Grafham Gossip - Amazon Web Services · 2019-06-27 · June still has much to offer. On 23rd June it is Grafham's turn to host the ‘All Together’ Holy Communion service at 10.30.

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

July 2019 1 Issue 171

Grafham Gossip Issue 172 Deadline: Midnight Thursday 18th July

Contents Church Services/View from the Pew……...….…...…

Parish News/Parish and County Cllrs / A 14 Updates…….

Notices / Village Hall Activities / Babysitters.….……………

Talking Shop / Flower Festival Photographs...………….

Notices / Shop Hours / Bin Collections……………………..

A visit to Salisbury, Tina Theodorou…………………..……

Notices / Some local events in July….……………….…….

The Threedom of God’s Music, Mike………….………….

Adverts / Notices………………………………………….

Flower Festival Photographs…………………..……...……

Adverts / Notices / Pub Opening Hours…...….……….....

Bees before the ships arrived, David Cudby……………....

Adverts…………...…..…………………………..……..…

Volunteer Officers, ‘ Specials,’ Cambs Police……………..

Local Activities…………………...…...……………………..

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Editors’ note… Exams are over and the holiday season is creeping closer, let’s hope July brings better weather than June!

We have most of our regular articles this month; extras include Flower Festival photographs of on pages 2, 5 and 11; a review of a trip to Salisbury from Tina, on page 7 and a police write up about ‘Special Con-stables’ on page 15, so we hope you enjoy the read.

Following the success of the Flower Festival, Grafham now looks forward to another favourite village weekend, the Beer Festival, on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th, so get out your beer mugs and dancing shoes and we’ll see you there!

Please send in your news, views, photos and gossip in good time for the August deadline, midnight on Thursday 18th August.

Keep gossiping! Editors, [email protected]

Fake News and All The Right Notes

FRIDAY 5TH JULY

Free Entry

Bar 6 – 11:30pm

BBQ 6 – 10pm

Live Music 8 - 11:30pm

Vintage Stuff

SATURDAY 6TH JULY

Free Entry

Bar 12 – 11:30pm

Free Inflatable Assault Course

Cream teas 2pm onwards by Friends of Spaldwick School (FOSS)

Mrs Marvel Children’s Entertainer 3:30 – 5pm

BBQ 12 – 3pm / 5 – 8pm

Pizza Van 8pm - late

Live Music 5 - 11:30pm

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

July 2019 2 Issue 171

View from the Pew Our service on 2nd June was led by Rob and the talk was given by Heather. Both Hazel and Jill were away that day and they were very pleased how well the service went in their absence. We have only a very small team to plan and participate in leading services, giving the talk, preparing prayers and reading a bible passage. If anyone is interested in being part of that team, do get in touch with Hazel or Jill as we welcome new ideas and help on the service days.

Our Flower Festival with the theme ‘Hobbies’ was, as ever, a great success. We never cease to be amazed at the inge-nuity and imagination of our flower arrang-ers. We were delight-ed to welcome sever-al people who had never arranged flow-ers before. They all delivered lovely dis- plays and we will be on their tails to take part next year. Our regular flower arrangers were as wonderful as ever, with lovely ideas to accompany the flowers, making the festival interesting as well as beautiful. Our Songs of Praise on Sunday was led by our musician friends from Brampton making a joyous end to the event. The teas, although ensconced inside on Saturday because of the rain but outside on Sunday in the sunshine, were very popular. An amazing array of cakes was on offer and we thank those donors who provided them and the ladies who served them. We would like to say thank you to eve-ryone who took part in the festival. There were many posi-tive comments from visitors and generous donations too. A total of £559.00 was raised including teas and dona-tions. There are more photographs of the displays on pag-es 5 and 11.

June still has much to offer. On 23rd June it is Grafham's

turn to host the ‘All Together’ Holy Communion service at 10.30. This is always a lovely service with the congrega-tion from our three churches. That same evening our

Taizé service is at 7pm. This is a very peaceful and inspir-ing time to come and listen to and sing the chants, medi-tate and light candles to our loved ones. On 29th June Ellington will have their Flower Festival with the theme ‘Children's books’ so do pop down and see what prove to be some wonderful displays.

