VILLAGER and Town Life LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

The Issue 84 - April 2016 VILLAGER and Town Life LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue Win tickets to The Battle Proms The Lace Makers Win £25 in our Prize Crossword

For all your window, door and guardian roof requirements call Tim or Karl 01480 216677

Tim Karl [email protected] www.eastanglian-group.com

2 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

EARL conservatory advert.indd 1 21/09/2015 15:50 e Issue 84 - April 2016 VILLAGER and Town Life LOCAL NEWS • LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL SERVICES • LOCAL CHARITIES • LOCAL PRODUCTS

Inside this issue Win tickets to The Battle Proms The Lace Makers Win £25 in our Prize Crossword

Bringing Local Business to Local People 20,000 copies delivered to Buckden, Brampton, Cambourne, Godmanchester, The Hemingfords, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester and all surrounding villages every month Your Contents FREEcopy You Choose Your Future...... 41 Hinchingbrooke Country Park Go On, Grow Your Own!...... 42 Bees in the Park...... 44 Fun Quiz...... 47 Migration Day - Paxton Pits...... 48 44 Animal Queries...... 51 Could You Be a Life Saver?...... 52 Children’s Page...... 55 Range Rover on Test...... 57 Pear and Ginger Tiramisu Trifle...... 58 Puzzle Page...... 60 What’s On...... 62 CADAR...... 65 Citizens Advice Peterborough - Volunteering Opportunities...... 67 The Ghostly Monks of St Neots...... 4 Bedford Race for Life...... 68 The Lace Makers...... 6 Prize Crossword...... 74 Masquerade Ball at Wyboston Lakes...... 10 Book Review...... 78 Win Tickets to the Battle Proms...... 12 Bedfordshire Young Farmers...... 15 The London Marathon...... 17 Could you be Special?...... 18 Paxton Pits 48 It’s Time to Rethink Your Drinking Habits...... 21 Schönbrunn Palace - Vienna...... 22 Spring Break...... 24 Spring is in the Air...... 27 Sugar: Not so Sweet and Innocent...... 29 Sleep Right, Sleep Tight...... 30 Don’t be taken in by the Pension Scammers...... 32 Divorce Q&A...... 35 Wills for Unmarried Couples...... 37 Employment Matters...... 38 Cheap Divorce?...... 40

20,000 copies delivered free of charge in the following areas: Hinchingbrooke, Hinchingbrooke Park, Brampton, Buckden, Offord Cluny, Offord D’arcy, Godmanchester, Hemingford Abbots and Hemingford Grey, Cambourne, Chawston, Croxton, Duloe, Graveley, Great Paxton, Hail Weston, Honeydon, Little Barford, Little Paxton, Eaton Socon, Bourn, Grantchester, Roxton, Southoe, Staploe, Tempsford, Toseland, Upper Staploe, Wintringham, Wyboston, Yelling. (Further bulk drops are made to local shops and busineses in Huntingdon, St Neots, Eaton Ford, Eaton Socon and Eynesbury)

Editorial - Peter Ibbett, Catherine Rose, Debbie Singh-Bhatti, Publishers Kate McLelland, Solange Hando, Kate Duggan, Alison Runham, Villager Publications Ltd Centre for Complementary Health, Leeds Day Solicitors, 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Fiona McLeman, Carol H Scott, Hannah Byatt, Tony Larkins, Tel: 01767 261122 Pippa Greenwood, RSPCA, Iain Betson, Nick Coffer and [email protected] Bruce Edwards www.villagermag.com Advertising Sales/Local Editorial Scott - 01767 261122 [email protected] Disclaimer - All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, however, Villager Publications Ltd can not take any responsibility for the Photography - Miles Davies & Darren Harbar Photography content of the adverts, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. No part of this publication may be Design and Artwork - Design 9 Tel 07762 969460 reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher. To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 History By Peter Ibbett

The Ghostly Monks St. Neots is becoming well known for its family restaurants, award winning museum and ghosts. If you should have checked out too many of of St Neots the local alcoholic beverages one evening you may bump into one of the small wooden footbridges. The Market Square Monks placed on excavator’s work showed that the the Square during a mid-1990’s original turf line of the riverside refurbishment. Whilst recovering meadow was from two and a from your over indulgence the half feet to four feet below our ghosts of the local medieval present surface. From the 14th monks may reflect that they to 17th Centuries the level was too, on occasion, overdid their artificially raised with domestic home brewing and pass you by rubbish, waste soil and gravel sympathetically! As one of the with a final levelling in the early 1960’s excavators of the Priory Site 17th Century coinciding with an (Under the Library and Waitrose car expansion of the market due to parks) Mr C. F. Tebbutt discovered the improvement in navigation evidence for the Market Square locks on the Great Ouse. developing from the site of the You can find out more about original market at the Cross the Priory and its now ghostly (Opposite Beale’s Department occupants, who held sway over store) due to the desire of the this Ouse Valley community for Monks to increase their cash-flow. half a millennium before Henry VIII The Monks would have known a swept them away, at the museum very different town to our present with its regular family activities. day one when they received their You can also admire the modern market charter in the 12th century. graphic at the back of the Cross In order to get to the ‘Shop Row’ Keys yard, featuring the casket (Lloyds Bank side) you would which once held the bones of St. have to cross over a ditch via Neot (now sadly lost). 4 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts THEVILLAGERMAG MASQ 11032016.pdf 1 11/03/2016 14:24:58

You are invited to our Masquerade Ball at Wyboston Lakes

• Saturday 11th June @ 7pm • Canapés on arrival • 3 course dinner • Live music from Vision C • Beautifully themed venue M • Dress Code: Black Tie Y Sc��

MY Inclusive overnight package CY priced at £86.95 per person CMY (based on 2 sharing)

K £46.95 per person Secure your tickets today ...

Book online at www.wybostonlakesbookings.co.uk or call us on 0333 7007 667.

Facebook.com/wybostonlakes @wybostonlakes instagram.com/Wyboston_Lakes

Wyboston Lakes, Great North Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire, MK44 3AL

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 5 History By Catherine Rose

The

LaceThe traditional and skilled craft of lace making Makers the Brussels and Italian tradition which meant to produce trimmings for clothes and household working the decorative elements first and then items was once an important cottage industry ‘grounding’ them in a mesh afterwards. in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Lace was made on hessian pillows, traditionally Buckinghamshire. These counties were the major filled with straw, that rested on a wooden stand or producers for the East Midlands region and ‘horse’. Lace patterns or ‘prickings’ were transferred thousands of men, woman and children were onto paper parchment using pin holes and Indian employed in the lace trade to earn a living, often ink. This paper pattern was then attached to the working out of their homes to sell lace by the yard pillow and the lace was made by working around to local dealers. pattern pins with silk, cotton or linen threads Lace making dates back hundreds of years and which were carried on a large number of bobbins there are many different types with varying styles moved over each other during the process. and methods of production. In Bedfordshire, the Made from wood or bone, Bedfordshire bobbins original handmade lace was old point ground lace were unique in that they had a slim shank and made in the French Lille style. With this type of were weighted with a spray of glass beads. Thread lace, the pattern and (back)ground were worked would be wound, looped, twisted or plaited together and the designs highlighted using a shiny around the pattern pins to painstakingly produce thread called gimp. The lace was intricate and took the strips of delicate lace. a long time to produce. Its delicate nature meant From the 16th century onwards ‘bone’ lace making that it was particularly popular in the fashion was taught in Bedfordshire workhouses. This industry for ladies’ dresses. practice led to the development of Lace Schools It may be that the style of Bedfordshire lace - similar to the Bedfordshire Straw Plait Schools - was influenced by royalty. It is rumoured that during the 17th and 18th centuries. Queen Catherine (Catalina) of Aragon taught the However, these ‘schools’ were no more than early townsfolk of Ampthill how to make it when she sweat shops that exploited children from poor was imprisoned there for a time while waiting for families who would have to supply dealers with her divorce from King Henry VIII to be finalised. large quantities of lace for a pittance of a wage Other parts of the country, such as the well-known handed over to their struggling families. Hours lace-making area of Honiton in Devon, followed were long and the children were often beaten if 6 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 7 8 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts their lace wasn’t up to the required standard. makers moved to producing Maltese and Torchon In true slave labour tradition, lace ‘tells’ became lace. Maltese lace had been showcased at the popular - a chant by the young lace makers that Great Exhibiton of 1851 and its novel, eye-catching they would call out together as they worked. The design had instantly become the height of fashion tells often incorporated a variation of counting up while the word ‘torchon’ is actually French for to, or down from, the number 19, which is believed ‘dishcloth’. As its name suggests, it is a rustic, to have been synonymous with the change of peasant-style lace that lends itself well to more pattern pins. durable household pieces such as table linen. Demand for home-produced lace during this Both types of lace were worked with plaits rather time and throughout the 18th century was high than a ground to tie together bolder, more solid as imports of foreign lace were banned and the designs - something that machines were unable Napoleonic Wars made it hard to come by. The to reproduce. It came to be called ‘Bedfordshire local lace industry thrived as a result but its days Lace’, often incorporating small features and were to be numbered. details to prove that the lace was handmade. In The decline began in 1809 when John Heathcoat Buckinghamshire, old point lace continued to be of Nottingham invented a bobbin net-making favoured, becoming known as ‘Bucks Point’. machine which semi-automated the production Despite local lace makers’ attempts at adapting of lace. Now, only the decorative elements needed to the changing market, the First World War saw a to be done by hand. This inevitably led on to the further decline in demand for English lace with the invention of a machine that could produce lace arrival of Belgian refugees. Belgium is still a well- entirely. Although its quality was not as good known nation of professional lace makers who, as handmade lace, it was sufficient to supply with changing fashions, were able to supply what the demand of the middle classes. The need for small demand there was at this time. handmade lace began to diminish. By the first half of the 20th century, the local lace Queen Victoria’s choice of Honiton lace for her making industry was all but dead. However, during wedding dress in 1840 rather than that from the Second World War, it enjoyed a resurgence the East Midlands was a further blow to the when American soldiers stationed locally started Bedfordshire lace making industry. In addition, by buying small items of lace to send back to loved this time, import duty had gone down and foreign ones at home. lace was also entering the country. Its quality was Lace making as a hobby started to regain deemed to be far superior to that made in the popularity around 50 years ago. The Association centre of England. of Lacemakers was set up in Elstow in 1975 and a Furthermore, by the 1880s, the 1876 Education year later, the Lace Guild - a national organisation Act, which ensured all children had access to - was founded in Bedford. Local group Aragon a proper education, outlawed the lace schools Lacemakers (named after Queen Catherine) also that had not only exploited their charges but formed in Bedfordshire in 1977. frequently deprived them of the teaching that The history of Bedfordshire lace making continues would enable them to learn to read and write. to be of interest and has certainly left its pattern Census figures show that in 1861, there were over mark. Bedford Museum and Cecil Higgins Gallery 26,000 lace makers in Bedfordshire but that by have examples of Bedfordshire lace, while Wardown 1891, this figure had dwindled to just 3,376. Park Museum in Luton houses a wonderful display In response to this decline, Bedfordshire lace of lace making examples and artefacts. To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 9 Wyboston Lakes is holding an exclusive Masquerade Ball on Saturday 11th June

To mark the beginning of a fantastic summer, Wyboston Lakes is holding an exclusive Masquerade Ball is the perfect opportunity Masquerade Ball on Saturday 11th June and for an evening of style, elegance and tickets are on sale now. From 7pm, guests will entertainment! Tickets are £46.95 per person be treated to a selection of canapes on arrival, and include all of the above. Overnight followed by a stunning three course dinner packages are also available, priced at £86.95 and live music from dynamic local band, per person (based on 2 sharing) so if you need Vision. a place to rest your dancing shoes, our award- With a black tie dress code and a beautifully winning, luxurious hotel rooms will be waiting themed venue, the Wyboston Lakes for you.

