PARISH NEWS. covering SHILLINGTON, PEGSDON & HIGHAM GOBION

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1 PARISH NEWS covering SHILLINGTON, PEGSDON & HIGHAM GOBION Photo reproduced from the Village Archive Collection held by Jan & Peter Watts on behalf of the Parish Council. We are always pleased to receive photos to add to this wonderful collection. Frank Ansell is driving the four wheeled cart. The small boy on the left is Dick Hillyard photographed in High Road in Issue February 2017 Deadline for April edition Friday, 31 st March 2017

2 CBC DRAFT LOCAL PLAN PARISH COUNCIL We have received notification from Central Bedfordshire Council that they are intending to hold back on the process of publishing their draft Local Plan for consultation. After consulting earlier in 2016 on the potential Growth Options for Central Bedfordshire through the Shaping Central Bedfordshire publication they were aiming to consult in the New Year on a first draft of the Local Plan. However, you may be aware that the Government intended to announce a Housing White Paper at the same time as the Autumn Statement, but this was delayed and it is now expected to be published in the same time frame as CBC intended to publish the draft Local Plan for consultation. This change has resulted in a situation where they would be unable to satisfactorily deal with any of the implications that may come with this announcement. Whilst CBC cannot be certain at this stage what these implications might be for Central Bedfordshire they do recognise that there is the potential for significant changes in relation to housing numbers and the manner in which Local Plans need to be developed to ensure they are found sound. CBC have concluded (as have other Local Authorities across the UK) that it would be inappropriate to continue with the planned publication of their draft Local Plan. The process undertaken to get to this point has been thorough and robust and whilst disappointing that the Plan cannot be released within original timescales, holding back at this stage is the right decision and will allow CBC to ensure they can react to the changes in the White Paper without undermining the process to this point. This is regarded as only as a temporary suspension in the process and CBC remain confident that they will be able to deliver a draft Plan in Work will continue on the Plan and the emphasis of this work will remain around ensuring it delivers sustainable high quality development supported by the necessary infrastructure. The community planning work will also continue and this pause should allow CBC to complete this before the release of the draft Plan and will allow an assessment of this work to be started. If you have any concerns please refer to localplan@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or check the Council s website to keep up-to-date with progress and timescales. VILLAGE SIGN Parish Councillors were very pleased and grateful to hear that the Men s Club has decided to present their annual donation towards the provision of a village sign. This sign is something we have discussed in the past and now that we have a more identifiable Village Green and enough money in the pot (with donations mainly from the annual old picture shows) we will be looking at designing and constructing something suitable during the course of the year.

3 Earlier avenues to identify a suitable design were not very successful, so we invite you to forward your design on what you consider might be appropriate, considering our considerable village history. There will of course be a prize for the winning entry, which will be judged by Parish Councillors. All entries should be submitted by Friday, 3 rd March either via the Village Hall letter box or by to ed4shillingtonnews@btinternet.com. Please make sure your contact details are included with your submission. The winning entry/winner will be published in the April magazine. NEW COMMUNITY BUILDING Meetings have continued with NHH/Rowan Homes and their architects to incorporate all of the elements considered essential to produce a cost-effective and efficient building for the future benefit of our village. Copies of this latest plan are now available through Parish Council, Village Hall notice board or posted on the Shillington website. The building remains as single storey, but with the addition of a gym and two meeting rooms with a folding wall which can be opened out to double up as a work out room for Zumba/Pilates/Dancing or Fitness classes. The bar/lounge area has also been increased in size for social gatherings/coffee bar for mums/school visitors/footballing parents, etc. Just before Xmas a meeting took place with the manager of the Silsoe Community Centre, who also runs Flitwick Leisure Centre and is employed by Stevenage Leisure a management company running a number of leisure facilities in the area. She was very pleased to be able to view our plans for the new building and make suggestions which have been taken into account by the architects in the latest plan. We have forwarded her the plans and are now awaiting further meetings with their senior management, to see if they will consider running our building similar to other facilities and if they can offer any financial support in terms of gym equipment, lockers, etc.. What we are still awaiting is a detailed breakdown from NHH/Rowan of all the costings involved for this new facility. We know there is a shortfall in funding and costs will have increased taking the above modifications into account. However, we have yet to see the revised plans to increase the number of houses in High Road, which will bring in additional S106 monies to add to the pot. Once these costs are available then we will be looking at additional funding options available i.e. lottery, Sports England, etc. For all Parish Council issues please contact: Mrs. K. Cousins, Clerk to the Parish Council 20A Vicarage Close, Shillington, Hitchin, Herts, SG5 3LS shilling1@talk21.com website:

