TEMPSFORD

Issue 83 TIMES Sept/October 2020 The village magazine of Tempsford, www.tempsford.org

ONE (well, three) IN A MILLION! FULL STORY ON PAGE 4

www.tempsford.org TEMPSFORD PARISH COUNCIL CONTACT DETAILS

NAME POSITION

Adrian Besant Chairman

Simon Fraser V-Chairman

Chris Bettles Councillor

Steve Cooney Councillor

Jim Donnelly Councillor

Tina Goddard Councillor

David Sutton Councillor

Linda Collins Clerk

CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE WARD COUNCILLORS Contact details: Adam Zerny [email protected] Tracey Wye [email protected]

www.tempsford.org 2 THE NEW NORMAL

The days grow into weeks, and the weeks into months; this is our third edition of life with Covid19 already! The calendar is still full of anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, village shows, all postponed until next year when we hope all will be better.

We’re looking forward to less restrictions and guidelines to be followed, to a lowering of infections and deaths. We have become so used to living our lives in such a way as to achieve these: conducting Council meetings online; relying on the internet as our main means of communicating with our relatives and friends; the wearing of face coverings when we go out; queuing at the entrance to shops and banks; having to book our place at the restaurant or tourist venue or even the dump to recycle our rubbish; having to forego all our plans for overseas visits and then finding all our UK holiday locations already fully booked. We think particularly of the stressful time for businesses trying to keep afloat, the workers who have lost their jobs and the families that have lost loved ones.

And now we’re hoping that the children will happily return to school this month and the teachers and staff have been able to get everything safely ready for them to resume their lives too.

All these aspects of our lives we now refer to as the New Normal, and as we have had to change things to live more safely, lets hope that some of the good things we’ve had to do, like reaching out to our neighbours, appreciating the key workers, and the children learning to wash their hands more thoroughly and more often, can be continued.

So, we thought it would be good to include some recollections and photographs of past life in Tempsford, and then include some examples of how our world in all its beauty continues through the seasons. I hope you enjoy this edition.

Thank you all for what you are doing to help others and maintain community life. Adrian Besant Parish Council Chairman

www.tempsford.org 3 ONE IN A MILLIONSt Peter’s

OneHarvest of Ouse Farm ’Services milking herd and Supper produced triplets on 5th April, which is a onceSunday in a million chance 6th occurrence. October 6pm

The photo on our cover shows them at 5 weeks with mother and all offspring doing well. The mother is still producing 50 litres of milk a day. She has had twins before, but they are fairly common in this herd. She has had 6 lactations before and she will continue to be part of the herd, and her 3 calves which are all female will also join the 130 strong herd.

(Fact file: the mother has produced 7000 litres of milk since she gave birth, and the herd sends off 3,300 litres of milk on average each day.)

Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Eggs, Bread, Honey & Homemade Preserves, Quiches, Cakes, Sauces, Oils, Cheese, Crayfish fishcakes, Dog Treats, locally crafted items and much more. Open Thurs 11-4, Fri 9-5 Sat 9-5, Sun 10-4. 07522 559010 [email protected]

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Weekly COVID-19 report from

Full infographic and breakdown of weekly figures are available from the Central Beds website We report on the COVID-19 each week and the most recent data is showing an increase from 12 cases for the data reported in week up to 9 August and 22 cases for the week up to 16 August.

Whilst many of these are isolated single cases across Central Bedfordshire, we are aware of an increase in cases in the , and Shefford area. 11 of the 22 cases are in this area, - this is a marked increase from the 1 case in the previous week.

The age profile of most of the individuals who have tested positive in these areas is younger adults, with the majority being aged between 20 and 29.

We are urging all residents to help avoid spreading the virus by: • social distancing – keep 2m apart from anyone outside your household or bubble • wear face coverings in settings where they are mandatory or if you think you are unable to maintain social distancing • keep washing your hands regularly

If you have symptoms, however mild, stay at home other than to get tested. Book a test online

Test and Trace If you are contacted by the Test and Trace scheme, please be open and honest about who you have been in contact with. This is vital information that can help to protect others. You can see previous weekly reports on our website.

www.tempsford.org 5 It is exceedingly difficult to talk about the Tempsford Museum activities, when very little activity is taking place. It is lovely to see that life is beginning to return to a kind of normality, but on the other hand, life changed so much for us all when Covid-19 came long and its impact will be far reaching for some time to come..