0n 30th June we are having an ‘Out of church Sunday.’ This means there will be no service at any of the church-es. Instead we are being encouraged to go out and do something for our community. It could be helping an el-derly person with their gardening, or cleaning their win-dows, litter picking around the village or anything else we can think of to be of service to others. If you have an idea and need some help to put it together then please contact Mike our curate: [email protected]

On the afternoon of 30th July, a church picnic/barbecue at Grafham Water is planned from 3pm. Free parking has been arranged for us. We hope that this will be a nice opportunity to gather together and share fellowship. Please bring some food and drinks (there'll be a barbecue to cook things on if needed), bring games, bring chairs, and we'll all have a lovely afternoon together. You can read all the information by visiting www.eastleightonstone.com click on News then Out of Church Sunday.

For anyone who wants an opportunity to worship there'll be Ellington Songs of Praise at 6pm, to which all are wel-come.

Please email Mike if you have any questions or ideas or would like a parking permit or anything else!

Looking further ahead into July, our first Sunday service is on 7th at 10.30am.

Grafham All Saints Services Every Wednesday morning 09.00 - 09.30 Morning Prayer – a short service open to all. Download the Daily Prayer app from the Church of England website available for iOS and Android to join us in spirit from home if you wish, but preferably please come along to the service

23rd June (4th Sunday) 10.30 ‘All Together’ with Holy Communion

23rd June 19.00 Taizé service with music and candles

30th June (Out of church Sunday) Community good deeds and picnic/BBQ at Grafham Water from 3 pm --------------------------------------------------------------

7th July (1st Sunday) 10.30 Family Service - Lay led

18th July (Thursday) 10.00 Mid - week Communion

21st July (3rd Sunday) 10.30 ‘All Together’ with Holy Communion at Brampton

28th July (4th Sunday) 19.00 Taizé service with music and candles -------------------------------------------------------------

4th August (1st Sunday) 10.30 Family Service - Lay led

Mid week Holy Communion services are on Thursdays at 10.00 roughly once a month.

On Fourth Sundays, an ‘All Together’ Holy Communion Service rotates between the three churches

For more information on church services and other events, visit www.eastleightonstone.com and click on Calendar

Contacting the Clergy Revd Jason Taylor (Rector) Rectory, 15 Church Rd, Brampton PE28 4PF [email protected] 07807 118070

Revd Mike Bigg (Curate) [email protected] 07380 809377

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

July 2019 3 Issue 171

PARISH NEWS June 2019

Several residents attended the public forum of this

month’s meeting. They came to discuss various issues

ranging from providing an update on the A14 Legacy

Fund applications and request for funds towards the

upgrading of the gents’ toilets in the village hall, to the

dangerous situations arising on the bends around the

top end of Breach Road outside the Old School House,

a request for funds towards the provision of better

quality furniture for the proposed patio/garden area

outside the Grafham Trout and clarification on areas of

verges to be included in the contractor’s schedule.

These issues took a while to get through and actions

are in place on most of them. One resident came to

discuss the potential for the carbon neutrality target for

the village and wanted to suggest that specific recy-

cling issues might be addressed by groups of people in

the village. She will be looking for ideas and sugges-

tions – perhaps on the village facebook page?

The dangers around the bend outside School House

were part of the Local Highways Initiative grant applied

for by the Parish Council, but turned down by High-

ways. The application for speed controls and warnings

has been passed to the A14 Legacy fund along with

requests for funding solar panels for the village hall,

electric vehicle charging points and a ground-source

heat pump.

In considering the erection of a basketball net at the far

end of the all-weather court, the Council discussed the

current level of nuisance to drinkers outside the pub

and whether or not that would be less-

ened by another net at the other end.

Also, the likelihood is that children using

the court while their parents are seated

are better monitored at the near end than

at the far end. It was considered that an-

other net was not worth the cost and therefore this idea

is rejected.

It was also agreed that the goal nets needed to be se-

cured to the posts. This has actually been done twice

now and, each time, the ties have been cut. The Coun-

cil is now considering padlocking them.

The idea of developing a Neighbourhood Plan, jointly

with Ellington Parish Council, was approved. It was

further agreed to combine a new Parish Plan with the

Neighbourhood Plan. The last Parish Plan was done in

2011. A Neighbourhood Plan is designed to help pre-

vent excessive and unwanted development in Grafham

and Ellington and it has the force of law. To ensure

that people in the villages understand the purpose,

scope and relevance of a Neighbourhood Plan, it was

suggested that the Councils hold a public meeting,

perhaps sometime in September. It is also considered

important that members of the panel include residents

as well as councillors.

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled

for 9th July in the village hall at 7.30pm. Everyone is

welcome to the Public Forum.

Margaret Life, Parish Clerk

07780 119311 [email protected]

Grafham Parish Council You may contact your parish councillors through the parish clerk or directly.

