Ouse News |
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March 2002 |
Edited by Clive Just. email: OuseNews@bigfoot.com |
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Felmersham Cricket Club - Martin
Hulatt
The annual Presentation Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday 13 April in Pinchmill Hall. There Will be a four course meal, raffle and music. Tickets £18 each from Eric Barford (781719) and Celia Hulatt (781082). Come and support the local cricket club and have an enjoyable evening out with friends. Electoral Roll - Rev David Mason This year the church Electoral Roll is to be completely revised in line with all the Parishes in the country. It is important that all who are committed members of the Church of England who live in the Parish are included on the Roll. Application forms are available from the PCC secretary, Gill Greenish, or myself and will also be in Church for the services on the first two Sundays in March. The existing roll will be replaced by the new one after its adoption at the Annual Parish Church Meeting which will be held in Pinchmill School on the evening of April 29. The Parish Paths
Partnership (P3) Update - The working relationship between landowners and the P3 group remains a high priority and it is sad when we occasionally receive reports that walkers have been spoken to discourteously whilst they have been using the public footpath network. We do urge politeness and co-operation to landowners and walkers alike. We live in a beautiful village and our experience is that the vast majority of local walkers do respect the environment in which they live and follow and uphold the country code. On a more positive note, the County Council has confirmed funding for a map board designed by David Cardy, which will be located in Felmersham. And thanks to funding negotiated by Geoff Hulatt, from the ‘Ward Councillors Fund’, there will now be an identical board installed in Radwell, hopefully well before the summer. A Gadsby Connection - Joan Ure Michael Gadsby of Davyhulme, Manchester has been researching his family history for some years and soon became aware of a Felmersham connection. Having obtained a copy of ‘Grain and Chaff’ via the library service, he then discovered the many references to his great grandfather: Amos Gadsby and his great grandmother Mary Gadsby (nee Prigmore). Early in February, he visited us in Felmersham and not only enjoyed a tour of the village but also met Ron and Greta Draycott and had copies of the republished book of ‘Grain and Chaff signed by Ron, to each of his daughters. And then, thanks to Ken Shrimpton, he visited St Mary’s Church, where he was able to see the final resting place of Amos and Mary in the churchyard. In a letter afterwards, he wrote: ‘Thank you for a special and a most memorable day’. Visit To Sudborough - Valerie Sexton The Old Rectory, Sudborough is surrounded by a 2 acre Plantman’s Garden and features in many books and national publications. f there is enough interest, the WI. will organise a visit on Saturday 2gth June. The coach will leave the villages at 2pm and depart from Sudborough at about 5pm. The price should be around £8.00 but we will need to fill the coach. If you are interested contact me by email bdsweldon@aol.com or phone 782206. W.l. - May Mills ‘Call My Bluff’ was never like this! MrWakley from ‘The Wine Rack’, Olney, had hit upon the famous format as a means of enlivening a talk on wine, which otherwise might be rather dry! Our three happy volunteers (Deborah, Lynn and Jennifer), with great aplomb, bluffed their way through descriptions of the wines (have they done this before?), while the rest of us sniffed, swilled and swallowed. When he could make himself heard above the rising level of noise, Mr. Wakley declared himself very pleased with the clarity of our palates, if not our tongues! Please come and join us for Coffee and Cookies on Saturday, 16th March at ‘Newlands’, High Road, Felmer-sham, the home of Deborah and Cohn Rout, from 1030am. There will be a raffle, bring and buy stall and lots of home-made cakes! Bring your friends for a social get-together and buy some cakes for Easter. Helianthus Annus - Peter Rankin After the resounding success of "The Annual Sunflower Competition" last year, it has been decided, once again, to run this exciting event. Miss A Ure, of Spring Cottage, is the reigning champion and is keen to defend her title against all comers; irrespective of age, sex, race, political affiliation or income. There will be an entry fee of 25 pence which will be used to defray costs. In the event of any profit being made, this will be donated to the Jubilee Fund. This fee will be waived only if goods of equivalent or higher value are offered instead. These may take the form of food/drink (eg. wine, beer, a brace of pheasants, any one of the following:- hare/sheep/goat/cow) or any other useful household item such as logs (bags only please, single logs are not acceptable) All entrants will receive a PERSONALISED "Sunflower Germination Pack" and the object is, as you must be aware, to grow the tallest specimen. Judging will take place on a yet unspecified date in July or August and the decision of the Judge (myself) is final, If interested, please contact me, by April 1st, on 782897 or in person at Adina. Help