As I said in my last column two months ago, we are far from out of the dark yet and opening the museum up is not on the horizon yet. Many of our visitors are in the vulnerable category group and we must be extremely careful with social distancing guidelines in place at the moment.

On a more positive note, we have received many kind donations from our membership, who are keen to support us at this difficult time and we thank them most sincerely for their support. We would also like to say a big “thank you” to the Knott family who have shown us tremendous support over the past few months with some very generous financial support through the two wonderful craft fayres they have put on. They have not only supported the museum through donations but have also brought our community together in a time when we need to support each other, albeit at a distance.

As I said in my last report, we are not wasting this time. We have been cataloguing, designing, copying, filing, etc in our archives. Whilst going through the many thousands of items we hold, every now and then, we come across items of so much interest. Two such items, were letters of reminiscences by two past residents, who have sadly passed away now. So, I thought that it would be nice to publish them in the Tempsford Times for all to see just what Tempsford was like, back in the last century.

This month’s memories are from Mrs Bessie Darrington nee Gurney. She was born in June 1916 and was the daughter of Tom and Florence Gurney of Station Road. She lived her whole life in Tempsford and died at the age of 93 years in 2009. In the next edition of Tempsford Times, we will have the memories of Mrs Dorothy Bettles, who came to Tempsford as a Land Army girl during WW2, married one of the farmers’ sons and lived here for the rest of her life. We hope you enjoy these letters, which give an insight of a Tempsford long since gone, but thankfully a Tempsford that still retains much of its community spirit and some remnants of the past that survive to this day. Steve Cooney - Chairman-Tempsford Museum and Archives.

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Day trip the to seasideDay 1939

www.tempsford.org 7 ST PETER ’S PARISH CHURCH, Church Street, Tempsford Priest in Charge: Rev Graham Buckle The Rectory, Park Lane, 01767 640412

Sharing and Caring

We have now been worshipping back in our church buildings for just over a month, holding one service per week in each of the four parishes. Like holding our Zoom services for the first weeks, it has been a strange experience, with social distancing, wearing of masks, no singing, no sharing of the peace… but we are getting used to it, with its guidance and protocols! We are not very good at “different”, we are always wondering how it will work, what will happen, will people understand? Yet most of the time things are thought through and almost everything works as planned.

When Jesus arrived he stirred things up a bit, not least for the authorities who perceived him as a troublemaker. He was preaching and teaching quite often to the annoyance of the Pharisees, and gathering people who followed him wherever he went, listening to his words and waiting in anticipation for what his next action would be! The authorities couldn’t understand that the carpenter’s son from Nazareth could possibly be the promised Messiah. The people knew that he was promised, but not that he would be someone like this! Here is a man with no education, no earthly authority and yet he is teaching with great authority claiming, according to their words, to be the Son of God!

www.tempsford.org 8 So often we dismiss the things that are straightforward. If it is that simple there must be a catch to it! Jesus does bring a simple message, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. That is a simple message; but people think, it can’t be that straightforward, how can it be that easy? It is a simple message but because our way of life is so complicated, we want to think that repentance must be hard too! It is simple and it is that easy, but along with repentance comes a responsibility; that of sharing one’s own experience of Jesus with those around us.

This is also the collective responsibility of the church, and that is our purpose as we come to worship, but also as we go out into our communities.

God bless you as we share the love of God.

With Christian love

Rev Graham

Every Wednesday St Peter’s Church is open from 10am to 11am for quiet prayers. Rev Graham will be in attendance if you wish to see him.