Philip Allingham Chairman 01480 811516 [email protected] David Russell [email protected]

Ian Gardener Vice Chair 01480 812821 [email protected] Roy Harold [email protected]

Alastair Watson [email protected] Jo Dunn [email protected]

Details of the planned road closures, diversions and latest news can be found on the Highways England

website by clicking here or type www.highwaysengland.co.uk/A14C2H into your search engine,

or stay updated by following: https://twitter.com/a14c2h and https://en-gb.facebook.com/A14C2H

There is also a dedicated A14 Public Helpline 0800 270 0114

Details of the planned road closures and diversions are also available on the Grafham village web site

www.grafham.org.uk Ed

A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme

Grafham’s County Councillor Grafham’s District Councillor

Peter Downes

07765 833486

peter.downes@ cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Darren Tysoe 01480 388310 [email protected]

Grove Cottage, Malting Lane, Ellington, PE28 0AA Follow me on Twitter@darrentysoe and twitter.com/darrentysoe Receive my updates on Facebook www.facebook.com/cllrdmtysoe

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

July 2019 4 Issue 171

Babysitters Bryony 22 yrs 812354 experienced with newborn to 14yrs

Mya 15 yrs 819326 Nicci 17 yrs 811279

Deadline Please send us all your adverts, notices,

news, views and gossip ASAP and definitely by midnight on

Thursday 18th July for the August issue

Thanks, Ed [email protected]

Grafham Village Hall

Activities & Classes 2019

Mondays Line Dancing 7.30pm

Tuesdays Pilates 9.45am

Art Club 1.30pm

Wednesdays Little Fishes (pre-school children)

10.00am

Yoga 6.15 - 7.15pm

Karate 7.30pm

Thursdays Kick Boxing 7.00pm

Saturdays Chinese Martial Arts

10.30am

For enquiries about classes and about booking the hall, please telephone 07711 769911

Read more about village hall activities on page 16

Playtimes Pre-school Ferriman Road, Spaldwick PE28 0TQ

Tel: 01480 890077 www.playtimesplaygroup.co.uk

We offer: Breakfast club 8am - 9am

Preschool 9am- 3pm

Out of school club 3.30pm - 6pm

Parish of

East Leightonstone To join the mailing list and receive

the regular newsletter visit

http://www.eastleightonstone.com and click News

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.

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

Thank you for your continued support!

No x

Hardbacks x

Manuals x

Magazines x

Encyclopaedias x

Other items x

Yes

Next date for Churchyard Makeover

The next tidying session is

planned for Saturday July 27th.

Do come along to help out, enjoy

the chat and the

delicious refreshments.

To find out more, email Jean Baty:

[email protected]

Hunts Community Cancer Network (HCCN) hold a weekly support group

Ellington Holistic Drop In at Ellington Village Hall

Every Tuesday 10am until 2 pm

To find out more contact Annie by phone 01234 709836 or email [email protected]

Send your news, views, photos and gossip to

[email protected]

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

July 2019 5 Issue 171

Talking Shop Introducing our new Manager, Chloe. Lots of you

will know Chloe as she has been a volunteer in the

shop since we opened and we have seen her grow

up from a 14 year old schoolgirl. With school now be-

hind her, we welcome her to our managerial team.

Please pop in and see her and make her feel wel-

come in her new role.

As Chloe is now a Manager, we are a volunteer

down! We rely on our volunteers to cover the shop

and relieve us to purchase new stock, complete pa-

perwork and lots of other tasks. We have a great

team of volunteers who would make you very wel-

come if you would like to join them. No experience is

needed and full training will be given. Any amount of

time you can spare would be appreciated and you do

not have to commit to doing regular shifts.

*NEW*

We now have our first consignment of honey from

Grafham. As you probably know, we have a number

of bee-keepers in the village and the first truly local

honey is now available in your village shop.

Hopefully as you read this, the sun is shining and

Summer is well under way. At the time of writing, the

recent weather has been very disappointing with

many days of heavy rain. This has had an adverse

effect on sales and so we hope with the improving

weather that things will pick up. Sunny days are al-

ways good for business but please remember to sup-

port your local shop whatever the weather!

We’ve recently had a new delivery of our scrummy

cakes and biscuits from Bramble Foods. These al-

ways sell well so get your favourites while you can.

And back to thoughts of Summer – don’t forget we

stock all your favourite ice creams and cold drinks.

And if the children are bored, we have a selection of

toys including frisbees, badminton rackets and skip-

ping ropes.

