January/February 2015

1www.benwickbugle.co.uk

Jan 2015Benwick’s Bi-Monthly Community Magazine

Benwick Church of St Mary’s pre 1966

2 www.benwickbugle.co.uk

Benwick Children’s CentreHigh StreetBenwickCambridgeshirePE15 0XA

01354 677 [email protected]

‘Learning to play, playing to learn’

Baby & Toddler Group, Pre-school & Out of School Clubs

Our Pre-school offers a fun, friendly and stimulating learning environment for children aged 2 to 5 years

.Monday to Friday*

Early Education Funding available for all 3 + 4 year olds plus eligible 2 year olds

Holiday Club available throughout the year

for children aged 2 to 12 yearsMonday to Friday 8:00am to 5:30pm

Baby and Toddler Group* every Thursday 1:30pm to 3:00pm

After School Club* Monday & Wednesday 3:00pm to 6:00pm

Please contact us for more information on any of our groups or to arrange a visit.

* term time only


EDITORIALJanuary’s edition is a little bit light and I urge all community groups to submit articles for future editions. There is always plenty of space!The Bugle is a great way to let everyone in the village know what is happening, promote events and generally share village news.

2014 finished with some great

Editor:Adam Keppel-Garner

1 Lilyholt Road Benwick, PE15 0XQ

[email protected] 057 228

events; I saw lots of praise on Facebook for both the Dickensian Market and Santa Special - well done to all who organised each event.

2015 will see a few changes to the Bugle with some great new features planned for the next edition. •

In This Edition... Village Hall 4Cambs ACRE Oil Buying Scheme 4Benwick Ladies Club 6The Sweetpeas and Me 8During the War - part five 10Benwick Forget-me-Nots 12Benwick in Bloom 14ews from our MP 17 Scout Group News 20Village Contacts 22

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VILLAGE HALLA study recently found that Village Halls are struggling to find new recruits. If you have time to spare and would like to help keep Benwick Village Hall thriving contact Patricia to find out how you could help.

Do you have a Children’s party coming up? For just £30 for a Saturday or £25 for a Sunday, you could hire the Village Hall for three hours in the afternoon. To book or find out more contact Patricia on 677 279 or 07879 056 614. •

Before topping up the oil tank to see through the winter months it might be the right time to consider joining an oil buying scheme.

Cambridgeshire ACRE’s community oil buying scheme is designed to help purchasers of central heating oil to make savings by buying in bulk. The scheme is open to anyone in Cambridgeshire and community buildings such as churches and village halls as well as businesses which are reliant upon heating oil can

ACRE OIL BUYING SCHEME

join too. The annual membership fee for domestic users is £20 and covers as many oil orders as you need dur-ing the course of the year.

The average saving is usually 2 pence per litre against online prices. In De-cember scheme members who ordered oil in these months paid 42.49 pence per litre (exclusive of VAT at 5%).

To find out more about the Cambridgeshire ACRE Community Oil Buying Scheme go to our website www.cambsacre.org.uk or contact Julie Weekes on 01353 860850 email [email protected] •

Overweight?Overweight?

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Programmes starting across Cambridgeshire in

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Places are limited so don’t delay.

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5www.benwickbugle.co.ukJune 2014 | Discovering Whittlesea 49

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The Benwick Ladies Club finished off the 2014 season with a lovely party. Everyone brought along a present for ‘Secret Santa’ and a range of nibbles. Anne Fisher our treasurer had purchased the drinks with club funds so we were all set for a good evening.

As well as eating and drinking we took part in a quiz of Christmas related anagrams, picking a gift from Santa’s sack and voting on the items beginning with ‘c’. This year we will all have to put our thinking caps on because 3 months running Angela Hayes has scored top marks.

We will be beginning our new programme on January 19th at 7.00pm in the church room when fees will be collected, gossip exchanged and a quiz relating to musicals tackled. February 16th is the date for a meal at a local venue.

Our first speaker of the year will be Tom Homden about Confessions of a Locksmith on March 16th.

Followed on April 20th by John from Skylark talking about Winter to

BENWICK LADIES CLUB

by Brenda Richards

Spring fragrance and colour.

New members are always welcome and if you would like further details all the information is on our 2015 programme sheet displayed on the noticeboard at the village hall. •


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The day eventually arrived and Harvey turned 5 years old.

He started off the day with simply playing in his room and then coming in to have a chat with me about how big he now is that he is 5 years old. “I’m going to be good all year.”

He got to open the cards that arrived through the post and was very excited about one in particular. Our friends, had sent him £10 that could only be spent on “something fun.” He gave me long lists of what he may do with it including a trip to DiggerLand.

The first task when we got to my Aunt’s house was to blow up the 10 illuminating balloons.

These were fantastic as you just pulled the tab out and then blew them up. There’s a little LED inside that made the balloons glow.

I’d got him a little excavation kit from 99p stores as he’d loved playing with one when we were on holiday last summer. It’s amazing how something so inexpensive can keep him

SWEETPEAS AND MEby Emily Shepperson

occupied for so long.

