Village Link ISSUE 149

December 2016-January 2017 Serving Wrestlingworth, Cockayne Hatley and Eyeworth

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE David Fryatt–Editor John Beal-Honorary Donna Bubear Martin Campbell-Treasurer Val Cooper-Distribution e-mail us at: [email protected]

ISSUE 149 DEC 2016-JAN 2017

EDITORIAL Many thanks for the comments received on the last issue; your suggestions and comments are always welcome. We would very much welcome new committee members so if you can help please get in touch. An apology to the owners of Church Farm; which was incorrectly identified in the last edition in regard to the refused planning appeal, the planning concerned was the Co-operative land off the High Street. My contact details are email: [email protected] Phone: 01767 631123 David Fryatt

COPY DATE ISSUE 150...... ….…... 9 January 2017 PUBLICATION DATE ISSUE 150...... … 27 January 2017

SPONSORS Women's Institute St Peter’s Church Parish Walking and Wildlife Group The Chequers Pub Wrestlingworth Goodwill Fund Carpet Bowls Club Wrestlingworth History Society Memorial Hall St John’s Church, Cockayne Hatley Parish Council

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, COCKAYNE HATLEY

SERVICES 1st Sunday of the m onth at 9am - H oly Com m union. 2nd and 4th Sundays of the m onth 3pm Evensong in w inter tim e and 6pm Evensong in sum m er tim e. In the event of a 5th Sunday in the m onth, there is no service.

Sharon W eston 01767 631608

Dates for Your Diary December 4th Carol Service at Cockayne Hatley Church 3pm Mulled Wine & Mince Pies 4th Pub Quiz at The Chequers 8pm 6th Christmas Coffee Morning at Olive Walker’s, 42 High Street, 10.30-12.00 7th WI Lunch at Abington Piggotts 13th WI Christmas Party 17th Goodwill Fund Christmas Parcel Delivery (see page 8) 18th Goodwill Fund Christmas Parcel Delivery (see page 8) 18th PWWG Manor Farm Walk 10am. Finish with bacon rolls at The Chequers to finish (Call Robin Barratt 07768 340599 to order) 18th Music Night at The Chequers from 6.30pm 22nd Locrian Choir Christmas Concerts at Cockayne Hatley 3pm & 7.30pm 31st Chequers New Year Disco January 8th Pub Quiz at The Chequers 8pm (TBC) 15th Music Night at The Chequers from 6.30pm 16th Parish Council Meeting at Wrestlingworth Memorial Hall at 7.30pm 16th Friends of Wrestlingworth Lower School AGM 8pm 17th History Society Meeting at Wrestlingworth Memorial Hall from 7.30pm Please email your diary dates to [email protected]. We want to include all relevant events but do rely on your input; if you don’t tell us, we might not know about your event. We would also like your articles and suggestions for future content. Do you have a family favourite recipe you could share, or why not tell us about your interesting pets or animals? We would love to hear about any other events, clubs or organisations we are not already featuring. Please email the editor at [email protected]. Thank you.

PLEASE NOTE

The views contained in the articles within this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the members of the editorial committee.

All Saints’ Eyeworth

‘The Church in the Fields’

www.dewbenefice.com

Sunday Services in December 2016 and January 2017 and other dates/events- December Sunday 4th 3pm Crib Service Sunday 11th 9.30am Parish Eucharist Sunday 18th 11am We join at Wrestlingworth for the Parish Eucharist Christmas Day 9am Parish Eucharist January Sunday 1st 9.30am Benefice Eucharist at Dunton Sunday 8th 9.30am Parish Eucharist Sunday 22nd 3pm Family Eucharist Sunday 29th 11am Benefice Eucharist at Wrestlingworth

You are more than welcome to visit us and join in the services as above. Check out our page on the Benefice web site www.dewbenefice.com or read the church notice board for any changes to these dates and new ones which may be planned. Thank you for the support we have received since the major loss of lead from the Church roof. This took place on Sunday 16th October at about midnight. The PCC will be having conversations with the Diocese and our Insurers about the best way to move forward.

