Grafham Gossipfiles.grafham.org.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/gossip/2017/17...Website: E-mail: [email protected] October 2017 2 Issue 152 Councillors John Morris, Patricia Jordan

Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected]

Grafham Gossip October 2017 1 Issue 152

Issue 153 Deadline: Midnight Thursday 12th October

Editors’ note… The nights are getting longer and the temperature colder as we turn on the heating and begin to think about lighting our fires and wood burning stoves. We look forward to seeing the autumn colours on our walks alongside the water as well as planning our harvest and hallowe’en celebrations.

We have the usual selection of interesting articles but ‘must reads‘ this month are: Parish News page 3, Memories page 5, A Strange Beast page 9 and Fungi page 11.

Please send your news, views and gossip in good time for the next deadline, midnight on Thursday 12th October. Have fun on hallowe’en!

Editors, [email protected]

Grafham Church Harvest Festival & Sharing Lunch

Sunday 1st October - 11am

You are all welcome to our Harvest Festival led by members of the congregation

Come and join in the celebration with stories, hymns and prayers

View the floral arrangements, hear the music and enjoy our usual sharing lunch afterwards

If you would like to bring some food to share, that would be lovely

We look forward to seeing you

If you have timber that can be used for the bonfire,

please deliver it to the far side of the 5 - aside pitch,

Grafham Village Hall, at 3pm on Saturday 4th November

where Simon will be in charge!

Or call Simon 07887 628528 who will collect it

on the morning of Saturday 4th.

Please make sure that there’s nothing included that is explosive or that might give off noxious fumes.

Hotdogs

Jacket potato & cheese

Jacket potato & chilli

Tomato Soup

Mulled wine

Coke (Squash free)

Admission: Admission: Admission:

Adults £4Adults £4Adults £4

5 5 5 --- 16 years £216 years £216 years £2

Under 5s Free!Under 5s Free!Under 5s Free!

Saturday 4thSaturday 4thSaturday 4th NovemberNovemberNovember

Food from 5:00Food from 5:00Food from 5:00

Fireworks 6:30Fireworks 6:30Fireworks 6:30

at the at the at the

Village HallVillage HallVillage Hall

Carousel for childrenCarousel for childrenCarousel for children

2017

Christmas Shoe Box Appeal - 2017 Can I persuade you to be part of a very

worthwhile cause and help bring a smile to underprivileged children this Christmas?

Do you have a shoebox which you could fill with goodies for underprivi-leged children this Christmas?

If you would like to be part of this very worthwhile cause run by Samaritans

Purse, please give me a call on 811577 or 07859 065 982 and I’ll be happy to deliver a leaflet to you. This is a fun and rewarding project which, as a vil-lage, we have been part of for many years now.

Once completed, shoeboxes should be returned to me no later than Friday 17

th November. Monetary

contributions are also welcome.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Kind regards, Moira Young 2 Meadowground, Grafham

01480 811577 or 07859 065 982

Contents Church Services…..…...

The Pub in Grafham…...

District/County Cllrs …....

Parish News/Cllrs.……..

Village Hall Times/Notices..

Oil Syndicate…………....

Useful Phone Numbers…..

Memories - David C………

Talking Shop…...……….

Notices…………………...

Grdning/Wildlife in Mind.....

Has the bin man bin?............

Cricket Club News…….....

A14 C/bridge to H/don……..

Adverts/Notices………….….

A Strange Beast - Mike…….

Fun Palace weekend……...

Adverts.……………….….

Fungi - Greg B..………....

Local Activities/Bbysitters..

2

2

2

3

4

4

4

5

5

6

6

6

7

7

8

9

9

10

11

12

http://www.grafham.org.uk/

mailto:[email protected]



October 2017 2 Issue 152

Councillors John Morris, Patricia Jordan and/or Peter Downes are available at the village hall from

11.15 to 11.45 on the first Saturday of alternate months, November, January and March.

