Issue 84 Winter 2015 by Melbourn Magazine

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

...editorial We are now involved in the excitement of the run up to Christmas, the busiest family time of the year. 2015 has certainly gone very quickly! There is always plenty to do in the village for all ages and tastes and we congratulate all organisations on their successes. The dates of Christmas celebrations are given on the Diary pages on the centrefold, in Churches News and on the What’s On pages (page 50). The Village Fete was a great day out and the profits were given to various clubs and organisations. Preparations have already started for 2016 and new helpers are always needed: so put June 18th 2016 in your new diary now! The Bloomsday event was another success, and made a substantial amount of money for WaterAid (page 13). There is an article on the Melbourn Radiate Brooch (page 16), and if you are looking for a special Christmas present, there are a few still available. Our new MP Heidi Allen has made a contribution and is obviously very active in the community. The Thursday Luncheon Club, which meets weekly at Vicarage Close Community Centre needs more drivers and helpers. The Club has been running since 1980, as a place for older people to meet, eat and socialise. A very worthwhile organisation, run and organised entirely by volunteers. The Magazine Committee thanks all the contributors to the Magazine and the volunteers who deliver it to every house and business in the community. We wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year! The picture on the cover of this issue celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring; many thanks to the Melwood article for this image (page 41).

Melbourn Magazine is independent of the Parish Council NO public money is used.

We would like to thank TTP for their continued sponsorship of the magazine. Melbourn Magazine is printed quarterly and delivered free to every household and business in the village. All work on the Melbourn Magazine, including layout and design is produced by volunteers. The cost of printing comes entirely from advertising and sponsorship. If you would like to advertise in the Melbourn Magazine see page 71 for details

Front cover: Snow drops at Melwood by Tim Gane. See page 41.

Contents Village news

feature – Christmas Carols

feature – The Thursday Luncheon Club 14 Community matters

feature – Anglo Saxon jewellery

Melbourn Radiate-headed brooch

Profile – Peter and Una Cleminson

Blundell’s Plot

Education 29 Nature – River Mel Restoration

Village information

Diary 36 feature – The Wassail – ‘be healthy’ 39 A drink to see in the New Year!

Nature – Melwood

Your Local Nature Reserve

Sports & Clubs

What’s On

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day Come and Sing! O Holy Night Festive Fun for the whole family

Churches Together

Nature – Breathing patterns

feature – Images of Melbourn

feature – Recycling 67 What happens to your waste and recycling email: melbournmagazine@gmail.com

01763 290 335 FREE 07525 173 278 QUOTATIONS

COMMERCIAL

kieran.butler@ashtonrenovations.co.uk

RESIDENTIAL

MAINTENANCE

www.ashtonrenovations.co.uk www.ashtonrenovations.com

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Village news The Hall for All

British Legion Women’s Section

Library – LAP (Local Access Point)

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group

Relate Cambridge

Mobile Warden Scheme and Lunch Club 7 Melbourn Calendars 2016

Melbourn Village Fete

Men’s Breakfast’

Melbourn Short Reading Group

Bloomsday – The Outcome

The Valentines

The Hall for All Melbourn’s Community Hall situated behind All Saints Church in the centre of the village, has now been up and running for seven years, so this summer it was decided it was time that the building was freshened up to keep it in tip top condition. The hall has been completely redecorated throughout and the fire-retardant, light excluding curtains have been re-hung. New blinds have been fitted to the high windows so that the in situ screen may be used to best advantage. The outside of the hall has also been painted and there is one other significant change which the Trustees have carried out – I wonder if anyone has spotted it? It doesn’t make any difference to the functioning of the hall but we felt that it was a major change for the better! (Answer in next issue!) Sadly, with constant use things begin to wear out and the chairs will soon need to be replaced and also some of the lights in the entrance hall are not working – £600 sounds a huge sum for lights but replacing the existing lighting with the latest high efficiency LED lights is both environmentally friendly and the most economical solution. In order to help pay for these ongoing updates we have formed a small fund raising committee and we are planning several exciting things for the New Year, beginning with a jazz night – Swing into Spring – watch out for details. This year we held a very successful musical evening and the money raised by the Safari Supper goes to the hall funds. The Community Hall has been used by local residents for many things, yoga, Zumba, Brownies, Guides, Rainbows, dance classes, karate, music groups, seminars,

Library – LAP (Local Access Point) Library opening times Monday 12.30 to 4.30 pm Tuesday 2.30 to 4.30 pm Wednesday 2.30 to 4.30 pm Thursday 2.30 to 6.30 pm Friday 2.30 to 4.30 pm Saturday 10.00 to 12.00 am Christmas period – The llibrary will be closed from Wednesday 23rd December and reopen on Monday 4th January 2016. melbournmagazine

wedding parties and funeral wakes. It is a very popular venue for children’s parties and of course our kitchen is extremely well kitted out. Most crucially – our charges are very competitive! For more information contact Sandie Springall – hallbookings@live.co.uk

British Legion Women’s Section We had an outing with lunch at a Garden Centre in July where we were well looked after. The AGM was held in September and a new Chairman (Una Cleminson) and Vice Chairman (Irene Bloomfield) were elected. This was followed by a light supper. We now look forward to collecting for The Poppy Appeal during the two weeks prior to Remembrance Sunday. This benevolence is still required to provide much needed relief for Servicemen and Women and their families, with over £1 million a week being distributed. The Women’s Section is open to all women over 18, we aim to make our meetings stimulating and most importantly “Good Fun.” You will be assured of a good welcome, we meet at Vicarage Close Community Centre on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 2pm. President Molly Chamberlain 0774623072: Chairman Una Cleminson 01763269544: Secretary Elizabeth Murphy 01763220841.

Library – LAP (Local Access Point) Reading Challenge

The number of children taking part in the annual reading challenge for 4 to 11 year olds has been heartening. The challenge was to read 6 books over the summer holidays and write comments on them. Each of the 30 participants had a chart with stickers to keep a record of their progress. On 2nd October at the Hub Susan van de Ven presented a certificate and medal to each of the 13 children who had completed the challenge.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

In the children’s section of the library the Early Readers have been a phenomenal success. We are constantly having to buy more books to keep up with demand as more and more children are bitten by the reading bug. This bug is also in evidence on the adult shelves; we are regularly buying a selection of books from best seller lists to keep pace with demand. Did you know that if you are a member of the Cambridgeshire library service you can reserve books on line, by phone or by popping into the library. Books usually come within a week or two, depending on availability. We have a delivery of reserved books every Thursday and, if we have your email address, when your book arrives you will receive an email. Otherwise you will be informed by phone. The system works well and best of all it is free. Closure over the Christmas period – the last day the library will be open is Tuesday 22nd December 2015 and will reopen on Monday 4th January 2016. Jane Stevens

Melbourn & Meldreth Women’s Group The Group is for all women of any age. Meetings are held at 7.45pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month, except in December and we vary our venues between Melbourn and Meldreth. We charge £1 on the night to cover expenses and there is an opportunity to make a donation to the chosen charity of the year. We usually have a guest speaker or some in house entertainment followed by a chance to have a chat over tea/coffee and biscuits. Our meeting on 26 January 2016 will be at the usual time of 7.45 and will be our AGM, this will be held in All Saints Community Hall. The formal business of receiving reports, electing committee members and selecting a charity of the year will be conducted first and then we have a bring and share supper. Please give some thought to joining the committee and come with suggestions for a charity that we can support. On February 23rd our meeting is at Holy Trinity Church Meeting Room in Meldreth. Eirwen Karner is coming to talk to us about Norwegian dress and food, hopefully she will have some items to show us. We are a small and friendly group and if you would like to know more please feel free to come along one evening or contact one of the committee members: Pat Smith (262575) Sue Toule (260955) Anne Harrison (261775) Angela Leach (262793).

Relate Cambridge

Releases its second film to promote its work with children This film is both inspirational and moving – and we firmly believe that it will deliver a powerful message to parents and encourage them to come forward to ask for our support. Funding from the Big Lottery has allowed Relate Cambridge to offer free counselling for children aged 5 – 18 whose parents and/or guardians are having counselling with Relate. The making of the film was a rewarding experience for all involved. Alex Nunes, who directed the film, is the son of the Centre Director and also an ex pupil of Parkside, who went on to study Film and TV production at Westminster University. Alex’s career has subsequently taken off and he has just been commissioned by the BBC to film and edit a documentary on location in China. We were absolutely delighted – when we approached the Parkside Federation to ask for their help with finding cast members – to find that they embraced the challenge and were very keen to support their ex pupil. The Head of Drama and 2 pupils feature in the film. The remainder of the cast and crew were drawn from family and friends of the staff at Relate Cambridge. The fact that everyone pulled together – and gave freely of their time and energy to support this project – made the whole experience feel like a true a labour of love.

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme Can we help you? Can we help a relative? Can we help a neighbour? Who does the Scheme help? The scheme is open to anyone who requests our help including those who live alone or with their families but need the extra support offered by our services. Couples too are most welcome. It is also open to those in sheltered housing, as the scheme offers different, but complementary services. Note: The scheme also offers its services for short periods to cover the temporary absence of relatives who otherwise provide this support.

We offer help with:

• Friendship and support via twice • • • • • • • • • •

weekly visits and daily phone calls Ordering and collection of prescriptions Basic shopping Collection of pensions Setting up Lifeline service Bereavement support Advice on benefits Going to the Post Office to pay your bills Advice on getting repairs done in your home Arranging transport to the hospital or other appointments Just coming round for a chat

What will it cost? We do have to make a small weekly charge for the warden’s services. The fee is only £5 per week (a little more for couples).

Jeannie Seers (Mobile Warden) 07808 735066 email jeanseers1@ntlworld.com Jane Cage (Deputy) 07592 821976 email jane.e.cage@btinternet.com Melbourn Warden Scheme is a registered charity

The film can be viewed on our website, along with some photos taken during the filming (these can be found on the ‘About Us’ page). Relate Cambridge offers information, advice and counselling for all stages of your relationships at our outpost in Melbourn The sessions are held in the small meeting room at Melbourn hub on Wednesday each week. Appointment times are: 10:30; 11:45; 13:00 For more information or to book an appointment, contact Relate Cambridge on 01223 357424 Mon-Thur 8am–10pm, Fri 8 am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm (confidential answerphone at all other times) or visit www.relatecambridge.org.uk

Mobile Warden Scheme and Lunch Club enjoy crooning and cake! Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme and the Melbourn and Meldreth lunch club joined together in September to enjoy an afternoon of ‘crooning’ and cake! ‘Doubletake’ barbershop quartet performed at Vicarage Close to over 40 people from the two groups which support mobility impaired or mature residents of Melbourn and Meldreth. Some of you may have seen and heard ‘Doubletake’ barbershop quartet performing at the Melbourn fete in the summer. The mobile wardens who were working on their fundraising stall, were so impressed by the singing that they asked the quartet if they would be able to perform for their scheme’s members and so began the event arrangements . The scheme approached the lunch club to see if they too would like to attend, as many people belong to both groups and so it became a combined event. The event was possible thanks to funding that the groups work hard to raise which helps pay for events such as this, enabling people to socialise who may otherwise be isolated. Committee members, wardens, lunch club organisers and volunteers helped to serve the delicious cakes – many of which were homemade – all washed down by tea and coffee. The barbershop quartet performed songs ranging from the 1920’s to more recent times. It was fascinating to hear the quartet explain how the harmonies are formed with a demonstration to show the distinctive sound being built with the addition of each voice. It was a most enjoyable afternoon and many of the guests said how the songs had brought back fond memories. We are grateful to all those who fund us and provide the opportunity for such events to continue. Community transport and volunteer drivers are also appreciated as without their support to drive people to and from venues we could not bring so many people together. melbournmagazine

WE LISTEN SUPPORT ADVISE EMPOWER. YOU ASPIRE.

Garden Design & Build

There are many demands on a business owner’s time, and despite what most accountants think, the accounts are not usually at the top of the list! Having the support of a Business Advisor who not

CAD Garden Designs, Planting Plans Garden Construction & Planting

PLAN YOUR GARDEN NOW…

only takes care of the financial essentials but who listens and empowers you to focus on those areas that only you can deal with is essential in helping your business thrive. If that’s the kind of relationship you want with your accountant, give us a call.

1 Saxon Way

Tel: 01223 929150

Melbourn

Richard Arnott

t: 01763 263231 m: 07710547493 www.richardarnott.com mail@richardarnott.com THINK GARDEN, THINK RICHARD!

Bracey’s Accountants (Cambs) Limited HFL House

…BUILD TO ENJOY THIS SPRING!

Cambs

SG8 6DN

Email: tracey@braceys-accountants.co.uk

Visit our showroom at: You can’t always see what is happening to your flat roof so, Replace It Once and for All with our unique RubberBond EPDM FleeceBack Roofing System, guaranteed not to leak or crack and tough enough to stand on.

Sage Blinds & Interiors c/o Melbourn Flooring Unit 2 Cherry Park Farm Industrial Estate Cambridge Road Melbourn SG8 6EY Tel: 01763 787464 Mobile: 07875 488955 www.sageblinds.co.uk Specialists in made to measureBlinds ~ Curtains ~ Shutters Wall Coverings ~ Awnings ~ Interiors

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn Village Fete

‘Doubletake’ barbershop quartet

Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme provides twice weekly visits and regular telephone contact to the homes of residents of Melbourn and Meldreth who are mobility impaired. There is no age restriction. In addition to the regular social contact, we provide support with basic errands such as shopping, paying bills, collecting pensions, posting letters and parcels and organising and collecting prescriptions etc. In addition we organise regular outings like the barbershop quartet afternoon, so scheme members can socialise with each other. We use specialised transport provided by the Royston and District Community Transport Scheme, so most types of mobility impairment will not be a barrier to coming out with us. If you would like more information about how you, your relative or neighbour can join the scheme, please contact Jeannie Seers 07808 735066 jeanseers1@ntlworld.com. Melbourn and Meldreth Lunch Club is held every Thursday at Vicarage Close in Melbourn and brings mature villagers from Melbourn and Meldreth together to enjoy a good meal and a chat. Special dietary requirements are accommodated and transport can be provided. For more information about joining the lunch club, contact Nikki Cross on 07599 292327. Jeannie Seers

Melbourn and Meldreth Royal Melbourn Calendars 2016 Melbourn Calendars are now available to order, either at the Coffee Stop on Saturday mornings from 10.30 to 12 noon or by ringing Marjorie Shaw on 01763 220076. Prices remain the same with large – A4 size £8 and small – A5 size £5. All come with envelopes and all profit goes to SOAS (Supporters of All Saints) All photos have been taken within the last twelve months and the calendars are individually created.

The Melbourn Village Fete Committee recently met to decide how much surplus money could be given to local causes and activities that submitted requests for funding. After another successful fete day it was decided that we could give away a record £5000. This large amount of money is possible in part due to the excellent support we get from those who come along with their friends and family to participate in a fun day. However, we also enjoy a great deal of support from the Parish Council and our generous sponsors. There were 12 applications all from very worthy groups, all of which we were able to support. The recipients, in no particular order are: A Chain of Wild Flowers towards the cost of running workshops and celebratory events at the pavilion, poetry workshops at MVC, Melbourn and Meldreth Primary Schools. All Saints Community Hall towards the cost of replacement chairs. Bassingbourn ATC cadets (who provided invaluable help on the fete day) towards the cost of a logo on a new vehicle. Melbourn Lunch Club who provide regular opportunities for older members of our community to have social gatherings. This money will help fund the cost of a special Christmas Lunch. Melbourn Mobile Warden Scheme to help towards the cost of outings. Melbourn Primary School to help towards the cost of new computers in their ICT classroom. MVC Ghana Students (who provided invaluable help on the fete day) who are raising money to go and help with a charity trip in Africa. Melbourn Youth Club to help towards the cost of trips and activities during the school holidays. MVC Summer School to help towards the cost of activities during the school holidays. McSplash Swimming Club to help support the cost of galas. continued on page 11 melbournmagazine

feature Christmas Carols Christmas is almost here, and most of us really look forward to singing and hearing Carols, they evoke the traditional spirit of Christmas and the winter season. Actually Carols did not originate with Christianity, but were pre-Christian. The word carol derives from Old French, carole, a circle dance accompanied by singing. The tunes are lively, and were very popular as dance songs from the 1150s to 1350s, after which they became processional songs sung during festivals and also accompanied the religious mystery plays. Much earlier people danced, possibly round a stone circle, at the winter solstice, in order to encourage the return of the sun. ‘Traditional’ carolling, as we know it, was introduced by the Victorians. The best known Carol service of all, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, most famously sung in Kings’ College Chapel on Christmas Eve, and heard all over the world, was introduced in the late 19th century. Some of the carols we sing today, such as ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ originate in pagan fertility myth, where Holly is male and good, and Ivy is female and evil. Some churches do not allow this carol for fear of encouraging dancing and debauchery! ‘Silent Night’ (Stille Nacht) comes from Germany, from a village near Salzburg, when on Christmas Eve a priest discovered that the organ did not function as mice had damaged it. He quickly wrote some simple verses, and his organist found the tune, which could be played on a guitar. This carol has been translated into more than 200 languages, and was sung across the trenches during WWI. ‘Good King Wenceslas’ (a Boxing day Carol, as the Feast of Stephen is December 26th) is rather strange. Wenceslas was a tenth century Catholic Duke of Bohemia, Vaclav the Good, who was murdered by his brother, Boleslaw the Bad, and is buried in St Vitus cathedral in Prague. He is the Patron Saint of the Czech Republic. Why he is taking firewood to a peasant who lives in a forest is a mystery! The tune is Finnish, and was obviously a vigorous dance. Of course there was singing in early Christian times, and the Apostles would have sung songs of praise, probably based on the psalms of the Old Testament. One of the earliest Christmas songs is from the 4th century, composed by St Hilary of Poitiers. St Francis of Assisi encouraged composers and poets to write music for Christmas, but lighter Christmas music was introduced during the Renaissance in the 14th century. These tunes spread after the introduction of the printing press, and monks made significant contributions. However, in England between 1649 and 1660 carols were banned, by Oliver Cromwell, who thought that Christmas should be a solemn occasion. On the continent, when carols couldn’t be sung in churches, they found a stage elsewhere, and the most famous religious play, the ‘Passion

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Play’ was performed in Oberammergau, in Germany in 1634, and has been performed every 10 years since then. Ralph Vaughan Williams was fascinated by English church music and folk music, and travelled round the country recording music in villages, pubs, farms and churches. These were edited, and published as the English Hymnal for the Church of England. About 500 early English carols have been found in museums and libraries, some in English and some in Latin, and some in a mixture. The most famous of the latter is ‘The Boar’s Head Carol’, the verses of which are in English, with the last line in Latin, and the refrain in Latin ‘Caput Apri defero’, Reddens laudes Domino. (I bring in the Boar’s head, Give thanks to God). This is thought to date back to Anglo Saxon times, and probably from Scandinavia, where a Boar’s Head was brought in to honour the gods. The best selling Christmas song of all time is Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’, which has sold more than 30 million copies. ‘Waits’ were official groups led by important local leaders, they sang, and collected money, food and drink from the public: if others did the same thing they could be called beggars! Waits were so called as they sang only on Christmas Eve, wait-night or watch-night, as the shepherds were watching sheep when the angels appeared to tell them of the birth of Jesus. From this has developed the modern practice of groups of carol singers going from house to house singing to collect money for charity, (and receiving mince-pies and a drink!) Ann Dekkers

Royal British Legion Women’s Section to help towards the cost of transport to events outside of the village. Meridian Triathlon Club, who are based in Melbourn, to help towards the cost of a training qualification for their head coach. This list illustrates the fantastic range of local clubs and activities that are available within our village to a very wide range of age groups. We are already starting to plan for next year and will be able to start to update our website in the next few weeks. Finally, the committee want to say thank you to all of the volunteers who give up their time to help us put on such a successful day their efforts are greatly appreciated by us all. We look forward to seeing you at the next fete on Saturday 18 June 2016 Trevor Purnell, Deputy Chair

