St. Neots

PrioritiesSt. Neots Town Centre Initiative Bands In Action on The Park Retail Riverside Park, St. Neots Town Council Crime www.stneots-tc.gov.uk June and July 2011 Friday 20th May Newsletter of the St. Neots Town Centre Initiative 2.30pm to 4.30pm 8.30pm and St. Neots Town Council working together Free music for all to enjoy, so why not bring the family Friday 3rd June and make a day of it! 8.30pm

June 2011 PrioritiesSt. Neots Chairman of the Town Centre Initiative Aiming High John Davies Last year it was silver, but this year the Editors Veronica Webb and Helen King St Neots in Bloom team are pulling out all stops and are looking to take gold. To contact Priorities email: [email protected] As the Anglia in Bloom judging day ensure floral displays are looking approaches the message coming loud their best. The latter is particularly © 2011 and clear from the hard-working team important as St Neots in Bloom’s own is - it’s not too late to help the town volunteers will be out in early July to Priorities Imagery and articles achieve the glittering top prize. judge the floral displays of business submitted in this publication are Judges George Dawson and Colin premises, as well as visiting entrants subject to Copyright from various Drew will arrive at 2pm on Thursday, to the Best Front Garden Competition. sources and no reproduction of any July 7 for a tour of the town, which Closing date is June 23. part of this publication is permissible will include the sights and sounds The St Neots in Bloom team are without the prior consent of St. Neots of a busy Market Square, as well as working hard to ensure that on the Town Centre Initiative, St. Neots Town the more tranquil environment of the big day St Neots will be wearing its Council and SWF Creative as a whole. Riverside Park and Sudbury Meadows. prettiest dress, so.... Let’s Do It! Part thereof does not give permission Shop keepers and market stall holders For more information about for its use. are being urged to keep litter under St Neots in Bloom, control during the day whilst home- contact Alison Pearson on Designed by: owners and business premises can 01480 374792 SWF Creative , St. Neots, Come and learn about the bats Cambs PE19 8BS living on Loves Farm by joining email: [email protected] us on a guided walk The evening will consist of a short talk Printed by: MPG Printwise (aimed at the whole family) followed by a walk around the estate using bat detectors Front Picture to search for our nocturnal friends! Contributed by St Neots Museum Contact Caroline for more Friday 20th May – 8.30pm information and to book a place Friday 3rd June – 8.30pm (numbers limited) - 07969 061638 Deadline for contributions to future Priorities 4th July and 3rd October Trails around the Eatons Ever wandered around the There is a wealth of history to uncover secondary school in the area - built Eatons and wondered what and explore. before Longsands came on the scene. you are looking at? There are four trails around Eaton How about the Hail Weston Springs Socon and Eaton Ford, which is factory, the pipe factory and Sunny To the casual observer or visitor, the researched and regularly updated by Smiles Toy factory? Eatons may appear to be a rather the Eatons Community Association Find out about the once self-sufficient quiet ad-on to the main town of St (ESCA). Take time to look at the centre of Eaton Socon village with its Neots, but as the saying goes, don’t heritage boards and blue plaques and bakers, butchers, blacksmiths, coach judge a book - or village - by its cover. learn about your history. builders, millers, shops, farms and You probably know the White Horse, coaching inns. Must not forget the the Olde Sun, the Barley Mow, Eaton Norman motte and bailey castle, the Oak and all the other pubs in the church that is not as old as it appears, Eatons, but do you know where the medieval village of Sudbury, the the Black Horse, the White Lion, milestone on the Great North Road - Recruiting Sergeant, the Cock, the and why there is a village lock-up in Eagle and The Bell were. Do you know Eaton Socon. the Union Workhouse and Brittains The trails are available from first store was in Eaton Ford? • St Neots Museum What about schooling? Find out where • ESCA - 3 Collingwood Road, the site of the Eaton Socon Academy Eaton Socon, St Neots, PE19 8JQ The Union Workhouse in 1902 was, the village school and the first

2 Priorities June 2011 TheThe Chairm anChairman’s’s Column Column A message from John Davies, Chairman of St. Neots Town Centre Initiative