At other times please contact them directly:

Peter Downes

07765 833486

peter.downes@ cambridgeshire.gov.uk

John Morris

07788 977092 john.morris@ huntingdonshire.gov.uk Twitter: @johnmbrampton

Patricia Jordan

01480 383632 patricia.jordan @

huntingdonshire.gov.uk

District Councillors County Councillor

Grafham All Saints - Services for October

24th September(4th Sunday) No Service ______________________________

1st October (1st Sunday) 11.00 Harvest Festival - Lay led

(Followed by lunch to share)

8th October (2nd Sunday) No service

15th October (3rd Sunday) 11.00 Eucharist

22nd October (4th Sunday) No Service

29th October (5th Sunday) 10.16 ‘All Together Service’ at Ellington ______________________________ 5th November (1st Sunday) 11.00 Family Service - Lay led

Contacting the Clergy Revd Jason Taylor (Rector) Rectory, 15 Church Road, Brampton PE28 4PF [email protected] 01480 453341 or 07807 118070 Revd Mike Bigg (Curate) [email protected] 07380 809377

Send your news, views,

photos, gossip and

pumpkin recipes to:

[email protected]

At last! – a bit of progress! The Pub at Grafham Limited – Community Interest Company has been successfully registered. The Directors are now in the process of opening a bank account. Once the account is open we will begin to source grant funds and will put together a share issue. With some money in the bank, the construction of the site and the building can begin. We will initially be looking to apply to the A14 project, Big Lottery and The Prince’s Countryside Trust. Please let one of us know if you have any information on other funding sources.

In the meantime – we all know this as The Pub at Grafham but it isn’t the snappiest of names is it? We thought that the village might have an opinion on a name – so it’s over to you! Best name gets a prize of one share. We are also looking for a logo, so if you have talents in that direction we would like to hear from you.

This is very much a community venture and we want your involvement to ensure you get the facility you want. We hope to be able to give you regular updates through the Gossip.

The Directors The Pub at Grafham Limited

(Contacts: Adrian Love, Kevin Sharp, Lucy Maurice, Chris Brown, Margaret Life)










tel:07807%20118070





PARISH NEWS September 2017

MEADOWGROUND

A large number of residents attended this

month’s Parish Council meeting to discuss the

notification received from the District Council

that the open ground at Meadowground is

considered to be surplus to operational requirements

and as such is to be disposed of by them. Their pre-

ferred option is for the sale to be for market housing. All

of those present voiced their opposition to this plan and

it was confirmed that the Parish Council’s stance of op-

position has not changed since a previous plan was put

forward approximately two years ago. Cllr Jonathan

Gray representing the District Council was due to at-

tend the meeting to discuss various options available to

the village, but was not able to arrive until 9.00pm, thus

the people attending the PC meeting were unable to

question him. However, when he did arrive, Cllr Gray

was very informative and helpful.

There are four options currently on the table and these

are:

1. The site is developed in accordance with a proposal

from Cllr John Morris, which is for 3 affordable

homes administered by a housing association

2. The site is sold to a private developer for the con-

struction of market housing. Capital received would

be invested in the District Council’s Commercial

Investment Strategy with the potential for a windfall

10% contribution of the purchase price to the Par-

ish Council.

3. The District Council retains the site for development

themselves, retains the properties by their property

company and lets for private rent.

4. Do nothing and leave the site as open space

Option 1 was discussed and the Parish Council were at

pains to point out that Cllr Morris was not speaking on

behalf of the Parish Council or the residents of Grafham

nor was he representing their views. This option was

least attractive.

Option 2 also provides for further development in the

village which is unwanted, a further drain on stretched

resources and unnecessary. Any financial contributions

to the Parish Council were not brought into considera-

tion

Option 3 is rejected for the same reasons as Option 2

Option 4 is Grafham’s preferred option.

Each option was fully explored with Cllr Gray and the

Parish Council put forward a further option that the

Parish Council might possibly itself raise funds to pur-

chase the site. Cllr Gray’s comments were that this

was not without the bounds of possibility although the

site would be heavily covenanted to ensure that it

remained an open space in perpetuity. The Parish

Council owns the playing field which is similarly cove-

nanted and was purchased to protect it for the village.

Cllr Gray stated that the District Council were keen to

do what is right for our community and that all consulta-

tion will be through the Parish Council (i.e. not on any

website) and that the ultimate decision is his.

Cllr Gray further assured the Parish Council that all op-

tions were open for discussion and that the District

Council were not disposed to upset the village over a

relatively small sum of money.

The Parish Council is required to submit a response to

the District Council by 26 September 2017. It was unan-

imously agreed that the response should reaffirm the

position previously taken that Meadowground should

remain as open green space.

OTHER NEWS

The Parish Council will be exploring the possibility of

obtaining advice on tree management on the playing

field.

There have been some complaints recently concerning

the state of the waste bin in the children’s playground.

