Stotfold News Magazine July 2018 Issue 159

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From the Editor

Welcome to July.

By the time you read this we will have just finished enjoying Stotfold Festival Week. We hope you enjoyed the huge variety of events on offer and of course the Festival Fete at St Mary’s Academy. Many thanks to the team involved in pulling these events together and providing everyone the opportunity to celebrate the huge variety of activities, clubs and organisations on offer in Stotfold.

Our July edition brings even more new advertisers to the magazine and we’ve really enjoyed helping these businesses get the very best from their local advertising. Two brand new businesses have also opened their doors in Stotfold recently, JRA Discount Stores and Box of Cakes Shop & Cafe. We hope you will join us in supporting both of these Stotfold residents in their new ventures.

We always look forward to hearing your news, with so many requests from local organisations and groups to publicise and promote local events we always try to accommodate wherever we can! Email your news to us by using our contact details to the right hand side.

Many of our readers will be heading off on holiday soon and we would love you to pack your copy of the Stotfold News Magazine in your luggage to see how far we can go! Thank you to Jack, Oliver, Jacob (and Al PIke although we didn’t print your photo!) for doing just this! You can see where the boys went in their half term break on our letters page inside this month’s issue.

Please remember us if you are out and about in the next few weeks, we always enjoy receiving photographs of Stotfold to use on our front cover. Huge thanks to everyone that has sent us pictures lately - We always keep these for use sometime in the future.

Thank you also to our hardworking team of delivery volunteers who ensure you receive your magazines on time every month. We are so grateful to you all for giving up your time to help us deliver such an excellent service to our readers.

We look forward to catching up with you in a (hopefully sunny) August when we’ll be reporting back on a day spent with the Stotfold Good Neighbour Group. We are looking forward to finding out exactly what this this team of wonderful Stotfold volunteers get up to!

Editoral:

Please email your letters or articles to stotfold.news@yahoo.co.uk or write to us at: Stotfold News Magazine, 78 Hitchin Road, Stotfold, Hertfordshire, SG5 4HT You can also call us on 01462 731986 (Mon - Fri, 9.30am to 5pm)

Advertising:

It’s easy to advertise in the Stotfold News You’ll find all you need to know at: www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

Deliveries:

We have over 90 volunteers that deliver the Stotfold News Magazine. If for any reason you do not recieve your copy of the magazine please contact us to let us know.

Contact us for details of our subscription service.

Announcements:

We are happy to accept birthday announcements by post, telephone, email or through our facebook page.

If you would like to make a donation in return for your announcement or please visit:

www.justgiving.com/gardenhousehospice or send a cheque made payable to Garden House Hospice to: Garden House Hospice, Gillison Close, Letchworth Garden City, Herts SG6 1QU

Please mention that the donation has been made on behalf of the Stotfold News Magazine.

Published by Stotfold News Ltd in association with Woodbury Printing Services www.woodburyprint.co.uk

This month’s cover photograph was kindly sent in to us by Tony Di-Michele in June last year and we are so glad to finally have the opportunity to use it!

Do you have an eye for a good front cover picture?

To have your photograph featured as a future front cover of the Stotfold News Magazine please send them to: stotfold.news@yahoo.co.uk.

To contact the Stotfold News Magazine please call 01462 731986

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Stotfold Library Hitchin Road, Stotfold SG5 4HP Tel. 0300 300 8068 Monday CLOSED Tuesday 9am - 1pm Wednesday 2pm- 6pm Thursday 9am - 1pm Friday 9am-1pm & 2pm - 6pm Saturday 9am-4pm Sunday CLOSED

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN

~Every Tuesday (Term-time only)~ Storytime 10.30-11am (rec for pre-school children) Rhymetime 11:15-11.45am (rec for babies and toddlers) ~Every Wednesday~ *NEW TIME* Lego and Duplo Club 4pm-5.30pm (ages 0-99!)

James’s Carpentry & General Handyman Service

NO JOB TOO SMALL Exterior & Interior Property Maintenance

You name it and we’ll do it!

* Decorating * Furniture Building * Painting * Carpentry and much, much more

STOTFOLD BASED - FREE QUOTATIONS Contact us on (01462) 234292 or mobile: 07887 871212

~Summer Reading Challenge~

This year the Children’s Summer Reading Challenge’s theme is Mischief Makers! Brought to you by BEANO! It will be running from Saturday 21st July until Saturday 8th September.

Children sign up to read at least 6 books during the holidays to receive a certificate, prizes and a gold medal! ~School Holidays~ Saturday 21st July 9am-4pm – Summer Reading Challenge Dress up as your favourite Beano character to sign up!

Stotfold Library will be doing one craft a week during the summer holidays. The first week will be a Gnasher the Dog craft, please see below for available drop in dates and times:Tuesday 24th July 9am-12pm – Gnasher the Dog craft Wednesday 25th July 4pm-5.30pm – Lego Club Thursday 26th July 9am-12pm – Gnasher the Dog Craft Friday 27th July 2pm-5pm – Gnasher the Dog Craft Saturday 28th July 9am-3pm – Coffee & Catch-up crafts.

All events are free and under 8s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

EVENTS FOR ALL THE FAMILY ~Every Wednesday~ Lego and Duplo Club 4pm-5.30pm EVENTS FOR ADULTS ~Every Friday~ Knit and Knatter 10.30-12noon ~Every Saturday~ Coffee Morning 9am-12noon. Lego will also be left out for the whole family to play with together too! ~Wednesday 4th July~ Good Afternoon Club 2.30pm.

"The Woman Who Walked Through Fear" This month Jackie McAll will be here to talk about her journey through alcoholism and into recovery as she travels along the Old Road of the Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury. £1 entry fee. Transport can be arranged by contacting the library on 0300 300 8068 ~Thursday 7th July~ Adult Craft Classes 10-12noon.

Donna will be showing everyone how to make a box cards. If you like making your own crafts but want to learn some new techniques, this is the place for you! Hosted by Donna Pearson, professional Card Maker. £4 each and all materials provided. ~Wednesday 11th and 25th July~ Roecrafters 2pm-4pm.

Cross-stitch, rug making, paper craft, crochet or any other type of craft, bring it with you to do whilst you socialise with other like minded people. Come along and have fun! ~Wednesday 18th July~ Stotfold Reading Group 2.15-3.15pm.

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D K Home Improvements

Plumber / Tiler Complete Bathroom Installer with over 25 years experience Also general property maintenance For a free quotation contact David on: Tel: 01462 701214 Mob: 07973 912131 e-mail: david@dkhomeimprovements.co.uk or visit our web-site www.dkhomeimprovements.co.uk

Wartime Letters From Stotfold If you follow us on our facebook page you will be aware of the wonderful letters recently passed to us by local resident Nikki Williams. The letters were from a lady named Thelma Jameson (nee Hatton) posted in error to the old address of St Mary’s School at the bottom of Queen Street.

Thelma’s letter gave details of her time living in Stotfold during the war. She recalled many happy times spent at the school and the teachers she remembered including Mrs Bonnett, Mrs Pearson and Miss Rosser. Some of the experiences Thelma speaks about include being allowed to stand close to the fire to keep warm during schooltime and evacuating the school building on the sound of the air raid siren.

The letters are truly wonderful. In them she names several children she recalls as her class playmates. These names include Cynthia Everett, Mary Hughes, Patsy May, Molly Sharpe and Elsie Taylor to name a few. Also included in the letter was a smaller envelope containing notes written to her from school friends in such beautiful handwriting referred to as the ‘Stotfold Style’. These handwritten letters are from June Swan, Rosemary Owen, Mary Thompson, Pamela and Rosie. At least one of these girls was an evacuee sent to Stotfold during the war.