See you in the shop soon. Lynn x

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30

Sat 8.00 - 5.00

Sun 9.00 - 2.00

Bank Holidays 9.00 - 2.00

01480 810119 [email protected] www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk

Grafham Flower Festival 2019 - Hobbies

More photographs on page 11

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

July 2019 6 Issue 171

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 e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

To stop unwanted phone calls 08450 700707

To stop unwanted mail 08457 034599

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

Mon-Fri 8.00 - 6.30

Sat 8.00 - 5.00

Sun 9.00 - 2.00

Bank Holidays 9.00 - 2.00

Grafham Community Shop Opening Times

Tel: 01480 810119

Email: [email protected]

www.grafhamvillageshop.co.uk

See page 5 for shop news in ‘Talking Shop’

RecyclingRecyclingRecycling For an update on

recycling and a reminder of the right

recycling to put in the right bin, go to

www.recap.co.uk

The Highwayman Car Scheme Do you know what it is?

It’s a scheme to help provide transport for people who

are not able to make essential journeys by public

transport or any other means.

A team of volunteer drivers take you to appointments

e.g. the doctors, hospital, dentist alongside

social activities such as

visiting relatives or friends and even shopping.

The scheme is aimed at helping people

to get out and about.

Passengers pay the driver on the day of travel to

contribute towards fuel expenses. This is at a rate of

30p per mile with a minimum charge of £3.00.

To arrange a journey or for more information please

call 07786 520540

If the phone is not manned at the time of your call

leave a message on the answerphone and the

coordinator of the drivers will get back to you.

We are also always looking out for volunteer drivers

so if you want to help your community, give us a call.

We would love to hear from you.

The scheme is supported and advised by

Cambridgeshire County Council

and Care Network Cambridgeshire

Has the bin man bin Mam?”

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

Wednesdays Blue bin (recycling) and Black bin (refuse) - alternate weeks

Every other Thursday - Green bin (garden waste)

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

July 2019 7 Issue 171

A Visit to Salisbury, Wiltshire by Tina Theodorou

I recently spent two nights and three days in Salisbury and I have to confess, my friend and I had an amazing time.

We booked and stayed in The Red Lion Hotel, which claims to be the first pub ever built in England! It has some

lovely features and I would recommend a visit. The staff are friendly, the food is very good and the restaurant is an

extremely pleasant place to have breakfast. On the first night we dined at Bill’s Restaurant in the town and had ex-

cellent food and excellent service too!

The Red Lion is located just a short walk from the shops, the main square, Salisbury Cathedral and St.Thomas’s

Church. We were fortunate to have a personal guide for a tour of the town, Cathedral and St.Thomas’s Church.

There is so much history to learn about in Salisbury and a three day break will give you enough time to explore it

fully and take everything in.

Our tour included a trip by coach to Fisherton

Mill Gallery café and artists studio for lunch

and this is a fascinating place too! Their food

is home grown and all freshly cooked to or-

der. Our lunch was absolutely delicious.

The main square is surrounded by trees and

is all lit up at night. This looks stunning and

makes walking around the square in the

evening very enjoyable. There are lots of

cafes, bistros and restaurants surrounding

the square so there are plenty of places to

wine and dine after a busy sightseeing day.

The Cathedral itself has one of the oldest

working mechanical medieval clocks (1386)

on display and the new font, designed by

William Pye in 2008 for the 750th anniver-

sary, is a stunning sculpted artwork.

There is so much to see in the cathedral, our tour took about 1hr and 30mins and I would most definitely recommend

you do the guided tour as you learn so much more about its history, how the stonemasons worked, how much effort

goes into making each piece and the hours it takes. it is all fascinating.

A short walk away from the Cathedral, are two museums, the Salisbury Museum and The Rifles - Berkshire and Wilt-

shire Museum. These are quite small museums but worth a visit.

If you are looking for a short break I cannot recommend Salisbury and Wiltshire its highly enough.

Photographs by Tina

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

July 2019 8 Issue 171

Buckden Gardeners Association Buckden Gardeners Association meets on the third Tuesday of the month from October to April in Buckden Village Hall. Topics focus on gardening but also include related subjects such as wild flowers, bees and birds. In the summer months we organise outings to gardens and related areas.

All are welcome. For more information please visit our website www.buckdengardeners.info or just come along. Rosemary Surridge, Secretary

Have you joined in the parkrun yet? It’s a free 5km run, jog or walk that takes place at

Hinchingbrooke Country Park, every Saturday at 9.00am. Parkrun happens in various other places

all over the country.

You should register with www.parkrun.org.uk/huntingdon before your first run and you will get a barcode,

so that you obtain a registered time on completing the run.