As I write this column we are a channelled through our Promotion and Tourism Group. week away from the start of the This Group also includes ESCA, EVA and the Loves Farm Residents Association, who all have their own newsletters. St Neots Music and Arts Festival. Collectively we now have a very good communications The organising group had put together network and we all support each other activities. an interesting and varied programme. The Initiative has been involved in the Connect 2 Project They are a talented group of local people, which was the local steering group for the building of the including representatives from local new and very welcome pedestrian/cycle bridge. It is now performers, who have worked very hard on what was the to be called the Willow Bridge, a name provided by a local 10th annual event. The event was very well supported pupil in the St Neots Community College. The work on by the News and Crier who have become a true local the new Bridge, that will link Eynesbury and Eaton Socon, paper, and kindly give me a monthly column as well. Our started in mid-March and hopefully will be completed by hard working Mayor, Cllr Gordon Thorpe, has also been a end August or early September. member of the Group, reflecting the support of the Town Council for the event. The Initiative provide people support On the retail front we would like to welcome the new and some financial and administrative support. The Parish Manager at Waitrose, Darran Welsford. Darran has already Church, in Church St, makes a superb venue and the taken a strong interest in the local community and has Rev Paul Andrews and his own team are the core of the attended one of our Redevelopment and Environment Festival planning. Its success or not, as ever, is down to meetings on the Town’s growth plans. Last month we the support we receive from you, the public. featured one of our longest serving retailers, Brittains Furnishing. In this edition we give news about Boots We promoted the Festival in Priorities but also received refurbishment and about the thriving business community other valuable support. The About My Area(PE19) Web in the Cross Keys. Recent news is that Westgate will Site has become a valuable partner for many of our become part of the Beales Group. The local Manager, part activities; their Joanna Oxenham, as well as running a of our Retail Club, will keep us informed. very professional commercial operation, also goes out of her way to help local groups and activities. New to the That’s all for now. A lot is happening in the Town and I will scene is the Lovely Moon, whose editor Ted Bruning, tell you more next time. is new to the Town but already making his mark with this interesting new local magazine. He has also been working closely with the Initiative. All this network is John Davies Summer Exhibition at St Neots Museum During the summer from July It will tell the story of how from the 20th to September 3rd, St Neots Edwardian age - when St Neots itself was a popular riverside holiday spot, Museum will hold an exhibition particularly for Londoners - they about ....Summer Holidays. enjoyed railway outings to seaside The exhibition called ‘What We resorts like Yarmouth and Skegness Did On Our Holidays’, will include in the years in-between the two World photographs, information and objects Wars. connected with the summer holidays The exhibition will feature family or a vivid memory of a past holiday enjoyed by our parents, grandparents camping and caravanning holidays experience, just contact Anna Mercer, and great-grandparents. in the 50s and 60s (even in the rain), the Museum Curator, on 01480 donkey rides on the beach and fish 388921. and chips, until the era of foreign Throughout the summer holidays package holidays began and seriously there will be family activities linked to dented the ‘Great British Holiday’. a holiday theme every Friday - from The museum has been collecting making a windmill toy to mixing a information and exhibits from local holiday soundtrack. people to help create the exhibition. There is no need to book. It is still not too late to include your Pick up a leaflet from the museum items and memories. If you have for full details, or check out the something to contribute - whether museum’s website on its an old holiday postcard, seaside www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk souvenir, photo from the family album

June 2011 Priorities 3 Business As Usual at the Historic 18th Century Cross Keys Mews

In the days when the fastest mode of travel was on horseback, or by horse-drawn coach, there were many coaching inns and hostelries in St Neots. Due to its prominent position on the Great North Road, one of the most important coaching inns was The Cross Keys which still retains today a great deal of its 18th Century brick facade. Approximately twenty five years ago the old Cross Keys Paul said that he was ‘very confident and happy’ with the Hotel and courtyard was given a new lease of life when it location of Goldstraw Jewellers in the Cross Keys Mews. was converted and developed into what has now become a bustling, diverse shopping thoroughfare which gives Shop proprietor Barry Hamilton, whose shop sells a huge shoppers access from Priory Lane - near Waitrose and range of grocery items, flowers and plants, has been its busy car park - straight through into the town’s High located in the mews since 1986 - and was one of the first Street. to move into a shopping unit when they were brand-new. Barry, who moved his green grocery business from the Old The shopping mews has more than a dozen retail outlets Arcade which used to be located nearby in the High Street, which offer a large variety of services ranging from said that naturally there had been a change of tenancy hairdressers, tattoo parlour, sweet shop,lingerie shop and over the years but he had always been very happy and much, much more. contented to stay in the mews. He said: “We have lots of traffic through which is good for business. There are really Paul Goldstraw, proprietor of Goldstraw Jewellers, said not many small places available around here and anyway, he had been happily conducting business in Cross Keys units in the High Street are more expensive.” Mews for 12 years. He pointed out that the important walkway has done a great deal to help create the thriving, So although the sight of coaches discharging weary and retail community that exists in the mews today. He said: thirsty travellers and the sound of clattering hooves in the “The walkway has ensured there is a constant flow of courtyard has long ceased to be, the transformation of the customers and potential customers walking past our Cross Keys has ensured it continues to this day to be an shops. Obviously this is good for business.” important centre of enterprise and retail in St Neots. Tourism Award for Barretts