4 ANNOUNCEMENTS / ITEMS / NEWS IN BRIEF Beryl Lawrence and family would like to thank everyone who sent beautiful floral tributes and cards. Also for donations of to the new Meppershall Nursing Home where the money will go towards a garden bench in memory of Tom. Shillington Baby & Toddler Group needs you! We are looking for volunteers to help with our local friendly baby and toddler group held in the Shillington Village Hall on Friday mornings. The group has been running for over 30 years and we need your help to keep this fantastic community resource available. If you have a couple of hours to spare on a Friday morning to help our volunteer team look after this lovely group, please call Katie on or shillingtonbabyandtoddlergroup@outlook.com Alternatively, come and see us in the Village Hall between am on a Friday and one of our volunteer mums will be happy to give you more information. Make friends and help a good cause at the same time! (Registered Charity: ) Hilltop, Clophill Gentle Aquasize sessions on Thursday afternoons at 3.00pm - 45 minute classes For further information please contact: Sabina: or Margaret: Every year I travel from Yorkshire to visit my brother who lives in the Liberal Hall in Church Street for Halloween. We really enjoy the visits we get from all the children that live in the village and this year was busier than usual with around 100 children and their parents visiting us, dressed in Halloween costumes with faces made up. Dunking for apples, pulling sweets out the flour bowls with their teeth and generally being frightened of costumes (that s us not the children). We would just like to say thank you to all of those that visited us and to ask that if they have any photos would they please let us have a copy by putting one through the letterbox. Looking forward to Halloween 2017 already and wishing you all a healthy Christine The Layton family would like to thank the anonymous donor who has remembered Max around November time on a number of occasions. Your generosity has been a wonderful surprise, touched our hearts and been truly helpful. We hope you see this notice of thanks!

5 ALL SAINTS NEWS or follow us on Facebook Parish Priest: Rev d Richard Winslade ( ) richardrev@btinternet.com (Day off on Fridays) There are currently no churchwardens in post. Please speak to Revd. Richard or a member of the PCC if you have any queries concerning church matters. Church Services: 9.30am Sung Eucharist - every 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Sunday. On 5 th Sunday some services are held jointly with the Congregational Church at alternate venues. 1 st Sunday of the month: 9.30 am A non-eucharistic, Family Service pm - Choral Evensong For details of all our services and for PCC members contact details, please see our website or the church notice board. Sunday Club: Unfortunately, at present, we are not able to run a Sunday Club. We welcome children to all our services and have a play area available. From the Registers: Burials 5 th November Thomas Lawrence (cremation) Baptism 27 th November Matilda Olivia Jones 200 CLUB WINNERS DECEMBER 2016 JANUARY st Roger Barnard 1 st Kelly Blankley 2 nd Mark Lambert 2 nd 25 1 Liz Carboni 3 rd Dianne Collins 3 rd Tony Bird

6 ALL SAINTS ILLUMINATED To celebrate or commemorate your special occasion please contact: (Catherine) It only costs 25 to sponsor a whole week s illumination a perfect way to commemorate a special family occasion or loved one s anniversary. The ideal gift for the person who has everything. Sponsor Message From To The Family In fond memory of Catherine & Ernest Simkins. Married at Higham Gobion church 70 years ago on 29th January A white wedding in feet of snow. Sunday 29 th January Saturday 4 th February The Family In memory of Owen West, a precious little boy who was taken from us 13 years ago. Miss you. love always Mummy, Daddy, Jamie-Leigh and grandparents xxxxx Sunday 19 th February Saturday 25 th February Pamela & Daren Bakewell Julia West's birthday on 20th February. Remembered and missed so much everyday Love Pamela and Daren Sunday 19 th February Saturday 25 th February David & Fiona Howarth Margaret Howarth - remembering your birthday on the 11th March Sunday 6 th March Saturday 12 th March SHILLINGTON SHORT MAT BOWLS Members enjoyed their Christmas celebrations with an excellent meal at the Bedford Swan Hotel in mid December. Club funds provided some fine raffle prizes and free travel to and from Bedford. Our two teams competing in the Beds and Herts winter league at Wilstead are up against some keen opposition and are currently holding 2nd and 4th place. Our current internal league competition is running well and really helps to attract good attendances for club sessions. Members start their annual cup competition in February and are looking forward to a friendly match with our friends from Letchworth which is coming up soon. A reminder for members that through to the end of March, session times are: 2-5pm on Mondays and 7 10pm on Fridays. For more information contact: Jeff Rix on or John Clark on

7 WOMEN S INSTITUTE After the Christmas Festivities, we met back on the 12 th January to a Fish and Chip supper and our AGM. It was an enjoyable social occasion and gave everybody a chance to catch up before we got down to business. Our President, Jenny Kingsnorth, has decided to step down from office and she was presented with a gift as we are all very grateful to her for her hard work and dedication during her term in office as our President. We are pleased to say that she has agreed to continue to lead our Walking Group who meet on the first Wednesday of the month, starting on the 1st March meeting at a.m. at the Musgrave Arms. We are now very pleased to welcome Liz Brewer as President and she will lead the re-formed committee and our Group into the next year of events and meetings. We would like to thank everyone for their support throughout On February 3 rd we will be paying our subs for the year and our new programme will be out with all the details of the meetings for the year ahead. We will welcome Debbie Horseman who will be talking to us about Shackleton s Forgotten Men. Our March Meeting on 2 nd March will be Terry Penny telling us all about the Origins of Nursery Rhymes. We meet on the first Thursday evening of each month at the Congregational Church at 8.00 p.m. and have a good mix of talks, outings and social events planned for the year ahead as well as the opportunity to join in with the many events and opportunities organised by the County. We have a separate Reading Group - Lunch Club - Craft Group and Walking Group offering an even wider range of experiences for members who wish to partake. WE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!! Come and give us a try for only 3 for a visit. COME AND BE PART OF YOUR LOCAL WI and enjoy friendship, support and a varied and interesting programme both locally and at County level. For more information call Liz on or Jill on