If you would like the Rector (Canon Lindsay Dew) to call please do contact him either on 01462 743617 or [email protected] or 07545878082. He is always happy to respond to pastoral need in the parish.

Canon Lindsay Drew

Goodwill Fund Christmas Parcel Delivery. If you are over 65, you are eligible for a Christmas parcel which is funded by the Goodwill. If you have recently reached 65 or will do by Christmas, please let Kevin (631511) know so that we can add you to our list. Santa and his Helpers will be around delivering the parcels on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th, December, between 1.00 & 3pm. Approximate timing for Saturday is: Cockayne Hatley 1.30; Eyeworth and Eyeworth Road, 2.00; Tadlow 2.30. Approximate timing for Sunday is: Wrestlingworth 1.15 onwards, (starting from Hatley Rd.) Santa will also have some SWEETS in his sack to give away, so keep a look out kids- between 1.30 and 3 pm. Pensioners will also be invited to an afternoon tea party in the Memorial Hall in March/ April from 3pm to 5pm. Invitations will be included in the Christmas parcels. The Annual quiz in October was a great success with 7 teams competing for the shield and raising nearly £200 for the fund. The winners again this year were "Almost Braggs Lane Team" who won in the final round to beat close second "The Rattlers”. Special thanks to our quizmaster Roger for another excellent evening.

St Peter’s Church, Wrestlingworth www.dewbenefice.com

Sunday Services 4 Dec: 11.00am Parish Eucharist 11 Dec: 11.00am Sunday Praise 13 Dec: 6.00pm 'Christmas Cracker' 18 Dec: 11.00am Parish Eucharist 24 Dec: 6.00pm Lessons and Carols by Candlelight 25 Dec: 9.00am Parish Eucharist 1 Jan: 9.30am Benefice Eucharist at St Mary Magdalene, Dunton 8 Jan: 11.00am Sunday Praise 15 Jan: 9.30am Benefice Eucharist at All Saints, Eyeworth 22 Jan: 11.00am Parish Eucharist 29 Jan: 11.00 Benefice Eucharist at St Peter’s Wrestlingworth

Christmas Cracker, on Tuesday 13 December between 6.00 and 8.00pm, is a Christmas Celebration for families and friends. Come along to St Peter’s and sing your favourite carols and Christmas songs with festive refreshments. We welcome contributions - a song, poem, reading etc – so long as it has a Christmas theme! If you’d like to bring something along please let Lindsay know at [email protected] or by calling himon 01462 743617. You can arrive and leave when you please. St Peter's News Harvest Festival: 2 October. Children were invited to assist Lindsay in the service which focused on the Bishop of St Alban's Harvest Appeal in support of WaterAid and its projects in Madagascar. A collection of £56 was sent to the appeal and six carrier bags packed full of non-perishable goods were donated to the Salvation Army food bank in Potton. Confirmation Service: 23 October. Richard, Bishop of Bedford was welcomed to St Peter's church for a service of confirmation during which he laid hands on three members of the benefice - Zoë Hollingsworth from Dunton and David and Kelly Jordan from Wrestlingworth. The ceremony was followed by Eucharist at which the three candidates, joined by their families and the rest of the congregation, received communion.