Mens’ Breakfast We meet usually on the third Saturday of the month at 8.30 am at Foxton Village Hall for a full English or Continental breakfast. At about 9.00 am our speakers talk for 20 to 30 minutes and then take questions from our members or have a discussion on aspects of the topic. A vote of thanks is given by one of our members and then members all assist with the washing and clearing up to leave about 10.30 am. We usually have about 20 to 25 + attending, mostly retired but active senior men and their guests including ladies who are welcome. We are a convivial group offering friendship and outreach to the local villages in south Cambridgeshire and supported by the Anglican Four Churches Benefice of Foxton, Fowlmere, Thriplow, Shepreth and Foxton Methodist Church. With members from Meldreth, Barrington and Melbourn. The Revd. Dr. Helen Wordsworth was our guest speaker at our September meeting. Helen, who is a Baptist Minister and also a Doctor, has been a Parish Nurse for many years. She told some interesting stories about the work done by Parish Nurses, including the case of someone who collapsed during a Church service who received an immediate diagnosis, was taken straight to Hospital and as a result avoided a very serious stroke. The concept started back in 1986 in a Chicago hospital, where a Hospital Chaplain named Granger Westberg recruited six nurses to work in the community, helping to promote health and care for people in a holistic way. His argument was that contemporary health care should no longer be viewed and delivered in a compartmentalised way, but take into account all the contributory factors to health. There now many thousands of ‘parish’ nurses or ‘faith community’ nurses in America attached to churches and congregations rather than hospitals. Here in the UK there are about 80 churches that have a Parish Nurse and the movement is growing as the NHS recognises the value of community based initiatives in health. The Revd. Dr. Helen Wordsworth is the founder and former CEO of Parish Nursing Ministries UK and now works as its ambassador to promote the organisation and develop its potential. Thanks go on this occasion to our cook Michael Husband. Our November meeting was held on Saturday 21st in Foxton Village Hall, with guest speaker Vanessa Mann, formally of BBC Radio Cambridge. Her talk was entitled “Re- Homing Post Cards”. Vanessa talked about how she has “re-homed” Edwardian postcards and other items to descendants of the recipients and senders with the help of census and genealogy websites.” – Our cook was Tony Garrick. There is no meeting in December so our next meeting will be on Saturday 16th January 2016 in Foxton Village Hall. Our guest speaker will be our own vicar The Rev. Angela Melaniphy giving us her New Year message. Please contact Mark Howard Tel. 01223 503377; email: Mark-Howard@

Melbourn Short Reading Group Promoting: Fun & enlightenment – but mostly fun Culture in Melbourn & civilized values everywhere We are a Free and Not for Profit Group. All proceeds go to the long-established English Charity WaterAid (Reg Charity No 288701) Date: Every Tuesday Time: 10-11.00 a.m. VENUE: Library Area at Melbourn Community Hub Afterwards enjoy what your building & your Community Hub has to offer Enjoy Our Great Culture – It Belongs to Everyone All Welcome – Come as You Are!* Free – Donation to Water Aid Welcomed * If you wish to guarantee a seat & reading material on the day please register your interest in advance with Group Co-ordinator Hugh Pollock on 01763 260253 or email: hugh.m.pollock@gmail.com Tuesday 1st December Melbourn Short Story Reading Group (Writer: Charles Dickens: 1812 - 1870) Community Hub 10.00 - 11.00 weekly Tuesday 8th December Melbourn Short Story Reading Group (Writer: Samuel Beckett: 1906 - 1989) Community Hub 10.00 - 11.00 weekly Tuesday 15th December Melbourn Short Story Reading Group (Writer: Virginia Woolf: 1882 - 1941) Community Hub 10.00 - 11.00 weekly Supported by: Melbourn Parish Council; Melbourn Community Hub; Melbourn Library Access Point; Royston Library; Cambridge Central Library

The Wassailing Carol Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green, Here we come a-wassailing, So fair to be seen: Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too, And God bless you and send you, A happy New Year, And God send you, A happy New Year.

See page 39 for more on wassailing melbournmagazine

same technology different application

www.ttpgroup.com

#1 Ultra-sound technology

chocolate

DID YOU KNOW? We applied our ultrasound technology to maintain the stringent quality control of chocolate, ensuring a consistent taste experience. The same ultrasound technology we are applying to the visualisation of radio-frequency ablation therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

heart

UWclub.net or Tony Garrick Tel. 01223 510201; email garrick.tony@gmail. com so we know how many to cater for and whether you would like a Continental or Full English breakfast.

The Valentines

Bloomsday – The Outcome

5TH October, 2015

Melbourn’s final Bloomsday Celebration event for 2015 was held in the Community Hub during September. Opened by Parish Council Chairman Bob Tulloch, the principal item of business was a £903 cheque handover by Eirwen Karner to a WaterAid representative. Louisa Peaver received the cheque on behalf of WaterAid. She spoke eloquently, and very movingly, about the development work WaterAid does in impoverished communities and isolated villages in many countries. The picture she painted – a daily life without access to clean water- was harrowing and very difficult to imagine. Yet, she assured all present that it is a life lived day after day by many millions of people. It was on behalf of those millions that she thanked “all those wonderful thoughtful people who, as they went about enjoying themselves and celebrating Bloomsday in Melbourn, displayed great kindness by generating publicity and money to enable us to do the work we do in WaterAid”. Bloomsday Group Co-ordinator, Hugh Pollock, in reply paid tribute to the readers and the singer and musician who had performed before the cheque handover took place. He also thanked the Group’s sponsors by name saying “Together we created a unique day of celebration in Melbourn. It was hard work, of course, for all involved, but also great fun. We certainly achieved all the objectives we set ourselves. As Louisa Peaver said, an important objective of which we can be proud is that we raised publicity and money for WaterAid. So let us rejoice and be happy at a small good deed in a very harsh world. A day to remember and a job well done by all involved.” Hugh Pollock, Group Co-ordinator, Melbourn Bloomsday Celebration Group

I was delighted to read your feature on Louis and Peggy Valentine in the autumn issue of Melbourn Magazine. My parents, Joan & Ernest Bailey, had been great friends with the Valentines in the 1950’s when they rented Wisbridge Farmhouse in Reed, and later when they built their own home in Jackson Lane Reed, prior to moving to Melbourn. My parents had met whilst both students at the Royal College of Music so were naturally drawn to creative artistic folk in the Royston area. This little group participated in several of the Royston Amateur Dramatic Pantomimes and Gilbert & Sullivan operetta productions staged at the Town Hall, for which Louis painted the scenery and Peggy supplied the ‘corps de ballet’: mother sang and danced. Many rehearsals were held at our home in Buckland and as children we drifted off to sleep to the rehearsals of music and songs interspersed with lots of giggles and hilarities from the cast. In the early 1950’s my sister and I attended Peggy’s ballet classes where mother played the piano. Having studied ballet herself mother’s accompaniments were truly ideal. I have recently had an old family cine film transferred to CD and was delighted to find one item is a ballet dance display at Reed Village Fete in the grounds of Reed Hall. I remember both Peggy and my mother supervising the rolling out of the upright piano into the garden: luckily it was not a rainy day! Dancers beside my sister and me included Susan Valentine (Peggy and Louis’ daughter). Peggy and mother are seen graciously receiving thankyou bouquets, Peggy’s curtsy echoing those of Margot Fonteyn in the best ballet tradition. Joan Bailey continued to play for Peggy’s ballet classes in Royston and Melbourn Village College well into the 1970’s. Having been a dancer herself she and Peggy enjoyed a special friendship, selecting the music together and watching the development of budding ballerinas over the years brought them both a great deal of happiness. One of Peggy’s comments when faced with less than light young dancers, thumping the floor, was “Not like a cart horse!” Several years after Louis died; Peggy retired to the West Country. I am not sure of what became of Susan Valentine. Perhaps one of your readers may know? Angela Louch

Left: Louisa Peaver from WaterAid Below: Naomi & Adrian Brind

(Melbourn magazine issue 83) Dear Editor,

melbournmagazine

feature

The Thursday Luncheon Club

David Childerley

Eileen Martin

Mary Dayne

Janice Guet

The Thursday Luncheon Club is run, most successfully, by Nikki and Julie, and everyone has a good lunch, a good chat and good fun! Nikki and Julie stress that they run the Club for the members, and want everyone to enjoy themselves. If you feel you would like to give it a try, then please contact us, (mobile no 07599292327). There are special celebrations at Christmas and Easter, and we celebrate birthdays, (some very special ones), all in a happy relaxed atmosphere. Or if you would like to become involved, either at the lunch, or driving members, then please do get in touch, we are always grateful for extra hands, especially in the run up to Christmas! The Luncheon Club started as the Self Help Group in 1980 when David Childerley, the then Adult Education Tutor at Melbourn Village College, was looking for someone to help with a proposed voluntary service, mainly for older people. Eileen Martin had just arrived in Melbourn, she was 70 at the time – and ran the Club for the next 20 odd years! It was initially held at the Village College, where the lunch was prepared by the College catering staff, and later at Vicarage Close Community Centre. The group began in a small way, with eight people meeting once a week to eat together, at a modest price, and get to know each other. It was initially helped financially by contributions from ‘The Toppers’, a group based at the Dolphin, which raised money for good causes by running a weekly Sunday raffle. After the group moved to Vicarage Close the lunch was cooked by Mary Dayne, who ran The Pantry at the Cross, (now an estate agents), helped on a regular basis by the late Janice Guest. When Mary emigrated to New Zealand to be closer to her daughters in 2009, catering was taken over by the staff at Moorlands – and very good it is too! After Eileen Martin retired, the group was run for two years by Doreen Hadrill and Elizabeth Hughes-Jones. After this Margaret Hunter took over. Sally Wright then ran the group from 2002 to 2007. From 2007 to 2012 the group was run by Jayne White with Neil Wilson as Treasurer, then briefly by Sharon Canelletti of CATalyst until taken over by Nikki Cross and Julie Myles in 2013. Nikki and Julie wish to express their thanks to Jayne, and the late Neil Wilson for all the help they received from them. From the original group of volunteer drivers has evolved the Car Transport Scheme, which is now based in Royston and provides transport at a very moderate cost for those needing to keep medical appointments, shopping and for social reasons. Initially this was also run by Eileen, followed by Margaret Hunter and then by Sally. It proved to be very time consuming, as calls had to be taken and recorded and accounts prepared, and Sally eventually incorporated that part into the Royston Car scheme. The Thursday Luncheon Club is a very friendly and happy place to be, so do come along and join us!

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Doreen and Jack Hadrill

Elizabeth and Nevin Highes-Jones

Margaret Hunter

Sally Wright

Jayne White

community matters

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Orchard Surgery Appointments & Dispensary 260220 For repeat prescriptions send email: prescriptions.orchardsurgery@nhs.net Hospitals Addenbrooke’s Royston

01223 245151 01763 242134

NHS111 – Urgent Care 111 24hr helpline Medical help when not a 999 emergency Police Non Emergency number 101 Help when not a 999 emergency Fire & Rescue Service 01223 376201 Crimestoppers

0800 555111

Neighbourhood Watch 260959 Maureen Townsend maureentownsend1@aol.com Telephone Preference Service www.tsponline.org.uk 0345 070 0707

For information on Parish Councillors see page 35

Winter health advice Cold weather doesn’t have to go hand in hand with illness. Here are some simple things you can do to help yourself stay well this winter. Keep warm – this may help prevent colds, flu or more serious health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia. Eat well – food gives you energy, which helps to keep you warm. So, try to have regular hot meals and drinks throughout the day. Get a flu jab – flu vaccination is offered free of charge to people who are at risk, pregnant women, carers and some young children to ensure that they are protected against catching flu and developing serious complications. See also page 27

www.nhs.uk/staywell

Update on the neighbourhood plan Our focus in this edition of Melbourn Magazine is to explain why drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan is becoming even more important. Only by doing this will we have any control over the future development of our community. The South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework (LDF), which the village was consulted on back in early 2013, has been suspended by the Planning Inspector because she was not convinced that the plan made provision for enough new houses to be built or that the plan suggested that they be built in the most appropriate locations. South Cambridgeshire District Council has been asked to carry out a wide range of work to address the Planning Inspector’s concerns. This will not be complete until March 2016 and there is always the possibility that the Planning Inspector will not find the work satisfactory. Into this vacuum, developers are putting forward speculative planning applications in neighbouring parishes with increasing frequency. We know that at least one developer is writing to all local landowners encouraging them to try for planning permission. As yet Melbourn has only had the Endurance Estates application for 199 homes off New Road. Following the SCDC Planning Committee refusal, Endurance Estates has made an application for an appeal. This has been granted. If the worst happens and the appeal is successful, Melbourn can expect further applications and we need to be prepared. As time passes, the new homes for Melbourn which were included in the original LDF (64 off Victoria Way and at 31 New Road) will be under construction. Thus if the revised LDF has to include more development, developers will potentially be arguing for additional sites in Melbourn. We need to be prepared and to have considered whether there are suitable sites and where they are. Also, we can consider other types of development, such as providing more space for businesses or additional open space for sport and recreation. Previously, villages have automatically benefited from new developments by receiving money for open spaces and community space. From April 2015, this is no longer the case. Now Parish Councils must demonstrate a need for a facility and must draw up specific projects. The best way to do this is via the Neighbourhood Plan so that the Parish Council has evidence of what the community agrees is needed. And we need to compile the plan as quickly as possible. Please help us. The more volunteers and support we have, the quicker we will be able to work. Melbourn Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

County Councillor Susan van de Ven Improvements at Frog End junction At long last, improvements are to be made to the Frog End junction. It is very welcome news that this is happening at long last. The Frog End junction is not at the top of the County’s Accident Cluster list and I was not hopeful that we would be seeing action, but we are. As I have reported in the past, traffic lights and roundabouts are not options that continued on page 18 melbournmagazine

n Ja

fer

f yO

feature

Anglo Saxon jewellery

Two classes for only £5.00 for new students *

Royston - Greneway School, Garden Walk Tuesday 6.15pm Strength 45 7.00pm Dance Mixx Thursday 6.40pm Strength 45 7.30pm Dance Mixx Saturday 9.00am Dance Mixx Melbourn Village College Wednesday 7.15pm Dance Mixx For more information text or call Maxine on 0796 316 1246 jazzercise_ royston.melbourn@yahoo.co.uk *Terms & Conditions apply

Irrespective of status, the style of clothing worn by Anglo Saxon women during the 5th and 6th century was very similar. Garments would consist of a simple ankle-length underdress or shift made from linen or wool. It would have had a draw-string neck using braid or string, and long sleeves. The outer-dress or kirtle (also known as a peplos) was constructed from a tube of material, similar to a pinafore today and held onto the underdress by a pair of shoulder-clasps or brooches. Either a leather belt or one made from string drew the garment in at the waist, from which various essential everyday items were hung, such as an iron strike-a-light or an ear pick. And finally, a pair of shoes of soft leather fastened with a toggle or latchet. Poorer women wore fewer clothes and those they had were of rougher cloth. They also often went barefoot, even in winter. The wealthy would have had garments dyed with bright colours, from natural dyes. However, the level of wealth and status within the community was distinguished by the accessories that women wore. Most popular were woollen cloaks or shawls fastened with brooches or clasps known as a dalc or spennels, rings, bracelets and beaded necklaces. Shoes were fastened by metal buckles. The sleeves of the shift for the wealthier women would have metal wrist clasps. In many instances, jewellery was simple and made of base metal such as bronze (copper alloy), or iron. However, it was the amount of gold, silver and pewter that was worn that defined a person’s social standing. A wealthy person’s jewellery would be made from solid gold or silver. Bronze and iron was also used, but highly decorated with layers of gold, silver and inlaid with gemstones. During the 2000 archaeological dig at the top of Water Lane in Melbourn, where numerous Anglo Saxon burials were discovered, the grave of a woman was found containing a number of pieces of jewellery indicating that she was an important member of the community. The woman was interred wearing a necklace containing 69 coloured glass and amber beads. At the shoulders were brooches, and at the waist a buckled girdle with a knife and also in the grave a spindle whorl was found. (Spindle whorls were used as weights tied onto yarn to give tension to wool spun from a hand-held spinning stick – a forerunner of the spinning wheel. Illustration by Jan Simmonett

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn – Silver Radiate- headed brooch Anglo Saxon items found at the 2000 archaeological dig at the top of Water Lane.

Above left: a metal buckle and right the spindle whorl. Below: A string of beads, which includes two matched amethyst drop beads, a popular form produced in Kent.

An exclusive silver replica of the Melbourn Radiate-headed brooch, hallmarked and available for sale for only £60*. This versatile replica can be worn as a brooch or a pendant. If you are interested in owning a small piece of Melbourn’s history, please contact Ann Dekkers on 01763 261144 or Peter Simmonett on 01763 220363. *The price covers material costs and crafting only.

The method was used to produce cords, yarn for weaving, or thread.) A number of other glass and amber necklaces were found and two spectacular brooches, a Great square-headed brooch and a Radiate-headed brooch, both dated from around the 5th and 6th century. The Radiate-headed brooch has a very distinctive design with a semi-circular head, often found with knobs radiating out. Originally a late Roman design, it was later adopted by the Merovingian Franks who occupied much of Western Europe. In England the brooch became an important part of the Anglo-Saxon woman’s costume, particularly in areas with a Frankish presence, either through trade or marriage ties. Examples of this style of brooch have been found in Kent and up through East Anglia.

The technique for producing the Melbourn Radiateheaded silver brooch was similar to those used by the Anglo Saxons over 1000 years ago. The Anglo Saxon craftsmen would either have created a model of the brooch constructed from lead or wood, or use an original brooch, from which a clay mold was made. Molten bronze alloy was then poured into the mold and once cooled, the mold was broken away and the casting cleaned and polished for use. Peter Simmonett Left: The original Melbourn Radiate brooch before restoration. Below the mould.

Crafting the Anglo Saxon-Melbourn Silver Radiate-headed brooch Following the discovery of these very important artefacts, the Melbourn history group agreed to pay the cost of restoration of both the Great square-headed and the Radiateheaded brooches found in the 2000 archaeological dig. It was originally hoped that it might be possible to replicate the Great square-headed brooch, but after very careful and painstaking conservation, the county archivist suggested its very delicate state with thin gold and silver overlay, taking a mould of this brooch would be detrimental to its preservation. But once the Radiate-headed brooch was conserved, it was possible to create a mould of this, and so a replica bronze copy was made. The replica and mould were then passed onto a silversmith who produced a limited amount of silver replicas, available to purchase today. melbournmagazine

can be taken forward, on account of high cost – ball park figures for each are around £600K (probably higher due to the staggered nature of the junction) and £1 million (plus land acquisition) respectively. Here are the basics from the County Council Road Safety team, working with a budget of a bit over £100K. The idea is to make the junction safer with the resources we have– not all problems will be solved. The Council writes: Cambridgeshire County Council is proposing to undertake a road safety scheme at the A10 junction with Frog End and Cambridge Road, Shepreth. Due to a high number of injury accidents at this junction an investigation was undertaken to identify trends contributing to these collisions and what improvements may be possible. This investigation identified that the majority of collisions occurred due to vehicles turning right onto the A10 from the two minor roads, with vehicles joining from Cambridge Road being the more prevalent of the two. Guidance and experience from other schemes has shown that simplifying the junction layout by removing the left slip lane off the A10 into Cambridge Road can reduce these accidents by;

• Eliminating the possibility of left turning vehicles blocking inter-

visibility between closely following ahead vehicles and vehicles waiting at the junction

• Reducing the number of hazards a driver needs to identify • Helping to slow vehicles through the junction • Providing more gaps for vehicles to join the major road

Therefore the scheme proposed is to alter the layout of the Cambridge Road side of the junction and remove the left slip lane on the A10 heading south into the junction. To do this, changes to the pedestrian crossing will also be made as the triangular island will need to be removed. This will make the overall crossing shorter and in two stages rather than three. It is planned to begin work on site in late March 2016. In conjunction with this work vegetation clearance will be undertaken to improve visibility out of Frog End and to the existing direction signs on the approaches. It is also hoped funding will also be available to undertake other general highway maintenance through the junction. It is planned for an information evening to be held at Shepreth Village Hall, 25 January 2016 from 3–7 pm to give residents a chance to view the proposals and ask any questions they may have. If you can’t make this event but have questions, please let me know. Email: susanvandeven5@gmail.com or telephone 261833.

The terrible state of roads and pavements You must be wondering why nothing can be done. I wish I could report positive news instead of explaining why we are stuck. To take just one example: several households in Orchard Gate have contacted me over the past couple of years about the state of the road and pavement there. Residents are mostly elderly and some are infirm. It’s very difficult to push a wheelchair down the pavement or road, and it’s very disconcerting being in a wheelchair, on an uneven surface. County Highways officers have been round on several occasions to assess the condition of the road and pavement. Due to truly appalling budget cuts, increasingly strict continued on page 22

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Chris Thomas

Cambridge Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Carpet and upholstery cleaner based in Cambridge. Working in and around Cambridge, Royston, Saffron Walden, Newmarket and Huntingdon.

