Flit More As we approach , I hope you will from 10.30am, coffee, croissants etc will be take a little time to leaf through your parish served. There will be an activity area for newsletter and find some exciting things to see children which can be messy and noisy. At you through the winter months - if not veggies 11am for anyone who wants to [and you don't from the new farm shop, then maybe an have to] Rev Dave will lead a quiet time for evening finding out all you didn't know about prayers and reflections. The coffee and activity Lawrence of Arabia, (apart from the fact that area will carry on until about 12. Come for part he really did look a lot like Peter O’Toole,) then or all of the time - feel free to pop in for coffee start the New Year as you mean to go on by and stay a short while. getting into shape for the 2017 Flits either running around Flitton Moor, or indulging in CRYPTIC CHRISTMAS QUIZ… But before all some healthy Pilates, or even just a hair cut to that, there is still the great Flitton Christmas set you up for another fun evening, this time at Quiz to look forward to - copies of this fiendish the Panto. A strange selection? Well they are festive treat can be got from Simon Sadler all things that you will find within these pages! (861727) at £2 per entry, you just need to fill This month’s cover pic is Cobbett Lane leading in all the answers correctly (good luck with that) to the field beyond - still a field at time of going and return your sheet to Simon by 7th Jan. It’s to press… a Christmas Day tradition in our family now, and maybe yours too? One feature of this front page over the years has been to explain a bit about our different Christmas wishes from church services, and in January we have a The Rev Dave, the PCC, new-look service to tempt you - Cafe Church. The Parish Council, What is that, I hear you ask? Well it’s a bit like all Flitnmore Contributors a coffee morning with a difference. Starting and of course me - keep reading! From Your Parish Council ... Keep up to date with what’s going on in Flitton, Greenfield and Wardhedges I make no apologies for commencing my report as “Furious from Flitton” Most of you will have heard by now about the decision from the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the original decision of CBC Planners to reject the application for up to 24 houses in Greenfield Rd Flitton between Oakley’s Bacon Curers and Smokers and the bottom of Sand Road. There were so many sound reasons for this application being rejected and it seems grossly unfair that someone who lives hundreds of miles away should go against the 50 residents who wrote to oppose this and of course the CBC Planners. I honestly believe that had the Inspector lived nearby the decision would have been different as some of the conclusions reached are very questionable. Sadly there is nothing more we can do about this because a Judicial Review Appeal to the High Court is way beyond the means of both CBC and the Parish Council. Quite frankly the PC feel assaulted on all sides as more and more planning applications come forward and all we can do is to continue to fight greedy developers and landowners and strongly oppose what we consider inappropriate planning applications. It is so important that we all get involved in this otherwise we are in danger of losing our “small village” status which we value so much. We have, out of interest, calculated the total number of dwellings on recent planning applications which are either still awaiting a decision or which have been rejected and this amounts to 79 new dwellings not including infill sites. Don’t forget, even though Central Beds may have refused an application, there can still be an Appeal, as we have found out, and we still need people to rally round and write in to make sure local views are heard. On this subject we are now 2 parish councillors short in Greenfield which creates an extra strain on the existing councillors and I would therefore ask Greenfield residents to search their consciences and consider putting their names forward to be elected or co-opted on to the Council. The next planning application could affect your property value and the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of your home and we need support to keep fending off these applications. There are a number of current planning applications in the Parish which we consider are inappropriate and which we will be strongly opposing, but numbers make a difference and we need YOUR support too. If you really do not feel able to put your name forward, then please at least offer to help our Neighbourhood Plan team who are working closely with Pulloxhill so that we can have more of a say in our planning future. I make no apologies for this rant, there are over 1400 people living in this Parish and we only need 10 Parish Councillors, we have five for Flitton and only three for Greenfield – so please offer to help defend your village.

Continued inside back page… Services for Christmas and beyond at St John the Baptist, Flitton…

Sun 4th December 4.00 p.m. - a magical children’s service; each child re- ceives an orange with a lighted candle, sweets and dried fruit to symbolise Christ in the world.

