HOUGHTON CONQUEST Village Newsletter

October 2020

All the latest news, events and reports for our Village inside……. HOUGHTON CONQUEST PARISH COUNCIL

Members

PCllr Sue Beaumont PCllr Brian Blackall PCllr Peter Bullock (Vice Chair) PCllr Mark Dobson PCllr Tracey Fry PCllr Bec Hares (UCllr) PCllr Liz Lovell (Chair) PCllr Bryn Whitaker

Committees, Working Parties and Appointed Representatives

Highways PCllr Fry Planning Sub-Committee PCllrs Beaumont, Blackall Bullock,Dobson & Whittaker Village Hall PCllrs Bullock Play Area PCllrs Dobson Sports Field PCllrs Blackall Allotments PCllr Lovell School Liaison E Thompson

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 2 Police Liaison PCllr Beaumont Tree Warden Vacancy Newsletter PCllrs Bullock & Fry Community Facebook PCllr Fry Website Parish Clerk United Charities PCllr S Beaumont Covanta/BACI/Millbrook Power P Rolfe Climate Change Champion R Blevins

Parish Council Clerk – Gill Wiggs Tel: 01234 270016 [email protected]

All correspondence should be forwarded to the Clerk to the Parish Council: Gill Wiggs, 10 Parklands, MK41 9LZ The Parish Council usually meets on the second Thursday of the month except August & December, in the Village Hall committee room at 7.30pm. Parishioners are invited to attend the meetings and time is allocated for them to address the council. Central Councillor: Bec Hares T: 01234 742542 E: [email protected] If you have a matter you wish to draw to the attention of the Parish Council, you can contact any Councillor, write to the Clerk, or attend a meeting. If you wish to speak to the Council please notify the clerk or the chairman before the meeting, so that you can speak during the time allotted.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 3

Please note that the closing date for insertion of copy into the December 2020 issue of The Houghton Conquest Village Newsletter is 21st November 2020

You may send copy c/o Clerk to the Parish Council: Gill Wiggs, 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ or send it by email to: [email protected] with ‘Village Newsletter’ as the subject All contributions are welcome but are subject to

Place your advertisement here For a reasonable payment to Houghton Conquest Parish Council you can reach the entire Village every two months.

Copy may be emailed to [email protected] or posted to Gill Wiggs, Clerk to the Parish Council, 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ

Payments to Houghton Conquest Parish Council please

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 4 Parish Council Updates

Chair’s Report

Hi Everyone,

As we head into Autumn leaving the Summer sunshine behind we continue to adjust to our new normal. I am sure that parents are relieved and happy that the children have returned to school. No-one can be sure of what the future holds and with the threat of a return to stricter restrictions we all need to be flexible and look out for others in our community.

Your Parish Council is continuing to meet via Zoom and as ever you are all welcome to join us. The Zoom codes are published on the agenda on the noticeboard outside the Village shop and on the Houghton Conquest Parish Council website. Since my last update two Parish Councillors have resigned leaving two spaces to be filled. We would like to thank Hayley Quinn and Jason Lay for their hard work whilst they were on the Council and for their kind offers of further help in the future. All expressions of interest should be sent to Gill Wiggs. [email protected] or 10 Park Lands, Bedford, MK41 9LZ.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 5 Hayley was heading up the project for the Town Well restoration. Most of the villagers who expressed an opinion on the well felt that it should simply be repaired as is and not rebuilt in a style unsuited to the Village. It was therefore agreed that it would be made good in keeping with the design agreed by the original Parish Council decision made many years ago. This is work is due to commence in the near future.

Jason was our sports field representative and he has handed this daunting task over to PCllr Blackall who has made an enthusiastic start and has some interesting ideas for how we can increase use of the field. Unfortunately the refurbishment of the Pavilion has again been hit by vandalism which has resulted in another bill for repairs which must be paid out of the money every villager pays towards Parish Council finances. He is also engaged with the ongoing struggle to keep the area litter free and safe for people using the facilities. We are also looking to increase the level of maintenance on the field and surrounding hedges. Any ideas for ways to increase the use of the field would be gratefully received.

PCllr Fry continues to monitor our highways and chase repairs on your behalf. Any issues just let us know. You will have noticed that our new Speed Indicator Device has been installed and is rewarding you all with a smiley face. Thank you for the mainly positive comments we have received. We have ordered a further two devices which we will be installing in due course. Hopefully this wider coverage will provide more comprehensive data on patterns of speeding in the Village.

