from Frazier. This fight took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bugner was beaten on points over 15 rounds, after which briefly retiring he came back to beat Richard dunne on a last round K.O. to win the three titles he had won from Cooper and then again retired.

He made another comeback, won a few more fights before retiring once more. By this time he had made more comebacks than Frank sinatra and on his next comeback, he fought and was beaten by Frank Bruno in eight rounds on October 24 1987 at White Hart Lane, Tottenham, after which he again retired only to come back once more almost eight years later on september 9 1995 for nine more fights before retiring for good on June 13 1999.

His record: 83 fights, won 67 lost 13 and

one drawn contest. 43 of these wins were

by K.O. Matt skelton, who i have met several times, was also British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight Champion from Bedford. He fought for the W.B.A. World Heavyweight Championships against Russian Chagaev on January 19, 2008 in dusseldorf, Germany, losing on points over 12 rounds.

Matt is a real nice easygoing guy; some have said too nice for boxing although you wouldn’t have thought so to see him in action in the ring.

He once told me that he had no time for all this trash talk between boxers before a big fight as

most of it is contrived and completely unnecessary and wouldn’t involve himself in it.

Tony Arpins was an italian boxer from Bedford who fought as a Lightheavywieght and Heavyweight from 1930 to 1939 and in 1933 he went 15 rounds before losing on points to Tommy Farr. in 1937 Farr fought and lost over 15 rounds to Joe Louis, the World Heavyweight Champion in Yankee stadium, New York. in 1938 Tony beat ex British Heavyweight Champion, Reggie Meen in four rounds at Bedford Corn Exchange. He later branched out into films and on TV and appeared in several episodes of ‘The saint’ iTV series starring Roger Moore.

Joey Archibald from Providence, Rhode island, UsA was World Featherweight Champion from April 1939 to May 1940 and again from May 1941 to september 1941. i

have mentioned this on account of him having relatives who lived in Bedford but whether or not he ever came over here to visit them i have no idea. des Morrison from Bedford became the first ever British and Commonwealth superLightweight Champion when he beat Joe Tetteh on points over 15 rounds on November 27 1973 and lost the titles to Pat McCormack on March 26 1974. He fought for them again on June 1 1981 against champion Clinto McKenzie and was stopped after 14 all action rounds at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London.

His best performance was against Frenchman Louis Acaries whom he KOd in the last round in Paris, France on October 15 1979. Acaries later became European super Welterweight and Middleweight Champion.

His record: 50 fights, 36 won, 12 lost and two draws.

Moving onto football, Bedford’s very own Barry Fry needs no introduction but here goes. He was born on April 7 1945 and attended, first Pearcey Road school and then silver Jubilee school where he showed such outstanding football ability that he was chosen to represent England schools on several occasions and at Wembley stadium in April 1960 against scotland schools in front of a crowd of over 90,000 he scored in a 5-3 victory. A few days later having just turned 15 he played for his local team Elstow Abbey, a mens team in the Bedford and district League, in a local Cup Final at The Eyrie, Bedford Town’s ground against Potton United which they lost 4-1. i saw this game and have to say Barry didn’t play particularly well.

Upon leaving school he went to Manchester United as an apprentice footballer and stayed there for over four years but never played in the first team. He became very friendly with Bobby Charlton, Nobby stiles, dennis Law and especially George Best. He later played for Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient and then after playing for Bedford Town, he retired to take up football management. He has since been manager of dunstable Town, Maidstone United, southend United, Barnet, Birmingham City and Peterborough United for whom he is now a director of football.

Barry is a very lively and effervescent character, one of footballs nice guys who always has a friendly word for everyone he meets. A true star.

Geoff Millman 1934-2005 was born in Bedford and educated at Bedford Modern school. he played cricket as a wicket keeper for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and also six times for England in Test matches.

After retiring from cricket he ran the family jewellery business in Bedford where he died in 2005.

Next time: The History of Addison Howard Park in Kempston.

26 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com Treatments include:

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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 27

out & about comedy p Red heads rule

Ent Shed, Castle Road, Bedford Thursday January 12

Castle Comedy starts 2017 with a very special show as Hollywood comes to Bedfordshire! diane spencer one of the UK’s best ginger comedians will be filming her brand new hour long stand-up comedy show LiVE at Castle Comedy and you can be a member of the audience! The Ent shed at the Gordon Arms, Castle Road, Bedford will be looking it’s finest on Thursday January 12th ready for the laughs to flow and the cameras to roll!

