Grafham Gossip - Amazon Web Servicesgrafham.s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/2019/Gossip/19-08...around the shop and hall area. In the afternoon by Grafham Water, church members and others

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

August 2019 1 Issue 172

Grafham Gossip Issue 173 Deadline: Midnight Thursday 15th August

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

Parish News / Parish and County Cllrs contact details….….

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

Neighbourhood Plan / Talking Shop………….….……..….

Notices / Shop Hours / Bins / Useful phone nos….………..

Wasps, Gregory Belcher…………...…….……………..……

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

Hedgehogs in Grafham, Carol Baber..………...………….

Adverts / Notices / A14 update info ……………..……….

Making Change Happen in Grafham Campaign.…..……....

Beer Festival Thank you…………………………….……….

Notices ……………….……. …………………..…..…...……

Letter - Aerobatics over Grafham / Extinction Rebellion....

Adverts…………...…..…………………………..……..…

Poly-nation, David Cudby…………………….……………..

Local Activities………………………………………………..

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3

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5

6

7

8

9

10

11

11

12

13

14

15

16

Editors’ note… The school holidays are here and as

usual we hope for lovely weather. But

whatever the weather, we have some fun

events organised in Grafham during August. They include the

Annual Art Exhibition on 10th and 11th, our first football mara-

thon on 25th, details of both are below. There are several pub

events; a half price Soo Choy accessories night on 7th, Board

Games on 21st and Quiz Night on 29th (pages 12 and 16.)

‘Must reads’ this month include ‘Wasps’ by Gregory Belcher

on page 7, ‘Hedgehogs in Grafham‘ by Carole Baber on page

9 and Gianni’s letter to the editors on page 13.

Please send in your news, views, photos and gossip in good

time for the next deadline, midnight on Thursday 15th August.

Have fun! Editors, [email protected]

Coming soon in September

Macmillan Coffee MorningMacmillan Coffee Morning

Grafham Village Hall

Date and details to follow

Charity Marathon 5 a-side Football in aid of Mental Health UK

Sunday 25th August 7am to 7pm

at Grafham Astro (behind the village hall)

Men, ladies and children over 13 years old are all welcome to come down and play

as long as you want!

Players - Please bring contributions of £10 for

adults and £5 for 13 -17yr olds

Kit - Light shirts (yellow / white) v dark shirts

(red / blue)

Refreshments

Burgers will be on sale 12 to 3pm

The Village Shop open from 10 to 2pm

The Grafham Trout will be open from 1 to 7pm

The Village Hall will be open for facilities

Lookout for more details on the Village Facebook

page nearer to the event

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

August 2019 2 Issue 172

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

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

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

25th August (4th Sunday) 10.30 ‘All Together’ with Holy Communion at Ellington

25th August (4th Sunday) 19.00 Taizé service with music and candles

29th August (Thursday) 10.00 Mid week Communion -------------------------------------------------------------

1st September (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

Barbecue at Grafham Water Before and after at Grafham Village Hall area

View from the Pew On our ‘Out of church Sunday’ on 30th June members of the congregation from the three churches per-

formed community good deeds, including litter picking, cleaning windows in the village hall and weeding

around the shop and hall area. In the afternoon by Grafham Water, church members and others met for

a picnic and enjoyed fun and games and delicious food. A lovely day for everyone.

At the Ellington flower festival three participants from Grafham displayed "The Jungle Book" and "The Secret Gar-

den" and compliments were heard on their efforts.

Talking of flowers, more wildflowers have been introduced into the churchyard project: foxgloves, scabious, borage

and cowslips. More perennial wildflowers are potted up ready to be planted but not before the long grass is cut, the

ground scarified and yellow rattle seeds applied to impoverish the strong grass. At our next churchyard meeting on

27th July our ecologist friend Dr Pat Doody is coming along to give us further advice on this next stage. Many hands

will be required with cutting the grass by hand (it's far too long for the mower) using scythes - does anyone have

one? - or by shearing or strimming. As usual we will have delicious cake and coffee at 11am.

At our first Sunday service on 4th August we will unfortunately have no musicians and will therefore have to sing unaccompanied. However, if anyone in the village is confident enough to come and play our electric piano we would

be most grateful. Please contact Hazel (810326) who would be delighted to hear from you.