for the Homeless This article tells you more about this exciting project which offers homeless people a totally practical way in which they can move from homelessness and dependency on state benefits to taking responsibility for their own lives through living and working in a self-supporting Community. Five companions (residents) have recently moved in prior to the official opening, in order to help the leader and his deputy to prepare the place for future companions. The site is the former St. Margaret’s School, just outside Carlton off the Turvey Road. Sonic may know that the leader, Cameron Thomson, his wife Karen, a former teacher, and their children have been resident in Pinetrees, one of the former staff houses on the site, for quite a while, helping to set up the project. The team will further expand this year when the workshop manager, who has recently been appointed, has trained the companions in various practical skills to restore and repair donated goods. They will then recycle and sell the items to the general public from the Shop on site. This is how they will earn their living. It is important to note that goods that are donated to the project must be ultimately resaleable. Goods that are beyond repair or unsaleable are not acceptable. Cameron and his team will gladly collect donated articles from your home in the EVC van. Ring 01234 720826 to arrange a collection, or bring smaller items to the shop. Companions and volunteers open the shop on site every Saturday from 10am to 4pm until the official opening of EVC in the Spring, when it will he open six days a week. At the moment, contractors of all descriptions are on site installing essential services to the residential accommodation, the workshops and the administration area. Work has already begun on the gardens. A companion has started the daunting task of clearing areas and some landscaping and planting has begun. A local farmer has given substantial assistance on a voluntary basis with some of the heavier tasks. On an environmental note, EVC is presently negotiating with the appropriate authorities to install bottle and recycling banks for use by Carlton as a whole. Information will he widely circulated when the banks arrive. And finally, an Open Day, with an official opening, will take place some time in the spring, date to he confirmed and circulated, when everyone will be most welcome to look around the site and find out more about EVC. In time, for anyone who wants it. a companion will he proud to show you around. |
Our World is small,
and getting smaller - Two things have been in the news today as I write this, the unrest and fire at Yarls Wood, and the allegations around the donation of an Indian industrialist to the Labour Party. It seems to me that there are common factors to both cases. The support of the government for the purchase by the Indian industrialist of the steel making industry of Romania has been criticised for several reasons, one of which is that of the threat of foreign steel works producing steel more cheaply than we can in our own country, thereby putting our own steel industry at risk. Presumably the works are to be brought up to date so that they can compete in the world markets. The developed world is becoming both attractive and relatively easy to travel to from even the most distant parts of the world. At the beginning of our century those who sought to escape from hostile regimes and lives of poverty took what were often very hazardous journeys to the Americas, where they were welcomed to help develop the continents. Now, as these areas of the world have become prosperous the welcome is no longer there. Those who wish to make a new start in countries that are far more prosperous and safer than their own find it far more difficult to achieve their ambitions. The differential between the poor and the rich countries is greater than ever, making it more attractive to take great risks in order to get a better life. Developed countries have greater and greater difficulties in controlling the numbers of those who wish to enter them, legally or illegally. The basic problem is one of inequality,
with one part of the world having very much greater wealth than the
rest. Where there is great inequality there will be the seeds of envy
and dissatisfaction, If all people are our neighbours, then the
commandment to love our neighbours as ourselves surely implies that we
have a duty of care to all, and to seek for a fair sharing of the earth’s
riches and resources. The Christian response must be in seeking to
address these issues so that all people can live in love and peace, and
know that they are all equal members of the world, in which God has