Later on, some more friends and family arrived and we had Harvey’s choice of a takeaway for tea. We could then put his candles on his cake and sing “Happy Birthday” which he had been wanted to do since he woke up at half past 5 that morning.

I didn’t even attempt to make him a birthday cake this year. He’d decided he wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake and seeing as Tesco sell these, I went for that option. (Some may call that lazy, I call it “I won’t poison anyone on Harvey’s 5th birthday.)

Oh and the balloons are still going over 24 hours after we started them off even though Alyssa kept telling everyone that “The instructions say they only last 15 hours.” •


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We continue our look back at life in Benwick during the first world war through the memoirs of Florence Sismey.

Food supplies were getting worse and we were continually being urged to grow more for ourselves. Acres of parks and lawns were ploughed up and planted with potatoes and greens. We were asked to help the town people by picking all the wild fruits we could; we picked blackberries by the tonne and sent them by train to the markets.

I think it was 1917 that everyone in the village had a bumper crop of marrows! We had them boiled, baked, steamed, fried and made into pies, puddings and tarts until everyone was sick of the sight of them. A friend once made a suet pudding with a large slice of marrow in the centre filled with blackberries. It tasted good to me.

The able-bodied men in the village had joined the Local Defence Volunteers (LDVs) and were drilled in the use of firearms once or twice a week. My father was one of them

DURING THE WAR

and it was my job to clean and polish his black leather leggings and shoes so that they passed inspection. There was a real fear of invasion for two or three years, and we were all issued with printed instructions as to where we were to make for and which roads to use if the “Jerries” came; but thank god; it never happened.

The railways were very busy and every weekend for a couple of years the line to Benwick would get blocked up with empty trucks to make more room on the main line for loaded ones to get through.

Clothing was getting scarce too and was mostly very poor in quality; as all the woollen materials were need-ed for the Forces and we civilians were told to make to and mend. The first artificial silks were called rayons and were poor and stiff, but they kept improving them and by the end of the war we were getting coat linings, underwear, gloves and stockings in “art silk”.

With these artificial silk stockings the lighter colours came in and I can remember how horrified the older people were when one Sunday two of the village girls came to church in beige stockings so thin you could see their flesh through and high heeled shoes too! •


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FORGET-ME-NOTSby Janet Fountain

The Forget-Me-Not Club held their annual bingo in October instead of November this last year but it will be going back to November in 2015.

However on 6th November 2014 Ernie Hall from Whittlesey was a very interesting speaker. He spoke about the fens and showed slides from our surrounding towns and villages and items of interest in this area.

Our Christmas party was held on 4th December when 60 people sat down to a four course meal provided by A & M Catering of Whittlesey followed by entertainment from “Logic”, a duo singing 50’s, 60’s, Irish and Country music. Several members enjoyed the dancing. (Photo shows members watching the entertainment.)

This year our treasurer was successful in obtaining a grant of £900 from the Burnthouse Farm Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund towards this event so it was heavily subsidised and much appreciated. The chairman presented gifts to Marie Andrew, Tarina Louch, Kathleen Green, Yvonne Baker, Dennis Clarke and Ernie Fountain for their help during the year and in return

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members gave the officers bouquets of flowers and chocolates. Thelma Lomax arranged the table decorations.

There is no meeting in January therefore the first meeting in the new year will be on Thursday, 5th February, beginning at 6.30pm when the annual business will take place followed by a choice of games. The competition is any item beginning with the letter C.

If you are 55 and over, male or female you are very welcome – Come and join us! The annual membership is just £6. Interested? Please call Janet 01354 677228 •



BENWICK IN BLOOM

by Pat Cuthbert

The Benwick in Bloom team have been busy over the last few weeks fundraising for next years plants. With events held at the Askam House Christmas Bazaar and also Doddington Church Fete. We have also sold tickets for our prize hamper, which was very well supported, so many thanks to you all for your generosity once again this year.

The winner of the First Prize of the Hamper were Mr & Mrs Taylor of Doddington Road. 2nd Prize of Mulled wine was won by Mr K Sutton also of Doddington Road and the 3rd Prize of a tin of chocolates by Mrs Attridge of Doddington Road. It seems all the luck this year centred on Doddington Road congratulations to all our winners.

The draw was held at The Five Alls on Saturday 20th December and Lofty the landlord obliged by drawing out the winning tickets for us.

The Benwick in Bloom team wish you all a very Healthy and Happy 2015. We will outline our plans for 2015 in the next edition of The Benwick Bugle. •

Mr Taylor receiving the 1st Prize hamper from BIB secretary Pat Cuthbert.

POST OFFICE RETURNS

Post Office Services will be restored in Benwick on Tuesday 20th January.

The service will be held every Tuesday from 10:30 to 12:30 in the Five Alls.•



Workshop at : 5 Century Way, March, PE15 0HR


A whopping £40m boost to constituency flood protection to spend over the next 6 years was secured in December. It followed my flooding summit which brought local experts together to set out clear priorities around maintenance work and, working with the Environment Agency, extensive lobbying of the Chancellor. The announcement was made in the House of Commons as part of a package of flood improvements across the Fens with a total investment of £60m and I am delighted that our area has secured the lion’s share of the new funding.