The rest of the August services are at the top of this page as usual.

Photographs sourced from http://www.eastleightonstone.com To see more photos and the complete write up of

‘Out of Church Sunday’ on 30th June, click on ‘News’ then ‘Out of Church Sunday – What happened,’ Ed

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

August 2019 3 Issue 172

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

PARISH NEWS July 2019

Mr Michael Pople of Inhams Way was co-

opted to the Parish Council at the July meet-

ing. Mr Pople was welcomed by the Chair

and the Council is now back to full strength.

Buckden Parish Councillor, Amy Burbidge attended the

public forum to discuss plans for the development of a

cycle path (with the help of A14 funding applied for) to

link Buckden, Brampton and Grafham and with the aim

eventually to extend safe cycling to Hinchingbrooke

School and Huntingdon Station. The route of the pro-

posed path has been suggested to be from Grafham

down the Brampton lane (wibbly-wobbly) to the bend

where a recently cleared pathway is on the right and

which leads to Buckden. Clearly this would require

some definite safety measures for cyclists on the

Brampton Lane which might include a 20-30mph

speed limit, some narrowing/widening of the road in

certain places, a “quiet lane” designation and a good

many signs to mark the lane as such. The Grafham

Council will receive a copy of the full proposals for dis-

cussion before making any decision to agree to the

plan.

Cllr Peter Downes advised that the A14 improvements

are ahead of schedule for completion. This means that

the window of opportunity for road repairs is getting

narrower. It isn’t clear who will be repairing roads dam-

aged by the project or where the legal obligations lie.

You can read Peter’s report in full as appended to the

minutes of the July meeting on the village website

www.grafham.org.uk

Grafham and Ellington Parish Councils have submitted

a joint application to HDC for the designation of the

whole of both parishes as a Neighbourhood Area and

will be preparing a Neighbourhood Plan. You can read

more about this on the village website and by following

this link:

http://consult.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/portal/pp/nps/

genp

There is a consultation on the proposals which will be

open from Monday 8th July to Friday 23

rd August 2019.

The Council hope to be holding a public meeting in

September in the village hall (date to be confirmed). A

leaflet concerning the date and purpose of the meeting

will be delivered to all homes as soon as possible.

Cllr Darren Tysoe’s full report from the District Council

can be read in full as appended to the minutes of the

July meeting on the village website.

Other business discussed included the state of hedges

along Brampton Lane. An update received from Cllr

Watson stated that the farmer was unable to cut the

hedge up to the old railway bridge (on left hand side)

when the road was closed and because of the bird

nesting season he won't be able to cut it until after the

harvest and may require the road to be closed. This

will need to be re-addressed in the Autumn.

Cllr Watson has reported the whole Brampton Road

issue to the HDC stating that the situation between the

old railway bridge and Brampton Wood entrance has

now become particularly dangerous for cyclists and

motorbikes due to the overhanging hedges. This must

surely be part of any road improvement if it is indeed to

become a cycle path!

The issues of HGVs heading down the wibbly wobbly

late at night and then reversing because they can’t make it (complete with reversing sirens blaring) were

discussed by the Council. However, it is difficult to

know how this menace can be addressed. Clearly, the

drivers are unable to read signs, so erecting more of

them is not likely to help. If an HGV watch can take

photos, collect rear and front licence plate numbers,

count the number of axles, get a phone number and/or

name of the operator (quite quickly, obviously) this in-

formation can be passed to the police for action. We

cannot block roads, or narrow them strategically as this

might be a hazard to emergency vehicles and could be

illegal!

The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for 10th

September 2019, at the village hall at 7.30pm. It would be nice to see you there.

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]

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

August 2019 4 Issue 172

Send your news, views, photos and gossip to

[email protected]

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 15th August for the September 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]

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

August 2019 5 Issue 172

How would you feel about a major housing development here, possibly doubling the

size of Grafham or Ellington?

The A14 project will bring many benefits when completed, along with

reduced journey time to Cambridge. This could bring our area within comfortable commuting time and it is clearly a desirable area

in which to live.