At their Annual General Meeting early in May, the Association for Tourism (HAT) announced two tourism awards were going to St Neots- based businesses. The committee unanimously agreed that the HAT trophy, awarded annually to a non-member business for their contribution to local tourism, should go to top High Street store, Barretts. new look for boots A brochure display, owned and managed by HAT to help distribute It happened so quickly that customers hardly had time to notice! literature about local attractions and accommodation providers, has a prominent site in the store, which has been particularly helpful since the The recent refit at Boots in St Neots High Street was completed within one week to ensure closure of the St Neots Tourism Information Centre. there was little disruption to customers. The main reasons for the refit was threefold. Also presented at the AGM was the Wyvern Staley Grace Award to The new-look store features a larger dispensary with more customer-facing points - Janice Thompson of New Found Place in Southoe, - a four star gold making the service more personal - which is designed to speed up time in completing and self catering development - for her excellent work producing the collecting prescriptions, also a larger fragrance range and new tills. association’s new website www.huntingdon-accommodation.org.uk in Since November 2009 the store has been open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday and association with local firm, Blue Prawn. 10am to 4pm on Sunday, enabling the store to give a better service to the community for In view of Huntingdonshire District Council’s staffing cuts, the pharmacy service - from pharmacy prescriptions to advice, including medicine check up association has agreed for this year to handle all tourism enquiries going reviews. Boots also offer a repeat prescription service where medicines are in-store ready to the HDC call centre and these are now being forwarded on. and waiting to be collected. The new-look store was launched by retired pharmacist, Mrs Christine Reedy, who was a 4 Priorities June 2011 pharmacist at Boots for many years and store manager, Paul Seaton. Business As Usual at the Historic 18th Century Cross Keys Mews

The Cross Keys Hotel before renovation to The Cross Keys Mews

The Cross Keys Mews as it is today with more than a dozen retail outlets offering a great range of products.

Action on Retail Crime

At the end of 2011 the Retail Club did a Business Confidence Survey in the Town Centre that referred to a seemingly disturbing level of shop lifting and some vandalism. With the number of returns it was only a snap shot and the question was one of many others about the economic situation for retailers. Business Confidence was only one of 12 parameters but the whole report was sent to our local Police Sector Commander, Inspector Mark Greenhalgh. The latest police statistics, received from Inspector Greenhalgh, do show an increase in retail crime, up 21% but the success rate in detecting these offences has also increased from 35% to 47%. new look for boots The period covered recorded 66 thefts from shops. The Police have just produced a new guide on dealing with shoplifting. It happened so quickly that customers hardly had time to notice! This aims to make a store or shop a less attractive target through staff The recent refit at Boots in St Neots High Street was completed within one week to ensure training and best practice to safeguard the more expensive merchandise. there was little disruption to customers. The main reasons for the refit was threefold. It lists the tell-tale signs for recognising suspicious behaviour by The new-look store features a larger dispensary with more customer-facing points - an individual or groups working together - for example creating a making the service more personal - which is designed to speed up time in completing and distraction. Lastly it advices how to react if you suspect an offence is collecting prescriptions, also a larger fragrance range and new tills. about to be committed and how to act after the offence, which is often the most difficult decision while the police have yet to arrive. Since November 2009 the store has been open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, enabling the store to give a better service to the community for Inspector Greenhalgh will be working with the HBAC (Hunts Business pharmacy service - from pharmacy prescriptions to advice, including medicine check up Against Crime) and their new Co-ordinator, Hannah Hancock, to bring reviews. Boots also offer a repeat prescription service where medicines are in-store ready this guide to the attention of local retailers. The Initiative and its Retail and waiting to be collected. Club will support this process. The new-look store was launched by retired pharmacist, Mrs Christine Reedy, who was a pharmacist at Boots for many years and store manager, Paul Seaton. June 2011 Priorities 5 The Giant Returns The Eynesbury Giant returned on the day the Eynesbury Village Association (EVA) held their second St Georges Day event on Eynesbury Green. With roundabouts, children’s corner stall and a rock group - there was something for everyone to enjoy. The focus of the day’s event was the Eynesbury Giant - alias stilt walker Adrian - however James Toller was one inch taller. Adrian’s appearance gave everyone, especially the children, the experience on just how tall he actually was. The association say they wish to thank the 1st Neots Scout Group who volunteered to erect and dismantle the marquee and also Tesco for support and sponsorship which extends to their other activities, enabling them to provide affordable entertainment and a community voice with their newsletter. • EVA will hold their next community safety evening on June 20 at 7.30pm at the Church Walk Day Centre where representatives from local agencies will be present to answer and discuss problems and concerns residents may have. All Eynesbury residents are welcome. • Throughout the year, the association will organise social events, table top and craft sales and an intergenerational meeting. Full details of village happenings can be found on their website eynesburyvillageassociation.org

Share A Journey

Fed up of forking out - what seems these days - a small fortune in fuel to get to and from work? Well, now you have the opportunity to cut the cost to your purse or wallet.