Looking to the future –

After the success of last year the siting of the additional Christmas lights has been agreed. There will be an extra 27 street column lights which includes 3 at How End.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 6 Christmas seems a long time away but as the days get shorter and we move towards Winter it would be nice to think that we are still looking out for the vulnerable, elderly or lonely members of our community. The Village pulled together during lock down and I would like to think that we can maintain that in these difficult times. If you need help over the coming months feel free to contact our volunteers on [email protected] or call Houghton Conquest Care on 07969 982 970

Stay Safe

Warm regards

Liz

Upcoming Parish Council Meetings The next few council meetings may or may not be held in person and we will be reliant on using Zoom and email in order to conduct Parish Council business. Should you wish to raise anything with the Council, please direct your question to the The Clerk, Gill Wiggs via email [email protected] or by post c/o 10 Parklands, Bedford MK41 9LZ

The Chair’s newsletter is intended to provide a general update. Agendas and approved minutes can be viewed on the Parish Council website www.houghtonconquest-pc.gov.uk

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 7 POLICE LIAISON REPORT September 2020

After several months with little to discuss, it is unfortunate that this report reflects a rise in criminal and anti-social behaviour, linked, it would appear, to the easing of the lockdown.

Over the past month, there have This Photo by Unknown Author been a number of reported burglaries, involving outhouses etc. The police reiterate their advice to secure all outbuildings with locks/alarms etc and remove all valuables for cars and sheds etc. Locking cars and garages makes a difference!

Recently, the Sports Pavilion was broken into, with the kitchen door being damaged. There was a strong smell of cannabis inside. There have been reports of both cannabis use and dealing in the vicinity of the Village Hall. Where the location used to be behind the V Hall, it now appears that dealing is occurring around the footway in Victoria Drive. I urge all residents, who observe such behaviour, to report it to the police. The more reports received, the better the police are able to log patterns of behaviour.

Two more concerning reports have, I believe, surfaced on Facebook. One involved a search for a young boy, allegedly, carrying a knife. The other was about camping and barbecues in Kings Wood.

Fortunately, the search for the young boy was negative, with no grounds for concern and there was some question about whether this knife was, in fact, a toy. Re: the second matter, camping is, of course, not allowed in Kings Wood and barbecues/lighting of fires prohibited. The thought of an out of control fire occurring in the woods, during a particularly dry season, is horrifying. It is vital, therefore, that any concerns are reported immediately.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 8 In the event of a further lockdown or ‘circuit breaker’ it will behove us all to be good neighbours and act considerately to others. The Met Police publish sound advice on antisocial behaviour, covering personal antisocial behaviour, nuisance antisocial behaviour and environmental antisocial behaviour. Bedfordshire Police continue to advise that all such behaviour to be reported, either on line or by 101. https-//www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/ asb/antisocial-behaviour/what-is-antisocial-behaviour/ www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report

Let’s work to restore Houghton Conquest to the village it was a few months ago.

PCllr Sue Beaumont

Highways Issues

To report any highways matter to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), log in to the following website http:// centralbedfordshire.gov.uk and follow the instructions

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 9

All Saints Church

Rector: The Rev'd Stephen Toze 01234 740423 Assistant Minister: The Rev'd Roger White Reader: Mr. Robert Heley 01234 740927 Wardens: Margaret Tyler – 01234 740964 Pearl Tompkins – 01234 741958 Services: Sunday Eucharist - 9:30a.m. Family Service - First Sunday of the month at 9:30am (With effect from Sunday, 16th August, regulations permitting)

Church Social/ Fundraising committee Margaret Tyler 740964 Brenda Hartley 740482

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 10 Church Roof and other Issues

Hello again everyone,

I hope a good few of you have been able to keep up with any information on the church via the Church and Houghton Online facebook pages.

For those of you without that access here is a very short resumé as not much has happened:

Main Roof: We are still awaiting the go ahead from Local Planning and Historic to get the roof finished

Scarecrow Trail: The Scarecrow competition is Saturday 3rd October. Entries are a bit slow! Come on and get your entries in. Deliver forms to me at 23, Victoria Drive. No theme, just use your imagination!! Have fun!

On the same day We are also collecting items for the Food Bank; and good quality, clean Clothing, Books DVDs, CDs for the church. As we now have a scheme where we can get these things collected for reuse and recycling. See info on Facebook groups.