• Carpet cleaning using Dry Fusion™ system • Hot water extraction cleaning • Host® Dry Cleaning for natural floor coverings • Stain treatment • Upholstery cleaning using Crystal Fusion™ • Curtains cleaned in situ Infestation treatment • Odour neutralisation using ozone generator • Competitively priced Fully insured with public and product liability Environmentally-friendly products used

Mobile: 07830 227138 Landline: 01223 836002 www.carpetcleaningcambridgeuk.com

Personal care for your feet in the comfort of your own home • Nail Trimming • Hard Skin & Cracked Heels • Corns & Verrucas • Fungal Nails Please Telephone for Day, Evening & Weekend Appointments on 01763 261250 or 0791 3913955 Nancy Foster MCFHP MAFHP

Registered Member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals

email: nancy.foster@tesco.net

YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU! WHY? THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN The Team developing the Melbourn Neighbourhood Plan needs your ideas. We want to know what Melbourn means to you and what you value about the village. “There is a thriving heart to the village.” “That it retains its rural feel.” “That there are lots of things happening I can get involved with.” “I don’t have to t ravel to shop.”

We also want to know how you would like to see Melbourn develop. “I’d like more play areas.” “My business would like to move to Melbourn if a small unit were available.” “I want more affordable housing.” “I need a bungalow.”

To do this, we need your help. Please give us some time to help us: – Consult sectors of the community: for example, ask senior citizens at The Coffee Stop – Collect information about your immediate locality to highlight any improvements needed – Analyse all this information as it is gathered to pinpoint priorities

Please e-mail melbournplan@gmail.com or call Julie Norman on 01763 263462 if you want to help make Melbourn a better place to live, work and play. melbournmagazine

Melbourn Community Hall

Melbourn Community Hall is in the centre of the village behind All Saints Church If you would like to hire the hall contact Sandie Springall Telephone: 01763 223320 or email: hallbookings@live.co.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Profile Peter and Una Cleminson You may have noticed that I usually choose long established residents of the village for my profiles, on the basis that their names and faces will be well known around Melbourn. But when I heard what Peter Cleminson was involved in doing at the centre of the village I thought I had better find out a little more about him. Peter was born in Liverpool in 1936, the only son of an engineer. After grammar school he joined the GPO Telephone Youth in Training scheme and in 1954 joined the RAF. Volunteering for Singapore he was sent to Scotland instead, working on early warning RADAR. When I asked him how he had met Una, he said he had actually met her twice. Stationed in Irving he and the lads used to frequent a local ice cream parlour where two little girls would often appear to clear the tables. This was Una and her cousin, who lived above the shop. Leaving the RAF in 1962 Peter joined the BBC in Penrith, Cumberland. Calling to pick up his boss on the way to work he would occasionally see the bossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter (a trainee nurse at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) and when he eventually asked her out on a date and mentioned where he had been stationed in Scotland, the connection was made. They married in 1967. In 1969 they moved south to Chesham in Buckinghamshire where Peter worked in Engineering Transmission Services at the BBC leaving in 1988 as Head of Division. During that time, he described the BBC as being one big family and mixing with many famous names he found that they were almost all of them delightful and friendly people. In Chesham Peter was active in the Air Cadets, being chairman of the Civilian Committee and he was also Chairman of governors of Dr. Chalonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High School for 12 years. He had joined the British Legion in 1957 and has always been

Peter and Hayley Westenra

deeply involved in their work, rising to National Chairman. In the meantime, Una was also a member of the Women’s Royal British Legion and has just been elected chairman of the Melbourn Branch. It is this British Legion link which made me want to talk to Una and Peter, because Peter is Chairman of the working party responsible for ongoing work at the War Memorial outside the church – you will have noticed that it has recently been restored and renovated. Initially it was thought that the memorial was beyond repair, but after some research the work was eventually carried out by a Cardiff company at a cost of £3-£4,000. Very fine it looks too. But the work does not stop there, Peter’s committee under the auspices of the Parish Council is looking into ways of reconfiguring the whole area with a view to the Centenary Celebrations which will take place at The Cross in November 2018. The footpath must remain, but there must also be space for about 150 people to gather round for the service. This year, a directive went out from the British Legion with the blessing of David Cameron, stating that from this year all roads must be closed – at no expense – to enable commemorative services to be carried out at war memorials all over the country without being disturbed by traffic. Una and Peter have two children, Craig who is a barrister with the Crown Prosecution Service and Victoria who is a specialist nurse in the Skin Cancer Clinic in Addenbrooke’s. They knew Melbourn well as Victoria has lived here for some 15 years, and it was to be near their daughter that they moved into the village. Both belong to the U3A Excursions Group and Una to the Garden Enthusiasts. Una continued with her nursing career for 50 odd years right up to her retirement, specialising in Hospice Nursing in the community. But I was surprised to learn that at the age of 42 she joined the Territorial Army as a field hospital sister! I am constantly surprised by what people have done. She was all geared up to go to the Gulf War (which mercifully only

lasted days) and on the brink of going to Bosnia when that conflict was resolved so she never actually got into active service, but she did attain the rank of Major thus outranking her husband! She received the BEM for her services to the ex-service community and Peter was awarded the CBE. Their work in the B.L. has led them all over the world, taking parties of service families and veterans to visit war graves and battle sites. Japan, Burma, India, Canada, America and all over Europe they have witnessed moving occasions when, for instance, a mother saw for the first time after 50 years where her son was laid to rest at Monte Casino. They have been active in promoting the 2002 Covenant Campaign, a commitment to look after and support all ex-servicemen and women. In 2008 Peter flew out to Basra to launch that year’s Poppy Appeal (I was glad that I was wearing my poppy!) on all the breakfast channels, it went on to be awarded a prize for the best charitable broadcast of the year! In his high profile position, he has met many famous and influential people and he is very proud of having granted a wish to Hayley Westenra – she expressed a desire to meet her idol Vera Lynn which Peter was able to facilitate and they had tea together. Hayley went on to sing some of Vera’s songs at the Royal Albert Hall Remembrance Service. Peter does some watercolour painting and belongs to Melbourn Bowls Club, they both enjoy gardening and both regularly take part in the Sunday Quiz Night at The Dolphin. Their team is called the Melbourn Monkeys! So watch out for improvements taking place on The Cross – Peter has hopes of seeing a reproduction of the Kohima War Memorial placed in Melbourn, or at the least the famous words inscribed thereon being placed on a tablet for all to read – ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow we gave our today’ Mavis Howard

melbournmagazine

FUEL STOCKISTS

House Coal Smokeless Coal Anthracite • Phumacite Taybrite • Seasoned Logs Kindling Barbecue Charcoal Restaurant Charcoal Heating Oil Fast Delivery Service P & A SALES Unit 5, Butts Business Centre, Fowlmere, Royston, Herts, SG8 7SH T. 01763 208000 E. cambswood@gmail.com

M&M BOOKS CASH PAID for Old and Modern Books Also Purchased Coins, Medals, Postcards, China, Cigarette Cards, Jewellery, Furniture, Old Toys & Cars, Stamps, Programmes, Glass, Comics, Collectables

Phone 01763 849789

Mobile 07596 990660 22

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

criteria are applied to improvement works, and pot holes must be of a certain depth and width to qualify. The condition of Orchard Gate is ‘not bad enough.’ Of course nearly everywhere needs improvement. This is a terrible state of affairs and goes against the grain of what councillors– and indeed highways officers – go into the job to do. I’m very sad to report that this situation looks set to get worse, not better. Over the next five years, the council will have to make a further 40% budget cut. Why? It used to be that the central government support grant made up the biggest chunk of the council spending pie, but this has been winding down and within a few years government will provide no support grant at all. At the same time, government sets a limit on how much councils are allowed to raise in council tax. In Cambridgeshire, council tax doesn’t make up the difference. The Chancellor recently announced that councils will be able to retain business rates, but this doesn’t take effect until 2020, and it could well come hand-in-hand with increased new responsibilities, costing more money. A by-product of this overall situation is parish councils being asked to do more and more things that district and county councils used to do. We’re lucky to have such a proactive parish council in Melbourn – though it can’t do everything. Like a macabre piece of theatre, the Cambridgeshire County Council now has to look at all its services and ask, ‘are they statutory or not?’ If they are not statutory then they are ripe for the chop. And the things one might think should be statutory are not necessarily so.

So why are new cycle/walking paths being constructed? You may rightly wonder how it can be that a new walking/cycle/ mobility scooter path is being constructed along the A10 north of Foxton, and why I am working with the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign to find ways of funding a one-mile, off-road link between Melbourn and Royston. The world of funding is not always logical. Funds for off-road paths do not come from local councils but from the Department for Transport or the Treasury. Central government funding schemes that councils can apply for have been geared to creating a situation that encourages people to take up walking and cycling, in order to reduce costs relating to traffic, including congestion, poor air quality and accidents. Today, the time needed for a peak-time trip to Cambridge by bicycle compared to a trip by car is not very different. Figures taken in 2013 indicated 190,000 cars going in and out of Cambridge every day. The Department for Transport is investing in cycle links in the Cambridge area as an anti-congestion measure. There is an equally compelling case to be made for alternatives to driving short trips close to home. As a councillor, I get many complaints about traffic, including very local issues that are difficult or impossible to solve: insufficient parking and traffic holdups around local schools, pubs, churches and shops, car parking on pavements, the need for more yellow lines and more signage to tell cars where not to stop, etc. At the same time, our health system is creaking partly under the strain of illness related to physical inactivity. A local GP wrote to me with regard to supporting cycling and walking: There is

a real need to facilitate safe ways of walking or cycling in rural areas. The obesity time-bomb should be enough to frighten local authorities into action. There is increasing awareness of the huge physical and mental health benefits of walking, cycling and even the limited physical activity associated with using public transport (the jargon being ‘Active Transport’). Just google ‘health benefits of cycling and walking’. The Department for Transport now recognizes the huge savings to the National Health Service that modest increases in walking and cycling can bring, and so these schemes have a preventive quality and are good to carry out. Of course if things were logical, central government would also provide councils with money to repair pavements so that people could walk safely in their home environment; and to repair roads for all the obvious reasons.

Worried about an older person? From time to time, people contact me because they are concerned about an older person perhaps living alone who doesn’t seem to be coping. The County Council has a responsibility for coordinating adult social care and while it can seem horrendously complicated there are a few initial steps that should be straightforward. If you have access to the internet, then you should go onto the Cambridgeshire County Council website – www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk, and on the home page top left, click ‘Residents,’ then next page top left, ‘Adults and Older People,’ then ‘Social Care’ and under that heading, ‘Worried about an Older Person?’ A telephone number is listed there: 0345-0455202, and you can call any time MondayFriday 8-6 or Saturday 9-1. I have used this number myself and know from experience that frustrations and more questions might arise. If you feel that the service is NOT working for whatever reason, please do let me know. Once an older person goes into hospital, the matter of returning home to cope independently enters the

equation. This can be complicated and difficult. Again please let me know if you feel that communication is poor or things are not being managed very well. I will see what I can do to help. It is important to know what is not working in order to report back, and obviously in order to put things right.

Cheaper Heating Oil? The Melbourn Division Oil Club is a household heating oil bulk-buying club for our area, set up by your councillors. There is no joining fee, and you can use the service anytime you like, including as a one-off – no obligations. We receive a rebate from our buyer, Agricole Oil (based in Cambourne), which we donate to a local community group. In the past this has gone to Mind mental health support provided at the Melbourn Hub, Royston and District Community Transport, Melbourn and Meldreth Self-Help Group, and Melbourn Area Youth Development. The person to contact is Jeremy Cole, Telephone 01954 719452. Drop-in surgery: Cllr Jose Hales and I hold a drop-in surgery at the Melbourn Hub every first Monday of the month from 2:30-3:30. As always, if this is not convenient we can arrange to meet at a different time or closer to home.

Rail User Group note-taker needed! The Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group – which helps to keep Meldreth Station looking nice, has succeeded in maintaining the 50% student discount fare, managed to get the car park charge down, and is lobbying for station improvements (rain shelter on the Cambridge platform!) – is looking for a new note-taker for its quarterly meetings. Could you help? Our meetings are always jolly, involve tea and biscuits, and always finish bang on time (9 PM). We’d be really grateful if anyone could spare the time to help out – please let me know if you might be interested. Our next Rail User Group meeting will be December 2nd, 7:00 for 7:30, at the Elin Way Community Room in Meldreth (and we won’t need a new note-taker till the new year). Please come along! Susan van de Ven, Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group

Heidi Allen Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire Even though Parliament’s recess is now over, I am still getting out and about in the constituency. It was back to school not once, but three times as I paid visits to William Westley Primary, Monkfield Primary and Hills Road Sixth Form College. It was a touch of the familiar at William Westley as the all-important election results for school councillors was due to be announced. It was great to see young children already so engaged in democracy. An award winner of different sorts was on the timetable next as I visited the Cambridge Evening News Primary School of the Year, Monkfield Primary in Cambourne. It was evident why they had won from the moment I walked through the door. I don’t think I have ever seen children so engaged, from cross curricular working to an entire lesson conducted in Spanish. The teaching at Monkfield truly is first class and all the staff and head should be tremendously proud of what they have achieved at this shining example continued on page 27 of a school. I am so grateful for the melbournmagazine

Prime Source of Comprehensive European Hospital & Healthcare Information • • • • •

Online Databases Bespoke Consultancy Projects Market Research & Analysis Accurate Data Mining Service Hospital & Surgical Procedure Statistics

Medical Marketing Intelligence creating an essential business development & sales tool

Telephone: 01763 223223

E-mail: Post@WalnutMedical.info



AustralCrosby

Website: www.HospitalRegisters.com

Chartered Accountants

We are a well established firm of Chartered Accountants, dedicated to providing professional, effective, friendly and affordable accountancy services to small and medium sized businesses and individuals.

 Accounts  Taxation  Business Advice  V.A.T.  Payroll & Book-keeping  Online Return Filing

 Self-Assessment  Sole Traders  Partnerships  Limited Companies  Trusts and Charities  New Business Start-ups



We provide a professional and quality service throughout the UK. We are committed to providing our clients with cost effective accountancy, tax efficient strategies and sound business advice.

20 Norgett's Lane, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, SG8 6HS Telephone: 01763 222111

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Fax: 01763 222555

E-mail: post@australcrosby.com

Blundell’s Plot Home-Start Saturday 12th December Cambridge Wind Band Christmas Concert St Paul’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge at 3.30pm Tickets: £8 for adults / £6 for concessions / £4 for children. Bookings can be made by emailing cambridgewindband@gmail.com Home-Start will benefit from the retiring collection at this concert. Snowflake Tea Parties – could you help raise funds for Home-Start by hosting a tea party with your family and friends from your office, playgroup, school, book club etc.? We will supply you with a ‘tea bag’ fundraising pack with ideas for all you need to host an event - the pack includes invites for your use, a snowflake cutter and recipes for any cakes or biscuits you may want to make for your event. If you would like to host a tea party, please call our office on 01763 262262 or email admin@hsrsc.org.uk “Please join me raising money for The Snowflake Appeal so Home-Start can keep supporting unique and fragile children. Home-Start is in there, making a difference each and every day. It is changing all our communities for the future. It prevents parents’ difficulties from becoming their children’s problems”. Kirstie Allsopp, TV presenter, mum, stepmum, Home-Start ambassador

Exactly a century ago, the country was up against it on the Somme and in the Dardanelles, Zeppelins were bombing Great Yarmouth and the Kaiser was about to launch a blockade of our islands. England faced the very real threat of starvation. Family legend has it that that January, up in a terraced house in the Wirral, my great-grandparents were discovered to be subsisting on a diet of potatoes, parsnips and cabbage. It was an experience of everyday hardship repeated across the land that bleak midwinter – even here in Melbourn among our fields and orchards – and it left a scar on the national psyche that is there to this day. Twenty-five years later, we were up against it again. We were digging up our gardens, parks, lawns and sports fields and turning them into allotments to grow food. Then, along came an extraordinary character – C.H. Middleton, or ‘Mr Middleton’, as he became known to a generation of gardeners. Long before, Alan, Bunny, Monty and Carol, he was the first celebrity gardener. Each month more than 3.5 million listeners tuned in to the BBC Home Service to hear his endearing reflections from the vegetable patch. It was the launch of Dig for Victory, and it began with his promise that “these are critical times, but we shall get through them, and the harder we dig for victory the sooner will the roses be with us”. He trusted, he said, that his friends across the nation would tune in to hear his pearls of wisdom “when I hold forth on Leeks, Lettuces and Leather jackets, instead of Lilac, Lilies and Lavender”. For me, and I believe for thousands of vegetable gardeners, these folk memories still encourage us to grow our own food – not, thank heaven, for fear of an empty larder, but for the sheer pleasure of tasting your own produce and the satisfaction of watching a seed germinate and grown into something healthy and nutritious to grace the Sunday roast. In Melbourn, we’re fortunate to have a good crop of allotments owned and managed by the parish council. They are on each side of The Moor, 88 plots on the main site and seven on the other. Application for one can be made through the council. I haven’t yet managed to discover how long the village has owned its own allotments (maybe someone can enlighten me), but it is known that at the end of the 19th century the council was given the task of actively identifying suitable land. At the moment all the plots in the village are taken, with a waiting list of five. Annual rents vary, mostly between £20 and £25, though they can be as little as £13. Traditionally, allotment plots are measured in rods – a unit derived from Anglo-Saxon farming practices. A rod was used to control a team of oxen and measures 5.5 yards (5.03 metres). Originally, plots were 10 square rods but now they are often much less and – as is the case here in Melbourn – half allotments are sometimes offered. You do not need to have an allotment to join the St George’s Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Association (yes, it was founded on St George’s Day!). The benefits include heavily discounted seeds, advice, quarterly newsletter and membership of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. Subscription is £5 per year. For more information, there is a link on the village website, or contact the secretary: Bruce Huett on 01763 232855 or e-mail allotments@melbourn.org.uk Midwinter jobs on the patch: Lift the last of your leeks and parsnips before the soil becomes frozen. Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb. Remove yellowing leaves from your winter brassicas. Dig over empty borders and pile manure on top. Start a trench where you will be growing your beans next year – fill it with compost and fill in. Net your brassicas against the pesky pigeons. David Blundell melbournmagazine

For your choice of Excellence .....

Granta Montessori School Shepreth Village Hall, Station Road, Shepreth Royston, Herts.

(Nursery Education Funding accepted) Places now available. For further information please call: Dianne Sinnatamby: 01223 502992.

10 Fordham Way, Melbourn SG8 6JB Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Call 01763 262246 or 07979597168 Styling Dry/Wet cut Adult – ladies/gents £13/£11 Children (under 16) £9 Cut & Blowdry £19 Blowdry £12 Colouring Tint £38 High/Low Lights Full Head £53 Half Head £48 T-Section £32

PRICE LIST

At Granta Montessori School, we are proud to offer a child-centered, Montessori environment where learning is joyful and caring, and where courtesy, acceptance and compassion prevail. The foundations of “Learning for life” are acquired through a varied curriculum, which closely follows the Montessori Method of Education in conjunction with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. With a memorable and highly successful 26 years behind us – let us show you how we can help your child (2–5yrs) develop.

Hair Salon

Perming Full Head £43 All above chemical treatments include a cut & finish A skin test is required 24hrs before any colour treatment Fully qualified and Fully insured

PC Repairs Advice & Installation of Home Networks Help with Selecting a Computer Fault Finding Brian Girling 01223 208529 (Wimpole) E-mail bg@moncraft.co.uk We can also provide the following services: Design of brochures, posters, business cards A4/A3 laminating • A4 comb-binding Small print runs on A6 to A3 media

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

opportunity to have seen one of South Cambridgeshire’s finest schools in action. I have extended an invitation to the pupils at Monkfield and William Westley to come and visit me in Parliament. Student politics was as alive and feisty as ever when I attended a Q&A session hosted by Hills road Sixth Form College alongside my city counterpart Daniel Zeichner. It was a chance for some of Cambridgeshire’s best and brightest young adults to quiz Daniel and I on matters from student loans to housing On 20 September, I was honoured to be invited to the Battle of Britain Air Show at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. I feel so lucky to have this fabulous historical facility in my constituency. Clear skies, 20 Spitfires, need I say more? The following week I scrubbed up and visited Papworth Hospital just days after its cardiothoracic surgeons were announced as some of the best in the country. During my visit I observed a number of procedures, viewed the hospital’s state-of-the-art Critical Care Lab and met with senior staff from the hospital. It very quickly became clear to me why local people are so proud of Papworth. I have only one word to describe what I saw, “wow”. When compassion, skill, technology and science come together, you create something very special and I saw that in action. In September I also met with the board of Addenbrooke’s and spent a day in a GP’s surgery. The staff who make our NHS what it is should be very proud of themselves. Although the challenges that our NHS face are huge, both operationally and financially I have committed to working with them in partnership to ensure they get the support they need to carry on delivering 1st class services. We are in this together.