The free care-sharing service is a Why should you share a car? There are three good reasons. website provided by • You save money: When you car share with someone you agree how you will County Council and the Travel for split fuel costs. Work Partnership called CamShare. It allows you to search for other • Meet people in your community: It is a perfect opportunity to meet new people around your area who make people, and with over 2,800 members registered with the free online service, similar journeys. you are likely to find a car sharer nearby. Car sharing refers to two or more • Help your local environment: Everyday there are 10 million empty seats on the people sharing a car journey, rather UK’s roads. Car sharing means fewer cars on the roads, less air pollution and than driving their own individual a healthier community. cars. With car sharing you have prior To join Cambridgeshire’s very own free car sharing service, simply register arrangements on how to share the your journey on camshare.co.uk and contact those people in St Neots and journey’s cost and how to share surrounding area who share the same journey as you. driving responsibility. You can arrange to car share as little or as often as Pictured are Damian Hemmings (Climate Change Team Leader) you like. and Amy Jones (Business Manager).

6 Priorities June 2011 The Lost Archaeological Landscape of St Neots Mark is the manager of Pre-Construct Archaeology’s Central Office near Cambridge, www.pre-construct.com and Conference Secretary for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society www.camantsoc.org When I first began excavating in St Neots over a decade ago it was well known that the history of the modern town could be traced back to the 10th century AD when a small Saxon monastery was founded near to an ancient river crossing in what was then the parish of Eynesbury. The monastery and later town took its current name from the bones of St Neot, which had been acquired by the local monks. The town went from strength to strength developing considerably since the late 19th century with a very rapid expansion of the built environment post 1950 which is continuing today. The archaeology of the town was also fairly well known thanks in large part to the work of Peter Addyman in the 1960’s who went on to achieve more widespread recognition through his work with the Jorvik Viking Centre in York. My own work in the area which involves checking new development sites for ancient remains and recording them before they get built on had less than promising beginnings. Whilst the history and archaeology of the old town were considered highly important it had long been held that the ‘cold clay lands’ away from the banks of the River Ouse were inhospitable and largely uninhabited. Some of this ‘clay’ land next to the Station was being considered for housing and a new school. The local countryside was thought to owe its appearance to the post enclosure agricultural activities of Adam Love, who set up a farm there in the 1770’s, and his contemporaries. Consequently, when I was asked to evaluate the area the likelihood of finding anything interesting seemed fairly remote but then archaeology always has a tendency to crop up in the most unlikely places and this was certainly the case at Love’s Farm. The Loves Farm archaeological programme, commissioned and funded by the developers Gallagher Estates, eventually became the largest and one Picture supplied by Mark Hinman Picture of the most important excavations in the region. We found the extensive remains of an agricultural community that had occupied the site for over 700 years from around 200BC to at least 6th century AD. From the scattered farmsteads of the Iron Age through the enclosed settlements of the Romano-British period and on into the Early Saxon period successive generations lived on this land, improving drainage, growing new crops, managing livestock, adding enclosures, buildings, roads (yes the Cambridge Road is over 2000 years old!) and monuments. We now know that the ancient St Neots countryside was once more densely populated than it is today and certainly not a barren empty wilderness as previously thought. Perhaps even more surprisingly we now know that farmers such as Adam Love did not inherit a blank canvas but rather worked within that ancient landscape maintaining and preserving elements of ancient field systems and track ways some of which may be thousands of years old but can still be seen today now that we know where to look. These fundamental changes in our understanding have implications that extend well beyond the St Neots area and are now making us review much that we thought that we knew about the past. This work has served to highlight current gaps in our knowledge and is helping us to restore the forgotten past of the Cambridgeshire clay lands. Mark Hinman, May 2011

June 2011 Priorities 7

Who to contact at the What’s On At The Priory Centre in 2011 Ricky Valance performs some of his famous hits St Neots Town Council including ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’ and many more. Friday 24th June @ 7.30pm. WARD COUNCILLORS Tickets £7.00 Family £25.00