BINS: I know I often have a little rant about this but can I just reiterate for those using the churchyard and tending family graves.

The BLACK bin is for Non-Recyclable rubbish only! (This includes flower pots, film wrap from bunches of flowers and artificial flowers)

The Green-Lidded Bin is for recyclable DRY rubbish only (Paper, Cans, Plastic Bottles, Cardboard).

Green waste ( flowerpot contents, flowers, grass soil etc) at present go on the compost heap in the North west corner of the

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 11 churchyard (near the Grange) but, to make it easier we should soon have a GREEN BIN for these items.

I hope that’s clear as I am fed up of delving in the bins and sorting out all the waste on a regular basis.

Church Yard Care and Nature: There seems to have been a fair discussion about who looks after which bit of the churchyard. The old church yard is kindly looked after by Chris Robertson, who keeps it tidy with regard for the wildflowers that keep our insects going. The New Churchyard is mown (along with the other village green space) by the Parish Council. For a while after it was opened this was kept mown by a local resident, until he became too ill. The present situation is quite a rough cut each month with no attention to detail, as it were. Perhaps someone could take on this bit in a more local way if the council is amenable? I have always pressed for some areas of the church yard and the village verges to be managed as Wild Flower meadows to increase our biodiversity. Church yards, particularly, can be a big help in this as they often contain rare plants and ours also supports some Little Owls. You have doubtless seen the information, in the media and from David Attenborough’s latest broadcast just last week, of the parlous state of our wildlife at home and worldwide. Locally we can do our little bit to help birds and insects and mammals. Hedgehogs (down some 90% in the last 20 years) are a case in point. How about checking in with your neighbours and making sure you all have 13cmx13cm holes in your fences to link your gardens for hedgehogs to roam and eat your slugs and snails! If you’re living in a building site ask the developers if they’d put them in as they go. If anyone would like to get together to discuss the possibility of a ‘Re-Wilding’ group in the village then let me know. I’ll get off my soap box, as I’ve rambled on a bit but if you’ve enjoyed the pleasure of our local walks and wildlife during lockdown I’m sure you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Spread the word.

Please check posters and Facebook page for further information and events.

Best Wishes, Gary Mudd (01234 741871)

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 12 Houghton Conquest Charities

GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES Houghton Conquest Charities owns the land the Village Hall stands on. The rent paid by the village hall enables this charity to give grants for educational purposes. Residents of the parochial Parish of Houghton Conquest who may benefit from a grant are encouraged to come forward and make an application. Grants are also available to village organisations for educational purposes, and age is not a restriction.

Some idea as to what we can give grants for are listed below, however any real educational need will be considered. • Books or computer equipment for university, college or further education • Help with university or college fees • Outward bound or similar courses • Tall ships or Jubilee sailing trust • DOE or similar • Sporting activities • School trips Application forms are on the Parish Council website and once completed should be returned to 23 Victoria Drive. (www.houghtonconquest-pc.gov.uk) Houghton Conquest Charities incorporating The Clerke & Wilde Educational Foundation Charity no. 307480

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 13 Village Clubs, Organisations & Events, etc.

Village Hall Regular Events

MANY OF THESE ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING HELD OWING TO THE COVID-19 VIRUS, BUT ARE LISTED BELOW FOR FUTURE REFERENCE:

Weekly

Monday Indoor Bowls 2pm to 4pm

Whist 7:45pm Tuesday Line Dancers 10am to 12:30pm

Brownies 6:15pm to 7:30pm

Rainbows 6:15pm to 7:15pm

Wednesday Yoga 9am to 10am

Thursday Line Dancers 10am to 12:30pm

Novice Line Dancers 1pm to 2pm

Houghton Pioneers 5.30pm to 6.45pm

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 14 Friday Toddler Sense 9:45 am and 11 am

Indoor Bowls 2pm to 4pm

Qi Kwan Do 7pm to 8pm

Monthly

1st Wednesday Art Group 7:30pm to 9:30pm

1st Thursday WI 7:30pm to 10pm

1st Friday Quiz Night 8:30pm

2nd Tuesday Garden Club 8pm to 10pm

2nd Thursday Parish Council (Committee 7:30pm Room)

3rd Wednesday Art Group 7:30pm to 9:30pm

3rd Thursday Village Hall Management 7:30pm Committee

3rd Friday Family Night 8:30pm

Last Thursday BINGO 7:30pm to 10:00pm

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 15

To Book Contact: IF YOU ARE PLANNING Mrs Christine Dean A ONE-OFF EVENT OR 01234 741 182 REGULAR MEETING. [email protected] DON’T DELAY AND BOOK TODAY.