Buggy Praise: September saw the start of an exciting new venture for St Peter’s, welcoming preschool children and babies with their parents and grandparents to Buggy Praise which takes place in church on the third Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm. This is a relaxed hour of play, songs and praise led by Lindsay with refreshments for all. Our next Buggy Praise will be on 16 November but on 21 December we plan to have a Nativity Picnic with Christmas songs and the Nativity story. Please bring something for the picnic to share. Older siblings are welcome to join us. New Grade II Listing: Historic England has been conducting an assessment of all war memorials in England as part of their response to the centenary of the First World War. We are delighted to report that the War Memorial in St Peter's churchyard has been awarded Grade II listed status with the following citation: "Wrestlingworth War Memorial is an elegant and ornate example of the wheel-head cross type of war memorial, with intricate Celtic-style knotwork carvings decorating the front face of the wheel-head. The memorial has a distinctive architectural quality and serves as a striking and evocative memorial to the fallen local men. It has group value with the adjacent listed church. An inscription was added to the memorial commemorating those who lost their lives in the Second World War and this adds to the historic interest of the memorial. Overall, it is considered that the memorial has special architectural and historic interest and meets the criteria for listing." The next Coffee Mornings are at Olive Walker’s, 42 High Street, on 6 December (the 'Christmas Special') and 2 February (10.30 to 12.00). Mick Bister Dog Fouling Instances of dog fouling in the cemetery and memorial garden have been brought to the attention of your editor recently. Sadly this contrasts with the article above on the awarding of Grade II Listing to the War Memorial. Not only is dog fouling unsightly and a health danger to others, particularly children, but clearly if dogs are allowed to foul in these places then it can cause upset and distress to others. Please dog owners, carry a bag with you, pick up after your dog and place in one of the bins provided for that purpose. Thank you.

The Ballad of Billy The Pig Earlier this year the manager of a local farm was walking through one of his fields and came across an abandoned pig! The little chap had obviously been a loved and cared for as he was very friendly and just followed the farm manager back to the farm.

As a temporary measure, the pig was given shelter in an old pig sty and named ‘Billy’. Over the summer months people on the farm and Wrestlingworth residents took food for Billy and would regularly visit the friendly little pig. In fact, on hearing about Billy’s plight, the Londis shop in Potton also sent trays of vegetables and bread for the abandoned little fellow. Meanwhile it was discovered that the intelligent little pig would ‘sit’ to the command, and it was surmised that he had been someone’s pet and then possibly abandoned because he had grown too big. During the months Billy was at the farm, enquiries were made and eventually he was registered while a new ‘forever’ home was sought for Billy. At last, in October a lovely home was offered just outside Ashwell. After some formalities with Defra and the local council, Billy moved to his new permanent home. He has truly ‘fallen on his trotters’ and now lives a life of luxury with two lady pigs – Beatrice and Eugenie!! Article by Val Cooper Have you any pet or animal stories to share? If so, Village Link would love to hear from you! Please email:- [email protected]

Friends of Wrestlingworth Lower School Association The Lower School PTA has changed its name to the Friends of Wrestlingworth Lower School Association. This means anyone in the village with a kind heart, some spare time and good fundraising ideas that would like to come and help raise monies for the school are very welcome to do so. Please contact us via the school office and/ or come to our next meeting at the school on Monday the 16th January 2017 at 8PM. This term we had several fundraising events:

 ‘Name the dog’ competition at the village show & sale. Thank you to the Millard family for the donation of the very large toy dog, whose name was Sandy.  A harvest raffle for some wonderful seasonal prizes. We would like to thank Jordan’s Mill and Andy Brown Country Stores for their generous donations. Also thank you to Natalie Burton for creating beautiful seasonal hampers of vegetables, salad and autumnal comfort foods.  The children brought in lots of pennies for ‘pennies in the playground’ and had fun using them to fill in a giant picture of their class emblem, either a squirrel, acorn or oak tree. Thank you Cheryl Roberts for organising this.  It was all hands on deck for the school Christmas shop. This is one of the most loved and eagerly anticipated fundraising events for the children and parents alike. A big thank you to all parents who donated gifts and helped on the day.  100 club winners for September were 1st I. Millard, 2nd Mrs Sheehan and 3rd D. Blake and the winners for October were 1st Dr & Mrs Karame, 2nd J. Smith and 3rd R. Barratt. To join our 100 club please contact the school office. Fundraising events to come and ongoing:

 Christmas raffle. Please keep a look out for posters around the village in early December detailing our Christmas raffle.  We hope to have a textile recycling bin outside the school soon. The school will receive monies per weight of clothing donated to the recycling bin. Further details will be explained once the bin has arrived. We would like to draw your attention to a website that helps raise funds for the school. There are over 3,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation, including Amazon, John Lewis, Aviva, thetrainline and Sainsbury's – it doesn't cost you a penny extra! Every time you shop online, go to www.easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping. After you’ve checked out, that retailer will make a donation to your good cause for no extra cost whatsoever! There are no catches or hidden charges. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. Chair of Friends of Wrestlingworth Lower School Association 12