Sun 11th December 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion for all the family

Fri 16th December 2 p.m. Greenfield Lower School Nativity Service Sunday 18th December 6.30 p.m. - a service of Carols and Christmas readings and poems. Come to the Church Hall at 6pm for and mince pies! Thurs 22nd December 7.15 p.m. Carols Round the Outside the White Hart. Come and join the choir to sing your favourite carols - wrap up warm! Mince pies and mulled wine courtesy of the White Hart. Sat 24th December 10.00 a.m Blessing of the Crib - for the very young and all the family. Come and marvel at our unusual woolly crib fig- ures - a short informal service with a chocolate tree deco- ration for little ones, and festive refreshments for all. Please Note; This is a new time for this service, and we hope that it will make a perfect start to Christmas for those with small children!

9.30 p.m. First Communion of Christmas - with the Rev Dave Bell. The choir will lead us in this most special of services - please come early as the church is always full.

Fri 25th December 9.30 a.m. Christmas Day Service at Pulloxhill (No service in Flitton)

Sunday 1st January No services in the Benefice - the church will be open for private prayer and reflection

Sunday 8th January 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion for Sunday 15th January 10.30 a.m. Cafe Church - a new service for Flitton - see front page for more details! Sunday 22nd January 8.30 a.m. Holy Communion - a shorter service from the Book of Common Prayer Sunday 29th January 10 a.m. Three Churches Holy Communion Service at Silsoe - no service at Flitton

NB Mothering Sunday in 2017 is on Sunday 26th March, and Easter Sunday is 16th April When and where?

at The Vicarage, Fir Tree Road, Silsoe I offer you a warm welcome to St John the Baptist, Flitton over this Christmas season. at Flitton Church Hall We have so much happening over the December weeks as we head towards ‘The at The Barn, 7a High Street, Pulloxhill Big Day’! Across our Benefice of Flitton, Pulloxhill at 1 Silbury Court, Silsoe and Silsoe, we have a wide variety of All 7.30pm – 9pm events - , Carol Services, Crib services, and of course On a final thought let us remember the Christmas Day. Something to suit Christmas story and its relevance today. everyone! Christ was very much born in poverty, he Whether you just come along at was later to become a refugee. This Christmas, or are visiting friends here, or Christmas, let us also remind ourselves are perhaps curious about what is that people still find themselves as happening in our churches or regularly refugees looking for a roof over their attend our services, it would be great to heads, vulnerable and isolated. Perhaps see you and greet you at the door and share this prayer in a quiet moment over welcome you into our lovely church. the Christmas season for those who are In amongst the mayhem and chaos of the cold and homeless. Christmas season, why not take a moment to see what is happening. Including…

It can be difficult enough to make room for during the year but as Christmas approaches it seems even more impossible. offers a guilt free approach for time pressured people to step inside Scripture and encounter Jesus in new ways. This gathering is aimed to prepare ourselves by bible study, group discussion and time in prayer, the four sessions take Wishing you a merry Christmas the following themes: The Friends of Flitton and Greenfield Church “Come and Meet Santa” Children’s Christmas Party

Sunday 11th December 3pm to 5pm Flitton Church Hall

£10 per child

Party tea and a gift for every child Games, disco and fancy dress competition Pay bar with mulled wine and mince pies for adults

Contact [email protected] or Caroline on 07749 836245 (All profits to the Friends of Flitton Church)

CHRISTMAS LAST FEW CARD 2016 PACKS! This year’s Friends features a snowy view of the church and pub taken in Brook Lane by Bob Pledger. As usual, the cards are available in packs of 10 (with envelopes) at £5 per pack. This year’s card is square, 15x15cm. Contact Angela on 01525 860723 or martandang@btinternet. Save the date! NOTICE OF THE 13TH Annual Flitton Flits Family Fun Runs 5K Fun Run, Junior 1 mile run and under 7s’ Flit Sprint Monday 1st May 2017 Time to get yourself fit for a great run around Flitton & Flitwick Moors over a flat cross-country route The event is a great day out for the whole community, which finishes with prize giving and a BBQ at the White Hart pub. Please let the organisers know if you can help in any way. Look out for entry forms in local pubs, or use the address below for email copy For more information or offers of help please contact David Sedgley on 01525714961 or Jen Fisher on 01525 713917 Email [email protected]