• Run by volunteers for the benefit of the villagers. Hire charges are very reasonable with varying rates for day, evening and weekend, with residents getting preferential rates.

• Fully equipped kitchen

• Licensed bar with air conditioning at £25 hire charge

• Large hall including stage area with curtains

• Small committee room and lounge area

• Large car park

Village Notice Boards

If you would like to put notices in our boards, please: • Hand them in to Houghton Conquest village shop. • We have 5 noticeboards, so please provide 5 x A5 copies to ensure a copy goes in each board. Regrettably, we cannot accept larger than A5 due to limited space.

• If you provide only one copy it will only go in one board. The choice of board will be at the discretion of the Parish Councils representative.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 16 • If you are advertising an event, please allow plenty of time, as our noticeboards are only updated once a week.

• We do not accept commercial advertising, unless it is for community activities, such as local classes. • • Space is limited, so priority will be given to local community events, & is at the discretion of the Parish Councils representative, who kindly keeps all the noticeboards up to date.

Any queries please contact Gill Wiggs on 01234 270016, [email protected]

100 Club This Photo by

September 100 Club £10 winners are: Babs Hill; Monica Manning and J. Circuit.

If you would like to join the Hundred Club or find out more about it, then please contact Carol (01234 381393) or Jackie (01234 740635)

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 17 Houghton Conquest Garden Club

We were very lucky to have a lovely warm day when we had our produce and plant sale in September. We had a lot of visitors and thank you all for supporting us.

We had a committee meeting recently, socially distancing in a garden, and it was decided that we would cancel all meetings until March next year, when we hope to hold our AGM which should have been this month.

If the produce at the sale is anything to go by then many of you have been working hard in your gardens or allotments, so keep up the good work and happy gardening.

Margaret Whalley 01234 740892

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 18 Houghton Conquest Art Society

We have been unable to meet in person, in the village hall, due to Covid restrictions. However our committee have had two meeting using zoom, a successful venture for us. Our whatapp group have continued to share our lockdown home art creations as you can see below.

We have managed to meet safely for an outdoor sketching, Sunday afternoon session in Elstow, at the stunning Moot Hall. Another outdoor meet up (with the rue of 6) at Ickwell Green is planned to practice our sketching skills. Outdoor art or Plein Air art as its known is an activity that can be enjoyed by anyone with pencil and paper, in the lovely Bedfordshire countryside with plenty of space to keep your distance from others. Why not give it a try nobody need see your creations unless you want to show them!

A tip when outdoors is to try not to paint or sketch the whole scene in front of you but capture a part of it. For example we previously spent an evening at Houghton House where some of us concentrated on a single archway way or section of brickwork, other made rough sketches plus series of photographs and notes on colour, tone and shade to refer to at home when attempting to paint a fuller scene.

The collaboration between Houghton Conquest Art Society and Bedford Writers Circle has been a great success. We now have twelve paintings by art society members overlayed with twelve story synopsis known as Haikus, from members of Bedford Writers Circle ready to be printed into a glossy 2021 callender.

The artist were each given the full story, from which to create a detailed painting.

Here is a selection of paintings created for the calendar:

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 19

Japanese Garden by Doreen Buckles, with Haiku overlaid.

Arladys Drift by Tony Brightman

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 20

The Swimmer by Karen Wilson

If you get bored at home John Broadhouse our Chairman has come up with a good family exercise above to brighten your fence.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 21

A few ideas for shells from Barbara Boxshall We hope by the next newsletter we shall be meeting as a group and sparking artistic inspiration from other members, Fingers crossed

Barbara Boxshall Publicity Manager Houghton Conquest Art Society www.houghton-conquest-art-society.co.uk

Bowls Club (Meetings currently suspended)

When the club is open again, we will let you know, but for your information carpet bowls is an easy game to play and gives you some exercise but is not too strenuous. We normally play on Monday and Friday in the afternoons in the Village Hall from 2pm till 4pm. The majority come for a good natter, a good laugh, a cup of tea and a biscuit – also a game of bowls. This costs only £2 per session. If you would like to join in, please come and give it a try.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 22 Hoghto Coquest Cae