Arrangements have now been put in place for this to be

emptied on a weekly basis and disposed of in the vil-

lage hall bin. It was noticed that, when the bin was last

emptied it contained several parcels of dog waste. This

is surprising as dogs are not allowed in the children’s

playground for very good health reasons, so it is puz-

zling that people would allow their dogs to foul else-

where, pick it up and bring it into the playground! In re-

sponse to this, the Parish Council will investigate the

possibility of providing a dog waste bin to be emptied by

the District Council (at a cost, of course).

The Parish Council will be granting funds to the Village

Hall Management Committee to help with the costs of

refurbishing the gents’ toilets in the hall.

The date of the next Parish Council meeting will be

Tuesday 17th October at the village hall at 7.30pm

Margaret Life, Parish Clerk

07780 119311 [email protected]

(The minutes and agendas of parish council meetings can be found on the village web site www.grafham.org.uk Ed.)

Contact Details for our Grafham Parish Councillors You may contact your parish councillors through the parish clerk or directly by using the details below.

Philip Allingham Chairman 01480 811516 [email protected]

Ian Gardener Vice Chair 01480 812821 [email protected] Andrew Duckworth [email protected]

David King 01480 812430 [email protected] Alastair Watson [email protected]

Kevin Sharp [email protected] David Anthony 01480 812622 [email protected]




http://www.grafham.org.uk













DEADLINE for the November issue Please send us all your adverts, notices,

news, views and gossip ASAP

and definitely by midnight on

Thursday 12th October to help us achieve our challenge

of delivering the paper copies

by the first of the month

Thanks, Ed [email protected]

Grafham Village Hall

Activities & Classes 2017

Mondays Yoga 10.00am

Pilates 6.30pm

Line Dancing 7.30pm

Tuesdays Pilates 9.45am

Art Club 1.30pm

Wednesdays 10.00am Little Fishes (Pre-school chil-dren)

Karate 7.30pm

Thursdays Kick Boxing 7.00pm

Saturdays Judo 10.30am

For enquiries about classes and about booking

the hall, please telephone 07711 769911

Good quality paperback books in clean condition

We love to receive your paperback books to stock our church bookstall. Please leave them in the church porch.

Paperback books in good condition

The book stall is a fantastic fund-raiser for our village church but we‘ve found that we can sell only good quality, clean paperbacks and find it difficult to lift, carry and dispose of other items.

x No

Thank you for your continued support!

Hardbacks x

Manuals x

Magazines x

Encyclopaedias x

Other items x

Yes

Volunteers required Reasonable expenses paid and full training given

Would you be able to give emotional and practical support to families and witnesses

attending Inquests?

Volunteers are required to join an existing team in Huntingdon and Peterborough Coroners’ Court.

You must be able to commit to 2 full days a month (9am-5pm) and have excellent listening

and communication skills.

For further information or an application pack, please email

[email protected] or call

07496 613623

Reg.Charity No. 1105899

Grafham Oil Syndicate

The syndicate continues to grow, keeping more money in the village.

It’s FREE to join and we must keep a bulk order attractive enough to receive a discount, so simply email Simon:

[email protected]

or call 07887 628528

Useful Phone Numbers All emergencies 999 Non-emergencies 101 Cambridge Constabulary HQ 01480 456111

Minicom for hard of hearing 01480 422493 Action Fraud 0300 123 2040

Crimestoppers 0800 555111 (anonymous)

To report anti-social behaviour in Grafham 01480 388379 or 387097 or email: [email protected] or [email protected]

To stop unwanted phone calls 08450 700707

To stop unwanted mail 08457 034599

Power cut 105 or 0800 31 63 105 or text POWER and your postcode to 80876

There are more details about some of the above

activities on page 12.






mailto:%[email protected]




These memories relate to the early 1950s and the experiences of a seven year old. At the time and at that age, I thought these door step encounters were with exotic people. I had little exposure to the world through books, cinema or TV. I was more familiar with Dan Dare, The Mekon and The Goon Show, so pretty innocent.

Indian Tinker Man

This gentleman was a turbaned Sikh, quietly spoken and curious but not threatening. He brought a suitcase containing cheap clothing items. I think that his gentle nature elicited some sympathy for his cause and pur-chases were made.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

A neatly dressed polite couple would appear in the street and at our door. They carried a bible and reli-gious pamphlets. I only knew religion through my church going Grandma, Sunday school and school as-sembly. I had a bible and knew some Bible stories, so other forms of religious belief and practice were unfa-miliar.