So book your tickets now at www.wybostonlakesbookings.co.uk or call 0333 7007 667 and join us for a brilliantly fun and memorable night! 10 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts SAFFORD’S COACHES ® 2016 DAY EXCURSIONS safelocaltrades.com SUN 3 APR IDEAL HOME SHOW – OLYMPIA SAT 16 APRIL COTSWOLD TOWN & VILLAGES TOUR Recommended & Appro ed SUN 17 APRIL THRIPLOW DAFFODIL W/E SAT 23 APRIL KENT SPRING BLOSSOM TOUR SUN 24 APRIL GREAT YARMOUTH SUN 1 MAY BURGHLEY HOUSE & STAMFORD MON 2 MAY NORFOLK COAST INC. BOAT TRIP, BLAKENEY & WELLS SAT 7 MAY DUXFORD IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM Not sure who to trust? 2016 HOLIDAYS Need a recommendation? 8-11 APRIL BARGAIN BREAK TO EASTBOURNE ...... £211 18-22 APRIL NORTHUMBERLAND TREASURES ...... £332 25-29 APRIL COTSWOLD GARDENS, TRAINS & TEWKESBURY ...... £374 ...see our recommended list, with local feedback 9-13 MAY BLACKPOOL GOLDEN YEARS...... £330 21-25 MAY POLDARK COUNTRY – CORNWALL ...... £320 24-28 JULY FEEL THE ‘HEARTBEAT’ COUNTY DURHAM ...... £370 WINNER of 7-9 AUGUST ROYAL EDINBURGH TATTOO ...... £261 The award-winning Best New 10-14 AUGUST ISLE OF MAN ISLAND GETAWAY ...... £447 Business Idea 21-27 AUGUST THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS ...... £455 www.safelocaltrades.com 2008 29 AUG-2 SEPT SUMMER IN SCARBOROUGH ...... £315 2-5 SEPT DUTCH DAHLIAS ON PARADE ...... £328 7-11 SEPT DISCOVER NORFOLK ...... £334 is your trusted local website, 12-16 SEPT TORQUAY ...... £342 25-29 SEPT WELCOME TO WEYMOUTH ...... £342 providing you with a register 29 SEPT-3 OCT LUXEMBOURG AND THE MOSELLE ...... £338 2-7 OCTOBER ST. HELIER, JERSEY ...... £370 of highly recommended tried and 10-14 OCT BRILLIANT BORDERLANDS ...... £340 26-30 OCT AUTUMN IN ST. AGNES ...... £323 tested tradesmen in your area. All 28-30 OCT BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...... £169 members are interviewed, PLEASE RING FOR YOUR FREE COLOUR BROCHURE criminal record checked, vetted and ON 01767 677395 OR 677923 www.saffordscoaches.co.uk approved, have agreed to abide by a Service Charter and are monitored on an on-going basis, giving you complete peace of mind. Our aim is to protect YOU from cowboy and rogue traders.

in association with …

Peterborough Neighbourhood and Home Watch Looking out for the community

Just go to … www.safelocaltrades.com or phone 0800 014 1832

The safest way to source a local tradesman

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 11 COMPETITION Win Tickets to the Battle Proms

We have 6 pairs of tickets to give away The striking backdrop of the grand Elizabethan architecture of Burghley House will once again play host to the opening night of the UK’s premier picnic concert series as the Battle Proms returns to Stamford, Lincolnshire, on Saturday 9 July, before heading to the beautiful, leafy parkland of Hatfield House, Hatfield on Saturday 23 July. Audience members will be treated to an exceptional evening of sublime classical music, carefully choreographed Spitfire and cavalry displays, dramatic cannon fire and a stunning firework finale– all part of the Battle Proms experience! The concerts will once again be raising funds for their charity partner, Combat stress and organisers are now encouraging people to book early to ensure they don’t miss out on the best available ticket prices for this fabulous summer celebration. Tickets can be ordered online at www.battleproms.com, or by calling the Box Office on 01432 355 416 We have 6 pairs of tickets to these fabulous concerts to give away! Winners can choose which of the 2 stunning venues to attend. To enter, simply complete the form below and send to Battle Proms Competition, Villager Publications Ltd 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP Winners will be picked at random. Deadline: 29th April 2016

BATTLE PROMS COMPETITION ENTRY

Name:  Address:

Tel:

12 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts COMPETITION

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 13 THE UNFORGETTABLE Close Up and Cabaret Magic of Steve Dean Immerse yourselves and guests in the close up magic of Steve Dean or enjoy a Cabaret Show that includes mentalism and much more. Have you ever witnessed unexplainable events or illusions so convincing that they leave you fascinated and completely spellbound? This is Cabaret, close up mix and mingle and table magic at it’s very best.

Steve is a master of his craft and a member of the prestigious Magic Circle. From a small dinner party to performing on a British Cruise Liner this sort of entertainment is second to none and will give your guests unusual and fantastic entertainment that they can get involved in and will talk about for months to come. (Steve is a member of Equity with full public liability insurance).

Please phone or email for details 07719 261147 • 01767 260671 email: [email protected] www.stevedeanmagic.co.uk

Steve Dean 1/2 page.indd 1 09/03/2016 21:51 EVERY TUESDAY Every saturday 6-9PM 10am-12pm

01767 260221 www.coachhousepotton.co.uk

14Untitled-3 1 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding14/03/2016 to adverts 15:57 Local News Bedfordshire YFC Ready for a Fun Day - 21st May 2016 Bedfordshire Young Farmers is celebrating its 70th competition and the flour and water fight! year with the 69th Annual Show and Rally being The day offers something for all, with about hosted by North Beds Young Farmers at Manor 2500 general public in attendance enjoying the Farm, Green End, Pertenhall, Bedfordshire, MK44 numerous trade stands, craft stalls, children’s 2AZ, by kind permission of the Bates Family on entertainment area, vintage tractors, show Saturday 21st May 2016. jumping, main ring attractions and many more Bedfordshire Young Farmers has 7 clubs and over things to see and do. 400 members and is open to all who are aged Entry £8 which includes free car parking and show between 10 and 26 who have a passion for the yearbook. Under 12’s free. countryside who want to make lifelong friends, Lots of fun for all the family and a great day out. have fun, learn a wide range of skills, travel and take part in many competitions. For more information on contact Federation of Throughout the day numerous competitions Jane Helliwell, County Organiser, Bedfordshire take place which come to a finale in the main Young Farmers’ Clubs, Wootton Park Farm, ring in the afternoon with a hard fought tug Hall End Road, Wootton, Bedford Mk43 9HT of war competition, grand parade of winning Telephone 01234 765903 stock, parade of hounds, and at the end the long or follow us on twitter and face book awaiting and highly contested decorated floats or http://www.bedsyfc.co.uk/

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 15 16 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts The 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon takes Time of Year place on Sunday 24th April. First held on 29th March 1981 with just 6,255 participants crossing the finishing line, the event now holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest annual fund raising event in the world, and has raised over £450 million for charity since it started. The The race was founded by former Olympic champion Chris Brasher, and athlete John Disley. After competing in the New York City Marathon in November 1979, Brasher felt inspired to organise London a similar event in Britain that could bring together people of all races, creeds and backgrounds in a joyful way. The race is set over a flat course around the River Marathon Thames, and covers a distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. Starting at three separate points it ends in The Mall alongside St James’s Park. The year 2010 By Debbie Singh-Bhatti saw the biggest field since the race began, with 36,549 crossing the finishing line, and around 38,000 people are expected to take part this year. There are several ways to apply for a place in the race. The cheapest is by ballot entry. This is done online and last year applications took place over a five day period a week after the marathon was run. It costs around £35 to enter, and organisers expect nearly a quarter of a million people to apply this year, but only 50,000 will be successful, and it is predicted that 12,000 people will drop out. The fee can be paid at time of application or later, but if unsuccessful the fee will be forfeited. Many opt to donate it to charity if this happens. If you are not one of the lucky ones, the next option is via a charity. The Marathon website (www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com) lists charities that have reserved places on offer, but there are usually more runners than places. Successful applicants are likely to be selected according to their connection with the charity and the amount of money they have pledged to raise. Entry can cost up to £100 and you may be expected to raise a four figure sum! Other admission methods include Good-For-Age Entry, available to previous entrants who have completed the race within a specified time for their age, and British Athletics Clubs can apply for entries for their members. A small number of places are also offered through competitions on the Marathon’s Twitter and Facebook sites. Only participants who complete the race inside eight hours receive a medal and have their finish time published in the official results. A small number of runners, known as the ‘Ever-Presents’ has completed every London Marathon since 1981. The oldest is aged 82, the youngest 57. To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 17 Local News Could you be Special?

Could you be Special? Special Constable Kayleigh Do you want to do something special for yourself, Minor’s story your community and your employer? “I work alongside a regular officer Do you want to gain invaluable experience and on every shift. I go to every incident training to achieve your personal or professional with them no matter whether it be goals? a domestic, a collision or a call to an Why not join the Special Constabulary and find animal in the road. out just how much you are capable of? “I love the feeling at the end of a shift knowing Your employer may even give you time off to that I have made a difference to someone’s life or volunteer under the employer supported policing I have helped take someone who isn’t so nice off scheme. the streets. I also love the adrenaline of the job and What do Specials do? having to think on my feet. As a Special Constable you will work with us to “I highly recommend volunteering as a Special. It help keep the people within your community safe, gives you an insight into the police force and the ensuring that your community, and the wider role of an officer but it also gives you the ability Cambridgeshire area, is a place that people feel to deal with different situations and to learn new proud to call home. In return we will provide you skills. with invaluable experience and training to achieve “If you have some spare time and are wondering your personal or professional goals. what to do with it I would absolutely recommend Special Constables provide vital support to a joining the Specials.” whole range of policing activities and have the same powers and equipment as regular police officers. Have you got what it takes? The Special Constabulary welcomes applications from people from all walks of life and backgrounds. The kind of people we need have good life skills and experience, plus strong community awareness. How to apply For more information about becoming a Special, or to apply, visit www.cambs.police.uk/ recruitment/Specials or email specials@cambs. pnn.police.uk

18 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts George&Dragon advert.pdf 1 13/11/2015 07:36 The George & Dragon Eaton Socon Food served Tuesday-Saturday 12-6pm | Sunday 12-3pm Pizza to eat in or takeaway - Sunday-Friday 6-11pm Live music on Saturday nights Karaoke on the first Sunday of every month Soul/Motown disco on the last Friday of every month Large Beer Garden with children’s play area Dogs welcome 01480 211444 george&dragon,eatonsocon

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 19 QUALITY A new look for your old KITCHEN FACELIFTS kitchen this Spring

EST. 1999

® Why replace when you can reface? • Huge choice of doors CALL FOR worktops, appliances, A FREE ESTIMATE: sinks & taps • Senior citizens discount 01480 877249 • Low cost with minimal hassle and disruption dreamdoors.co.uk • From a simple door swap Visit our showroom: to a complete kitchen refit 3, The Causeway,Godmanchester PE29 2HA

20 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Life Begins...

By Kate McLelland

It’s time to re-think your drinking habits

Why we shouldn’t ignore those inhibitions and relaxes them – but with another activity that will warnings about drinking alcohol there are other less compelling challenge you and bring you into in old age reasons for taking a drink. contact with other people. If you’ve enjoyed a lifetime’s Sometimes we drink to relieve Avoid temptation. Try not to keep moderate drinking it may be hard boredom and loneliness, because alcohol at home where it is easily to face the prospect of cutting drinking at a certain time has accessible. Buy individual bottles down, or giving up, as you grow become habitual, or because other of wine rather than wine boxes. It’s older. But the truth is that when people expect us to. Here are much easier to keep track of how people age, they become much some tips to help you break out of much you are actually drinking more sensitive to the effects of those old routines and establish when you are pouring from a alcohol. new ones: bottle. One of the reasons is that older We are creatures of habit. If you Don’t get trapped by routines. If people carry less water in their are used to pouring your first drink you always meet friends in a place bodies, resulting in a higher of the evening at 6.30pm, try to where alcohol is freely available blood-alcohol concentration make it an hour later and have a – like a pub – meet them in a that can lead to confusion and non-alcoholic drink in its place. different location such as a coffee accidents. The toxins in alcohol Gradually start to drink later and bar. If it has to be a pub, alternate also build up over time, increasing later until you’ve reduced the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks an older person’s vulnerability number of drinks you normally or order a glass of water with your to diseases such as heart and have by at least half. wine and drink both more slowly. liver disease and some cancers. We all need a bit of help. It’s We all need rewards for doing Other health problems may be important to tell friends and family well. Estimate how much you made worse by drinking and that you’re making an effort to cut would normally spend on booze taking prescription drugs with down on drinking. Bring them into and buy yourself something nice alcohol can also have serious your plans so they can help you to with the money when you’ve consequences. avoid your usual drinking ‘triggers’. managed to cut down. Most of us have a vision of how we Don’t set yourself unrealistic You may find it tough at first would like to enjoy our retirement targets. Avoid saying that you’re to break old habits, but feeling and later years and it probably giving up alcohol forever. Start out healthy, energetic, slimmer and doesn’t involve disease and with an objective to keep off the better off financially should not disability. So why do we find it so booze for a couple of days, then a only help you reach your goals, hard to reduce our consumption? week, then longer. but allow you to look forward to People enjoy alcohol because it If you drink to relieve boredom the future with greater confidence. elevates their mood, breaks down or loneliness, try to fill that space To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 21 Travel By Solange Hando Schönbrunn Palace - Vienna From a modest hunting lodge to a breath-taking the Court, the 43 metre long palace and now a museum, Schönbrunn ranks Great Gallery which hosted banquets and balls, the among Austria’s top attractions, claiming seven Hall of Ceremonies and its monumental paintings, million visitors a year. Restored, extended and the Chapel and the Napoleon Room where the embellished over time on the edge of Vienna, it French Emperor stayed when he occupied Vienna. survived a turbulent past to become the favourite Beyond this palatial treasure-filled interior, the summer residence of Austrian emperors for almost Habsburg displayed their wealth and power in three centuries. Named ‘beautiful fountain’ after extensive grounds, from the botanical garden and an artesian well, it will soon celebrate 20 years as Europe’s oldest zoological park to the orangerie, the a UNESCO World Heritage site for its ‘remarkable palm house and the English and French gardens, Baroque ensemble and synthesis of the arts’. the latter by a disciple of Le Nôtre who designed Beyond the wrought iron gates, the elegant façade, Versailles. Nature reserve, pristine gardens and painted ‘Schönbrunn yellow’, rises across a vast recreation area all in one, the figures speak for courtyard where horse-drawn carriages invite themselves: 25 km of trees along the avenues, 30 km visitors to explore the grounds in style. But first of of hedges, 300,000 plants and 20 hectares of lawns all, the palace beckons with over 1,000 rooms filled mowed up to 21 times in season. with chandeliers and gold, paintings, tapestries, Entry to the gardens is free and locals and visitors imperial portraits, Rococo furniture and more. Much alike come to relax, gazing in wonder at the blazing of what we see today is the legacy of Maria-Theresa, colours of superb flower beds, listening to the cool the 18th century empress and only female ruler in gurgling of Neptune’s fountain or rambling through the Habsburg dynasty. So Schönbrunn enjoyed a dark mysterious woods. There’s a manicured maze, golden age as palace and gardens were remodelled a set of 18th century follies named ‘Roman ruin’, for the pleasure of the empress and her court. Most 32 neo-classical sculptures and a triumphal arch, impressive is the dazzling Hall of Mirrors where, they or gloriette, on the hill top with panoramic views say, six year old Mozart performed for the empress over palace and garden and the city beyond. It’s before ‘springing onto her lap and kissing her no wonder this is acclaimed as the best preserved heartily’. The Blue Chinese Salon with its rice paper Baroque garden in the world. hangings, the Porcelain Room and the Millions The Austrian Empire came to an end after the Room decorated with Indo-Persian miniatures are first Word War but with its palace and gardens, also due to Maria-Theresa, reflecting her love for all Schönbrunn remains for all to enjoy and an things exotic. enduring magnet for television and film crews, as A day would barely suffice to do justice to every seen in James Bond ‘The Living Daylight’ or the room opened to the public, but of special note are legendary Sisi trilogy. the Walnut Room, used as audience hall by Emperor Franz Joseph, his wife Sisi’s apartments where a secret staircase allowed her to escape from the pressures of