The letters are a unique piece of local history and we would very much like to find out more about the people that wrote them. The letters were written in 1941 when the girls were eight years old. The authors of these notes would now be in their mid eighties.

Do you know any of the people that may have written these notes? We have them and would perhaps like to show them to the people that wrote them or indeed their families. We have written to Thelma at her last known address in Peterborough, hopefully we will be able to provide an update on this in our next edition. Thelma also wrote a wonderful touching poem about Stotfold which we plan to publish in our August edition also.

We would love to hear from you if anything we have written sounds familiar.

Surmanes that Themla recalls include Alban, Bromley, Gentle, Howard, Judd, Keeper, Key, Larkin, Sugden, Talbot, Viner, Wilsher, Woodhouse, Shepherd, Taylor, Ellwodd, Deveraux, King, Shelton, Thompson, Sooter, Venebles, George and Owen.

We look forward to giving you an update and more information in August.

Initial consultation: £45, follow up treatment: £32 Tuesdays 2pm-7pm Wednesday 9am-1pm Thursday 3pm-7pm Saturdays

07479 945995 Tel: 01462 835611

www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

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ROOK TREE CARS TAXIS OF STOTFOLD HAVE RETIRED. Allen and Bev would like to thank all their loyal customers for their business over the past 11 years.

We wish you all the best on your future travels.

Allen & Bev xx

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Stotfold’s Bargain Shop Opens Its Doors

If you’re looking for a bargain then Stotfold’s newest addition to the High Street will not disappoint. Stocked full of cut-price bargains and money saving offers, JRA Discount Store has something for everyone. Opening its doors in May, the store aims to stock everything you can possibly think of and a few things you haven’t. Huge savings can be made on everyday items with a few surprises thrown in for good measure!

JRA Discount believe in keeping it local, owned and run by a Stotfold family and living a stone’s throw away from the shop, the family have vast experience in discount stores and are delighted to be able to bring their experience to their home town.

The store has an impressive collection of things for the home, a great variety of stationary and even a range of DIY materials.

The emphasis is on keeping prices low, whilst offering as large a range as possible. Shop owner Mick is excited to welcome everybody to the shop, even if it is just to look around. ‘We are so pleased to have met so many people in the first few weeks of opening and look forward to meeting many more! We are a friendly shop and hope to be able to offer Stotfold the very best selection of cost-saving goods we can. The shop is open six days a week and everyone is welcome to pop in for a browse as they pass.’ Local business needs local support and we truly hope that Stotfold will help support JRA Discount for many years to come!

JRA Discount Store BARGAINS

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Email: info@stotfoldnews.co.uk

7

CLAIREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;CAT SITTING Now in our 6th year!

Stotfold based cat sitting service

Your cats looked after in your own home while you are away, giving you complete peace of mind.

I am fully insured & can feed your cats once or twice a day.

Other small animals can also be catered for.

Please call Claire on 07984 344997

Walk4Health Walks for July:

Would you like to join a friendly local walking group? This months walks: July 5th, The Scout Hut, Baldock Road, Stotfold July 12th & 19th The Crown PH, The Green Stotfold July 26th Arlesey Station.

Contact Beth & Peter Overfield on 01462 815672

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This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament was held at Cambridge Meridian Golf Club. The event was sponsored by Mr Andy Smith and Mr Dave Bailey and was part of our monthly Order of Merit Annual Competition.

Congratulations to Mr Kevin Lawrence who was the champion on the day with Mr Phil Wright runner up.

Mr Phil Wright won nearest the pin in two, Mr Kevin Lawrence won nearest the pin in one and Mr Bill Spencer won the longest drive competition. After the prize giving we all returned to The Crown Pub in Stotfold. As always a huge thank you to Keith for his generous hospitality.

SCOTT GEEKIE

GENERAL BUILDER PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT FULLY APPROVED SMALL JOBS VERY WELCOME

TEL: 01462 732396 MOB: 07860 192689

deb.geekie@talktalk.net

8

Email: info@stotfoldnews.co.uk

sent to us this month by Emma Azzopardi from Box of Cakes Shop & Cafe. The Simpson Centre, Hitchin Road, Stotfold.

Readers Recipe!

Have you got a recipe youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to share with us? Email it to stotfold.news@yahoo.co.uk BROWNIES - makes 12 squares 285 good quality dark chocolate, broken up.

115g unsalted butter 450g light brown soft sugar 1tsp salt 1 tbsp instant espresso powder (or cocoa powder,optional) 6 large free range eggs 1 tbsp good quality vanilla extract 160g plain flour - sifted 1 tbsp baking powder 230g dark / milk chocolate chips (optional) Icing sugar or cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Method: Preheat the oven to 150 / gas mark 2 Grease and line a rectangular baking tin (Approx 9" x 7") Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave for one minute. Stir and heat for another minute until completely melted, being careful not to burn the chocolate. Leave to cool.

Mix the sugar, and espresso powder together in a large bowl. (replace the espresso with cocoa powder if for children) In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer. Add this egg mixture to the sugar mix and stir. Add the cooled chocolate & butter and mix again using a wooden spoon.

Finally (a little at a time, making sure it is well combined), add the flour, baking powder, and salt (and chocolate chips if using). Pour into the prepared tin so its about two thirds full. Level out with a spatula, paying attention to the corners.

Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 mins - be careful not to overcook them - they are much nicer if gooey in the middle!

Leave it to cool. If you want to cut it into squares, (placing it into the fridge for a while before turning it out and cutting it into portions, makes it much easier.) Dust with cocoa, icing sugar or decorate as desired.

9

NORTH HERTS ROAD RUNNERS Standalone 10k - 7th October Race Entries Now Open!

This popular event attracts over 1600 entries and this year includes The Herts County Vets Championships.

We also have a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fun Run with free entry.

H B Decorators

We host the first Saturday of the month at Letchworth Common with free entry. If you are new to the area and enjoy running we have experienced coaches to help everyone from the novice to the experienced runner.

& Property Maintenance Interior & Exterior Domestic & Commercial

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We meet at The Spirella Building in Letchworth on Tues. & Thurs 7.15pm.

Contact Us On Www.Nhrr.Org.Uk Or For Further Details Call Ian 01462639215

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Stotfold News Magazine, PO Box 311, Stotfold, Herts SG5 4WF

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TEASEL

JULY BULLETIN

The pair of swans nesting in the Reserve successfully hatched four cygnets, but unfortunately three of them promptly disappeared. According to the internet, possible suspects for the disappearances are likely to be foxes, minks or rats.

Another possible culprit could be a dog running free or swimming in the water. Just a reminder, in the Reserve, dogs MUST be on a lead, and should not be allowed to go into the water. Here is a photo I took back in 2015 of the swan on her nest â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the nests they build are on the ground, and are really massive.

At the beginning of June the wild flower meadow was full of Ox eye daisies, cranesbill and yellow rattle in bloom. Things are finally underway for the Bird Hide installation in the Nature Reserve. It will sit on concrete foundations. Building these will be fairly heavy work, with quantities of sand to be shifted up to Meadow 3, turned into concrete (we have a mixer for that) and then then tipped into 8 large holes which need to be dug.

Other tasks undertaken in June were to clear around the new trees in Jubilee Wood (on Millenium Green), using the hedging shears to clear a foot or 2 around each tree, so we can then go in with the strimmer later without worrying about chopping down the trees.