Lucky Heather Lady

The Lucky Heather Lady was probably a gypsy. She was elderly, small, had a swarthy skin and a bent back. She carried a small basket with sprigs of heather and insisted that they brought good luck to a purchaser. They were probably a ha’penny or a penny a sprig, I don’t remember. What I do remember is that we never bought them, so I feared bad luck or a gypsy’s curse.

Mat Lady

This lady was dark skinned; I have no idea where she was from. She was different and came to the door with a small tightly rolled selection of floor mats. I seem to recall that her sales pitch relied heavily upon claims of quality.

Mormons Two very smartly dressed men with American accents at the door at that time could mean only one thing. The thought that two Americans would come all the way to England to knock on our door was a bit puzzling but even a bit flattering. They were always politely dis-missed and I hoped that they didn’t have to go all the way to America that evening to sleep in their beds.

David Cudby

Memories of transactions at the door– decades before the internet

Talking Shop So the nights are really drawing in and it is starting to

feel very autumnal but we hope for some good sunny

days yet. The shop is still busy with visitors from the

caravan park and we are seeing quite a few walkers

and cyclists.

Thanks again to those of you who have given us your

surplus fruit and veg to sell in the shop. This has

proved very popular with our customers and we are

always very happy to accept more.

Our DVD and magazine library was extensively used

over the summer months so if anyone has any to do-

nate, we would be happy to receive them.

We hope you found the visit from the A14 mobile visi-

tor centre on 16th September interesting. With all the

roadworks going on it is difficult to imagine how it will

all take shape so we hope this has helped.

You will have noticed that our shop door has recently

been rubbing on the floor. It has been adjusted as

much as possible and it is now time to tackle the floor.

We had some remedial works done to the floor a while

ago and a new metal plate was fitted in the doorway.

It is now necessary to take up some of the floor to do

some repairs which should sort out the door problem.

So as not to cause any inconvenience, the shop will

close promptly at 2pm on Sunday 1st October. So

make sure you get to the shop in good time on that

day as we will be raring to go at 2pm.

Again this week we have added some new lines to our

stock including some new biscuits and the famous

Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Sauce as seen on Drag-

ons’ Den. You never know what you’ll find in your local

shop so keep popping in. Our ‘Millions’ tubes of chewy

sweets are very popular with the youngsters and with

that in mind we are now stocking MEGA MILLIONS.

These are available by the 100g and the different fla-

vours have been mixed up especially for us.

Don’t forget to get your special offers whilst stocks last ...

Pizzas all varieties £3.20 each or 2 for £5.00

4 cans of Stella Artois or Guinness Draught £5.25

4 cans of Carling or Strongbow £4.00

Budweiser 300ml bottles £1.25 each or 4 for £4.00

Selected chocolate bars 2 for £1.00

Buy 2 of our DVDs along with a bottle of wine

and get 10% off the wine

And if you have any spare time and would like to be involved in your local shop, you would be made

very welcome. Pop in for a chat.

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30

Sat 8.00 - 5.00

Sun 9.00 - 2.00

Tel: 01480 810119

www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk



http://www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk



If you’d like to write a ‘one-off’ article or

a regular feature for the

Grafham Gossip, send it by

email to :

[email protected]

Can you spare an hour ?

Our Little Fishes Stay + Play Tots Group,

which meets on Wednesday mornings in

the village hall, is short of volunteers to

make coffee/tea for the leaders and the

mothers. If you can spare an hour, now

and then, to help with this, we would be

most grateful.

Please contact

Hazel

810326

Gardening with Wildlife in Mind The Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trusts is

pleased to announce our next Autumn indoor event. This

will take place on Wednesday 11th October at 7.30pm at

Brampton Memorial Hall, Thrapston Road, Brampton,

PE28 4TB.

Our speaker will be Iain Webb who is the Cambridge

Community Conservation Officer for the Wildlife Trusts.

Iain will explain how small changes that we can make in

our private gardens can make a really big difference in the

conservation of our native species. He will show us how

to attract insects, amphibians, birds and small mammals

by providing the best possible habitats such as ponds,

shelter, and food sources. Whether it is by planting the

best nectar producing plants or simply by hanging out

nuts and seeds for birds and providing bird baths, we can

all help!

This should be a really interesting talk for anyone interest-

ed in wildlife. Everyone is most welcome to attend. Book-

ing is not necessary.

Entrance charge £2.50 (accompanied children free).