You can run round the course or walk or jog or just watch if you prefer, then you can join everyone for coffee

afterwards if you wish.

Huntingdon Parkrun is organised by volunteers.

If you’d like to volunteer to help email:

[email protected]

You’ll find everything you need to know at www.parkrun.org.uk/huntingdon

Every Thursday 10.00am

Starting from Buckden Surgery

25th June – 6th July A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare at the George has been performing at The George Hotel in Huntingdon since 1959. The 60th Anni-versary Summer Production will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream – directed by Dean Laccohee.

The produc-tion will be performed in the court-yard of the hotel.

For more details see www.huntingdonfirst.co.uk For tickets see www.satg.org.uk/tickets

Healthy Living: EngAGE in the Afternoon, Thursday 4th July, Huntingdon Library 1.30– 3pm An informative talk from Eve-ryone Health on keeping healthy and active. We’ll discuss dietary and physical activity recommendations, plus simple ways to help you achieve these and move towards better health. Free (donations welcome) and booking is required.

Please speak to library staff or call 0345 045 5225 for a ticket. For more info visit: www.huntingdonfirst.co.uk

Huntingdon Beach Party Sunday 7th July, 12 noon Market Square

Brought to you by Hunting-donshire Community Church, Huntingdon Methodist Church and the Town Centre Anglicans. There will be a beach play area, crafts, sandcastle competitions, a BBQ, climb-ing wall, tropical fruit juice bar, puppet shows and more. For more info visit: www.huntingdonfirst.co.uk

Summer Family Fun Day Saturday 27th July, 10am – 4pm, Market Square,

With lots of activities for all ages to enjoy. Look out for our popular face painter who will paint children’s faces for FREE and Dave the Balloon man who may even teach you a few circus skills!

www.huntingdonfirst.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/HuntingdonFirst Huntingdon First can also be contacted by telephone: 01480 450250 or email [email protected]

Some local events in July

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

July 2019 9 Issue 171

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]

Send your news, views,

photos and gossip to

[email protected]

The Threedom of God’s Music One of the most puzzling aspects of Christian faith is

the idea of the Trinity. This is the claim that there is

one God, but that God is also in three persons

(Father, Son [Jesus] and Holy Spirit). From fairly

soon after Jesus’ life his followers realised that Jesus

was not only God’s son, but that Jesus was fully God

too.

The three parts of the Trinity are all God in them-

selves, but together they form not three Gods but

one. Confused? You are not alone.

For centuries, Christian philosophers have sought to

explain how God can be one and yet three. There are

various analogies that are trotted out to explain the

Trinity, but none of them really work. For example,

some have said that God is like water, which can

come in three forms as solid (ice), liquid or gas

(steam). However, this doesn’t really work. The idea

of the Trinity is that God is not three aspects of the

same thing, but three independent things that are

also one thing.

The problem is that we like to visualise things. But

the way we see means that we can only see one

thing in any one place. If we paint

three colours on one surface either

the last colour painted is the only one

we see (if the paint is allowed to dry)

or we end up with muddy brown (if

the paint is wet and mixes). But that

isn’t right either; Christian faith teach-

es that God is one, but that the three persons of God

neither dominate each other, nor blur into one non-

descript mess.

I think that the best way to think about the Trinity is

through music and dance. Imagine three figures

dancing together; each one is fully part of the dance,

and yet each one is fully themselves. Think of a musi-

cal chord of three notes – each note is fully part of the

chord, and yet we can hear each note clearly in its

own right. The three are one, yet the one is also

three.

This analogy has its own problems, it’s not perfect,

and yet there is something very important in what it

expresses. Whereas the philosophers tend to treat

the Trinity as a problem to be solved, if we see the

Trinity as music and dance we start to view it as

something in which we might participate and enjoy.

The beauty of God is that from before time began the

three persons of God have been joined together in a

perfect dance; God is united together and each part

of the Trinity delights in the others. But this is not an

exclusive dance to which no-one else is invited. God

invites each one of us to learn the steps, join in the

dance and participate in the on-going creativity of

God. That’s why we meet together in church regularly

– to share together in learning to join with God’s mu-

sic. We don’t always succeed but we work on it to-

gether as we’re invited deeper into the mystery.

What I’ve just described may make no sense at all to

you, but I invite you to come and try it for yourself!