David A Semple

Domestic Electrical Services Friendly service for everything from replacement light fittings and extra sockets to complete rewires Free estimates (01525) 717519 07742 662462 Lawrence of Arabia An illustrated talk by Dr Neil Faulkner

Friday February 24th 2017 Flitton Church Hall at 7.30pm Dr Faulkner is an eminent historian and archaeologist. He is editor of Military History Monthly, an author, TV presenter on Time Team and other programmes. He is co director of The Great Arab Revolt project in Jordan. Cash bar and raffle All proceeds to St John the Baptist Church, Flitton Tickets £10 from Margaret on 01525 862170 [email protected] Silsoe Drama Club Presents A Pantomime by Ben Crocker

Fri 3 February 2017 at 7.30pm, Sat 4 February 2017 at 3pm & 7.30pm Tickets £10 and £8 children under 16 (free snack for children on Friday) Box Office 07977 740953 or online at silsoedramaclub.com (booking fee applies) John Samuel Crawley - RAF Pilot and Local Artist (4th June 1921 to 31st March 2014) I first got to know Jack when I encountered him painting watercolours on the Moor. I then used to occasionally visit him at his home (Manor Cottage) as I knew he lived alone, but only talked to him about his painting. Since he died I have discovered what an amazing man he was, and what a wide range of art he was accomplished in. Here is the second part of the obituary written by his nephew (Len Aspinal) for his memorial barn on the moor – please visit the barn if you want to read the whole thing or see more of his artwork. David Sedgley In the autumn issue, Jack had just arrived in Canada on Christmas Day 1942… Shortly after a period of little real activity, they all headed by train to Ponca City, Oklahoma. There he flew Stearmans and Harvards. During his time at Ponca City he spent many hours practising night flights at very low altitude, clearly a pre-cursor for his activities on his return to the UK in January 1944. There is a mysterious 8 months gap no doubt putting into practice all that he learnt about night flying at low altitude. Hedge hopping as he called it. This was a period of his life that he rarely talked about. He then resumes after D Day flying Oxfords, Hurricanes, Mustangs and Spitfires – both Mark IX as well as Mark XVIs. One of his highlights after the war ended was to take one of the Mark XVI Spitfires up to Church Fenton in Yorkshire and bring it out for the crowds at the Battle of Britain air display, putting on a marvellous aerobatic display. The day job at this point consisted of weather tests at 30,000 feet in the Spits and also test work for the new airport that was later to become Heathrow. He later joined 245 Squadron, based at Colerne, as a Meteor Jet test pilot, as part of the RAF’s first Jet Fighter Wing. He was demobbed in 1946 and returned to Civvy Street and picked up where he left off at Commer Cars as an illustrator, a disappearing skill today and with the advent of computers and CAD. We will not see such skills as Jack possessed again.