Most of the volunteering we do is taking people to appointments at surgeries and hospitals, therefore we have had few requests for help in recent months except for prescriptions needing collection. Medical appointments are now beginning to trickle through. Many of our volunteers are unable to drive at present due to their own health status and the level of risk assessment required. As in pre- Covid days we will do our best to help but we may not be able to give the same level of support as we have done in the past. Babs Hill is still holding the mobile phone but we hope to return to the usual rota system soon. Thanks, Babs. We have three prospective volunteers awaiting their DBS checks. Please contact either of the people listed below if you are interested in joining us. In the last edition of the magazine we mentioned our AGM on October 24th at 2pm in the Village Hall. In view of the uncertain situation regarding meetings, we have decided to cancel it this year. If there is anything you would like to discuss about the Group, please contact Sue Derrick, telephone number below. If you need help, please phone 07969 982 970 and leave a message. One of our volunteers will return your call. If you require transport please try to give us at least 24 hours’ over 30 miles. Kate Smith (Honorary Secretary) 01234 740522 Sue Derrick (Acting Chair) 07886 459225 OUR PHONE NUMBER is 07969 982 970

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 23 We usually have a garden party in August when we all contribute lots of food, but this year it was decided that everyone would bring their own picnic. We had a lovely afternoon in a member’s garden, and it was so good to see everyone again.

We are not able to have our normal meetings for the foreseeable future, but as soon as things improve the committee will let all members know what will be happening. Let’s hope it’s not too far ahead and keep safe and well.

Shirley Johnson

Houghton Pioneers

Unfortunately, we are unable to say when we will be back Pioneering, but may know more in the next edition.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 24 Ramblings

That, there Parish Council

Last time, we were we back to a full complement, but we are now down two members! Hayley and Jason will be very much missed, but they have agreed to help out on an ad-hoc basis when they can.

For details of how you can apply to join, see the Chair’s report at the beginning of the newsletter.

Out of Lock-down and queuing for Circuit-breaker

As I write this, there are about 13 million subject to a new round of virus containment measures. In fact, I don’t think it alarmist to say that we are all waiting for at least some of those measures to be applied nationwide. This virus just won’t lie down.

There are many views on this ranging from fear and a wish to go back to the kind of lock-down we had by 23rd March this year; to scepticism and a need

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 25 to get back to normal, whatever the consequences and, of course, every conceivable variation in between.

I am not going to share any view I may have (definitely not brave enough!), suffice to say that Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, cases are on the rise again and there are still many vulnerable people within our society and, of course, in our village.

Schools have largely gone back in some form or another, some wholly in person and some a combination with on-line study.

Many more folk have gone back to work in a more normal manner too, however it does seem that for those who are in desk bound jobs and who have the requisite space, are likely to have home-working as a more permanent feature of their lives.

Pubs and restaurants are still, at the moment, operating, but with restrictions and registering of customers. Both the village hostelries seem to be abiding by the rules and customers on the whole are behaving themselves responsibly. Well done Village!

Many are still in the habit of taking long walks and enjoying the countryside and with just a few exceptions, respecting nature and farmers.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 26 Events

Sadly there are precious few, as most of the annual events that we have enjoyed in the village and those extra ones we have had, that commemorate more national celebrations have been cancelled.

As mentioned last time, there will be a Scarecrow Trail (details above under Church Events column and on FaceBook) on October 3rd.

As promised, we will also have more Christmas Lights this year

..and to finish

The new beech huts being installed at Stewartby Lakes

�

Stay safe and be sensible

Pete

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 27 THE GREEN PIECE

Good for the Planet, Good for Everyone

Welcome to “The Green Piece” – a place where we can share ideas on how to live a ‘greener’ life. Please send in suggestions.

How our lives have changed since my last piece written on 21st March. I sincerely hope readers and their loved ones have kept healthy, in good spirits and have managed financially during the current situation.

The early weeks of lockdown, when we had to stay local, made me appreciate even more how lucky I am to live in Houghton Conquest, with lovely and supportive neighbours and friends, my garden, Kings Wood and the Meadows to walk in and where I’ve met many new faces. Let’s try to keep up this spirit of friendliness and helping each other out.