Local Healthcare news Royston Community Health

What’s happening at Royston Hospital? Its a question I am asked over and over again. Many local people have been working towards a good outcome since April 2012 when the

NHS decided to close Royston hospital and sell the 6 acre site to a care home provider. On the basis that a care home would only need 2 acres we argued that the site could have a care home and other services too. The NHS was undergoing a reorganisation around that time and the new structure allowed for the original plan to be shelved. They started to consider our ideas and work with us to develop a new plan. This has been a long time coming and we are not there yet but a small group of us now work under the name Royston Community Health which is a not for profit Community Interest Company. We are working with the NHS to develop plans for a Health Hub for the people of the town and surrounding area. We are all unpaid volunteers. Any services developed in the town will be for the villages too. If you would like to find out more about what we are doing, have your say about local services and support our group, please see our website at: www.roystoncommunityhealth. org.uk where there is an online questionnaire as well as lots of information or find us on Facebook by searching Royston Community Health, please “like” our page or follow us on Twitter @RoystonCH If you would like one of us to speak with a Village group about what is happening and what we are doing please contact us by e mail on info@roystoncommunityhealth.org.uk Your support is much appreciated. Maggie Allen, Royston Community Health

Stay well this winter In the past year as many of one in four residents in Cambridgeshire visited A&E when they could have used an alternative service or looked after themselves at home. Each visit to A&E costs the local NHS £87, and that’s before any treatment is given. When you look at the figures, this costs the local NHS over £4 million a year. In turn this is the equivalent cost of 677 hip replacements, or 287 liver transplants or 115 more dementia nurses. Using A&E when you don’t need to can also have a knockon effect to the rest of the hospital, as busy A&E departments resulted in 500 cancelled operations and procedures because a bed was no longer available, and longer waiting and referral times. But you can help • Stay healthy – get a flu vaccination if you are eligible • Look after others – check on elderly friends, relatives and neighbours especially in spells of cold weather, help them to keep warm and have the medication they might need • Be prepared – get your prescriptions in early before the holidays and see your pharmacist or GP for any issues you might be putting off • Choose the right service – your local pharmacy can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses and complaints, without having to wait for a GP appointment. For help with finding local NHS services visit www.cambsandpeterboroughchoosewell.co.uk melbournmagazine

M I L L .S I D E CA B I N E T M A K E R S

Nationwide specialists in:

Ground Source Heating Boreholes & Wells

B. A. HYDRO Solutions Providing Effective Surface & Groundwater Solutions

B.A. Hydro Solutions Ltd is an independent Hydrogeological & Thermogeological consultancy providing professional consultancy, design & project management services

Ground Source Heating & Cooling Thermal Response Testing (TRT) & Pump Testing Hydro-Thermogeological desk & field studies Borehole design & drilling Pump installation & maintenance

Millsideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bespoke joinery, caters for our customers individual requirements, from Kitchens, Bedrooms and Studies Millside Cabinet Makers Ltd The Moor, Melbourn, Royston Hertfordshire, SG8 6ED Telephone 01763 261870 email: millsidecabinetmakers@yahoo.com www.millsidecabinetmakers.co.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Abstraction licensing & regulatory services Borehole CCTV & ROV inspection

B.A. Hydro Solutions Ltd 3 The Sidings - Shepreth - Herts - SG8 6PZ Tel: 01763 26 27 26

www.bahsltd.com

MVC EDUCATION

U3A

PLAY SCHOOL NOTRE ECOLE PLAYGROUP

Education SCHOOL LITTLE HANDS PRIMARY

VILLAGE COLLEGE

Melbourn Village College Open Evening

Little Hands Karen

Melbourn Playgroup Jane Crawford

01763 260964

07842 151512

Notre Ecole Janet Whitton Pippins Children’s Centre Alison Wood

261231 223460

Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457 U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Tony Garrick 01223 510201

Prospective students and their parents flocked to Melbourn Village College’s Open Evening on Monday. Visitors had the chance to get involved with a range of activities as they toured the college looking at the different departments. They tried the steel pans in the music department, made badges in Modern Languages, tried an assault course in PE, celebrated Diwali in Religious Studies/ Ethics and took control of a robotic arm in Computing. There were also quizzes and challenges for primary pupils to try and young and older alike were amazed by the wonders of science with a ‘magic’ show. Principal Simon Holmes, new chair of Governors Sue Williamson, the Chief Executive of the Schools’ Network, SSAT, and Comberton Academy Trust Chief Executive Stephen Munday spoke to packed audiences at two talks during the evening.

Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400

Mr Holmes said: “It was an excellent evening with a really positive atmosphere and it was a pleasure to see so many MVC students helping out and greeting guest as they went round.” He added that anybody who missed the evening or who would like another look is welcome at the college during the school day. To arrange a tour please contact reception on 01763 223400 or e-mail office@mvc.org.uk melbournmagazine

Languages One day of languages was never going to be enough for students at Melbourn Village College. Instead of waiting until Saturday to celebrate the annual European Day of Languages, they took part in a whole week of activities, from quizzes to sampling European food. Students took part in a range of activities for the annual day, which took place on September 26 including tortilla tasting, a pain au chocolat sale, quizzes and games of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ A highlight was some Year 9 putting their Spanish to good use by teaching Year 7s. Languages teacher Ivana Stanley said: “This is a great way for the Year 9s to celebrate and share their Spanish knowledge and learning and to show Y7 how their language skills will develop over the next couple of years.” Principal Simon Holmes added: “Being able to speak other Languages is an extremely important skill and is it fantastic to see teachers across the whole college getting involved in a whole week of activities. There’s simply no way we could have fitted everything into a single day!” Staff and students were also encouraged to link European languages into other subject’s lessons by sharing interesting facts, writing the date in another language and having the lesson’s learning objectives translated.

Medical Mavericks Visit Students became ‘human Guinea Pigs’ for the day when the Medical Mavericks came to Melbourn Village College. Pupils in Years 9-11 had the chance to have an ECG, test their lung capacity and lung age and have retinal photographs taken as part of the The Human Guinea Pig Show. Led by Tom Warrender, founder of educational group Medical Mavericks, the show guided students through different careers in healthcare science, such as respiratory

The annual European Day of Languages

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

physiology, cardiac physiology, neuro physiology and ophthalmic physiology. Cat Rich, Teacher of Biology said: “The show was engaging, quick-paced and extremely interesting. Our students were enthused and absorbed everything Tom had to offer.”

Notre Ecole Children at the Wednesday evening after school club have returned from the summer holidays full of enthusiasm for learning French and our theme for the first half of the autumn term is clothes. We started with a dictionary exercise. In pairs children took clothes and holiday items out of the bag they had been given and used dictionaries to find out the French words they did not already know. Next they taught this vocabulary to the other children in the club so that the children were all able to extend their vocabulary and then we played some games using this vocabulary. We have acted out role plays in a clothes shop and have had fun labelling a set of pictures depicting cartoon dogs in outfits. We have talked about what we are wearing and what we wear at different times of the year and have read a picture book with a clothes theme. Children at the Thursday after school club at Melbourn Primary School have also been learning the French words for clothes. We have learnt a range of clothing vocabulary and practised talking about their colours. So far we have had fun playing ‘Stations – les Gares’ and a team game of “find the picture”, all to reinforce our newly learnt French vocabulary. We have been practising introducing ourselves and saying where we live and have been singing some French songs; Meunier tu Dors, Frère Jacques and Promenons-nous dans les Bois. We are looking forward to showing our mums and dads what we have learnt at the end of term. At the adult class we have been revising telling the time.

n c

serve

lding nce of storic

selves in an ional

Fencing & Timber DISTRIBUTORS We welcome trade, agricultural and retail customers. We me happy to provide free advice. We have a team of experienced landscapers. We offer a fast delivery service. Timber, Panels, Posts, Rails, Gravel Boards, Feather Edge, Gates, Gate Posts, Decking, Sleepers, Post Mix Cement, Concrete Products, Fasteners & Fixings, Abrasives, Hardware & Ironmongery.

P & A SALES Unit 5, Butts Business Centre, Fowlmere, Royston, Herts, SG8 7SH T. 01763 208000 E. cambswood@gmail.com

Modern Historic Design – Build – Maintain – Repair – Conserve

We have talked about daily routines and used time phrases such as le matin, l’après-midi et le soir. We have practised food vocabulary and asking for precise quantities in a shop. We are just about to start working on the French needed for train travel. If you or your child are interested in joining one of our groups please get in touch. Notre Ecole, led by a native speaker and a graduate of European Studies with French, has been teaching French to pupils of all ages for fifteen years. Call either Marine on 07533 443153 or Janet on 07791 853448 for further details. If you prefer e-mail, contact boultermarine@ gmail.com or janet.whitton@tiscali.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. Learn French in a friendly atmosphere *French for Children – Games, role-play, songs etc. Every Wednesday from 3.45pm to 4.30pm Every Thursday from 4:15pm to 5:00pm *French for Adults – All levels, Conversation Every Wednesday from 8.00pm to 9.00pm GCSE lessons available by arrangement. Individual lessons also available.

Specialist carpentry and building services with over 25 years experience of working with both modern and historic buildings. Based in East Herts we pride ourselves on providing quality works executed in an ethical, pragmatic and professional manner. Please call us to discuss your speciﬁc requirements or visit our website to learn more about our accomplishments.

www.modern-historic.com

Telelephone Marine 01763 222876 or Janet 01763 261231 mob-07533 443153 mob-07791 853448 Email marineboulter@yahoo.fr or janet.whitton@tiscali.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. (Enhanced CRB clearance recently completed)

Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) – Royston Enrolment for the Spring courses will be on Tuesday 5th January. Details from Secretary 01763 660234 or www.roystonwea.org.uk

Telephone – 01920 822 969 melbournmagazine

Home cooked food using only the best local ingredients. Individual care and support for each and every child and their families. Large, fun outdoor playgrounds and fields for the children to explore, to run, skip and jump.

sery

bumpkinsnur

facebook.com/

A loving family environment created by qualified happy staff. 98% have a professional childcare qualification and they all love their job. twitter.com

/bumpkinsH

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Nature River Mel Restoration

In the last issue of the Melbourn Magazine we reflected on the early days of the Group. As we said, the planning stage was time consuming and frustrating for those members who so desperately wanted to start the in-river work. Initially we did not really know what we had taken on, and even now there is a lot of work behind the scenes that needs to be done to enable the practical in-river sessions. Our aim was to improve the biodiversity of the river from the ‘bottom up’, so that our project would benefit the whole food-chain. For this to happen it was crucial to speed the flow of the river so as to clear the silt and reveal more of the naturally chalky riverbed. This we planned to do by installing structures to narrow the river, called revetments, but these needed to be constructed from natural materials that were sympathetic to the needs of fish, small mammals (particularly water voles) and other wildlife. We also planned two riffles (shallow areas of gravel) to provide enhanced breeding grounds for the few remaining brown trout in the hope that they would colonise the river again. Before we could start, we needed to obtain Drainage Consent from the Environment Agency for our project. Drainage Consent is akin to obtaining Planning Permission if you want to build or alter a house, so we were just a little daunted. After consultation with Rob Mungovan, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Ecology Officer, a detailed scale plan, incorporating each of the structures that we intended to build, was produced using electronic mapping templates from Ordnance Survey. This, along with the rest of the application documents, was then submitted to the Environment Agency for approval. This consent is by no means automatic, so the next stage, a site visit by one of their

Officers, was followed by a nail-biting wait on our part. In order for us to better understand what we were taking on, Rob also arranged for us to visit the RSPB nature reserve in Fowlmere to see the similar restoration works taking place there. This was followed by two of our committee members getting their feet wet for the first time when they joined Rob ‘in the river’ at Fowlmere to gain first hand experience of the techniques that we intended to use on the Mel. Rob had advised that we use traditional ‘soft’ engineering techniques that would have low impact on the environment and could be readily removed if necessary. The first of these was to use pre-planted coir roll to form the front edge of the new revetments that we used to narrow the width of the river in selected places. These were supported by 2-metrelong bundles of hazel rods, known as faggot bundles, which were staked and wired into position to stop them being washed away. The revetment was then back-filled with brashings (a collective term for tree pruning’s), which, in most cases were held in place by cross-logs that were wired into place to form a firm ‘mattress’. Coir is a coconut fibre that is densely packed into netting to make rolls of a similar size to the faggot bundles. The commercially produced coir rolls seemed like a really good idea at the time, providing both support to prevent erosion and enabling bankside planting of native species all in one go. Unfortunately, the best plans sometimes go awry; the coir washed out of the netting and the plants died! After further talks with the experts we decided to use extra faggot bundles, backfilled with brashings and silt, instead of the coir rolls. We then planted the revetments with native plants that we had grown in our own waterside nurseries. Fortunately, this technique has stood the test of time, proving, on this occasion at least, that simple methods are often the best. melbournmagazine

 COUNSELLING, THERAPY &

SUPPORT IN THE WORKPLACE

With Mandy Thornton

Private sessions for help with depression, stress, relational problems, anxiety, lack of confidence, bereavement etc. ~

Workplace support sessions for companies wishing to support their staff in stressful job situations

01763 208516 mandythornton.com

 Adaptive Services Ltd Royston Herts

01763 661 334 info@adaptiveservices.co.uk

Sales, Service & Repairs • Wheelchairs, scooters, hoists, stairlifts, beds, pressure care, grab rails & all your daily living aids • All minor adaptations & product certification undertaken • Call us for a free no obligation quotation or a chat & some friendly advice

www.adaptiveservices.co.uk 34

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL 30 High Street Melbourn SG8 6DZ Telephone: 01763 263303 ext. 3 e-mail: parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk The Parish Office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm (the office is closed between 1p–2pm

Minutes of Parish Council Meetings and Planning Committee meetings are available on the council website

Village information Royston Family History Society Pam Wright

EDUCATION Melbourn Playgroup Jane Crawford

07842 151512

Library LAP Jane Stevens johnjane.stevens@tiscali.co.uk Little Hands Nursery School

260964

Chairman Bob Tulloch 25 Hale Close, SG8 6ET Telephone 221373

SOAS (Supporters of All Saints’) Doreen Johnston 220197

Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457

St George’s Allotments Assoc. Bruce Huett

U3A (Univ. of Third Age)

Chairman Tony Garrick

01223 510201 222486

Nikki & Julie

Mem Sec Chris Davison

264189

Women’s Group Pat Smith 260103

Age UK Cambridgeshire Blood Donors

262034

Curate Mary Price 261569

262262

Churchwardens Roger Mellor 220463

Chiropodist

263260

S Cambs PCT 35 Orchard Road 262861

Community Hall booking Sandie Springall 223320

Car Scheme

245228

Osteopath Kath Harry 261716

249156

Tony Kelly Mon & Wed evenings 7 – 9.30 p.m. Bellringers Barbara Mitchell 261518 Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows

Abigail Roberts 261505

Brownies 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Brownies 2nd Melbourn

261400

Samantha Pascoe (Brown Owl) CATalyst

Kimmi Crosby 20 Norgett’s Lane, SG8 6HS Telephone 261283

Jose Hales 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH Telephone 221058

John Regan 10 Little Lane, SG8 6BU Telephone 264154

hallbookings@live.co.uk

Baptist Church Rev. Stuart Clarke Secretary Guy Manners

Air Cadets 2484 (Bassingbourn) Squadron

Christopher Stead 70 Russet Way Telephone 260743

Mike Galley 260127

Child & Family Nurses

LOCAL CLUBS

Val Barrett 2 Station Road, SG8 6DX Telephone 261227

PLACES OF WORSHIP

01223 846122

0300 123 23 23

Home-Start

Irene Bloomfield 78 Russet Way, SG8 6HF Telephone 222558

07599292327

All Saints’ Church If you need to speak to someone about Church matters during the Interregnum please contact one of the churchwardens. For baptisms and weddings or if you need to speak to a priest, please contact the Associate Priest Revd. Mary Price.

01223 221921

District Nurses (Primary Care Trust)

Michael Linnette 11 Chapel Lane, SG8 6BN Telephone 262534

brucehuett@compuserve.com

Thursday Luncheon Club at Vicarage Close

Hon Sec Hilary Docwra

Dentist

Mike Sherwen 3 Hale Close, SG8 6ET Telephone 260070

260009

RSPB Doug Radford 208978

HEALTH Rosemary Gatward 94 High Street, SG8 6AL Telephone 261225

221398

Royston Lions Janet Daniels

01223 503972

Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400

Vice-Chairman Maureen Townsend 32 New Road, SG8 6BY Telephone 260959

frierley@ntlworld.com

Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231

Out of school times

Parish Clerk Peter Horley Telephone 263303

Royston and District Round Table

0774 953 0112

Dramatic Society Kathy Wholley

223805

email: k_wholley@hotmail.com

261650 01223 872298

United Reformed Church Minister Rev. Duncan Goldie

260747

Secretary Peter and Eirwen Karner 262346 Hall booking Beryl and Barry Monk 246458

SPORT Badminton Steve Jackson

248774

Bowls Elaine Cooke 221571 Croquet Janet Pope 248342 Jazzercise Sarah Howard

07703 422394

Judo Derek Coult

225004

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Stuart Morris 208634

Melbourn Dynamos FC Gordon Atalker 07770533249

Gardening Helen Powell 245887

Blake Carrington Chairman

Guides 1st Melbourn Hilary Marsh 261443

Melbourn Football Club Simon Gascoyne 261703

MADS (Melbourn Amateur Dramatics Society)

Melbourn Sports Centre Graham Johnson-Mack 263313

Donna Sleight 232622

Meldreth Tennis Club Tracy Aggett

07730488743

01763 243376

Melbourn History Group Ann Dekkers 261144

Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593

Melbourn Mushroom Club John Holden

Squash Club Nick Sugden 261064

email: frog.end@virgin.net Melbourn Pottery Club Maggie

01223 207307

Meldreth Local History Kathryn Betts 268428 Mothers’ Union Pauline Hay 260649 Andrew Mulcock 1 The Lawns Close, SG8 6DR Telephone 222940

Julie Norman 31 Station Road, SG8 6DX Telephone 263462

National Trust Marian Bunting 246122 bunting@uwclub.net New Melbourn Singers Adrian Jacobs 243224 Photographic Club Bruce Huett

232855

Ramblers Dave Allard 242677

Una Cleminson 1 Rupert Neve Close SG8 6FB Telephone 269544

Tim Baker 18 Rose Lane, SG8 8AD Telephone 262700

COMMUNITY SERVICES Dial-A-Ride

01223 506335

Home Start Tracy Aggett 262262 John Impey Way Jeanette Holland 269596 Mobile Warden Scheme Jeannie Seers 262651 Moorlands Denise Taylor

260564

Vicarage Close Warden Eileen Allan

263389

Royal British Legion Women Elizabeth Murphy 220841

Lead Sheltered Housing Officer - Monday to Friday 9–1.30

Royal National Lifeboat Institution Jean Emes 245958

Vicarage Close, John Impey Way & Elin Way

Royston and District Local History Society

Eileen Allan

David Allard

242677

Mobile 07876 791419 / 245402

Every other week. 9–5 Monday to Friday

melbournmagazine

DIARY DECEMBER

Tuesday 1

Toddlers Plus Baptist Church 9.30-11.30am (TT) Melbourn Bridge Club every Tuesday Vicarage Close 2pm contact Howard Waller 261693 (see article) Melbourn & District Photographic Club AGM Foxton Village Hall 7.30pm (runs weekly September to April) Budding Beaders every Tuesday at The Hub 7pm Brownie & Guide Christingle Service 7pm Homestart Christmas Door Decoration Workshop Foxton Village Hall 11am-2pm or 7-10pm (see article) Melbourn Short Story Reading Group The Hub 10-11am weekly (see article)