Please contact Tim 01480 457795 for more information. ________________________________________________________

Part of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Registered Charity No: 1000412

Huntingdonshire Local Group

Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire

Wednesdays - Blue bin (recycling) and

Black bin (refuse) - alternate weeks

Every other Thursday - Green bin (garden waste)

If you require any further advice or information about

waste and recycling services, call 01480 388640

between 8.45am and 5.00pm Monday to Thursday

and 8.45am and 4.30pm on Fridays or

visit www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins

“Has the bin man bin Mam?”

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30

Sat 8.00 - 5.00

Sun 9.00 - 2.00

Tel: 01480 810119

www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk




http://www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk



Grafham Cricket Club The last home game of the season was played

against Hexton, on a day forecasted to be riven

with heavy showery rain. The Grafham Captain

is a master weather app watcher, who forecast-

ed before the game was to start, the rain would

stop; there would be three hours of sun to allow

an innings to be completed. With this prophecy, which

proved to be correct, Hexton chose to bat, and made

steady progress ending on, all out for 112 in 24 overs.

The pick of the Grafham bowlers was Fraser Hutton

who took 3 wickets in his 6 overs for 27 runs. As tea

was taken, the second part of the Captain’s forecast

came into action, rain during the tea interval, and then

several hours of post tea sunshine. Fraser and Jona-

than Lederman, the opening Grafham batters, made

an opening stand of 81 runs, and afterwards the

Grafham wobble where 5 quick wickets were lost, a

steadying innings of 14 by Tom Chester, who was out

with 4 runs needed for victory, left Ben McCutcheon

and Chris Dighton to score the required runs, which

Ben hit with a four over deep square. This was fol-

lowed by a barbecue, in soft evening sunlight, courtesy

of the weather App captain.

The next game was against the Lutonians 2nds in Lu-

ton, a game where Grafham went with only 9 players.

The Lutonians batted first, and apart from the fall of an

early wicket, built a total of 245 for 4. Grafham lost 2

quick wickets, but a mid order partnership between

Matt Chester and Will Lancaster built up the

Grafham score, so when Matt was out for 36,

and Will for 98, Grafham finished on 216 all

out, short by 29 runs, but a real sense of

achievement to run the Lutonians so close.

The next game was away to Caldecote,

where they opened the batting, scored a 100

runs with Matt Chester 2wkts for 18 runs off

5 overs, and Chris Dighton 3wkts for 5 runs off 2.4 overs were the main wicket takers for Grafham. Matt

Chester and Will Lancaster were the leading Grafham

batsmen scoring 26 and 20 respectively, as Grafham

scored 101 for 6 to win the game.

The final game of the season was away to Henlow,

who opened the batting with most of their batsman

scoring consistently. Although at one point the Henlow

innings faltered at 106 for 6, but Henlow’s tail dug in,

and built the innings to 171 all out, with Chris Dighton

taking 5wkts for 23 runs off 8 overs. Grafham started

well with Fraser and Jonathan Lederman putting on 57

for the first wicket, but after that the Grafham wickets

fell in quick succession, being all out for 105: 66 runs

short of the required total.

It has been a good season, winning 5 games, and

fighting hard in matches where Grafham were men

short, and only just losing with the possibility of finish-

ing fourth in the league. Well, that’s another season

over. Hard to believe!

Chris Dighton, Club Chairman

A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon

The staff of Grafham Community

Shop arranged for the A14 mobile

visitor centre to visit Grafham on

16th September. It proved to be

very informative.

If you missed the visit, infor-

mation about the scheme can be

found on the A14 Highways web-

site:

http://roads.highways.gov.uk/

projects/a14-cambridge-to-

huntingdon/

This month’s news from our

village shop is on page 5.

Photo by Paul Shaun Bate



http://roads.highways.gov.uk/projects/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon/





The Labour Party in Huntingdon Our next monthly meeting is on

Monday 16th October 7.30pm at The Medway Centre More details on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/HuntingdonLabourParty/ or via the website:

http://www.huntingdonlabourparty.org.uk

Come along and get involved in helping your neighbours and the community!

Power cut? Contact us 24 hours a day

Text POWER and your postcode to 80876

ukpowernetworks.co.uk/liveupdates

Call us free on105 or 0800 3163 105

http://www.powercut105.com/

Cinnamon Bar and Indian Restaurant Open 7 days a week 5pm to 10.30pm

Also lunch time if pre-booked for 5 or more people

Call 01480 812211/811316

Thursday Night is 'Banquet Night'

1 starter, 1 main, 1 side.