St Peter’s has one Church service each month at the moment, the fourth Sunday at 10.30am

Please check your Riversmeet magazine and Notice boards.

www.tempsford.org 9 MEMORIES OF TEMPSFORD By Bessie Darrington

Tempsford between the two World Wars was a quiet little village. On one half was Church End on the old Great North Road and Station Road on the other ran from The Anchor to the station about a 1 ¼ miles long.

Most of the village belonged to the Tempsford Estate in those days and most of the men of the village were employed either on the Estate or on the various farms in the village. Several were also employed on the railway either as linesmen, signalmen or porters. Quite a few trains stopped at the station in those days, so it was quite easy to get to London or Peterborough, or any towns in between.

There were two shops in Station Road – a butchers and a general store. In Church End there was one small shop, also the Post Office. In later years, the Post Office moved to the store in Station Road. Also in Station Road were the Methodist Chapel, two pubs— the White Hart and the Black Horse— and the blacksmith’s forge.

This was a very popular spot with the children watching Mr. Wilson and his son shaping the hot metal and heating their irons in the furnace and often re- shoeing one of the farm horses. The boys would also get Mr. Wilson to make them iron hoops which they trundled along the road to school. The school was on the main road and we would spin our tops along there on our way to school. There was not a lot of traffic in those days.

The Village Hall was built in 1925 and many events were held there, dances, socials, concerts, whist drives, the WI, Guides and Brownies, library, British Legion, bowls, and billiards for the men.

Mrs. Stuart owned Tempsford Estate and lived in Tempsford Hall. She was the widow of Colonel Stuart. Their only son, Esme was killed in 1916 on the Somme. After Mrs. Stuart died in 1933 the Wynne family came into the Estate and came to live at the Hall. Owen Wynne (who now owns the Estate) was born shortly after the family came to Tempsford. An oak tree was planted the morning he was born in the front drive to the south of the house.

www.tempsford.org 10 The family ‘Tramp’ followed the family from Folkestone and spent the rest of his days in Tempsford. Mr. Timothy, “Berry” as he was known, was an interesting and educated man when he hadn’t been drinking. Drink had been his downfall.

Mr. Ladds kept the Post Office which was in Church End at that time. He was also the Church Sexton and grave digger etc. Several evenings a week he would deliver bread in the village, walking with his barrow and lantern from Church End to the Station, calling at each pub for refreshment. The village lads would seize this opportunity to hide his barrow in some dark gateway, while he was quenching his thirst.

At the station, the goods yard was kept busy. Dairy farmers from nearby villages brought milk in churns by lorry to be put on the train for London. Also, sugar beet was sent by goods train and coal was brought by train from the North to be unloaded by the local coal merchant. Everyone used coal ranges for cooking and heating. Oil lamps and candles were the only source of lighting. Electricity was brought into the village around 1930.

Washing day was very hectic. The copper had to be filled with water, then the fire lit underneath to heat the water. This was a good way of getting rid of rubbish as everythingElephant could be hawkmoth disposed of up the copper hole. The clothes were washedabout and boiled to be in thereleased copper then rinsed, blued, and starched, put through the mangle and then pegged on the line to dry. It was a long job. In the summer months, from June onwards, the women would set off with their buckets and stools, often being taken by lorry to go pea picking in nearby fields.

Several children had to walk to school from across the railway line, bringing sandwiches for their lunch (no school meals or buses in those days). If they were lucky, they might get a lift to the main road on the milk lorry.

In 1938 Tempsford Hall was leased by Dr. Hales, who turned it into a Health Clinic where the rich and famous would come to be restored to health and beauty.

(Continued overleaf….)

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The Wilson family outside the forge in Station Road:about 1907 in Station outside the Theforge family Wilson

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(….continued)

At the outbreak of war in 1939 the evacuees came to the village. They were billeted on any of the householders who could accommodate them. After the war some went home, but several stayed on and settled in the village. In 1941 Tempsford Airfield was opened and the RAF arrived, although it was not known at the time that many famous members of the Resistance came and went from Tempsford Airfield to be dropped secretly over France.

After the war ended in 1945 village life went on as usual although rationing continued until into the 1950’s.