22 Please mentionPlease mention The Villager The Villager and andTown Town Life Life when when responding responding to to adverts adverts Dressmaking• Services• • Alterations • Restyling of favourite garments • Remaking of favourite garments • Design and made to measure service for all special occasions, including weddings and balls • Pattern making service • Fabric samples to view • Portfolio and references available

For free consultation and quote please phone 07551038879 or email [email protected]

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 23 Time of Year By Kate Duggan

Spring Break Spring is the perfect time to explore a new area, and been planted with some 20,000 sweet-smelling there are certainly plenty of events planned across hyacinths, while the Water Garden will be awash the UK this Easter to tempt you on to the road. For with cherry blossom, wisteria and magnolias. starters, you could head to the Isle of Skye on April Or why not just pack a picnic and head off to the 29th for a weekend of live music; more than 30 acts beach or woods? Check out Walking Britain for are planned and weekend tickets are a steal at £95. some inspiration. www.walkingbritain.co.uk Or maybe you fancy taking in some truly breath- If you fancy going a bit further afield, try Morzine in taking scenery? If so head to the Scottish Highlands the French Alps. In the winter it is a popular skiing on May 21st , for a coast-to-coast classic car tour destination, but at this time of year it’s quieter. with The Rotary Club of East Sutherland. The scenery is still stunning though, and there’s Kids will love to explore the Lost Gardens of Heligan certainly plenty to keep you busy. The mountain in Cornwall, with its outdoor sculptures, rope biking trails are among the best in the world, but bridges and ‘jungle’. Or how about a trip to Escot in there are also plenty of more leisurely sports to Devon, where they can run riot through the maze, enjoy, including golf. see otters being fed, watch wild bird displays and How about nabbing a last minute cruise deal? The play hide ‘n’ seek in the woods? Book into nearby Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas starts from Yellingham Farm B&B, or camp at Crealy Meadows just £569 for nine nights, and calls at Naples, Sicily Caravan and Camping Park, where you can also and Malta to name a few destinations. take advantage of the adventure park, with its If you crave the sun, Dubai is a good bet, with huge indoor play area, sandpits and rides for all the temperatures in April reaching 32°C. Wander family. around the street markets, from the Gold Souk, to A good day trip can feel like a mini-break in itself. Deira Fish Market, and then have a coffee in the National Trust properties are usually a pretty safe Ramada Dubai hotel where you can admire one bet. Choose between castles, forts and other of the world’s tallest stained glass windows. You’re historic buildings, or just spend a few hours pretty spoiled for places to stay in the UAE, but the wandering through the parklands or gardens. Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf at Madinat Jumeirah is a Cliveden in Buckinghamshire is a good choice great choice, as it’s one of the top rated hotels on for garden lovers: its Italianate Long Garden has Trip Advisor. 24 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 25 Jill Dighton BSc (Hons) MBACP (Accred)., UKCP Reg. hires Mobile Footcare Counselling S ...because feet matter Service Treatment of common foot disorders Depressed? Anxious? in the comfort of your own home Relationship Issues? Professional treatment includes: Low Self Esteem? • Callus reduction Have you considered Counselling sessions? • Corn removal Based in Grafham village, I offer a • Toe nail trimming professionally qualified Counselling Service • Fungal/thickened toe nail treatment to individuals and couples in a secure, • Cracked heel reduction confidential & non-judgemental atmosphere. • Athletes foot treatment Ample parking. For further enquiries call Sam on: Concessionary rates available. For further details: T. 01480 819 453 Visit: www.jilldightoncounselling.co.uk M. Email: [email protected] 07715 085 131 Samantha Craig Tel: 07925 852 985 (Voicemail available) BA Hons, SAC Dip FHPT, SAC Dip FHPP, MRFHP

WOULD YOU LIKE TO EARN ADDITIONAL INCOME?

If you are a qualified teacher, or graduate with a TEFL qualification, or willing to work towards a TEFL qualification, Earn from we would love to hear from you. £395 to £595 per week. Could you provide a comfortable spare room, 3 meals per day, and teach English to foreign students from 12 years A flexible, enjoyable way to earn a old to adults, from the comfort of your own home, in the supplementary income, from once a Cambridgeshire area? year to once a month, or more. Equally important is a warm, friendly personality and a comfortable home. For more information email your Local Organiser at Demand is high in Cambridgeshire in the summer, and the [email protected] school holidays, though demand is steady throughout the year.

Families with children or teens especially welcome.

26HLI 1/2 page.indd 1 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding15/02/2016 to adverts 17:33 Health & Beauty

Spring is in the air Spring is a great time to clear out gives great, natural of a wildflower the makeup bag (or overflowing looking coverage, meadow – floral, cupboard in my case) and treat while hydrating but not too sweet. yourself to a few new goodies. and softening It’s unashamedly skin. 94% of girly, with notes testers reported including hyacinth dramatically and white rose, improved skin warmed with tone. If you can’t sandalwood and wait to take your musk. And, at just makeup off at £19.99 for 50ml, the end of the day because your it’s a bit of a bargain. Team it with face feels dry and uncomfortable, the English Daisy body lotion, you need to try this foundation. £6.50 and embrace the warmer It contains hyaluronic acid and weather. other ingredients that help to I’m finding that the sun’s keep skin hydrated for up to 12 reappearance means it’s a lot hours after applying it. Available easier to drag the kids out for How pretty is this new palette in 10 shades, the Aqua Glow a walk (although it’ll be a while from Paul & Joe? Teaming an eye Serum Foundation retails at before we’re out of our wellies I shadow duo with a powder blush, £34.50. reckon). Along with wet wipes the palette is available in two If your hair is looking a little ‘meh’, and plasters, the one thing I shades: Papillons de Printemps but there’s still weeks to go until always take with me is Pure & and Floral Nectar (pictured). your next trip to the salon, try Light Organic’s Essential Family Retailing at £28 each, they’re not a KC Color Mask. Available in on-the-Go Cream. It’s packed cheap, but the colours are easy 14 shades, including platinum, with plant-derived vitamins, to apply and you’ll be the envy golden copper, plum and coffee, and helps to treat everything of the other bathroom mirror these masks revitalise coloured from insect bites and bruises to hoggers on a night out. If you hair. A small amount helps to eczema. The 18 natural active really want to splash out, Paul & maintain the hair colour and add ingredients include soothing Joe have also released some new brightness, while a larger amount calendula, hydrating shea butter lipsticks, in three vibrant spring can deepen the colour intensity. and nourishing avocado. Priced shades. Just apply to freshly washed hair, at £15, it’s available from www. Many people find that they comb through, leave for up to ten pureandlightorganic.eu and need to buy a new minutes and wash out. They’re www.lovelula.co.uk. foundation for particularly useful for toning spring/summer, as down brassy tones in blonde their skin loses its hair, and giving depth to darker winter hibernation shades. The masks also contain paleness. (Or that’s Pro-Vitamin B5 and keratin my excuse anyway.) derivative, to help repair the The new Aqua Glow cuticle. Prices start from under £5. Serum Foundation Spring demands a lighter, fresher by Stila combines fragrance, and Yardley London foundation with a has just released the perfect one. treatment serum. It English Daisy is reminiscent By Kate Duggan To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 27 28 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Health

Alison Runham Sugar: www.alison.runham.co.uk Not so sweet and innocent Recently, evidence of sugar’s evils and a potential healthy foods, but they all contain sugars too. sugar tax have dominated the media. The Chief Hear ‘sugary foods’ and you probably think of fizzy Executive of the NHS has even proposed a 20% NHS or fruit drinks, sweetened coffees, biscuits, cakes ‘sugar tax’ on food in England’s NHS cafes. and chocolate. But check the ingredients of ketchup, So why is sugar nutrition’s new super-villain? pickle, salad cream, barbecue sauce, bottled cooking Storing Sugar as Fat sauces or shop-bought soup, curry, pizza, savoury Sugar’s most obvious risks are obesity, which costs foods and low fat ‘healthy’ options - many use large the NHS around £6.4bn per year, and tooth decay. quantities of sugar to improve their taste. What’s less obvious is that when we don’t burn off How Much Is Too Much? the sugar we consume our bodies convert it to fat, Intrinsic sugars (those naturally occurring in milk or storing it partly in the liver, which can lead to fatty whole fruit) aren’t related to adverse health effects. liver disease, and partly in our fatty tissues. A study However, free sugars - those added to foods or of the development of visceral fat - the dangerous, naturally present in fruit juices, honey and syrup – hard-to-shift fat that’s stored around the internal are, and the World Health Organisation has advised organs - showed that while it increased in all us to reduce intake of free sugars to 10% of our daily participants, it increased most in people consuming calories, and down to 5% for further health benefits. sugar-sweetened drinks on a daily basis. The UK Government has recommended this 5% limit. High sugar intake, hand-in-hand with obesity, can 5% of our calorie intake is equivalent to around also increase our risk of hypertension (high blood 25-30g of sugar (around seven teaspoons). Had a can pressure), type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, of standard Coke today, or five Jaffa Cakes? You’ve stroke, gout, osteoarthritis, depression, respiratory exceeded your daily sugar allowance. The allowance problems, sleep apnoea, infertility problems, breast for children aged 4-6 is 19g a day and for 7-10 year cancer and bowel cancer. olds, 24g. Yet a standard 200ml Capri Sun contains Sugary foods can make our blood sugar levels 20g of sugar. seesaw too, making us irritable and tired when we Sugar Swaps and Drops come ‘down’. However, experts are divided about • Swap cereals with added sugar or honey for whether a high sugar diet makes us prone to thrush, unsweetened cereals with fruit. although diabetics are at higher risk and there’s • Swap sugary desserts for fruit, plain yogurts or anecdotal evidence of low sugar diets helping with homemade milk puddings. recurring thrush. • Ensure sweet treats deliver nutrition too - choose Sugar by Any Other Name... Is Still As Sweet malt loaf over doughnuts. Your latest grocery purchase may not say it contains • Exchange fizzy drinks for sparkling water mixed ‘sugar’, but glucose, dextrose, maltose, fructose with a no-added-sugar squash. (found in fruit) and lactose (found in cow’s milk) • Gradually wean yourself off sugar added in hot are all different forms of sugar, as is sucrose (our drinks, cooking and baking. everyday sugar). Honey, molasses, syrup and fruit Drastically reducing your sugar intake is tough, juice concentrate are often included in supposedly so start small and let your body (and taste buds) acclimatise.