Drawing by Jack of a Norton bike, showing his skills as a technical draughtsman He moved from Commer Cars in 1949, when he joined Percival, at Luton Airport. Whilst at Percival, he made many friends with whom he remained in contact until the very end. In 1952, he moved to Temple Press until 1957 at which point he became freelance and never looked back. He was every small boys hero (and some girls too) for being an ex-RAF pilot but also a keen motorcyclist. He was also something of a mystery as he used to work from his studio upstairs in Ash Road and was never to be disturbed, according to his mother. Nobody told Jack that so he was always surprised that someone was there if he came downstairs. He would always ask, “Why did nobody tell me you were here?” Jack moved his father and mother along with himself to Flitton in Spring 1963 to his much loved Manor Cottage here in Brook Lane. Thus providing further opportunities to make many more new friends. He thoroughly enjoyed regular visits to the Moor to observe, sketch and paint in all weathers come rain or shine. I mentioned his love of motorbikes, encouraged at an early age by his brother George. It was a pastime, during which he made so many friends. He was still riding until just a few years prior to his passing. Indeed he only stopped riding a motor scooter a matter of months before his death in March 2014, just 3 months short of being 93. He had a number of vintage motorbikes. Some from new, or almost new at acquisition. He had amongst others a Rudge Ulster, Vellocettes – a MAC version, his beloved KTS (Dotty) and the KTT racing machine. He also had a ‘modern’ 1960 BMW R50 from new. He travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles, Isle of Man and many trips to Ireland on his bikes. His gear was somewhat unusual but effective. He enjoyed the natural world; you only have to look at his sketches and paintings to appreciate this love. He had an astonishing range of subject matters from delicate watercolours to very technical engineering drawings. He specialised in cut-aways revealing the inner workings of engines and planes. His artistic talents of course speak for themselves, as was self evident to all. Jack though was always very reluctant to blow his own trumpet and was always self-effacing and self-deprecating of his own abilities. He would often say that if there were two ways of doing something he would pick the wrong way or the longer way. However, his ability to draw and paint is legendary and he leaves a legacy for people to enjoy and remember him by for many years to come. Jack, although single, was a family man and was always interested in what other members of the extended and extensive family were doing. Making a note in his diary, he would always remember and made you feel important and loved. He would recall where you had been for your holidays and when you were due back. If you came with photos, and woe betide if you didn’t, you would be met with a whoop of delight and an exclamation of “whizzo’ or “well I’m blowed”. He was a most compassionate man, a remarkable man – a friend to many and an uncle to all his nephews and nieces and a Godfather to many more. Jack Crawley packed a great deal of adventure and action into his 92 years. He would have been touched by the thought of having a barn named after him but he would have hated all the fuss. I would like to end this short history with a quote and Uncle Jack’s favourite motto. It is certainly sentiments that he shared and subscribed to in abundance. “Since life so soon must close, would we retain the hope of living to our friends again? Let each succeeding day which speeds so fast, afford some leisure to record the past. To note with pencil, or describe with pen, the works of nature or the ways of men, so that, when summoned from their changeful scene, these records may declare we once have been.” Reverend John Skinner 1772-1839.

Prepared for the Friends of Flitton Moor by Jack’s nephew. Len Aspell June 2016 Personally Pilates Small Class Pilates or 1 to 1 sessions NAO Catteries Who is Pilates good for? ….Everyone! 07411 136691 Small is beautiful which is why I keep my classes this way. You will get more personal [email protected] attention, see bigger improvements, easier to stay motivated and focused and a very ● Fully Licensed safe environment for all levels. & Approved Classes to be starting in September in ● Heated Pens with Flitton, Silsoe and Barton Individual Outside Runs Please call Charlotte 07801 367967 ● Mon-Fri 9-11 to 6-7 to register as spaces will be limited. Sat 9-11 Max 8 per class ● Collection & Delivery Ÿ It's gentle but also challenging Service Available Ÿ It's a total body workout Ÿ Improve your posture and Bramble Lodge, 29 Oakley Road, stabilise your core Clapham, Bedford MK41 6AN Ÿ Reduces stress Ÿ Injury rehabilitation www.naocatteryservices.co.uk M 07801 367967 E [email protected] The White Hart at Flitton ( 01525 862022 8 www.whitehartflitton.co.uk

Wishing You A Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Thursday 22nd December Sing your ‘hart’ out with Flitton Church Choir around our Christmas Tree, starts 7.15 pm. Eat Mince Pies! Drink Mulled Wine! is nearly here! Christmas Day & Drinkies 11.30am – 1.30pm Xmas Day 12pm – 2pm Boxing Day Twixmas Not eaten enough over Xmas? Lunch & Dinner 27th – 30th. New Year’s Day Lunch 12 - 3.45pm (last orders) Continue your NYE celebrations over lunch shared with family and friends. (start your New Year’s Resolution on the 2nd) Burns Night 2017 Thursday 19th January - £37 per person Bag Pipes. Haggis, Neeps & Tatties. 4 Course Dinner. Valentine’s Day 2017 Surprise yourself and book your table early for Valentine’s Weekend - before you see the cards in the shops! TWH Gift Vouchers The Perfect Xmas present….fully personalised & to any value. Staff Vacancies… Part time bar, restaurant and kitchen vacancies available in December & beyond.