Friday 11

Saturday 26 – Boxing Day

Coffee URC 10.30am

No Coffee Stop

Saturday 12

Sunday 27

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am SOAS Musical Evening All Saints (see article)

Family Communion All Saints 9.45am Baptist Service 10.30am URC Service 11am

Sunday 13

Family Communion & Sunday School All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am Family Nativity Service Baptist Church 10.30am Carol Service All Saints 6.30pm

Wednesday 30

Tuesday 15

Friday 1

Toddlers Plus 9.30-11.30am (TT) Carol Singing British Queen Meldreth 7pm

Coffee URC 10.30am

Wedneszday 2

Wednesday 16

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am

Craft Club 9.30 (TT) then Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Rail User Group Elin Way Meldreth 7 for 7.30pm

Craft Club Baptist Church 9.30am (TT) Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am

Sunday 3

Thursday 3

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm weekly

Holy Communion All Saints 8am URC Communion Service 11am Baptist Service 10.30am Communion Service Baptist Church 6pm

Friday 18

Monday 4

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm weekly Royston & District Local History Soc. Royston Town Hall 8pm The Great Ouse

Thursday 17

Coffee URC 10.30am End of term

Friday 4

Saturday 19

Coffee URC 10.30am Youth Club Baptist Church 8-9.30pm weekly

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am Carols at The Cross 10.30am

Saturday 5

Sunday 20

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am The Bookshelf Tastes of Christmas URC 11am- 3pm MADS Pirates of the Panto Meldreth Village Hall

Holy Communion All Saints 8am Family Nativity Service URC 11am Communion Service Baptist Church 10.30am Carols by Candlelight Baptist Church 6pm Moorlands Christmas Service 2.30pm Carol Service Holy Trinity Meldreth 4.30pm

Sunday 6

Holy Communion All Saints 8am Holy Communion URC 11.00am Baptist Morning Service 10.30am Christingle All Saints 3.30pm Baptist Communion 6pm MADS Pirates of the Panto Meldreth Village Hall

Monday 21

Royston & District Family History Society ASCH 7.30pm Tuesday 22

Women’s Group 7.45pm (see article)

Monday 7

Wednesday 23

Melbourn Bridge Club contact Howard Waller 261693

Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Royal British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 2pm Melbourn Library closed until 4th January

Tuesday 8

Toddlers Plus 9.30-11.30 (TT) Mothers’ Union contact Pauline Hay 260649 Melbourn & District Gardening Club ASCH Christmas Social Evening 7.30pm Wednesday 9

Craft Club Baptist Church 9.30am (TT) followed by Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Hub Club Lunch 12.30pm Carols at the Black Horse 8pm URC Thursday 10

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm weekly

Thursday 24

Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am

JANUARY 2016 Saturday 2

Melbourn Bridge Club every Monday at Vicarage Close contact Howard Waller 261693 (see article) Tuesday 5

New term begins Melbourn Bridge Club contact Howard Waller 261693 Melbourn & District Photographic Club AGM Foxton Village Hall 7.30pm (runs weekly September to April) Budding Beaders the Hub 7pm weekly Wednesday 6

Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Thursday 7

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm Royston & District Local History Society Town Hall Royston 8pm Conserving Traditional Buildings Friday 8

Coffee URC 10.30am Youth Club Baptist Church 8-9.30pm weekly Saturday 9

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Crib Service All Saints 3pm Midnight Mass All Saints 11.30pm URC Watchlight Service 11.30pm

Sunday 10

Friday 25 – Christmas Day

Tuesday 12

Holy Communion All Saints 8am URC Service 8.30am Family Celebration Baptist Church 9.30am Family Communion Holy Trinity 10am

Toddlers Plus 9.30-11.30am (TT) Mothers’ Union contact Pauline Hay 260649 Melbourn & District Gardening Club ASCH 7.30pm Update on River Mel conservation

Family Communion All Saints 9.45am Baptist Service 10.30am URC Service 11am

Wednesday 13

Craft Club 9.30am (TT) followed by Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Hub Club Lunch 12.30pm Thursday 14

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm Friday 15

Coffee URC 10.30am Saturday 16

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am Sunday 17

Holy Communion All Saints 8am Family Service All Saints 11am URC Service 11am Communion Service Baptist Church 10.30am Monday 18

Royston & District Family History Society ASCH 7.30pm Tuesday 19

Toddlers Plus 9.30-11.30am (TT) Wednesday 20

Craft Club 9.30am (TT) followed by Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am Thursday 21

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm Friday 22

Coffee URC 10.30am Saturday 23

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am Sunday 24

Family Communion All Saints 9.45am URC Service 11am Baptist Service 10.30am Tuesday 26

Toddlers Plus 9.30-11.30am (TT) Women’s Group AGM ASCH 7.45pm Wednesday 27

Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 2pm Frog End Junction Improvement Exhibition Shepreth Village Hall 3-7pm

FEBRUARY Monday 1

Melbourn Bridge Club every Monday at Vicarage Close contact Howard Waller 261693 Tuesday 2

Toddlers Plus Baptist Church 9.30-11.30 (TT) Melbourn Bridge Club contact Howard Waller 261693 Budding Beaders The Hub 7pm weekly Wednesday 3

Baptist Craft Club 9.30am (TT) followed by Coffee Break 10.30 Thursday 4

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm Royston & District Local History Soc Town Hall Royston 8pm Edward Jenner, Napoleon & Blossom the Cow Friday 5

Coffee at URC 10.30am Youth Club Baptist Church 8-9.30pm weekly

Friday 19

Coffee at URC 10.30am Saturday 20

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am Sunday 21

Holy Communion 8am Family Service 11am All Saints Baptist Communion Service 10.30am Tuesday 23

Toddlers Plus Baptist Church 9.30-11.30am (TT) Women’s Group Meldreth 7.45pm Norwegian Dress & Food Wednesday 24

Baptist Craft Club 9.30 (TT) followed by Coffee Break 10.30am British Legion Women’s Section Vicarage Close 7pm Thursday 25

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm

Sunday 7

Friday 26

Holy Communion 8am Morning Service Baptist Church 10.30am Holy Communion URC 11am Communion Service Baptist Church 6pm

Coffee at URC 10.30am

Tuesday 9

Family Communion All Saints 9.45am Baptist Service 10.30am URC Service 11am

Toddlers Plus Baptist Church 9.30-11.30am (TT) Mothers Union contact Pauline Hay 260649 Melbourn & District Gardening Club ASCH 7.30pm Japanese Garden Wednesday 10

Baptist Craft Club 9.30 (TT) followed by Coffee Break 10.30am Hub Club Lunch 12.30pm Ash Wednesday Service All Saints 7.30pm Thursday11

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm

Saturday 27

Coffee Stop All Saints 10.30am Sunday 28

e next date for th g in s lo c e h T 5th January 1 y a d ri F in issue is ill appear w h ic h w 6 201 arch, events in M g n ti s li , h rc Ma ay 2016. April and M

Friday 12

Melbourn Village College Staff Training Day Coffee at URC 10.30am Saturday 13

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm weekly

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am

Friday 29 Saturday 30

Family Communion All Saints 9.45am Baptist Service 10.30am URC Service 11am

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am

Monday 15

Sunday 31

Half Term Royston & District Family History Society ASCH 7.30pm

Holy Communion All Saints 8am URC Service 11am Baptist Service 10.30am

Holy Communion All Saints 10am Craft & Chat URC 2-4pm

Coffee Stop ASCH 10.30am Guides Cake Stall

Saturday 6

Thursday 28

Coffee URC 10.30am

Thursday 18

Sunday 14

Wednesday 17

Coffee Break Baptist Church 10.30am

We shall be pleased to receive contributions in any form, articles, poems, drawings, photographs, letters etc., pertaining to Melbourn. Please send any contributions to the Editor, at 110 High Street, Melbourn, marking them ‘MELBOURN MAGAZINE’ or you can email them to melbournmagazine@gmail.com

We’re Searching for

Volunteers

Melbourn Magazine is delivered free to every household in the village by volunteers. If you would like to help please contact Ann Dekkers on 261144

Village information Orchard Surgery & Dispensary Melbourn Health Visiting Team Monday to Friday 8:30–1pm and 3pm–6pm Phone 01763 260220 www.orchardsurgerymelbourn.co.uk For repeat prescriptions you can: Fax 01763 262968 or email: prescriptions.orchardsurgery@nhs.net

Drop in clinics for parents and babies are held as follows: Melbourn clinic every Wednesday between 9.30am and 11.00am at: 35 Orchard Road, Melbourn. Telephone 01763 262861

Telephone requests are not accepted

• Allow at least 48 hours (two working days – excluding weekends and bank holidays) for repeat prescriptions to be ready. Do • not leave your request to the last minute. Prescription/medication depending on eligibility can be collected from the

Surgery

Co-op

Tesco in Royston

Please let the dispensary know where you wish your prescriptions to be sent. This will remain your choice until we are informed otherwise.

BIN COLLECTION MELBOURN Please note there is only one Green bin collection per month until March 2016

4 December

Black Bin

18 December

Blue & Green Bin

23 December

Black Bin

4 January

Blue Bin MONDAY

Black Bin

15 January

Blue & Green Bin

22 January

Black Bin

29 January

Blue

Black Bin

5 February

12 February

Blue & Green Bin

19 February

Black Bin

26 February

Blue Bin

Black Bin

4 March

11 March

Blue & Green Bin

18 March

Black Bin

See the website for more information www.cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk Battery exchange and retubing. We do not do hearing tests

WEDNESDAY SATURDAY

For an update on collections visit: www.scambs.gov.uk/content/friday For more information and collections of large household items Telephone 03450 450 063

A drop in advisory session is held at Vicarage Close Community Room, the 4th Thursday every month from 2pm to 4pm

Blue Bin

11 December

9 January

8a Romsey Terrace, Cambridge. CB1 3NH Office Mon-Fri 9.00am-12.30pm. Telephone 01223 416 141 answerphone out of these hours enquiries@cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Cam Sight’s Rural Support Group meet in Melbourn to provide help, friendship and ongoing support to local people with sight loss. The group enjoys speakers, music, information, advice and a chance to try out low vision equipment. They meet on the 1st Wednesday of each month, 2 – 4pm at Vicarage Close. For further information please call 01223 420033 or info@camsight.org.uk

feature Wassail – ‘be healthy’ The long dark days around the winter solstice have long been a time for festivity and light, predating the advent of Christianity of Anglo-Saxon England. The early Saxons celebrated the beginning of the year and the coming of spring on the winter solstice, known as Modranect or Mothers’ Night, which at the time was the 25th December. ‘Giuli’ (pronounced ‘Yule’) was the name given to the period we know today as the 12 days of Christmas (hence ‘Yuletide’) – 25th December to 5th January. Ceremonies and celebrations were held during these months and were linked to the rebirth of ‘Mother Earth’ to ensure fertility in the coming spring season. “They began the year with December 25, the day we now celebrate as Christmas; and the very night to which we attach special sanctity they designated by the heathen mothers’ night – a name bestowed, I suspect, on account of the ceremonies they performed while watching this night through.” The Venerable Bede, 8th century scholar One popular Saxon tradition was the custom of wassailing – a ceremony of blessing the ground around the home, farm or orchard. Everyone attending would drink from a large bowl, followed by a toast or a wassail to their health. Although it began as a celebration held throughout the Yuletide, it later became a tradition held on more specific days such as New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day or the Twelfth Night – 5th January. The word wassail comes from the Anglo-Saxon “was hæl” meaning be healthy or be whole – both of which have survived in the modern English phrase to be, ‘hale and hearty’. The correct response was “Drinc hael”, drink and be healthy. Wassailing remained part of the winter celebrations and by the 17th century it had become an institution. It was even mentioned in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet performed in 1602: “The King doth wake to-night and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail, and the swaggering up-spring reels; And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down, The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out The triumph of his pledge.” Young women went about their village with a bowl of spiced ale adorned with garlands and ribbons. The drink, often described as Lambswool, was made from spiced ale or cider and baked apples. The women went from door to door singing a few ‘homely’ verses composed for the purpose to toast the health of the inhabitants in expectation of a small gratuity in return. “… It was likewise the custom at all their feasts, for the master of the house to fill a large bowl or pitcher, and to drink out of it first himself, and then give it to him that sat next, and so it went round. One custom more should be remembered, and that is, that it was usual some years ago, in Christmas time, for the poor people to go from door to door with a wassail cup, adorned with ribbands, and a golden apple at the top, singing and begging money for it, the original of which, was, that they might procure ‘lambswool’ to fill it, and regale themselves as well as the rich.” ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’, May 1784

‘The Wassail Bowl’ by John Gilbert 1860

The tradition still survives today, although now mostly celebrated in the cider and perry producing areas of the West Country. There is no definitive traditional recipe for the wassail. Ingredients were often dictated by resources available in the area – cider, mulled ale and even mead were used. The following Lambswool recipe is said to be from 1633. In earlier recipes, honey would have been used instead of sugar. Ingredients: 1.5 litres of traditional real ale – or cider 6 small cooking apples, cored 1 nutmeg, freshly grated 1 tsp ground ginger 150g brown sugar Method: Preheat the oven 120°C Core the apples, removing all pips. Place the apples on a lightly greased baking tray about 6 cm (2 inches) apart. Bake the apples at 120°C for about an hour, so they become soft and pulpy and the skins are easy to peel away. In a large saucepan add the sugar, cover with a small amount of the ale (or cider) and heat gently. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ground ginger and grated nutmeg, mix well. Keeping the pan on a gentle simmer, slowly add the rest of the ale (or cider). Leave for 10 minutes on a gentle heat. Take the baked apples and scoop out the flesh into a bowl, discarding the skin. Thoroughly mash the apples into a smooth purée avoiding lumps. Add the mix to the ale (or cider), mixing it in with a whisk. Continue to warm everything through for 30 minutes, on a very gentle heat. Using the whisk or stick blender to briskly and vigorously mix everything together and froth the drink up. The apple and light froth will float to the surface, and depending on how much it is whisked, the more it will look like lamb’s wool. (Traditionally, drinks were frothed by pouring continuously between two large serving jugs to increase air into the liquid.) Ladle the hot lambswool into heat-proof mugs or glasses and grate over some nutmeg or pour the drink into a communal bowl (with several thick pieces of toast in the bottom) to pass around if wassailing – Enjoy. Peter Simmonett melbournmagazine

Well connected...

Postcards

Brochures

Booklets

Handbooks

langhampress.co.uk

Stationary

Tel: 01223 870266 sales

Posters

Lithographic and Digital Production

Leaflets

LANGHAM PRESS

Magazines

Printers for the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Science Park, London Charities and Galleries, Publishers and the Royal British Legion Women’s Section.

Cloudy2Clear Windows – Service With A Smile! It’s been a crazy few months for Cloudy2Clear Windows. The company which specialises in repairing windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged by replacing the panes – not the frames has grown rapidly as homeowners take advantage of their services. Managing Director Tim Law feels that it’s all about service. ‘Our product is simple. If your double glazing is misted

up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 5 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Many tradespeople have struggled since last year and I honestly feel that during the good times a minority perhaps didn’t focus on customer care as much as they should have done. We make sure we turn up when we say

we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. I often get comments back from customers on how they really didn’t expect that sort of service which, in a way, is very sad for the service industry as a whole.’ Cloudy2Clear service the Cambridge, Ely, Saffron Walden, Haverhill, Royston & Newmarket areas and Tim is finding that his approach is a major factor in his success.

‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Tim a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

STEAMED UP DOUBLE GLAZING? Don’t replace the Frames... just the Panes!

Broken or Damaged Windows? Faulty Hinges, Handles or Locks? Want The Latest Energy Saving Glass? All Glazing Backed By Our 5 Year Manufacturers Guarantee Priority Freephone

0800 61 21118 www.cloudy2clear.com ...we make saving money perfectly clear...

40 28

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Nature Melwood

Your Local Nature Reserve (designated)

Melbourn have an entrancing nature reserve at Stockbridge Meadows. However there is also a designated Local Nature Reserve just to the right of the footpath (No 6) leading alongside the River Mel to Topcliffe Mill in Meldreth. An introduction to the site is provided on an interpretation board (shown below) on the left of the footpath as you walk past the wood.

Although a small wood (0.81 hectares, 2 acres) and comprising secondary (not ancient) trees it still has a surprising diversity of wild life and charming vistas that change with the seasons. There is an adjacent privately owned meadow which is also part of the LNR. Amongst the rich range of animals visiting the wood are 15 species of mammals, 42 species of birds and a substantial total of 143 species of butterflies and moths – at the last count, but more are added every year. Full species lists can be found on the group website: www.melwood.btck.co.uk

Comma Butterfly

A Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is a protected area of land designated by a local authority because of its local special natural interest and/or educational value. This one is looked after by a group of volunteers following a management plan developed in conjunction with the Wildlife Trust. Melwood Interpretation Board

Nettle leaved bell flower

Welcome To Melwood Local Nature Reserve Caring for this nature reserve

Melwood is a designated Local Nature Reserve consisting of a small area of managed woodland available for access by members of the community. Most of the Melwood area is owned by Cambridgeshire County Council and leased to Meldreth Parish Council.

The wood is managed by a group of local volunteers from the Melwood Conservation Group following a management plan developed with the Wildlife Trust. They also regularly check the area for litter and debris.

Tree management – Coppicing

The woodland on this bank of the river Mel, either side of Melwood, is often owned by people who live on Meldreth High Street. It has therefore had a chequered history, some of it cultivated as vegetable gardens, some as orchards and some as gardens. More recently much of the area has been left alone and an assorted range of plants have developed, some introduced.

Meadow Brown Butterﬂy

Comma Butterﬂy

What to look for

Part of the site at the rear south end will be left to grow naturally. The front south west end has been coppiced to allow more light and encourage more floral ground cover. Tall Yews along the western boundary of the meadow have been were coppiced to form a hedge. The extra light will encourage more flowers in the meadow. Seeding and introduction of young native plants compensates for the isolation of the site from local wild flower sources.

Young tree area

Meadow sunny side

Meadow Meadow shaded side

Wooded area

Yew hedge

Animal visitors

A rich range of animals visit the wood including 15 species of mammals, 42 species of birds and a substantial total of 143 species of butterﬂies and moths.

Tree to be Coppiced

The following Spring, shoots rapididly regrow from stool

Cut close to the base in Winter Banded Demoiselle

7–20 years later the coppice ready for harvest Speckled Wood Butterﬂy

Common Morel

River Mel

Muntjac Honey Fungus Bluetit Broad-bodied Chaser

The Mel river running to the west of the wood is one of only 161 chalk streams in the United Kingdom. It originates from springs at Melbourn Bury. Such streams tend to be very clear as they have been filtered through layers of chalk. Conservation has improved the water flow and the river now supports a larger population of invertebrates and hence trout have returned. The endangered water vole also lives in the banks and you may see a water shrew or a grass snake swimming in the river. If you are lucky you may spot a kingfisher or grey wagtail flashing past or in the spring a troop of ducklings following their mother.

Trees and Wild flowers Twenty-six species of trees and bushes are present, including silver birch, ash, sycamore, beech and hawthorn. Thirty-nine species of other plants together with several fungal varieties have also been identiﬁed and records are updated regularly.

Nettle-leaved Bellﬂower

Meadow Geranium

continued on page 43

Peacock Butterﬂy

You are welcome to walk through the wood and meadow but please keep to the paths so as not to destroy the wildlife habitats. In consideration of those who work in the wood please clean up your dog’s faeces where ever they are deposited. Please prevent your dog from entering the river behind the school field, where trout breed.

If you would like to join our team of volunteers please contact the Parish Clerk, Meldreth Parish Council, 01763 269928 or email: parishclerk@meldreth-pc.org.uk. More information can be found on the Melwood Conservation Group website at www.melwood.btck.co.uk

melbournmagazine

JEREMY RULE FUNERAL SERVICE Jeremy Rule. MBIE. Dip. FD. Ben Rule. Dip. FD.

Independent Local Family Funeral Director Providing a caring and personal service 24 hours a day for all your funeral needs. Offering Help & Guidance through every step.