Many commented on the peace and lack of pollution due to less road and air traffic and for some, working from home brought benefits of more time with family and avoiding a stressful commute. Some have said “I don’t want to return to ‘normal’” This time is an opportunity to re-evaluate what is precious and really important in our lives and how we want to go forward to create a more caring, fairer and more equal community.

The need to change, to fight for a Green Recovery, was brought home by David Attenborough’s “Extinction: The Facts”. It’s still available on BBC i-player and if you didn’t see it, I urge you to watch. It is scary and devastatingly sad, but everyone needs to know and face up to what is happening in the world. There’s been a 68% decline in wildlife since 1970 ie we have only 1/3 of what we had then, due to loss of habitat, climate change and poaching. Some species have always disappeared as the world evolves but the current rate of extinction is many hundreds of

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 28 times greater than normal. It’s not just a few fluffy animals out in the jungle, it’s also the insects that pollinate our food plants and feed other animals, trees providing oxygen and homes, the declining fish in the seas, even our sparrows, thrushes and skylarks are under threat of extinction and the bluebells in our woods may disappear as temperatures rise. But this dreadful loss of biodiversity can be halted if we act now. You may have seen the red kites around our skies. These were on the brink of extinction in Britain in the 70s with only 10 pairs left in Wales. Conservation action has brought their numbers back. It’ll take more than a few localised conservation projects; we need a big change in our agriculture and our over-consumption of resources due to our demand for ‘stuff’ but a sustainable lifestyle is achievable.

I hope you are thinking “Someone ought to do something about this…” Now say to yourself “I am someone”. Tell your councillors, MP and ministers your concerns.

Your garden which may have helped you ‘survive’ lockdown is hopefully home to many species. Your personal action here can make a difference. This Autumn try to resist the urge to over-tidy the entire garden. I know it’s hard but leave some dead leaves uncollected and a pile of logs for insects and invertebrates to overwinter in and some of the seed heads for the birds (and put out food this winter).. As you plan for next year, consider incorporating more bee and insect-friendly shrubs and annuals, a wild area. Please don’t create a desert of hard-standing with Astroturf or concrete. Think of the hungry birds unable to get to worms, or hedgehogs, the gardener’s friend, who will devour many slugs and pests and inadvertently protect our flowers and vegetables, unable to find food. Hedgehog numbers in the UK have declined from 30 million in 1950s to a precarious 1 million today and they are endangered. Please make sure there are gaps in your fences for hedgehogs to get through as they forage over 1km (this is now obligatory in all new-build).

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 29 Over the hill, Climate Change Group has an ambitious project planting wildflowers in selected verges around the town this Autumn. Tree planting of the Kings Wood extension should commence. Community planting days were originally planned and one hopes may still take place with appropriate distancing measures.

Want to plant some more trees easily? Switch your search engine to Ecosia (takes less than a minute) and for each search you make a tree is planted.

We all lead busy lives and it can be hard to know the greenest choices or make them all the time, but every little bit will help.

Rosalind Blevins [email protected]

Rosalind Blevins

Commercial Advertising Rates: Annual Rates = 6 Issues £10 per half page = £60 pa. £20 per page = £120 pa Published every 2 months; April to February Charged ‘pro-rata’ for the remainder of the financial year Copy may be changed subject to receipt before published cut-off dates by prior arrangement with the editor Payments to: Houghton Conquest Parish Council, c/o: Clerk to the Parish Council: Gill Wiggs, 10 Parklands,

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Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 32

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Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 33 WANTED: WORKSHOP TO RENT IN HOUGHTON CONQUEST (WITH IN 15 MILE RADIUS) Rered engineer requires workshop/barn unit, double garage size or larger to restore vintage classic car

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Media Release For immediate release 8 September 2020

Local Charity receives huge boost from National Lottery Heritage Fund

A grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund will help ensure that local environmental charity

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 34 The Greensand Trust survives and is able to continue playing a leading role in the sector in the local area.

The Greensand Trust manages many important sites across the Greensand Ridge and surrounding areas in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, including Rushmere Country Park near Leighton Buzzard and several Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Scheduled Monuments. It is a lead partner in the Greensand Country Landscape Partnership and has also developed The Working Woodlands Training and Education Centre at Wood. Alongside many similar organisations, it has been a challenge to cope with the double impact of much reduced incomes but significantly greater numbers of people using the great outdoors.

The £249,000 grant is one of the highest awarded so far through the fund, and will cover the costs of adapting sites and visitor centres to new circumstances, providing additional equipment and vehicles, day-to-day staff costs, conservation work and essential repairs to heritage features.