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 29 Complementary Health Sleep right, sleep tight Sleep is the mysterious shift in consciousness don’t use a pillow and that again can place stress that our bodies require every day. It’s vital for our on the neck and shoulders, but it is possible to buy health and wellbeing, and not only do we function one tailored from sleeping on your front. less well when we don’t get enough quality sleep, Roy also adds that “a mattress and pillow that but it can lead to long-term health problems. supports your body in the right places is essential That’s why we need to do all that we can to ensure for a good night’s sleep as this will help you to that we enjoy quality sleep and deal with any release the muscle tension that can build up sleep problems. Roy Palmer, Alexander Technique during the day”. As there are a wide range of Teacher at the Centre of Complementary Health, products on the market from memory foam explains the three most common sleep positions mattresses to different shaped pillows it is always and what you can do to help your sleeping worth testing before you commit to ensure it is posture. right for you. Ultimately, the best position is down Side sleeper - This is the most common, and in to your daytime posture habits, and getting good my opinion, the best sleeping posture. If you sleep support from your bedding. on your side, it’s important to ensure your spine If you would like further advice on sleep or how is horizontal to the bed, and you head is level to choose the best products for you The Sleep with your spine. If your mattress dips and fails to Council at www.sleepcouncil.org.uk is full of great support where you curve, your spine will twist. tips or see our website Check your pillow supports your head and neck www.CentreForCompHealth without it tilting down, and for extra comfort, place a pillow between your knees and ankles to prevent your top leg from dropping forward and twisting your lower back. Back sleeper - If you’re most comfortable on your back, check your neck is fully supported by your pillow, and also your lower back is in contact with your mattress. A gap between your lower back and bed can lead to lower back pain. If your mattress isn’t giving your back full support, place a pillow under your knees so your legs are slightly bent so your lower back will come into full contact with the mattress. If you snore, you are more likely to snore while lying on your back – a nudge in the ribs from your partner may encourage you to roll onto your side! If this is the case, place the pillow under your legs to in-between your legs (see side sleeping posture above for more help). Front sleeper - This is the least common sleeping posture and potentially the worst for your neck. A thick pillow will stretch the neck and cause discomfort in the morning. Many front sleepers

More info: Web: www.CentreForCompHealth.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 01480 455221 30 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 31 Finance Don’t be Taken in by the Pension Scammers Since new pension regulations were introduced in has enabled scammers to get away with too many 2015, conmen have been using the new freedoms sophisticated cons. to target people approaching retirement. One of It’s hoped that Project Bloom will bring awareness the scams involves telling those under the age of to the issue, however, and specific advice is offered 55 that a ‘legal loophole’ allows them access to their to anyone concerned about their pension. You full pension, with no requirement to pay tax on the need to be wary of: money withdrawn (in reality, a rate of up to 55%). • Anyone offering a ‘free pension review’ or Pension monies are then moved into an access to your pension pot if you’re under the alternative scheme run by the fraudsters, with age of fifty-five savings either being stolen or severely diminished • Offers of help to obtain a pension statement, or after extortionate charges are made for the to provide a tracing service for lost pensions ‘service’. The Pensions Advisory Service provides free advice To make matters worse, HM Revenue and Customs if you’re worried about potential scams, or to has been sending out bills to reclaim tax on the discuss your pension options in general. amounts withdrawn, leaving victims of the scam A sophisticated approach with no pension savings and in large-scale debt in One of the problems is that scammers set up some cases. sophisticated systems and procedures that include How can the conmen operate so effectively? glossy brochures and polished, well-rehearsed Although younger people are a clear target for speeches. This makes the entire con appear pension scammers, those aged 55 and over are legitimate unless you’re aware that this type of also under threat. With no restrictions on how fraud is taking place. pension savings can be used, unscrupulous Bringing awareness of what’s happening is key to individuals and criminal groups are taking combating crimes like this, and hopefully Project advantage of a lack of regulation within the Bloom will help to prevent more people suffering industry, plus an uncertainty about how best to the devastating loss of their retirement income. invest such a large amount of money. Watch out for fake websites Inefficient systems also form part of the problem, Fraudsters are even setting up fake websites with enabling conmen to set up these rogue pension names very similar to legitimate bodies offering schemes. HM Revenue and Customs are not free advice. They may be able to gain access to pension regulators, but having introduced a ‘fit your personal information in this way, and then and proper person’ test in 2014, they have at least contact you directly via phone or email. attempted to control the potential for fraudulent It pays to check the web address you’re typing in activity. very carefully, to ensure that the site is legitimate HMRC has the power to de-register or refuse to and not part of the fraudsters’ arsenal of tricks. register a new pension scheme, but some have said they should take more responsibility for http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/money/ what is happening to victims, rather than investing-pensions/pension-liberation-scam- chasing them for tax payments. victims-facing-huge-tax-bills-11364036908047 Project Bloom taskforce A new taskforce has been set up by the http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/ government and the National Crime pensions/article-3419232/Should- Agency to combat the problem of pension-scam-victims-let-tax-bills.html pension fraud. A ‘perfect storm’ of new pension http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/ regulations, lack of awareness about pensions/article-3397828/Three-tell- where to reinvest, and the fact that tale-signs-duped-pension-fraudsters. large sums of money are involved, html 32 Acupuncture FOR WELL-BEING Judy obtained her Licentiate in Acupuncture, and B.A (Hons) degree in Traditional Acupuncture, from the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Warwickshire. Judy is a passionate believer in the positive benefits, on both physical and emotional levels, that may be obtained from receiving acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture originated in China and other far eastern cultures where it still features in mainstream healthcare, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with conventional western medicine. Judy has been trained as a classical Five Element Acupuncturist; treatment is aimed at the root cause of your condition as well as your main symptoms. This approach helps with resolving your problem and enhancing your feelings of wellbeing. You may notice other niggling problems resolve as your main health complaint improves. Judy continues to pursue her belief in excellence of care for her patients in her role as a dedicated acupuncture practitioner, and is a member of the British Acupuncture Council. Please contact Judy for a free 20 minute consultation to discuss how acupuncture treatment can help you.

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 33 34 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Family Law Divorce Q&A Clients often have the same anxieties about How much will it cost? the divorce process, and come along to a first Court fees are typically £385. Solicitors’ fees are meeting with their lawyer armed with a bundle extra. of questions that need answers. Here is a Do I have to go to court? summary of those which readers may find useful. If the divorce is not contested, it is a paper Can we both file for divorce? exercise and no attendance at court is required. Only one spouse can petition for divorce. They Do I have to consult a lawyer? are known as the Petitioner and the other spouse No, it is possible to petition for divorce without is the Respondent. legal representation. Can I cite irreconcilable differences? Where do I get the forms? There is no such thing. The ground for divorce is These can be obtained online from the court ‘Irretrievable breakdown’. service website or in person by attending at your How do I prove irretrievable breakdown? local county court. By proving one of five facts - adultery, behaviour, What if we have children? 2 years separation with the Respondent’s Provided the children’s arrangements are agreed, consent, 5 years separation, or desertion for 2 there is no need to attend court. years. What if my spouse will not cooperate? Can I get a quickie divorce? All steps should be taken to ensure the divorce is There is no such thing. Divorces typically take the as amicable as possible. It is possible to progress same amount of time from the point the petition a divorce even if the other spouse will not for divorce is filed with the Court. cooperate How long does it take? What should I do next? If the divorce is not contested it will take 3-4 If legal advice is required, consult www. months. resolution.org.uk to find a Resolution approved lawyer near you.

Tel: 07894 095775 www.fmfamilylaw.co.uk To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 35 THE COMPUTER MAN Local, Qualiﬁed & Experienced Getting I.T. right the ﬁrst time, every time. Make your PC or laptop fast again! • SLOW COMPUTERS RESOLVED • VIRUS & SPYWARE REMOVAL • BROADBAND INSTALLATION • UPGRADES & REPAIRS • IPOD, IPHONE, IPAD & MAC • MOST ISSUES RESOLVED ON SITE • HIGHLY COMPETITIVE RATES • NO EXPENSIVE SHOP TO RUN • ALL MAKES, MODELS & AGES Contact Stuart on: Tel: 01480 354 937 Mob: 07734 652 239 E-mail: [email protected] Whether your computer is not working at all or just needs a boost, we can help.

EBAY COLLECTIONS Local & Reliable

36 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Leeds Day Solicitors Wills for Unmarried Couples Unmarried partners living together can be leaving • You have step-children. All your biological and each other unprovided for if they do not make wills. adopted children are treated equally in the eyes of Many people believe that unmarried couples have the law, so they will all inherit from you whether similar legal rights to married couples, or consider they are from a current or previous relationship. themselves to be ‘common law’ spouses. However, Your partner’s children (unless you have legally under current legislation, unmarried couples adopted them) will not inherit from you, no matter (whether of the same or different sexes), do not how much you think of them as “yours”. have any automatic legal rights if one of them • You have not appointed a guardian. If you have dies, regardless of the length of time that they children under the age of 18, and are the only have lived together or whether they have children person with Parental Responsibility for them, together. you need to appoint a guardian. If you don’t do As a result, if one party dies without a Will then this, it will be very hard for people to know what his or her estate will be divided according to the you wanted to happen. Your family and friends Intestacy Rules. The Intestacy Rules make no may not see eye to eye over what to do and your provision for an unmarried partner to receive any children could end up being raised by someone share in an estate and the deceased’s estate will you wouldn’t have chosen. instead pass to his or her children, parents, siblings • You have a property and mortgage together or other relatives. with your partner. You and your partner are If you own a property (or a share of a property jointly and severally liable for the mortgage. held in joint names) you should consider whether If you haven’t made a Will your partner will you want your partner to inherit your share of have to pay the mortgage but your share in that property, or whether you wish it to pass to the property may pass to your nearest living somebody else. If you have children, you may relatives. If you want to protect your partner wish to provide for those children to benefit from from having to find a new home after your your share in the property, whilst also enabling death you need to make a Will. your partner to continue living in the house rent It can often be helpful to discuss the issues free until he or she has also died or moved out. relevant to each individual, in order to establish Your Will can be prepared to ensure the survivor’s the best way to make provision for all concerned. occupation of the property is protected, whilst also We can advise you in an appropriate and practical making provision for your children in the future. manner and ensure that your wishes are recorded Difficult situations in your Will. There are a number of difficult situations that can Please contact us on arise when someone has not made a will. The most 0844 567 2222 by email at common occur when: [email protected] or visit our • You are still legally married but separated. If you website www.leedsday.co.uk are separated but not yet divorced from your if you would like to discuss your husband, wife, or civil partner, they will inherit requirements. the bulk of your estate. • You have children and a partner but are not married. If you have children (and are not married, or are divorced) your whole estate will be divided between your children. Our offices: Huntingdon St. Ives St. Neots Godwin House, 11 Station Road, 1A South Street, George Street, Huntingdon, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE29 3BD PE27 5BH PE19 2BW T: 01480 454301 T: 01480 464600 T: 01480 474661 To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 37 Employment Carol H Scott HR and Business Consulting Ltd Employment Matters Driving While On Business? Changes to Checking Driving Licences! What’s changed? Every fleet insurance company requires this to This is ‘Real Time’ licence checking. Penalty points validate the insurance. Also, in event of a serious (endorsements) and any other changes will now road accident and subsequent investigation, the only be recorded electronically. If an offence is investigator will always wish to verify the legality committed a licence will still need to be submitted and capability of the driver. and any fines paid, but the court deals with the Not having a robust procedure can put the paperwork differently. No offences will be printed employer, the company and the employee at on any paper licence or counterpart, so neither the serious risk of breaching the legal duty of care photocard nor the paper licence will provide an responsibilities and risks possible corporate and accurate account of any driving endorsements or personal prosecution. changes. The employer’s duty of care does not change What must the employer do? because of the type of vehicle driven, who owns All employers have a legal duty of care, not only the vehicle, or how much driving the employee/ to their employees/workers, but other road users, worker does as part of their job when a person is driving on company business, or How can I comply with my employer’s legal uses a company vehicle. duties? As a minimum, employers must check on offering As a minimum this will include licence checks and employment to someone who will drive for them re checks, vehicle maintenance and safety checks - and then at regular intervals - key information and measures to confirm the continued capability such as: of the driver. • The driver holds a full and valid driving licence What is the easiest way to carry out the new for the type of vehicle they are to drive driving licence checks? • That the licence is accurate and up to date. This information is now held on DVLA’s driver • Whether a driver is still within their two year record, and can be viewed on line, or gained by probationary period phone or by post. • And, of course, if they have any endorsements or Online is the easiest option for the employer and disqualifications. they need the employee’s permission to enable legal access the information. The employee/worker will need to create a licence ‘check code’ - valid for 21 days - to enable them to view their licence detail and gets this by going on line at https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence They will need: their driving licence number, their National Insurance number and the postcode on their driving licence. Once they have the check code the details can be accessed and the employer can save the details electronically or print a hard copy for insurance purposes and personnel records. Will anyone else need these details? Car rental companies and other vehicle hire organisations use this system so it will pay to be prepared! 38 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 39 Jeffrey Mills Cheap Hannah Byatt (BA Hons) Solicitor Divorce? Head of Family Department Cost can be a huge concern when considering With something as important as a divorce and potential divorce proceedings. There are more and matrimonial finances, you cannot afford to not get more online options available to people who want proper advice. to keep costs down. A quick search shows that you Cheap does not always mean good value. can use an online service to do your divorce for as We offer a fixed fee service for all straightforward little as £37! divorces, so clients are aware of the total costs from On first consideration, that may seem like a bargain. the outset. In some cases it may be possible to apply But, having looked into it a little further, it would for an exemption from the Court fee. In other cases seem that for that price you are simply sent the you can ask for the other party to pay some, if not all forms to complete yourself. of the costs. These options would be discussed with You are offered telephone and email support from you at the initial consultation. a ‘case manager’, but you have no way of knowing We offer a fixed fee service in relation to matrimonial whether that person is actually qualified to give you finances, where an agreement has already been advice. reached between the parties. What is slightly more concerning is that the website We send regular invoices to keep you up to date with lists all the forms you will be sent, and included in costs. We will not send you one big bill at the end of that list is a document that has not been used in the case. We can also offer the option of paying by Divorce Proceedings since April 2014. regular monthly instalments. What the websites do not tell you is that the Court I understand that legal costs can be daunting, but it fee is payable on top of their fees. The current Court is surely worth paying a little more for a professional fee for issuing a Divorce Petition is £410. service with proper advice. The same service also offers to deal with financial matters for a mere £67, providing you with a legally Should you require legal assistance from a firm binding clean break order. But, how will you know with family values and a fresh approach, contact whether a clean break order is right for you? Could Jeffrey Mills Solicitors. If you have a question, e-mail: you be entitled to anything other than a clean [email protected] break?