Mike

To read more from Jason and Mike visit:

www.eastleightonstone.com/ and click on Blog

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

©Dumitru Verdianu

July 2019 10 Issue 171

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

If you can spare an hour once

every few months to help dust

and vacuum the church to keep

it looking clean and welcoming,

please contact:

[email protected]

Monday 25th November Thursford Christmas Spectacular

Departing from Huntingdon Bus Station 10.50am

Coach leaves Thursford after the show ends, usually about 5.00pm

Price per person is £60.00 which includes the return coach travel and ticket entry to this spectacular show.

We will be joining a trip already organised by Dews Coaches. Please contact me, ASAP but no later than 10th August.

This is a direct coach from Huntingdon straight to the venue, so you will have to make your own arrange-ments for food. I would advise that Thursford does have the Garden Pavilion restaurant serving home cooked food (such as jackets, casseroles and curries.) They also have three snack cafés serving food and drinks and a fully licensed bar.

For more information or to book please contact me on 07711 012957 or email:

[email protected]

Grafham Oil Syndicate

The syndicate is FREE to join.

We must continue to grow and keep a bulk order attractive enough to receive a discount, so simply email Simon:

[email protected] or call 07887 628528

and help keep more money in the village!

Grafham Grass Cutting Tired of mowing your lawn and want someone else to take care of it? Just call or text me for reasonable prices and a reliable service. Simon 07887 628528

Tina Theodorou in conjunction with

Greatdays Holidays Ltd offers a trip to Valkenburg

in Spring 2020

By Coach and Ferry

Valkenburg City Break

Monday 27th April to

Friday 1st May 2020

4 nights/5 days

Coach and ferry package £470.00 per person (based on two people sharing)

Price includes: ABTA Protection, Return coach hire from Grafham to Valkenburg, four nights bed and breakfast

with a three course evening meal at the 3* Hotel Walram, Valkenburg

For further details and to register your interest, please contact: by email [email protected] or by mobile telephone: 07711 012957

Please note single rooms supplements apply.

Prices are based on a minimum of 30 paying passengers per tour and at an exchange rate of £1 = €1.12. 14 weeks prior to departure we will re-cost the tour elements and apply and surcharge/reduction due to the change in the value of the pound (£) greater or less than 2%. Flights, coach hire, ferries, guides and visitor attractions subject to availability and are not guaranteed.

All coaching subject to confirmation of final itinerary.

These holidays are operated by Greatdays Holidays Ltd whose

booking terms and conditions apply.

Greatdays Holidays Limited are a member of ABTA (Y0380) which means you have the benefit of ABTA’s assistance and Code of Conduct. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.

We use ABTA’s approved ADR to resolve complaints. Please see www.abta.com

Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) All of our air package tours are protected under this licence.

In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this document are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that every-thing you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed.

Greatdays Holidays Ltd. Registered in England No.1903941. VAT Registration No. 437 5834 25. Registered Office: Chapel House, Borough Road, Altrincham WA15 9RA

Help! We are very short of

volunteer tea/coffee makers for our

Little Fishes Stay + Play Tots Group,

which meets in the village hall on

Wednesday mornings.

If you can spare an

hour, now and then, we

would be most grateful for your help!

Please contact Hazel 810326

or email the editor:

[email protected]

Your advert could be here!

To advertise, email:

[email protected]

July 2019 11 Issue 171

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

Grafham Flower Festival 2019 - Hobbies

July 2019 12 Issue 171

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

20

The Labour Party in Huntingdon Our next monthly meeting is

Monday 15th July 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!

HUNTINGDONSHIRE FAUNA & FLORA SOCIETY

Wednesday 10th July 2.30pm

Hinchingbrooke Country Park

Leader: Pat Doody

Hinchingbrooke Country Park covers 170 acres of open grass-

lands, mature woodland and lakes. All three species of British

woodpecker can be seen here, along with Nuthatch and Marsh

Tit. The site has not been surveyed for over 15 years and the

group are looking to update the records. Meet in the main car

park. Grid reference TL221718. Please note charges apply for

car parking.

For more information about the Society visit www.hffs.org.uk

Opening Times Mon to Wed - Closed

Thurs - 18:00 - 22:00

Fri - 18:00 - 23:00

Sat - 13:00 - 23:00

Sun - 13:00 - 19:00

Open longer for special occasions

Dogs welcome

Power cut? Text POWER and your postcode to 80876

ukpowernetworks.co.uk/liveupdates

Call us free anytime on 105 or

0800 31 63 105

Godmanchester Nature Reserve Tuesday 23rd July 7.30pm

A Guided Walk

Godmanchester Nature Reserve consists of four lakes which are

former gravel pits, areas of grassland and ancient hedgerow. The

lakes attract a wide variety of birds, particularly ducks, geese and

kingfishers for us to see and we should also find plenty of butter-

flies, dragonflies and wildflowers. We will be on the look out for

bats at the end of the evening and will endeavour to provide bat

detectors to aid identification.