8 December/January events: SHILLINGTON MEN S CLUB (Now in its 12 th Year) Since our last report 32 members attended our annual Christmas Party on the evening of the 14th December. This was held at the Mount Pleasant Golf Club, Lower Stondon and was hailed as a great success. Members enjoyed a superb 3 course festive meal cooked by the chef, who received a rousing ovation from the members for the effort he had put in. Santa arrived during the meal and distributed a small gift to all members along with some festive banter which was very well received by the members. Finally, the evening finished with members joining in a rendition of a couple of Christmas carols which got everyone in a festive mood ready for the forthcoming celebrations. Many thanks to Tony Bird and Michael Bradley for organising this memorable event. On the evening of the 11 th January 24 members attended our first evening meal of 2017 at the Green Man at Stanford. Members enjoyed a 2 course meal of Fish, Chips and Peas followed by individually baked apple crumble and custard, both courses were very appetising and were well received by members. Many thanks to Graham Williams for organising this event. On the evening of the 27 th January members attended the Annual General Meeting of the Club at the Congregational Church. Next events will be an evening meal at the Dog and Badger at Maulden on 8 th February. On the 22 nd February there is a planned visit to Bedfordshire police headquarters. The Club now has 37 members. New members are made most welcome so why not come along to one of our events or meals as a sample, this is a great way for newcomers to the village to meet people and engage in village life. Membership is only 5 to join and an annual membership fee of 10. For further information please contact: Michael Bradley michael894bradley@btinternet.com or Graham Williams coberley59@btinternet.com

9 A big Thank you I would like to thank anyone who supported our recent Christmas Tree Festival in any way - all those who displayed trees or other arrangements; all those whose gave raffle prizes, all those who gave cakes and other items for the refreshments, and especially all those people who visited the festival over the weekend without you it would not have been worthwhile. The beautifully decorated trees and stunning floral arrangements were appreciated by all, and it was an especial joy to have so many young people with us the Hitchin Beavers on Saturday and joining us for Sunday morning worship, and Shillington Rainbows coming along to our Sunday evening service and entertaining us with their singing. Thank you all. On Sunday 8th January, we were able to hand over to Lydia, a representative from Sense, a cheque for the total proceeds of the festival. Lydia told us in what ways the money might be used to help those who are deafblind and their families. Sense is not a well-known charity so it was good to raise their profile also. So thank you to all of you who helped make this possible. Nola McCormick Shillington Congregational Church Here at Alzheimer s Society, we want to connect to as many people as possible who are affected by dementia. In rural areas, this can often be hard to get our message out there which is, we are here for you. As a result of the difficulties faced from rural areas, we are currently looking for volunteers to help raise awareness of Dementia and Alzheimer s Society in their local areas. This can be achieved by ensuring local GP s, health centres, community centres and even local shops have up to date information about us and Dementia. The role would involve supplying these places with the information through the forms of posters etc. that would be supplied to you by our Services Manager. The Services Manager will be managing you to ensure you have the resources available to raise awareness of Dementia and Alzheimer s Society. The volunteering opportunity has no fixed hours and can be done in your own spare time where available. If the opportunity is of interest to yourself and you would like to speak about it in more detail, then please do feel free to Joshua.Pearce@alzheimers.org.uk

10 MERRY DAY CENTRE OPENING ON THE 22 nd FEBRUARY 2017 Village Hall, 35 High Road, Shillington, Hitchin, SG5 3LL WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES Opening times: every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday From 10am to 3pm. We offer a free taster day to anyone who is interested in coming to Merry Day Centre. This enables new clients and their loved ones to come and join us for the day, take part in our activities and enjoy a three course lunch. Social services may be able to assist you with funding and it may be worth contacting them to see if you are eligible. We also welcome private payers and those with personal budgets. Transport is available at a reasonable cost if required. Disabled access Plenty of parking Contact: Dave Mary Volunteers are welcomed. davidnorthall48@gmail.com