For more information ahead of the meeting, please email David Russell: [email protected]

At present Huntingdon District Council are required

by government to build at least 1,000 dwellings each

year locally. Their Local Plan does not propose any

significant development in our villages. But, there is a risk that a developer could ride roughshod over

HDC’s planning policy, if they do not meet this target.

This could lead to large-scale development here.

Buckden has recently been victim to several large

and unwelcome developments because HDC were

short of their target.

Currently HDC are closing the gap and nearing their

target. However, the build rate could fall at any time,

possibly due to reasons beyond HDC’s control, and

leave us vulnerable.

The solution is a Neighbourhood Plan

A Neighbourhood Plan defines what we, the resi-

dents, would like and not like to see within our villag-

es. It has the legal power to prevent a developer

from imposing an unwanted housing or industrial de-

velopment within our parishes.

Grafham and Ellington Parish Councils will be deliv-

ering a joint Neighbourhood Plan, with the support of

a small team of residents and assisted by HDC.

A Neighbourhood Plan is primarily concerned with planning. However, it can also include non-planning,

community-led actions which would previously have

been included in a Parish Plan.

You are invited to: A public meeting in Grafham Village Hall on

Friday 6th September at 7:30 pm, where you can

find out more information.

You might also wish to actively support the Neigh-

bourhood Plan Team in ensuring that we evolve life

in our lovely villages the way we would like to see it.

Talking Shop Where did that month go? As I write this I have been

a manager at the shop for a whole month and by the

time you read this I will have been working here for

nearly two months. As the saying goes time flies

when you’re having fun. I am really enjoying my new

role in the shop and it has been a pleasure to get to

know all the new faces. I would also like to give a big

thank you to all my wonderful volunteers who have

supported me in my first month as manager.

If you are interested in volunteering in the shop just

pop in and speak to either Lynn or myself. Volunteer-

ing is a great way to meet new people, learn new

skills and be a part of a very friendly team. You can

volunteer as much or as little as you like and for how-

ever many hours that you have to offer.

Did you know?

In the shop we provide a wide range of eco friendly

products. From soaps to bin bags to even degradable

doggie bags. Why not pop in and have a browse?

Hopefully, as you are reading this the sun is shining

and the temperatures are sizzling. In the shop we

stock a range of ice creams and lollies to help cool

you down. Also, we have a variety of cold drinks to

choose from. Don’t forget to protect yourself from the

sun whilst on holiday or grabbing a quick tan in the

garden. We have a selection sun lotions and creams

at a different SPFs, but if you do get a little burnt we

supply after sun too.

Finally, as many of you may know, the shop is helped

to run by the Grafham Community Shop Committee

who often help managers when needed. There are

currently a few available spots open to join the com-

mittee. They usually meet once a month to discuss

shop finances, stock control, publicity amongst other

things. Being on the committee does not require you

do any extra work if you don’t want to, it can also be

an opportunity to give your opinions on the shop and

any suggestions. If you are interested in joining or

would like any more info please contact Martin Joyner

(Chairman) 07802 257404.

See you in the shop soon, Chloe 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

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

August 2019 6 Issue 172

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

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?”

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

August 2019 7 Issue 172

Send your news, views, photos and gossip to: [email protected]

Wasps Renowned as the disturber of picnics, few realise the

value of the wasp to both the ecosystem and to man.

There are around 9000 species of wasp in the UK,

compare that with their relatives the bees (270 species)

and ants (50 species) and the diversity is immediately

apparent. In fact, it is thought that bees and ants

evolved from wasp forebears. Only around 1% of wasp

species are social wasps, the rest being solitary wasps

that either go unnoticed or are mistaken for flies.

The different species of social wasps are very similar,

yellow and black and around 15-20mm long. The only

species that stands out is the Hornet, with its gold and

brown colouring and larger size (around 30mm long,)

the other species only being distinguished by the mark-

ings on the abdomen and face and the antennae col-

our.

The adult wasps require high energy carbohydrates, so

feed on nectar and any other sweet liquids they can

find. This leads to their first benefit for man; they are

pollinators. Recent research suggests that wasps are

as important to pollinating crops as bees. Some plants

have co-evolved with wasps as their sole pollinator, the

tropical fig being a case in point.