In the Spring of 1947, after that winter of winters, when the thaw set in, the floods came, and the Anchor Hotel was flooded. I was working there at the time and remember as I went to work one morning at 7.30 am. the water was just beginning to trickle down Station Road. It had reached Stonebridge Farm by mid-morning. In the Anchor yard a young lad was in his canoe rescuing some of the beer barrels. Later in the morning the occupants of one of the Anchor cottages were sending out distress calls, they were marooned by the floods and had to be rescued by boat from their bedroom window. It was a hazardous task, as there was a strong current at the time. Another young lady who was pregnant at the time, had to be rescued from a window of the Mill Cottage.

One year the flood water froze and people were skating at night with the car headlights turned on them for lighting.

Once a year the Cambridgeshire Hunt would meet on the Anchor green.

Tempsford village is now divided by the busy A1. The school is closed, the shop, Post Office, butchers, blacksmith and railway station are no more.

Tempsford Hall is an office block. This is progress!

Bessie Darrington – 14.1.92.

www.tempsford.org 13 PREFERRED ALIGNMENT

Community meetings with EastWestRail were put on hold with the onset of Covid19. However, the firm is still busy gleaning information and opinions and has recently been holding virtual meetings with local Parish Councillors. They still want to make contact with anyone who wishes to discuss plans and invites us to get in touch. They are also planning another round of public consultation in the new year to discuss the preferred alignment.

Get in touch • Email us: [email protected] Send us a message: www.eastwestrail.co.uk/get-in-touch Write to us: FREEPOST Call us: 0330 1340067

PERSONAL ANNOUNCEMENT After many years of hairdressing in Tempsford, Diane Hart has hung up her scissors and sends this message:

RETIREMENT My heartfelt thanks to all my ladies for your friendship and loyalty all these years, - also for the lovely cards and gifts, they were not expected but were certainly appreciated. Best wishes to you all, Diane

St Peter’s Flood Lights If you would like the flood lights put on for any occasion, the cost will be £10 per night. Please contact Gloria on 01767 640050

www.tempsford.org 14 TEMPSFORD METHODIST CHURCH, Station Road, Tempsford (part of the and Methodist Circuit) Minister: Rev James Bamber 01480 453857 Church Steward: Stephen Gosling, 81 Station Rd, Tempsford 01767 641175

An acrostic from Carole Gosling with a very important message

Many a lesson we learn on life’s way Ever mindful God is our rock, our mainstay. To save the world He gave us His Son, His greatest gift, which was lost, then won. Ours are the blessings that are sent from above Drawing each of us closer to His boundless love, In all that we do, and in all that we say. Solace and understanding we seek as we pray, Taking comfort from prayer, both night and day.

Cattle that graze in the field at day, His stars above as we kneel and pray. Unswerving love, regardless of race, colour, creed, Reaching out to all, aware of each need. Certain we are, whether we be great or small, His love is the greatest gift of all

Due to the present situation and lockdown with the Covid 19 pandemic the Methodist Church is closed until further notice. The regular meetings of Meet & Eat, Chat Club, Coffee Mornings and Services are on hold at this present time. We hope to resume these as and when the situation improves.

However Rev. James does produce a weekly service sheet for private meditation and reflection. A copy can be emailed to you if you let Stephen Gosling know. Rev. James also produces a Sunday “Thought for the Day” which is available all week on 01480 597118.

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STUART MEMORIAL HALL After 5 months of closure we are pleased, but with a note of caution, that the Stuart Memorial Hall will re-open from 1st September. We have thoroughly cleaned the Hall ready for use and we will be making it as Covid secure as we can. We will clean the main surfaces that can be touched after every hire, eg. kitchen, toilets, door handles etc. We will provide hand sanitiser at entrances and in the Main Hall and soap and water in the toilets and kitchen. The toilets will operate on a ‘one out-one in’ basis and the floor will be marked so that people can queue if necessary. The entrances to the Main Hall are narrow and social distancing is difficult so we will be asking hirers to ensure that no-one lingers in these pinch point areas. The Hall has produced a risk assessment which can be found on our website under the ‘Hire’ section.