A favourite of the UK comedy circuit, diane has performed worldwide delighting crowds with her witty, storytelling comedy. Her brand new show “seamless” follows her confessional style of true-life stories mixed with acerbic wit, crafted jokes and charming onstage persona. Viking funerals, suicidal penguins, Russian diets, Katie Price, bad sewing and adorable screaming children are all topics covered by this comedy veteran.

“She is a flame-haired, filth-

firing force of nature, tossing the audience from open-mouthed incredulity to tear-filled guffaws.”

Sunday Express ★★★★★ “Her wacky and irreverent storytelling will charm, shock and uplift you. Not for the fainthearted, but also not to be missed.”

ThreeWeeks ★★★★★ diane’s stand-up comedy specials have amassed over a quarter of a million views on Youtube and her audience is steadily growing. “seamless” will be her seventh stand-up comedy special, and will be available to watch on Youtube in early February 2017.

Put on your glad rags, bring your biggest smile and get ready to laugh!

The show will feature a support slot from a top UK comic and Castle Comedy regular, Paul Revill.

The shows sell out quickly so book early to avoid disappointment! doors open 7.30pm. show starts at 8.15pm and tickets are £8 (£6 NUs) or £16 which includes a pre show meal and glass of wine at the Gordon Arms.

To book: www.castlecomedy. co.uk or call 07736 060541 Castle Comedy – Bringing Comedy Royalty to Bedfordshire.

the place p Folk Nights: Vin Garbutt

Vin’s career has spanned over 40 years of constant worldwide touring which must make him some kind of elder statesman of folk. His songs were inspired by the folk tradition at the beginning of his career, they still are but have transformed into gritty social comment and life observations.

“Vin cuts through the bull, grasping those he meets firmly by the hand and shaking them up with a dose of laughter and tears. it’s a true gift to be able to make us laugh and squirm at the same time. He should be prescribed on the National Health.” English Folk dance & song society.

Saturday 14 January 8pm

Arabian Nights Act One Theatre School Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 January 7.30pm

it is wedding night in the palace of King shahrayar. By morning the new Queen shahrazad is to be put to death like all the young brides before her. But she has one gift that could save her – the gift of storytelling.

To save her own life and the lives of subsequent brides of the King, the young Queen spins her dazzling

www.theplacebedford.org.uk/ 01234 354321

array of tales and characters. But will her bewitching stories be enough to enchant her husband and save her life?

Come and watch Act One Theatre bring these stories to life in a production that is suitable for nearly all the family - perhaps not the youngest family members as these ancient stories do have their dark side!

Film: La Langue de las Mariposas Butterfly’s Tongue For Moncho, it’s an idyllic year: he starts school, he has a wonderful teacher, he makes a friend in Roque, he begins to figure out some of the mysteries of Eros, and, with his older brother, a budding saxophone player, he makes a trip with the band from their town in Galicia.

But it’s also the year that the spanish Republic comes under fire from Fascist rebels. Moncho’s father is a Republican as is the aging teacher, don Gregorio.

As sides are drawn and power falls clearly to one side, the forces of fear, violence, and betrayal alter profoundly what should be the pleasure of coming of age.in spanish with English subtitles. spanish on 25th January.

Thurs 26 January 7.30pm

Continued on next page

28 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

THE

con club

KEMPSTON 01234 851120

It’s now time to renew your membership New memberships now being taken for the best club in Kempston Sky Sports + on SUPER SUNDAY Fosters and Eagle Smooth 50p a pint cheaper between 1pm-6pm

CHECK FOR DETAILS www.facebook.com/conclub.kempston BEdFORd MUsiC CLUB

Thursday 19 Jan 2017 - Bunyan Meeting SEXTET FROM LONDON MOZART PLAYERS

The London Mozart Players was founded in 1949 as the UK’s first chamber orchestra and has achieved international renown for its outstanding live performances and recordings. We welcome six members of the orchestra to perform a delightful programme of string sextet music, a rare and thrilling treat. Mozart’s 1772 divertimento is a masterpiece of brilliant inventiveness and virtuosity. Alongside it we hear Arnold schoenberg’s monumental lateRomantic work Verklärte Nacht and Tchaikovsky’s brilliant sextet souvenir de Florence.