The wasp larva on the other hand requires protein and

so is wholly carnivorous. The adult wasps hunt for in-

sect prey that is subdued with their sting and brought

back to the nest. An individual wasp can fly whilst carry-

ing up to 4/5ths its own weight. Once the prey is back at

the colony it is broken down into a pulp which is then

fed to the larvae. As a by product, the larvae excrete a

Photographs © Simon Walker

sweet liquid which in turn is consumed by the adult in-

sects. Estimates suggest that wasps take around

14,000 tonnes of insect prey in the UK alone, and as

most of these are caterpillars, green fly and the like, the

wasp provides very efficient pest control for crops and

gardens.

However they are best known for their sting. Used

against larger creatures in defence, it is a

complex mix of chemicals. Peptides and

enzymes break down cell membranes,

norepinephrine stops the flow of blood at

the sting site and hyaluronidase melts

through other connecting tissue. Also,

unlike bees, they can sting multiple times

as there is no barb on the sting and if one

stings, they all will. The venom also con-

tains an alarm pheromone that alerts all

other wasps in the colony to the attack

and acts as ‘a call to arms’.

Although annoying at times, these insects

are far from pointless and the world would

miss them should they

disappear.

Bedfordshire

Cambridgeshire

Northamptonshire

Gregory Belcher

Senior Reserves Officer

Wildlife Trust BCN

Hornet, working on small nest, Grafham

Hornet, Littless Creek, Grafham

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

August 2019 8 Issue 172

20

The Labour Party in Huntingdon Our next monthly meeting is

Monday 19th August 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!

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

HUNTINGDON CONSERVATIVE ASSOCIATION (GRAFHAM BRANCH)

SUMMER BBQ You are invited to a Summer BBQ

at Village Farm, Church Road,

Grafham PE28 0BB

on Sunday 1st September

from 12.30 to 4pm

courtesy of Sue and Brian Homewood

Tickets at £15.00 include BBQ, desserts and a first drink Children under 10 half price

RSVP to Paul Knight at 1 Haycraft Close, Grafham, PE28 0GA

or tel 01480 811727 …………………………………………………………………….

I/We would like ..................... tickets for the Grafham Summer BBQ on Sunday 1st September

I enclose a remittance of £..................at £15.00 per ticket (please make cheques payable to HCCA Grafham Branch)

Name.....................................................................................

Tel ........................................................................................

Address.................................................................................

…………………………………………………………………….

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.

Help!

We are very

short of volunteer tea/coffee

makers for our Little Fishes

Stay + Play Tots Group,

which meets on Wednesday

mornings in the village hall.

If you can spare an hour,

now and then, we would be

most grateful for your help!

Please contact

Hazel 810326

or email:

[email protected]

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

August 2019 9 Issue 172

Hedgehogs in Grafham

When we moved here nearly twenty years ago, hedge-

hogs were a nightly sight on our bed time dog walk, at

least one and often more. In recent years, I do not see

them so regularly.

Although still relatively common and widespread, there

is now considerable evidence for a dramatic decline in,

the UK, in recent years, with around a third of the na-

tional population lost since the millennium. It is difficult

to calculate, but a best estimate for the total hedgehog

population size is that there are probably under a mil-

lion hedgehogs left in the UK, some sources dated

from 2017 suggest 1.5 million. https://ptes.org/get-

informed/facts-figures/hedgehog/

In rural areas, hedgehogs live along woodland edges

and hedgerows, in meadowland and rough pasture.

In towns and villages, they make use of gardens and

amenity grassland, as well as other green spaces.

So Grafham provides a mixture of both environments.

Between November and the end of March, when

food is scarce, hedgehogs hibernate to conserve

energy, remaining largely inactive. During the rest

of the year, they are mostly solitary, non-territorial

and nocturnal, moving over areas of 25-125 acres

during the summer, and 1-2km in a single night,

involving many different gardens. https://

www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/pdf/sobh-2018.pdf

They eat worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, millipedes

and earwigs. They also eat bird’s eggs and carrion. As

some of you all ready now, they readily eat meaty cat

food or dog food provided by people too!