Government regulations are changing all the time and it is not surprising that people are confused about what is and isn’t allowed. Our understanding of the situation, guided by Action with Communities in Rural (ACRE), who are in constant touch with the Government, is as follows:

Outdoor activities on the lawn are permitted and groups of up to 6 from different households can operate together. Groups of 6 must be distanced by 2m from others.

Indoor activities are permitted where smaller groups of people attend, eg. dog training, yoga, martial arts, etc. Groups of no more than two different families can work together and must be socially distanced from other groups.

Weddings, funerals, christenings, etc., where food is served, are allowed with careful management by the organisers. Numbers are limited to 30 and these people must be seated. No after-meal parties or dancing are allowed.

Indoor rehearsals and performances are allowed but again with more careful management. Social distancing is again important so this would restrict audiences for performances and audience control would be important (eg. stewarding).

All people attending an indoor event are required to wear face coverings, except for exercise classes and for eating and drinking.

We have also produced some Special Covid Conditions of Hire which hirers must accept by e-mail to our Bookings Secretary, Linda Collins

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([email protected]). These Special Conditions can be viewed and downloaded from the ‘Hire’ page of our website.

The Trustees apologise if the above is rather lengthy and bureaucratic but it is important that we take all appropriate precautions to maintain the safety of our hirers. It is also possible that the above guidance will change at very short notice and we reserve the right to cancel bookings if regulations do not permit an event to proceed. We will, of course, return deposits paid.

Just a reminder that we have a vacancy for a Hall Trustee and also vacancies for up to two co-optees. If you are interested in serving on the Hall Committee, please get in touch.

Brian Harrison, Chairman, Hall Committee [email protected] www.tempsford-stuart-memorial-village-hall.co.uk

www.tempsford.org 17 A BIG THANK YOU

To Joe Lawrence and his wife Paola.

Joe’s firm offered him a day off to enable him to do some community work.

He asked the Parish Council what he could do in a day to make a difference, and apart from the general picking of litter, we suggested removing the overhanging brambles, and the weeds, undergrowth and hedge clippings that littered the footpath along Station Road.

So we say a big thank you to him (and Paola who came to help), and his firm for his time and effort in doing this for us and making a great improvement to the areas appearance and a difference to our walks.

And if you would like to help in a similar way, such as removing rubbish or litter, please contact any Parish Councillor for gloves, pickers and bags to help.

www.tempsford.org 18 KNOTTS OF TEMPSFORD Family Run Farm Shop Home Produced Meats Homemade Pies & Pasties Milk & Eggs : Local Veg Call: 07598834439 Or 07943716290 Email: [email protected] Like us on facebook Tingeys Farm 121 Station Rd Opening Hours 9am - 5pm Tempsford Thursday, Friday and Saturday Bedfordshire SG192AY

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Wild Tempsford:

“MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS”

…This is how the season of Autumn was described by poet John Keats. His ode ‘To Autumn’ describes nature’s rich bounty of fruits, nuts, crops and honey, in a soft, quiet, gentle season. Well, it might be quiet “Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?” but there is so much going on out there.

The plants and animals in our gardens and countryside are frantically preparing for the colder months to come – producing the next generation (fruit, seeds, eggs), stocking up for the winter, or even packing their bags and leaving for warmer climes. The last line of Keat’s poem hints at this: “And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.”

What Keats, writing in the early 19th century probably had little concept of, was where those ‘gathering swallows’ actually disappeared to in autumn. It was only much later in the same

Garden Warbler. This one nested in a patch of scrub near Tempsford. Its will now be on its way to Africa.

www.tempsford.org 20 century that the development of bird ringing as a scientific technique proved conclusively that, yes the same individual swallows that nest with us here actually really do fly all the way to South Africa for the winter. It is not hard to imagine that without the concrete proof, this idea must have been thought utterly ludicrous. But migrate to Africa Swallows do. All of them.