Office & Chapel of Rest :

12, Church Lane, Royston, Herts SG8 9LG Telephone:

01763 242560 www.jeremyrulefunerals.co.uk

We are a warm, friendly, family run home conveniently situated close to the station and town centre of Royston. If you would like to find out more about St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, please call us for a brochure or drop in for a chat. 42 Kneesworth Street, Royston, Herts. SG8 5AQ Telephone: 01763 242243 web site: www.stgeorgescare.com

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melwood contiued Little Hands is a Private Nursery School specialising in quality education for the under fives and offers Flexible hourly booking - open 08.30 to 16.30 Term time bookings with optional holiday club Bumble Bee room for children 12 – 24 months Ladybird room for 2 year olds Butterfly room for children 3-5 years With optional “ready for school sessions” Holiday club for children aged 12 months to 8 years All sessions have a high staff to child ratio and are available for funded 2 year olds and funded 3/4 year olds with no extra charges Categorised as “Outstanding” by Ofsted For further information please contact Anne McCrossen - Nursery Manager : 01763 260964 e-mail lh-melbourn@btconnect.com Little Hands is also at Bourn, Linton and Newton visit the website at www.littlehands.co.uk

Welcome to Melbourn Hub offers a café with free Wi-Fi, a library access point and meeting rooms which can be used for leisure or business. We also offer a range of key community support services and aim to be a focus point for assistance and advice.

Opening Hours Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm Saturday 9am to 3pm 30 High Street Melbourn SG8 6DZ Telephone 01763 263303 reception@melbournhub.com

Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Green-veined white and Orange tip butterflies all fared well in 2014. The management plan has compartmentalised the area so that, even with a wood of this size, there are areas with different characteristics: a meadow, a coppiced area, paths and a ‘wild’ stretch at the back. The work party activities are varied ranging from felling large trees to clearing areas of nettles. There is a monthly rota for litter clearing and this has significantly reduced the amount of litter left on the site, including dog faeces. An important task in late winter is clearing the several nesting boxes ready for the following year’s occupants. The timing of this task has changed as springs seem to be milder and birds are nesting earlier. It is encouraging that most boxes are used every year, although we have not yet had any success with the owl box, despite their “hoots” reverberating around the wood in the evening twilight. Maybe we need a ‘WOL’ sign as in Winne the Pooh! In addition to wood management activities the group also organises community activities in the wood. Most years there is a bird walk in the spring with a local expert and over 40 calls have been identified on a single walk with a significant proportion of the birds also being spotted. One impressive sighting was of a buzzard on the fence at the edge of the field to the east. In June there was a folk rock concert by the group Carnac with open mike poetry and compere: the singer song writer Tony Phillips of Cluzion. Tony also provided the environmentally friendly canopies through Greenstage (www.greenstage.uk) which supplies many local music festivals including Strawberry fair. However, this event was blessed with perfect weather and on a balmy June evening people spread out their blankets, poured their wine and settled in for a delightful three hours of relaxed entertainment. If you are interested in finding out more about the group or contacting us please visit the website at melwood.btck.co.uk or phone Bruce Huett on 01763 232 855.treatment process, but sometimes pass through and end up in the river. It may say on the packet that these items are flushable, but in reality they are not – they readily combine with fat in the sewers and cause blockages, as recently witnessed on The Moor. Time for relaxing!

The Hub is run by the community, for the community, it is a centre with a difference.

It is yours.

melbournmagazine

The Old School Studio Old School Lane, Whittlesford, Cambridge CB22 4YS

Working Studio offering One & Two Day Tutored Workshops and much more! Tutors for 2015 include: Paul Alcock, Helen Allen (Verdila Flowers), Marilyn Allis, Vic Bearcroft, Sho-Jen Dowell, Soraya French, John Glover, Rachel Haynes, Prue van der Hoorn, Sharon Hurst, Val Pettifer, Lesley Rumble, John Shave, Simon Williams & Sue Williams Drop-in-and-Paint day every Thursday & Friday All set in a quirky old Victorian School with a mezzanine floor and reading area, working studios, and attractive garden to relax in!

To book a workshop or request our 2015 brochure email: info@theoldschoolstudio.co.uk

01223 833064

Banish niggling aches and pains! We keep many local village people supple and mobile with our range of osteopathy and complementary treatments including sports massage, chiropody and acupuncture. Give us a call on 01462 490141 at our clinic in Baldock High Street for an initial chat or to book a treatment.

AMBER HEALTH Serving the local community www.amberhealth.co.uk Appointments available in Ashwell, Melbourn and Baldock Easy parking at all 3 clinics

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

ELECTRICAL

l Maintenance and repairs l New installations l Electrical condition reports l Alterations and additions

01763 220 855 07976 838 373

Email: info@ncbelectrical.co.uk

www.theoldschoolstudio.co.uk

Sports & Clubs

Bowls Malcolm Davey 262704

Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts 261505 Brownies – 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Brownies – 2nd Melbourn Samantha Pascoe 261400

Croquet Janet Pope 248342

Football Club Andrew Edwards 223109

Dynamos Football Club Les Morley 07739 593771

Gardening Club Helen Powell 245887

Guides – Ist Melbourn Hilary Marsh 261443

Judo Derek Coult 225004 Melbourn Karate Club Peter Khera 07866 374674

Melbourn Sports Centre Graham Johnson-Mack 263313

Brownies

1st Melbourn Guides

We have welcomed back our Brownies after a good summer holidays. This term we are working on our Culture and Science Investigator badges. Some of the activities we have already done are baking honey cupcakes, making balloon cars and growing salt crystal necklaces. Later this term, we are going to celebrate Halloween with a party and prepare for Christmas with a number of crafts. On top of this I expect that we will play a lot of games and have a lot of laughs. By Amy Selby (Little Owl) on behalf of all the leaders at 1st Melbourn Brownies (Brown Owl, Eagle Owl, Nightingale, Squirrel, Fluffy Owl and Lucy). If you (or your daughter) wants come and join in the fun, please contact Brown Owl (Stephanie Clifford) on 07888831140.

The sun was shining; the girls were singing: it must have been another happy Guide camp! Eaton Vale, near Norwich was the venue for this year’s four-night camp, with a theme of Films. On Harry Potter day we sewed owls from felt, made every-flavour beans from fondant icing, and played Quidditch on home-made cardboard broomsticks. The Hunger Games is all about survival, so the girls had a series of challenges to complete to earn food for their lunch. They made a bow and arrow with which they shot balloon ‘pigs’ for ham sandwiches; made a rope ladder to reach fruit; filtered water from the river (no, we didn’t let them drink it afterwards) and used compass bearings to find buried chocolate treasure. Below: Guide camp! Eaton Vale

Melbourn and Meldreth Women’s Group Pat Smith 262575 Sue Toule 260955 Anne Harrison 261775 Photographic Club Bruce Huett 232855 Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Royston and District Round Table Michael Seymour 221398 Squash Club Nick Sugden 261064

Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593

Tennis (Melbourn) Dave Liddiard 07508 995 781

Tennis (Meldreth) Tracy Aggett 243376

melbournmagazine

Our first ever Bake-Off competition got off to a good start in September. One patrol baked their choice of flavoured and coloured fairy cakes, another decorated cakes in the theme of Autumn, and another had the technical challenges of making oat biscuits in a frying pan, and pancakes. Not only were they judged on flavour and presentation, but also teamwork and clearing up. Never has there been such enthusiastic washing up! On another evening the girls experienced a night hike to Riverside Park, with a quiz, games in the dark and few minutes of stargazing. The following week we did a bit of fun geography: matching our UK holiday snaps to a map of Britain, describing how to get to our homes using street names, and playing ‘hunt the buried treasure’ on O.S. maps using the rules to the game of battleships. Wembley Arena was the venue of the amazing ‘Big Gig’, a Guides-only pop concert which 20 of our girls enjoyed in October. Seven up-and-coming pop acts performed, including Jack Sykes, Ashton from JLS, and Ella Henderson, who closed the show with great singing and fireworks. If you would like to know more about becoming a Guide or a leader, or if you have any skills or hobbies which you would like to share with us, please contact me on: 01763 261443 or email: melbournguides@gmail.com Hilary Marsh

Melbourn and District Gardening Club Are you interested in gardening? Why not join the Melbourn and District Gardening Club on a regular or occasional basis. We meet at 7.30p.m on the second Tuesday most months, at All Saints Community Hall, behind All Saints Church (near traffic lights, lane by red telephone box) We have monthly talks with slides, Refreshments at the end of each meeting, giving plenty of time to talk and make new friends We organise a summer coach outing. This year it was to Bressingham Gardens near Diss.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

An informal Flower Show and Tea is held in June. There are 5 classes to enter and members vote for their favourite displays, plant or photograph. The August meeting is held on a Sunday in a member’s garden for afternoon tea and a chat. A Christmas Social evening and quiz takes place in December. Winter programme Tuesday 8 December 2015 - 7.30 Christmas Social Evening and Quiz Tuesday 12 January 2016 - 7.30 Update on work of River Mel Restoration Group Tuesday 9 February 2016 - 7.30 Japanese Gardens Steve Jones Visitors always welcome For further information about the club ring Helen 01763 245887

Ramblers’ Association Royston and District Our walks programme continues right through the year. For details visit our website: www.ramblers.org.uk or contact David Allard (01763 242677). Email: david.allard@ntlworld.com or Lesley Abbiss (01763 273463). There is also a poster displaying walks for the current month in Royston library and Melbourn Hub. We have walks on Sundays, which are normally 5-7 miles in the morning and a similar or shorter walk in the afternoon. Occasionally Sunday walks are Figures of Eight making it possible to do only the morning or only the afternoon. Half-day walks are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Our evening walks (3–5 miles) will resume on 25th April on a different day each week. Prospective new members are welcome and may come on three walks before deciding whether to join. www.ramblers.org.uk to join.

Royston & District Family History Society Without your ancestors you wouldn’t be here now. So why not join the Royston and District Family History Society and perhaps learn how to research them. Your ancestors may not have reached great heights, but without the workers our nation would not have achieved much.

The Society meets at the All Saints Community Hall in Melbourn once a month on the third Monday of the month between September and June. Interesting talks are given on a wide range of subjects by visiting lecturers. Some months the meetings are given over to simply asking and answering questions of how to forward your research. You cannot do it all by simply just going on line. The Society is currently recording the Monumental Inscriptions of the Orchard Road Cemetery in Melbourn. The Society is also linked to the commemoration of World War I and members are dealing with the VAD Hospital in Queens Road Royston. Other members are currently listing the Birth, Marriages and Deaths from the announcement columns of the Royston Crow from 1911 to 1921. When completed these will be published, adding to those already done, i.e. 1876 1886; 1887-1899; 1900 - 1910. Membership details. Single £8; Family £10.50; Overseas £9. Neville Chuck, Chairman. Enquiries@RoystonFHS.org.uk.

Royston & District Local History Society www.roystonlocalhistory.org.uk Our website shows all the books we have for sale. Many of these result from the considerable work undertaken by our Publications sub-committee. The books are available at our meetings or may be ordered by post from David Allard 01763 242677. They may also be purchased at the Royston Museum & Arts Gallery in Kneesworth Street and some are available at the Cave Bookshop in Melbourn Street. The society is responsible for the opening of Royston Cave, Melbourn Street, Royston which will be closed during the winter but will re-open on 26th March. There will also be a candlelight opening in December. Go to: www.roystoncave.co.uk for details. Our evening meetings are held in the Heritage Hall (the main hall downstairs) Royston Town Hall starting at 8pm. December 3rd – The Great Ouse Navigation, illustrated Alan Faulkner

January 7th – Conserving Traditional Buildings, illustrated John Lloyd February 4th – Edward Jenner, Napoleon & Blossom the Cow. Paul Chamberlain We have a coach outing to Hatfield House on 4th June. (contact David Allard 01763 242677 for details and availability of places) Annual membership £5 (SeptAug) (Under 18s half price) Visitors £2.

Melbourn Bridge Club We are moving on from just playing duplicate bridge, meeting on a Monday evening at 7 for 7.15 at Vicarage Close Community Centre, where an average of 30 people play, to encouraging more people to learn and enjoy bridge as much as we all do. Tuesday afternoons at 2.00 for 2.15 at the above centre is now split into two sections, one for beginners and the other for improvers. We introduce newcomers into the wiles of a major card game completely from scratch with a six or seven week course of 3 hours per week with an experienced teacher at £3.00 per session. This followed on with the improvers class, where one plays duplicate bridge with 16/20 other players. We are very happy for players to just join us for the beginners sessions, and then hopefully to continue to play at Melbourn. We welcome players to join us at any entry point, either with or without a partner, where a game will be guaranteed. Please call Howard Waller on 01763 261693, or melbournbridgeclub@yahoo. co.uk.

Melbourn Bowls Club I have to report a challenging, but ultimately successful, season during which members have had to put in extra efforts to run the events resulting from Malcolm Davey’s appointment as President of the Cambridge and District Bowls League. Many thanks are due to all those who devoted their time to ensuring that these events ran smoothly. At our Open Day in May we were delighted to welcome a number of new members who have made a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of the club. We have been able to introduce

newcomers to the game into both Friendly and League matches and more experienced new members have contributed to the Cambridge and District division 2 team. As far as League results are concerned we finished mid table with both of our Cambridge and District teams and also the Foxton League and Business Houses teams. Our Meldreth League team won their section of the League, but unfortunately lost in the final against the winners of the other section (Bassingbourn). To mark Malcolm’s year as President we hosted matches between representative teams from the Cambridge and District league and the Business Houses league and also the Cambridge Vice presidents Club. In addition the finals of the Cambridge and District League Competitions and the Champion of Champions match were hosted by Melboun Bowls Club. Our own internal club competitions were well patronised this year with many close matches and a number of “Giant Killing” acts. Results of the various competitions are given below. Mens Singles Winner Neil Butler Runner Up Rod Sell Ladies Singles Winner Sue Sell Runner Up Gill Antill Handicap Singles Winner Sue Sell Runner Up Peter Blayney Novices Singles Winner Gill Antill Runner Up Dave Overd Mixed Pairs Winners Sue Sell and Rod Sell Runners Up Pat Leggett and Martin Leggett Drawn Pairs Winners Colin Barnes and Martin Leggett Runners Up Sue Goddard and Arthur Andrews Kernaghan Cup Winner Martin Leggett Runner Up Sue Gibson The Club is now closed for the winter as far as Bowls is concerned, but we still carry on with social events. Every alternate Friday we hold a Whist Drive at the Clubhouse starting at 7.00pm and in addition we will be holding a Quiz Night on Friday 22 January 2016. Anyone interested in attending these events should contact Arthur Andrews (01763 261990) for further details. You

do not have to be a member and these events could provide you with the opportunity to get to know some of the members. They will, of course, attempt to get you interested in the delights of playing bowls! In the next issue of the Melbourn Magazine we hope to set out our programme for the next Summer Season. This will include the date of our Open Day, when we hope we can welcome more new members and introduce them to the pleasures of the Green, particularly on a sunny summers day! If you would like to discuss possible membership of the Club ahead of our Open day further details can be obtained from Arthur Andrews or Peter Blayney (01763 260538) Dates for the Diary: »» Friday 4 December 2015 Whist 7.00pm

»» Friday 18 December 2015 Whist 7.00pm

»» Friday 15 January 2016 Whist 7.00pm »» Friday 22 January 2016 Quiz Night 7.00pm

»» Friday 29 January 2016 Whist 7.00pm »» Friday 12 February 2016 Whist 7.00pm »» Friday 26 February 2016 Whist 7.00pm »» Friday 12 march 2016 Whist 7.00pm continued on page 49 melbournmagazine

Open 7 Days Lunch, Dinner, Afternoon Tea, Drinks by the River, Special Occasions, Weddings & 9 En-suite Rooms

2 AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence

Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, sg8 6dx - 01763 261393 - www.TheSheeneMill.com

Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, sg8 6dx - 01763 261000 - www.ESSE.uk.com

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn Dynamos Football Club For Boys and Girls aged 3 – 18 years old All welcome! www.melbourndynamos.co.uk Melbourn Dynamos FC is a friendly community youth football club that gives boys and girls the opportunity to play regular football regardless of their experience or ability at all ages from 3 through to 18. In addition we now have a Men’s team and a Ladies’ team as natural homes for our players who graduate from youth football. We are a successful club defined by the strength of support from members and families, the praise and recognition of fellow clubs and FA Leagues, the work with our Community partners including Melbourn Village College and Melbourn Parish Council, and of course our players’ achievements on the pitch and their support for the community. We also have the support of a generous benefactor who is enabling us to develop and broaden our work within the community.

The new season has brought the excitement of new teams and players who are welcoming the opportunity to play for Melbourn Dynamos. The addition of three Girls’ Teams at U9, U10 & U11 with the new Ladies’ and Men’s Teams mean that we now have almost 250 players registered to the club. With the support of our benefactor we are extending our work to make the club more inclusive by assisting players whose families are unable to afford the necessary fees. We also want to work with our community partners to improve access to other sports and exercise in the Melbourn area. At the start of the season we were invited to become a Partnership Club of Cambridge United FC. This now provides our coaches with access to high level mentoring and support in the work we do to support and develop our players and above all else provide them with enjoyment and exercise. Cambridgeshire FA has also invited the club to become part of its Coach Mentor Programme. We now have more than 20 girls who have registered to play in the

Cambridgeshire FA’s S-Tech Girls League. This is in addition to the girls that choose to play mixed football in all age groups. In no small measure this has been due to our qualified volunteers who have been coaching players at Melbourn Primary School and providing free football training sessions for Girls on Saturday mornings at Melbourn Village College. Coupled with the support of Cambridgeshire FA, an award for the FA’s Grow the Game Initiative and the inspirational performance of the England Team at the Women’s World Cup, we find ourselves in the happy position of having 3 teams (U9, U10, & U11) for this the season (see the image of our U10s team with their coach Jess Boname). Some you may have noticed the work that has been carried out by The Parish Council on the old recreation ground on the Moor. This clearance work of the edges and lifting the canopies of the trees around the site has enabled the club to make much better use of the land with a larger 11v11pitch inset with two mini-soccer continued on page 51

melbournmagazine

Jeremy Ashworth Electrician and Property Maintenance

21 Bramley Avenue, Melbourn, Royston, Herts. SG8 6HG

07815 093166 01763 230831 jeremy.ashworth@ntlworld.com

What’s On Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day

The Cantilena Singers Saturday December 5th 2015, 7pm – 9pm Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Gt. Abington, Cambs CB21 6AE An evening of song for Advent and Christmas in aid of the John Chaplin Open Church Project. Director Daniel Spreadbury £10 (free admission for under 18‘s) Tickets from the Village Shop Great Abington or from Anne Hall (01223 892275) Marilyn Broadhurst (01223 893214) Mary Miles (01223 891083), or Tony Collett (01223 893447) www.cantilenasingers.org

Come and Sing! Saturday 12th December All Saints Church Melbourn 7.30 Pm Popular music Songs from the shows Music for the organ Christmas carols All played by Geoff Symon on the church organ. A glass of festive wine at the interval Tickets £ 7.00 for SOAS members and £ 8.00 for non-members. Ring 260686 or 261480 or 260072 for tickets.

O Holy Night Saturday 19th December With the help of Laura Barraclough (BBC Chorister of the Year 2013 - see picture) and choristers from Heath Mount School, Royston Choral Society’s Christmas Concert on December 19th at 7.30 is dedicated to the memory of the great Sir David Willcocks. Known as “England’s choir master,” David Willcocks was famous for his choral arrangements of Christmas carols, many of which were written for the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College Cambridge. His popular ‘100 Carols for Choirs’ provides several of the arrangements used in this concert – and previous ones. This concert by candlelight is in the beautiful priory church of St John the Baptist, Royston, and features traditional carols for choir and audience, accompanied by organ and brass under the baton of Royston’s new maestro, Andrew O’Brien. With mulled wine and mince pies as well, immerse your senses in anticipation of Holy Night! Tickets £12 (concessions £9, school students £1) are available from Royston Library, choir members and at the door.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

continued on page 49

Laura Barraclough BBC Chorister of the Year

For more information about the choir see the website www.roystonchoralsoc. org.uk/ or contact Chairman, Heather Howard Tel. 01763 249058 or Email heather@lemonyellow.org Next Open Rehearsal for aspiring new members: Tuesday January 12th 8.00, Royston Parish Church. You will not be asked to sing on your own! Come and surprise yourself!