They breed between April and September, with peak

activity in May and June. Courtship involves lots of

snorting, barging from the female and perseverance

from the male. You may have heard this! Mothers may

desert or eat young if disturbed while nesting. Up to

seven blind, spineless offspring are usually born be-

tween May and August in a nest of leaves and grass.

Pure white spines appear soon after birth and are re-

placed within a few weeks by darker spines that grow

through. The young are weaned at about four weeks

and become independent shortly afterwards. Hoglets

emerge from end of June onwards, are weaned at

around five weeks and independent from then on.

Females can attempt two litters in a year, but rare-

ly rear more than one successfully.

They can live up to 10 years (but this is exceptional).

Over half die within their first year, and average life

expectancy is 2-3 years in the wild.

The hedgehog is legally protected from trapping or

intentional harm, but none of the legislation deals with

the drivers of the decline.

The biggest threat to hedgehogs is thought to be habi-

tat loss, with the change from pastoral farming to ara-

ble crops, and increasing field size with the removal of

hedgerows over the last 30 years. The use of chemi-

cals in gardens and for intensive farming kills the crea-

tures hedgehogs need for food and may also poison

them directly. Many are also killed on the roads.

Here’s where we can help:

These tips come from Hedgehog Street, a national

conservation project which focuses on making gar-

dens hedgehog-friendly. https://

www.hedgehogstreet.org/about-hedgehogs/how-many

-hedgehogs-are-left/ Perhaps you can see some

things that you could do here? A major contribution to

Grafham hedgehog welfare would be to ensure that

they can easily move into and out of your garden and

into neighbouring gardens, creating a joined up envi-

ronment, the way things used to be for them.

I would also like to ask for your help in finding out how

hedgehogs are doing in Grafham by monitoring and

then mapping their presence in as many gardens as

possible. I have made some hedgehog tunnels which I

can lend out, for you to set in your garden for a week

between now and end of October, to find out if you

have hedgehog visitors while you are sleeping.

Hedgehogs in Grafham by Carole Baber continued

at the bottom of page 11

August 2019 10 Issue 172

Website: www.grafham.org.uk E-mail: [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!

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

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

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.

August 2019 11 Issue 172

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

Dogwood

MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN

IN GRAFHAM

We hope some of you have seen our emails or

Facebook posts, or may even have attended the

meeting on Thursday 11th July.

We are a new group looking to bring about some

lasting changes to make Grafham a greener, more

sustainable community. We believe we can make

a real difference and would love to have you join

us on this exciting campaign.

We’re keen supporters of the forthcoming Neigh-

bourhood Plan that is being worked on by the

Parish Councils here and in Ellington. The detail in

this will inform - and be informed by - the Making

Change Happen in Grafham campaign. We'd en-

courage everyone to support this, as well.

Want to get involved? Visit our website at:

www.grafhamvillage.uk to signup and join the con-

versation.

Unlike a simple email list, members of the group

can engage in back and forth discussions. A bit

like Facebook, but without all the ads and privacy

concerns.

On here you can have your say, comment on

other's ideas and suggestions and really help drive

the direction this campaign will follow. You can do

as much or as little as you feel comfortable with.

We welcome everyone and value their contribu-

tions. There will almost certainly be differences of

opinion. That's life. But let's keep this group a kind

and positive place.

We hope to see lots of you soon, to start to see

what we can all do to improve our community. Oh,

and we’re definitely calling on all the school chil-

dren and young people in the village. We'd love

you to get involved too.

Making Change Happen in Grafham

Chris Bulow, Amanda Toogood

BIG THANK YOU

The Grafham Beer Festival and

the Grafham Trout teams wish to thank everybody

who attended this year’s 8th Grafham Beer Festival

and for helping make it another successful event

We wish to thank all of the very kind people for

supplying raffle prizes which went on to raise over £600

for Friends of Spaldwick School (FOSS)

A special thanks also for the Grafham Parish Council for

funding the inflatable assault course for the children.

See you next year for

the New “Grafham Festival” on 3rd and 4th July 2020

Hedgehogs in Grafham Continued from page 9

Evidence for the visit comes from footprints. A non-toxic ink,

made of charcoal and vegetable oil, is painted either side of

a small dish of dog or cat food and A4 paper is also placed

either side of the food. This is then inserted into the tunnel.