11 c CLEAN DIRT By Revd. Angus McCormick Minister of Shillington Congregationalist Church This is the time when we hear many expressions used to describe the weather, though they often sound as if they could equally apply to how we describe people in our unkind moments murky, unsettled, changeable, dirty. Children love to find puddles to splash in. It s amazing how far they can make the effects of the smallest puddle reach when they put their whole effort into it! Then there is the kerb puddle game, when you see if you can manage to avoid being splashed by passing vehicles to wait or to go on quickly, that is the question. Of course, maybe you have no choice but to get soaked wrong place, wrong time. On one side of the road in our village, you can enjoy the close company of those waiting for the bus in a bus shelter when it s raining heavily. One bus shelter has been cleverly set up back to front so that you could miss the bus if you re not quick enough to get round from the back! No doubt it s the umbrella owners who use the other side of the road with no shelters, not standing too close together so as not to get their eyes poked out. Only two can stand on one of the stops anyway. Our two rough collie dogs loved the rain or rivers and especially loved sharing their drying out process as close to their owners as possible. The splashes of mud can make a mess, and so many people now take their shoes off before going into houses. It reminds me of the boots left at the farmhouse doors signs of hard work. My father used the soil in the fields to rub on any cuts he got in order to clean them. After all, the soil was good enough to grow our crops. Well, he lived to a great age but now we are so careful and use so many chemicals to be clean. Is there clean dirt? Symbolically Jesus seems to suggest that the dust he washed off his disciples feet was clean dirt because they were going about, doing his work. So in a sense, as long as we are doing good work, helping others, any dirt we get in doing this is clean. Closer inspection of my pullover at times might show a trace of chocolate surely a sign I ve been helping the local economy. I hope all the dirt we pick up is clean. God bless. Angus

12 Sunday Worship: CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NEWS 47 Church Street, Shillington Our Church is open every Sunday for worship at 10.30am. A warm welcome is extended to everyone who wishes to join us on a Sunday morning. Details of who is leading the service each week can be found in the village calendar. Womens World Day of Prayer: On Friday 3 March over 5,000 services will be held in the British Isles on the theme of Am I Being Unfair to You? The Christian women of the Philippines have written the service and it has been translated into 1,000 different languages and dialects, to be used throughout the whole world starting at sunrise over the island of Samoa and continuing until sunset off the coast of American Samoa. In 2013, typhoon Haiyan named locally as Yolanda struck the Philippine islands in the western Pacific Ocean. This is mentioned in the service but you will also hear the stories of a girl, a mother and an older woman, recounting their situations and their hopes and fears. The service focusses on the Bible story of the workers in the vineyard: Matthew 20 v The service in Shillington will be held in the Congregational Church at 7.30pm on Friday 3 March and is open to everyone, including young people and men not just women! We look forward to welcoming you. Socials: The dates for the next Saturday Socials are as follows: 18 February 18 March 22 April Dinner with Friends A night with Elvis Merv Guitar and Vocals All the socials start at 7.00pm so don t be late! Each social starts with a meal and if you wish to know the menu or book a seat please contact Angela on Lunch Club: The Lunch Club is suspended until further notice. Craft Club: The next meeting dates are as follows: 7 & 21 February / 7 & 21 March / 4 & 18 April - between 2pm and 4pm. Visitors always welcome. For further details please contact Janet Worley. Tel:

13 CBC WARD MEMBER S REPORT for Shillington, Higham Gobion and Pegsdon Alison.Graham@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Local news first; the application for two houses on the Noah's Ark site was rejected by Highways because of the unacceptable access to Bury Road. A renewed application with minor changes has gone in. We shall see. Churned up verges on the High Road are the result of the drainage board's schedule bringing Shillington's time for ditch dredging round; the areas will be flattened and re seeded, when the cut is finished before March when the nesting season begins. Dredging will take place after that. Nothing will change re bus services until after April, and I shall be involved in the changes when they do materialise, to protect our villages. As you may have read, CBC has paused work on its Local Plan, since central government is still changing the parameters, and any further work by CBC may only have to be altered later, so the short list of viable land for development will not now be made until the summer. Council tax is set to rise and you may be wondering what you will get for your money; however CBC spends over a third of its annual budget on social care, and the extra precept allowance this year has to be ringfenced for this; much will go to pay the new living wage to careworkers. The rest of the precept is to maintain the services CBC currently provides. (By the way, if you have damage to your vehicle as a result of a Highways pothole, photo the hole and you can apply to CBC for compensation.) The Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes Sustainable Transformation Plan (BLMK STP) will be important for us all, this year. The NHS crisis could be reduced if the 44 national STPs enable us to stay well and, when necessary, get help within our own communities. CBC is looking to create local hubs where medicine, nursing, pharmaceutical, keep fit and associated aids to our health, will all come together under one roof. Our nearest such centre would be Flitwick. There is also discussion over introducing mobile paramedics and community nurses. This seems sensible to me, while more provision for social care in our community is provided. Lastly, I attended the Police Rural Crime conference in December, and heard that all CBC wards now have a named police constable, one dedicated to each ward, who is now the first contact for parish councils and residents, and two-way communication between parish councils and the force is to be resumed. The number of special constables is to rise, aiming to create rural specials, when numbers are appropriate. The new PCC, Kathryn Holloway, is herself a village resident. She fully understands and is addressing, our needs and grumbles. On that positive note I shall end, but please don't hesitate to contact me on or me at Alison.Graham@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk and I'll get back to you. Best wishes, Alison Graham. (PS, I've seen the first snowdrops!)