And all the rest – Swifts, martins, flycatchers, Nightingales, Turtle Doves, Cuckoos, most warblers: the airspace is full of birds heading south to escape a winter they are not well adapted to face.

But to others, a winter in Britain is a benign mild and safe place to be, compared to the dark deep-freezes that their summer homes far to the north and east will become. So as the summer visitors depart – most slipping away quietly - they are replaced by the winter migrants. Warblers vanish, the winter thrushes; Redwings and Fieldfares, appear.

What is less obvious is the movement of some birds we think of as resident with us all year. Is that the same blackbird or robin in my garden all year round? No, probably not. Bird ringing has shown us that some of our ‘residents’ might move a short distance away for the winter – maybe a few miles, maybe to the next county, possibly even to France. Whereas, other individuals might have arrived from as far afield as Scandinavia. Both leavers and arrivers take advantage of the ‘mellow fruitfulness’.

A stone-on-stone ‘tack, tack’ from our elder bushes gives away a Blackcap, keen to feast Elderberries; loved by warblers on sugar-rich elderberries and before they set off south. blackberries and turn them into They make good jam too.. fat – energy to get it along its migration route down to Iberia, or maybe just into North Africa. (continued overleaf……) www.tempsford.org 21

(…..continued)

Its sombre-coloured cousin, the Garden Warbler, does the same (and sounds pretty much the same too), but needs the energy to get it much further, well south of the Sahara.

By October, winter thrushes will be tucking into hawthorn berries in our hedges and finishing off any apples we leave under our tree. And we will leave some, after the freezer has been topped up and the apple and blackberry gin is infusing in the cupboard.

So why not create some mellow fruitfulness in your garden? It might take native fruit-bearing trees and shrubs a few years to grow and mature, but its great investment for your wildlife. And in the meantime, raise a glass to bid the leavers farewell and safe return next year, and welcome the autumn arrivals. “The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft”. Indeed it does, John.

Guy Anderson, (who also took the photographs)

The beautiful Merveillie du Jour moth – a welcome autumn visitor to our Tempsford garden.

Its name translates as ’wonder of the day’

www.tempsford.org 22 STATION ROAD TURNING AREA

In Oct 2018 the Parish Council requested CBC to improve the condition of the turning area in Station Road.

JANUARY 2015 In May 2019 the request was agreed, but with no indication of when it would be completed.

On Aug 17th 2020, workmen suddenly turned up and within the week it was completed.

Please note, this is intended as a turning area for large vehicles and school buses not as a AUGUST 2020 parking area.

www.tempsford.org 23 PARISH COUNCIL MEETING NOTES: - The following is a summary of the main points of discussion at the Parish Council Virtual Meeting held on the 6th July 2020. Full copies of the Minutes are available on the village website – www.tempsford.org or from the Clerk.

Attendance – 6 Councillors, 1 CBC Councillor, Clerk, 4 Members of the public. Apologies for absence – Cllr. C. Bettles sent his apologies.

Continue in present positions - This was to record that because of the Coronavirus no meeting was held to elect a new Chairman for the coming year, so it has been allowed that the present Chairman and Vice Chairman can stay in their present positions. RESOLUTION – Council agreed with this action.

Declarations of interest – none were received.

Acceptance of Minutes – Minutes of the meeting held on 16th March 2020 were approved and will be signed by the Chairman.

Parish Council response to Pandemic – a short report was given by the Chairman of how the Parish Council had responded to the pandemic.

Public Session – Tempsford Football Club. A report was given by the instigator of Tempsford Football Club on how the football club was developing: its aims are for the future, and how they would like more players from Tempsford. They are trying to promote the club on Facebook and to be more involved in the village, by perhaps holding a Quiz night or two. It was suggested maybe they could use The Wheatsheaf for this – social distancing of course. They need to raise more money and obtain grants to fund their activities. The Council will require more information as to where the money would be going before a grant can be given.

AGAR (1) accounts approval – the accounts had been distributed to the Councillors. The Clerk needed the Exemption Certificate and Governance Statement approved and then they would then be “wet” signed by the Chairman and Clerk. Resolution – approved both items.