Please meet at the reserve entrance at the end of Cow Lane,

PE29 2EJ, GR TL2639 7149. There is parking available, but it is

limited.

Everyone is most welcome to attend. There is no charge, but do-

nations are welcome. For more information please contact

Alistair: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire

Registered Charity No: 1000412

Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire

Huntingdonshire Local Group

Free from

Grafham Shop!

‘The Little Book of

Big Scams’

Foreword by Esther Rantzen

July 2019 13 Issue 171

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

Dogwood

Bees before the ships arrived Travel is great fun. It makes me think about the history

of the place I am visiting, particularly when it is a for-

mer British Colony. What did local people do before

we arrived? What legacy did we leave behind?

We are just back from USA. A visit to a museum of

Indian and Western Art (Western in the sense of Cow-

boys and Indians) set me thinking. Later this year we

hope to visit Western Australia in the Aussie spring to

experience the famous wild flowers.

Bees and Native Americans

Native Americans called the honey bee ‘White Man´s

Fly.’ Before the European honey bee, indigenous peo-

ple collected honey from the nests of wild bees. When

beekeeping was introduced to North America, the

Cherokees, once they saw how bees could be in-

duced to ‘work’ for them, were one of the first tribes to

begin practising the art of beekeeping.

There is a charming and insightful Cherokee Legend

at: https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/

HowTheHoneyBeeGotTheirStinger-Cherokee.html

It is like a ‘Just So’ story.

Honey bees and the qualities associated with them

have quietly influenced American values for four cen-

turies. Bees and beekeepers have represented order

and stability. The book ‘Bees in America’, by Tammy

Horn is an enlightening cultural history of bees and

beekeeping in the United States.

Bees and Australian Aboriginal peoples

Extracts taken from an article about the book

‘Significance of Native Bees to Aboriginal People’, By

Steve Maginnity: published in The Australian in 2015

The original inhabitants of Australia arrived in the

country over 40,000 years ago. They were skilled

hunters and gatherers and practised their techniques

throughout the country for thousands of years, until a

little more than 200 years ago when European settlers

arrived.

The Aboriginals moved with the seasons collecting

food at the different locations they visited, whereas

the Europeans would settle in an area and modify the

environment to suit their needs.

Aboriginal people have known and used native bees

for food and tools for thousands of years. Native bee

honey acted as a popular sweetener and was

searched for and found in nests located in trees,

stumps, rocky crevices and muddy river banks. Abo-

riginal hunters would catch foraging bees and attach

small pieces of feather, spider web or grass to the

pollen sacs or resin being collected by the bees. The

bee would then fly slowly enough for the Aboriginal

hunter to follow it. If the bee nest was high in a tree

the Aboriginals would carve foot holes into the tree

and climb the tree to obtain the contents of the nest.

By doing this they would be able to come back to the

tree at a future date once the bees had recovered,

rebuilt and collected further stores of honey and pol-

len.

The wax and resin produced by native bees was used

for fastening stone to wood to bind the two objects

together for use as hunting tools.

The honey of the native bees was used ceremonially.

Men being prepared for weddings were coated in hon-

ey and feathers and other objects were stuck to them

for decoration. Baskets for carrying water were made

by joining leaves and sealing them with bees wax.

Aboriginal people would smear native bee honey on

open wounds to prevent swelling and bacterial infec-

tions.

And the legacy common to both stories is the intro-

duced European Honey Bee.

David Cudby

To advertise, email: [email protected]

Community notices are free. Business adverts are

priced according to size, payable in advance.

They start at £4.00 for a small box.

The money pays for the printing of the newsletter and

any profit is donated to All Saints, Grafham and its

Restoration Fund.

July 2019 14 Issue 171

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

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

Grafham Plumbing and Heating Ltd

Oftec registered technician

High efficiency condensing boilers fitted

Oil tanks fitted complete with bases

All boilers serviced

All plumbing undertaken

Vaporising appliances fitted and serviced

Service and maintenance plans available Professional, friendly and reliable

[email protected]

01480 812590

07799 640476

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

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

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 King prawn or duck £1.50 extra

http://cinnamonhuntingdon.co.uk/

July 2019 15 Issue 171

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

Penny's admiration for volunteer officers

Television personality, Penny Lancaster, has spoken

of being “inspired”

by the contribu-

tion voluntary

police officers,

“Specials”, make

to policing in

Cambridgeshire.