Eyeworth Harvest Lunch This year’s Eyeworth Harvest Lunch, held in the village hall, was as successful as ever. Wendy Robinson (centre), along with Mary Purkiss (right) and Millie Lewis (left), provided more splendid food than anyone could possibly eat in one sitting. In fact, I was still finishing my slice of meat pie for Tuesday lunch! The raffle offered seemingly endless prizes and Wendy’s quiz had questions for young and old alike. Rosemary Cooper (pictured right) won the latter, demonstrating such diverse knowledge as the first name of the painter Cezanne to the colour of Superman’s trousers!

Wrestlingworth resident Betty Murphy pictured above with Christine Knight. Prominent Eyeworth resident Jasmine Kendall (right) with two of the younger residents. It all added up to a highly enjoyable event with the added bonus of making a welcome contribution to church funds. Thanks are due to Wendy and team for all their hard work and effort. Rod Cross Also grateful thanks to those who supported the Bottle Stall at the recent Wrestlingworth Goodwill show raising £200 for Eyeworth Village Hall.

Hedgerow drinks

I first started brewing due to the sheer number of pears and apples I was throwing on my compost heap every year. However you don't need your own fruit trees to make a little tipple. A word of caution – always be sure you know what fruit you are picking! Sloe gin: Sloes are the purple fruit of the blackthorn tree, commonly found in hedgerows. They look very similar to many other wild plum species, but are typically smaller. If they're mouth puckeringly tart and feel like they're coating your teeth, then it's probably a sloe. The usual theory is to not pick the sloes until the first frost, but given climate change this isn't easy. Instead just pick them when ripe (slightly soft). Instead of tediously individually pricking them, either freeze them overnight or lightly roll the rough side of a grater over a layer of sloes. Sterilize your bottles, half fill with sloes and then top up with your spirit; traditionally gin but I've heard vodka works well too. Typically people say to add half as much sugar as sloes to sweeten them, but this can often lead to too sweet a drink. It's easy to add more sugar and very hard to remove it, so I'd advise using far less at this point. Lay the bottles on their side, out of direct sunlight, and rotate them periodically. Ideally this is a drink to make for the next Christmas. I experimented with leaving the sloes in for 3, 6 and 9 months and found 6 months best to my taste. When ready, drain off the spirit, filtering if necessary, and add remaining sugar to taste in syrup form (dissolved sugar in a small amount of hot water). What to do with the sloes afterwards? They're not just sloes, but sloes steeped in gin! I poured some cider over mine and left for another 3 months to make “slider”, but I've been told de-stoning and pouring chocolate over them works wonders too. More? There are countless fruit wine recipes out there, with both damson and rhubarb in my plans. Take a stroll online to work out how your garden and hedgerows can provide for you in other ways. Put Elderflower Champagne in your diary for June next year. Happy brewing, although try not to overdo it… James (on behalf of the PWWG Group)

RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS

There was a brisk trade at our October meeting when we held our sale of Christmas goods, in between eating a tasty Chilli Supper and racking our brains over a WI Public Affairs Quiz. We welcomed a new member, Evelyn, who has recently moved into Randalls Close in Wrestlingworth, and since the plea put out in August for more committee members, we now have five more ladies who have agreed to lighten the load and make things move more smoothly.

Following the November talk on Paxton Pits Nature Reserve and a trip on the guided bus to St. Ives Market, the run up to Christmas will be busy. On 7th December our Christmas Lunch this year will be held at the ‘Pig and Abbott’ at Abington Pigotts and a group of Irish dancers will entertain us at our Christmas Party on 13th December. We’d best look out our dancing shoes!

It was agreed by committee that members should share copies of the ‘W Eye’ thus saving us a considerable amount of money per year. The Treasurer, who will be away when next year’s subscriptions should be collected, has asked if we could produce ‘post dated’ cheques for £39 at the next meeting which will make her life easier.