For further details of all the above, please see our website – whitehartflitton.co.uk FLITTON ACORNS HELP GREEN THE COUNTY This Autumn,pedestrians along the High Street south of the church will have noticed the thousands of huge, shiny acorns dropping from our oak tree. As they have proved to be of high quality and derived from good, old stock, the project manager (Colin Carpenter) from the Community Tree Trust based in the CBC Tree Nursery in Clophill has collected sack loads for germination over the last ten years. Prior to planting in seed trays,the acorns are sorted (often by local school children) to remove any with holes or galls and weighed. Records are kept. Our tree has its own data base! The following Autumn the seedlings are potted up for two to three years and then are available for purchase by farmers, landowners, PC`s and The Forest of Marston Vale. Some seedlings are grown on for longer as specimen trees for use as memorials or avenues. Our tree is estimated to be around 200 years old and was once one of many in a hedgerow lining the High Street. It is classed as a significant landscape feature on the conservation map. We feel privileged to be "guardians" of such a valuable tree. More information about purchasing local trees and seeds can be found on the following website. www.communitytreetrust.co.uk Colin and Maureen Morey, High Street, Flitton

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The Jolly Coopers is celebrating Christmas and New year as big as ever this year with all the festive favourites. – Champagne breakfast from 9.30am Ease yourself into Christmas - Disco from 8.30pm let’s party till Christmas Day Boxing Day – Let us do Lunch for you. 12 – 4 pm We can take the strain. In the evening exercise your brain with our festive quiz from 8.30pm Bank Holiday Tuesday we are open all day New Years Eve Party with us till 2017. Dinner will be served from 7.00pm New Years Day we are open all day. We look forward to spending some time with you over the festive period. Merry Christmas from Bobbi & Ian

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Bramble Lodge, 29 Oakley Road, Clapham, MK4I 6AN www.naocleaningservices.co.uk News from Greenfield Lower School Our Year 2 class, the Owls, were tasked with placing wreaths from the rest of the school at the Memorial. They walked down to the church and were in place by eleven o’clock, to hold the two minute silence before laying the wreaths and saying a prayer. Back at school the rest of the children joined together in a circle on the playground and also held the silence. Our Value this month is Peace and we are busy thinking about how we can make our world a more peaceful place. If anyone noticed a few Ancient Egyptians wandering around the villages last week, do not worry! KS2 children from across the Academy joined together at Greenfield to have an exciting day learning even more about Ancient Egypt. The day was presented by ‘Portals to the Past’ and their facilitator was extremely impressed by the children’s knowledge and excellent behaviour. Well done, Eagles, Herons and Dragonflies. I hope that you noticed Greenfield’s heart in the local press recently. We gathered together on the school field with the cherry picker, kindly provided by Cornerways Garage, and a photographer for a whole school picture with a difference. As our Value was love the children formed a large heart and we were very pleased with the resulting photo. Here’s another chance to see it if you missed it. Christmas is a coming……. Each week the children are set a homework task. The task in the run up to Christmas won’t feature maths or English work but will help us to decorate our Christmas tree. Each child is going to design and make a bauble to hang on the tree. We are looking forward to each child hanging their bauble on the tree, and if everyone in school brings theirs in there will be over 150 decorations on the tree. How beautiful that will be? We will be in church on Friday 16th to celebrate with our traditional nativity service. The Reception Class – The Robins, will form a Christmas Tableau and lots of favourite Christmas Carols will be sung. As always, if you have any queries about your child starting school do not hesitate to contact Greenfield School’s Office on 01525 712426, where our friendly staff will be pleased to help! FLITTON AND GREENFIELD NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Work continues on the preparation of the Plan and the importance of getting this complet- ed as soon as possible has been re-emphasised by the recent appeal decision by the Planning Inspectorate to permit the building of up to 24 houses on the land in Greenfield Rd, Flitton next to Oakley’s. The Neighbourhood Plan Committee are now evaluating the answers to the recent ques- tionnaire and are appreciative of the high response rate and for the time taken by parish- ioners completing survey. The process we have to follow means that we cannot move as quickly as we would like but we will move as fast as we can to complete the Plan.