40 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Beacon Wealth

Tony Larkins You choose APFS CFP CMgr FCMI MCSI Managing Director Chartered and Certified your future Financial Planner How often have we heard friends or colleagues Questions have to be asked of a Government say “it is not fair” or “it is alright for them, they that taxes the successful more in employment do not have to do X and Y”. “It is not fair” is also and penalises others with the foresight to buy a favourite saying of youngsters as they stamp additional properties or accumulate wealth in their feet. pensions. I am not a politician and have very little influence Given the changing philosophy that used to on the world, which means that whilst I can do my encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, the assistance bit for various charities, my role is really to try and of a good financial adviser has become more make the life of myself and those around me as important. The required knowledge of advisers pleasant and rewarding as possible. is becoming more varied and in-depth and more I worked out that I have passed something in the advisers are achieving Chartered status - which is order of 50 exams since leaving school and am still to be encouraged. I currently hold three Chartered, taking them. Given I stress at each one and struggle one Certified and fellowship titles. This does not to find the time to study; the obvious question is mean I know all the answers, but it does allow me why bother? The reason is simple; I want to be the to remember that X and Y solutions exists, so I can best I can be, at whatever I do. go away and research recommendations. This theory follows through into my work A good financial adviser can help you with your philosophy, where I help clients make the most plan to achieve the best outcome. But how you of what they have in line with what they want. plan, save and spend is up to you, after all you Regardless of your own financial wealth, you choose your future. probably want to make the most of obtaining good investment returns and reducing tax liabilities. The You should always seek qualified advice from recent changes to tax on Savings and Dividends an IFA, preferably a Certified (CFP) Or Chartered has created a few extra opportunities for some Financial PlannerCM (APFS). If you have a financial who can tweak their holding, just as for others the question, e-mail: [email protected] recent stock market volatility has offered options for those able to invest.

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 41 Garden

By Pippa Greenwood www.pippagreenwood.com Go On, Grow Your Own! Enjoying a delicious meal which includes some will get a good range from seed merchants or home grown ingredients is a wonderful feeling garden centres, but if you would like advice from – it fills you full of just the right sort of pride (and me to ensure great results, don’t forget that you maybe even a little bit of smugness!). It simply feels can still order garden-ready plants, accompanied good to indulge in a bit of Grow Your Own and then by weekly advice and tips emails specific to the reap the rewards. vegetables you’ve chosen to grow. There are more You may well have been sowing and potting on details at www.pippagreenwood.com/grow-your- vegetables for a while now, but if you’re behind own and you can use the code 12419-E7SPS at the schedule or haven’t produced vegetables before, checkout to get £4.00 discount, whichever pack size don’t panic – there’s still time to grow just about any you choose. Garden-ready plants can be planted crop in your plot this year. out immediately and, provided you follow the Most plants can be raised from seed now, but there instructions, keep them well-watered during drier are a few that are likely to give a much better yield weather and apply feed at regular intervals, you will with an earlier start. Instead, buy in plants of crops soon be harvesting crops such as climbing French such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, and runner beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, sugar-snap melons and aubergines over the next month or so. peas, peppers, chillies, onions, melons, butternut Some vegetables can be directly sown now into squash, beetroot and courgettes. well-prepared garden soil in a suitable spot in all Most vegetables need a good fertile soil and but the coolest gardens – beetroot, lettuce, beans, a sunny or partly shaded spot, so choose your peas, carrots, rocket, spinach to name but a few. growing area with care. If space is limited, don’t Slightly more tender crops such as sweetcorn, worry – most vegetables will do well in good sized squash and courgettes fare better if given a bit of containers (minimum 30cm x 30cm x 30cm) with extra heat when you are germinating the seeds, good-quality compost, though bigger pots will which is where an electrically heated propagator need less frequent watering. But, whether you plant really comes into its own. The seedlings may then and sow vegetables in pots, tubs, greenhouses need pricking out and potting on until they are or open ground, the end result will be gorgeous sturdy enough to live in the great outdoors, but tasting, super-fresh vegetables. So go on, get try to ‘harden off’ the young plants before placing growing! them into their final positions as they may be damaged by cold, wind or rain. Put the young Visit Pippa’s website www.pippagreenwood. plants outside on warm days once the weather com for ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’ - has stabilised, and bring them back under cover fantastic UK grown vegetable plants of your choice at night. Leave them outside after a week or so, plus weekly advice and tips emails from Pippa covering them with fleece at night to let them (don’t forget your offer code 12419-E7SPS for a £4 acclimatise. discount), Nemaslug, biological controls, pop-up To save time, you can buy in small plants and you crop covers, signed books and lots more besides. 42 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Let us transform the appearance and quality of your lawn RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR FIRST TREATMENT

Our specially tailored treatment programme will ensure your lawn is in excellent condition all year round. A professional, friendly gardening service for both domestic and commercial clients. Weed Free n Deep Green n Moss Controlled Our services include: •Garden Design •Regular garden maintenance •Grass & hedge cutting Endorsed by: For a FREE No Obligation Quote •Soft landscaping Call: 01767 651 639 •Shed & Fence repairs and maintenance. E-mail: [email protected] Call Clive: 01767 651322 / 0788 988 0138 www.greensleeves-uk.com www.clives-garden-care.co.uk

Hunts_Kettering_67.5x93.indd 1 08/03/2016 13:38

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 43 Local News Places to visit this summer

Bees in the Park Looking for an idea for an afternoon out this summer? Why not go and see inside a hive of 40,000 honey bees from the safety of a glass fronted viewing gallery? Every Sunday from April to September in Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Huntingdon, local beekeepers open the hives to show what is going on inside. So long as it is not raining, the beekeepers start opening at 2pm and finish about 3pm. There is plenty of room for children, adults, dogs and buggies and there is a beekeeper in the viewing gallery to answer your questions. Maybe they will find the queen bee to show you – don’t be disappointed if she is hiding, she is very shy! in the Park there are nets to pond dip available The apiary is not far from the café just in the trees in the café, bird hides and butterfly meadows to where a flag flies to show you the entrance. There enjoy. is no charge for you to enjoy this event. To make it a complete afternoon there is loads of On other days of the week the viewing gallery is space to picnic and even barbeque stands (take open for you to visit and see the activity of the your own charcoal) free for use. If you don’t want bees as they go in and out of the hives. to take your own food and drinks there is a really Why not make a day of it? The Country Park has good café selling snacks, ice cream and drinks. The over 170 acres of mixed woodland, meadows, café also sells honey from the bees in the apiary! ponds and lakes with miles of both solid and www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/ muddy paths ideal for walkers, cycles, buggies and hinchingbrookecountrypark wheelchairs. There is a dog free children’s play area Facebook www.facebook.com/ complete with seating for tired adults! hinchingbrookecountrypark If you want to investigate the animal and bird life www.huntsbka.org.uk 44 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Seddington Nursery

FREE COMPOST Spend just £15 on annuals and perennials and receive FREE compost worth £2.99 Spend £30 on annuals and perennials and receive a 5% discount plus FREE compost New Lower Prices on Decorati ve stones eg. Slate – 5 colours from £3.60 a bag New Compost Market – over 20 varieti es giving choice and value 10 varieti es of Clemati s only £6.95 or 3 for £20 35cm Decorati ve metal baskets rrp: £14.99 NOW 2 for £20 All this and more follow our off ers at www.seddingtonnursery.com ______On Site Bedfordshire’s largest Sugar Craft Shop For all your cake decorati ng supplies. Now stocking the leading fl awless sugar paste Massa Ticino Sugar craft fi gures made to order. Sugar craft courses also available Great North Road Seddington Sandy Beds SG19 1NZ 01767 680983 CLOSED MONDAYS

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 45 GARDEN MACHINERY AND TRAILER CENTRE SB TURF

Personal customer service, collection • Turf supplied and laid and delivery available. Assessment of individual requirements. • All overgrown gardens rotivated  Full after sales backup and parts service. • NEW Oregon, the world's only unique Cleared, levelled and laid battery operated, self-sharpening with cultivated lawn turf chain saw.s In stock. Ride-on and pedestrian mowers, • Grass seeding chainsaws, strimmers, hedge trimmers, cultivators, estate and equestrian • Block paving and patio service equipment. Trailers - sales, hire, service. Accessories, oils, Aspen fuel, batteries, All work carried out by experienced staff spares, security locks for garden/ horticulturalhorticultu machinery and trailers. Recommendations and portfolios available Main dealer for Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Kohler, Kawasaki & Mountfield Free Estimates Appointed dealers for: engines. Tel: 01487 822993 Honeydon Road, Colmworth, Bedfordshire MK44 2LY 01234 376513 www.bri-ag.co.uk Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm Mob: 07966 523239

We’re Bartlett Tree Experts, a 100+ year old tree and shrub care company with global reach and local roots. We provide expert, attentive service, a safety-ﬁ rst record and a range of services that includes: FOR THE LIFE OF YOUR TREES. • Tree & Shrub Pruning • Fertilisation & Soil Care • Cabling & Bracing • Insect & Disease Management

Please Call 01234 354673 or visit BARTLETT.COM

46 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Fun Quiz - Signs and Symbols 1. What is the only sign of the zodiac that has a symbol that isn’t a living thing or things? 2. In which Irish town might you see welcome signs saying “you’ve come a long way” in reference to a song written in 1912? 3. Released in 2011, Ed Sheeran’s debut album had a title that consisted solely of which mathematical symbol? 4. What symbol appears on the triangular road sign that warns of a hidden dip? 5. Derived from the fact that it looks like four Greek gamma letters fixed to each other, the gammadion cross is an alternative name for what symbol? 6. On a standard UK keyboard, the pound sign appears on the same key as which number? 7. What five letter word do you get if you put together the chemical symbols for the elements Tungsten, Silver and Einsteinium? 8. The ampersand symbol evolved from combining the two letters of which Latin word? 9. On British roads, what animal features on a road sign warning of wild animals? 10. Which famous sign had a letter “L” covered up briefly in 1987 due to

a visit by Pope John Paul II?

9. A deer 10. The Hollywood sign (becoming “Holywood”) (becoming sign Hollywood The 10. deer A 9. 4. An exclamation mark 5. The swastika 6. Three 7. Wages (W, Ag, Es) 8. Et (which means “and” in Latin) Latin) in “and” means (which Et 8. Es) Ag, (W, Wages 7. Three 6. swastika The 5. mark exclamation An 4.

1. Libra (the symbol is “scales”) 2: Judgment Day) 2. Tipperary (after the song “It’s A Long Way To Tipperary”) 3. A plus sign sign plus A 3. Tipperary”) To Way BeforeLong A “It’s song the (after Tipperary 2. Day) Judgment 2: “scales”) After is symbol (the Libra 1. GILKS FENCING LTD All Types of Fencing, Gates & Railings, SUPPLIED & INSTALLED

Call for a FREE Survey & Quotation Visit our Display Area at: Gilks Fencing Drove Road, Gamlingay, Sandy, Beds SG19 2HX Tel: 01767 650 615 Email: [email protected] www.gilksfencing.co.ukAfter To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 47 Local News Migration Day

From Sahara Sunsets in Africa to Paxton Pits: What a Journey!

We live in an uber modern world full of amazing technology and incredibly intelligent people, inventing new products all of the time to continually make our lives easier. Take for example, the modern day Sat Nav with its super sexy voice seeming to constantly tell us to ‘turn around when possible’. We Homo-sapiens like to think of ourselves as the most intelligent species, but I ask you for a moment to consider another contender for the title - the humble bird. Birds can navigate their way across whole continents along migratory flyways without even so much as a map, relying purely on their memory, mind mapping and cues from the twinkling stars in the sky. Now, to me, that’s intelligence. Some birds travel staggering distances, with the arctic tern as the current record holder for South Africa; that’s over 7000 miles away! You can long distance migration, travelling between their expect to encounter such long distance migrants breeding grounds in the Arctic all the way to the as House Martins, Sand Martins and of course such Antarctic; a staggering average round trip of over well known and loved species as Swallows and 40,000 miles! When you actually stop to think about Nightingales. Are these birds’ African or English it- the migration of birds is an absolutely amazing species- you decide...... ? spectacle. If you had been on a journey like that you Come along to our migration day on Sunday 24th would expect at least a Guinness World Record and April between 10.00 and 16.30 and help the reserve a slot on the 10 O’clock news. The wonderful thing count how many birds are arriving this year by in all this, of course, is that many birds choose to phoning in on our dedicated hotline throughout the migrate to good Ol’ Blighty- with a large number day on 01480 406795. choosing Little Paxton Pits as their home ( just off Not a seasoned twitcher? No worries- our ranger, the A1 at Little Paxton- follow the brown signs). Jim Stevenson is on hand to help and will be So why not come and give the birds a fanfare to giving a guided walk at 10am to introduce you to welcome them after their epic journeys!? And it is the spellbinding wildlife. (We will ask for a small a good time to witness these arrivals right now - so donation to the Friends of Paxton Pits of 10p for pop down to Paxton Pits and see how many you can every different species we see). Why not pop in to spot? Bring the children and make it in to a game. visitor centre afterward for a cup of tea and a chat At Paxton you can spot some awesome species - about what you have seen- our friendly volunteers with birds coming to the Ouse Valley from as far as always love to hear your stories. 48 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts All Seasons Garden & Property Maintenance

Some Services We Provide Grass/Hedge-cutting, Turfing, Patios, Fencing Ground Preparation, Sheds/Conservatory Bases Repair Work - Internal/External Painting - Internal/External Clearances, Cleaning/pressure cleaning No job too small Certified Waste Carriers Fully Insured. Free estimates

Please call Nick Mob: 07896668976 / Home: 01480 383605 Email: [email protected] Find us on Facebook Located:St Neots

Plant Hire 3 ton and 13 ton operated excavator hire Can be fitted with hydraulic grab Low loader hire available for transport of excavators increasing accessibility and reducing costs Groundworks, Landscaping, Demolition Waterscapes, Ditching, Drainage

Sand Blasting Fencing, Timber Decking, Tree Surgery

Fully insured and qualified. Friendly - Reliable - Professional Contact David on 01487 493012 for a free no obligation quote Email: [email protected] Web: www.sparkcontracting.co.uk

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 49 SURECLEAN DRIVEWAY AND PATIO CLEANING SPECIALISTS ROOF MOSS REMOVAL AND GUTTER CLEANING We use a revolutionary industrial pressure rotary cleaning system to restore exterior hard surfaces to as new condition. Block Paving, Pathways, Patios Garden Wall and Stone Ornaments Ponds and Pools Also Re-sanding and Sealing Local Company 01480 468965/07870 338074 www.surecleancarpetcleaning.co.uk

Pet-PositiveSue Tasker DipCABT • One-to-one pet training/advice and behaviour consultations in the comfort of your own home. Dogs; cats; puppies; kittens; small furries.