To get to the food, the hedgehog has to walk across the ink

and then exit, with inky paws, over the paper! (As seen in

the photos below)

If you would like to contribute to the survey, email me at

[email protected] and I can show you how to set up

and arrange to collect your results.

If this is successful, I would like to do it each year to track

trends. The Cambridgeshire Mammal Society will be watch-

ing with interest. Carole Baber

August 2019 12 Issue 172

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

Your advert could be here! 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.

Join Our Short Walks

Ideal for people of any age, who would like to get a little fitter

Walks are free, leisurely, lasting

around 30 minutes

Starting from The Surgery,

Buckden

Every Thursday at 10.00am

Come and make new

friends, build up energy and fitness

Walks are led by

Hunts District Council trained walk leaders

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 plac-

es all over the country.

You should register with

www.parkrun.org.uk/huntingdon before

your first run and you will get a bar-

code, 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 after-

wards 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

I’ve got about 30 different games but I’m always interested

in playing new ones! Robert

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.

August 2019 13 Issue 172

EXTINCTION REBELLION HUNTINGDON

We'd like to encourage you to join us in supporting the

new local Extinction Rebellion group. We would love to

see you come along to the next meeting and get in-

volved in this more direct action initiative. For those who

don't already know, XR (Extinction Rebellion) is an in-

ternational apolitical network using non-violent direct

action to persuade governments to act on the Climate

and Ecological Emergency.

We have three demands in the UK:

Tell the truth

Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate

and ecological emergency, working with other institu-

tions to communicate the urgency for change.

Act Now

Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and

reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

Beyond Politics

Government must create and be led by the decisions of

a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 1st August, 7pm-

8.30pm at St Marys Parish Hall, Huntingdon PE29 3AP.

We are very happy to car-share.

Following this are the following dates: Tuesday 13th

August, Thursday 29th August, Tuesday 10th Septem-

ber

We have also managed to arrange some local NVDA

(Non Violent Direct Action) training for Saturday 14th

September. This will most likely be 10am-3pm but we

are just firming this up. This will give us time to grow

numbers ahead of the training and will also be in plenty

of time for the planned national protest on 7th October.

If you know you can’t make this date, we'd strongly rec-

ommend attending another session nearby. XR Peter-

borough are holding one on August 10th.

If you have not already done so (and are on Facebook)

you can join our private group at:

https://www.facebook.com/roups/350306489020516/?

source_id=410552132870051

Chris Bulow, Amanda Toogood

Letters to the Editors Dear Editor… Aerobatics over Grafham I am sure most Grafham residents

are used to the sound of light aircraft

flying over and around the village,

especially during the Summer

months. I also assume most of us,

myself included, are tolerant of these

aircraft even when conducting aerobatics over the area,

but occasionally one or two pilots do seem to carry out

manoeuvres quite close, or indeed, over the village

which can get a little irritating with the constant fall and

rise of the engine drone.

Such an episode occurred a couple of weeks ago with

one such aircraft which gradually ‘crept’ closer and

closer until, at one point, it was directly over the vil-

lage. Eventually, my ‘grumpy’ side got the better of me,

so I contacted Peterborough airport to ask if they could

do anything about it. Sure enough, and about five

minutes later, the aircraft departed. Some time later,

the chief flying instructor rang to explain that it was one

of his students undertaking an aerobatic rehearsal and

he apologised.

I told him no apology was required, but he was quite

insistent that such incidents should not occur and that

such flights must not fly over conurbations however

small. It seems that aerobatic aircraft are restricted to

flying either over Brampton Woods or over Grafham

Water itself, though the manoeuvres they carry out can

result in them creeping closer to built up areas.

The instructor was also keen to ensure that such inci-

dents aren’t repeated and he made it clear that people

shouldn’t hesitate to contact the airport if aircraft are

spotted carrying out aerobatics over the village again.

I have to say I was impressed with the response to my

grumble and thought other residents of Grafham may

want to be aware of the issue for future reference. If

anyone else has this problem or concern then they

should ring Peterborough Airport on 01487 834161.