provided ample resources for all. It may seem early to be thinking about summer pots and borders but Pinchmill Lower School is offering summer bedding plants at VERY competitive prices (11.70 per tray). Every tray you buy has the added benefit of raising funds for the school. To place an order please fill in the enclosed sheet and return with a cheque for the total amount (made payable to Pinchmill School Association) to the School Secretary by Friday 12th April. Plants will be available for collection end of April. Any queries please contact Miranda Doggett (tel: 782234) or Jane Jones (783359). Thank you for your support. Dancing Classes - Fiona Hogg Do you have a child who loves to dance? I am considering starting weekday classes in Sharnbrook and would like to know how much interest there may be from children, of 4 years and upwards, living near Shambrook. I am a qualified R.A.D. & I.S.T.D teacher in ballet, tap, modern and national dance. I have a degree in dance and could offer creative dance classes as well. If you would like more in formation please contact me on either 781196 or 347588. Sharnbrook Mill Theatre Present Stepping Out by Richard Harris Tuesday 12th - Saturday 16th March. Follow the fortunes of a talent-challenged tap dance class of social misfits. Laugh and cry at their antics as they lurch and lumber towards their big opening night. Tickets: Tuesday £6, Wednesday & Thursday £7.50, Friday & Saturday £8 available from Village Trader, High Street, Sharnbrook. Felmersham and Radwell Community Care Caring For Those In Need - Felmersham & Radwell Community Care is a scheme to give short term help to anyone living in the Parish, using the services of local volunteers. To use this service, telephone us on 07893 225875 and leave your name and telephone number with the Operator. One of our local Volunteers will contact you as quickly as possible. Coffee Morning - Jane Wells The coffee morning for April is in aid of the Felmersham Church Restoration Fund will be held at the home of Judith and David Folbigg The Old School House, The High Road, Felmersham on Saturday 6 April at 1030am. Contributions of home made cakes, toiletries, produce and bric-a-brac for the bring and buy stall will be greatly appreciated. Everyone welcome. Jubilee Revue - Caroline Scott Do not hide your light under a bushel! A letter has gone to current groups that meet on a regular basis in both Radwell and Felmersham requesting items for a Revue to be included in our Jubilee celebrations in June. If you are interested in putting something together yourself or with friends or neighbours we would love to hear from you. Further details from me on 782094 as soon as possible please. Save The Children Sales - Judith & Ronald Smith Our thanks to everyone who supported the work of SCF this past Christmas season by buying cards and gifts from our sales in Felmersham. The profit from sales is 50%, all of which goes to the Fund. This year the sales in Felmersham and Radwell totalled £1322. Our overall figure was £3558 and we are grateful to friends that helped us at various venues. Sadly this was the last year that we will be organising SCF Christmas Sales for the Bedford Branch of SCF as we will be moving to Lancaster in the near future. SCF needs the funds raised from all its activities to help those children who cannot help themselves. We are hoping that someone will take over from us. Could it be you? If you think so, telephone us on 781430 Sharnbrook Bowls Club We are looking for someone to approximately 12 Saturdays between providing sandwiches, sausage rolls, would be necessary to decide on the Mavis Harper help cater for afternoon matches on May and September. This would involve pork pies, cakes etc, but further discussion best option and sort the financial details. You will find us a very friendly club, so the experience could be quite fulfilling socially. You might even want to take up this fine game eventually. For further details, please telephone me on 01480 860430. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me if you are unable to help with our catering, but are interested in actually playing bowls. Felmersham Yoga Club - Hilary Foot A reminder that our Spring yoga classes begin at Pinchmill Village Hall at 730pm on Monday 4th March. There will be eight sessions in this series. All ranges of ability are welcome, from beginner onwards. Please bring a yoga mat, blanket or large towel with you. Even if you can’t make the first session, we will be pleased to see you for some or all of the others. Any questions to Hilary Foot on 781 340. Carers Short Breaks Bureau The bureau was established at the end of 2000 and we now offer practical support to over 150 carers in Bedfordshire. If you care for someone on a regular unpaid basis you may be entitled to free vouchers, which can be exchanged with a professional approved care agency. You can book a carer to come in at your convenience to give you a break from caring for a few hours each month. You might choose to go out for an afternoon, visit a friend, or relax over a cup of tea. Alternatively you can save your vouchers each month and have a day out. The choice is yours. To qualify for this scheme you and the person you are caring for must be aged 18 or over. For further information contact Jesmary or Sarah at the Carers Short Breaks Bureau anytime on 0800 039 1234. We may also be able to advise you about benefits entitlements, local support groups and other useful information. |
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