• Puppy classes – small groups “Life Skills for Puppies” – the right start for the new member of your family.

• Advice clinic – contact Sue for more details • Dog life skills classes – aimed at young dogs and/or recently adopted dogs.

Contact Sue on 01954 212787 [email protected] www.pet-positive.co.uk

Happy pets – Happy people

50 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

Pet positive.indd 1 31/05/2015 21:20 Pets

Animal

Dear RSPCA vet, Queries I’m lucky to own two boisterous 8 month-old kittens – Roger and Nelson. I’ve heard about microchipping, but I don’t want to do anything to hurt them. Is microchipping a young cat really necessary? Joe, Bedford

Dear Joe, Yes, I think microchipping is vital to keep your beloved pets as safe as possible. You’ll have discovered by now how adventurous cats can be! Microchipping your kittens will give them the best chance of being identified animals don’t even notice – it’s certainly no worse and returned to you if they become lost or stolen. than an injection that we all expect human babies Heartbreakingly, thousands of pets are lost every to have! year, and many are never reunited with their You obviously love your kittens. For the cost of a owners – microchipping can change that. few take-away coffees, microchipping is a great This microchip gives each of your kittens their investment and the best way of protecting them. own unique code. He can then be scanned and It’s also recommended for all other animals and matched to your contact details, which are kept birds. on a database. Make sure you update these details The RSPCA run regular microchipping events – so every time you move. keep an eye out for one in your area. Please don’t worry that this will hurt Roger and Nelson. If you saw them being carried around by ANIMAL QUERIES is one of a series of articles brought their mother, you’d have noticed kittens have a to you by the RSPCA North Bedfordshire branch loose fold of skin on the back of their neck. This is where your vet will inject a tiny microchip. Most www.rspca-bedfordshirenorth.org.uk To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 51 Local News within the first critical 8 minutes following the emergency call. The delay can arise from a number of operational difficulties, not the least of which Could you be a can be traffic congestion. The team are all volunteers living in the local community and trained by the Ambulance Service – previous first aid knowledge is not required. Life Saver They are equipped with an oxygen supply and defibrillator, enabling them to help the patient As it reaches the end of with the minimum of delay and to remain with its third year in action, them until the paramedics arrive on the scene. the local Community Speed of response is vital but on occasions First Responder time is lost looking for the house number of the Group in Huntingdon destination address – especially in the dark. As has provided over none of us knows when we may require the 999 5000 volunteered Emergency Service, now may be a good time to hours in support of check that your own house number is easily seen – the Emergency 999 and if not to do something about it. Ambulance Service. The CFR team urgently needs more volunteers The group covers Huntingdon, Godmanchester to give better cover, so if you would like to and Brampton and currently has a team of 3 with learn more, then please contact the local co- an additional member in training. ordinator Neil Mackie on 07990 541441 in the First Responders deal with life threatening first instance or visit the website situations arising from cardiac arrest, chest pains, www.respondersuk.org/huntingdon severe diabetic attack, fitting, stroke and breathing difficulties. They are called out when Ambulance teams are not expected to arrive with the patient

Can I go to the Paddocks for my Holiday please?

Paddocks Boarding Cattery Peaceful location. No dogs boarded. Spacious, individual, heated chalets with large covered runs. Inspection welcome. Boarding from £6.95/day.

Rabbits/guinea pigs also boarded. 64 Meadow Road, Great Gransden Telephone 01767 677 759 www.catterybedfordshire.co.uk Open all year. The cattery for caring owners. Comfort and security for your pet.

52 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 53 Manor Farm Villager Advert A7 :Layout 1 03/07/2013 12:20 Pag

A flexible day nursery for children from 6 weeks to 5 years with extensive and well 30% resourced grounds. off your s Excellent links to 1st month’ fees the A1, St Neots and Sandy railway station. To find out more call us today 01767 681805 76 London Road, Sandy Beds. SG19 1DZ e: [email protected] w: www.manorfarm-day-nursery.co.uk

We are an established pre-school with caring and qualified staff We offer up to 15 hours free childcare and early learning per week We accept children from 2-5 years old Flexible days and sessions from Monday – Friday Purpose built facilities including a covered outdoor play area Extra activities such as cooking, circuits and literacy sessions We accept children from Buckden, St. Neots, Huntingdon and the surrounding areas Plenty of car parking available Strong links with Buckden C.E. Primary

To arrange an visit or for more information: Contact our manager, Michelle Nelson on 07941 671999 [email protected] www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk

54Buckden preschool v2.indd 1 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding14/03/2016 to adverts 16:30 To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 55 Garage Door Problems? D CGarage Doors

All leading Makes of Doors Supplied, Fitted & Repaired Manual & Automatic Over 20 Years Experience

Phone Chris Day On: 01480 459 721 07899 903973 High Street, Brampton 56 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Motoring Range Rover On Test It’s the dreaded question that The multimedia system might be However, what really sets the anyone even remotely connected showing its age a little but it works Range Rover apart are the little to cars fears more than any other: well. It takes seconds to hook your touches. Things like the soft-close what’s your favourite car? phone up for music streaming, the doors, the illuminated logos But finally I might have the satnav might look a little dated but projected onto the floor by the answer: the Range Rover. Not the it got us to France, Switzerland and wing mirrors at night, and the Sport or Evoque but the good old home without fail and it’s simple front seat armrests that adjust fashioned, full fat Rangie. to set a DVD running for the rear to the perfect height. I love the A looming family holiday looming occupants while listening to Dad fridge in the centre console, the involving a 1,500-mile trip gave FM in the front. cameras all around the car that the perfect excuse to borrow the Then there’s the size – I know make it a doddle to park, and the car, and after two 13-hour shifts Range Rovers are massive, but split tailgate that automatically behind the wheel I can honestly when it comes to getting a ski opens and closes at the touch of say there’s nothing else I’d rather trip’s worth of luggage inside, it a button. have been in. coped admirably. Despite using But above all it’s the fact that Here’s why. First, it’s super up the entire boot space there despite all this luxury and Rolls comfortable. The front seats in was ample room inside – enough Royce-rivaling opulence, it’s still our Range Rover were heated and to curl up for a snooze in the back so utterly capable off road. As we cooled and had more adjustments and enjoy the equally cosseting arrived in Villars, Switzerland, the than a home hi-fi amplifier from rear seats when my wife drove. snow was falling heavily and cars the 1980s. The huge armchair like For its size it’s no slouch. Our test were being abandoned up the seats with cushioned headrests car had the delightful 4.4-litre mountain as snow chains failed to never dulled a muscle and left us SDV8. Despite only returning do their jobs. But not the Range with no aches and pains. 26mpg, with a top speed of Rover. A flick of the all terrain With a five-year-old on board, the 135mph and a 0-60mph time response button to its Snow & Ice £7,300 entertainment pack (yes, of 6.8 seconds, it’s brisk enough setting and away we went. you read that right) was a blessing. for French Autoroutes. It piles So there you have it. The one car I Two 10.2-inch rear screens and on speed in a smooth and linear would buy if I had to live it with it wireless headphones meant fashion, quietly and without fuss, for the rest of my life. Just as long Finding Nemo could work his whilst adding to the feeling of as I could afford the £109,710 for fishy magic at keeping the Are We luxury travel. the pleasure… Nearly There Yets at bay until at least Dover. By Iain Betson

The Knowledge

Model: Range Rover Autobiography Price: £109,710 (with options) Engine: 4.4-litre SDV8 Power: 339bhp / 740Nm 0-60mph: 6.8seconds Top Speed: 135mph CO2: 219g/km Economy: 33.6mpg To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 57 Three Counties Radio Photo credit: Ren Behan Makes 4-6 tumblers (dependent on size) or one medium-sized trifle bowl

Pear and Ginger Tiramisu Trifle

I’ve long said that the best home cooking needn’t The ingredients will combine better at room be in any way complicated. In fact, the simpler the temperature. better as far as I am concerned. Also, there is no need Whisk the eggs yolks, caster sugar and vanilla to come up with revolutionary creations. Often the together with an electric whisk for around 5 minutes tastiest recipes are just simple twists on much-loved until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add in the tub of classics. This pear and ginger tiramisu recipe, created Mascarpone and mix until smooth. by food writer and blogger Ren Behan, meets all of In a second, clean bowl, beat your egg whites until these criteria. Easy to prepare, it looks great and soft peaks form. With a metal spoon, fold the egg tastes wonderful. It also misses out the coffee which whites into your egg and Mascarpone mixture. is a bonus for anyone who has to avoid caffeine. A lovely treat to serve at a relaxed family meal, a posh Have a large trifle bowl or six small glasses/tumblers dinner party or after a barbecue. ready. Peel, core and finely slice the pears. INGREDIENTS Pour the sherry into a small bowl, dip six ginger 3 large free-range eggs – yolks and whites biscuits into the sherry and then place one in each separated glass, or lay them all flat across one bowl, working 100g caster sugar quickly so that the biscuits don’t get too soggy. 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract 250g tub Mascarpone Add a few slices of pear on top of the ginger biscuits. 2 very ripe pears Next, spoon some of your creamy mixture into the 250ml sherry bottom of your tumblers/bowl. ½ packet Ginger Snap Biscuits or Ginger Cake Repeat until all the mixture is used up. 100g grated dark or white chocolate Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate, preferably for sprinkling on top overnight. Just before eating, sprinkle with grated A dusting of cocoa powder (optional) dark or white chocolate, dust with a little cocoa powder if you wish and then serve.

Hear wonderful recipes on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen every Sunday morning on BBC Three Counties radio at 11am. You can also join Nick every weekday afternoon at midday for brilliant local guests with great stories to tell and all the music you want for your early afternoon.

58 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 59 Codeword 1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12

13 14

15 16

17 18

19 20

21 22

23 24

25 26

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Easy Suduko Hard Suduko

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles.

60 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts New Decorations

Interior and Exterior Painting Wallpapering

Mark Newman Painting & Decorating [email protected]