The first ever cycling tour of Cambridgeshire will take place from June 6-7th 2015, going through Benwick along its route. Cambridgeshire is fast becoming a hotspot for cyclists, taking in the Tour De France in July and the recently launched Circuit of the Fens. I hope that residents will support these exciting new ventures.

Faster broadband connectivity in our

NEWS FROM OUR MP

by Steven Barclay

area is something I have long been campaigning for. It is good news, therefore, that superfast broadband will be available in Benwick in the first half of this year. Superfast broadband is a vital service that can help boost the local economy – many businesses now depend on a fast broadband connection. Residents wishing to be kept updated on exactly when the service will be available in Benwick can register their contact details at http://www.con-nectingcambridgeshire.co.uk/parish/benwick/

Following my health summit attended by NHS bosses, and the signatures of over 1,500 residents calling for NHS services to be localised within North East Cambridgeshire I presented the Treat Me Local health petition to Parliament. The Treat Me Local campaign was designed in conjunction with local GPs and highlighted the significant travel times, parking costs and poorer clinical outcomes which resulted from services being delivered in hospitals when they could be offered closer to home. The campaign has already seen some successes with the CRUSE bereavement charity re-launching ->



their service in Fenland, extra health trainers being appointed in early 2015, and new blood-testing machines being installed in local GPs. For more information visit www.treatmelocal.net

I hope that as many constituents as possible will respond to the Department for Transport’s consultation on the future of rail services in our area by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/east-anglia-rail-pas-senger-franchise by 16 March 2015. People often complain to me that they feel North East Cambridgeshire is short-changed compared to the funding that goes to Cambridge,

Peterborough and Huntingdon. Now is your chance to be heard. I hope residents will take the opportunity, including pushing for a late night service between Stanstead and Cambridge to March.

To find out more about my work in Parliament and campaigns locally, or to let me know your views, please visit my website at www.stevebarclay.net. Alternatively you can follow me on twitter at @stevebarclaymp or on facebook at www.facebook.com/ste-vebarclaymp.•


Remembrance service was held on Sunday 9th November in the main room of the Village Hall, followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial. The Last Post was played on trumpet by scout Richard Pembury, and played extremely well indeed.

On Saturday 29th November we joined the Eastern Region members of the Riders Branch, Royal British Legion in part of their Cambridgeshire 876 commemoration project.

Wreaths were laid by the Riders Branch and other Legion members on

SCOUTGROUP NEWS

by Rod Glen

the grave of Pte. William Anderson in the village cemetary. The Group flags were paraded along with those from the British Legion. Richard Pembery was again invited to play The Last Post at this ceremony.

King’s Lynn Astronomical Society visited us on 18th November. Unfortunately due to cloud, we were unable to do any star gazing, but an illustrated talk was given followed by a very lively question and answer session.The Scouts spent several evenings learning about food hygiene, menu planning and cooking for their Chef badge . Chicken fajitas, herb bread rolls and chocolate brownies. All were very, very good (pity I ate dinner before the meeting, or I could have eaten more. They worked very well together and washed up as well. So


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parents, they have no excuses for not helping at home!

The Cubs have also been doing their Chef badge. We are putting together a 1st Benwick Scout Group recipe book. We would like everyone to send us recipes for inclusion. We would like some nice and easy ones suitable for the young members and those new to cooking to be able to do, and some more challenging/exotic ones for the more adventurous to try.

Finally, we said a very sad farewll to Liz Hackett, our Beaver Leader. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find a new volunteer to take over

from Liz.

It is with great regret that I have to announce that Benwick Beavers is now temporarily closed until such time as someone (or some people) volunteers to take on the role of leader. If there is someone that could do this rewarding role, then please get in touch.

If a group of you would prefer to run the Beavers collaboratively (with a rota for who will be at the meetings) that is perfectly acceptable.

Training will be provided to any volunteers. •


Benwick Parish Council

Clerk: Jacquie Richardson677 856 [email protected]

Benwick Village Hall

Patricia Tickner 677279 [email protected]

Benwick Residents AssociationLyn Keppel-Spoor 677494 [email protected]

Benwick in Bloom

Jill Hindle [email protected]

Benwick Scout Group Rod Glen 677799 www.1stbenwickscouts.co.uk The Forget-Me-Nots Janet Fountain 677228

Benwick Tang Soo DoBeverley Angel 672804

Benwick Butterflies Preschool Children’s Centre, High Street 677733Jenny Fell: [email protected]

Toddler Group Kirsty Thompson 07818 509 027

Friends of Benwick Church

John Hoffman 677878

Friends of Benwick School

Jessica Wood 672972 [email protected] Benwick Ladies ClubBrenda Richards 677480 3 High Street

www.lilyholtroad.co.uk www.benwickbugle.co.uk

VILLAGE CONTACTS

Details need updating? Let me know:

[email protected]


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January/February 2015

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