Gianni Zamo

What are your news, views and comments? E-mail: [email protected] if you’d like your letter published in ‘Letters to the Editors.’ Please supply your name and address/email ad-dress but tell us if you’d prefer us not to print it in the Grafham Gossip. Thanks , Ed

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]

August 2019 14 Issue 172

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/

August 2019 15 Issue 172

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

Poly-nation

When writing about beekeeping I occasionally like to say something about technology. Well this month my son

introduced me to a Microsoft, iPhone app called Translator. It is available for Windows computers too. My thoughts

on this were reinforced a few days ago while listening to Radio 4, where there was an item about the much re-

duced student interest in languages in school. Now, make no mistake my language skills are very limited so what

follows is purely due to the clever app, nothing to do with me as a linguist. I am not proficient enough to include the

various accents on the foreign words so my list is an approximation. Those of you who are familiar with any of the

languages that I have chosen to include are free to send me comments if I or the app has made errors.

English Afrikaans Czech Danish Dutch

Apiary Apiary Medonosnych Apiary Imkerij

Beekeeper Byeboer Vcelar Biavler Imker

Beehive Byekorf Ulu Beehive Bijenkorf

Foraging Miere Past Fouragering Foerageren

Honey Heuning Zlato Honning Honing

Honeybee Heuningby Vcela Honningbien Honingbij

Pollen Stuifmeel Pyl Pollen Pollen

Pollination Bestuiwing Opylovani Bestovning Bestuiving

Queen Koningin Kralovna Dronning Koningin

Swarm Swarm Roj Svaerm Zwerm

Wax Was Vosk Voks Wax

Worker bee Werker bee Vcelka delnice Arbejder bi Werhnemer bee

Happy beekeeping Gelukkig

byeboerdery Stastne vcelarstvi Lykkelig biavi Gelukkige bijenteelt

English Estonian Finnish French German Italian Slovenian Welsh

Apiary Mesila Apiary Rucher Bienenhaus Apiario Cebelnjak Gwenithfaen

Beekeeper Mesinik Beekeeper Apiculteur Imker Apicoltore Cebelar Gwenynwr

Beehive Mesitaru Beehive Ruche Bienenstock Alveare Panj Cwch gwenyn

Foraging Korjealadena Juurikasvit Alimenta-

tion Futtersuche Foraggiamento

Iskanja hrane

Fforio

Honey Mesi Hunaja Miel Honig Miele Medu Mel

Honeybee Meemesilaste Mehilainen Abeille Biene Ape Cebel Gwenyn mel

Pollen Oietolm Siitepolya Pollen Pollen Polline Poleda Paill

Pollination Tolmeldamise Polytys Pollinisa-

tion Bestaubung Impollinazione Oprasevanje Peillio

Queen Queen Queen Reine Konigin Regina Kraljica Frenhines

Swarm Sulem Parvi Essaim Schwarm Sciame Roj Swarm

Wax Vaha Vaha Cire Wachs Cera Vosek Cwyr

Worker bee Tootaja me-

silane Tyon tekija mehilainen

Abeille de travailleur

Worker-bee Ape operaia Delavka cebelica

Gwenynen y gwethiwr

Happy beekeeping

Head mesin-dus

Onnellinen mehilais

hoito

Apiculture heureuse

Gluckliche imkerei

Apicoltura felice Srecno ce-belarstvo

Cadw gwenyn hapus

And finally for the inter-galactic beekeepers, English Klingon

Queen Tlhaw’DlyuS

Sting ‘aw’

Wax Vaj meQll’bogh

Happy beekeeping Quch beekeeping

David Cudby

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.

August 2019 16 Issue 172

Printed by Easiprint 01733 602302

Grafham Wildlife and Conservation Group Regional winners of the BTCV Green Award 2006 & 2007 invite you to carry out woodland conservation

Call Sam Malt: 01480 811654 / 07849 082870

or email: [email protected] www.gwcg.btck.co.uk/

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 - 28th August

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 pro-gramme is varied and interesting with speakers or events every month. August 80th anniversary garden party from 6pm. For the address of the venue any other 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 Beginning 4th September

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:

21st August - Debbie Russell, 18 Church Rd

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