14 RAMBLING ON Derek Turner Stand at the back of the church tower on a clear day and you will see a range of hills on the horizon stretching from the left beyond Ampthill across to the television mast on the plateau above Sandy to the right. This is the Greensand Ridge, created when a set of underwater sand dunes formed in an ancient, shallow, tropical sea that covered part of Bedfordshire when global warming melted polar ice caps causing sea levels to rise. In the 115 million years since then, much of the sand has solidified to make a rock that has resisted erosion. The area stands higher than the clay vales on either side. I mention this because a new project has just begun to help people find out more about the distinct qualities of the Greensand Ridge or Greensand Country as it will be marketed. The area is mostly in Bedfordshire, beginning near Leighton Buzzard and petering out some 35 miles away near Potton. It s rarely more than 4 miles wide but is often marked by a steep scarp slope on its north side. Drive back from Bedford on the A6 and you re aware of it as you climb after the Houghton Conquest turn or on the A600 between Cotton End and Haynes. The highest point is at Bow Brickhill Heath (just in Buckinghamshire) at 171 metres above sea level which is comparable with the elevation of Deacon Hill at Pegsdon (172 metres). For comparison, Shillington church stands at a mere 70 metres. The soils above the sands were infertile and much was once covered with heathland where only specialised plants like heather, gorse and broom grow well. Early farmers found that crops grew poorly on the high ground and the heaths were left for rough grazing, but few remain now. The largest is at Cooper s Hill in Ampthill. Go there when plants are flowering and you can imagine how beautiful the Ridge would once have looked when the heathlands stretched for miles and miles. There were once few settlements and travellers crossing the Ridge faced the risk of encountering highwaymen. Some towns and villages have grown up, but usually favour locations at the side of the Ridge in sheltered valleys where water is more readily available. For farmers, artificial fertilisers have made up for the lack of natural nutrients and the light, well-drained soils can grow good crops if rainfall is adequate during the spring. However, some of the steepest, highest and most exposed parts of the Ridge and areas capped by clay have been left for trees to grow or been planted, often with conifers. Rowney Warren, Chicksands Wood and Maulden Wood make fine walking areas for us Shillington folk living in a parish with little woodland cover. In the 11th to the 13th centuries, religious communities sought peaceful locations and found them here establishing abbeys at Woburn, Chicksands and Old Warden. The lack of villages also meant that the area has also attracted wealthy landowners keen to acquire large areas of land for constructing mansions and creating parks as at Rushmere, Woburn (on the site of the abbey) and Ampthill and estates such as The Lodge, Sandy (home of the RSPB) which all have degrees of public access today. Other parks remain private as at Haynes, Southill and Everton. The sandy soils have their limitations but one advantage is that useful minerals lie beneath them. The hardest strata in the Greensand make good building stone and All Saints is one of many churches along and on either side of the Ridge that makes good use of it.

15 The blocks have been dressed into regular shapes so they could be laid like large bricks. Where did they come from? There are no records but my money would be on one of the Clophill quarries. Surprisingly, the stone is used in very few houses and the nearest to us is Gravenhurst Lodge on the Wrest Park estate. There are a handful in Potton, Leighton Buzzard and Heath and Reach and odd ones elsewhere, often utilising thin and irregular pieces of stone laid diagonally in courses but sometimes quite randomly. Presumably, only the Churches could afford the best stone. Hundreds of people must have been involved in quarrying it from pits scattered along the Ridge from the 12th through to the 20th century, but not any more. Stone is only available now in small quantities as a by-product at surviving quarries which means that constructing new buildings from it is not easy or cheap. Nonetheless, a careful search in villages like Clophill will reveal a few modern homes that include small panels of it in the walls or in gardens. Nowadays, the quarries concentrate on extracting loose sand - some of which is very high grade and has considerably more value than the stone. With mechanisation, comparatively few jobs exist in the industry today. Because parts of the area s character have been diluted by unsympathetic development and some of the heaths, woods and parks have deteriorated, the Heritage Lottery Fund is contributing substantial funding for the Greensand Countryside Landscape Partnership. This will use education, training and grants to give landowners, contractors and volunteers the skills to restore and manage these important elements of the scenery and valuable wildlife habitats. There will be events in schools and in towns and villages to raise the area s profile, as well as improvements to paths and areas to facilitate access by local people and to promote the area to tourists. You ll hear more about Greensand Country during the next three years. For more information, go to LITTER PICKING For those of us who don t like seeing Shillington spoiled by unsightly rubbish, I am making arrangements for another litter picking event during the weekend of 18th and 19th of February. Excellent turnouts in the past have enabled us to cover most of the roads around the village, some of the field paths and the hedges around the playing field with upwards of 50 bags of rubbish and some larger items collected each time. We have been supported by others who have cleaned near their homes and put the waste and recyclable materials in their own bins. If you are able to help this year, please get in touch with me to discuss what you need, where you d like to work and how to do so safely. I hope you can join me and look forward to hearing from you. Derek Turner derek.turner@phonecoop.coop