Then – take a deep breath – it will be 2017!

There will be no January meeting but in February Robert Parker, Genealogy expert, will tell of “Looking for William” (a relative) and how he went about it.

Have a wonderful Christmas with your families and hope that next year there is more peace in the world. Carolyn Driver

Community Notices Christmas greetings and best wishes for the New Year to all our friends in and around Wrestlingworth from Paul & Rosemary Chapman. ------Do you need a piano? We have one available for long term loan. No charge but you will need to arrange collection. Call 01767 631123. ------Paper delivery person required. Could you deliver in part of the village each morning. If so please call Geoff Swinden on 01767 631231. ------Grazing land, preferably with stables or field shelter, required for 2 miniature Shetland ponies early in 2017. 1-2 acres would be ideal. If you can help please call Armande on 07834 812421.

ADAM ZERNY’s UPDATE Local Independent Central Bedfordshire Councillor Adam Zerny's latest email newsletter is now available; it includes the latest on potential development in Wrestlingworth and Potton. You would expect that our local authority have the power to protect archaeological remains wouldn't you? You'd be wrong. Last year, Central Beds Council granted planning permission for a development of seven houses at Home Farm, Wrestlingworth. The council's archaeological officers knew the site was of special interest because an earlier survey had identified evidence of medieval (12th-13th century) occupation. The council told the developer they could only build houses if they conducted a full archaeological survey beforehand.

But despite approving the plans in 2015 the council didn't inspect progress until April 2016 by which time they found houses on the relevant part site had been almost completed and thus any archaeological remains in the area would have been destroyed. This is the council's report: "The development site at Home Farm, Wrestlingworth is known to contain archaeological remains relating to the medieval village. These remains contained important information on the origins and development of Wrestlingworth in the medieval period and would have contributed to our developing understanding of medieval rural settlement within Bedfordshire and the broader region. A programme of archaeological investigation in advance of development was required to mitigate the impact of the development on these remains as required by the NPPF. This programme of investigation was the subject of Condition 16. It is extremely disappointing that the development commenced and, indeed, has been very nearly completed without the implementation of an approved scheme of archaeological investigation. As a result the known archaeological remains have been destroyed and if other parts of the site contained remains these will also have been lost. As a consequence there has been a total loss of significance to the heritage asset with archaeological and the opportunity to record and advance of understanding of the heritage asset has also been lost. The results of the archaeological evaluation do not provide an adequate record of the archaeological remains." More on this story can be found in Adam’s newsletter which includes a round-up of up-and-coming local events. To get it directly, join the mailing list by emailing him at [email protected] or visit www.adamzerny.co.uk . For the latest news, follow him on twitter @adamzerny or facebook - cllr adam zerny.

COCKAYNE HATLEY CORNER

The photograph shows Mr. “Jack” Whitehead of COPO (“Coxes Orange Pippin Orchards”) being towed in his Rolls Royce by his farm workers in 1941. The photo is well known locally but less well known is the reason for this celebration. Whitehead had raised much money since 1929 to fund his apple orchards – by means not always strictly ethical! Being short of finance again, he requested an additional sum of £1/5s per 100 trees owned by his “treeholders”. Many of his investors owned thousands of trees and were not happy to subscribe further cash. Whitehead stated that the reason for this request was that he had been ordered by the War Agricultural Committee to “carry out certain works of cultivation”; in effect, extra planting of potatoes and other crops. Whitehead’s (recently appointed) accountant found that no such request had been made. Instead of approaching Whitehead, he went straight to the Biggleswade police station with his findings. Whitehead was arrested and the case was sent to the Old Bailey. After two days the case was dismissed with strong warnings from the judge. Whitehead’s daughter, Jean made the comment that “my father was clearly guilty but he was such a persuasive man that I would not have been surprised if the judge had not ended by purchasing a thousand trees from him”. On his return from London, Whitehead was met by a cheering crowd of his workers, no doubt realizing that their jobs were secure again. The photograph shows Whitehead, smoking a large cigar, with his co-director Col. Cooper, being towed to Cockayne Hatley Hall. One can only imagine the celebration which followed. QUESTION: Can anyone identify the person organizing the reception – Foreman? Farm Manager? Antony Crossley.