Penny went out

on the frontline in

Cambridgeshire

as part of the TV

series Famous

and Fighting

Crime.

She was paired

with a Special constable for the Channel 4 series,

which was broadcast earlier this year, and saw her pur-

sue a shoplifter, help solve a serious assault and assist

in dealing with a threatening man who was high on

drugs.

Penny, married to singer Rod Stewart and a regular

panellist on ITV’s Loose Women, said:

“My time filming with Cambridgeshire Police for Fa-

mous and Fighting Crime was a revelation. I was so

impressed by the work the police do all the time, which

often goes unseen. The fact that some officers do their

role in their spare time, without pay, and alongside a

regular career, was just inspiring. I experienced first

hand how they put themselves in harm’s way and go

towards danger when others are running away.”

In April, Penny became a patron for the charity Care of

Police Survivors (COPS), which supports families of

police officers and staff who die on duty. She said:

“I can’t praise the people who do the role highly

enough and I would urge anyone who would like to

help others to think about becoming a Special”, Penny

said, “It gives you confidence, professional training and

a unique opportunity to meet people, see life and really

make a difference. It may seem a lot to give but the

rewards more than compensate.”

Chief Constable Nick Dean praised all the people who

volunteered to support policing in Cambridgeshire. He

said:

“We have great, professional and committed volunteers

across the whole of policing and here in Cambridge-

shire is no different; from police cadets and their lead-

ers, to Special Constabulary members, to members of

the public who assist us within the organisation, I am

sure there are many more. Their work never goes un-

noticed or unappreciated.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite said:

“The Chief Constable and I both recognise the enor-

mous contribution our volunteers make and remain

impressed by their level of commitment, professional-

ism and determination. Whilst we recognise that people

are able to make different levels of commitment, what-

ever they give goes a long way in the local community

and is hugely valued.”

In 2018/19, Specials completed nearly 7900 duties,

which equates to more than 51,000 hours worked. The

force currently has about 220 Specials.

Police plea for employers to help boost

the front line

POLICE are urging employers

across the county to sign up to a

scheme that supports their staff to

volunteer as police constables.

Employer Supported Policing

(ESP) asks employers to promote

the role of the Special constable in

their organisation, while granting

those who do sign up additional

leave days to help them meet duty commitments.

In return, the organisation will benefit from staff who

have received a unique training package, worth several

thousand pounds and covering a wide range of skills,

many of which are transferable to the workplace.

Specials are unpaid volunteers with full police powers

who agree to dedicate a minimum of 16 hours a month

to training or operational duties. They often find this

time outside of working hours but family commitments

and other outside interests can lead to volunteers re-

luctantly deciding to leave the service after a few years.

One organisation signed up to ESP in Cambridgeshire

is the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Hinxton,

Cambridge, which is at the cutting-edge of genome and

bioinformatics research.

Dr Martin Dougherty,

the institute's Chief

Operating Officer, who

is a Special in Cam-

bridgeshire, said: “The

time and effort that you

put in as a Special is

rewarded 10-fold by

the sense of well-being

that you're making a

contribution to society.

It’s about making those

real life decisions that

have an impact and

help people on the

spot.

For more information on becoming a Special visit our

website www.cambs.police.uk/specialconstable

Visit https://www.cambs.police.uk/ to find out more

about Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

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.

July 2019 16 Issue 171

Printed by Easiprint 01733 602302

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]

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.

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. Next visits - 24th July

For renewals/ enquiries call 0345 045 5225 or click here

.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

Ellington and Grafham WI

meets on the first Tuesday of the month in Ellington

village hall. Membership is £41 per annum but you

are most welcome to come as a visitor.

The programme is varied and interesting with

speakers or events every month.

July A visit to Buckden brewery

If you would like more information please contact:

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

Grafham Little Fishes Toddler and Baby stay and play session

All Welcome

Wednesdays 10.00 to 11.20 term time only Grafham Village Hall

Free play time followed by a short bible story, action songs and simple craft.

Just turn up on the day

Little Fishes is very short of helpers to make tea/coffee. Please contact Hazel 810326 or email: [email protected] if you can help.

See also the notice on page 8

Coffee Morning Grafham Social Committee invites you to

Coffee Mornings at 10.30am on the third

Wednesday of the month:

17th July - Pat Watson, 26 Inhams Way

This is an informal social occasion for

residents of the village. Please come along

for a cup of coffee and a chat.

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

Quiz night Last Thursday of every month

Starting at 8pm

Teams of 4, £1 entry per person