Any rice or any Nan

£13.50

Rutland Cycling E-Bike Centre

Marlow Car Park

Grafham Water

Here you will find electric bikes to buy or hire,

for more information visit: https://www.rutlandcycling.com/pages/e-bike-centre-grafham/

There is also a link on the village web site

Can you spare an hour now and then?

We’re very short of helpers to clean the church.

If you could take a turn just two or three times a year, please get in touch.

A few more volunteers would make it easier for us to keep the church looking bright and welcoming for everyone.

Contact: [email protected] Thanks



https://www.facebook.com/HuntingdonLabourParty/

http://www.huntingdonlabourparty.org.uk

http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/mobile/en/fault-map/?campaign=liveupdates

http://www.powercut105.com/

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/pages/e-bike-centre-grafham/




Cambridgeshire Libraries - Fun Palaces Fun Palaces is both an ongoing campaign for culture at the heart of every community, and a FREE annual weekend of action including arts, science, craft, tech, digital and sports events and activities, all run by and for local communities.

Fun Palaces weekend is the first weekend of October every year. The next Fun Palaces weekend is 7th and 8th October 2017. In 2016 there were an extraordinary 292 Fun Pal-aces in 9 nations, led by 4800 Makers, with 124,000 people taking part.

We are looking for people with fun ideas in the Arbury, Ely, Huntingdon, St Neots and Wisbech areas to work together to create a Fun Palace in their libraries.

If you can offer to teach or demonstrate a skill to others, all ages, or can hack an ordinary activity and make it something new and fun, for your community, we would like to meet you!

Visit Huntingdon or St Neots Library to talk to us and help turn your local library into a Fun Palace!

For more information on Fun Places 2017 visit their website.

A Strange Beast

The Church of England is a strange beast. It’s an

“established church” which means that the law that

governs us (Canon Law) is actually part of the law of

the land. Diocesan Bishops are officially nominated by

the Queen (via a recommendation from the Prime Min-

ister). Being established means that we have all sorts

of duties towards those who live in this parish. If you

live in Grafham, Ellington or Brampton you are entitled

to have your children baptised in the church (free); you

and your children are entitled to be married in the

church (a snip at just £424); you are entitled to have

your funeral in the church. If you’re so inclined you are

even entitled to vote for your churchwardens, irrespec-

tive of whether you ever come to church.

As an established church we also have a spiritual re-

sponsibility towards the people living here. We try to

create a space for people to respond to what is going

on in their lives; somewhere to remember, somewhere

to celebrate. We pray regularly for the villages and the

events and situations that we know are going on. We

have a list of streets in your village and pray for those

living and working in each one.

Contrary to what many might think the Church of Eng-

land receives no public funding for its work (apart from

the occasional grants made available for the repair of

listed buildings). We rely on the support and good-will

of those who appreciate what the church does (and

you’re welcome to contribute!) The Church of England

is a strange beast indeed!

I wonder what you think about the Church of England?

I ran a little experiment the other day and asked my

Facebook friends who aren’t Christian whether they’d

ever had a good experience with the Church of Eng-

land. Over 90% of people said that they had. Here’s

my theory: for many people the Church of England is a

bit like the NHS; you hope you don’t need to use it too

often but you’re glad it’s there when you do! Maybe

that’s you and, if so, that’s fine. You’re welcome here

any time you need us! Our doors are always open

(during daylight hours).

But here’s the truth. The Church of England isn’t a set

of buildings (beautiful and awkward as they are).

We’re not a public service for handling baptisms, wed-

dings and funerals. We’re not even a tired institution

which should be put out of its misery. The Church of

England is a national network of people united togeth-

er around a first-century, homeless Jew who was exe-

cuted by the Romans. We don’t gather together be-

cause we’re worried about dying, but because that

same person shows us how to live fully. We don’t think

we’re better than others because we are Christians,

we know that we have said and done things that can-

not be undone (like you probably have) and we have

found a way to know forgiveness, to forgive ourselves

and to forgive others.