16 PLOUGHING ON.A Farmer s Perspective! by Whizz T. C. Shaw & Sons Thirty years ago, when I was a pupil at Hexton School, I vividly remember being the only person who managed to get to school in the snow. I woke up to find a thick carpet of snow and was so excited about being able to have the day off and play in the snow for hours and hours. My father, however, had different ideas and off we went on the school run on the snow plough! Funnily enough nobody else did the same thing and school was closed, so we swiftly turned around and came home again. Last week we had around 2cm of snow up here on the farm, with even less down in Hexton. The roads were appalling and it was complete chaos. There was a combination of cars driving incredibly slowly and those who were getting frustrated, trying to overtake and race off into the distance. A dangerous mix and one that is unnecessary when in reality there was hardly any snow anyway. The cold weather is now set in for the next day or two and it was -4 C at the farm this morning. We have covered our vulnerable plants in the garden but thankfully it won t affect the crops. In places such as Eastern Europe, there is general concern every winter about whether their wheat crops will survive. It is thought that wheat can survive relatively easily until the soil temperature falls to around -15 C at which point, depending on how long the temperature is sustained, the crop will either become infertile or die completely. Snow acts as insulation and helps plants survive in such cold climates, but if snow doesn t fall in time then entire crops are wiped out. Out on the farm we have been chopping logs and generally tidying and clearing up, plus of course loading more grain lorries. The logs are coming in very handy at the moment, keeping us warm in the house! In the office we are getting to grips with new technology. Where we used to have to input data manually, drowning in pieces of paper, we can now transfer the same information with the click (well, several clicks actually) of a button. Unnerving to start with, it is now a great relief and is saving literally hours of time. The introduction of an ipad in the tractor and sprayer is also saving time and as we get more used to the new system we will hopefully become even more efficient. The pigeons are behaving themselves for once and haven t attacked our oilseed rape as much as they sometimes do. I walked across the field last week to scare them off but instead saw a large covey of wild English partridge. There were at least 24 birds and it was wonderful to watch; a covey this large is quite unusual. We are still waiting to hear if our application for the latest environmental scheme was successful, replacing our previous Higher Level Stewardship. The paperwork deadline was the end of September 2016 and the start date of the scheme itself was 1 st January 2017 but I was told this morning that we will have to keep waiting to find out what is happening. It seems a bit strange that we will be told after the start date but there isn t much we can do in the meantime. If we do enter into an agreement, we will have to start planning immediately. Some areas are coming out of production, some are going back in; plots are going to be sown with particular mixtures of wild bird seed; the positions of grass margins are altering slightly and the option we are most interested in is supplementary winter feeding of farmland birds. The aim is to supplement the winter food before natural sources become available in late Spring. Birds species that are expected and hoped to benefit the most are the yellowhammer, grey partridge, tree sparrow, corn bunting, linnet and turtle dove. At home the most exciting thing about the cold, wintery weather is the starry sky and the fact that we have seen Venus and Mars several times. Millie and George are fascinated and love turning all the lights off and gazing out of the windows trying to spot them. The questions asked by Millie have triggered me to try to remember the module I did in astronomy at university and it has been great reading up on the planets, moon and stars. Luckily Millie has got a brilliant children s encyclopedia on space which is now at about the limit of what I can remember!

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19 SHILLINGTON CHILDMINDERS Childminders provide safe, friendly home environments for children to play and have fun whilst gently learning through their play. We take children on outings to farms, play centres, splash parks, museums and libraries as well as teach them life skills such as helping to do shopping, gardening and cooking. We are registered with Ofsted, have public liability insurance, follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, undertake regular training including Safeguarding and First Aid and receive regular newsletters and bulletins from professional organisations. Here in Shillington, we meet up at least once a week to provide children with the opportunity to learn social skills and experience different play resources. The children get to know all the childminders and children which enables us to offer the ability to cover holidays and other absences for each other. Some of us are now able to provide up to 15 hours of free childcare a week for eligible 2 year olds, as soon as care starts, in the same way that nurseries and pre-schools can. We are also able to provide the free sessions for all 3 and 4 year olds, which normally starts the term after the child s 3rd birthday. We each have differing childcare availability such as before and after school care, daytime childcare, overnight childcare, ad-hoc care or flexible care e.g. for shift workers. To find out more about each childminder and their availability, please contact us: Laura Forgham lauraforgham@btinternet.com Jo Wright johannewright@hotmail.com Katie Brettell katie@brettells.fsnet.co.uk Carli Mauger carlimauger@gmail.com