Eaton Ford PRIORY PARK The fantastic St Neots based Motown / 70’s Bob Farrer Robina Hooper 10 piece Soul Band return to The Priory Centre by 151a Crosshall Court, Eaton Ford, 32a Market Square, popular demand. Get your tickets early as this will St Neots, Cambs PE19 7GB St Neots, Cambs PE19 2AF undoubtably be a sell out! 01480 404014 / 07710 335848 07915 072162 Friday 1st July Doors 8pm. Tickets £10.00 [email protected] [email protected] David Harty Brian Allen Mad About the Musicals. 10 Sambar Close, Eaton Socon, 21 Childs Pond Road, An extravaganza of showstoppers from the very St Neots, Cambs PE19 8QG St Neots, Cambs PE19 1TU best West End & Broadway musicals. 01480 477202 07902 929754 Friday 7th October @ 7.30pm. Tickets £15.00 [email protected] [email protected] Colin Thompson Barry Chapman 28 Cornwall Court, Eaton Socon, 6 Kipling Place, Eaton Ford, The Nutcracker centres around Clara and her St Neots, Cambs PE19 8PR St Neots, Cambs PE19 7RG nutcracker doll, which magically transforms into a 01480 477401 01480 212540 / 07050 374217 princely soldier. [email protected] [email protected] Wednesday 16th November @ 7.30pm. Graham Welton Ian Gardener Tickets £18.50, £14.50 & £9.50 17 Lottings Way, Eaton Ford, 5 Haycraft Close, Grafham, St Neots, Cambs PE19 7QX Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 0GA 07732 131563 07970 613498 Christmas 2011 [email protected] [email protected] Bring your party to our party! Neal Weston St Neots East 3 Green Gables, Eaton Ford, The Priory Centre St Neots is St Neots, Cambs PE19 7SL Carl Jones pleased to announce its Christmas Parties 2011 01480 403495 63 Lannesbury Crescent, [email protected] St Neots, Cambs PE19 6AG However large or small your group, these nights 07771 802566 allow you to celebrate the festivities with your [email protected] colleagues and friends in style. If you would Eaton SOCON prefer, you can hire our facilities exclusively for Stephen Davison Council Offices, The Priory, your own party. Our location in the heart of 31 Viceroy Close, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, Cambs PE19 2BH St Neots reduces the need for anyone to drive. St Neots, Cambs PE19 8DG [email protected] www.stneots-tc.gov.uk Whilst Christmas 2011 may feel a long way off 07752 264983 these evenings are hugely popular so call us [email protected] Town Clerk now for more information Christopher Duck Helen King 01480 388911 2 Anson Place, Eaton Socon, Finance Officer Peter Edwards 01480 388912 DATES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT DECEMBER St Neots, Cambs PE19 8NH Friday 2nd Saturday 3rd Monday 5th Wednesday 7th 01480 210740 / 07980 668070 Operations Manager Friday 9th Friday 16th Saturday 17th Tuesday 20th [email protected] Kevin Matthews 01480 407774 Office Manager Roger Harrison For more details and to book tickets - Tel: 01480 388922 55 Bushmead Road, Eaton Socon, Donna Cooke 01480 388916 www.thepriorycentre.co.uk - Email: [email protected] St Neots, Cambs PE19 8GQ Mayor’s Secretary/Admin 07717 666238 Assistant If you would like to be notified of forth coming events, [email protected] Karen Pollecutt 01480 388911 please email us to be added to our database. Andrew Jennings 3 Green Gables, Eaton Ford, Office Hours: THE PRIORY CENTRE, PRIORY LANE, St Neots, Cambs PE19 7SL 9am – 1pm & 2pm – 5pm Monday to Thursday, 01480 403495 9am – 1pm & 2pm – 4.30pm Friday ST NEOTS, CAMBS PE19 2BH Bands In The Park St Neots Riverside Park, St Neots Sunday 12th June 2011 Cottenham Brass June and July 2011 27th and 28th August 2.30pm to 4.30pm Sunday 26th June 2011 Bank Holiday Weekend Saxology Free music for all to enjoy, St Neots Riverside Park so why not bring the family and make Sunday 10th July 2011 Split Whiskers To volunteer to take part, a day of it! either as a stage performer In case of wet weather the Concerts will be held in Sunday 17th July 2011 or to reserve a pitch to sell the Priory Centre, Priory Lane, St Neots PE19 2BH City of Peterborough Band goods or publicise your charity, please contact Sunday 24th July St Neots Town Council St Neots Big Band on 01480 388911, [email protected] For further information, or write to the contact St Neots Town Council on Council Offices, The Priory, 01480 388911 St Neots, Cambs PE19 2BH

8 Priorities June 2011