Finance: AGAR (2) – approval of Accounting Statement was required by the Clerk. This would also be “wet” signed by the Chairman and Clerk. Resolution – all Councillors approved.

www.tempsford.org 24 Internet banking – this had been set up for the Council because of the situation with the Pandemic. This will make it easier for the recipient to receive payment. The Clerk presented a list of invoices to be paid. Resolution – Councillors agreed payment. The Cashflow was explained by the Clerk and also the Neighbourhood Plan account.

Cemetery and Churchyard. - the damage to the gravestone had been completed and paid for.

Playground – the ROSPA inspection had been completed on both play areas. The Clerk would now source a contractor that can undertake the work needed. The Council has opened playgrounds again following the Government Guidelines.

Highways – Flooding – near 122 Station Road CBC has flushed the drains out a couple of times. If it happens again, the Chairman will contact CBC again. Gutters are being cleaned more often. White lines have been painted at the junction of Church Street with Blunham Lane, but they have not painted back the 30-mile limit roundel in Station Road yet. The footpath along the A1 is very overgrown and dangerous for cyclists and walkers. Footbridge needs clearing also. Highways England to be contacted.

CBC – Cllr. Tracy Wye – Cllr. Wye had looked into Hermes activities at Station Yard and considers that they are not acting illegally. The Officer is going to keep an eye on the yard. A Ward Grant of up to £2000 is available to support Parish work; it does not have to be spent on capital items. Cllr. Donnelly asked when they would be introducing garden waste bins? At the moment she did not know.

Traffic – Speedwatch – . are reviewing the process of training volunteers particularly during Covid 19 regulations. A resident is going through the process of setting up one, in the hope that it can be re-established after the pandemic. There are a lot of cars parked now along Station Road and the volume of traffic has increased because of the Hermes depot activities. We have had a number of complaints about speeding in Station Road, not only of the Hermes traffic, but by residents as well. Tempsford Times – this is going to be sponsored by a resident for the time being.

(continued overleaf….)

www.tempsford.org 25 (….continued)

Neighbourhood Plan – The Chairman of the Group sent a report. At the moment they have had confirmation from CBC that all Regulation 14 submissions are being put on hold, and therefore means they are unable to progress any further at this time. Once the Regulation 14 is completed they will be presenting the plan back to the community. Owing to the pandemic the Neighbourhood Plan will come into force later than it would have done.

Planning - CB/TCA/20/00288. CB/20/01924/FULL. CB/20/02116/FULL. These three applications were discussed In great detail. Objections were put in for all three. (full Minutes on the website)

Public Footpath – The Anchor footpath has been moved. This has been reported to the CBC, but because of lockdown, nothing has been done. This will be followed up once lockdown is eased.

Black Cat Forum – no one attended the virtual Forum. Cllr. Fraser informed the Council that the Charity land is still outside the development site. A resident had emailed the Clerk, with concerns about the land the Highways were thinking of using for work in relation to the Black Cat, which the Council will follow up

East West Rail – Some households, (mostly listed buildings?) have been asked by ERW to allow them to survey their land. The Parish Council’s new play area in Station Road has also been included though it is not clear why. The Council declined but hopefully a meeting can be arranged in the near future with MP Richard Fuller and ERW as the original meeting was cancelled because of the pandemic to further discuss the matter.

Anglian Water – The collapsed sewer issue in Church Street has been dealt with by Anglian Water. The damage done to the houses is being repaired. The smell was probably caused by taking a vent pipe out. It is now being replaced.

Future meeting – The next meeting will be on the 7th September. Nearer the time we will decide on whether it will be a virtual meeting or not. Meeting closed at 21.50 hrs. The Chairman thanked everyone for logging into the meeting and Cllr. Sutton for setting it up.

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All rooms en-suite, home-made marmalade and biscuits, White Company complimentary toiletries, free Wi-Fi, off-road parking, top quality linens, bread from the local baker, a real ‘home from home’, Credit Cards accepted, many repeat guests. Website: www.highfield-farm.co.uk

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