20 Harlington Upper School News Autumn Term 2016 We have had a great Autumn term this year, and we definitely finished on a high with our sell-out musical production of Footloose. The excellent cast, supported by a superb school band, acted, danced and sang in what was a most enjoyable show. At the end of December, a team of sixth form students won the prestigious Cranfield Business Challenge coming top out of all the schools in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. Our Year 11 boys football team continued their successful run in the FA Schools National Cup by beating Rickmansworth School, Hertfordshire, 2-1, to progress to the last 16 out of 537 schools We also received the great news that we are officially world class! The school was selected by the DfE to participate in the international Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The good news is that our students compare well with students anywhere in the world. If Harlington was a country we would be ranked 2nd overall in the world with only Singapore doing better. In maths we would be ranked 6 th of the 40 counties included in the study the five countries ahead of us are all in the Far East. Supporting Gifted and Talented students has been a feature this term with visits to the Brilliant Club at Oxford University where our students received their graduation certificates for their work on the Scholars Programme, together with trips to lectures at the Natural History Museum and an Art day to learn new skills in oil painting. The students continue to raise significant sums of money for charity through the House system. This year they are supporting Keech Hospice Care, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Cancer Resaerch, Alzheimer s Society, Action for Children and the Make a Wish Foundation In December we were delighted to welcome local residents to a tea party hosted by our Sixth Form students. Everyone had a good time and we are looking forward to getting together again soon. It is also time to say goodbye to two members of staff. Miss Atkins, Head of Sixth Form, is leaving to take up an Assistant Headship after 10 years at Harlington. Miss Rolph, Pastoral Support Assistant, is also leaving the Europa/Theseus House team to embark on a year of travelling. We wish both departing colleagues best wishes and good luck for the future. Much more has happened than we have space to report here, but we are trying to capture and share the many events at Harlington through Twitter. We also tweet important notices, so please follow Our Facebook page can be found at Shawn Fell Headteacher

21 Zumba Classes SHILLINGTON VILLAGE HALL One Class at 6.15 pm and one class at 7.30pm. Classes cost 6 per person and last for one hour. 'Zumba' is a Music driven exercise class. There will be short breaks between each track to get your breath back and to get a drink of water. At the moment I run two Zumba classes in Hitchin on a Monday. If anyone is interested in me continuing with a Zumba Class in Shillington, perhaps they could contact me by telephone on or by at zumba.robert@hotmail.co.uk My Zumba Classes are for all ages and abilities from compete novice to expert. Participants work at their own level - they slow down or rest as they need to. Movement to music is a great way to improve fitness, make friends and to release endorphins. I am looking forward to Zumba classes in Shillington Village Hall and just need people to let me know if there is anyone who would consider coming to either class? Suffering with back pain or an injury, or simply looking to be more flexible and stronger? Did you know.. Pilates is a low impact exercise which helps strengthen your core muscles which can eliminate joint pain. Pilates also helps tone your body and lower stress levels. If you would be interested in attending a Pilates class at Shillington Village Hall, or working on a 1:1 basis in the comfort of your own home, please or telephone your interest to : leigh@pilates34.co.uk or / Classes are limited to 12 people to ensure each individual has their personal targets met.

22 PARKING IN SHILLINGTON continued. Ron Bradstreet Further to my last two articles, I have made a concerted effort to try to establish the rules controlling parking on the footway and the way the police apply them. Summarising the police attitude to parking is difficult because different answers emerge when the same questions are put to various police officers. I get the impression that the police want to transfer parking enforcement to the local authority but can t make it happen. I agree that the whole difficult business of enforcing parking law should be the responsibility of the local authority, as it is in London. Certainly there is statutory authority for it under the Traffic Management Act 2004, but I am not aware that this has been applied anywhere in Shillington. Therefore it is left to the police. We are left, therefore, with a situation that is confused to say the least. It is clear that the average car owner and footway (pavement) user have a very limited idea what is legally right or wrong when it comes to parking on the footway. So let me try to clarify matters by passing on what I have unearthed since the last article. It is not an offence to park on the footway as long as the vehicle is not causing an obstruction or danger. Most police forces consider that causing a mobility scooter, a partially sighted person, or an adult with a child, to walk in the often busy roadway, is causing an obstruction. There is also an argument about justifying the necessity to park on the footway if there is somewhere else to park which does not involve inconvenience to pedestrians. It is an offence to drive on the footway (so how does a vehicle get there?). It is also an offence to discriminate against disabled persons. If a non-disabled person can pass a parked vehicle but a disabled person cannot, that is discrimination. Parking is one of the biggest causes of friction between neighbours, so to avoid involving the police and upsetting others, the simple rule is to leave at least a metre gap on the footway for others to pass. That should avoid aggravation and provide a quieter life for us all. Those who still have problems are best advised to take a photograph of the offending vehicle in colour, showing its position, number plate and make and send it to the Chief Constable with a covering letter complaining. Bedfordshire County Council is being very co-operative with regard to enforcement of yellow lines. They have told me that the number of visits to Shillington by enforcement officers, in both marked and unmarked cars, has been increased and Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued. The number of visits will continue to increase as more yellow lines are installed. The procedure for a Council PCN is important as it involves bailiffs. If a PCN is issued and there is no appeal or payment, the PCN will be sent to the Traffic Enforcement Centre and they issue a Warrant of Control. This is then passed to the Council s contracted Enforcement Agency (Bailiff) who then has details of the vehicle, which makes detection and clamping fairly straight forward. Those issued with PCNs should be aware of this.