During June Beds Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) volunteers were hoping to start work on the timber boardwalk leading up to the bird hide. BRCC will also be sowing wildflower seeds at Etonbury Wood with their regular volunteer team.

The good growing weather continues, so other tasks for the next few months are cutting back the things we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want too much of (nettles, thistles, brambles), to allow room for the things we do want (wildflowers, new trees).

Stotfold Methodists the church on the crossroads

Saturday 3 June Saturday 7th July 10.00 to to 11.30 10.00 11.30 rd

$ Come along for a Cuppa $ Find a Bargain $ Meet old friends & make new ones $ Cake Stall $ All welcome 12

www.stotfold-methodists.org.uk

To contact the Stotfold News Magazine please call 01462 731986

News from

Stotfold Watermill

Remarkably, with the Steam Fair and Country Show behind us, life for our volunteers at the Mill is still very busy.

At the start of June our resident artist, Geoff Hoile, ran a very successful Wildlife Pastel Workshop. Watch out for our future workshops- Watercolour with Paul Fullstone, 7th July, and Silver Jewellery with Kathy Taylor, 15th July.

Full details can be found on our website www.stotfoldmill.com You might still have time to catch our Summer Art Exhibition, 29th June – 1st July, 12.30 -5.00pm. This is an opportunity to view over 100 paintings, the work of artists from Herts and Beds, with the opportunity to purchase.

Admission is free.

On 17th June, we were pleased to formally open the bird hide in the Nature Reserve. This is undoubtedly going to be a great asset to the Stotfold community, particularly any local twitchers. Our gratitude to members of TEASEL, volunteers from BRCC and not least Rob Anderson, whose hard work made this possible and to members from RSPB who joined us on the day.

We hope you will all enjoy using the hide and will care for it by keeping it tidy and litter free. Sadly, we have to note that whilst our swans recently produced cygnets only one remains. We hope it was not harmed by one of the few dogs whose owners ignore our request for them to be kept on a lead!

A visit from the judge for the national Green Flag Award took place this month and we very much hope we will be able to announce success once again next month. Meanwhile, we can record that Stotfold Mill and Nature Reserve has been awarded The Trip Advisor 2018 Certificate of Excellence.

The Education team ran a popular pond dipping event for children during the half term and have three other activities planned for the summer holidays.

If all of this has not kept our volunteers busy enough, July promises to see still more activity at the Mill with the Mill, Randalls Tea Room and Kingfisher Shop open from 12.30 - 5.00pm on all five Sundays in the month.

The Archive team have already been hard at work preparing a special exhibition on 15th July, in association with The Royal British Legion, to commemorate 100 years on from the end of World War 1.

The Milling team will also be work very hard this month in order to fulfil a request for sufficient flour for the baking for more than 400 guests attending the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire’s Garden Party.

The Major Events team are already making plans for October’s Working Steam Weekend.

With all this activity we are very anxious to recruit more volunteers to join us at the Mill. In particular, people to join our Marketing team.

If you can an offer a few hours a month we would love to hear from you. Experience not essential. www.stotfoldmill.com/volunteer.

CHIMNEY SWEEP

ACCS

Window Cleaning

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13

Letters to the Editor Hi Joanne,

STOTFOLD

TUESDAYS 3.30pm,5.30pm,7.30pm Greenacre Centre Buttercup Road.

SHEFFORD

WEDNESDAYS 3.30pm,5.30pm,7.30pm THURSDAYS 9.30am or 11am Shefford Sports Club, Hitchin Road.

Call Dawn 01462 638430 or 07515 557803 Email: slimwithdawn@hotmail.co.uk

The 1st to 7th June is National Volunteer week and Stotfold Mill Meadows Nature Reserve has borne witness to what volunteering and community support is all about.

We managed to secure funding for a new bird hide which will be a wonderful resource for our visitors but to keep costs down we chose the self erect rather than built option which meant we needed help.

During national volunteer week I witnessed over 30 different volunteers of all ages from 13 to, well let's just say well into retirement, come along to help put this beautiful bird hide up. It took many hours of hard slog, made harder due to the swollen river and high water levels making paths really muddy.

However we, or rather they, finished it in time for a grand opening already booked in for a Stotfold Festival event on the 17th June.

May I use your pages to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who came along to help, not least my fantastic husband who gave a week of his time and tools, without which I doubt we'd have met the deadline.

Kind regards Liz Anderson Chair of the Nature Reserve Management Team.

We invite you to Godjoin will us at .LQJÂśV %DSWLVW &KXUFK never turn 3URFODLPLQJ -HVXV &KULVW LQ 7RGD\ÂśV :RUOG

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you If you want to

Every Sunday at 10.30am for our morning service and WDON KHœG ORYH WR .LQJœV Kids for 3-12years old withlisten a crèche for babies and toddlers The Green, Stotfold, Hitchin, Herts. SG5 4AN. Tel: 01462 730521 email: RIILFH#NLQJœVEDSWLVWchurch.co.uk www.kingsbaptistchurch.co.uk Reg. Charity No. 1136519

A Word and Spirit Church

SStart tart your your fitness fitness jou journey rney tthis his ssummer ummer at at P Pendleton endle dletton

Offer available 1st July - 17th August. Terms and conditions apply.

PENDLETON SPORTS CENTRE Stotfold Road, Arlesey, Bedfordshire, SG15 6XS 01462 341 114 enquiries.pendleton@sll.co.uk

14

find us online: www.sll.co.uk

www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

Stotfold Fundraisers Need Your Support!

Local girl Charlotte Barber is continuing to fundraise for her month long volunteering trip to Tanzania this summer (14th July to 11th August) with CAMPS International. Whilst Charlotte is in Tanzania she will be helping with various community, environmental and wildlife projects within local areas. This is an incredible, once in a lifetime visit that will allow Charlotte to make a long term difference to others as well as adding to her own personal development.

In total, Charlotte needs to raise a total of £4,500, almost half of which goes directly towards projects that will help future generations and the wildlife in Tanzania.

Regular readers of the Stotfold News Magazine will have seen Charlotte’s previous fundraising events which have included cake sales, sweet cone sales, bingo nights and quiz nights. On the 7th of July, Charlotte will be hosting a final quiz night at the Stotfold Conservative Club. Tickets will be £5 for adults and £2 for under 18s. To find out more information you can visit the girl’s Facebook page: Millie & Charlotte's 2018 Tanzania Expedition.

Millie and Charlotte

Father and son duo Andy and James Thomas will be completing a 100 mile cycle ride through London and Surrey on July 29th as part of the ‘Prudential Ride London 100’. the ride must be completed within eight hours. As a young child, James received an amazing amount of care and no less than eight lifesaving operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The pair have therefore decided to donate all the money they raise on completing the ride to the hospital’s charity.

James and Andy Thomas

Andy and James hope to raise as much money as they can, the minimum requirement is £1,200. Both father and son would like to say thank you to GOSH for everything they did for James all those years ago - and what better way!

The fundraising page for the boys can be found at: justgiving .com/fundraising/jamesanddad100.

Getting Ready for Summer!

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call 01462 835611 visit 12a Queen Street Stotfold, SG5 4NX join us Face Book log on www.barnhairstudio.co.uk

Please mention the Stotfold News Magazine when responding to adverts

15

Letters to the Editor Hi Joanne,

The team photograph published in your June issue of the Stotfold News Magazine brought back some good memories, it was the Comanche Cub pack football squad from the 1973/74 season, we were celebrating winning the league and cup double.

Back row left to right: Bill Archer (junior), Andrew Rettie, Richard "Benno" Page, Paul Barrs, Martin Northern, Kevin Patrick, Norman Gunn.

Front row: David Eade, Peter Caller, Dave "Nipper" Savage, Colin Gentle, Andrew Webster, Richard Orral, John "Jelly" Harle. (may have some of the spellings wrong)

We had won the league by some distance then played the cup final at Langford rec and had won 9-1, can't remember who the opposition were but do remember Kevin Patrick not being allowed to play because he had passed the 11 yrs and 3 months age limit for Cubs. I have still got the wooden medal somewhere!

Regards Martin Northern

Editors note: Thanks also to Adrain Cooper for also sending in these names!

ARLESEY PHARMACY

FREE Prescription delivery service to ALL Arlesey and Stotfold residents FREE Repeat prescription "drop-off" and collection service from Arlesey Medical Centre and Larksfield (Stotfold) Surgery.

Mon to Fri 8.45am - 1pm & 2.00pm - 6.15pm Saturday & Sunday - Closed

Tel. 01462 731200

www.arleseypharmacy.co.uk 16

31 High Street, Arlesey, Beds SG15 6RA

Letters to the Editor Dear Stotfold News,

I would like through the Stotfold Magazine to say a massive ‘thank you’ to Dave and Kieran of Dennison’s Ltd. I hired their services to clear out the garage of dead wood and other bits my husband has hoarded over the years.

My husband who was diagnosed with Dementia over four years ago was not too happy with the wood being removed from the garage and as Dave and Kieran realised this and that the situation was becoming very sensitive they treated him with professionalism and attentiveness, respect and above all their patience shown to him was amazing.

I can’t recommend Dennisons Ltd (one of your regular Stotfold News advertisers) highly enough,

Many thanks Bridget.

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for the ‘readers recipe’ featured in last month's issue of the Stotfold News Magazine..

My daughter Erin and I had a wonderful time following the recipe and enjoying the banana bread which followed.. it was such a deliciously simple recipe.. perfect for little hands.

Dear Joanne,

We recently took a half term break to Spain and packed our Stotfold News Magazine along with us for the trip! Here are both boys Oliver and Jacob taking it easy with their magazines!

Helen Backhouse.

Dear Editor,

Here is a picture of our son Jack reading his Stotfold News Magazine over the half term on a recent trip to Norfolk!

Rachell Cooper

Thank you!!!

Carolyn Wyatt.

Dear Editor,

For the last two to three months or so I have been kept awake at night by what I can only describe as ‘background music’ in the form of singing old or wartime songs.

At first I thought it must be my imagination, until my husband said he could hear it too. It plays all night and in the day, somewhere in the distance repeating the songs over and over again.

We live in Vaughan Road and would like to know if anyone else hears it, surely we cannot be the only ones? We would just like to know where it is coming from.

Perhaps anyone with any information could get in touch with the magazine as desperation is setting in!

From two very sleep deprived people!

Vaughan Road.

17

ajb Fencing * fencing * decking * pergolas

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Calling all Carers

Are you a Carer for someone and find it difficult to get out?

If so, why don’t you and the one you care for join us at our next social afternoon at the

Methodist Church Hall on Thursday July 19th 2pm-3.30pm

Chat, tea & cakes plus a card and gift box demonstration.

For further details contact 01462 730948 We look forward to welcoming you!

What’s On St Mary’s Summer Fete Saturday 7 July, 2.00 – 4.00, Vicarage Gardens.

Lots of traditional stalls and games, refreshments and entertainment by local children.

Car Boot Sale Saturday July 14th 12-4pm The Green, Stotfold.

Tel Chris 01462 834108. Proceeds to St Mary’s Church Restoration Fund and supported bt Stotfold Town Council.

Vivace choir Registered charity 1134378 presents ‘Love Songs in the Afternoon’ as part of the Hitchin Festival. A mix of English folk songs & Broadway classics Sunday 15th July 4pmTilehouse Street Baptist Church, Hitchin, SG5 2EE Tickets £12, concessions £10 including afternoon tea On the door; from Hitchin Information 1a Churchyard; or Vivace ticket manager on 01462 735642, Fuchsia Display by the Beds and Herts Fuchsia Society 21st and 22nd July, 11.00 am - 4.00 pm at Caldecote Church, SG7 5LD

‘A Celebration of Weddings’ Sat & Sun 8th/9th Sept St Mary’s Church. Can you loan us any wedding memorabilia items especially mannequins?

Lyn Hayes: 01462 834165 or lyn.hayes@ntlworld.com.

Summer flower Demonstration. With NAFAS demonstrator English to Russian Doug Howard Translation Services St. Mary’s for business and personal needs.

Church. 15th Aug Informal sessions in Russian also offered 7pm -£10 ticket for free if you want to polish or restore (inc refreshment) your Russian speaking skills.

Call to discuss your individual Ann Scarr requirements: Tel: 834844, Stotfold based Tel: 07575417217 Lyn Hayes, Email: arshingul11@gmail.com Tel: 834165

FOR SALE:

Pair of bike panniers,good condition, used twice £15 Pop up tent, sleeps 3-4. Green plus ground sheet £25 Tel: 07954 660069

18

www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

St Mary’s Church Restoration At the end of May the plastic screens were finally removed from the church and it was wonderful to see the South Aisle with the new floor tiles, the font in its new location and the newly decorated walls. The font is now far more visible to the congregation and there is room for families to gather around it when a baptism is taking place. You can just see the children’s play area located beyond it. The floor is all at the same level, eliminating the former trip hazard and allowing more flexibility in seating the congregation.

Work has been completed behind the main altar where the simple backdrop no longer detracts from the altar hangings.

New tiles at the font

The south doors have been installed echoing the design of the north door. It is now possible to see through the windows on the south door to the north door and onto the churchyard, lightening up the church and providing a welcoming view.

If you would like to sponsor a tile to be dedicated to a loved one, a small one is £5 or a large one £10. Names will be recorded in a ledger for posterity.

New south door

Contact Carolyn Bleach on 01462 733981 or carolyn.bleach@sky.com.

19

News from

St Mary’s Academy.

At the time of writing this it’s early June and Stotfold Festival Week and Fete day are fast approaching so we all really hope the warm weather continues, so that the week is as successful as in previous years. May we take this opportunity to thank all of the local businesses who sponsored the Festival Flyer and/or donated towards the event and our Grand Draw – this was all very much appreciated.

In June our children really enjoyed a trip to Woburn Safari Park in Milton Keynes, other local school Football ‘fiestas’ and our in school SMSA event ‘Parents VS School’ race day. Fun was had by all! However, this will all be a memory by the time July Stotfold News arrives on everyone’s doormats. It’s amazing how quickly July comes round each year, but, being St Mary’s we still have a lot going on before the end of the school year! Our Year 4 children are undertaking their Bikeability Course during the month as well as spending a day at their respective Middle Schools on 6th July.

As always, we still have a number of sporting activities going on. Our Cricket Club continues with the finals being held on either Tuesday 17th or Wednesday 18th depending on the weather. Once again we must thank Mr Steve Darlow for organising the cricket for us. He is a fantastic supporter of the school and we look forward to some of the children featuring in the England Team in years to come! We also have our annual School Sports Day planned for Wednesday 11th July, again weather permitting. (Reserve date: Thursday 12th July).

The end of term wouldn’t be complete without our whole School Fun Day on Wednesday 18th, Leavers Talent Show, Barbeque and planned Assembly on Friday 20th, where everyone has chance to reminisce, have fun and wish everyone well for the future.

May we take this opportunity to wish everyone a pleasant Summer.

The new school term begins on Wednesday 5th September. There is a Pop-up Uniform shop available on Tuesday 4th September from 9.00am to 3.00pm.

20

To contact the Stotfold News Magazine please call 01462 731986

News from

Roecroft Lower School Welcome to this month’s update from Roecroft Lower School. We are fast approaching the end of what has been another busy, positive and rewarding year for all of us at Roecroft. We would like to thank our families, staff team and children for helping us to achieve this through their continuing support, commitment, and positive attitudes.

The months leading up to the summer holiday are always the busiest here at school, and we have enjoyed lots of fun activities for the children to take part in. These include: our dance morning Sports Day, and exciting trips for each class.

Our values for July are Courage and Honesty. This half term, Reception have been finding out about lots of different animals through their topic ‘Animal Magic’. They began by investigating different insects and mini-beasts. They had their own caterpillars in the classroom and observed them as they changed into butterflies.

They have been getting ready for the transition into Year 1 and the children have been writing letters to their new teachers to ask their own questions.

Everyone is very excited for their end of year trip to Woburn Safari Park, and to celebrating the children’s first wonderful year at Roecroft with a teddy bears picnic.

Year 4 children enjoying PGL at Caythorpe Court

Our Year 4 children thoroughly enjoyed their PGL residential trip at Caythorpe Court Multi-Activity Centre. They had a brilliant time, and took part in a number of activities, which included an assault course, archery, a giant swing, rifle shooting, a vertical challenge, an obstacle course, raft building, and quad biking.

We will watch with great pride as all of our Year 4 children move onto pastures new. It has been a privilege to watch them grow and blossom in their time at Roecroft. Keep reaching for the stars. Good luck in all that you do; you will be missed very much.

It is with great sadness that the team are bidding farewell to Mrs Pearson at the end of the summer term. After 23 years of service, we wish her a well-deserved and happy retirement.

It is very hard to sum up the work and dedication Mrs Pearson has put into Roecroft over the years. She is simply outstanding! The staff and children will miss her immensely.

@therooms

61 high street, stotfold tel: 01462 835538

Julie Pearson and her time as Headteacher of Roecroft

On behalf of all the staff and governors at Roecroft, we would like to wish you a fun-filled and sunny summer break.

Please mention the Stotfold News Magazine when responding to adverts

21

Prostate Cancer UK Charity Golf Day

Stotfold golfer James Wilson, a pupil at Samuel Whitbread Academy is holding a Junior Captains Day at Chesfield Downs near Graveley on Saturday 21st July. James is currently Junior Captain of Chesfield Downs as well as being a Junior Member at Woburn Golf Club. Having only taken up golf four years ago, James currently plays off a handicap of 9 and is working hard to reduce it further. All proceeds of the Junior Captains Day will be donated to Prostate Cancer, a cause close to the hearts of James’ family after his Grandfather Graham was treated and cured of the disease nine years ago.

James will be holding an 18 hole competition on the main golf course which includes prizes for the longest drive, nearest the pin, overall competition/ team winner and on the putting green a separate competition for the non-golfers to participate followed by a lunch with a raffle and auction. The day costs just £25.00 per person (teams of four) which includes an early morning Breakfast Roll and coffee, A SHOTGUN 8am start with 18 holes of golf and then a delicious carvery lunch raffle and silent auction.

Are you a local business? Can you help by sponsoring a hole on the course from £25.00.

Your business can have an advertising board on the day as wll as leaflets included in every golfers goody bag.

If you can’t make the date…please donate Too long for a stroll….then sponsor a hole!!!!

James’ justgiving page can be found at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joanne-wilson42 If you are able to help or would like anymore information please contact Jo Wilson on 07769 905518 e-mail: joanne.wilson0@talk21.com

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News from

Fairfield Lower School Well here we are in the final half term of the year – where has the time gone?

Well done to all the children in KS2 who took part in the Football Festival at Etonbury Academy. They were all amazing!! Fathers’ Day Breakfast took place in June and was very much enjoyed by all who attended. After breakfast there was visit to the classroom where children and their visitors were able to take a look at some of their work.

Class Assemblies from Squirrels, Owls, Badger, Hedgehog, Robin, Swan, Fox and Otter classes have been enjoyed by parents throughout April, May and June. Kingfisher and Kestrel Class / Year 4 leaver assembly will take place in July.

We are very much looking forward to ‘Fairfield Parks Got Talent’, the children have been practicing each week and they will be ready to take part in what will be a very exciting competition. The parents will be able to enjoy a performance from the winners in each heat on Tuesday 17th July.

Forthcoming events in July are: Transition Day, Sport’s Day. (More information to follow!)

Quote of the term: ‘Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it’ Charles R. Swindoll Value for this half term: Co-operation

Please contact the school office should you require further information on 01462 830000 Email : Fairfield@cbc.beds.sch.uk

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News from

The Academy Of Central Bedfordshire - Stotfold A big thank you to three further local organisations that have supported ACB in the past few weeks, MJ Ryall & Co, PJR Bacon Builders and Saunders garage have all helped help with the development of our Land Based Studies department, the assistance we receive from the local community is always greatly appreciated and makes an enormous difference to our school and students. Thanks also to the residents who have donated aquariums to us. Watching the fish swimming is known to be a wonderful way of reducing stress and anxiety and during the exam session has proved very popular with our pupils.

For the first year we had a stall at Stotfold Mill Fair and had a wonderful weekend. We were able to demonstrate all the vocational studies provided to the students of the ACB. It was a terrific opportunity for us to engage with the residents of Stotfold and surrounding areas, thank you to all of you that took time to visit our stall and talk with us. A special mention to Mrs Proctor who provided us with lots of support for our stand at the mill fair.

We had a great reaction to our competition put together by our Motor vehicle department, “name the manufacturer badge competition” Congratulations to the amazing efforts of Joe Kinsella (age 5!) who was the outstanding winner. The Halfords voucher is on its way.

Welcome to the 2 newest residents at ACB our ducks, Jeremy and Charlie.

Students and livestock from the ACB travelled to Glebe Kids Nursery School during their "farm week" and set up a petting zoo for the children, the ACB students delivered information sessions on promoting the welfare and safe keeping of the animals. If this is something you’d like to consider for your school or nursery please contact us.

We have today been informed that several ACB students have been chosen to have their short stories published following entry to a writing competition. The competition had 11,000 entries from secondary schools across the country. A final Winner will be announced at the end of the summer. WE NEED YOUR HELP – we are looking for volunteers to help us feed the animals during the summer holidays if you are interested in helping contact Mandy: 07890 797948 mmccracken@acb.beds.sch.uk .

24

News from

Stotfold Junior Football Club We held our 42nd Presentation awards on Saturday 9th June. We started at 8.45am and came off stage at 10.45pm. It was a great day where we celebrated each player and team. It takes months of planning and a lot of hard work but worth every second to see the smiles on the players faces.

Many thanks to all those that went above and beyond to ensure this day went well. Massive thanks to Etonbury Academy for once again allowing us to use their great facility. We cannot rest as we now start planning our tournaments on 6th, 7th and 8th July and 14th July, plus our AGM. We then start preparation for season 2018/2019.

Thank you to all that supported us during this season, but the main thanks goes to the players, what a great season.

News from

Stotfold Football Club Due to the poor weather Stotfold were left to play their 5 remaining Premier League fixtures in 8 days and relegation seemed likely. However, the FA followed through with a proposed restructuring of the pyramid system resulting in a reprieve and retention of our Premier League status. With the relegation of Arlesey Town and introduction of Baldock and Potton there is a mouth-watering 10 local derbies to look forward to next season. We are running 2 senior teams next season, reintroducing an U25 Development team training on Sat, Tues and Thurs from the 23rd June. All welcome,see the website for details. In addition, four teams at U13, U14, U15 and U16 will be playing in the Eastern Junior Alliance next season.

There are exciting times ahead with contracts for the move to Arlesey Road having been signed. We hope to increase sponsorship and advertising opportunities and if you think there could be an opportunity for your business, please contact our Commercial Manager Rob Parkin (robinparkin@btinternet.com). We are always looking to increase our committee and would welcome any new members who would like to join us. We are specifically looking for a media officer who would like to get involved with grassroots football. We also have vacancies for people to assist with match day stewarding, drinks and food contact (julie.longhurst46@virginmedia.com).

Free Hall Hire â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our club is available for private functions at no charge but a ÂŁ50 deposit will be required at the point of hiring which will be refunded if the booking is fulfilled. Contact Mo Clarkson on 01462 730765

Roker Park, The Green, Stotfold, Bedfordshire, SG5 4AN T: (01462) 730765 www.stotfoldfc.co.uk E: info@stotfoldfc.co.uk

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Family Acknowledgements Bert Gentle The family of the late Bert Gentle would like to thank everybody for their kind words following the sad loss of Bert on May 13th aged 97.

Bert, born in August in 1920 was perhaps one of Stotfold’s oldest residents, well known for his humour and his true ‘stotfold’ character. Bert grew up in Stotfold, sweeping chimneys and even taking the soot home to spread on his garden. Bert loved growing vegetables and kept chickens (until a fox put an end to that!). Bert spent his working life at Chater Lea in Letchworth, making parts for spitfires and bombers during the war - something he was incredibly proud of.

Bert always had a smile on his face, even during his final months he found humour wherever possible. Many people will remember him for his incredibly kind nature, he was always willing to lend anyone a hand. Bert’s family would like to give special thanks to those people that made his final days happy ones (you know who you are.)

A celebration of Bert’s life took place at The Stotfold Salvation Army, where more than 140 people came along to to help celebrate his life. Grateful thanks go to Captain Nicola Brooksbank for such a fitting service and to Stotfold Conservative Club for putting on such a wonderful spread afterwards. Bert will be sadly missed by so many people, however it is hoped that everyone will remember Bert as he would want - with fondness and with a smile.

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COMPANY & COMMERCIAL • COMMERCIAL PROPERTY CONVEYANCING • FAMILY • LITIGATION • WILLS, TRUSTS & PROBATE

Elsie Beedle Through The Stotfold News magazine, we would like to say a very, very belated thank you to all the friends and family that came to Holwell Crematorium on April 4th to celebrate the life of our mother, grandmother and great grandmother Mrs Elsie Beedle.

It’s was nice to see you all. Through the donations , we raised just over £200.00 which will go towards a memorial bench at St.Marys School where Elsie was a cleaner then caretaker for many, many years. Thank you all again and our apologies for the late thank you.

Michael,Angela, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Family Announcements EDWARD HYDE 12th July

Happy Birthday!

From all the family xx

LYRA JANE BARROW

Happy 6th Birthday!

Lots of love Mummy, Daddy and Jay xxx

OLIVIA CONOMY

Happy 5th Birthday Love Mummy, Nanny, Uncle Gee, Summer, Lily & Mia xx

JOSIAH REED 13th July.

Happy 10th Birthday!

Love from Mummy, Daddy and Reuben. xx KATIE REEVE Happy Birthday!

Lots of love Dad, Mum, Anna, Joe & Tex! xxxxx

STEVE KING

Have a wonderful day youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the greatest!

Lots of love Lillie xx

NATHAN BROWN

9th July Happy Birthday With oodles of love from Emma & William xx

GEORGE WILLIAMS

MARK NEWLAND

30th July Happy Birthday to my darling husband, Love Jennifer xx

VERNON TOMS Happy 65th birthday

30th July Happy 9th Birthday Have a lovely day.

Lots of Love, Mum Dad and Lilly xx

With love Sarah, Giles, Jemima, Harry and Peter xxxx

July 19th .

Happy Birthday!

Love Mum, Dad, Alison, Andrew, Laura, Matthew, James and Toby xxxx

29th July Happy Birthday to our final puzzle piece!

Love you lots, Mummy, Daddy, Keira, Fin & Leo xxxx

LAURA WHEATLEY

CHRIS ROBERTS 9th July Happy Birthday!

With love Veronica & Sabrina x

MARK NEWLAND

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary!

What a fantastic year it's been!

Looking forward to the many years ahead and the adventures we will have!!

Lots of love from Jennifer x x x

ALBIE SMITH

CHLOE RICHARDSON

3rd July Happy 9th Birthday!

Love from Mummy, Daddy & Francesca xx

GARY KING

23rd July Happy Birthday Daddy! love Amber & Lennon xx

BARRY WEBSTER Happy Birthday Baz!

Love Gary, Jo, Amber & Lennon xx

RYAN ALDERTON

17th July Happy 20th Birthday!

Love Mum, Dad & Erin xx

LOLA JOHNSON July 12th

Happy 10th Birthday to our special girl.

Lots of love Mummy and Daddy xxx 27

Stotfold Ladies Need you!

Stotfold Junior Girls Under 17s celebrated their final year in junior football by finishing as champions of the Cambridgeshire FA girls U17 division 2017/18.

The team are now moving up to open age football next season and are looking for additional players to strengthen the squad.

* Misted/broken units * Handles * Mechanisms * Door barrels

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So, if you are 16+ and would be interested in playing for the first ever Stotfold Ladies football team next season please contact 07742 877007 (Colin) or 07595 357869 (Matt).

The matches will be played on a Sunday afternoon.

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NEWS FROM OUR PRE-SCHOOL

Pippin Pre-School, Buttercup Road, Stotfold, Herts, SG5 4PF

www.pippin-pre-school.org * info@pippinpreschool.co.uk 01462 834897 Registered Charity 1028855 We enjoyed our sponsored walk last month for Barnardos. The children walked around Greenacres in groups observing the world around them. All sponsorship raised goes directly to this worthy charity. www.bigtoddle.co.uk.

We have been learning about the life cycle of butterflies this month. The children were excited to see the caterpillars change into butterflies and enjoyed watching them fly away to their new homes. .

As we approach the end of term, our Superstar children will be engaging in transition events with Roecroft to familiarise themselves with ‘Big School’. We wish them lots of luck with their next adventure and we look forward to meeting all our new families in September.

Our holiday club will be open once again during the first four weeks of the Summer Holidays from 23rd July until 17th August inclusive. If you require any further information please contact the office via email info@pippinpreschool.co.uk (please note this is our new email address).

We continue to be a local good causes for Co-op Stotfold. Please continue to swipe your membership card at the checkout! If you haven’t registered yet please visit the Co-op website and select Pippin Pre-School from the list of options. We wish to thank staff at our local store for supporting us with recent fundraising events including our Race Night and stall at the Mill event, we sincerely appreciate all their support.

We continue to welcome donations of plastic bottle tops, unwanted fabric, small yogurt pots, used birthday and buttons for our gluing station, please drop off at the office.

The Pippin Committee are always looking for new members so if you have a child attending Pippin and can spare a little time each month to attend our meeting and help out with fundraising activities we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your interest in our Pre-School. We look forward to sharing more of our news with you again next month.

Pippin now has its own Facebook page so if you haven’t already ‘liked’ us please do so to keep up to date with what is happening here at Pippin.

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STOTFOLD GARDEN CLUB Meetings and Trips Meetings are held at The Methodist Church Hall, Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month.

Wednesday 4th July Trip to Swines Meadow for Coffee, talk, lunch and Gardens.

Wednesday 25th July Trip to Sandringham Flower Show.

Coach trips depart from Hitchn Rd bus stop at 9:30am.

Wednesday 8th August Rodney Tibbs – Patio gardening / gardening in small spaces.

For more information, contact Peter on: (01462) 834854 or 07758649721 stotfoldgc@gmail.com

1st Stotfold Scout Group www.stotfoldscouts.org.uk

Mount Longdon Explorers

Explorers are young people aged 14–18 years.

The programme is decided by the Explorers themselves, and we try to incorporate all ideas into the programme if we can.

Since our last report at the beginning of 2018 we have been busy (and mostly inside in the warm). The Explorers learnt how to play roulette and had a hilarious wacky racing night building our own vehicles and then racing them. We also had a great evening bowling at RAF Henlow. Earlier this term, the Explorers had a go at shooting and found out how to make smoke grenades (just in case we ever get marooned on a desert island).

This year, the Explorers have done quite a bit of cooking inside in the kitchen and outside on the fire. Now that we’ve got the measure of cooking on fire, you would not be able to tell the difference between biscuits cooked outside on the fire and inside in the cooker!

In April, a small group entered the Monopoly Run, using the London Underground to get around London, taking selfies to earn points at set locations. Although this was our first time entering, we managed not to be the losing team, we walked 14 miles and saw areas of London that we’ve not seen before.

We will be wakeboarding in Bedford soon and again trying to stay awake for 24+ hours at Gilwell24.

30

Why don’t you come and pay us a visit?

As well as having fun, Explorers work towards three main awards: Chief Scout Platinum, Chief Scout Diamond; and The Queen’s Scout Award.

These awards all work alongside the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

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“Protecting you from the worst”

Arlesey Resource Centre & Library

July Activities Under 5’s: Monday 9-11.30am - Stotfold & District Children’s Centre.

Tuesday 2.15-3pm - Rhyme time £1.80/£2.40 twins. (term time only) Wednesday 9.30-10.15am - Rhyme time £1.80/£2.40 twins. (term time only) Family: Adults:

Friday 9.30am term-time or 10.30am school holidays - Story & Craft, £1.50 per family inc refreshments.

Saturday 10.30am - Story & Craft repeated from yesterday.

Monday 7.30pm – Yoga Thursday 6-8pm – Adept Living Foundation Last Thursday of the month - 2.15-3pm - Read & Recommend, pop along to our relaxed book group for a chat & a cuppa.

Councillor Surgery – Saturday 7th July 10.30-11.30am

All children can register with us from July 21st for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and collect stickers & other rewards including a medal for reading up to 6 books over the school summer holidays. For the youngest members of the family, it counts if the books are read to them; no-body misses out on the summer fun!

Open: Tues 1-5.30pm Wed 9-1pm Thurs 1-5.30pm Fri 9-1pm Sat 10-1pm High Street, Arlesey, SG15 6SN Tel: 01462-731469 E: enquiries@arleseyresourcecentre.org.uk & follow us on Facebook

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67 Vaughan Rd, Stotfold, Hitchin, Herts, SG5 4EJ www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

Helpers Homecare.

We have been providing care services to the local community in Stotfold for 20 years.

We mainly work on behalf of Social Services and Community Health, but we also provide support to private clients.

Our services including helping to wash and dress, getting ready for bed, showering, help with medication, meal preparation and other personal care and support.

We are always looking for new people to join our team, and we value kindness, compassion and a caring nature above all else.

If you would like further information please contact us on 01462 896853, or e-mail us at office@helpershomecare.co.uk

33

Summer at Stotfold and District Children's Centre will be busy with the following events taking place:

For more information on any of the above please contact the team on 01462 730623 SD.CC@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk www.stotfoldanddistrictchildrenscentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you!

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This photograph was kindly loaned to the Stotfold News by Tony Shiel.

Do you recognise any of the faces or the teacher? We have some of the names but not all!

Can you help fill in the blanks?

Call us on 01462 731986 or email us: stotfold.news@yahoo.co.uk We love receiving old photographs of Stotfold, do you have any we can use?

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Salvation Army Ladies Fellowship July 16th

CREAM TEA CRUISE Lady of Lee Valley

Coach leaves at 1.30pm

For details of future fellowship meetings and events Phone: 01462 731 072 10 Church Road, Stotfold, SG5 4LX

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Have you recently moved to the area, or just find you have some time that you would like to fill?

We are a friendly group of ladies, meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month 7.30pm

11th July

Dot Wigg - Call My Bluff & Raffle

8th August

Outing to Wimpole Hall

12th September

Birthday Party - Jamie Wenham Close Up Magic & Raffle

We have a varied programme of interesting speakers and other activities for the coming year.

Contact: Linda Petts - President 01462 647836.

Useful Telephone Numbers Citizen’s Advice Bureau

Trading Standards Advice Line

01525 402742 01525 841217 0300 300 8136

Hope Chapel King’s Baptist Church Methodist Church Salvation Army Hall Officers Ladies Fellowship St Mary’s Church Friends of St Mary’s Fairfield Community Church

01462 01462 01462 01462 01462 01462 01462 01462 01462

Churches

Council

686803 730521 646562 731072 733702 730739 730218 834108 735704

Stotfold Town Council 01462 730064 Email: enquiries@stotfoldtowncouncil.gov.uk Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ 0300 300 8000 Email customer.services@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Web www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Waste Collection / Recycling / Dog Warden / Flytipping / Grass Cutting / Street Cleaning / Abandoned Vehicles 0300 300 8631 or 0300 300 8632 More Central Bedfordshire Council telephone numbers can be found listed at www.stotfoldnews.co.uk

Doctor

Larksfield Surgery Appointments Enquiries Out of Hours Service: MDoc Physiotherapy & Spinal Injury Clinic Arlesey Medical Centre www.arleseymedicalcentre.nhs.uk

01462 732244 01462 732200 Call 111 01462 735700 01462 732144

Ashwell Dental Stotfold Dental Surgery

01462 742353 01462 731938

Electricity Emergencies Gas Emergencies

0800 7 838 838 0800 111999

Childline National Menengitis Trust Samaritans NSPCC

0800 1111 0845 6000800 08457 909090 0800 800 5000

Howard Cottage Housing Association, Pioneer House, Norton Way South, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 1NY Aragon Housing Association Ampthill Office, Katherine’s House, Dunstable Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire MK45 2JP 0300 123 5544

01462 683307

Beds Police (Crime reporting) Community issues (Not crime reporting or emergency) Crimestoppers

01234 841212 01234 842515

Dentist

Emergencies Helplines

Housing

Police

0800 555111

Hospitals

Bedford Hospital Lister Hospital NHS Direct

01234 355122 01438 314333 08 45 46 47

Stotfold Library Arlesey Resource Centre & Library

0300 300 8068 01462 731469.

Beds Police (Crime reporting) Community issues (Not crime reporting or emergency) Crimestoppers

01234 841212 01234 842515

Coach & Horses Fox & Duck The Chequers Pub The Crown The Stag Tavern

01462 01462 01462 01462 01462

734135 732434 735465 731061 731098

Etonbury Academy Fairfield Park Lower School Roecroft Lower School St Mary’s Academy Samuel Whitbread Academy

01462 01462 01462 01462 01462

730391 830000 730336 730343 629900

Pippin Pre-School SMASH, St Mary’s School

01462 834897 07971 354093

Tiddleywinks King’s Baptist Church Methodist Church (Friday AM)

01462 731072 01462 730521 01462 733985

Library Police

Pubs

Schools

After School Clubs Toddler Groups

The Ark Baby & Toddler Group

Nurseries

0800 555111

01462 733409

Pippin Pre-School Poppies Nursery Poppyfields Nursery Treetops Day Nursery Stotfold and District Children's Centre

01462 834897 07833 927906 01462 830008 01462 734306 01462 730623

Trains (National Enquiries)

08457 484950

Transport

Whitbread Wanderbus 0300 123 3023 Rook Tree Cars 01462 730701 Greenacre Transfers - Private hire and airport taxi service 07555 707848 or check us out on: www.greenacretransfers.co.uk Airport transfers. Friendly local service, up to 8 seats available Also taxi for London hospital appointments or similar.

Call Dave on 01438 553024.

Or book online at stotfoldairporttaxis.co.uk Or email direct davenot61@gmail.com

Miscellaneous

Beds Rural Communities Charity Letchworth MS Unit Births, Deaths & Marriages Stotfold Good Neighbour Group

Email: info@stotfoldnews.co.uk

01234 838771 01462 487172 0300 300 8089 07599 925587

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DIRECTORY. Accountancy & Tax Sue Matejtschuk (SCM Accountancy) Abery Motor Centre AD Garden Rooms AJ Day Builders A.R.K. Lasting Powers & Wills Alfie’s Barbers Andy Leonard Painter & Decorator Arlesey Ladies Football Club Arlesey Pharmacy Arlesey Walk Groups Aquarius Garden Design Ashwell Software / Sigma Office Austin’s Funeral Service Barn Hair Studio Bal & Co Motor Care Beale Bros Butchers Bews Electrical Bickerdikes Garden Centre Big Minibus Hire Bookks Bookkeeping services Box Of Cakes Brambles Home Care Brian McInally - Gas & Heating Engineer Bricklayers & Building Services- SJ Brookes Broadband Communications Bugs ‘n’ Things Pest Control C J Flooring Carpet Cleaning - ACCS Ltd Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning - Steam 2 Clean Carpets & Flooring - Letchworth Carpet Centre Carpets & Flooring - Paul Faulkner Catsitter - Claire Centroheat Domestic Boiler & Heating Services Chimney Sweep (ESL) Cole’s Decor Painter & Decorator Computer Services & Repair - Nick Saunders The Cooker Buddy Oven Cleaning Chris Webster, Stotfold (Correspondent for The Comet ) DK Home Improvement Darren Peters Property Maintenance Dennison’s - House & Garden Clearance DMC Tiling Dog walking, walking and pet care -insured Electrician - CEC Electicals Electrician - Terry C Seymour Switched On Electrical Services Fairfield Bowls Club - Stella Wilson Fairfield Players Fairtrade, Stotfold Fencing (AJB) Foot Health Professional - Vicki Eagles Foot Pro Podiatry Garden Robin Gifford Dance Academy Glazing (Windows & Doors) BSH Glazing Graham Smith Brickwork & Paving Guides - Stotfold Guide Association Hair Room - Hitchin Hamilton Restorations HB Decorators Helpers Homecare Heritage Paving Hertfordshire Scaffolding Ltd Hertfordshire Roofing Ltd Ivel Funeral Service James’s Carpentry & Handyman Service

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01462 624926 01462 733246 01438 313765 01767 314445 01438 746977 01462 658449 07889 903283 07981 432798 01462 731200 01462 638286 01462 731292 01462 742783 01462 438422 01462 835611 01462 731500 01462 730392 01462 834488 01462 673333 07817 766997 01462 734623 07812 055587 07432202225 01462 337218 01767 315944 01462 732628 0800 026 8823 01462 732665 01462 629302 01462 732632 01462 481312 01462 731674 07984 344997 07885 415363 01462 733406 01767 310475 07521 279960 01462 810065 01462 834108

01462 701214 01462 733322 07522 354141 01462 231459 07913 005268 01462 670369 01462 236559 01462 730895 07811 738599 01462 624369 01462 640902 07837 791365 07812 399659 07377 536685 01462 815968 07585 221513 01462 730884 01462 731829 01462 733322 01462 337818 01462 743803 01462 732960 01462 896853 01462 730682 01462 895322 01462 894089 01462 734800 01462 234292

JD Heating & Plumbing Services LTD Jo Jingles Ken Seaby Carpets Kip McGrath Education Centre Kitchen Ergonomics Kumari Chiropractic Langford Windows Locksmith Services LRW Contracts New Kitchens North Herts Road Runners Ovenclean Paul Thomas Landscaping Pendletons Sports Centre Piano Lessons - Christine Walker Pilates - Zanna Newton Plastering - Sam’s Plastering Plastering - Stotfold Plastering Plumbing - A D Taylor Plumbing Plumbing - ALM Plumbing Plumbing & Heating - GSP Heating & Plumbing Plumbing - C Plumb Plum-tek RH Gardens RDW Property Services Rellion Engineering Ltd Roecroft Centre - Maureen Winters Rook Tree Cars Stotfold & Arlesey Royal British Legion Samaritans Satchells Estate Agents Saunders Garage Scott Geekie Building Contractor Sharp Security Systems Sheldon Electricals Slimming World Solicitors - Walkers Partnership St John Badgers (6-10yrs) & Cadets (10-18yrs) Stable Cars Stag Public House Steam 2 Clean Carpet & Upholstery Stotfold Art Group Stotfold Bowls Club Stotfold Christian Choir Stotfold Conservative Club Stotfold Football Club Stotfold Gardening Club Stotfold Golf Society Stotfold Good Neighbour Group Stotfold Jujitsu Club Stotfold Junior Football Club Stotfold Junior Judo Club Stotfold Karate Club (JKSK Karate) Stotfold Twirlers Stotfold Mill Stotfold News Magazine Stotfold Parents Association Stotfold Pharmacy Stotfold Scouts Stotfold Short Mat Bowls Club Stotfold Women’s Institute The Rooms Tree Surgeon - 4 Seasons Waste Disposal( Josas waste Recycling Ltd) Water Softeners Wheelie Bin Cleaning Windows - Repairs & Installations (J Garside) Window Cleaning - ACCS Ltd

07474 444288 01462 456777 01462 733203 01462 672227 01438 222929 07479 945995 01462 701828 01462 290226 01462 733306 01462 812826 01462 639215 07954 300043 07889 811065 01462 341114 01462 731357 07719 862371 07856 428261 01462 732600 01462 834713 07950 311963 01462 615922 01462 700862 01462 618058 01462 612033 01462 835380 01462 732953 01462 730264 01462 730701 01462 734133 01462 455333 01462 733730 01462 730222 01462 732396 01462 734766 01767 448188 01462 638430 01763 241121 01438 218058 01462 734066 01462 731098 01462 732632 01462 628529 01462 628204 01462 731142 01462 730534 01462 730765 01462 628954 07909 983956 07599 925587 07970 329761 07706 951263 07872 594499 07742 820 956 07732 505614 01462 734541 01462 731986 01462 730570 01462 730249 07764 188222 01462 730841 01462 647836 01462 835538 01462 834136 07739 488472 01462 835693 01462 732632 07951 473505 01462 629302

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Email: info@stotfoldnews.co.uk