Thursday 16 Feb 2017 - Bedford Girls’ School PHOENIX PIANO TRIO

Formed in 2010, and with a growing reputation for excellence in chamber music, the Phoenix Piano Trio is made up of violinist Jonathan stone, cellist Christian Elliott and pianist sholto Kynoch, who is also the founder and Artistic director of the Oxford Lieder Festival.

Their programme includes one of Haydn’s most popular chamber works and Brahms’s first, highly emotive piano trio. We also hear a sumptuous work by the underrated but superb English composer John ireland.

Thursday 30 Mar 2017 - Bedford Girls’ School KITTY WHATELY (MEZZO-SOPRANO) AND WILLIAM VANN (PIANO)

Kitty Whately and William Vann (also Bedford Music Club’s Artistic director) both come from Bedfordshire. An award-winning mezzo-soprano, Kitty Whately is a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, an HsBC Laureate for the Aix-en-Provence Festival and was the winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award in 2011; William Vann is a multiple prize-winning pianist of international renown. They give an engaging recital of music by an eclectic mix of composers throughout the ages, from the Englishmen Henry Purcell and Jonathan dove through Mahler and schubert to the Americans samuel Barber and steven sondheim. We also hear Joseph Horowitz’s stunning Lady Macbeth.

Thursday 27 Apr 2017 - Bunyan Meeting THE MARIAN CONSORT, VOCAL ENSEMBLE, DIRECTED BY RORY MCCLEERY

Taking its name from the Blessed Virgin Mary, a focus of religious devotion in the sacred music of all ages, the Marian Consort is a young, dynamic and internationally-renowned early music vocal ensemble. This ‘astounding’ (The Herald) ensemble has given concerts throughout the UK and Europe, features regularly on BBC Radio 3, and is a former ‘Young Artist’ of The Brighton Early Music Festival. Tonight’s programme, Ave Virgo sanctissima, features settings by English Renaissance composers Thomas Fayrfax, Walter Lambe and William Byrd juxtaposed with contemporary Marian works by Cecilia Mcdowall, Bedfordbased Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Judith Weir, Roxanna Panufnik, Matthew Martin, Hilary Campbell.

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

Garden notes

by Richard Callaghan

OOPs, i went into hibernation and completely forgot about december. How could i? Lots has been going on, all the blackberries and raspberries and gooseberries have now gone and all but forgotten.

When i dug them out i also dug out eight sacks of bindweed roots! small wonder they were struggling to give me a crop.

Now i have blackcurrants in dustbins and raspberries in largish containers which i also plan to upsize as and when.

The only soft fruit in the ground now are five redcurrants growing as cordons and as they are getting on for eight feet tall i am not sure what i can do with them except hope.

What a lovely few frosts we had, when i dug the fruit out the ground was hard and dry where it had been trampled. it came up as fist sized rocks or larger but after three nights of good frosts it broke down and raked out perfectly.

The old asparagus bed has also gone and that took more digging than the fruit did. some of the old

LOVELY FROSTS

crowns were enormous but they had been there for about twenty years i think.

As you know i have been going on about sarpo Mira for a while, but they are not to everyone’s taste as they are a bit firm to say the least. i read an article recently about the sarpo potatoes, and now they have solved the blight problem they are setting about improving the taste and texture.

There are a number of sarpo varieties available now and i have ordered a trial pack of ‘Blue danube’ Which as you might expect have blue skins but white flesh and are said to be good for roasting baking or mash so i shall have to keep you informed as to how they per-form both in the field and in the kitchen. i am well aware though that if the flesh is blue as well they will only be on one plate!

Cook is of the “tomatoes are red and cauliflowers and potatoes are white and nothing else passes my lips variety”. We are not amused by novelty. “Why do they have to mess with everything?”

When i have finished my last bit of digging i can go back into hibernation for a week or two.

Happy New Year.

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 29 magician known as “The Vanishing Man”; he created the perfect trick and then disappeared forever, but his story lives on… simon Evans (award-winning magician and magical consultant to the National Theatre) and david Aula tea m up to create a time-hopping, misdirection-abusing, mind-bending examination of what really happens when a man, in full sight of his audience, simply ceases to be.

Photography: The Other Richard

Sandman

Mill Race Folk: Stick in the Wheel with support from ‘Marisa Jack & Davy “We play the music of our people.

Saturday 28 January 8pm

by Adie Muller and Mike Carter Sat 4 February 7.30pm

We sing in our own accents.

We record in our kitchens and living rooms.