Flit Vale Wildlife Trust Winter Programme Monday 12th December - 7.15 pm, Maulden Church Hall. AGM - followed at 7.45pm with talk by Amanda Proud on Water Voles - “Is there any hope for Ratty?" Monday 23rd January - 7.45pm, Maulden Church Hall Talk by Steve Halton on “Countryside Sites in Central Bedforshire : Challenges and Opportunities" Monday 20th February - 7.45pm, Maulden Church Hall Talk by Wilf Powell (BNHS chairman) on "Beautiful Butterflies" Monday 20th March - 7.45pm, Maulden Church Hall Talk by Graham Bellamy on "Mananging Chalk Grassland" £2 per adult requested for talks. Contact Ann on 07890 347327 or [email protected] THE FAMOUS FLITTON POTATO RACE Will return on Sunday 11�� June 2017 - the Sunday BEFORE Father’s Day.

The committee is looking for new members and sponsors as this event gets bigger every year and needs ever more helpers. Be proud of your village - get involved! Village History by margaret Butt: are not just for Christmas! At Christmas, angels appear on cards, tree decorations and chimes. We have some lovely angels in our woolly Nativity set which will be in the church over Christmas. There will be a new angel in it this year – something seems to be added each time. We are all familiar with the role the Archangel played in the Christmas story together with the heavenly host. We sing carols such as 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' or 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' and then usually forget about them until next Christmas. Did you know that angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible? However, only 2 are named– Michael and Gabriel. Most people think of angels as shining figures with glorious wings, who appear from time to time to do some mighty work for God or bring a special message from Him. They appear throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, and often they play a key part in crucial events. Archangel Michael seems to have been their leader, often appearing in stained glass windows with a sword because he led the angelic host to defeat Satan and his army. Angels in the Bible cover a wide range of beings. In the Letter to Hebrews, it speaks of 'entertaining angels unawares' who practice hospitality. Today, we use the expressions Guardian Angels or Angels of Mercy for people who have tried to help others but in the Bible they are simply God's agents, messengers and ministers of God's will who may be ordinary humans or spiritual beings. Some churches have many angels in them but you have to look quite hard to find any at Flitton. High up on the wooden roof of the nave are carved wooden figures carrying shields. They would originally have been brightly painted but they don't look much like angels. In the Lady Chapel, there is a triptych painting with an angel in one of the sections. Otherwise, in the church , there are none apart from a cherub head on the monument of Mr Thomas White who died in the mid 18th century In the mausoleum there are cherubs adorning some of the monuments. The monument to Lady Jane Hart who died in 1673 has a cherub. She was the mother of the 10th Countess and, therefore, great grandmother to the Duke of Kent, the 12th Earl. There is a very fat cherub on the monument of Mary Jemima, Baroness Grantham. She died in 1830 and was the mother of Thomas Philip, Earl de Grey. He was the last person to be buried in the mausoleum and the Wrest Park of today dates from his time. The only full figure of an angel is in the fourth and final room behind the east window on the monument of Henrietta Frances, Countess de Grey who died in 1848. She was Thomas Philip's wife and an angel is seen carrying her up to heaven,whilst underneath, her husband, family and servants are mourning her loss. Her touching epitaph is long but ends: Beloved by all her servants and dependants, courted and admired by all her equals in life, Her noble yet gentle character gained the affection of all classes Those who knew her best, loved her most, and it may be truly said that she died universally regretted. Do come along to church to try to find these angels. RS Cars Ltd Your Local Garage for Competitive Servicing - Parts Exhausts - Tyres Paint and Body work MGOC Cornerway Garage 2 Flitton Road, Greenfield Bedfordshire MK45 5DJ 01525 717346 The Farm Shop Gardener’s Farm, Pulloxhill Rd Greenfield MK45 5ES