01954212342 07969650344

164 Limes Road, Hardwick Cambridge CB23 7XX

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 61 Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month. What’s OnIn April 25 March to 8 April 4, 11, 18 & 25 April 6 April Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt in the gardens Comrades Chess Club 7.30pm Gamlingay & District Gardening Club 10.30am-4.15pm Comrades Club, Godmanchester 7.30pm Kier Suite, The Eco Hub, Stocks Lane, Normal admission applies plus £2 for trail booklet Keep your mind active and play chess. Over 18s only Gamlingay Visitors £2.50 Wimpole Estate as it’s a licensed premises. Speaker will be Geoff Hodge on ‘Gardening with Wimpolena the Wimpole goose laid some eggs Every Monday except Bank Holidays. Changing Climate – Gardening in the Global and they have hatched, but the naughty goslings Greenhouse’. Visitors welcome. have run off into the pleasure grounds looking 4, 11, 18 & 25 April for chocolate eggs. Find the goslings, spell our Scottish Country Dancing 6 April magic word, and claim your own Cadbury’s Easter 8-10pm Little Paxton Gardening Club chocolaty prize! Tel: 01223 206000 Queen Elizabeth School, Godmanchester 8pm Little Paxton Village Hall Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole Mondays from September to May. Members £1, Guests £2 Tel: Mrs Pat Crowe 01480 453774 Bev Bond will be returning to speak to us on The 30 March, 5 & 7 April Email: [email protected] History of Roses. Bev is a committee member of the Fun Games & Activity Sessions Historic Rose Group, The Royal National Rose Society 10-11am Free event 5 April and will be offering advice and answering your Rose ‘The Green’ area, Samuel Jones Crescent, Library Buzz: Lion Learners questions. There will be the Springtime Container Little Paxton 10am Huntingdon Library Competition - bring yours along and join in the fun. HDC’s Sport & Active Lifestyles Team are running fun £2 per child games and activity sessions for children aged 7-11 A fun afternoon with the Lion Learners observing 6 April years. Please note: there is no toilet provision. and handling a variety of creatures. Suitable for Huntingdon Royal Naval Association No need to book. ages 5 to 9. Parents/carers must remain with their 8pm Falcon Tavern, Market Hill, Huntingdon children during this event. Booking advised. The Huntingdon & District branch of the Royal Naval 1 April Tel: 0345 045 5225 Association meets on the first Wednesday of the Library Buzz: Crafts with author Marion Lindsay month. Email: Karl Webb (Secretary) 10.30am-12pm Huntingdon Library 5 April [email protected] for details 50p per child HDC Children’s Easter Activity Road Show Meet illustrator and designer Marion Lindsay, for 2-4pm QEII Playing Field, Little Paxton 7 April an exciting craft event based on the popular Bella £2 per child Voices and Pictures from the Past: Donna series. Suitable for ages 4 to 8, children must New for 2016. Lots of fun and games - come along EngAGE in the Afternoon be accompanied by an adult. Booking advised. for a fun filled afternoon. The event is managed 1.30-3pm Huntingdon Library Free event Tel: 0345 045 5225 by qualified staff. Bring a water bottle. Booking is Alan White shares his very special family archive, required via One Leisure. Tel: 01480 388700 with pictures and film footage dating back to 2 April 1902. Now held by the Museum of London these Art & Craft Fair 9.30am-4pm 5, 12, 19 & 26 April are thought to be the oldest example of family Free Church, St Ives Free admission Roxton Bridge Circle recording ever found. Booking required. Quality handmade art and craft stalls and tombola. 7.15-10pm Roxton Parish Hall Tel: 0345 045 5225 Small friendly group playing Bridge every Tuesday 2 April evening. Just come along or call/email for more 9 April The Signals Museum 10am-4pm information. Tel: Phyllis 01480 374327 Huntingdonshire Music School Music Fun Day The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is open to the Email: [email protected] 11am-2pm Huntingdon Library Free event public. Entry is free but official photo ID such as Drop-in event. Family friendly musical activities to a driving licence, passport or over 60s Bus Pass is 6 April join in with. Tel: 0345 045 5225 for information required to get an entry ticket from the Guardroom. Library Buzz: Family Fun Afternoon Web: www.rafsignalsmuseum.org.uk 2.30-4.30pm Huntingdon Library 9 April 50p for craft activities Miss Frank’s “Famous” Spring Jumble/White 2 April Come along and join in with an afternoon of crafts Elephant 2-4.40pm Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire and games. Drop-in event. No need to book. Admission 50p Hardy Plant Society 2pm Weatherley Centre, Children must be accompanied by an adult at all Come and grab a bargain! Refreshments will be Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade times. served during the sale. We are looking for donations Speaker will be Des Martin on ‘Plants for of clean clothes, shoes, bags, linen, books, CD’s, Damp Places’. Des is the owner of a Nursery in 6 April toys, bric-a-brac, small electric items, garden stuff Leicestershire and well known lecturer. This is a “Hopeless inefficiency: Brigade staff 1916-1918” plants, etc. and small pieces of furniture. Donations ‘hands on’ talk. Plants for sale. 7pm for 7.30pm can be delivered on 8 April between 2-5pm to the The Comrades Club, Godmanchester Community Room at the side of the Mandeville Hall. 4 April The Cambridgeshire branch of the Western Front Please contact us if you would like items collecting. Library Buzz: Meet Kes Gray Tickets £2.50 Association is pleased to present a talk Dr Amiee If you are available to help on the day or before you 11.30am-12.30pm Huntingdon Library Fox-Godden on the activities of Brigade staff are most welcome to join us. All proceeds from to St We are delighted to welcome award winning between 1916-18. Non WFA members most Andrews Church Kimbolton. children’s author Kes Gray. Children must be welcome. A small donation is encouraged at the Tel: Moira Bailey 01480 860422 or Peter and Pam accompanied by an adult. Booking advised. door to pay for the running of the branch. Spooner 01480 860689. Tel: 0345 045 5225 Web: www.westernfrontassociation.com Email: [email protected] 62 Please mentionPlease The mentionVillager The and Villager Town and Life Town when Life when responding responding to to adverts adverts This is a small selection of the What’s On for the full listing please go to our website www.villagermag.com What’s On In April 9-24 April 15 April of the month. No need to book, just turn up. Lambing Time 10.30am-5pm Wimpole Spring Concert Season: Galliard Trio Tel: Neil Silby 07889 319888 Wimpole Estate Normal admission applies 7.30 for 8pm Wimpole Estate Email: [email protected] Celebrate the arrival of spring as newborn lambs Tickets £20 including glass of wine in the interval frolic in the fields. Head to Home Farm to meet our The Galliard Trio return with their characteristic 21 April rare breed ewes and lambs and if you’re lucky you blend of approachable music and informative Sleep Well Workshops may see a live birth. Learn more about lambing spoken introductions. Featuring harpsichord and 1.30-4pm Tesco Community Space, St Neots from our farm staff. Tel: 01223 206000 wind instruments, the programme of music from Struggling with your sleep? Two workshops with Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole the 18th, 19th and 20th Century includes pieces the second part on 5 May. by Mozart, Bach and Britten. In celebration of the Tel: Lyn Whittington 01480 731009 10 April tercentenary of Lancelot Capability Brown this Cambridge Gliding Centre Open Day chamber concert will have a theme of music inspired 21 April 10am-4pm Gransden Lodge Airfield by landscape and nature. Booking essential. Little Paxton Parish Council Annual Meeting Free admission Tel: NT Box office 0844 249 1895 7pm Back Room, Little Paxton Village Hall Come and visit Gransden Lodge Airfield to find out Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole The Parish Councillors would like to welcome you about the sport of gliding. Trial flights with our to the Annual meeting to hear the Parish Council qualified instructors available on a first-come, first- 16 & 23 April activities last year and the plans for the future. fly basis. Refreshments. Free lessons in a realistic Beekeeping for Beginners gliding simulator. Free talks about gliding and 9.30am-12.30pm Hinchingbrooke Country Park 23 April the airfield’s wartime history. Airfield entrance on £55 per person Annual Plant Sale 10am-noon the B1046 between Little Gransden & Longstowe, Huntingdonshire Beekeepers Association (HBKA) is Keysoe Village Hall Free admission opposite Gransden Lodge Farm (enter SG19 3EB into running a beginners course to introduce beekeeping The Village Show at Keysoe Annual Plant Sale. In your satnav). Web: www.camgliding.uk as a hobby. After the course HBKA will help find addition to plants there will be bric-a-brac, books, bees, obtain hives and offer the help of a mentor for cakes, a raffle and free tea/coffee. Ample parking. 13 April the first year of beekeeping. Places are limited. Cambridgeshire Rural M.E. Tea & Chat Web: www.huntsbka.org.uk for further information 23 April Second Wednesday of every month. Monthly St Neots Arts Group Spring Exhibition meet-up for adults with M.E. and partners/friends. 17 April 10am-4pm United Reformed Church, St Neots All details and latest meet-up information available Biggleswade Antiques Fair Paintings for sale to suit all pockets. on website. Web: www.crmetea.org 9.30am-4pm The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade Entrance £1.50 23 April 13 April This antiques fair offers a diverse range of antiques Basic Blacksmith Course Library Buzz: Beatrix Potter and collectables. Café serving breakfast, lunch and 10am-4pm Wimpole Estate 4.30-6pm Huntingdon Library Tickets £1 afternoon tea. Tel: 01480 382432 or 07906 647346 £120 per person including tea, coffee and light lunch An evening of craft activities inspired by the works Web: www.madisonevents.co.uk The course content includes how to manage the of Beatrix Potter. Children must be accompanied by charcoal fire; the correct use of Blacksmith tools an adult at all times. Booking essential. 19 April especially the hammer and anvil; make a ram’s head Tel: 0345 045 5225 Kimbolton Flower Club AGM hanging hook; make a traditional rose head nail for 7.30pm Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton fixing the hook. Tel: NT Box office 0844 249 1895 13, 20 & 27 April Visitors £6 including light refreshments Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole Little Fishes 10-11.20am Grafham Village Hall Short AGM followed by garden talk ‘Death in the Stay and Play Tots Session (babies welcome too) Garden’ by Michael Brown. All welcome. 23 April - just turn up. Sessions include free play and craft Concert with The Heritage Ensemble activities, bible story and sing along. Tel: Jean Clark 20 April 7.30pm St Neots Parish Church 01480 890033. Email: [email protected] Huntingdonshire Family History Society Tickets £12.50, Concessions £10 7.30pm Women’s Institute Centre, Waldon Road, The Heritage Ensemble of St Petersburg, Russia in 15 April Huntingdon an acapella in the Russian tradition. Celebrating the The Lady in the Van Huntingdonshire Family History Society talk by 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Including 7.30pm Offord Village Hall Tickets £4 Dorothy Halfhide’ on Strangers in Thorney’. Bookstall St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V declaimed by Film night. Refreshments available. or helpdesk. Non-members most welcome. David Gower. Fundraising concert supported by St £1 donation at the door is appreciated. Neots Parish Council. 15 April Tel: Caroline Kesseler 01480 390476 Tickets: [email protected] 01480 Lady in the Van (12A) Email: [email protected] 473820, [email protected] 01480 213884 or 7 for 7.30pm The Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton Website: www.huntsfhs.org.uk [email protected] 01480 476314 A 2015 British comedy-drama film written by Alan Bennett, and starring Maggie Smith. It tells the 20 April 28 April true story of Mary Shepherd, an elderly woman who Carers Coffee Club 2.30-4pm St Neots & District Gardening Club 8pm lived in a dilapidated van on Bennett’s driveway in The White Horse, High Street, Tilbrook St. Mary’s Church Hall, Brook Street, St. Neots London for 15 years. Tickets from Watson’s, Yellow Are you caring for a loved one with a memory loss? Members £2, Non-Members £2.50 including Bird, Bytes Café or on the door if available. Then come along and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee refreshments and a raffle ticket Tel: 01480 860297 Web: http://e-voice.org.uk/ whilst chatting with others in a similar situation. ‘Pests and Diseases’ by Peter Jackson. Competition is themandevillehallkimbolton/community-cinema/ Our informal group meets on every third Wednesday ‘A Decorated Egg’. To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 63 LESTER O’DRISCOLL CARPENTRY

Door Hanging, Skirting, Flooring, Fitted Kitchens, Fencing, Decking, General Carpentry, Extensions

07842 195152 01480 811629

64 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Local News Cambridgeshire Advanced Drivers and Riders Changing attitudes by education Are you a good driver or motorcycle rider? 2. OTHER ROAD USERS such as vehicle drivers, Advanced driver/rider training is for all, young or motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders, old, inexperienced or been driving/riding for years. animals, etc.; What is advanced driving and riding? 3. WEATHER CONDITIONS such as rain, sun, ice, fog, Advanced driving and riding is all about HAZARD snow, micro climates on bridges or under trees management. Virtually all road traffic collisions and or shaded areas etc. incidents are caused by driver (or rider) error with CADAR is a club where members are trained the driver (or rider) not being able to deal correctly to recognise and manage HAZARDS using the with the HAZARD. System of Car Control as taught to police drivers. In our region the five most common causes of For an annual membership fee of £10.00 you can fatalities on the roads are using a mobile phone be coached in advanced driving (or riding) and whilst driving, excessive and inappropriate speed, will be encouraged to take the RoSPA Advanced drunk / drug driving, not wearing a seat belt Driving Test. If you just want to be coached but not and distraction at the wheel. In the last year four take the test then that is fine also. people have been jailed in our region for causing a CADAR’s mission is to promote safer driving. road fatality whilst using a mobile phone. Contact us by email at [email protected] What is a HAZARD? or visit our website at www.cadar.org.uk There are fundamentally three types of HAZARD: 1. PHYSICAL FEATURES such as roundabouts, junctions, bends, crests, condition of road etc.;

to the world of GSN Conservatories... www.gsn.co.uk home of probably the largest outdoor display area you will ever see! With over 20 styles of PRICES START FROM ONLY conservatories on display at our head o ce and ,999 10 models on show at WelcomeFULLY INSTALLED INCLUDING THE Wilstead we think you BASE AND VAT will be spoilt for choice! £4The conservatory of your choice individually designed The family rm by GSN to suit your home! with NO commission paid reps and NO All our conservatories are made-to-measure from modern, low sub-contractors maintenance materials so you can be sure that which ever conservatory you choose, it will continue to look as good as new in years to come. GSNCONSERVATORIES Your home deserves the best...You deserve the best that money can buy! Pertenhall Road (1 mile from Gt Staughton) Gt Staughton, Nr St Neots Cambs PE19 5BE Telephone 01480 860000 Open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm Sat & Sun 10am - 4pm Also at: Season’s Garden Centre Wilstead Established since 1984 (main Road - A6) Bedford Beds MK45 3HU Telephone 01234 740011 Open Mon - Sat 10am to 4pm Sun 11am to 4pm

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 65

Panasonic

• Wood Burning Stoves • Multi Fuel Stoves • Chimney Lining • Twin Wall Flue Systems • Installation and Supply • Fireplace Renovations

everything matters • Stove Accessories • Trade sales welcome HD smart TV’s , HDD Recorders, Audio Systems, & Camera’s, trust our expertise SHOWROOM NOW OPEN & tradition of best after sales service Monday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 10am – 5pm Other Days/Out of hours by prior arrangement A.N.Audio Unit 2 Home Farm Court, The Street, Diddington, St Neots, PE19 5XT 34 Huntingdon Street St. Neots [email protected] phone:- 01480 472071 e-mail [email protected] 01480 812281 | 07786 854946 Hours:- Monday-Friday 9am-6pm Tuesday 9am-1pm Saturday:- 9am-5.30 pm www.anaudio.co.uk www.cromwellstoves.co.uk

Cromwell stoves 1/4 page.indd 1 30/07/2015 17:31 G.B.BUILDERS NO JOB TOO SMALL FOR ALL MAINTENANCE, RENOVATIONS AND DIY WORK

All general building repairs and odd jobs

Specialist in Painting and Decorating & Groundwork and Grass cutting • Brickwork & Plastering Tiling Driveways • Paths & Patios Slabbing • Concreting Blockpaving • Fencing, Carpentry • Rooﬁ ng Guttering • Drainage Plumbing Call today 07877742420 or 01480 437511 Email: [email protected]