If you (yes, you!) have ever had an experience of the

Church of England (good or bad) or you’d just like to

know more, then I would genuinely be pleased to hear

from you. Why not email me and let me know what

you think, or get in touch with us through the website?

www.eastleightonstone.com

Mike

(Contact details for Mike can be found on page 2. Ed)



http://funpalaces.co.uk/about/what-is-a-fun-palace/?utm_source=Library+Newsletter+-+August+2017&utm_campaign=Library+newsletter&utm_medium=email

http://www.eastleightonstone.com



Paul's Private Hire and Chauffeur Service Van Diemens Way, Grafham,

Huntingdon, Cambs. PE28 0GB

Tel. 01480 811594 Mobile 07795 296281 Email [email protected]

Travel in style via Mercedes cars to your destinations

GRAFHAM WATER (NEXT TO THE VISITOR CENTRE)

WIDE RANGE AT LOW PRICES

OPEN WEDNESDAY- SUNDAY 09.00-17.30 TEL:01480 819730

FREE PARKING & FREE DELIVERY

PET & WILD BIRD FOOD

www.petfoodsdirect2u.co.uk

Free back door, when ordered with 5 or more windows

For a free, no obligation quotation please contact your local representative Jon Goodchild on 07825 238240 or email

[email protected]

WINDOWS DOORS ROOFLINE

CONSERVATORIES

GARDEN ROOMS FLAT ROOFS

www.gaphomeimprovements.co.uk

JEZ ASHCROFT LTD All your decorating needs including:

Coving, Internal Decorating

Drylining & Plastering

FREE ESTIMATES

Please Call

Tel: 01480 812461 Mobile: 07708031493

Kevin Hutchinson • Reliable Local Carpenter and Joiner

• All carpentry work undertaken

• Fitted kitchens, new doors, wood flooring and much more

• No job too small

Tel: 01480 811863/07889 414274

BSM BSM Driving Instructor DSA Approved, Pass Plus Registered Living locally in Grafham

Call John Sisseman for details

Tel. 07806 941675

Grafham Plumbing and Heating Services Clint Thomas-Morgan

Oftec trained and registered technician

New high efficiency condensing boilers fitted

New bunded oil tanks fitted, including concrete bases

Disposal of old tanks

Boiler service (standard or condensing)

Improve your heating system now - Save money in the future!

All work guaranteed - 24hr call-out Professional, friendly and reliable

01480 812590 - 07799 640476 [email protected]

To advertise, email:

[email protected]

Community notices are free.

Business adverts are priced according to

size, payable in advance.

They start at £3.50 for a small box.

The money pays for the printing of the news-

letter and any profit is donated to All Saints,

Grafham and its Restoration Fund.

Your advert could be here!

To advertise, email:

[email protected]




http://www.petfoodsdirect2u.co.uk


http://www.gaphomeimprovements.co.uk






Fungi

Neither plant nor animal, fungi are one of the oldest forms of life and, having been around for so long, have

evolved into a myriad of different forms. There are

some 12,000 species in the UK alone with more being

discovered all the time - 37 new species were found in

2010. However, only 3000 or so species are visible to

the naked eye with the remaining being microscopic.

Autumn is always considered the time when fungi make

their brief appearance in the woodlands and grasslands around us, but they are actually present all year round

and are an important part of the natural cycle of life.

Existing mainly in soil fungi consist of tiny tubes called

Hyphea measuring around 1/100 of a millimetre across,

these can congregate into structures called mycelium

resembling threads of very fine cotton. These minute

structures can be fast growing with some species ad-

vancing at rates of up to 6mm an hour. Research also

suggests that some individual fungi found in North

American woodlands could be 1000’s of years old. The

mushrooms that we see are merely the ‘fruiting bodies’

of these underground webs, actually called sporo-

phores.

Fungi can be roughly split into three groups based on

their feeding and survival strategies. Firstly there are

the recyclers and rotters, these fungi absorb the carbon

and other nutrients they require from their surround-

ings, breaking down dead wood, fallen leaves and other

detritus that nature leaves behind. With both generalists

and specialists there is virtually nothing made of carbon

that fungi will not feed on. One species particularly

thrives on timber soaked in creosote rotting railway

sleepers and telegraph poles, whilst another is capable

of digesting diesel and jet fuel and has been recorded

blocking pipes in oil refineries.

Secondly there are the symbiotic fungi. Evolving togeth-

er some plants and fungi cannot survive one without

the other, swapping nutrients and energy between the

hyphae and the plants roots. Good examples are many of the British orchid species which will not grow without

the presence in the soil of certain fungi.

The third group takes the symbiotic relationship further

and become parasites, destroying the organism with

which they have the relationship. This is not just con-

fined to plants some fungi have specialised to infect

insects, growing in the body and even altering the be-haviour of the creature to suit the fungi’s life cycle.