This is our culture, our tradition.”

2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Nomination Best Group and 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Nomination Best Traditional Track for seven Gypsies.

The Vanishing Man

by Simon Evans and Davis Aula Thurs 2 February 7.30pm

“i’ve been able to work out, deconstruct and rebuild every trick i’ve ever seen. Except this one.”

Hugo Cedar was an Edwardian

A compelling and visceral reimagining of E.T.A. Hoffman’s gothic story The sandman.

When Nathaniel, a student, is visited by a mysterious dread figure from the past and falls in love with a woman, who isn’t all she seems, nobody can prevent his life from spiralling out of control. Haunted by terrifying childhood memories, Nathaniel is convinced that the sandman is back to take his eyes and destroy his life This intense and immersive performance fuses high-energy storytelling, expressive physicality and puppetry to take you into a thrilling nightmare world.

30 — KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017

TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952

BEGUILED BY BETJEMAN A Concert with Sir John Betjeman’s Poetry mostly in musical settings by

John Gould, Donald Swann and Paul Edwards FEATURING

Four singers, narrator and accompanist

Saturday 7th January at 3pm St Owen’s Church, Bromham Entry via Bromham Park at MK43 8LL Adults £8 – u16 £3 Tickets from 01234 825454 (mornings) or 01234 826551 (evenings)

shakespeare and the Globe An illustrated talk by Patrick Spottiswoode Director of Education at the Globe Theatre, London

7.30pm Tuesday 10 January 2017 Bedford School Library, de Parys Ave, Burnaby Rd gate

Patrick is a brilliant speaker who has been with the Globe for over 30 years.

He will cover not only the huge range of work performed at the theatre but also how its educational work reaches out to schools, higher education colleges and communities far and wide to bring shakespeare alive.

Free to HA members (Historical Association-Bedford). Others welcome with a donation.

Details 07989 837819/01234 266839



Image: The US president, Barack Obama, is given a tour of the Globe Theatre in London by Patrick Spottiswoode, director of education for the venue, to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, 2016-

EDITORIAL: pat@rosettapublishing.com

BEdFORdsHiRE FAMiLY HisTORY sOCiETY 7.15pm Friday 6th January interested in Family History?

Come along to our next monthly talk on

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‘A NAZI IN THE FAMILY’

given by derek Neimann held in the drama Hall of Mark Rutherford school, Wentworth drive, Bedford MK41 8Px Members free, visitors £1. www.bfhs.org.uk

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TABLE TOP SALE Sat 21st Jan and Sat 18th Feb Christ the King Church, Harrowden Road, Bedford Mk42 0sP from 9am to noon Entry 50p. Children free Refreshments available

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QUIZ NIGHT Fri 27th January Christ the King Church, Harrowden Road, Bedford Mk42 0sP Tickets £6.50 includes fish & chip supper Tickets available from 01234 965497 Bar, Raffle. 7.30pm start

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KEMPSTON AND DISTRICT MODEL RAILWAY SOCIETY

Every Monday 7.30 to 10.00 At the Church of the Transfiguration rear church hall New members welcome For further details contact Brian Woodcock on 07795251988 or brianwoodcock@btinternet.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ALL sAiNTs PARisH CHURCH KEMPsTON

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WORLD SHIP SOCIETY BEDFORD BRANCH Meetings held Kempston Constitution Club 196A Bedford Road, Kempston 3rd WEdNEsdAY in the month 19:30 for 20:00 start

18 January Wss show. Aliaga ( Turkey) shipbreaking by selim san 15 February Bill Mayes (Wss Treasurer) making a welcome return to give a presentation “Liner Evening” Branch secretary, dave Menzies Telephone: 01234 352014 e-mail: dave.menzies@tiscali.co.uk

BEdFORd NATiONAL TRUsT AssOCiATiON The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 17th January, 2017, at 2.30 in the afternoon.

The speaker will be Michael Brown, The Historic Gardener His topic is

––––––––––––––––––––––––

“DEATH IN THE GARDEN”

poisonous plants, myths, magic and murder.

Be warned, many of these plants may be growing in YOUR garden.

The meeting is in the Addison Centre in Kempston.

Tea and biscuits will be served. it costs £2.50 to attend and a little more if you are a guest. if you decide to come you will have a warm welcome.

For more information contact Betty Thomas on 01480 860 421.