Festive Fun for the whole family with Cambridge Past, Present and Future (CambridgePPF) Christmas is coming! Get wrapped up and join local charity CambridgePPF getting into the festive spirit with a variety of seasonal events this December. Enjoy the winter woodland vistas of Wandlebury on a tree identification workshop, and get crafty making your own Christmas wreaths, tree and table decorations with natural materials from the park – there are separate events for adults and children so the whole family can have a go. For a truly traditional Christmas experience there’s also a chance to enjoy Christmas carols by candlelight, and a Christmas Eve midnight Communion, in the beautiful setting of the Leper Chapel. Start your countdown to Christmas this month with CambridgePPF!

Nordic Walking Wednesday 2, 9, 16 December: 1pm, 2pm, 3pm start Get into the rhythm and enhance your wellbeing and fitness levels with this very friendly Nordic Walking group at Wandlebury Park, led by Wellbeing Coach/Nordic Walking instructor Oliver Glynn. Nordic Walkers use more of their entire body than regular strollers, so while taking in the beautiful scenery of the park and chatting with the group you’ll get a great workout without even noticing it. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried it before – instruction will be given. There are three levels of walk: 1pm start for those with restricted mobility, 2pm for a healthy lifestyle speed, 3pm total beginners. continued on page 59

pitches. In addition to this clearance work, we are very grateful to the Parish Council for fencing off the far end of the land to prevent players and children from falling into the deep ditch. This new playing area is much appreciated by our members and our many visiting teams. We are very pleased with the success of our youngest players, the Dynamites, who increasingly provide the core of league teams from under 7 upwards. The Dynamites’ coaching team is led by Dipak Patel. Dee was Cambridge FA’s Community Coach of the year for 2013, gained his Level 2 coaching in June and has been appointed to the key leadership role of our Football Development Officer. These players, aged 3-6, have fun and develop their skills before deciding whether to play league football as the club’s under 7s team. This fun, preparation and skill development through the Dynamites has undoubtedly brought more success to our current League Teams. These players train with level 2 and level 1 FA qualified coaches in a Saturday morning fun session for 3-6 year old boys and girls between 09.15 -10.15 am at Melbourn Sports Centre. Sessions feature lots of short activities aimed at improving individual skills, concentration and the ability to be part of a team. The first one hour session is free thereafter we charge £2. All are welcome to the Melbourn Dynamites so why not bring your kids along so they can check it out. All of our coaches are CRB checked and qualified to a minimum of FA Level1 standard. We are also an FA Charter Standard Club which means that we have all the correct people and practices in place to operate in line with FA & government requirements. All are welcome and if you are interested in finding out more about MDFC and the opportunities to play football with us, please contact Nicky Patel on 07951 590139 or email her at nikki-dip@ntlworld.com. The club’s success depends entirely on enthusiastic members and volunteers. If you feel that you would like to contribute to the club as a coach, match day official or in some other volunteer capacity then we would be pleased to hear from you through secretary.mdfc@gmail.com or chairman. mdfc@gmail.com. melbournmagazine

“Support from the community really helps us make a difference” Jo, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust

What makes Cambridge your Cambridge? Find out more cambridgebs.co.uk/yourcambridge facebook.com/yourcambridge @cambridgebs

THE CAMBRIDGE Building Society

0345 601 3344 All communications with us may be monitored/recorded to improve the quality of our service and for your protection and security.

CBS1304 Community print adverts 128x163.indd 1

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

13/01/2015 10:19

Churches Together Christmas Church Services All welcome All Saints’, Melbourn

6th December 13th December 24th December 25th December

3.30 pm 6.30 pm 3 pm 11.30 pm 8 am

Christingle Carol Service Crib Service Midnight Mass Holy Communion

Melbourn Baptist Church

13th December 20th December 25th December 27th December

15th December 20th December 25th December

10.30 am 6 pm 9.30 am 10.30 am

Nativity Service Carols by Candlelight Family Celebration “Hope has Arrived” Family Service “We are Family”

United Reformed Church Harvest Festival

Our harvest festival was a celebration of the beautiful produce in season, along with donations of cans and dried goods, which were donated to Jimmy’s night shelter. See the website to see the fantastic and vital work that Jimmy’s does in Cambridge: www.jimmyscambridge.net Here are some photos of the floral displays, which marked the occasion:

Holy Trinity, Meldreth 7 pm 4.30 pm 10 am

Carol singing at the British Queen Carol Service Family Communion

Melbourn United Reformed Church 1st December 7 pm 9th December 8 pm 19th December 10.30 am 20th December 11 am 20th December 2.30 pm 24th December 11.30 pm 25th December 8.30 am

Brownies & Guides Christingle Service Carols at the Black Horse Carols at the Cross Family Nativity Service Moorlands Christmas Service Watchnight Service Christmas Day Service

melbournmagazine

WRIGHTS MOWER CENTRE LTD GARDEN MACHINERY CENTRE

Sales Service

TOP BRANDS

Spares

TOP CHOICE

Hire

TOP SERVICE An Aladdin’s cave of machinery, garden tools, DIY and hardware, oils and salt

Large or small, we have it all. Everything to tame your garden

Royston (01763) 263393 Dunsbridge Turnpike, Shepreth, Royston, Herts SG8 6RB

southcambsmotors@btconnect.com

(Old A10 to Melbourn) www.wrightsmowercentre.co.uk email: jwrightsmowers@btconnect.com NEW SHOWROOM OPENING IN 2015 Support Local

wE Are a RAre brEed One of only a handful of butchers in Britain to run our own abattoir, we are Master Butchers in the truest sense. From farming selection through to cutting and hanging, our craftsmen make sure you always know exactly where your meat is coming from: from pasture to pantry.

True Master butchers fulLy TraceAble produce liceNced deAlers iN gamE exTENSive DElicaTeSseN home mAdE mEAls ThE fiNest cutS 1&3 station rd, melbourn, herts, sg8 6dx tel:01763 260255 & now at burwash manor, new road, barton, cambridge cb23 7ey tel:01223 265555

www.leEchaNdSoNs.cOm

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk Leech&Sons163x128_MM.indd 1

28/1/11 6:04:41 pm

Forthcoming Events Tastes of Christmas 5th December! 11am–3pm Please join us for a coffee, lunch, tea or all three!

Musical Evening We hosted an enjoyable musical evening with Celloist: Catherine Wilmers and Pianist: Ilga Pitkevica this was followed by a hot buffet for around 50 people. An astonishing £1,200 was raised for local charity – Cherryhomes Trust, who help people with disabilities maintain their independence with the provision of adaptive equipment. Here’s a link to the website to see the work they do: www.cherryhomes.org.uk

Welcome to All If you are interested in joining us at any of our services, you will receive a warm welcome. Our weekly family Sunday service is at 11am.

Services The details of all our Christmas services can be found on the Christmas Church Services poster. See page 53.

Melbourn Baptist Church It is always a cause for celebration when members of the church decide to take the important step of baptism. Generally, services take place in church, with use of the baptistery, but one church member decided to do things a little differently, and took his baptism out into the community, The service was held at the recreation ground, with the baptism taking place in the river, giving church members the chance to put their beliefs into action, witnessed by the rest of the village. After the baptism, there was a picnic, shared with Churches Together in Melbourn and Meldreth. In a busy autumn period, members of the church were involved in the Royston Arts Festival, taking part in the Illumination, Art and Spirituality event at St John’s Parish Church in Royston. Church members enjoyed their harvest festival service, and this year donations of goods went to the Royston Foodbank. The church’s Beacons of Prayer meetings continue each month, and members have also been involved again in the annual October light parties for children, held in Royston, and at Melbourn Baptist Church. They have also looked forward to welcoming Ian and Sue Paxton, and learning about their work as missionaries based in Romania. Work has also begun, planning for events in the run-up to one of the busiest times of the church year – Christmas.

Supporters of All Saints (SOAS) Residents will have noticed the scaffolding around the tower of All Saints Church and possibly wondered what was being done and who was paying? The Church of England receives no state aid and anything that needs to be done has to be paid for from the congregation that attends the services, or from the money raised by the Supporters of All Saints. When the Parochial Church Council decided that the work recommended by their architect could no longer be postponed an appeal was made to the Supporters for financial aid. SOAS made £25,000 available to the fund and work started in September, and by the time that you read this article may well be finished. By donating this sum of money the Committee of SOAS realised that it was giving the church most of their accumulated funds but wisely retained about £1,500 as a reserve. To build up their finances SOAS has embarked on a series of fund raising projects. In September an appreciative audience enjoyed slides of old Melbourn presented by Ray Ellis. It was a fascinating afternoon and Ray’s commentary was often augmented by comments and additions from the audience. During the interval a delicious cream tea was served by the ladies of the Committee before Ray finished his talk with more slides. By the time you read this article we will have enjoyed another gastronomic feast when Bob Howard prepares ‘Bob’s Indian meal’ at the end of October. On Saturday 12th December in All Saints Church our occasional organist Geoff Symon will present a programme of popular music. He has promised songs from the shows and musicals, some traditional organ music and lastly carols for everybody to sing along. Tickets are on sale now at £7.00 for SOAS members and £ 8.00 for non-members. Come and get into the Christmas spirit with a glass of wine and a mince pie. The SOAS 100 Club draw takes place every month and adds to our finances as does The Bookshelf in the Community continued on page 59

melbournmagazine

horse drawn & green funerals lady & gentleman funeral directors

Bespoke Service Sheets

Fish Hill

Memorials

ROYSTON (01763) 242375

Pre-Paid Funeral Plans from Golden Charter

www.newlingsofroyston.co.uk

COMFORT WITH STYLE AND ELEGANCE...

Mens 5-13 E-H

Y QUALIT R E H T A LE EAR FOOTW

O F

OPENING HOURS:

Tuesday to Saturday 9.15am - 5.15pm

F RO O T}P CH

O F RO

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Free parking Easy access from M11 (Junction 12)

O F

Tel: 01223 264930

T}P

J10

11 Duxford

J11

Barton Ro ad

1 30

Trumpington

T}P CH

A1134

WE ARE HERE J12

T}P

(Closed Mondays)

Ladies 2-10 AA-EEEE

Grinnel Hill BMX Club After a major re-design and development of the beginner, intermediate, and advanced lines over the winter, completion of which was late spring, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen many new and existing members returning through our gates, from Melbourn itself to surrounding towns, villages and counties throughout the summer During the last few weeks of September before we put the site to bed for the winter, we held an End of Season Jam with BMXers from all over England coming to enjoy our site and facilities. We also had the digital camera manufacturer Nikon come to film an advert due to the site being aesthetically pleasing to the eye from behind the lenses! This winter will once again see major re-design and construction, this time of the lower half of the field, including the intermediate and advance lines, with completion scheduled for early spring 2016. The club is open annually April to September. Strictly for BMX use only, for ages 12 and older, members have the option of either becoming a seasonal member for ÂŁ50 (April to September), or a day member (per session) for ÂŁ10. Our aim for the club is to promote an activity for the young community of Melbourn and surrounding areas to participate, with the guidance of our committee and experts, in a safe and friendly environment. Members will have access to BMX coaching and expertise on site during club open days. For more details and to download your membership form today please visit; www.grinnelhillbmx.co.uk Many thanks to Melbourn Parish Council for their ongoing support at all levels to keep the club sustainable and open. Wrights Mower Centre Melbourn for their help and generosity in supporting us to keep the site to a well maintained and safe standard for the foreseeable future

melbournmagazine

MFurnitureM A N D

Lumen Rd, Off Mill Rd, Royston SG8 7AG 01763 256722 07528637021

Large Selection of Antique, Good Quality Curious about creative writing? Seeking community and a bit of gentle prodding to keep your pen moving? Join a Writing Circle! Writing Circles are programmes for small groups of writers who meet once a week, led by teacher and facilitator, Melissa Fu. Courses offered in Melbourn and nearby villages.

For course details, dates and registration, visit melissafu.com

ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS FOR PLANNING & BUILDING REGULATION APPLICATIONS EXTENSIONS, ALTERATIONS, LOFT CONVERSIONS ETC CONTACT US now to arrange a FREE on-site meeting at your convenience to discuss your project. 01353 649649 mail@elydesigngroup.co.uk ELY DESIGN GROUP ‘Architecture by Professionals’ www.elydesigngroup.co.uk!

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Secondhand/Character Furniture, Collectables and Curiosities New Beds, Mattresses, Furniture and much more

Open Mon - Fri 9.30 – 4.30 Sat 9.30 - 4.00 House Clearances undertaken We also buy books, collectables, furniture etc. Tel: 07596 990660

continued from page 51

NB: Poles can be borrowed free of charge if required. Instruction fee £5, car park free for CambridgePPF members, non members £3. Directions: Wandlebury Country Park is on the A1307, 2.5km south of the Addenbrooke’s roundabout. CB22 3AE. For more information and booking: contact Oliver on 07947 835522 or email: info@nordicwellbeing.co.uk

Healthy Walking Every Thursday: 10am or 10.30am to 11am Keep fit and greet the changing of the season by joining our healthy walkers this December for one of our Walking for Health accredited sociable walks around the park. Meet at the Stable Rooms at 10am for a longer walk or 10.30am for a shorter stroll. The walks end at around 11am with tea and coffee in the Stable Rooms. All are welcome, suitable for all different abilities. NB: Free of charge and no need to book, but please arrive 10 minutes early to register if it’s your first time. Donations towards the upkeep of the park are always welcome. Directions: Wandlebury Country Park is on the A1307, 2.5km south of the Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Parking is available on site and costs £3 per vehicle, members free. For more information: email bookings@cambridgeppf.org, call 01223 243830 extension 207 or visit www.cambridgeppf.org/whats-on

Mill Road Winter Fair Saturday 5 December: 10.30am to 4.30pm The Mill Road Winter Fair is one of the annual highlights of Cambridge’s cultural calendar, celebrating the richness of life in the heart of one of the region’s most diverse and vibrant areas. There will be a variety of events, activities, and performances on offer, with many local businesses taking part, and of course the colourful Carnival Parade. Come along and visit CambridgePPF’s stall, where we will be showcasing our work in and around Cambridge. We will also be selling the popular Remember Britain Cambridge bags and umbrellas which make lovely Christmas gifts. These are available at our Wandlebury office all year round. Directions: Mill Road will be closed to traffic from East Road to Coleridge Road. Cyclists are required to dismount through the road closure area. Mill Road is a 10 minute walk from the railway station. For more information: Visit www.millroadwinterfair.org, email bookings@ cambridgeppf.org, call 01223 243830 extension 207 or visit www.cambridgeppf. org/whats-on

continued from page 55

Hall every month. Christmas and Birthday cards are also sold and can be found either at Coffee Stop every Saturday or on display in the church. Membership of SOAS is very simple. We ask for a minimum of ££.00 with the option to give more if you so desire. Membership forms are in church or available from me. Colin Limming Membership Secretary 01763 260072 Colin.limming@btinternet.com

SOAS 100 Club The September draw was made by Dennis Unwin on 3rd October. The first prize of £25.68 goes to Colin Limming at 4 Chapman’s Close and the second of £12.84 goes to Robert Ellis at 11 Mortlock Street. The October draw was made by Mike Rawlings on 31st October, There were 77 members. The first prize of £25.68 goes to Robert Burgess at 31 High Street, Meldreth and the second of £12.84 to Nancy Reay at 5 Wheatfield Crescent, Royston.

The Word of God from David Burbridge

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son. (Isaiah 7 v 14) Christ Jesus, equal with God but made Himself a servant in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2 v 5) Jesus is the image of the invisible God. By Him were all things created in heaven and in earth, and by Him all things consist. (Colossians 1 vv 15-17)

Winter Tree Identification Saturday 5 December: 1pm to 4pm Give yourself a break from Christmas preparations and join the CambridgePPF team for this fascinating workshop for adults in the beautiful winter scenery of the Country Park. Learn the basic skills of tree identification using bark, buds, leaves, shape and form and then put them to the test on a tree trail around Wandlebury – a perfect relaxing afternoon in the outdoors. NB: For adults only. Booking essential. £6 per person (members £5). Dress warmly for being outside. Directions: Wandlebury Country Park is on the A1307, 2.5km south of the Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Parking is available on site and costs £3 per vehicle, members free.

continued on page 63

COFFEE STOP Every Saturday 10.30am to 12noon Rombouts coffee & biscuits for 80p at

All Saints’ Community Hall

melbournmagazine

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

The original oven cleaning specialists

Oven Clean will transform your oven and put a sparkle back into the kitchen

• Friendly, local, professional and reliable • Complete eco friendly cleaning system • No fumes, no mess, no bother • Removes grease, fat and burnt on carbon Ovens • Filters • Hobs Grills • Extractors Call John on 07513 439604 www.ovenclean.com

Need aaMortgage? Mortgage? Need Need ait’s Mortgage? Make sure it’s theright rightone. one. Make sure the Make sure it’s the right one.

ResidentialMortgages Mortgages Residential Re-mortgages Re-mortgages Residential Mortgages Buyto toLet LetMortgages Mortgages Buy Re-mortgages Equity Release Equity Buy toRelease Let Mortgages

Life cover/Family Life cover/Family Protection Equity Release Protection Mortgage Protection Mortgage Protection Life cover/Family Protection Critical Illness Protection Critical Illness Protection Mortgage Protection Home Buildings and Critical Illness Protection Home Buildings andContents ContentsInsurance Insurance Commercial Loans Home Buildings and Contents Insurance Commercial Loans

Your home mayLoans be repossessed if you do not keep up Commercial Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. repayments on your mortgage. if you do not keep up Your home may be repossessed Call today forona your FREEmortgage. no obligation discussion... repayments

Call today for a FREE no obligation discussion...

CallHornby today Cert for aCIIFREE obligation discussion... Call Chris (MP),no Mortgage & Protection Adviser on: Call Chris Hornby Cert CII (MP), Mortgage & Protection Adviser on: Call07850 Chris Hornby CII (MP), Mortgage & Protection Adviser on: 825291Cert or email chris.hornby@charlesderby.com 07850 825291 or email chris.hornby@charlesderby.com 07850 825291 or email chris.hornby@charlesderby.com Visit www.charlesderby.com for more information Visit www.charlesderby.com for more information Visit www.charlesderby.com We charge arrangement fees of up to £995. We for will more also beinformation paid commission from We charge arrangement fees of up tolender. £995. We will also be paid commission from the We charge arrangement fees of up to £995. We will also be paid commission from the lender. the lender.