23 USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford Bedfordshire, SG17 5TQ. ( General enquiries Highways Dog Fouling/animal welfare Flooding Planning Recycling/Flytipping Police (Emergency). 999 Bedfordshire Police (non emergency calls, but to report incidents) Police SNT Ampthill & Flitwick Bus Information or John Clark Angus McCormick Parish Councillors contact details: Tracey Forsyth via the Clerk David Mott Alison Graham David Simkins Tony Howells Sally Stapleton Ben Jepps Derek Turner

24 PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECISIONS from CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL: CB/16/02547/FULL. Mr & Mrs A Whiteley, The Hovel, 57 Hanscombe End Road Retrospective Permission for: The retention of 2 no roof lights on the south west elevation not included on original planning permission CB/12/00057/Full and Listed Building approval CB/12/00059/LB together with approval of type of rooflight installed APPROVED CB/16/02549/LB. Mr & Mrs A Whiteley, The Hovel, 57 Hanscombe End Road Listed Building: retrospective permission for the retention of 2 no roof lights on the south west elevation not included on original planning permission CB/12/00057/Full and Listed Building approval CB/12/00059/LB together with approval of type of rooflight installed APPROVED CB/16/04457/LB. Mr & Mrs J Butler, 3 The Old School, Church Street Listed Building: Refurbishment of 4 No. existing dormer windows, replace all rotted timber sections, replace existing window frames with new double glazed timber frames. APPROVED CB/16/05447/FULL. Mrs A Nicholls, Hanscombe Boarding Cattery, 26 Hanscombe End Road Erection of building for use as a Kennel Keepers Room (Retrospective application) APPROVED CB/16/05540/FULL. Mr K Conroy, 2 Upton End Road Insertion of front dormer to garage roof. APPROVED CB/16/05829/FULL. Mr & Mrs Scleater, 4 Chibley Cottages, Stondon Road Single storey side extension and single storey rear extension. APPROVED NEW/REVISED APPLICATIONS: CB/16/05786/FULL. Mr & Mrs M Smith, Lindisfarne, 33A High Road Creation of first floor to bungalow with single storey front and side extension. Balcony over side extension and new detached garage following demolition of existing garage. Extension of existing crossover to High Road. CB/17/00048/FULL. Mr & Mrs J Lucas, Beech Tree House, 66B Bury Road Single storey side extension. CB/17/00179/FULL & CB/17/00180/LB. Mrs Hanscombe, Green Farm, Hanscombe End Single story side extension CB/17/00307/FULL. Mr C Sherry, 129 Bury Road Single & two storey side extensions with garage conversion and internal alterations.

25 USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS ENERGY/WATER COMPANIES CBC s trading standards department has provided the following numbers, which will assist residents to identify doorstep cold callers, who purport to be from energy or water companies, and enable checks with the relevant organisation, where there is any reason for concern. British Gas General Enquiries British Gas Energy efficiency advice helpline British Gas Support to vulnerable customers British Gas Complaints Team E-ON Energy efficiency advice E-ON Complaints Team EDF Energy Customer services EDF Energy Complaints Resolution Team EDF Energy Energy efficiency helpline EDF Energy Priority Services helpline National Gas Emergency Service Helpline npower General Enquiries (landline) General Enquiries (mobile) npower npower ScottishPower Electricity and gas complaints (landline) Electricity and gas complaints (mobile) Boiler and heating complaints (landline) Energy efficiency (landline) Energy efficiency (mobile) General Customer Service (landline) General Customer Service (mobile) ScottishPower Electricity and gas complaints ScottishPower Priority Services Register (Carefree) SSE General Enquiries SSE Complaints helpline SSE Priority Services: Careline (info on services for elderly, disabled or chronically sick) Energyline (info and advice on using energy) Anglian Water UK Power Networks To report or get info on power cuts Text POWER and your postcode to National number 105

26 VILLAGE FACILITIES SHILLINGTON FOOTBALL & SOCIAL CLUB Greenfields, Shillington (FREE WiFi to Club Members) Mobile: (Mobile phone will be on 6pm-9pm Monday to Friday and all day Saturday/Sunday). Usual Opening Hours: Mon 7.30 pm : Fri 8.00 pm : Sat arranged evenings : Sun 12 til 4 pm find us on Facebook Licensed bar with variety of beers at social club prices 1 a pint less than most pubs. FREE MUSIC book parties birthdays christenings - anniversaries - reunions, etc. Regular Artistes and Fund Raising Events and a great Pool Table Fresh filter coffee while you are passing, or for a warm up after a football match. The Club is a village amenity - why not pop in for a drink or even better - become a MEMBER. SHILLINGTON VILLAGE HALL All enquiries please contact the BOOKING CLERK on (answerphone facility available) or ericandnaomisaul@btinternet.com Stage - Small Committee Room - Kitchen and Bar Facilities Disabled access & toilet. Children s Parties Discos/Dances Meetings Table Top Sales Exhibitions Keep Fit Occasional Separate Use of Car Park by Prior Arrangement only Looking for an evening venue for your organisation? SHILLINGTON SCHOOL has a large hall available for hire on weekday evenings. For further information and an opportunity to view the facility, telephone the School on