66 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Local News Citizens Advice Peterborough has various new volunteering opportunities Citizens Advice Peterborough is recruiting on governance, or a rolling basis for volunteers as Information directly helping Assistants/Front of House, Digital Advisers, people affected Research & Campaigning Workers and Fundraisers. by issues in their These are new exciting roles which reflect lives or in their the current transformations in the provision community. We of information and advice which are being simply would implemented to ensure that Citizens Advice gives not be able to the best possible service to residents and reflects do what we do the needs of our clients. without them.” Volunteers are at our heart and we have Our volunteers approximately 40 volunteers but are looking to have the expand this volunteer base to meet the needs opportunity to: of the community. Volunteers range in age from • Make a difference and give something back to early 20’s to over 70. All volunteers reflect the local their community community as volunteers cover a range of ethnic • Develop new skills and put existing skills to origins, gender, and religions. good use Citizens Advice Peterborough is a local charity,” • Work in a team your local charity” - dependent on our highly • Change the way things work for the better skilled workforce of trained volunteers and paid • Receive highly respected training staff. • Get invaluable work experience Our clients and volunteers come from the many • Get involved with their local community different communities in the city and all lifestyles If you are interested in the volunteer vacancies we and we are committed to providing a free, currently have please call 01733 887924, or email: confidential and independent advice service, [email protected], for more with volunteering opportunities for the whole information and an application pack. Application community. At Citizens Advice Peterborough forms can also be downloaded via our website volunteers outweigh our paid employees by a www.adviceintegration.co.uk or you can call into ratio of 2:1. the Citizens Advice Peterborough, 16-17 St Mark’s Keith Jones, CEO of Citizens Advice Peterborough Street, Peterborough, PE1 2TU. said, “Volunteers make an outstanding contribution to Citizens Advice in so many You can MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE to ways; behind the scenes providing back office people in your community support, on our board providing leadership and

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 67 Local News Charge in to Spring with Bedford Race for Life Bedford women fired up by the arrival of spring are Cara Waller, Cancer Research UK’s Bedford event being urged to channel their energy into training Manager, said: “Signing up to take part in Race for for Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. Life is a great way for women of all ages to commit With lighter evenings on the horizon, and with to get a little more active this spring and we are warmer weather on its way, women of all ages, really excited to announce that we are preparing shapes and sizes have the perfect opportunity to three brand new exciting course routes for 2016 to kick-start a healthier lifestyle by preparing for their bring a refreshed feel to Race for Life in Bedford. 5k, 10k or Pretty Muddy Race for Life events. “Race for Life events are non-competitive. Taking By taking on Race for Life, and encouraging their part is not about being fit or fast and participants mums, daughters, sisters and friends to join them, can choose to walk, jog, or run around the course. participants can improve their fitness as well as The atmosphere is incredibly supportive. help to raise money for life-saving research. “Pledging to take part, alongside thousands of Becoming more active has longer-term benefits, like-minded women, is a great motivation. With as research shows that even regular, moderate fire in their bellies and trainers at the ready, we physical activity can help reduce the risk of cancer. know that Bedford ladies are up for the challenge.” Not only does it help to maintain a healthy body Cara continued: “With the arrival of lighter weight but it also has a protective effect in itself. evenings, there’s no better time to enjoy the great And that’s why Cancer Research UK is calling on outdoors, get a bit fitter and limber up for Race for women in Bedford to get moving, lace up their Life. Whether you choose to walk, jog or charge trainers and sign up now for the events taking around the course, you’ll be joining an army of place over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd July at women united in the battle against cancer. Priory Park, Bedford. Last year, Race for Life Pretty Muddy took place for the first time in the town. The new women-only, non-competitive 5k obstacle course – with mud – received a whole-hearted welcome from the thousands of women who took part.

68 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Multi Fuel Stoves See our LIVE demo stoves • Authorised Arada Retailer • Fireplaces updated & restyled • Range of wooden mantlepieces/surrounds • HETAS certified installation www.phestoves.com [email protected] phe proactive heating & environmental services

Sales & Service: 07772 346 678 Showroom: 01223 207 993 UNITS 1&2, ROAD FARM, WENDY, ROYSTON SG8 0AA OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 10-3pm | SATURDAY 10-4.30pm

RICHARD KENYON MASTER THATCHER Of Bluntisham, Cambridge

T: 01487 843377 M: 07873 549872 E: [email protected]

To Richardadvertise Kenyon in 1/2 The page Villager advert.indd and 1 Townlife please call 01767 261122 08/05/2015 16:1269 Adaptive Services Ltd FLOORED Royston Herts By Ian Sales, Service & Repairs

• Wheelchairs, scooters, hoists, stairlifts, beds, pressure care, grab rails & all your daily living aids. • All minor adaptations. • Equipment hire available. • Call us for friendly Your local supplier of fitted floors in carpet, helpful advice. vinyl, laminate or Karndean Showroom at Polhill Garden Centre, Free visits to estimate or advise. Cambridge CB23 7PJ

Best prices and quality with a friendly service. 01763 661334 [email protected] Enquiries to 01480 475486 www.adaptiveservices.co.uk or (Mobile) 07876 238308

70 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Thanks to their enthusiasm, this exciting event will Money raised through Race for Life allows Cancer be returning and organisers are urging women to Research UK’s doctors, nurses and scientists to secure their place as soon as possible. advance research which is helping to save the lives Cara continued: “We’re delighted to be able to of men, women and children across Bedfordshire. bring Pretty Muddy back to Bedford as it’s a Cara continued: “We’re calling on the brave ladies fantastic addition to our Race for Life family of of Bedford to harness their fighting spirit once events. It has all the fun and camaraderie of our more and really show cancer whose boss. much loved 5k and 10k events but with added “Race for Life is an amazing way to celebrate obstacles and, of course, mud. everyone we love who has survived cancer. It’s “Women can complete the Pretty Muddy course also an emotional and moving way to pay tribute at their own pace, climbing, jumping, walking and to those dear to us whose lives have been cut laughing their way around. It’s about women of all short by the disease. ages, shapes and sizes tackling obstacles together.” “Our participants make Race for Life a truly Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership uplifting, inspiring experience. That’s why we’re with Tesco, is an inspiring women-only series of 5k, calling on women of all ages to sign up now 10k, and Pretty Muddy events which raises millions to their event in Bedford and pledge to stand of pounds every year to fund research to help beat together, shoulder to shoulder, on the front 200 types of cancer. line against cancer. Together, we can unleash a More than one in two people in the UK will be powerful fighting spirit to stop cancer in its tracks.” diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, Free training plans for different levels of ability are but the good news is more people are surviving available on the Race for Life website. The six-week the disease now than ever before. Survival rates training plans are designed for walkers, joggers have doubled since the early 1970s. or runners. They feature guidance on warming up Last year, 5,300 women took part in Race for Life in and stretching, as well as motivation. Bedford and raised a fantastic £412,000. This year, organisers need 5,500 women and girls to stride To enter Race for Life today go to raceforlife.org out to help raise £420,000. or call 0300 123 0770.

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 71 ROOFLINE

FASCIAS, SOFFITS AND GUTTERING PROFESSIONAL, RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE FROM AS LITTLE AS £25 PER METRE FITTED

Tim Karl For more information ring Tim or Karl on 01480 216677 [email protected] www.eastanglian-group.com

72 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

EARL advert.indd 1 21/09/2015 16:20 March’s Puzzle Solutions and Winners Last Month’s Crossword Winner ROOFLINE Mr J Clements - Potton

Easy

Hard

FASCIAS, SOFFITS AND GUTTERING PROFESSIONAL, RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE FROM AS LITTLE AS £25 PER METRE FITTED

Tim Karl For more information ring Tim or Karl on 01480 216677 [email protected] www.eastanglian-group.com

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 73

EARL advert.indd 1 21/09/2015 16:20 The Villager Prize Crossword Prize £25

Across 7 Sight (6) 8 Female relative (6) 9 Largest continent (4) 10 Fit and healthy (8) 11 Beetles, ants etc (7) 13 Animal furs (5) 15 Invoices (5) 17 Considers (7) 20 Taking small bites (8) 21 Solely (4) 23 Distributed (6) 24 A capital city (6)

Down  1 Fasteners (4) 2 Buccaneer (6) 3 Young children (7) 4 Sailing boat (5) 5 Involuntary action (6) Complete the crossword, fill in your details below, 6 Menacing (8) cut out this page and send to the address below before 12 Loudest (8) 14 Harshly (7) 15th April 2016 16 Hard work (6) 18 Drenches (6) Prize Crossword, Villager Publications Ltd 19 Feathered friends? (5) 24 Market Square, Potton, Beds SG19 2NP 22 Stolen goods (4)

Name:

Tel:

Address:

74 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 75 GDC 1-4 Page Ad Mono:GDC Letterhead 15/2/13 11:49 Page 1

GDC HEATING Plumbing, Gas and Oil Heating Engineers

36 Rookery Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire MK44 3AX Tel: 01480 215821 01582 867152 www.gdcheating.com Email: [email protected]

Boiler Repairs/Servicing/Installation Full Heating Installations Efficiency Upgrades Bathroom Design and Installation Specialist Powercleaning Service 30 Years in Business

Reg No. 112425

Sureclean DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING • Spot stain and odour removal • Anti-stain protection • Leather suites cleaned and reconditioned • Tile and grout cleaning • The very latest equipment used • All work guaranteed • Fully insured • Local company

01480 468965 or 07870 338074 76 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts SureClean Cleaning Sept 14 - Cambs.indd 1 8/19/2014 8:31:26 PM TELEVISION MOBILE SERVICE ST NEOTS, ST IVES, HUNTINGDON AREA

REPAIR TV, VCR, DVD, FREEVIEW DIGITAL BOXES

TUNING & DEMONSTRATION OF EQUIPMENT

DIGITAL LOFT AERIALS SUPPLIED & FITTED

Extension Aerial Points

DAY OR EVENING CALL OUTS 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

PHONE JOHN FABISZ FOR ESTIMATE 01480 495408 OR 07887887319

To advertise in The Villager and Townlife please call 01767 261122 77 Books

ByBook Bruce Edwards Review Marriages are made in Bond Street Penrose Halson Pub: Macmillan h/b £16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4472-8262-4

Modern dating has become a technological function. Want a new partner? Go on line - check out whichever social media site takes your fancy. How things change! Return to a decade - or three - past, to that of the Marriage Bureau. Here are true stories ‘from a 1940’s Bureau’ - oh how beautifully old- fashioned and wonderfully evocative. Would that the clock could be turned back, the mobile never invented and the adventuresome encouraged to cross this historical Bond Street threshold to falteringly expand on their ideal future marital prospects. This is the stuff of many an early novel’s plot, the original ‘boy introduced to girl’ idea, the basis for many a ‘chick-lit’ paperback by your familiar commercial writer. Arranged marriages? Good gracious me no, merely polite socially correct introductions! It still happens to some extent, perhaps more via the personal columns of appropriate magazines like, say, ‘The Lady’, and the ‘Personal’ section in the London Review of Books was once worthy of many a fascinating quote - should ‘The Villager’ revive this concept? These stories will fascinate, even, perhaps oddly titillate - there’s a quote: ‘the minute she set eyes on him’; and there’s a report of a rape that occurs in a bombed house’s cellar. Bureau introductions usually had the benefit of a caring third party involvement, much to be desired. No grooming allowed, no inappropriate behaviour. Exit Facebook, left.

Suggestion and queries to: [email protected]. We’re always happy to consider specific titles for review, though without obligation. Can’t find a title? E-mail your details and we’ll try to help.” 78 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Classifieds

Antique Furniture Restoration Electrician Frank Plater Electrical Extra sockets - Lighting - Extensions - Re-wires Security Lighting - Showers - Inspections No job too small. Free estimates Established 13 years Tel: 01480 432154 Mob: 07976 797111

Clock Repair Garden Machinery Service/Repair Brian R Bulley Garden Machinery & Mowers C.M.B.H.I Horologist Expert Service and Repair Repairing: Antique & Modern Clocks Collection & All clocks are collected & examined in my workshop and then you are contacted with cost for repair. On agreement the clock will be repaired, Tested & Delivered. delivery available If you decide not to go ahead with repair the clock will still be delivered free of charge. • Over 50 years Experience • Unit 12a Whites Farm, Great North Road, Biggleswade SG18 9BE Tel: 07521 442 050 • Email: [email protected] Tel: 01767 600085 Mob: 07593 553581

Electricians Heating and Plumbing Services

Pet Services

From just £35.00 per month plus VAT Call Nigel on 01767 261122 for more information

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 79 Follow us for events and offers!

Discover 1000s of Great Value products at Polhill Coton... THE AREA’S BEST KEPT SECRET! MORESo much

We are a well-establishedinstore! family run business with over 50 years of horticultural and retail experience, with knowledgeable staff OUR GARDEN CENTRE HAS LOTS TO OFFER. Located within an Apple orchard, and it’s a great place to meet up with friends and family. You can relax and enjoy light snacks, breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas, or visit our Farm shop with local produce. Onsite concessions include trendy casualwear and accessories for women from Klass. There is also a Tropical fish store specialising in planted and soft water aquariums. We carry an unrivalled stock of indoor and outdoor Plants, Garden Furniture, Barbecues, Tools, Garden Sundries and much more. POLHILL IS A GREAT DAy OUT!

Polhill Garden Centre, Cambridge Road Coton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB23 7PJ Tel: 01954 210234 www.polhill.co.uk Open 7 days & Bank Holidays... Monday - Saturday 9.00am - 5.30pm, Sunday 10.30am - 4.30pm COTON FARM SHOP • COTON POST OFFICE • MAIDENHEAD AQUATICS MASSARELLA’S RESTAURANT • KLASS WOMENS FASHION