BEdFORd RsPB LOCAL GROUP meet at ARA club Manton Lane Bedford MK41 7PF. Thursday 19th January 7.30 Martin davies presents:

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‘WILDLIFE OF TURKEY’

The richness of birds, mammals, dragonflies & flowers clearly shows the diversity of the wildlife FULL AFTERNOON TEA of Turkey. & A GUIDED TOUR suitable for Experts and Novices, RsPB membership not of this historic church to visiting essential. groups of 10 or above at a cost per head of £7.95.

Entrance fee, group members £1 Contacts are Janet Fardell Guest £2 annual group on 01234 855158 membership £5 email:martinandjanet1@btinternet.com www.rspb.org.uk/groups/ or Frances Leonard on 01234 852480 email: francesmleonard@gmail.com bedford

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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 ADS: advertising@rosettapublishing.com KEMPSTON CALLING JANUARY 2017 — 31 BEdFORd LOCAL GROUP OF THE WiLdLiFE TRUsT

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Wednesday 11th January 2017 Meeting 7-30 pm

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MOTHS OF BEDFORDSHIRE an illustrated talk by Andy and Melissa Banthorpe

Priory Methodist Church Hall, Newnham Avenue, Bedford MK41 9QJ.

Plenty parking available, All welcome, no charge but voluntary contributions are appreciated.

Further details available under Events on www.wildlifebcn.org or at 01234 266057

BEdFORd siNFONiA

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CONCERT

The Bedford sinfonia presents music inspired by literature, with conductor Michael Rose and soloist Alison Langer (soprano) Bedford Corn Exchange, Saturday 28 January 2017, at 7.30pm Walton - Suite ‘As You Like It’, Ravel - ‘Ma Mere l’Oye’, Mahler - Symphony no. 4

Tickets: Adults £15/£12, Concessions £13/£10, Children/students £5. Please call 01234 718044 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– www.bedfordcornexchange.co.uk BEdFORd MUsiC CLUB For further details visit Music on Thursdays www.bedfordsymphony.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

KEMPSTON SENIOR CITIZENS’ CLUB dANCiNG, WHisT, BiNGO

Meets Wednesday 10am-12noon Friday 10am-4.00pm

at the CENTENARY HALL, behind Kempston Town Hall, Bedford Road For further information telephone:

01234 857011

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LONDON MOZART PL AYERS STRING SEXTET Mozart, Schoenberg, Tchaikovsky

7.45pm Thursday 19 January BUNYAN MEETiNG

Tickets £18, students (18-25) £5, Under 18 £2 on the door or from 01234 261811 www.bedfordmusicclub.co.uk

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ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH Kimbolton Road, Bedford MK40 2PF

CONCERTS AT ST. ANDREW’S present vocal sensation and internationally renowned

THE SWINGLES (formerly The Swingle Singers)

Saturday 4th February 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm) Tickets £10, concessions £8 students 16-21 in full-time education £4 Apply to Church Centre Office or telephone 01234 216881 concerts@standrewsbedford.org

BEDFORD ORGAN & KEYBOARD CLUB THE ADDISON CENTRE –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

PRESENT TALENTED ORGANIST

MARK THOMPSON IN CONCERT WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 7.30 – 10.00pm –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Members £5 PAY AT Non-Members £6 DOOR –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Contact: 01234 344423 www/Organfax/clubs/Bedford

KEMPSTON TOWN COUNCIL

RELIEF/WEEKEND

Caretaker required for Centenary Hall and Council Offices Working alternate weekends covering cleaning/security duties for bookings from Friday evening to Sunday evening and covering the site agent for any annual/sick leave during weekdays/evenings.

Due to unsocial/staggered working hours this post ideally suits a Kempston resident.

Some lifting and use of machinery required, training will be given. A DBS check will be undertaken.

Pay: £8.25 per hour weekdays/evenings and £12.37 per hour weekends and bank holidays Application forms/further information, contact: kempstoncouncil@btconnect.com or Tel: 01234 851005 Closing Date: 20 January 2017 Interviews: w/c 23 January 2017

104 Bedford Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8BG Tel: 01234 851005 www.kempstontowncouncil.com Email: kempstoncouncil@btconnect.com Office hours: 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday KEMPsTON CALLiNG is an independent monthly magazine with no affiliation to any other organisation. © 2016 Rosetta Publishing Ltd, 30 Radwell Road, Milton Ernest MK44 1sH. Tel: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952. Printed by: Mortons Print Limited, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Boston Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR