WWW.VILLAGETRIBUNE.ORG.UK September / October 2026
ue Iss160
Diary Dates
What’s On in September and October
Christmas Silent Auction Calling Tribland businesses
Maxey Car Show Picture Special
Avril takes us around Helpston churchyard HERITAGE • FARMING • VILLAGE VIEWS • LOCAL TRADERS • DIARY DATES
OVER 12,500 READERS IN OUR NORTH PETERBOROUGH VILLAGES 001 VT160 Cover.indd 1
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Castor Lodge A Country Court Care Home
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WELCOME of rather happier activity From the Editor plenty too. Maxey’s Summer Fayre There’s something rather appropriate about putting a magnificent piece of 1950s motoring excess on the front cover of this edition. The photograph was taken at the Maxey Car Show and, apart from being a glorious combination of chrome, fins and absolutely no concern whatsoever for fuel economy, it seemed a fitting image with which to wave goodbye to what has been an extraordinary summer. And hot. Very hot. You don’t have to look far through this edition to see just how much the weather has affected our villages. Rosemary’s Farming Diary records a disappointing harvest after the relentless heat and drought, while in Peakirk a field fire came frighteningly close to homes before the fire service and local people brought it under control. In Glinton, meanwhile, volunteers have been battling to keep the Community Orchard watered and its young trees alive. Thankfully, there has been
raised an impressive £4,750 for the Village Hall and community events, while the Hall itself has undergone £25,000-worth of restoration work. Helpstonbury raised more than £8,000 for village charitable organisations, and Northborough & Deeping Gate Village Hall is back in business following the electrical fire in May. There’s also plenty to look forward to as summer gives way to autumn. Glinton has its Garage Sale and a rather splendidsounding singalong screening of Mamma Mia, Etton hosts the Nine Bridges Charity Beer Festival, and the fascinating Westings heritage project continues with walks, talks and its October exhibition. We also have some cracking local history in this edition, including Dr Avril Lumley Prior investigating the intriguing possibility that the story of Helpston’s circular churchyard stretches back considerably further than many of us might have imagined. And then there’s something
new from us. This Christmas we’re launching the Village Tribune Christmas Silent Auction, with local businesses being invited to provide some suitably tempting lots. The aim is simple: to have a little fun, give participating businesses some valuable exposure and raise additional funds towards the ever-increasing cost of producing and delivering 5,000 copies of this magazine free of charge. So, another packed Tribune awaits. As for that car on the cover? I have no idea what it does to the gallon, but I strongly suspect the answer is best expressed in single figures. Enjoy the issue. Tony Henthorn
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CONTENTS Sept/ Oct 2026 Publisher - Tony Henthorn 35 Maxey Road, Helpston PE6 7DP T: 07590 750128 E: villagetribuneeditor@me.com Advertising Sales - Annett Allen T 07396 736991 E: sales@villagetribune.org.uk Rector Gary Alderson, Rector of Barnack with Ufford, Bainton, Helpston and Wittering T: 07503 975 588 E: gary.aldersonwrites@gmail.com Reverend Keir Dow, The Nine Bridges Benefice The Rectory, 11 Lincoln Road, Glinton PE6 7JR T: 01733 669 810 m: 07980 412 345 E: vicar@9bridges.church
Distribution ASHTON Hilary Smith Thatched Cottage, Ashton E: hilly.smith@virgin.net BARNACK Sally Hullock 3 Hillside Close, Ufford sally@sallyhullocktraining.co.uk T: 07795 565658 ETTON Anne Curwen The Coach House, Rectory Lane, Etton T: 01733 253357 E: acurwen@hotmail.com
HELPSTON Clive Marsh Clive Marsh, 34 Maxey Road, Helpston clive.marsh815@btinternet.com M: 07511 011662 MAXEY Cllr Peter Hiller E: Peter.Hiller@peterborough.gov.uk NEWBOROUGH Cllr John Hill Speechley Drove, Newborough NORTHBOROUGH Jane Knott 2 Cromwell Close, Northborough E: jane.knott101@btinternet.com PEAKIRK Trish Roberts 9 St Pegas Road PILSGATE Sally Hullock 3 Hillside Close, Ufford sally@sallyhullocktraining.co.uk T: 07795 565658 SOUTHORPE Daphne Williams The Old Dairy Barn, Main St. T: 01780 740511 UFFORD Sally Hullock 3 Hillside Close, Ufford sally@sallyhullocktraining.co.uk T: 07795 565658
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From the Editor Contact Details Local Plan Update Amblers in the Heatwave Deeping Gate PC Etton Parish Council VT Silent Auction Helpston Parish Council Glinton Parish Council Peakirk Parish Council Northborough Parish Council Maxey Village Hall Newborough Parish Council Trib Christmas Issue Rosemary’s Farming Diary Glinton Horticultural Society Maxey Car Show Westings Meadow John Clare Weekend review History with Avril Diary Listings Chez Pierre Church News & Services Maxey Fun Day Pitch Perfect Contacts Directory
Front cover image: Cadillac Eldorado rear wing and lights at Maxey Car Show in August. Peter Hiller
Design & artwork by d15 Design T: 01780 470420
GLINTON Simon & Sarah Clayton 15 Pembroke Grove, Glinton PE6 7LG T: 07939 586787 E: s.clayton@me.com
INSIDE ISSUE 160
Advertisers Warranty and Indemnity The Advertiser warrants: (a) that the advertisement is legal, decent, honest and truthful and that it complies with the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion, with any relevant codes of practice and with all requirements of current legislation; (b) that nothing in the advertisement is defamatory or constitutes a malicious falsehood; (c) that the publication of the advertisement will not infringe copyright or any other rights vested in a third party; and (d) that the Advertiser has secured all necessary authorities and consents in respect of the use in the advertisement of any pictorial representations or other representations of (or purporting to be of) living persons and of references to any words attributed to living persons. (ii) The Advertiser will indemnify the The Village Tribune Ltd in respect of all costs, damages or other charges arising as a result of the publication of their advertisement or incurred in connection with any actions or claims brought against the Company arising from a breach by the Advertiser of the warranties in this paragraph 1 or otherwise from the publication of the advertisement.
The views expressed within this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor. All copy is believed correct at time of print but no responsibility can be taken for errors and/or omissions. No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. The Village Tribune own all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed to in writing.
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LOCAL PLAN HAVE YOUR SAY
Final chance to comment on
Peterborough’s Local Plan Residents are being urged to take part in a final six-week consultation on the plan that will guide development across Peterborough for the next 15 years. However, this stage differs significantly from previous consultations
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© AdobeStock
Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet has been asked to approve the Proposed Submission Local Plan, allowing a final public consultation to take place during September and October 2026. The Local Plan is one of the council’s most important planning documents. It identifies where new homes, employment sites and other development may be permitted, where development should be restricted and how land and the environment should be protected. Once adopted, it will help guide decisions on individual planning applications throughout the Peterborough area. Local Plans normally cover approximately 15 years and must be supported by current evidence about the area’s economic, social and environmental circumstances. Peterborough’s new plan will eventually replace the existing Local Plan, adopted in July 2019. Preparation began after the council agreed in January 2023 to produce a replacement plan. An initial Issues and Options consultation took place later that year, followed by consultation on the Draft Local Plan in April 2025. A further consultation, concerning an alternative development option on land west of Wittering, was held in January 2026. Comments received during
those exercises have helped shape the Proposed Submission document. This is intended to be the final version submitted to the Government for independent examination. The forthcoming consultation is therefore more formal than earlier opportunities to comment. Responses will be considered by an independent Planning Inspector rather than Peterborough City Council, and the council cannot amend the plan before submitting it. Anyone objecting will need to explain why they believe the plan is legally non-compliant or “unsound” and what change would be required to resolve their concern. Objections lodged during previous consultations will not automatically be carried forward. Residents, organisations or parish councils wishing to maintain an earlier objection must submit it again during this final consultation. In planning terms, “soundness” includes whether the plan is
positively prepared, justified by appropriate evidence, effective and consistent with national planning policy. This means representations should address the planning merits and evidence behind the proposals, rather than simply expressing support or opposition. The council must submit the Proposed Submission Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 31 December 2026. An independent examination will then consider whether the plan satisfies the relevant legal and planning requirements. Residents are encouraged to read the consultation material carefully when it is published, particularly any policies or proposed development sites affecting their village. Details of the consultation, supporting documents and instructions for submitting representations will be available through Peterborough City Council. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:19
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‘Summer pleasures they are gone, like to visions every one, And the cloudy days of autumn and of winter cometh on…’ ‘Remembrances’ by John Clare
As I write, we are in the midst of yet another heatwave and I suspect that summer pleasures are not yet gone, by any means - climate change has moved the goalposts somewhat, since John Clare’s time. On the contrary, it has been a somewhat trying season for several of the Amblers, who find that the high temperatures sap our strength and see us heading for the sofa with a fan and a tall, cold drink. Our Friday morning activities have been severely restricted as I have had to cancel, week after week, knowing that even an amble would be too strenuous, so that we have managed just one third of our usual outings over the last two months. In 8 villagetribune
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previous years we have been able to reschedule the walks to the cool of the evening instead but the temperatures have not been dropping sufficiently quickly to do that either. However, what is bad for us humans is good for other creatures and we have thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many butterflies on our limited outings, and in our gardens. They flit about so energetically, rarely stopping in their search for sustenance, which can make them extremely difficult to identify. But we have managed to find a good variety on our travels and it looks like wildlife organisations are expecting bumper sightings this year from those who keep records. Our recent stroll through Southey
Woods was a delight, as we were surrounded in one stretch by a multitude of butterflies, bees and hoverflies around the Greater Willowherb, oregano and knapweed. There was a real party atmosphere! As gardeners will know, Large Whites are abundant and, from a conservation standpoint, of least concern. They are strong in flight, have brilliant white wings with black tips which extend down the wing edge, and the undersides are a creamy white (see photo). The larvae feed on wild or cultivated plants such as cabbage, Brussel-sprouts and nasturtiums, so they are not good news for anyone growing brassicas but a cloud of them is undeniably mesmerising to watch. Common Blue butterflies stand www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:21
TRIBLAND AMBLERS
out in flight - a little like the blue streak of a kingfisher, the males of the species catch our eye with their beautiful azure wings. As happens so often in nature, the female is less striking: almost brown but with a blue tone to the body (see photo). But the underside of both has a spotted pattern of white with black centres, and white, black and orange patches in a row around the outer edge (see photo). The Red Admiral (see photo) was recently voted Britain’s thirdfavourite butterfly. It has been prolific this year and is easily identified, with its black body displaying highlights of white spots around the upper wing tips along with bright red stripes, and orange around the edge of the hind wings, broken up with black /groups/villagetribune
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spots. Like another common, multi-coloured butterfly (the Peacock, crowned the nation’s favourite) the Red Admiral is one of the UK’s larger species and therefore more easily spotted. The larvae feed on Common Nettle and, once hatched, the adults continue flying into October or November, so they will be around for a bit longer. Meadow Browns are not so easy to spot as they blend in so well with dried grasses and decaying leaves - often we will only know they are there when we disturb them by walking past. But then we see the patches of orange on their upper wings, as well as the small, white-centred, black ‘eye’ which is also visible when closed (see photo). These are not to be confused with
Hedge Browns (aka Gatekeepers) which are generally smaller and a vibrant orange all over when their wings are open, and with two tiny white dots on the ‘eye’. Three others pictured here are: Holly Blue (fourth most popular) - small, bright blue with black edges on upper wings, or pale blue underwing with small black spots; Speckled Wood dark brown upper wings with speckled creamy spots and white/ black ‘eyes’, or mottled greybrown underwing with fine, zigzag lines; and Painted Lady - a long-distance migrant from North Africa, whose larvae feed on thistles, mallows and common nettle, it has a striking black, white and orange appearance. If it stays hot, keep your eyes peeled on your ambles! villagetribune 9
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18/02/2026 09:31
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
DEEPING GATE
Deeping Gate Community Projects Continue Contributor: Deeping Gate Parish Council
Northborough & Deeping Gate Village Hall We are delighted to say that after many weeks closed owing to the electrical fire on 8 May this year, the village hall is now fully repaired, cleaned and open for business! Huge thanks to the village hall committee team who have been driving the insurance firm and the various trades people to get the work done as quickly as possible. We really appreciate everyone’s patience whilst it was out of action, especially those groups who regularly book it for events.
Neighbourhood Plan We now have all the data in a place where we can analyse this, and in September we begin the work of finding the key themes which you as residents have said matter to you. We have developed a working group to write the draft plan. If any residents feel they would like to be involved, please contact our Clerk Elinor Beesley on Ploughing a furrow in our local fields
clerk@deepinggate-pc.gov.uk. Good organisational skills and analytics are always useful, but a willingness to share the load is the key attribute! The bigger the team, the faster it will be drafted.
Autumn Litter Pick & Bulb Plant We will be setting the date for our Autumn Litter Pick shortly. Councillor Richard Milligan has sourced more flower bulbs and we thought it would be a nice idea to combine bulb planting with the litter picking for our volunteer residents to help and be involved. Please watch the website or sign up for our news updates for the date. All are welcome and we provide full equipment and the all important ‘high viz vest’!
FixMyStreet – It Works! The smashed glass in the bus shelter on the B1524/Lincoln Road by the junction with Suttons Lane has been repaired. Another example of how this often overlooked facility of ‘FixMyStreet’ really works.
Keeping The Riverside Path Clear Work has been done on a large tree located on Riverside. It had died and was removed for safety. Just another example of how we can work to keep much loved amenities useful.
Detectorists! The observant amongst you will /groups/villagetribune
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have seen on 2 August (Raft Race Day) lots of cars parked up on one of the recently harvested fields off Deeping St James Road. Councillor Geoff Purllant kindly offered access to his land for a team of people with metal detectors to go hunting for buried treasure. It was fascinating to watch them wandering in the shimmering heat, stopping at various points when the beeping sped up, to then stop and dig. They will be cataloguing their finds and sharing this with Geoff. We’ll report back if anything sounded particularly exciting!
Deeping Gate Christmas Riverside Singalong It’s hard to imagine whilst we have had such a scorcher of a summer, but we have set the date for this eagerly anticipated annual event which for many launches the festive season (!). Sunday 6 December we will be once more gather in the chilly air to share a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, and join in song accompanied by our lovely band. We will send an announcement nearer the time with full details.
Keep Up To Date With News To learn about progress with the Neighbourhood Plan and other matters, sign up to our newsletters on our website at https://deepinggatepc.org/. Parish members are always welcome at our meetings, details of which are published on the website and noticeboards around Deeping Gate. villagetribune 11
21/08/2026 10:22
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21/08/2026 10:25
EVERYTHING
VILLAGE VIEWS
ETTON
Wedding Bells, Waterworks and Wagging Tails Well, I didn’t expect my last article to be edited by AI!! Just in case you were surprised that I didn’t seem to know the name of Etton church! It’s St Stephen’s by the way. On 23rd July we welcomed Daniel Cain and Natalie Richardson for their wedding. It was a joyous occasion once the bride finally arrived- she had been stuck at the crossing for 20 minutes. During the service, which was conducted by Revd Keir, a beautiful poem written by the bride was read out asking the question “What is a soul mate?” Congratulations to the happy couple who held their reception at the Golden Pheasant. The jobbers have been busy
Worth the wait: Daniel Cain and Natalie Richardson celebrate their wedding at St Stephen’s Church, Etton. /groups/villagetribune
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again, this time renovating our phone box. There is still some repair work to do on the bookcase which has collapsed. If you would like to help sort the contents of our little library, please message me. Our recent recruitment drive for a new Councillor was successful. Welcome to Julian Warren who attended his first meeting in July. Representatives from Anglian Water also attended the Council meeting to give an update on the pipe laying project. The tunnelling under the cut and road north of Etton should be completed soon and work continues to the east of Etton. Project completion is expected in 2028 but local
A new chapter: Etton’s phonebox library is receiving some much-needed care and attention.
works to bury the pipes will be completed sooner. We have three new canine friends to welcome to Etton, Fiona and Pat now have Molly, Steve and Tracey- Audrey, and Ian and Michelle-Winnie. The Nine Bridges Charity Beer Festival takes place at the Golden Pheasant on 25th and 26th September 2026. We will be donating to a Cancer charity and raising money for the new stained-glass window at Etton church. We will be collecting for the Food bank for Harvest during September and October. A collection box is in the porch at church. There will be a simple ceremony of Remembrance on the village Green at 10.45am on Sunday 8th November. Anne Curwen 07730301404 villagetribune 13
21/08/2026 10:27
CHRISTMAS SILENT AUCTION
GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE…
GOING LOCAL!
The Village Tribune is launching a Christmas Silent Auction, bringing together some great prizes, experiences and treats from businesses across our area. Could your business provide one of the lots — and enjoy some valuable local exposure in return? This November, the Village Tribune Christmas Silent Auction will go live, and we’re looking for local businesses willing to donate something that our readers would love to bid for. It could be a meal for two, a Christmas hamper, a family day out, a beauty treatment, a gardening service, a portrait session, a fitness membership, or a festive treat. Better
still, perhaps your business could offer an unusual experience or something money normally can’t buy. We’re aiming to assemble 12– 20 quality lots, each ideally worth £50 or more, and we’d love as many as possible to come from businesses serving our villages.
Why are we raising money? Around 5,000 copies of every
Village Tribune are printed and distributed completely free of charge across our local communities. But, inevitably, producing a free magazine isn’t actually free.Printing, distribution, website and production costs continue to rise. Advertising provides most of the income that keeps the Tribune going, and we’re enormously grateful to our advertisers, but developing additional income sources will help us meet those increasing costs while continuing to deliver the magazine free to our readers.
And what’s in it for your business? Businesses donating lots will be promoted as part of our Christmas Auction campaign, including coverage in the November/December Village Tribune, together with online, email and social-media promotion. It’s an opportunity to put your name, products and services in front of thousands of local people at one of the busiest shopping periods of the year — and perhaps introduce your business to customers who haven’t discovered you yet.
Could you provide a lot? If you can donate a product, service, experience or suitably tempting Christmas treat, we’d love to hear from you. Email villagetribuneeditor@ me.com with a brief description of what you could offer and its approximate value. You provide the lot. Our readers provide the bids. Together, we help keep the Village Tribune landing on 5,000 local doorsteps — free of charge 14 villagetribune
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www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:32
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
HELPSTON
Words: Helpston Parish Council
What a summer – not a drop of rain to help the gardens, verges, fields and woodland of our beautiful village. We somehow hope this is being read with the sound of rain on the windows to aid in the recovery of the countryside. Whilst the holiday season is upon us – there is still much to report.
Helpstonbury 2026
The Lollum Bridges
We would like to thank each and every one of the many volunteers who helped put on Helpstonbury 2026. The committee created an amazing village celebration which reportedly raised over £8,000 for the village charitable organisations. The school were once again very generous with their hospitality, for which we are all very grateful. The committee have debriefed and look forward to returning next year on the 19th of June with a format that will bring the focus back to our village and the people within it.
You may have seen that the Lollum bridges are undergoing works as I write. The period during which the works can be completed is restricted due to the status of the river over which they span. Progress will be reported back as we hear it. Thank you to all those who completed the online questionnaire relating to the traffic issues in the village, many of which are as a result of the King Street closure. This information will be used going
forward in discussions with PCC. If the rumours that the bridge may not be reopened to traffic are true, this information, along with the might of community action, will put PCC under significant pressure. Our thanks to Ward Councillor Kevin Tighe for already working on this on our behalf.
The PCC Draft Local Plan The City Council is quickly running out of time to move the Draft Local Plan to the next stage of adoption. This means
A Helpstonbury sunset: another packed village celebration draws towards its close after a day of music, food and community spirit.
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21/08/2026 10:42
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
HELPSTON
we will likely be notified of the next consultation phase, when we will once again come out to you to support our robust stance on limiting development in the village to a sensible level, rather than the 207 houses originally proposed. We will of course keep you all informed.
Get Involved!!! – Fly-tipping and Highways strategy working groups To ensure we can take action on these 2 areas with Parish Council Support, we have set up two working groups that also include residents to help drive these initiatives forward. Each is led by two or more Councillors; these groups are made up of residents who can give a little time and headspace to drive initiatives forward.
Accident Concerns The village has seen a number of road traffic accidents in
recent months which have been highlighted to PCC Highways with a view to tightening up on road safety in the village. This will be an agenda item for the September meeting if you wish to be involved. Our City Councillor is working behind the scenes to get a response from Highways, but suggestions on solutions are always welcome from the wider community.
Please use the FIX MY STREET page. We thank you for supporting us by using this facility - there has been a noticeable increase in the use of the service, highlighting broken street lights, speed signs, potholes and overgrown hedges. The Parish Council will help drive the process of getting these remedied; however, the most efficient way to report them is through you, helpful people in the community. Please make use of the online reporting page –
Music at the heart of Helpstonbury www.fixmystreet.com - make it a favourite on your device. You simply put the location in (Postcode etc) and the problem and it goes to the ‘To do list’ at the respective department at PCC.
Your Parish Council continues to work hard behind the scenes to represent the community, as shown by the above actions and initiatives. Monthly meetings are open to all village residents, and we welcome input so we can continue to keep Helpston the community we all wish to live in.
www.helpstonparishcouncil.gov.uk Parish Council Clerk – Tony Henthorn Email: clerk@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – Dave Spooner – 07802 594556 Email: dave.spooner@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Chairman – Ali Peat – 07399 532266 Email: alastair.peat@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – Arthur Cross – 01733 252291 Email: arthur.cross@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Vice-Chair – Andy Ratnett 07798 651872 – andy.ratnett@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – Laura Currie – 07962 424694 Email: laura.currie@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor - Alastair Bradley – 07941 570653 Email: alastair.bradley@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – John William Email: john.williams@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – Hilary Finch – 07763 112931 Email: hilry.finch@helpston-pc.gov.uk
Councillor – Will Thompson Email: will.thompson@helpston-pc.gov.uk
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www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:42
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
GLINTON
Glinton Parish Council - Chair Cllr Gerry Kirt
Glinton Garage Sale 26 Once again the Garage sale returns on Sunday 13th September from 10:30. If you wish to declutter, sell your stuff and generate some cash, just buy a place on the Great Glinton Garage Sale Map. Place £5 in an envelope along with your address and post it through the door of: 5 Rectory Lane or 3 Elm Crescent or 14 Peakirk Road by 5th September 2026. There will be a treasure trail for the kids and marvellous refreshments ranging from delicious breakfast baps to fabulous cakes in the village hall. Pop up shops to receive entries are taking place on Friday 4th September outside the primary school from 3pm and the village shop on Saturday 5th between 9 and 11am.
Sing along Mamma Mia Glinton Community Cinema is proud to present Sing along Mamma Mia at Glinton Village Hall on Saturday 26th September. Doors will open at 2:30pm. So don those platform shoes, sparkly costumes and indulge yourself in superb refreshments and strut your funky stuff because there will be prizes! Numbers are strictly limited due to the venues license. Pop up shops for ticket sales are taking place on Friday 4th outside the primary school from 3pm and the village shop on Saturday 5th between 9 and 11am.
If you would like a stall or know someone who might please let us know.
Log these diary dates: Glinton Colour Fun Run: Sunday 13th May 2027 GlintonFest 27: Saturday 4th September 2027
Clerk Designate - Glinton Parish Council We are pleased to announce that Amelia Croft has been appointed to the role and will begin in September.
Glinton Farmers Market
Glinton Neighbourhood Plan
We are planning to organise two farmers markets for 2027. These are provisionally scheduled for 8th May and 9th Oct. Kelly has kindly allowed us to use the grassed area outside the Bluebell.
Our draft neighbourhood plan must be compliant with the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework and the final version of Peterborough’s draft Local Plan. Volunteers helping to care for Glinton’s community spaces.
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COUNCIL CORNER
GLINTON
We now understand from the PCC that its draft document will released for consultation in early September 2026. Glinton Parish Council will scrutinise the document to ensure that our village is afforded the maximum protection possible and identify any areas in which it is compromised. Should this be the case any issues will be highlighted via Facebook with details as to how residents can lobby the PCC and hopefully overturn any negative implications for our village. In parallel it is our intention to ensure our emerging neighbourhood plan is totally compliant.
Cemetery wall Following delays caused by the insurance company, our wall was rebuilt to a very high standard in only two days! Glinton Parish Council were very impressed with our contractor - G C Bricklaying Tel: 07375 359035 www.gcbricklaying.co.uk
Andrew Warn The whole village came together to celebrate the life of Andy
Warn on Tuesday 21st July, when his wife Kirsty kindly unveiled a plaque in his memory on our village WW1 memorial bench. Andy was a long time Glinton Parish Councillor and a real character who often sat on the bench and chatted about his fascinating life and his family. There are many in the village who have fond memories of Andy and he will be long remembered in the hearts and minds of many.
Supporting the Westings project and Glinton’s local heritage.
Westings Heritage Lottery funded Westings project explores the lost landscape of the Westing Meadows and the stories, heritage and wildlife connected with it. This involves the villages of Glinton and its neighbours that were once intrinsically connected to this shared landscape. For centuries, Westings formed part of the lives of local communities before the landscape changed and much of its history faded from public memory. Through community research, events and creative activities, the project reconnects people with this remarkable local heritage and
celebrates the communities that have shaped and continue to care about this environment. It has already run a free workshop at John Clare Cottage as part of the John Clare Festival and also involved pupils from the local primary schools. In preparation for a public exhibition over the weekend of 10–11 October at Queensgate, a local touring exhibition in November and the project’s legacy publication, a photo shoot took place highlighting creating a series of portraits of people who represent the communities connected with Westings today. This will include those involved in Glinton’s Community Orchard and Glinton’s Nature Recovery Area.
Glinton Community Orchard
A lasting tribute to former councillor Andrew Warn. 18 villagetribune
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As we all will know this year the whole country has been enveloped in a massive heat wave that has devastated crops and gardens. In an effort to www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:44
VILLAGE VIEWS
New solar-powered speed awareness signs in Glinton and installing the units funded by Glinton Parish Council. save our Community Orchard many local volunteers, aided by water from local farmer Graham Smitheringale, have watered our community Orchard on four occasions and it is likely this will continue until rainy weather returns. However, we’ve managed to save our trees which, despite the weather, have produced abundant fruit during their first year. The downside is that birds seeking moisture have attacked them! As a result Glinton’s Community Orchard is flourishing, and we’re looking for volunteers to form a fun filled Community Orchard Working Group. The group will help care for and develop the orchard, organising occasional maintenance sessions, looking after the young trees, planning future improvements, and helping ensure it’s a welcoming community space for everyone to enjoy. We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone with experience /groups/villagetribune
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or knowledge of fruit trees, orchards, horticulture, or gardening, as your skills and advice would be invaluable. However, enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved are just as important, so please don’t let a lack of experience put you off. If you’d like to be part of the working group or would like to find out more, please send us a message via: Helen.aylesbury@ glinton-pc.gov.uk Together, we can help our Community Orchard flourish for many years to come.
Glinton speed awareness signs Speed signs have been installed and are now operational on the High Street near the primary school and on the Peakirk Road bend just inside the village. The solar powered devices will enable considerable data to be downloaded including traffic flow and volumes. Many thanks to PCC for erecting the posts
Fire! As many are aware, the exceedingly dry weather has caused many wildfires, some caused by discarded cigarettes and smashed bottles and others by irresponsible and uncaring individuals. This has devastated crops which has put further financial pressure on our beleaguered farmers. Moor Farm’s Judith Jacobs decided to take action by organising a meeting where around 25 local farmers, along with members of the Back British Farming NFU, senior fire officers, chair of Glinton Parish Council, representative of Thorney Parish Council and local MP Andrew Pakes, met to discuss positive action against arson, criminal activity, fly tipping and anti social behaviour in the rural community. Although the police were unable to attend, local rural patrols seem to have increased. There are plans for further meetings in order to make a positive difference to rural life. villagetribune 19
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COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
PEAKIRK
By Councillor Emma Crowson
Fire, Community and a Village Pulling Together The hot and dry summer has continued in Peakirk, as all over the area, but a hot July Saturday afternoon nearly turned into disaster when a field fire spread rapidly across the fields and towards houses in the village. Henry Clark, our chairman, went to investigate the source of the massive plume of smoke. He said “I saw a wall of flame, blown by the strong wind, rapidly heading towards Rectory Lane. The heat and the noise of the fire was terrifying. Fortunately, the fire service soon arrived and got the fire under control”. Thanks to the quick reaction of the fire brigade and others from and around the village, the fire was brought under control but one of the houses in the village near to the fire lost their power as external cabling melted and unfortunately, there was damage to the village allotments with some plot holders sadly losing everything. Once Ward Councillor Neil
Flames and smoke as the fire spread towards the village. 20 villagetribune
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Peakirk allotments after the July fire. Boyce had been alerted by the Parish Council, Peterborough City Council stepped in to supply a skip to clear up the debris and have also kindly contributed £500 for repairs. The Parish Council have sent thanks to them, the fire brigade, farmers and others who acted so quickly to prevent what could have been something very serious for the village. Although the Parish Council has had an emergency plan in place, we are taking the opportunity to review it in light of recent events and to update it if necessary. What has come out of the situation are the tales of people in the village meeting people they had not known before when helping out, drinks being offered to the fire brigade, events in the village continuing throughout the fire and people supporting each other through it by ensuring people living near the fire were ok. July also saw the inaugural meeting of the Peakirk Action
Group to discuss potential plans for the future of the village over the next few years. Some good ideas were raised, including works to the allotments which have since been overtaken by the events referred to above. The working party hopes to have regular meetings and will inform the village of what is happening but if you want to join the group, please contact the clerk for details. In view of this summer’s extraordinary climate, which may now sadly be the norm, you may wish to attend the screening of the National Emergency Briefing Film to be held in Peakirk Village Hall on Friday 25 September. The film is an emergency briefing on the climate and nature crisis and afterwards, we would like to hear any ideas that we can do in Peakirk to help the situation. https://buytickets.at/ peakirkparishcouncil/2358596 Doors open at 7 pm and the screening starts at 7:30 pm. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:46
Welcome to
Bretton Medical Practice Need an appointment outside normal surgery hours? Enhanced Access Appointments are available at the Peterborough GP Hub.Patients registered with Bretton Medical Practice can access evening and Saturday appointments through the Peterborough GP Hub, making it easier to receive care around work, family, and other commitments. The GP Hub, located at the City Care Centre on Thorpe Road, offers: GP appointments, Practice Nurse appointments, Phlebotomy appointments. Opening times: Monday to Friday: 6:30pm – 9:00pm Saturday: 8:30am – 6:30pm. This free NHS service is available to patients registered with participating Peterborough GP practices and is designed to improve access for those who find it difficult to attend appointments during normal surgery hours.
COVID-19 and RSV become more common. Patients with respiratory illness such as COPD, Asthma are most at risk. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and those most vulnerable to serious illness. If you are eligible, we will contact you to book for the vaccination. From October, we will also be offering walkin clinics.
Protect Your Child – Vaccinations Save Lives Vaccinations are one of the safest and most effective ways to protect your child from serious infectious diseases. They not only help keep your child healthy but also protect babies, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems who are more vulnerable to illness. Diseases such as measles, whooping cough (pertussis), meningitis and polio have not disappeared. Cases continue to occur across the UK, and outbreaks are more likely when vaccination rates fall. Keeping up to date with your child’s routine immunisations gives them the best possible protection at the right time.
RSV Vaccination Programme Expanded The NHS has expanded the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programme from 1 September 2026. You may now be eligible if you are aged 65–74 years and have: chronic respiratory disease or weakened immune system due to illness or treatment. The NHS is also continuing to invite people aged 80 years and over who have not yet received their RSV vaccination. RSV can cause serious chest infections, particularly in older adults and those with underlying health conditions. If you receive an invitation, please contact the practice to arrange your vaccination.
Do you have any respiratory illnesses like COPD and Asthma? It’s important to attend your annual respiratory review to help keep your condition well managed. We also encourage you to have any vaccinations you’re eligible for, such as the flu vaccine, to help protect you from serious respiratory infections. If you’ve been invited for a review or vaccination, please book in as soon as possible.
Protect your child. Protect your community. Vaccinate on time. If you have any questions about childhood vaccinations or need to book an appointment, please contact the practice. Scan the QR code to find out more. Stay Well This Autumn – Vaccinations That Protect You As we head into autumn, respiratory viruses such as flu,
New Patient Registrations are always welcome, and our team is here to support you and your family with your healthcare needs – please scan the QR code below to get started or visit our website.
www.brettonparkhealthcare.co.uk 021 VT160 Amended Bretton Medical full page.indd 21
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23/04/2026 14:34
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
NORTHBOROUGH
A Round of Improvements for Northborough Northborough Parish Council has a busy programme of improvements under way, including a new wheelchair-accessible roundabout, repairs to play equipment and upgraded village noticeboards. After a summer of seemingly endless sunshine, Northborough’s recreation ground has been feeling the effects of the prolonged dry weather. The lack of rain has caused the ground to shrink around some of the outdoor exercise equipment, making parts of it unsafe to use. Although attempts have been made to fill gaps and stabilise the equipment, some areas have had to be temporarily restricted on health and safety grounds until conditions improve. The Council has also had to deal with vandalism after one piece of equipment was forced over onto its side. There is, however, plenty of positive news for the recreation ground. The damaged fence around the overflow car park is being replaced, while one of the most noticeable improvements will be the installation of a new accessible roundabout in the children’s play area. The existing roundabout has reached the end of its useful life after years of service and repeated repairs to damaged bearings. Its replacement will be designed to accommodate a wheelchair, helping make the play area more inclusive and accessible to local children. Two swings that were removed are also being repaired, while the /groups/villagetribune
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Coming soon to Northborough: the new wheelchair-accessible roundabout will replace the ageing equipment in the children’s play area as part of a wider programme of recreation ground improvements. fencing around the play area will be gradually removed, repainted and reinstated over the coming months. During the school holidays, the opportunity was also taken to replace the fence between the school and Church View. Elsewhere in the village, the remaining noticeboards on East Road and at the corner of Clare Road are due to be upgraded. The replacements should provide a much more reliable way of sharing information with residents, overcoming the leakage and condensation problems
experienced with the existing boards. The Parish Council has also thanked Brian Bloodworth, who is retiring after many years serving the village as the Council’s handyman, and wished him well for the future. Council meetings take place at Northborough Village Hall on the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm, and members of the public are welcome to attend. The Council currently has one councillor vacancy and is also keen to hear from residents willing to volunteer with village projects. villagetribune 23
21/08/2026 10:47
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21/04/2026 14:16
MAXEY VILLAGE HALL
Historic Maxey Village Hall restored, Thanks to £25,000 Grant Maxey Village Hall dates from the middle of the 19th century and sits right at the heart of our village. Built of local stone, the building originally housed the village school until the mid-1960s. Since then, it has been enlarged and improved to support a wide range of local activities. During 2025, the building was
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beginning to show its age—particularly the external stonework, which suffered from failing mortar joints and spalling on the stone faces. Inside, damp patches were appearing as a result of water ingress through the outer walls. Advice was sought and quotes were gathered for repointing the external stonework and redecorating the interior. The total estimate came to approximately £25,000 — funds the hall trustees simply did not have. Turning to ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) for guidance, the trustees decided to apply for grant aid. After significant hard work on the application, we were delighted to secure funding from
Biffa Award. Biffa Award is a UK funding scheme that awards grants to community and environmental projects. Managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts on behalf of Biffa Group Limited, it operates through the government’s Landfill Communities Fund, using landfill tax credits to support local initiatives near landfill sites. The external restoration and internal redecoration were finally completed in July. Andy Bagworth On behalf of the Maxey Community Association Trustees villagetribune 25
21/08/2026 10:48
COUNCIL CORNER
VILLAGE VIEWS
NEWBOROUGH
Councillor’s Corner In our local election this year I was pleased to be re-elected onto the Newbrough and Borough Fen Parish Council and there are still positions available. If you wish to get involved with village matters i.e. planning, village grass cutting, the allotments and other topics around the parish we would be pleased to welcome you. It can be challenging but we endeavour to work as team. All Councillors
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have different viewpoints on various matters but that is not a bad thing at all. Councillor Coleman and I oversee the Fernie Close play area, and I am afraid to report that various acts of vandalism have recently taken place there – signage has been damaged, bottles have been broken and the newly installed goal post net support bars have been broken off. This area is for the children of this Parish, and it is a shame that this behaviour has taken place. It would be greatly appreciated If parents could kindly explain to children that it is not acceptable to damage equipment. If you do find any issues at the play area, please report it to the Parish Clerk and to the police if necessary.
The Parish Council also maintain a ‘no dog’s allowed’ policy in the Fernie Close play area but it has been brought to our attention that dog owners are still taking dogs into this area. Thank you for your help and understanding in managing this with us. By Cllr Richard Cawley
www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:49
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WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/VILLAGETRIBUNE
From our facebook group Snippets of community life captured by members of the Village Tribune online group
Peakirk Parish Council chairman Henry Clark receives a £200 donation from Ruddy Duck landlord Nigel Cook to help repair allotments damaged by July’s stubble fire. Also pictured, left, is allotment holder David Hankins.
© Croft Farm, Uffington
© David Hankins
The Bell Tavern’s fundraising team celebrates presenting £3,157.50 to Prostate Cancer UK following Beer at the Priory and other fundraising activities. Picture: The Bell Tavern, Deeping St James.
Waste not, want not: windfall apples donated by local residents provide a welcome addition to the cattle’s feed at Croft Farm, Uffington.
– Discover more on our Engagement HQ Page! Stay up to date with the latest progress on the Maxey Cut Banks Refurbishment Project, including detailed news about the Embankments’ works.
For the most up-to-date information, simply scan the QR code or visit https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/maxey-cut-banks-refurbishment
We look forward to hearing from you and working together to build a more resilient future.
Creating a better place for people and wildlife
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© Frank Samet
You’ll also find: • Information on upcoming drop-in events • Ways to get in touch with the project team • A short survey where you can share your views and help shape the project
Hiding in the long grass: a young fox keeps a watchful eye on its surroundings. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 12:01
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FARM FOCUS
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FARMING DIARY
September / October 2026
Flowing past the longest day some weeks ago the drought is still going on. Flowing past the longest day some weeks ago the drought is still going on. We finished harvest in July – winter barley, spring barley, winter oats, winter beans and all the wheats. We have to be thankful for what we have harvested but like most it’s been very disappointing, no records broken from a yield perspective, and the sun and the heat goes on relentlessly and there’s plenty of records being broken from that point of view. Even with the irrigation on the potatoes I felt some days they were fighting a losing battle with the heat. I thought when ‘Swithers’ came mid-July we might get some rainfall (the old saying if it rains on St Swithers we could have forty days and /groups/villagetribune
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forty nights of rain) but sadly the rain didn’t arrive. I, like many of you will remember those years when the rain started it didn’t know when to stop! Those years seem to have gone. Life still goes on on the farm, the grain stores were not as full as in a good year and we had sold some grain forward of the combine and some throughout the following months. The straw was all baled and used for our own cattle, some went to the pig farm and the rest went for the digestate mixture which is then returned back onto the our land to be incorporated as near natural routine as can be. We are having to feed what was intended to be our winter
feed to the cattle for some weeks now and will continue to do so until they come into their winter housing. Mini-till cultivations are being done to incorporate the farmyard manure and the digestate mixture. The hedgerows and trees are changing colour and losing leaves and in some areas are dying due to lack of water. The same thing in the garden. We did have a small vegetable plot, but it’s been a waste of time, they have been eaten or dug up, it’s seems the birds and the animals are scratching for moisture, insects etc. We put water bowls out and also a bird bath, but I’ve only seen the smaller birds using it. What a year to remember with wild fires out of control causing lots of damage and taking everything in their path. villagetribune 31
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www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 10:59
TRIBLAND HOUSING PLANS
Helpston Housing Sites Remain as Local Plan Changes Elsewhere
Peterborough City Council is preparing the final version of its new Local Plan, which will guide development across the city and surrounding villages through to the early 2040s. The authority must plan for more than 20,000 additional homes, alongside new employment land and infrastructure. The latest version, however, shows that consultation has produced some significant changes. Most notably, the previously proposed 3,000-home development north of Castor and Ailsworth has been removed. The scheme had attracted strong opposition because of its scale and its impact on countryside associated with poet John Clare. The council has said its approach has shifted towards accommodating more growth within the city, rather than placing as much development in rural areas. That makes the continuing allocations in other villages particularly significant.
Glinton faces 355 homes Glinton Parish Council has confirmed that two large sites identified there would provide 355 additional dwellings. The parish currently has around /groups/villagetribune
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719 households, meaning the proposed development could increase the number of homes in Glinton by almost 50 per cent. The Parish Council had instead supported much more modest growth of around 22–24 homes, potentially increasing to about 48 in a second phase.
Helpston sites remain In Helpston, the proposed development sites also remain in the emerging Plan, potentially providing more than 200 new homes. Local concerns have centred on traffic, the railway crossing, school capacity, village infrastructure, green space and the cumulative effect of several developments on Helpston’s character.
1,250 homes south of Market Deeping The latest plan also includes a major allocation of 1,250 homes south of Market Deeping, within the Peterborough authority area around Deeping Gate. Although often described as a Market Deeping development, Market Deeping itself lies across the Lincolnshire boundary. Elsewhere, more than 5,000 homes are planned at Great Haddon and around 570 homes
©Shutterstock/Nick Beer
Peterborough’s latest Local Plan has removed some of its most controversial rural proposals — but Helpston and Glinton still face substantial housing allocations, while a major development south of Market Deeping remains in the plan.
are identified near the East of England Showground. Importantly, allocation in the Local Plan does not itself grant planning permission. Individual schemes would still require applications and approval. However, an allocation gives the principle of development considerably greater weight in future planning decisions. The next stage is crucial. Peterborough City Council’s programme provides for a final six-week Regulation 19 consultation before the Plan is submitted to Government and examined independently. For residents concerned about the future of Helpston and neighbouring villages, this will be an important final opportunity to make specific, evidence-based planning representations before the Plan moves to examination. villagetribune 33
21/08/2026 11:00
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GLINTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
It’s Showtime for Glinton’s Gardeners
Flowers, fruit and vegetables will be joined by everything from cakes and preserves to photography and crafts when Glinton Horticultural Society stages its 81st Open Show at Arthur Mellows Village College on Saturday 19 September. You certainly don’t need to be a prize-winning gardener to take part in Glinton Horticultural Society’s annual show. In fact, one attraction of the event is the sheer variety of classes available and the society’s determination to encourage people to simply have a go. The 81st Open Show, being held at Arthur Mellows Village College on Saturday 19 September, includes the traditional vegetable, fruit and flower classes for both everyday gardeners and more experienced exhibition growers, but the horticulture is only part of the story. There are also classes for homemade jams and pickles,
DIARY DATES Saturday 19 September Arthur Mellows Village College Open to visitors from 2pm Del Singh’s Magical History Tours of Peterborough ■ Friday 16 October Glinton Village Hall 7.30pm /groups/villagetribune
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cakes and bread, wine and beer, drawing and painting, knitting and sewing, photography and crafts. Younger members of the family are particularly welcome, with children’s classes covering ages up to four, five to eight, nine to 12 and 13 to 16 — and every child who enters is guaranteed a rosette. After a summer of excessive heat and drought, the society is particularly keen to make its 81st show one to remember and is encouraging local residents and families to enter, even if they have never exhibited before. Anyone wanting a show schedule, containing details of the classes and how to enter, can contact Lynne Best on 01778 342115 or lynne.best89@ yahoo.co.uk. Entries can also be submitted by email to ghs. entries@gmail.com. The show also depends upon a small army of volunteers, helping with everything from setting up on the Friday to assisting during the event and clearing away afterwards. Anyone who would like to lend a hand should contact Penelope Hopkins on 01780 767309 or penelope.hopkins@ gmail.com. For those who would rather admire other people’s handiwork than put their own tomatoes,
Victoria sponge or latest photograph before the judges, the show opens to visitors at 2pm on Saturday 19 September. Out and about It has already been a busy summer for the society. Members travelled to RHS Garden Bridgewater in July and, despite the lengthy coach journey, enjoyed seeing how much the garden has developed since an earlier visit shortly after it opened. The next outing heads to Chatsworth House on Saturday 21 November, where the £67 ticket includes admission to the decorated house, the garden light show and Christmas Market. A few places were still available when the Tribune went to press and anyone interested should contact Sue Theobolds on 01778 347976 or susantheobalds@yahoo.co.uk. The society’s programme of Friday evening talks also returns this autumn. On Friday 16 October, Del Singh will present “Magical History Tours of Peterborough” at Glinton Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome. Further information about Glinton Horticultural Society’s shows, talks and future outings can be found at www. glintonhorticulturalsociety.org. uk. villagetribune 35
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The heritage & wildlife with Art Pop-Up A handmade “Victorian” smock, hundreds of stitches, countless conversations about a lost landscape and research by a team of dedicated volunteer ‘History Detectives’! Led by Art Pop-Up, that’s what the Maxey Cut and Westings community heritage project has been bringing together this year, as local people share memories and unearth old stories of the countryside between Maxey, Helpston, Glinton, Northborough and Etton - a landscape once known as Westings Meadow. Working alongside an oral historian, our wonderful volunteers have gathered memories from before the Maxey Cut was completed 70 years ago - when this landscape was a series of flood meadows with shallow ponds where sheep and cattle grazed, and children skated in winter! We’ll be sharing many of these stories at our touring exhibition this autumn and online. One person who knew this landscape long before the Maxey Cut was poet John Clare. One hundred and eighty-five years
ago he described a walk through the land that, in his childhood, had been called Westings Meadow. He wrote about the view towards Maxey Church and Glinton windmill “sweeing away”, the birds, plants and the people working the land. At that time, many farm workers would have worn a smock - an overgarment that protected their
BOOK ALL WESTINGS EVENTS ON EVENTBRITE: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/art-pop-up-11397767766 40 villagetribune
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clothes and provided an extra layer of weather protection. In the mid-1800s, at the time of John Clare’s walk, smocks were at the height of their popularity for farmworkers. Many were massproduced, and some were then personalised with embroidery. To help us explore and share these stories, we commissioned historic costume maker Heidi McEvoy-Swift to create a “midVictorian” smock. Drawing on her extensive research, including in Peterborough Museum’s collection, she created a garment www.villagetribune.org.uk
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WESTINGS MEADOW Art Pop-Up is a local award winning not-for-profit arts and heritage community organisation. We are very grateful to the funders - The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Environment Agency - who are enabling this project. Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. ‘The Heritage and Wildlife of Maxey Cut and Westings’ programme is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to save this heritage and share it with the community. A big thanks to The Environment Agency too for their funding, and to everyone involved including Langdyke Countryside Trust, local primary schools, community groups and organisations, businesses, Parish Councils, individuals and our marvellous team of volunteers. These stories of our countryside are being shared and preserved because of you!
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The Amblers walking group came to our community photoshoot on Christ’s College Nature Reserve
© Ruth Towell
that will accompanied us to all our events. So far it’s been to our mini heritage festival for 240 local school children, guided walks, creative workshops and the Community Photoshoot at Christ’s College Nature Reserve! As working clothes, smocks were often damaged and repaired. The ‘damage’ on our recreated smock is intentional. It echos the ways people have cut into this landscape over thousands of years, from the first Neolithic ditches and mounds, to the construction of the Maxey Cut and today’s quarrying. At our events, visitors are invited to add a single stitch of repair - a symbol of how local people are helping the landscape and nature mend, and of reconnecting with the stories of this place. There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and all events are free, though you will need to book tickets in advance. Throughout September
and October we’ll be holding events. Northborough W.I. are hosting a creative workshop. And guided walks will include exploring the Maxey Cut and photography of Westings heritage. There’s a free online talk about the archaeology on 21st September at 7pm. On Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October our touring exhibition
will be in Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough, moving on to Helpston, Glinton and Northborough in November. For details of upcoming events and to book, visit Art Pop-Up’s Eventbrite page (events are being added in stages, so pop back later if you can’t see the one you’re looking for). We hope to see you! villagetribune 41
21/08/2026 11:06
Georgie Goes the Distance By David Rowell
Meet Georgie … Langdyke Countryside Trust’s newest and probably most travelled member. She’s of no fixed address, most recently seen perched on the power lines alongside the Maxey Cut and occasionally glimpsed on one of Langdyke’s reserves nearby. She’s also travelled thousand of miles to arrive in Tribland. Georgie is one of the rare Turtle Doves seen in the area – officially known by the ring on her right leg as number EA56987. But named Georgie by Royal Society for the Protection of Birds after being ringed with a yellow and black tag in a farmyard in Kent in May 2022. She’s now tracked as often as possible by Operation Turtle Dove which is supported by Langdyke members led by Ian Wilson. Since being ringed she’s been picked up on camera several times, often in the Kent area, and at one time had a GPS tag which showed that she had probably mated with another bird. The tag is likely to have dropped off when she moulted.
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She hasn’t been seen in Kent this year, but has been photographed alongside the Maxey Cut by Langdyke membership secretary Angela Trotter earlier this month. Angela immediately made her an honorary member of the Langdyke Facebook group. Georgie is thought to be at least five years old. The sighting of Georgie has been recorded and reported to Operation Turtle Dove the organisation which tracks the birds Turtle Doves were once a regular summer visitor to the area, but since the 1970s their numbers have declined because of illness, hunting and loss of habitat in their wintering grounds. They are our only longdistance migratory dove. Have you seen Georgie? If you do spot her please let the Trust know by emailing nature@ langdyke.org.uk You can find out more about the Langdyke operation here Meet Georgie … Langdyke’s newest and probably most travelled member. She’s of no fixed address, most recently seen perched on the power lines alongside the Maxey Cut and occasionally glimpsed on one of Langdyke’s reserves nearby. Georgie is one of the rare Turtle Doves seen in the area – officially known by the ring on her right leg as number EA56987. But named Georgie by Royal Society for the Protection of Birds after
being ringed with a yellow and black tag in a farmyard in Kent in May 2022. She’s now tracked as often as possible by Operation Turtle Dove which is supported by Langdyke members led by Ian Wilson. The Langdyke team put out supplementary feed for the doves at various locations on the reserves which border the Maxey Cut which is where the birds can occasionally be seen. Since being ringed, Georgie has been picked up on camera several times and was once fitted with a GPS tag, which later probably dropped off when she moulted. She had not been seen in Kent this year, but was photographed alongside the Maxey Cut earlier this month by Langdyke membership secretary Angela Trotter, who promptly made her an honorary member of the Trust’s Facebook group. Georgie is thought to be at least five years old. The sighting has been reported to Operation Turtle Dove, which tracks the birds. Turtle Doves were once regular summer visitors here, but numbers have declined dramatically since the 1970s through disease, hunting and loss of habitat. They are Britain’s only long-distance migratory dove. Have you seen Georgie? Report sightings to nature@ langdyke.org.uk. Find out more at langdyke. org.uk/operation-turtle-dove/ and mardenwildlife.org.uk/turtledove-research. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:55
JOHN CLARE UPDATES
Celebrating Clare Together Photographs: Jonathon Wonham and Gary Alderson
It’s hard to believe that the John Clare Weekend was all the way back in July! Wearing several hats for the occasion — mum to a six-yearold, Helpston Parish Councillor and Helpston resident. I was incredibly proud to support this year’s John Clare Weekend. I was delighted to secure funding from Helpston Parish Council for our wonderful Helpston Knit & Natter Group. They created a beautiful display around the John Clare Memorial, as well as adding crocheted wreaths and other lovely creations throughout the village. A huge thank you to these
amazing residents who generously give their time and creativity to make our village look so special and, most importantly, bring a smile to people’s faces. I also secured funding to create a John Clare Children’s Trail around the centre of the village. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but had never quite found the time to bring to life. This year, I finally did it! It was fantastic to see so many children getting involved and discovering more about John Clare. Encouraging the younger generation to connect with his
life, work and our village is so important, as they are ultimately the future custodians of his legacy. It was a wonderful weekend celebrating John Clare and, just as importantly, the brilliant community spirit we have here in Helpston. Laura Currie
Singing With John Clare
In his poem Summer Images, John Clare wrote that ‘Rich music breathes in summer’s every sound’. Song was everywhere for Clare — in the sky, trees, fields and rivers — and he wrote many songs himself. That love of song has remained a feature of the John Clare Society’s annual festival, from sessions led by the late Pete Shaw in Helpston’s Blue Bell to concerts by performers /groups/villagetribune
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including Chris Wood, The Mellstock Band and various choral ensembles. Today there is a popular song and poetry session at the John Clare Cottage on Friday evening, while Saturday traditionally features a concert at St Botolph’s Church. This year we welcomed Peterborough Choral Society and its renowned Director of Music, Bradley Smith. Their summer concert, A Walk With John Clare, attracted a sell-out audience of more than 100. Bradley devised a rich mixture of words, song and choral arrangements reflecting Clare and his surroundings. Divided into three themes — woods, birds and bees, and fields — each
section was introduced by a Clare poem. Music ranged across Britain, Ireland and Europe, culminating in an evocative performance of Sting’s Fields of Gold, inspired by Bradley’s own walk through golden fields to his Northborough home. Despite the competing boom of music nearby, a remarkable communion grew between choir and audience. It was perhaps best summed up by composer and conductor Sir John Rutter: ‘A choir will ask you to leave your troubles at the door and to inhabit a world of beauty in a bond between choir and audience in which it changes all in the room.’ Dr Mike Mecham, Chair, The John Clare Society villagetribune 43
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VILLAGE HERITAGE Dr Avril Lumley Prior presents...
A Round
Helpston Churchyard In July, I delivered a talk about Peakirk to the highly knowledgeable members of Helpston History Group. pagan practices and discouraged converts from reverting to their old ways. Of course, we cannot prove that there was such a preChristian ritual site at Helpston because any evidence would be lost beneath centuries of gravedigging or destroyed by Victorian building contractors and road improvement schemes. All we can firmly deduce is that the church and its graveyard have a long history stretching way back before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Professor John Blair, an expert on Anglo-Saxon history and The ‘Question and Answers’ session at the end led to a discussion about early churches with circular graveyards. I mentioned examples at West Deeping, Tallington, and St Pega’s Hermitage Chapel at Peakirk, and the possibility that they may have been built over Bronze-Age burial mounds or barrows, as has been proposed at St Peter’s, Maxey. Then, a member of the audience interjected that Helpston church also had a circular churchyard! And so, a new avenue of research was opened. We can trace the phenomena of circular churchyards back to the late seventh century, when St Augustine instructed Christian converts to build their prayer houses on sites associated with /groups/villagetribune
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The circular churchyard from Botolph’s Barn (right)
Google Earth view of Helpston churchyard pagan ritual, such as barrows, henges, and sacred groves. These were the places that worshippers were used to frequenting before their conversion and the re-use of these sites was perceived as a compromise between the new and old religions. Also, it removed a rival sacred space for
landscape archaeology, offers tips for spotting early Christian church and/or monastic sites. In addition to the circular graveyard, he lists good communications; a proximity to an important Roman structure associated with authority; an early saint’s dedication; and a high-status post-Conquest church. So, where does Helpston villagetribune 45
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church fit into John Blair’s scheme of things? Well, the circular site not only encompasses the churchyard, but contains the property known as 1 Maxey Road, College Farm, and its recently converted Beaufort Barn and Clare Barn, which abuts Glinton Road. Even today, the entire circuit, apart from entrances, appears to be ‘fortified’ by stone walls and buildings. Moreover, the very size of the plot indicates that it once was occupied by something more important than a simple timber church or chapel with a single priest caring for the souls of a small population. Yet, neither the early church complex nor the Helpston residents would have been entirely cut off from civilisation; for it snuggles into the crossroads of the hamlethopping Peterborough-Stamford Road and the back or drover’s road between Castor and Lincoln. At least one of these thoroughfares belongs to the Roman period. During a community archaeological testpitting in the vicinity of Botolph’s Barn on Church Lane, numerous sherds of third- and fourthcentury pottery were unearthed, suggesting
that a substantial farmstead or small villa stood nearby with easy access easy access to the prætorium at Castor and fort at Lincoln. Next, we have the church dedication in honour of the ubiquitous St Botolph. Botolph died in 680 and was buried next to his brother, Adolph, at the monastery that he had founded at Iken (Suffolk). In 963, Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester, intent on restoring Christianity after a century of Danelaw in the area, decided to resurrect Botolph and install his relics in his favourite monasteries. Unfortunately, Botolph’s skeleton had become entangled with that of his brother. Undeterred, Bishop Æthelwold’s body-snatchers uprooted them both. Adolph in his entirety was given to Thorney Abbey, where Æthelwold had planned to retire. Botolph’s skull went to Ely monastery (later Ely Cathedral). The rest of him was shared between Thorney, Bury St Edmund’s and Westminster Abbey, and numerous churches founded in his hour across the region. Some fragment of Botolph was venerated in the church at Helpston, not necessarily gifted by Æthelwold but by its founder, St Botolph window, Thorney Abbey The churchyard looking towards Glinton Road
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purchased at an exorbitant price from a relic broker. Although it was lost, stolen, or hidden during the reign of Henry VIII’s son, Edward VI, the tenth-century church dedication survives. In all, sixty-four English churches were dedicated in Botolph’s honour, including one in Longthorpe and the famous Boston Stump. So, Botolph’s mortal remains must have been spread very thinly! St Botolph’s church still retains other remnants of its Anglo-Saxon past. When the octagonal tower was rebuilt in 1865, foundations of a preConquest stone predecessor were discovered, together with four pieces of stone sculptures. Three of the fragments survive on the tower windowsill and form the heads of two latetenth or early-eleventh-century crosses, which served either to mark graves or St Botolph’s property boundary. Furthermore, the church’s proportions are strikingly similar to those of St Pega’s in Peakirk (built 1014/15). In both cases, the Anglo-Saxon unit of measurement, the rood (161/2 feet), is applied instead of the Norman alin (from forearm to fingertip, roughly 19.3 inches or 43cm). So, we can confidently deduce that St Botolph’s was erected sometime during Bishop Æthelwold’s activity in the area, c.963, and 1025, when the stone crosses were created. That is not to say that the Normans weren’t active here too, giving the church a complete makeover but keeping the Anglo-Saxon tower (which the Victorians so rudely replaced). They also left behind part of another grave marker which rests in the blocked priest’s www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:12
VILLAGE HERITAGE
Anglo-Saxon cross head
Norman grave marker
doorway in the chancel. Unlike the Anglo-Saxon wheel-head crosses, this carving was intended to lie flat upon the grave. So, it appears that the Barnack sculptor either roughed out his design on the reverse side first or he was reusing an earlier memorial. And, then there is my all-time favourite bit about St Botolph’s, the pair of cowled monk-head bench ends. They hark back to the fourteenth-century (just after the Black Death), when St Botolph’s supported a chantry chapel with three chaplains ensconced within the circular enclosure, working round the clock in shifts to say perpetual prayers for the souls of the lords of the manor and their families. In the early sixteenth century, the manor of Helpston, including St Botolph’s circular enclave became the possession of the formidable and intensely religious Lady Margaret Beaufort (14431509), mother of Henry VII (14571509). She granted St Botolph’s and its lands to Christ’s College, Cambridge, which she founded in 1505, hence the name College Farm. With her endowment came the St Botolph’s advowson, the right to appoint rectors for the church, which was upheld until 1893. However, they were forbidden to live within the church precinct (implying that /groups/villagetribune
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Bench end
this was reserved for chaplains) but were relegated to a rectory in Woodgate instead. So far, we have managed to use archaeological, architectural, documentary, and sculptural evidence reconstruct the occupation of St Botolph’s enclosure from the late tenthcentury through to the present day. But we have a massive gap between the advent of Christianity in the region, c.655, and the arrival of the reforming Bishop Æthelwold, c.963. And here, we must rely on comparative examples and a little conjecture. Back on the late-seventh and eighth centuries, it was
‘fashionable’ for individuals and small groups of hermits to colonize the fen edges and islands, supported and supplied by the local monastery. Here it was Peterborough Abbey. Well-documented examples of local recluses are St Guthlac of Crowland (died 714), St Pega of Peakirk (719), and Tancred, Torhtred and Tona of Thorney (allegedly martyred Vikings, in 870), eking out a life of extreme hardship, whilst acting as lookouts on the boundary of Mercia with rival East Anglia. At the other end of the scale were the Christian daughters of the pagan king Penda of Mercia, Kyneburgha and Kyneswitha, who built their nunnery the Roman prætorium at Castor, c.664. Perhaps, some unknown religious recluses adopted the hillock at Helpston for their sanctuary, supported by Peterborough Abbey in return for keeping a watchful eye on the crossroads on the back road between Castor and Lincoln. Only a suggestion, mind you.
Clare Barn, constructed to respect the curved boundary villagetribune 47
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diaries is 27 to 29 June 2025. If to 8pm. The cost is £15, booked to bring ‘Ike’ on the day. All you would like to be involved in and places can be booked welcome. organising the event, please do let by messaging Andrew on 07836213406. On Monday me knowI’d love some Anniversary of help
Etton Church
5pm on Sunday 1 December and the Nativity service will be held on the Village green on Christmas eve at 5pm.
Christmas Card and Wreath Making Workshop
Next year will be the 800th anniversary of Etton church, that means that the current building was consecrated during the reign of Henry III and in the same year the agna arta was confirmed We would like to mark the occasion with a weekend of celebrations.
2 December there will be wreath making workshops in the church. Cost £30, same booking arrangements as above.
After the great success of these eventsEverything last year, youChristmas might need for Tree Lights on 18 November, we will your pets andSwith-on large animals & Nativity be holding a Christmas card making workshop Our usual switching on of the at the Coach House from Feed for: Christmas tree lights will take 2.30pm to 5pm or 5.30pm Cats / Dogs / Wild or on Caged Birds green at place the village Poultry / Small Animals to 8pm. The cost is £15, / Horses 5pm on Sunday 1 December and places can be booked and the Nativity service will Call: 01733 810888 / 07940 297788 be held on the Village green by messaging Andrew on Steam Farm, Peterborough Rd, Crowland on Christmas evePE6 at OAD 5pm. 07836213406. On Monday 10am-5pm Mon–Fri, 9am-4pm Sat, Closed Sun
Details are still to be agreed but the chosen weekend to note in your diaries is 27 to 29 June 2025. If you would like to be involved in organising the event, please do let me know- I’d love some help
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We now have over 4,500 members in our Village Tribune Facebook Group. Keep up to date withyou news and views Everything might needinfor YOUR village your pets and large animals Feed for: Cats / Dogs / Wild or Caged Birds Poultry / Horses / Small Animals
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DIARY DATES
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Helpston Local History Group 17 September Helpston Village Hall th
Refreshments served 7pm – talk starts at 7.30pm Admission £3 – FREE to HLHG members CHURCH SERVICES ST. BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH, NEWBOROUGH. PE67QZ SEPTEMBER SUNDAY 6TH SUNDAY 13TH SUNDAY 20TH SUNDAY 27TH
FIRST SUNDAY EACH MONTH HOLY COMMUNION 9.30AM SECOND SUNDAY EACH MONTH MORNING WORSHIP 9.30AM THIRD SUNDAY EACH MONTH HOLY COMMUNION 9.30AM FOURTH SUNDAY EACH MONTH CRAFT, CAKE & CHAT WITH SHORT INFORMAL SERVICE 3.00PM
OCTOBER SUNDAY 4TH SUNDAY 11TH SUNDAY 18TH SUNDAY 25TH
‘My father, an ordinary man in extraordinary times. His experiences serving in the RAF 1939-1946.’
A talk by Joe Dobson
WHEN A FIFTH SUNDAY - JOINED BENEFICE SERVICE
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ST.BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, NEWBOROUGH.PE6 7QZ
Invite You to Our COFFEE SHOP In Church Saturday 12thSeptember & 10th October 10.30am – 11.30am Book Stall, Raffle & Refreshments AND ALSO THE SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH
Got a little time to spare? Put it to very good use.
VOLUNTEER DRIVERS MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE Help local patients get to their medical appointments. A friendly face and a lift can mean more than you might think. Interested in joining the Volunteer Car Scheme? Have a chat with Lyn
07709 935612 YOUR CAR. YOUR TIME. YOUR COMMUNITY. Even an occasional journey can help.
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DIARY DATES
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DIARY DATES
Free activities coming up with Art Pop-Up’s The Heritage & Wildlife of Maxey Cut & Westing Meadows The Heritage & Wildlife of Maxey Cut & Westings Meadow Talk & Creative Workshop with artist-researcher Kathryn Parsons Thursday 10th September 7:00 PM - Hosted by Northborough WI, everyone welcome Northborough Village Hall, Cromwell Close, Northborough, PE6 9DP Kathryn will explore the forgotten story of Westings Meadow, from medieval common land and Enclosure to industry and nature recovery. Followed by refreshments and an informal textile workshop exploring visible mending and darning, with the chance to add your own stitches to the collective shepherd’s smock artwork.
Online Talk – Prehistoric Archaeology of Westings and gravel extraction Monday 21st September with Ian Meadows, Archeologist & Heritage Specialist 7pm on Zoom Explore the hidden prehistoric archaeology of Westings Meadow with archaeologist Ian Meadows and discover the remarkable story buried beneath our feet.
Photography Walks with Sarah Lambert Sunday 27th September 2pm and 3.30pm Discover the wildlife and landscapes of Westings Meadow through your camera lens on a guided one-hour walk with botanist, ecologist and nature photographer Sarah Lambert. Ages 14+ (under 18s accompanied by an adult).
Celebrating Westings Meadow - Final exhibition & event Sat & Sun 10th-11th October, Queengate, lower mall
Celebrate the culmination of The Heritage & Wildlife of Maxey Cut & Westings Meadow project. Discover the fascinating research, stories and artwork inspired by this forgotten landscape, including striking portraits by Ruth Towell and Kathryn Parsons’ collaborative shepherd’s smock. Meet John Clare and discover the remarkable heritage and wildlife of Westings Meadow through activities and exhibits for all ages. ■ A mini exhibition will also tour to Northborough, Glinton and Helpston in November.
BOOK ALL WESTINGS EVENTS ON EVENTBRITE: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/art-pop-up-11397767766 52 villagetribune
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LGR HOW MIGHT IT IMPACT TRIBLAND READERS?
(LGR) – what’s next? I imagine most folk in our rural communities will, by now, have heard of LGR. It’s a national programme in England that replaces the “two-tier” system of separate county and district councils with a single-tier of ‘unitary’ local authorities by April 2028. It’s widely anticipated to be the biggest shake-up in local government in a generation and was launched following the government’s English Devolution White Paper. LGR consolidates all public services (such as waste collection, social care, planning, highways and education) into one ‘local’ organisation to save money, remove duplication, and proposes to provide clearer accountability for residents. It will also give residents one direct point of contact for all local issues. While our city council is already a unitary authority, the government’s reorganisation plans require councils to serve populations of around 500,000. This has encouraged our current cross-party /groups/villagetribune
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administration to back a ‘Greater Peterborough’ model – which would incorporate parts of West Huntingdonshire into the city’s jurisdiction. Supporters anticipate that combining resources across council boundaries will improve the efficiency of social care, waste collection and housing while bringing financial relief to the council’s burgeoning debt. However, there are concerns that centralising services into larger regional councils could dilute local autonomy and the City’s distinct identity, forcing Peterborough to compete for resources alongside neighbouring districts. At the time of writing, a major government review has delayed determining our exact map and structure causing the anticipated final decision for Peterborough to be pushed to the autumn, with shadow elections set for May 2027 and ‘vesting’ day May 2028. Undoubtably, LGR will affect our rural communities north of
the City, primarily by shifting who administers our highlevel public services. Because Peterborough is already a unitary it has managed both local and county level services internally. Depending on which boundary map the government finalises this autumn, our rural north villages will be integrated into a much larger multi-district unitary council. If the council’s preferred option is approved, our north rurals will remain grouped directly with the City and expanded to include parts of West Huntingdonshire. If another of the considered options is chosen, the rural north could be merged into a very large singletier authority that stretches to include Fenland or North Cambridgeshire. The varied (5) options’ support has, as you might imagine, been influenced by political selfinterest to a degree – different Parties pushing for areas to be approved where they think their voters are more likely to live. As Independent members however, I and my rural wards’ colleagues have supported what we think is the right future governance arrangement for all our residents, not to suit voting patterns in upcoming elections. I’m reassured that whichever model is determined by government our rural parish councils will remain and face no direct operational impacts. All strategic public services will transfer over to the new, larger unitary bodies on vesting day 1st April 2028. I will hopefully be able to update further in the following issue. Cllr Peter Hiller – Glinton and Castor Ward
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OBITUARY ANREW WARN
Remembering
Andrew Warn
Photo Credit © Shutterstock/ New Africa
(1943–2026)
The village of Glinton has lost one of its stalwarts with the passing of Andrew John Warn, who died peacefully aged 83. Andrew was a man of remarkable ability, unwavering integrity and deep kindness. Although he possessed an impressive engineering mind and a lifetime of professional achievement, he was never one to seek the limelight. Instead, he devoted his energy to his family, his friends and the community he loved. Born on the Isle of Man in 1943, Andrew spent part of his childhood travelling with his father’s military career before the family settled on the south coast. After qualifying as a toolmaker, he embarked on a career that reflected both his curiosity and his practical talents. A period as a merchant navy engineer saw him travel the world before he returned to England, where his design of an innovative glasscutting machine attracted national attention, even featuring on Tomorrow’s World. That success led Baker Perkins to recruit him to Peterborough in 1973. Andrew and his wife, Kirsty, made their home in Glinton, where they raised their three sons, Matthew, Ben and Joe. Throughout a long career with Baker Perkins and APV Baker, Andrew worked tirelessly to provide for a large family, 54 villagetribune
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often making considerable personal sacrifices. His sense of responsibility—to his family, his colleagues and his community— never wavered. Outside work, Andrew embraced the outdoors with enthusiasm. He loved sailing, cycling, hill walking and exploring Britain’s countryside, introducing his family to countless adventures in youth hostels, on walking trails and along country lanes. His engineering skills also found expression in lovingly restoring bicycles for his sons, transforming neglected old frames into machines they treasured. Retirement simply gave Andrew more opportunities to serve others. He became a school governor, helped design Glinton Primary School’s adventure playground, sang with Peterborough Male Voice Choir, completed not one but two Open University honours degrees, and devoted many hours to voluntary work. He served on the local council, volunteered with the Youth Hostel Association, helped raise funds for Westgate Church and, fittingly for many readers, became Deputy Editor of the Glinton Village Tribune, helping to record and celebrate village life. The greatest sorrow of Andrew’s life came in 2009 with the sudden loss of his eldest son, Matthew. Family and friends know how profoundly that
tragedy affected him. Yet, over time, Andrew found renewed joy through his grandchildren—Jonas, Oscar and Hazel—who brought fresh happiness into his later years. Visitors to the family home will remember the warm welcome, generous hospitality and beautiful garden that Andrew and Kirsty shared with so many. Even as his health declined during the past two years, Andrew’s love of walking never faded. Until quite recently he could still be found enjoying the countryside with Kirsty, invariably accompanied by a flask of coffee. Speaking at his father’s funeral, Ben reflected on the many lessons Andrew quietly passed on: practical skills, careful preparation, perseverance and an appreciation of the outdoors. Those who knew Andrew will recognise that these values defined the man himself. He was dependable, thoughtful, generous with his time and happiest when helping others. Andrew’s family have asked that they pass on their sincere thanks to everyone who attended his funeral, sent messages of sympathy or made donations in his memory. Through the remarkable generosity of family and friends, more than £400 was donated to the RNLI, a cause that was especially close to Andrew’s heart. Andrew will be remembered with great affection—not only as a devoted husband, father and grandfather, but also as one of those people whose quiet contribution leaves a community richer than he found it. His legacy lives on in his family, in the many organisations he served and in the countless lives he touched through his kindness, wisdom and example. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:16
RECIPE
From the Kitchen of
Chez Pierre Salade Bogarde
This super-easy salad is an absolute delight to serve with friends and family. You good housewives may not have been inclined to use smoked mackerel before but please believe me it really is wonderful as a background flavour and texture in a big bowl of a ‘help yourself’ centre table dish - to be eaten on its own with French bread and a decent white or as an accompaniment to sliced grilled chicken or steak. At CP we introduced this years ago alongside our outside terrace dining menu and it has been consistently requested by our regulars. We source our smoked fish from our supplier in northern France but it is so easily available in sealed packs from all supermarkets. Choose the Sweetcure variety if possible as it is easier on non ‘convinced’ palates to instantly enjoy. I’m told our CP original creation came as a result from a visit to my grand-père’s family /groups/villagetribune
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bistro in France by Dirk Bogarde and his partner Tony in the 1980’s; before they moved from their beautiful farmhouse home in Provence back to England, due to Tony’s ill health. On this lunchtime it’s said they appeared in the main room late into the day’s serving and asked if they could be accommodated and, immediately recognising Mr Bogarde, a table was moved to a secluded, shaded corner. As it was a typically warm day they were asked if a salade was in order and they welcomed the effort being made for them at such short notice. In due course this salade was created by chef from pretty-much what was available and fresh in the kitchen, and they absolutely loved its innovation and simplicity and they stayed for hours drinking our house wine chatting with our guests and recounting stories of Mr Bogarde’s career and the famous people he’d worked with during his filming and socialising.
It has been a summertime offering at CP since that time, in recognition of this sublime much missed actor who loved France so much he made his home here. For 2/3 guests:- 300g cooked al dente and drained penne or rigatoni pasta; salad leaves to your liking; 2 tablespoons (good quality) extra virgin olive oil; 1 large (or 2 medium) diced courgettes; 2 heaped tablespoons pesto sauce; 200g smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed and flaked; a good handful of black olives, stoned and halved; freshly ground black pepper; 2 large tomatoes sliced how you like; basil leaves, to garnish. Fry the diced courgettes in the olive oil for a few minutes until just starting to brown then take off the heat to cool. Tip the cooled pasta into the cooled courgette pan with the oil along with the pesto, toss well and season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Allow to rest for a few minutes then stir in the mackerel, olives and serve over a platter of the dressed (your choice of dressing – but we use our own classic French) salad leaves and the sliced tomatoes. Serve at room temperature - never straight from the fridge, as the cold kills the wonderful flavours - garnish with basil. Perhaps add other green vegetables like French beans or asparagus to ring the changes. This is a lovely sharing of summer salad, with torn crusty French bread and good olive oil and balsamic ‘dipping’ side dishes. Serve with a decent lightly chilled wine like our House Viognier, a dry white from the Rhône Valley. Bonne Chance, Pierre x villagetribune 55
21/08/2026 11:17
BUSINESS IN TRIBLAND
Forty Years
at the Heart of Tribland Homes From a local business established in 1986 to a father-and-son team still designing kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms four decades later, PLR Kitchen Design has plenty to celebrate in 2026. Forty years is a major milestone for any business — and this year, Helpston-based PLR Kitchen Design is celebrating four decades of designing and installing kitchens for local homes. Paul established the business in 1986, and it remains a family affair today, with Paul now working alongside his son Matt. Over those 40 years, PLR has expanded beyond kitchens to include bedrooms and bathrooms, while continuing to offer customers a complete service from the first ideas and planning stages through to design and full installation.
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But perhaps one of the nicest measures of a business that has been around for four decades is what happened to the work it carried out many years ago. PLR says many kitchens it installed more than 20 years ago are still looking remarkably good today — something reflected in comments from its customers. One recent five-star Google review said: “PLR fitted our kitchen around 20 years ago, and it still looks as good as ever, which is a real testament to the quality of their workmanship.” Another customer highlighted not only the quality of the work,
but the aftercare received years later — an increasingly unusual benefit of dealing with a longestablished local business. A little something to mark the 40th To celebrate its anniversary, PLR Kitchen Design is offering £40 of Marks & Spencer vouchers for every £1,000 spent on sales completed between August and December 2026. For example, a £5,000 project would qualify for £200 in M&S vouchers. Four decades after Paul first established the business, the name above the door remains the same; the business remains local and family-run — although another generation now helps carry it forward. To find out more or discuss a new kitchen, bedroom or bathroom, contact Paul and Matt at PLR Kitchen Design. Call Paul on 07711 031695 or email paul.roberts@plrkitchens. co.uk.
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21/08/2026 11:33
TRIBLAND NEWS
New Support Announced For Farmers Facing Drought Conditions Farmers across North West Cambridgeshire are set to benefit from new support to help them through the impact of drought and extreme heat, with Sam Carling MP welcoming the measures following a particularly challenging summer for the local farming community. The Government has announced a further £65 million to support farmers through the drought and prepare for future extreme weather, alongside measures to improve access to water and support investment in water storage and drought resilience. The announcement comes after
local farmers played an important role in the response to the major fire at Holme Fen, providing water and practical support to firefighters tackling the blaze.
Sam Carling MP said: “This has been an incredibly difficult summer for our farmers. The hot and dry conditions have put real pressure on farms across our area, while the response at Holme Fen has shown once again just how much our farming community contributes locally. “I’m incredibly grateful to the farmers who have stepped forward to support the firefighting effort, providing
water and helping our emergency services in extremely difficult circumstances. “I’m pleased that the Government is now providing further support to help farmers through the drought, alongside investment in water storage and measures to make farming more resilient to the extreme weather we are increasingly experiencing. “We know there is work to do to rebuild trust with the farming community. I welcome the Prime Minister recognising that and being clear that we need to listen to farmers and work with them. “This is a positive step, providing practical help now while beginning the longer-term work of making sure our farmers are better protected against summers like this one.”
Healthcare advice with a personal touch I’m Lisa Parrett, Director of LP Health Ltd. I believe healthcare decisions deserve time, attention and honest advice. That’s why I work closely with individuals, families and businesses, helping them understand their options and make confident healthcare decisions. Whether you’re looking for healthcare cover for yourself, your family or your employees, my role is simple. To listen, understand your needs and guide you through the options available.
WHY WORK WITH ME Personal one-to-one advice No-obligation conversations Trusted support for individuals, families and businesses
BENEFITS Ongoing support before and after you become a client Friendly, approachable service Genuine care and personal attention
A safe pair of hands
Beat NHS waiting lists and choose when and where you’re treated. Customer service excellence. Flexible benefits and benefit limits.
07376 194413 lisa.parrett@wpa-hcp.org.uk Lisa Parrett is a Director of LP Health Ltd, an Appointed Representative of WPA Healthcare Practice Plc WPA Healthcare Practice Plc (“Healthcare Practice”) is registered in England and Wales number 07320330. Western Provident Association Limited (“WPA”) is registered in England and Wales number 00475557.
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ts F r e e A rr e Lectu
Register for your free Arts Society lecture provided by The Arts Society Peterborough Choose Your Lecture Time: Arrive from 10.15 AM Lectures start promptly at 10.45 AM Location: The Fleet Community Hall, Fletton, PE2 8DL
Please email napierTASPnimbus@gmail.com to reserve your space with The Arts Society Peterborough
1 2
Spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
“”
The very first lecture I went to, I couldn't believe how good it was and how much I enjoyed it. Arts Society Member
3
8 Oct 2026 - Chris Owen
British Art and the Industrial Revolution This talk will introduce the Industrial Revolution in Britain, its causes and some of its impacts on both society and art. 12 Nov 2026 - Tyler Butterworth
A Bit of A Carry On A revealing and moving look at the lives of two much loved actors, Carry On star Peter Butterworth, and his wife, Britain’s first female TV impressionist Janet Brown. 10 Dec 2026 - Peter Medhurst
The story of the world-renowned Christmas carol Silent Night The carol Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht – Silent Night, Holy Night - came into being just over 1800 years after the birth of Christ, and has become the quintessential Christmas song. However, the carol is not without its mysteries and this seasonal lecture unravels them.
The Arts Society is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1089743) and in Scotland (SC039240).
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CHURCH SERVICES
Church services Benefice of Barnack with Ufford, Bainton, Helpston, and Wittering © Shutterstock/Brian A Jackson
11 October 2026vTrinity 19
06 September 2026 - Trinity 14 Communion
09:00 AM St Mary, Bainton
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Communion
09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
All Age Service
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
03:30 PM St Botolph, Helpston
Messy Church
Communion with Baptism
04:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
Taizé
09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Communion
03:30 PM St John, Barnack
Messy Church
13 September 2026 - Trinity 15 09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Communion
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
Communion
04:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
All Age Service
18 October 2026 - Trinity 20 09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Café Church
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
Communion
04:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
Special Service celebrating St Luke’s Day and giving thanks for all that work in healthcare
20 September 2026 - Trinity 16 09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Harvest Festival with Communion
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
Harvest Festival with Communion
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Harvest Festival
02:00 PM St Andrew, Ufford
Harvest Festival
03:30 PM St John, Barnack
Messy Church
04:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
Harvest Festival
27 September 2026 - Michaelmas 09:00 AM St Mary, Bainton
Communion
09:30 AM St John, Barnack
All Age Service
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
All Age Service
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Songs of Praise
03:30 PM All Saints, Wittering
Messy Church
25 October 2026 - Bible Sunday 09:00 AM St Mary, Bainton
Communion
09:30 AM St John, Barnack
All Age Service
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Communion
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
All Age Service
03:30 PM All Saints, Wittering
Messy Church
30 August 2026 - Trinity 13 9:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
Pet Service
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
All Age Service
4:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
“Old School Assembly Bangers” Service
04 October 2026 - Trinity 18 09:30 AM St John, Barnack
Communion
10:45 AM St Botolph, Helpston
Praise and Worship
10:45 AM All Saints, Wittering
All Age Service
03:30 PM St Botolph, Helpston
Messy Church
04:30 PM St Mary, Bainton
Taizé
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CHURCH SERVICES
Giving Thanks The next couple of months include quite a bit of thanksgiving in the churches across my benefice. Including our St Luke’s Day service in October at St Mary’s Bainton, when we’ll give thanks for those who work in healthcare. On 20th September, we’re trying to set the record for most Harvest Festival services in one day in the same benefice: as all the churches, including Ufford, celebrate the Harvest. Harvest Festival originally wasn’t a church feast – it was a secular celebration, Harvest Home, where everyone would celebrate the end of the harvest. That was when the harvest in the countryside was a communal effort, dragging almost everyone in one way or another. There’s a wonderful description of a harvest-supper in Thomas Hardy’s novel, Far From the Madding Crowd. In
that celebration, the farmer – Bathsheba Everdene – sets up a table that is both inside the farmhouse and outside! She and the gentleman-farmer from next door sit in the parlour, while the farm folk are kept safely outside. The man who apparently converted the old Harvest Home into the modern church Harvest Festival was one of my favourite vicars. Revd Robert Hawker on Morwenstow and Welcombe, on the Devon and Cornish border. Among his many activities, in an out-of-the-way cluster of cliffs and fields by the Bristol Channel, he excommunicated his cat for mousing on Sunday, and smoked opium up on the cliffs while looking out for shipwrecked sailors to bury (if they were dead, obviously). Hawker’s first Harvest Festival was held on the
1st of October 1843, with bread from the first cut of corn. These days we could probably do that in July. Which is a reminder of how fragile our Earth is. This year’s harvest was completed in record time, due to the searing heat. Tribland has seen fields on fire in Ashton, Helpston, and Peakirk. And so we’ll gather in our different churches. Give thanks for the blessings God gives. Give thanks for the work of farmers, distribution and retail workers and food manufacturers, in bringing us the food we eat. Paul in his first letter to Thessalonica told his readers to “give thanks in all circumstances”. Ironic given a lot of his writing to the Thessalonians is telling them that world will one day end. But we’ll pray for the success of next year’s harvest – which will start to be planted in September! Knowing that this world is suffering so much from the effects of climate change. May next year’s crop be bountiful. And God bless all those who produce it for us.
© AdobeStock
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9 BRIDGES CHURCH SERVICES
Upcoming Services September-October 2026
Worship
Date
Time/Location
Service
Sunday Trinity 14
6th Sept
09:00 Morning Worship – Glinton 10:30 Harvest & Sung Communion -Peakirk 18:00 Celtic Evening Prayer – Northborough
Exodus 14:19-31 Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18:21-35
Sunday Trinity 15
13th Sept
09:00 Morning Worship – Peakirk 10:30 Holy Communion - Etton 18:00 Joyful Journey - Glinton
Exodus 14:19-31 Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18:21-35
Sunday Trinity 16
20th Sept
09:00 Harvest Communion – Maxey 10:30 Harvest Festival – Northborough 18:00 BCP Evensong - Peakirk
Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16
Sunday Trinity 17
27th Sept
09:00 Holy Communion – Northborough 10:30 Harvesst Communion - Glinton 18:00 Taizé – Maxey
Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32
Sunday Trinity 18 – Homelessness Sunday
4th Oct
09:00 Morning Worship – Glinton 10:30 Sung Communion -Peakirk 15:00 Messy Church – Peakirk Village Hall 18:00 Celtic Evening Prayer – N’borough
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46
Sunday Trinity 19
11th Oct
09:00 Morning Worship – Peakirk 10:30 Harvest Communion - Etton 18:00 Joyful Journey - Glinton
Exodus 32:1-14 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14
Sunday Trinity 20
18th Oct
09:00 Holy Communion – Maxey 10:30 Family Praise – Northborough 18:00 BCP Evensong - Peakirk
Exodus 33:12-23 Psalm 96:1-9 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22
Sunday Trinity 21
25th Oct
09:00 Holy Communion – Northborough 10:30 Family Holy Communion - Glinton 18:00 Taizé – Maxey
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46
All Saints
1st Nov
09:00 Morning Worship – Glinton 10:30 Sung Communion -Peakirk 18:00 Celtic Evening Prayer – Northborough
Revelation 7:9-17 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12
Remembrance Sunday
8th Nov
09:00 Holy Communion – Etton 10:30 Service of Remembrance - Glinton 10:45 Act of Remembrance – Etton 10:45 Act of Remembrance – Peakirk 10:45 Act of Remembrance –Northborough 10:45 Act of Remembrance - Maxey
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13
2nd Sunday before Advent
15th Nov
09:00 Holy Communion – Maxey 10:30 Family Praise – Northborough 18:00 BCP Evensong - Peakirk
Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 90:1-8, 12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30
Christ the King
22nd Nov
09:00 Holy Communion – Northborough 10:30 Family Holy Communion - Glinton 18:00 Taizé – Maxey
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46
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21/08/2026 11:37
CHURCH UPDATE
The Gift of Belonging There is a phrase we hear quite often these days: “finding your tribe.” It is a modern way of talking about something deeply human and very ancient. We all long to belong.
© AdobeStock
Whether it is a village coffee morning, a football team, the Women’s Institute, the local pub, a choir, friends or a church congregation, there is something life-giving about finding a place where people know your name, notice when you are missing and are pleased to see you return. In a world more connected than ever through technology, many people still feel isolated. We can have hundreds of online contacts and experience loneliness. What we really crave is not simply connection but belonging: to be part of something bigger than ourselves and to know that our lives are woven together with others. Community is good for our wellbeing and resilience. Life’s challenges become easier when shared and joy multiplies when celebrated together. A helping hand, listening ear or friendly smile can achieve more than
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we sometimes realise. From a Christian perspective, this longing for belonging is no accident. We are created for connection: with God, one another and the world around us. Faith is not meant to be a solo pursuit. The Church at its best is a community learning how to love God and neighbour together. Of course, the Church has not always got this right. Sometimes churches have become more concerned with who is in and who is out than with helping people feel at home. We have focused more on rules than relationships, as though believing must come before belonging, when belonging may often help people discover what they believe. Jesus seemed remarkably uninterested in building exclusive clubs. Again and again, he gathered people around a table: saints and sinners, doubters and believers, insiders and outsiders. People were welcomed before they had everything figured out. That remains a challenge and an invitation for the Church today. We may hold different opinions and see the world through different lenses. But community has never meant finding people exactly like ourselves. It is about discovering that we need one another despite our differences.
Rev. Keir The 9 Bridges Benefice www.9brideges.church
Perhaps that is one reason village life remains so precious. Communities such as ours still offer opportunities for genuine human connection through church events, local groups, celebrations, volunteering or simply stopping for a chat in the street. These are the threads that hold us together. As your local vicar, I don’t believe the Church’s primary task is to make people more religious. Part of our calling is to nurture communities where everyone can find friendship, meaning, support and hope — communities where people know they belong. Belonging is not simply a pleasant extra. It is one of the deepest needs of the human heart. And if you ever wonder whether there is a place for you, in church or the wider community, let me reassure you: there is. The kettle is usually on, the welcome is genuine and perfection has never been an entry requirement. Frankly, if it were, none of us would have got through the door. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:39
CHURCH NEWS
“Posies for Patty” Written by: Teresa Scott
In July “Posies for Patty” Northborough joined the annual John Clare Festival at Helpston to remember the “Northamptonshire peasant poet”, John Clare and his wife, Martha. The poet’s wife was known as Patty and was a resident of Northborough for nearly 40 years. To celebrate the family’s time spent in the village a poetry trail was set with snippets from John Clare’s “Northborough Sonnets” and a free to enter Poetry Hunt in Church Street. Our two winning entries, for the sweet hamper and gift card from Sweets Treats in Bourne, were from pupils of Northborough Primary School. St Andrew’s church was hung with pictures and poetry from Northborough Primary school, with posies from the children
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placed on Patty’s grave. More posies and flower decorations were added by volunteers to the church and with a crocheted flower net gracing the porch we were ready! Saturday we spent a lovely day Helpston, which was finished off with a special concert from the Peterborough Choral Society in St Benedict’s church. On Sunday morning, a group of keen walkers set off on their own “Flitting”, from John Clare Cottage, Helpston, to follow in the footsteps of the Clare family as they walked from their old home to start afresh in Clare Cottage, Church Street, Northborough. The move was recorded by John Clare in his poem “The Flitting”. As we joined the north bank of the Maxey Cut, Richard Astle, chairman of the Landyke Trust, met us and
gave us a very interesting talk on the countryside John and family would have travelled over. As we neared the end of our 4 mile trek, we were pleased to see The Packhorse pub, with several walkers going in to enjoy a Poet’s lunch and a pint. St Andrew’s Church in the afternoon held two well attended talks on: “Martha Clare’s Northborough” by Claire Richardson, local historian and published writer and “Northborough’s Overseer of the Poor book” by James Keech from Peterborough Archives. (This fascinating document was found in a private house in Northborough and contains numerous references to John Clare as a Northborough ratepayer from 1832. The book has been carefully restored thanks to the generosity of many local donors and can be viewed in the Peterborough Archives). During the interval between talks, there were lots of lovely of tea and cakes to enjoy and we concluded a very pleasant and busy day with an exciting raffle. Thank you to all who came and supported us and to all our helpers, all profits made were donated to St Andrew’s church. villagetribune 63
21/08/2026 11:39
Maxey Summer Fayre
Brings the Community Together Maxey Village came together on 4th July to celebrate another highly successful Maxey Summer Fayre, and what a wonderful day it was! The village was buzzing with activity as residents and visitors from the surrounding communities enjoyed a traditional village fayre packed with fun, laughter and community spirit. There was something for 64 villagetribune
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everyone, with live music, a BBQ and licensed bar, delicious teas and homemade cakes, a fantastic raffle, and a host of traditional arena games including the three-legged race, tug of war and egg-and-spoon race. Visitors
also enjoyed a wide variety of stalls and attractions, including the ever-popular coconut shy, shooting game, tombola’s and many more. The real highlight of the day, however, was seeing so many smiling faces. It was wonderful to see familiar faces alongside those who are new to the village, all coming together to enjoy a day of old-fashioned family fun. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:40
TRIBLAND EVENTS
Watching children laughing as they took part in the games, families spending time together, and neighbours chatting and making new friendships reminded us exactly what makes Maxey such a special community. For a village of our size, the turnout exceeded all expectations and created a fantastic atmosphere from start to finish. I am also delighted to share that, thanks to everyone’s generosity and support, the Summer Fayre raised an incredible £4,750. These funds /groups/villagetribune
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will help with the upkeep of Maxey Village Hall and subsidise the many community events organised by the Maxey Community Association throughout the year, helping to keep them affordable and accessible for everyone. On behalf of the Maxey Community Association, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our dedicated Events Team for the many months of planning and their hard work on the day. Thank you also to all of our volunteers, stallholders, entertainers, sponsors
and everyone who attended and supported the event. Without your generosity, enthusiasm and commitment, the Summer Fayre would not have been the tremendous success that it was. We hope everyone who came along had as much fun as we did, and we look forward to welcoming you all back for future memorable days of community spirit and traditional village fun. Mark Asplin - Events Organiser On behalf of Maxey Community Association villagetribune 65
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TAKING ACTION FLY TIPPING
Fly-Tipping:
Key Points and Actions Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land, roadsides, footpaths, parks, and open spaces. It harms the environment, wildlife, and local communities. It can create health and safety risks, including hazards from sharp objects, chemicals, and asbestos. Cleaning up fly-tipped waste costs local authorities and taxpayer’s significant amounts of money.
So, what can be done about it? There is no quick fix for this. Having looked at the problem Helpston Parish Council can see one of the simplest and most effective solutions is the placement of no-fly tipping signs and the taping off reported fly tipping. So the parish council has identified the most affected
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areas and plan to place signs there and tape off areas to show that the fly tipping has been reported. Other actions such as use of cameras can be effective but is a lot more expensive and often result in vandalism or theft of the cameras. They also need legal approval. As individual households it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that all their waste is disposed of legally. Any waste that cannot go into the domestic bins can be taken to the local authority recycling depot. For larger items it can be arranged for the city council to collect, but there is a charge for this. If you arrange for someone else to take away your rubbish,
you must: ■ Check they have a Waste Carrier Licence. ■ Check they are on the Environment Agency register. (Can be found online). ■ Make sure you have a receipt. If any of your waste is found to have been fly tipped, you can be heavily fined
If you see fly tipping... If you see it in the act of being committed, then call the police on 999 if it is safe to do so. If you see an area where fly tipping has been carried out the best way to report it is on fixmystreet.com. This will direct you on what to do. It can also be reported on the Peterborough City Council website, just search for fly tipping. Also by phone on 01733 747474 Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. The parish council will continue to monitor the situation and to arrange the usual community litter picks
www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 11:42
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By featuring your lineage adverts for 12 months, spanning six issues, we will get your details in front of over 12,500 village residents But wait, there's more! As a bonus, advertisers in our Classified Section will also gain access to our vibrant online community. With over 4,500 active members on our Facebook group, you'll have the opportunity to share promotional messages with a wider audience on the last Friday of every month for an entire year. 12 months coverage for just £99 per year (no VAT to pay) ACCOUNTING
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Diamonds Farm Landscape Gardening A different approach to gardening and grounds management. Be proud of your outdoor space T: 07928 900728 E: michael@diamondsfarmlandscaping.co.uk Hilton Tree Care A local, trustworthy family business ( fully qualified and insured) covering all aspects of tree surgery and hedging . For a free, fast, competitive quote please call : Tel: Josh 07955 321 233 Rob 07795 010 185 Email: Admin@Hiltontreecare.com The Nature Garden Studio T: 07793 840327/ 01733 810281 E: Sharronsmith123@btinternet.com www.thenaturegardenstudio.uk Garden design, planting plans, garden consultancy. Specialist in small wildlife gardens. Hand drawn designs in watercolour. GARDEN CENTRES Bosworths Garden Centre T: 01832 343104 E: elton@bosworthsgc.co.uk www.bosworthsgc.co.uk Set within the beautiful surroundings of Elton Walled Garden, Bosworth’s Elton offers a relaxed and inspiring shopping experience with a carefully selected range of plants, gifts, and garden essentials. With its inviting atmosphere, friendly team, and the popular Mulberry Café, Elton is the perfect destination to enjoy gardening inspiration, delicious food, and a peaceful day out. www.villagetribune.org.uk
21/08/2026 12:06
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Rachel’s Mobile Footcare E: rachelsmobilefootcare@gmail.com T: 07380 426984 Level 4 Foot Health Practitioner providing foot health In Peterborough,Oundle, Stamford, Kings Cliffe and their surrounding villages. Providing Diabetic foot healthcare advice and management, corn and callus removal, toenail cutting and treatments for various fungal infections
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068-069 VT160 Pitch Perfect amended.indd 69
MORTGAGE ADVICE
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WC Smith Plumbing T: 07730 045077 www.wcplumberspeterborough.co.uk Bathrooms, Plumbing, Heating. Based in Helpston. Matthew Mills Registered Plumber T: 07545 270482 E: matthewmillsplumbing@gmail.com 24 hour service. No job too small. Covering a 25mile radius of Peterborough PUBS, RESTAURANTS & MOBILE FOOD
Amo La Pizza T: 07514 771388 E: info@amolapizza.uk woodfiredpizzauk Ruddy Duck at Peakirk T: 01733 252426 E: nigelcook502@gmail.com www.ruddyduckpeakirk.co.uk TRAVEL
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21/08/2026 12:06
tribune DIRECTORY
■ Bainton Church Reverend Gary Alderson............................. 07503 975588 ■ Barnack Church (St John the Baptist) Gary Alderson, gary.aldersonwrites@gmail.com ■ Barnack Community Association Sally Hullock .................................................. 07795 565658 ■ Barnack Cricket Club William Armitage, Chairman .................... 01780 740749 ■ Barnack Home from Home Club Niamh Holman ............................hfhbarnack@gmail.com ■ Barnack Messy Church Julie Stanton ....................................................01780 749123 ■ Bowls Clubs (Carpet) Helpston Bowls: Les Cunnington ............ 07857 835955 Glinton Bowls: Jeff Bell .................................01733 252395 Newborough: Pauline Brown..................... 07946 389296 ■ Botolph’s Barn Kate Hinchliff ...............07745 116621 ■ British Legion Max Sawyer ...................01780 765507 ■ Beavers, Rainbows, Brownies, Cubs, Guides, Rangers & Scouts General Guiding Queries Morag Sweeney ............................................. 07801 357701 Helpston Brownies Jasmine Hughes ....... 07709 037820 Helpston Guides & Rangers Anna Batty ...................................................... 07780 115792 Helpston Rainbows Charlotte Moles ............................................. 07549 152192 General Scouting Queries Martin Hall ..................................................... 07778 707952 Helpston Beavers, Alison Cook ..................07437 909735 Helpston Cubs Susan Hodge .......................07399 252033 Helpston Scouts, Sarah Spademan .................. helpstonscouts@gmail.com ■ Doctors Deeping Practice (Main line) .....................01778 579000 Deeping Practice (Appnts.)..........................01778 579001 Glinton Surgery ............................................. 01733 252246 ■ Etton Church (St Stephen’s) Churchwarden: Anne Curwen ....................01733 253357 ■ Fenland Clarion Cycling Club www.fenlandclarion.co.uk ■ Glinton Friendship Club Pam Kounougakis ..........................................01733 252018 70 villagetribune
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■ Glinton Church (St Benedict’s) Churchwarden: Veronica Smith .................01733 252019 ■ Helpston Church (St Botolph’s) Rector: Gary Alderson ................................ 07503 975588 ■ Helpston Helcats Phil Roberts ....................................................07925 720195 ■ Horticultural Societies John Best - Glinton ........................................01778 342115 Debbie Martin - Barnack Show ................. 01780 740048 Kirsty Scott - Peakirk ....................................01733 253952 Castor, Ailsworth and District Gardeners’ Society Chair - Ann Huckle ......................................01733 3780745 ann.huckle@cobnut-cottage.co.uk ■ Langdyke Countryside Trust Richard Astle ...................................................01733 252376 ■ Maxey Church (St Peter’s) Churchwarden: Mike Connor .................. 07785 3133622 ■ Newborough Church (St Bartholomew) Reved. Hayley Hobbs .................................... 01733 470995 Revhayleyhobbs@outlook.com Newborough Good Neighbours Cate ...................................................................07735 810139 ■ Newborough Pre-school Playgroup Debbie .............................................................. 07423 519890 ■ Northborough Church (St Andrew’s) Jane Knott, Church warden ........................ 01778 345101 ■ Peakirk Church (St Pegas) Churchwarden: Sheila Lever ....................... 01733 252416 ■ Pre-School & After-School Clubs Helpston Playhouse pre-school, Breakfast & After School Club Lucy Garwood .......................................01733 253243 Peakirk Tots Emma Thornton ..................... 07876 822173 Little Lambs Toddler Group, Barnack Julie Stanton ....................................................01780 749123 Sunflower Seed Pre-School, Northborough Kirsty Wislawski...............................................01733 253685 The Owls’ Nest, Amy Quarizzo .................... 01733 252361 ■ Schools & Education Arthur Mellows Village College .................01733 252235 John Clare Primary ........................................01733 252332 Barnack C of E Primary ...............................01780 740265 Peakirk-cum-Glinton Primary School ... 01733 252361 Northborough Primary ............................... 01733 252204 Peterborough Adult Learning ..................... 01733 761361 www.villagetribune.org.uk
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DIRECTORY LISTING ■ Tennis Club (Helpston) .........................07714 780573 ■ Ufford Church Enquiries Keith Lievesley ...............................................01780 740679 ■ Village Halls Bainton Reading Room Angela Womack https://sites. google.com/view/baintonreadingroom/home Barnack Village Hall Bookings Sally Hullock .................................................. 07795 565658 Glinton Village Hall Bookings Sue Lane ......................................................... 07923 475966 Helpston Village Hall, www.helpstonandettonvallagehall.co.uk Maxey Village Hall www.maxeyvillagehall.co.uk Newborough Village Hall Bookings ...........07549185914 Northborough Village Hall: www.northboroughvillagehall.co.uk Peakirk Village Hall (Bookings) ............... 07938 386226 Ufford Village Hall Emma Thorp .............07769 587742 ■ Village Tribune Editor, Tony Henthorn ................................07590 750128 villagetribuneeditor@me.com ■ Ward Councillors Barnack Cllr Kevin Tighe ..............................07826 181479 Glinton & Castor Cllr Peter Hiller ........... 07920 160487 Glinton & Castor Cllr Neil Boyce .............07483 958795 Eye, Thorney & Newborough Cllr Mark Ormston .............................................................................07483 373084 ■ Women’s Institute (WI) Northborough Tracy Thomas (Secretary) ...........................07720 327145
Parish Council Contact Details ■ Ailsworth Parish Council Anne Perkins, Chairman .............................. 01733 380541 Michelle Dickens: ......................................... 07702 626253 clerk@ailsworth-pc.gov.uk ■ Bainton & Ashton Parish Council clerk@baintonandashton-pc.gov.uk ........07590 750128 Barnack Parish Council Chair: Jonathan O’Shea – jonno.barnackpc@gmail.com Michelle Dickens: ..........................................07595 377236 clerk@barnack-pc.gov.uk ■ Deeping Gate Parish Council Cllr Philip Thompson (Chair) philip.thompson@deepinggate-pc.gov.uk Clerk – Elinor Beesley ....................................07713 194173 clerk@deepinggate-pc.gov.uk ■ Etton Parish Council Clerk – Elinor Beesley ....................................07713 194173 clerk@etton-pc.gov.uk /groups/villagetribune
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■ Glinton Parish Council Cllr Gerry Kirt – Chairman ....................... 01733 252839 Mr J Haste – Clerk ......................................... 07591 834163 clerk@glinton-pc.gov.uk ■ Helpston Parish Council Parish Council Clerk Tony Henthorn ...............................................07590 750128 clerk@helpston-pc.gov.uk Chairman, Cllr Ali Peat .............................. 07399 532266 alastair.peat@helpston-pc.gov.uk ■ Maxey Parish Council Cllr Lynne Yarham – (Chair) lynne.yarham@maxey-pc.gov.uk Clerk – Tony Henthorn ...............................07590 750128 clerk@maxey-pc.gov.uk ■ Newborough Parish Council Cllr Mark Ormston Mark.ormston@ newboroughandboroughfenpc.org.uk Clerk Irene Healiss clerk@newboroughandboroughfen-pc.gov.uk ■ Northborough Council Cllr Tracy Thomas (Chair) – tracy.thomas@northborough-pc.gov.uk Clerk Elinor Beesley.........................................07713 194173 clerk@northborough-pc.gov.uk Peakirk Parish Council Chairman: Cllr Henry Clark..........................01733 253203 Clerk: Angela Hankins....................................01733 253397 clerk@peakirk-pc.gov.uk ■ Southorpe Parish Council: Clerk Alison Hurford ...................................07898 217307 clerk@southorpeparish.gov.uk Chair: Peter Corder peter.corder@southorpeparish.gov.uk Sutton Parish Council Parish Council Clerk Tony Henthorn ......07590 750128 clerk@suttonparishcouncil.gov.uk ■ Ufford Parish Council Chair – Cllr Paul Wilde ..............paul@worldofskills.com Clerk Amie Fenech – clerk@ufford-pc.gov.uk ............................................................................. 01733 855003
Full details of all Parish Council Councillors and contacts for local churches, village halls, schools, community associations, sports clubs, guides, brownies, scouts (etc) can be found in the Directory section of the Village Tribune website: www.villagetribune.org.uk/contact-directory/
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