Come and visit us this Christmas We have a great range of fruit and veg, (local produce when available) We also sell bread, cakes, jam etc. Free Prize Draw every month for a fruit and veg hamper Open every Friday and Saturday in December 12-5 pm (also Thurs 22nd 12-5 pm) We wish all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Parish Council News continued… Just a quick mention of the MUGA, it is time, after many years of sterling voluntary effort, for the Council to get more involved in the running of the facility. Our thanks must go to Gail Stoppard who started the project many years ago when she was living in Flitton, but has carried on looking after it as Chair of the organising committee despite not living here anymore. The Committee must also be praised for keeping this facility in tip top condition including the recent re-surfacing. We hope to continue their good work. We also thank Bushmead-Toddington Football Club for the work which they have done on a voluntary basis to the storage shed and welcome them as our local resident team. They also mended the vandalised football goal post and have reset both posts into the ground. We really hope that no more vandalism will take place, but if you see the posts being swung on or misused, please report this to a member of the Parish Council (numbers on the website http://flittongreenfield.bedsparishes.gov.uk/parish-council-and-email-links/) We all need to look out for and look after the facilities in the Parish as we really don’t have that many! Keeping the Parish looking tidy is important to us all and we have people who volunteer to help with this at the Playing Field and along the verges. Thanks must go to Roy Winter who keeps Flitton Hill clear of litter, a never ending task as it always seems to be the point at which food cartons are discarded from passing cars. Give him a thumbs up next time you see him out clearing up after senseless litter louts. The telephone book exchange has never looked better either, it has had a bright new red coat of paint and the old Perspex has been replaced and now reads ‘Book Exchange’. Books are always wanted but it is best if you contact one of the Good Neighbour Group on 07594 578471 to drop these off rather than leave them on the floor where they can become damp and hinder usage. I like to think that the fact that we get very few complaints speaks volumes for the work we all do – it can of course be frustrating but also on occasions very satisfying. So please think about joining us and helping us out – we try to get things done and we really are a friendly bunch, even the Chairman!

Nick Thompson Chairman Parish Council

Defibrillator Is there anyone interested in championing the installation of a defibrillator in the village, seeking any funding, managing training and weekly checking of the machine? The Parish Council is supportive but unable to take on this responsibility at this time ORGANISATION CONTACT NAME PHONE Vicar The Rev David Bell 861163

Churchwarden Margaret Butt 862170

Flit’n’More Editorial: Angela Ayres 860723 Advertising: Simon Sadler 861727 Distribution: Pat Woodland 860189

Church Choir Flitton Contact: Clare Butler Ellis 861496

Bellringers Maureen Morey 860422

Church Flowers Lesley Arthur/Julie Abrahams 713325 841888

Friends of Flitton and Greenfield Church Caroline O’Neill 07749 836245

Parish Council Nick Thompson (Chair) 860421

Village Hall Hire Pauline Downing 860595

Church Hall Hire Jill Chandler 860715

Bedfordshire Police Ampthill Team 01234 841212

Greenfield Lower School Headteacher: 712426 And Ducklings Pre-School Mrs Annette McCullion

Scouts and Cubs Badger Hill Scout Group; www.badgerhillscouts.org.uk

Brownies Jane Staff 717294

Multi Use Games Area bookings Dawn Leaning 07860 632427

Allotments Gareth Ellis 861496

Village Gala Margaret Lowe 861111

Friends of Flitton Moor Dave Sedgley 714961

Jazzercise Clare Godleman 404858 Fit to the Core UK Fitness Classes Nicola Rayner [email protected]/07801 510988 Women’s Institute Meriel Davies 633421

The Greensand Trust Maulden Office 01234 743666

Flitwick & District Heritage Group Dave Sedgley 714961

Visit the Mausoleum (English Heritage) Wrest Park: 01525 860000 www.english-heritage.org.uk

Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers (Running Club) Dave Sedgley 714961

Ampthill and District Lions Bob Pledger 860962

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR DETAILS ADDED TO OR DELETED FROM THIS LIST, CONTACT THE EDITOR

‘Flit ‘n’ More’ is published and distributed by the Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Flitton. The Editor is Angela Ayres, Sunnyside Cottage, Cobbett Lane, Flitton MK45 5DX, 01525 860723, [email protected] Please note that views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor or Parochial Church Council. ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT/ORGANISATION IN FLIT’N’MORE... THAT’S WHAT IT’S THERE FOR! The next issue will be out in March 2017 for events up until May. Please contact Angela if you have something to publicise or Simon on 861727 if you would like to advertise. Free for voluntary groups, very good rates for businesses.