Because of their ephemeral nature, weird and wonder-

ful shapes and colours and poisonous and psychedelic

properties mushrooms have become embedded in

man’s myth and folklore. With their association with

fairies and possible use in ancient pagan rites it is no

wonder that many fungi have interesting names; Dead Man’s Fingers, Witches’ Butter, Destroying Angel,

Weeping Widow and The Deceiver.

To enjoy fungi take a walk in any of the Wildlife Trusts

woodland reserves. Details of these and how to support

the Trust in its nature conservation work can be found

on our website: www.wildlifebcn.org

Gregory Belcher

Sulfur Tuft

Shaggy Ink Cap



http://www.wildlifebcn.org

Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] Opinions expressed in the Grafham Gossip, including past issues, are those of the writer and not the editors.


Printed by Easiprint 01733 602302

Across the Churches Bible Study We are a small group meeting twice a month (Tuesdays 7.30pm) for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. We come from different churches and are always happy to welcome new members.

For more information, please contact Rob or Jean Clark 01480 890033.

Babysitters Bryony 22 yrs 812354 experienced with newborn to 14yrs

Mya 14 yrs 819326 Nicci 17 yrs 811279

GRAFHAM VILLAGE HALL has a Public Entertainments Licence for music, dancing, performing arts and can accommodate 92 guests seated in rows or 150 at a dance/disco - an ideal venue for children's and family parties. There is a playing field for sports activities and the hall has small changing rooms with shower facilities.

For details or to book, tel: 07711 769911

Grafham and Ellington Art GroupGrafham and Ellington Art GroupGrafham and Ellington Art Group http://grafhamandellingtonart.weebly.com/ Grafham Village Hall, Every Tuesday 1.30-4pm Calling all who want to meet and paint with like minded people on a regular basis.

Beginners and those with more skills are all very welcome.

Cost: About £2 to cover hall hire/refreshments. Come along with your paints and equipment!

Please ring me for more details.

Jackie Woods 01480 890279

Grafham Church Flower Club We are available to decorate the church for weddings and other church occasions.

Floral arrangements for: pedestal,

altar, font, windowsills, pew ends, pillars.

Please contact Hazel Powell on

01480 810326 for details and quotes.

If anyone in the village has foliage in their garden that they would be willing to donate for church decoration for festivals, please let us know, we would be very grateful.

The Mobile Library Route H24 visits Breach Road, Grafham on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 10.40 to 11.00. The next visit is 25th October.

For renewals/ enquiries call 0345 045 5225 or click here

Coffee Morning Grafham Social Committee invites you to Coffee Mornings at 10.30am on the third Wednesday of the month:

October 18th

- Philippa Patel, 3 Field Close This is an informal social occasion for residents of the village. Please come along for a cup of coffee and a chat.

Ellington and Grafham WI

meets on the first Tuesday of the month in Ellington village hall. Membership is £39 per annum but visitors are welcome; we ask that you buy 2 x £1 raffle tickets

to help towards the cost of refreshments. We have speakers or events every month.

3th Oct Demonstration of card making followed by a hands on session 7th Nov Annual General Meeting

If you would like any more information please contact:

Sue 01480 896139 [email protected] or Ann 01480 891192 [email protected]

YOUR COUNTRYSIDE NEEDS YOU

www.gwcg.btck.co.uk/

Regional winners of the British Trust for Conservation

Volunteers Green Award 2006 & 2007

Join Grafham Wildlife and Conservation Group

Call Sam Malt on

01480 811654 or 07849 082870

[email protected]

.Come and join the

GRAFHAM LINE DANCERS Beginners are welcome

Monday evenings in the Village Hall

7.30 – 9.00pm

For more information ring Julia 01480 811613 or Text Penny 07986 509481

East Leightonstone Parish - Brampton, Ellington, Grafham

Little Fishes Stay + Play Tots Session

Grafham Village Hall

Wednesdays 10.00 to 11.20

Term time only

Just turn up on the day

Sessions include free-play, craft activities, a Bible story and sing-along. Babies welcome too

Contact Jean Clark 01480 890033 [email protected]



http://grafhamandellingtonart.weebly.com/

https://cambridgeshire.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/OPAC/LOGINB



http://www.gwcg.btck.co.uk/

http://www.gwcg.btck.co.uk/



Grafham Gossipfiles.grafham.org.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/gossip/2017/17...Website: E-mail: [email protected] October 2017 2 Issue 152 Councillors John Morris, Patricia Jordan

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