Nature Breathing patterns

As late autumn strips back the Garden to its bare bones, the season also brings into focus how different to ours are the regulatory systems that govern a plant’s development. A plant, in the right growing conditions, can initiate, sustain and deliver its own genetic blueprint from seed to maturity, employing a vast and only partially understood range of hormonal and chemical checks, balances and reactions that can promote, differentiate and halt growth as required, often in response to the environment. The Garden paths are now a tapestry of gold, scarlet and flamecoloured leaves, the patterns of fallen foliage representing the culmination of the growing season. Photosynthesis, this miraculous ability of a plant to capture the energy of the sun through the chlorophyll in its green leaves to fuel growth, is being closed down for the winter. In response to shortening day-length, a corky thickening at the base of the leaf stalk has shut off supplies to encourage leaf fall; the leaves themselves are in the throes of chemical decomposition and as the chlorophyll breaks down, the process unmasks autumn’s reds and gold’s. And all this activity and change is regulated and achieved without a brain or central nervous system to deliver and receive messages. But as this bonfire cools, different patterns are revealed that again show plants doing things differently. Tree barks in late autumn and through the winter, particularly in cherry and birch, are striking for their decorative horizontal stripes, sometimes widening to eyeshaped markings. These are the lenticels, which function as pores, providing a pathway for the direct exchange of gases between the internal tissues of the plant and the atmosphere just as stomata do in leaves (but they are much smaller and harder to see!). Plant cells respire, just as animal cells do, absorbing oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and respire all the time, day and night, as we do. Plants, however, do not have lungs or a blood stream – their breathing patterns are all their own and best observed in the tree barks of winter or on many of the fruits this harvest time – apples and pears often have a noticeable stippling of lenticels and can serve as an indicator of when to pick. When the lenticels start to darken due to the formation of cork cells, the fruit is ripening. The Botanic Garden is open in December from 10am to 4pm. Admission charges to the Botanic Garden are as follows: Adult: £5.00, adult Gift aid £5.50. Concession: £4.50, Gift aid concession £4.95. Please visit the website for details at www.botanic.cam.ac.uk. Lenticels on the Chinese red birch, Betula albo-sinensis melbournmagazine

LOOK GOOD, FEEL GREAT! A range of beauty and holistic treatments to suit your personal requirements

Julie Newby – Time for You Beauty and Holistic Therapist

A therapy room based at GYMBO’S HEALTH, FITNESS & WELLBEING A boutique personal fitness studio, Monday 3-7pm, Wednesdays 9am-7pm and Saturday 9-12am College Farm Business Park, Meldreth, SG8 6FP ~ Check out www.julienewby.co.uk for more details or email julie.newby@virgin.net or call 01763 208387 and I’ll send you a leaflet

FROG END PET SUPPLIES at Phillimore Garden Centre

A pet shop that caters for all your pet needs • • • • •

all types of birds rabbits guinea pigs many other animals wide range of accessories and pet supplies Also stockists for CALOR GAS Ample parking facilities Open 7 days a week Mon to Sat 9.00am – 6.00pm Sunday 9.30am – 4.30pm Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Cambs. SG8 6EY Tel 01763 263342

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

continued from page 51

For more information: email bookings@cambridgeppf. org, call 01223 243830 extension 207 or visit www.cambridgeppf.org/whats-on

New this year! Christmas Crafts for Adults 12 December or 14 December 10am to 12noon or 1pm to 3pm Store that shop-bought tinsel and celebrate Christmas in natural style this year with your own personalised wreaths, table and tree decorations. Join the team at Wandlebury and discover how to craft stunning seasonal decorations from natural materials that will add the finishing touches to a perfect family Christmas. NB: For adults only. Booking essential for this activity – please book early to avoid disappointment! £10 per adult (members £9). Dress warmly. Tea and coffee provided. Directions: Wandlebury Country Park is on the A1307, 2.5km south of the Addenbrooke’s roundabout. Parking is available on site and costs £3 per vehicle, members free. For more information: email bookings@cambridgeppf. org, call 01223 243830 extension 207 or visit www.cambridgeppf.org/whats-on

melbournmagazine

Melbourn Buildings/Fencing Suppliers Phillimore Garden Centre, Melbourn Tel 01763 263336 Open Mon – Sat 9.30am–5pm Sun 10am–4pm Manufacturers of all types of garden buildings. Customised buildings our speciality. Landscaping and fencing supplied and installed. Sheds, Summerhouses, Gazebo’s, Aviaries, Catteries, Kennels/runs, Chalets, Log Cabins. Bases undertaken.

www.melbournwoodenbuildings.co.uk

The Black Horse welcomes you … Steve, Kerry and all the staff would like to welcome you to

The Black Horse, Melbourn A traditional country pub which serves real ales, with a friendly atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to have a quiet drink, a bite to eat or you’d like to watch televised sporting events, a warm welcome is guaranteed. Dining Food is served Wednesday–Sunday 1200-1400hr & 1800-2030hr. Parking The Black Horse has it’s own private car park and there is also ample local street parking available. Outdoor Facilities We have a large Beer Garden to the rear comprising a decking patio area overlooking an fully-enclosed garden with children’s play equipment. Smokers Smoking inside the bar areas is not permitted by law but in addition to the outdoor patio/garden we also have a substantial permanently covered and partly enclosed decked seating area which, although open-air, offers very effective protection from the elements.

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Children We aim to provide a family-friendly environment. Children accompanied by an adult are welcome inside the bar lounges. At the moment we only have one high-chair available, but customers are welcome to make their own arrangements. For baby/toddler feeding just ask if you need any water or anything warmed. Dogs We recognise that some of our customers like to include the pub on their dog walk, and we aim to accommodate them but do ask that in consideration of our other patrons dogs must be kept on a lead at all times. Particularly inside the premises the lead needs to be short enough to keep your dog close to you. Private Functions The Black Horse is available for private functions, for further details just give us a call.

The Black Horse 63 Orchard Rd, Melbourn, Royston. SG8 6BP Telephone 01763 262136 email: info@theblackhorsemelbourn.co.uk

Soft play fun for ages 0-13 years • Four lane high wavy slide in funky cow print • Tube slide • Farm themed balance beams • Duck pond ball pool • Dedicated toddlers’ area with mini wavy slide • Mini ball pool for tactile play • Party packages and two party rooms catering for between 10 and 25 children • Cafe with homemade food

Loyalty card rewards for regular visits

BURY LANE FUN BARN A10 Bypass, Melbourn Royston, Herts, SG8 6DF Telephone 01763 260418 www.burylanefunbarn.co.uk Mon - Sat: 9am - 6pm Sunday: 10.30am - 4.30pm

www.thematernityboutique.net

feature Images of Melbourn

Local photographer, Clive Porter has added his own local village to his Image range of greeting cards. Fourteen vibrant views, along with his own researched history and modern appraisal of the present day community tell the proud story from the Neolithic and Bronze Age chapters. Clive, who originally hails from North Essex, has been involved in photography since he was proudly presented with a Kodak Box camera on his 14th birthday. He submitted his first press photograph to a local newspaper in his home town of Colchester just four years later. He took most of his early photos on the frequent trips he made with his parents to stately homes, country gardens, and attractive landscapes. More recently, Clive, together with his partner, Janet, operated a photography and publishing business near Cambridge, becoming for a number of years, the largest independent producer of postcards in East Anglia. He has published work for Sandringham House, Kings College Chapel, and numerous other important tourist attractions, as well as major retail names such as W.H. Smith, and Clinton Cards. Since his retirement he has re-kindled his love affair for steam engines, and is currently helping with the latest preservation emergence, the Epping and Ongar line, situated in his native county. He still maintains his freelance photography work for the local press, and is also a member of the local photographic group. In October Clive launched a selection of stunning Christmas scenes to complement the range, which can be purchased from either the Melbourn Hub, or Fieldgate Nurseries.

schooluniformshop@gmail.com melbournmagazine

We can make life a little easier

Local Community Services delivered from Moorlands Court Homecare : our fully trained carers visit you in

your home.

Sitting service : a visit from our experienced staff gives family carers time for themselves.

Day Centre : based at Moorlands Court with a friendly and sociable atmosphere and includes a tasty 2 course lunch.

Meals service : nutritious, hot lunchtime meal delivered to you.

Housekeeping : we do those jobs which you can no longer manage, from cleaning and ironing, to bed changing and shopping. To find out more, just call us at Moorlands Court on 01763 260564, or email : denise.taylor@chsgroup.org.uk

Need glasses? save money Buy direct from ALL EYES Specs

Complete specs

£9.00!*

from only

NHS voucher welcome

• Repairs & emergency specs * • Reglaze your own specs * • Complete sunspecs from £49.00 * • Specs for all sports • Excellent customer service *T & C’s apply. Just bring your new prescription to:

ALL EYES Specs Makers 20 Norman Way Ind. Park Over, Cambridge CB24 5QE

Tel: 01954 231545; 07824 706969 Mon - Fri; 9am to 5pm (PLEASE RING FOR AN APPOINTMENT)

www.all-eyes.co.uk 66

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Timber • Aggregates Fencing • Paving • Bricks Blocks • Sheet Material Insulation & much more Phone: 01763 261740 Email: sales@norburys.com www.norburys.com 1 London Way Melbourn, SG8 6DJ (Just off Back Lane)

feature

What happens to your waste and recycling Have you ever wondered exactly how your household recycling is processed? Here are a few interesting facts you may not have been aware of.

• All of the newsprint manufactured in the UK is made from 100% recycled paper.

• All of the organic (garden and kitchen) waste collected is recycled.

• Over 80% of the glass collected for recycling is used in the UK, the majority of it to make new glass bottles and jars.

Blue bin and paper caddy – recycling Blue bin lorries have two compartments, a compartment for paper collected in the caddy and a compartment for mixed recycling collected in the blue bin. When the blue bin lorries are full, they empty the mixed recycling at the sorting plant, called a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), at AmeyCespa near Waterbeach. At the MRF, all the mixed recycling is sorted and separated into different types of materials by hand or machine (or both) before being sent to manufacturers for reuse in new products. Once collected and sorted, recycled materials become valuable commodities in the worldwide market.

Paper and cardboard The paper and cardboard is sorted into three grades – brown cardboard, mixed paper/cardboard, and newspaper/magazines. Once sorted they are sent to the various reprocessing centres where it is turned into pulp. The pulp is then cleaned and screened to remove any contaminants. Once the pulp is clean, it is ready to be turned into a new product. The lower grade mixed paper and cardboard is recycled into various cardboard based packaging products. The newspaper/magazines sent for processing are turned back into recycled newsprint.

Cans Food and drinks cans are either made out of steel or aluminium which are separated at the recycling centre. The aluminium cans are shredded and then melted down and reused to produce more aluminium cans. The steel cans are mixed with molten iron which in turn, is used to make new products such as a bikes, car and aeroplane parts, paperclips or even new cans.

Glass Unbroken glass arriving at the recycling centre is sent to be melted and used in the process of making new bottles. The remainder is crushed and used in the production of a wide range of everyday products such as: fibreglass insulation, ceramic sanitary ware production, Astroturf, various landscape

applications, such as a top dressing or golf bunker sand, recycled glass countertops, water filtration medium and abrasives. It is also used as aggregate in concrete, as a flux in brick manufacture and when mixed with asphalt known as Glassphalt, it is used for road surfaces and pavements.

Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and bags Plastic are sorted at the recycling centre according to type of material and colour. At the processor centre the plastic is either melted down directly and reformed, or flaked and then melted down. A wide range of products can be made from recycled plastic, including new plastic bottles, garden furniture, water butts, compost bins and fleece jackets/ jumpers.

Green bin – food and garden waste The waste from your green bin is taken to AmeyCespa – here it goes through an intensive ‘in-vessel’ composting process. The resulting soil conditioner is sold for local agriculture, and is also available to householders to collect free of charge from the site. Contact 03450 450 063 for more information.

Black bin – non-recyclable waste Black bin waste is taken to AmeyCespa where it is passed through the Mechanical Biological Treatment plant (MBT). The MBT mechanically removes some items from the waste and then treats the rest in a huge composting hall. This breaks the waste down as much as possible, helping to reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise be released had it have been simply landfilled.

Does the UK export any recyclable material? Countries such as China are prepared to pay high prices for recyclables such as waste plastic – mainly because they do not have readily available sources of virgin materials (i.e. indigenous forests or oil supplies) to feed a large manufacturing industry requiring these products. Even though exporting our recyclables leaves a bigger carbon footprint due to transportation, it is still a better environmental option than using new raw materials, and minimises the need to use our natural resources, therefore reducing carbon emissions during the manufacturing process. And it also means those waste materials are not being landfilled. AmeyCespa has an Education Centre at the Waterbeach site, giving community groups and residents a chance to learn more about what happens to the items they throw away and how they can play their part in reducing the rubbish we create. If you would like to visit the site or would like more information contact them on 01223 861010 or email WasteEnquiries@amey.co.uk

Cambridgeshire is in the countries top ten for recycling with 58% of household rubbish being put to good use. melbournmagazine

CHEAPSTORAGELTD

STORAGE FOR HERTFORDSHIRE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND NORTH LONDON

AT CHEAP STORAGE WE AIM TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE STORAGE SOLUTIONS • Long & Short Term Lets • 20ft x 8ft Container • 10ft x 8ft Container • Business & Domestic Use • Individual Items Catered for • Archive • Fully fenced & securely gated 20 x 8ft container long term (1 year or more) £78.00 per month – yearly in advance £85.00 per month – if paid monthly 20 x 8ft container short term (under 1 year) £95.00 per month I 0 x 8ft unit £60.00 per month – short term (under 1 year) £55.00 per month – long term (1 year or more) £50.00 per month – long term in advance

Additional Storage Facility Cherry Park Ind Est Cambridge Road, Melbourn Royston, SG8 6EY

All prices monthly and inclusive of VAT Terms: 100 refundable deposit One month's notice when vacating Padlocks supplied free of charge

Head Office: 1 London Way, Melbourn Royston, SG8 6DJ

Email: enquiries@cheapstorageltd.co.uk

www.cheapstorageltd.co.uk • 01763 262 344 / 07768 718 396 68

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn Flooring M and Interiors Limited

FLOORING ■ Vast Range of Carpets from all leading manufacturers ■ ■ ■ ■

Real Wood, Laminates

Vinyl’s, Karndean, Amtico and Project Floors Safety Flooring

Free Estimates. Fitting by experienced staff.

HOME INTERIORS ■ Wallpaper sample books – orders next day delivery ■

Designer Fabrics – Sanderson Harlequin – Prestigious most with next day delivery

TILES New Tile showroom at 27 Royston Road, Foxton CB22 6SE covering all your tiling needs. 01223 870011

www.melbournflooring.co.uk VISIT OUR LARGE SHOWROOM 9 TO 5 MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 TO 4 SATURDAY OR CALL ON 01763 262413 (Melbourn) 01223 870011 (Foxton) AND SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR FRIENDLY STAFF

Large showroom, ample free parking. melbournmagazine

Cambourne Self Storage Outdoor Storage 24 Hour Access 7 Days a Week 365 Days a Year 24 Hour Remotely Monitored CCTV Sensor Flood Lighting Keypad Entry and High Security Locks Vehicle Access Directly to Unit Doors

For whatever reason you need to store your possessions Cambourne Self Storage provides secure and affordable external storage space.

01767 676189 www.CambourneSelfStorage.co.uk

www.melbourncambridge.co.uk

Melbourn magazine is non-profit and all work on the magazine including layout is produced by volunteers. The Magazine is published four times a year in the first week of March, June, September and December. We print 2200 copies which are delivered free to every house in the village. Advertising revenue is used for printing costs only. Adverts should be supplied as finished artwork and must be at the sizes shown below. Please send artwork to melbournmagazine@gmail.com. The current rates for advertising in the Magazine are as follows: Size per…

B/W Colour

Width x Height

1/4 inside page (79 × 128 mm) 1/2 inside page (163 × 128 mm) Full inside page (163 × 262 mm)

£95 £167 N/A

£143 £237 £464

Advertising rates are per year (four issues)

For further information on advertising please telephone 220363. Remittance or cheques should be made to Melbourn Magazine.

Melbourn Magazine Committee Editorial

Ann Dekkers

261144

Advertising

Jan Simmonett

220363

Distribution

Eric Johnston

220197

Information

Anne Lambert

261480

Parish Profile

Mavis Howard

260686

Production

Peter Simmonett

220363

Proof reading

Brenda Meliniotis

261154

Colin Limming

260072

Village Diary

Brenda Meliniotis

261154

Advertisers

Page number

Adaptive Services - 01763 661334 34 All Eyes / Spectacle Makers - 01954 231545 66 Amber Health - 01462 490141 44 Amy’s Hair Salon - 01763 262246 26 Architectural Designers & Planning - 01920 821818 26 Ashton Renovations - 01763 290335 4 Austral Crosby - 01763 222111 24 B.A. Hydro Solutions - 01763 262726 28 Bannold landscaping materials - 01954 231666 28 Bed Store - 01763 247490 72 Boiler Juice / Heating Oil Suppliers - 0800 151 3135 60 Bumpkins Day Nursery - 01223 208777 32 Bury Lane Farm Shop - 01763 260418 42 Bury Lane Fun Barn - 01763 260418 65 Cambourne Self Storage - 01767 676189 70 Cambridge Building Society - 01763 217510 52 Cambridge Roofers - 01223 782382 40 Cambswood / Fencing & Timber - 01763 208000 31 Cambswood / Fuel Stockists - 01763 208000 22 Carters Shoes / Quality Leather Footwear - 01223 264930 56 Chris Hornby / Mortgage Adviser - 07850 825291 61 Chris Thomas /Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning - 07830 227138 18 CHS / Local Community Services - 01763 260564 66 CSL Cheap Storage Ltd - 01763 262344 68 Dan Alder - Professional Decorating - 01763 290339 68 Ely Design Group / Architectural Drawings - 01353 649649 58 ESSE - 01763 261000 48 Fieldgate Nurseries / Fruit & Vegetables - 01763 260737 42 Frog End pet Supplies - 01763 263342 62 Garden Design Solutions - 01763 263231 8 Granta Montessori School - 01223 502992 26 Greenlow Kennels - 01763 260624 2 Home Store - 01763 245888 72 Jazzercise / Body Workout - 07963 161246 16 Jeremy Ashworth / Property Maintenance - 07815 093166 50 Jeremy Rule / Funeral Service - 01763 242560 42 Julie Newby / Beauty & Holistic Therapist - 01763 208387 62 Kathleen Harry Osteopath - 01763 261716 34 Langford Windows - 01462 701828 66 Langham Press - 01223 870266 40 Law Storage Ltd - 01223 874629 63 Leech & Sons / Master Butchers - 01763 260255 54 Little Hands Nursery School - 01763 260964 43 Mandy Thornton / Counselling & Support - 01763 208516 34

Advertisers

Page number

Maternity Boutique / School Uniform Shop - 01763 208000 Mel-Bourn2Swim / Pool Parties - 01763 262344 Melbourn Buildings & Fencing Suppliers - 01763 263336 Melbourn Community Hall - 01763 223320 Melbourn Dental Practice - 01763 262034 Melbourn Flooring & Interiors - 01763 262413 Melbourn Garage - 01763 263344 Melbourn HUB - 01763 263303 Melbourn Ironing Service - 01763 220996 Millside Cabinet Makers - 01763 261870 M&M Books - 01763 849789 M&M Furniture - 01763 256722 Modern Historic - 01920 822969 Moncraft / PC Repairs & Installation - 01223 208529 Nancy Foster Footcare - 01763 261250 NCB Electrical/Maintence & installations - 01763 220855 Newlings of Royston / Funeral Services - 01763 242375 Norburys / Building & Landscape Supplies - 01763 261740 Oven Clean / Cleaning Specialist - 07513 439604 Phillimore Garden Centre - 01763 260537 PL Cooper / Flooring Specialists - 01763 260918 Prince Property / Property Improvements - 01763 269565 Projects4 Roofing / Flat Roof - 01223 258049 Projects4Roofing / Roofing Specialist - 01223 258049 Red Lion / Hotel & Restaurant - 01223 832115 Rothwell’s Carpet Cleaning - 07545 962026 Sage / Blinds & Interiors - 01763 787464 Simon Robinson / Bespoke Picture Framers - 01223 873123 South Cambs Motors / Servicing & Repairs - 01763 260246 St Georges Nursing Home - 01763 242243 Summit / Landscape Gardeners - 01223 929394 Taylor & Co /Chartered Accountants - 01763 248585 The Black Horse - 01763 262136 The Letting Centre / Property Management - 01763 263039 The Old School Studio / Painting Classes - 01223 833064 The Sheene Mill - 01763 261393 The Spice Hut / Indian Takeaway - 01763 262425 TTP Group - 01763 262626 Tucker Gardner - 01223 845240 Urban Plastics / Plumbing Suppliers - 07815 093166 Walnut Medical - 01763 223223 Wrights Mower Centre / Garden Machinery - 01763 263393 Writing Circles - melissafu.com You Aspire / Accountants - 01223 929150

65 60 64 20 12 69 70 43 2 28 22 58 31 26 18 44 56 66 61 2 62 16 8 20 52 63 8 70 54 42 52 58 64 44 44 48 34 12 32 50 24 54 58 8

melbournmagazine

MAGAZINE ADVERTISERS

The Melbourn magazine team would like to thank all our advertisers for their support and sponsorship

Kitchens Bathrooms Tiles Carpets & Flooring

A stress free personal service to local retail and trade customers

01763 245888

Opening Hours Mon - Fri: 7.30am - 5.00pm Sat: 9.00am - 5.00pm Sunday: by appointment only Unit 5 South Close, Royston, Herts, SG8 5UH (Ample FREE parking)

info@roystonhomestore.co.uk

www.roystonhomestore.co.uk

4 Large Showrooms Free Design Service All Budgets & Tastes Catered For Fitting Service Available

In conjunction with

BED

Mattresses Divans Bed Frames Headboards Furniture Childrens

Bedstore is an independent family run business with one aim: to offer a quality product and unique service to the local community in a personal non sales pressure environment.

01763 247490

This is reflected in the high level of Customers that come from recommendation. Why not visit the showroom and see for yourself, Kevin & Abby are on hand to help you get a better nights sleep Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bunk & cabin beds

Opening Hours Mon - Fri: 9.00am - 5.00pm Sat: 9.00am - 5.00pm Sunday: Closed

Pillows in stock

First Floor, Unit 5 South Close, Royston, Herts, SG8 5UH (Ample FREE parking) info@roystonbedstore.co.uk

Delivery & Collection Available

www.roystonbedstore.co.uk

Find us on Facebook

Printed by The Langham Press

In conjunction with