Wrestlingworth Church of England VC Lower School The children have returned from half term refreshed and eager to learn. As always this is a busy half term with preparations for our Christmas service running alongside our curriculum learning. Oak class are going on a trip to Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton. They are learning about Prehistoric Art and the Stone Age. We have had our first School Swap Day with Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) children going to Dunton and Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) with Reception at Wrestlingworth. The Key Stage 1 children have had a Bible story acted out for them by an ‘Open the Book’ group from Dunton church. The children are looking forward to the Christmas Shop run by the PTA/Friends of Wrestlingworth School where they can buy and wrap gifts for family members and friends. This has become an annual event enjoyed by all. Sadly we are saying goodbye to our Office Manager Mrs. Jo Smith this half term. She is moving on to an exciting new opportunity and we wish her all the best for the future.

NAO CLEANING SERVICES NAO BOARDING CATTERIES

D om estic regular ,w eekly , fully licensed and approved, fortnightly ,hom e care cleans heated pens w ith individual outside or occasional cleans, r u n s , tenancy beginning and collection and delivery services end or house m oving cleans, Available. after builders cleans , com m ercial and contract. OPEN MONDAY TO SUNDAY. w w w .naocatteryservices.co.uk www.naocleaningservices.co.uk naoservices111@ gm ail.com ; naoservices111@ gm ail.com Bram ble Lodge Bram ble Lodge 29 Oakley Road 29 Oakley Road Clapham , Beds, M K41 6AN Clapham , Beds, M K41 6AN Call for a free quote: For enquiries please call: 07411 136691 0 7 4 1 1 1 3 6 6 9 1

TRADES DIRECTORY

Name Trade Contact Paul Rowley Carpentry 07885 302557 or 01767 631656 [email protected] Dean Sports & Swedish 01767 631866 or 07902 547391 Chamberlain massage Specialist Claire Lawrence Animal Portrait Artist 01767 631560 Brian Auty 5 Star Pet Services 07779 101698 www.5starpetservice.co.uk Donna Bubear Ironing Services 01767 631850 Luigi Lanni & LJ’s Sandwich 01767 650333 Jill Green Bar,Gamlingay Angela & Darryl Kennedy & Co Estate 01767 262729/01767 692327 Kennedy Agents Potton & Sandy Armande Fryatt Wedding & Dinner 01767 631123 Party Harpist www.theweddingharpist.net Mrs A Fryatt Specialist Dyslexia 01767 631123 BEd, MA, APC Assessor & Tutor Geoff Swinden Home Delivery 01767 631231 Newsagent Mary Swinden Florist 01767 631231 Sushma Patel Book-Keeper 01767 631825 or 07970 000095 Melvyn Painter, Decorator & 01767 631283 or 07506 536298 Robinson Gardener Ben Searle Elm Park Double 01767 631569 Glazing Charles Millard Cambridgeshire 01767 631096 Chauffeurs www.cambridgeshirechauffeurs.co.uk Mark Atkins All Green 01767 651126 Landscapes www.allgreenlandscapes.co.uk Kristie Robinson Novelty Cakes & 07805 185067 Bakes for all [email protected] occasions Frazer Dewey Oil Boiler Services 01767 631736 or 07968 956977 www.abacusoilexperts.co.uk

To be added to the above list, please supply your name, trade (i.e. Plumber) and telephone number(s) to the editor by emailing:- [email protected] Please note that from the Feb/ March 2017 edition there will be a small charge of £10 P.A. for entries. This will not apply to those traders with other display advertising in the Village Link.

Quality Swimming Instruction

Olympic and Commonwealth Medallist • Small groups, from 3 years to adults 1-2-1 • Coaching- keep fit, competition, tri-athletes • Technique and Analysis sessions Private Local Indoor Pool W: www.davidloweswimming.co.uk E: [email protected] T: 07970 411 592