“We are extremely grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for this support,” said Peter Smith, Chairman of the Trustees, “it will help us not only survive but hopefully build and recover strongly. We feel it is a strong endorsement of our work in the area over the past 20 years and will help ensure we can do even more in the next 20”.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 35 Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as The Greensand Trust during this uncertain time.”

Like The Greensand Trust, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery. This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and spans the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.

Ends

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 36 Contact Details

The Greensand Trust: Carolyn Londer-Ward, Communications Manager,

Email: [email protected], tel: 01234 743666/ 07740 576956

@greensandtrust /greensandtrust /rushmerpark

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 37 Flit Vale - Wildlife Trust Local group We are offering two mini-events in the next couple of months. Groups will be limited to six in total and booking ahead is essential. Social distancing will be observed but mask wearing will be optional.

Saturday 10th October

Tree ID Walk with Colin Carpenter, Community Tree Trust Maulden Woods One session - 10.00 -12.00

Saturday 7th November

Geology Walk with Derek Turner, BNHS Geology Group Starting from Maulden Church Meadows Two sessions: 10.00-12.00 or 13.30-15.30 (if there are insufficient bookings then the two sessions will become one morning session)

Bookings: Email [email protected] or ring Ann on 07580 178889 between 6 and 8 pm or at weekends.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and NorthamptonshireRegistered charity number: 1000412www.wildlifebcn.org

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 38 A note from your Editor…

We are always happy to receive your articles/comments/ concerns/reports on events and hopefully I have included as many of these as I can. Please send more!

Contact details are as follows: Email: [email protected] A note through my letterbox at 38 Victoria Drive or call or text me on 07748 187069 Pete Bullock Editor

Please note: Whilst the cost of the Village Newsletter is kindly funded by the Parish Council, the articles in this newsletter are not necessarily the opinion of either the Parish Council or the editor. Editorial comments are completely independent of and not a reflection of the views of the Parish Council. Letters and articles for inclusion are welcomed, subject to the standard appropriate editorial control. Any questions for the Parish Council should be directed at the Clerk to the Parish Council.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 39 USEFUL CONTACTS Around the Village

ART SOCIETY Mary Rich 01234 272470 BROWNIES & RAINBOWS Laura Cullingham 07747 549531 CARE GROUP Sue Derrick 07886 459225 FRIENDS OF ALL SAINTS Carol Juffs 381393 CHURCH GARDEN CLUB Margaret Whalley 740892 HOUGHTON PIONEERS Liz Thompson 07810 298069 INDOOR BOWLS TBA VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS Christine Dean 741182 WOMENS' INSTITUTE Shirley Johnson 740265 YOGA Jules Buchanan 07584 034708

Contacts outside the Village

AIRPORT (London Luton) 01582 405100 BEDFORD HOSPITAL 01234 355122

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 40 BUSES (Grant Palmer) 01525 719719 CHURCHES C of E - Revd. Stephen Toze 01234 740423 Methodist - Rev. Silas Wood 01525 571392 D.H.S.S. - (Bedford) 01234 365155 SCHOOLS Lower School - Houghton Conquest 01234 740202 Middle - Stewartby 01234 768224 Senior - Wootton 01234 767123 Holywell School - Cranfield 01234 750381 LIBRARIES Bedford 01234 718178 Ampthill 0300 300 8053 Flitwick 0300 300 8057 ELECTRICITY (UK Power Networks) 0800 029 4285 General Enquiries ELECTRICITY (UK Power Networks) 0800 316 3105 Power Cuts or just 105 ANGLIAN WATER 08457 145145 HIGHWAYS Dept. (Helpline) 0300 300 8049 Forest of Marston Vale 01234 767037 Central Beds Council 0300 300 8000 POLICE (Emergency only!) 999

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 41 County H.Q. 01234 841212 Ampthill 101 Incidents needing non-urgent 101 response Reporting Anti-Social behaviour 101 Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

RAILWAY STATIONS Travel Enquiries 0345 748 4950 Silverline 01923 207258 Bedford station 0345 748 4950 Flitwick station 0345 748 4950

DOCTORS Ampthill - Houghton Close Surgery 01525 300898 - Oliver St Surgery 01525 631395 - Greensands Surgery 01525 631390 Kempston 01234 852222

REGISTRATION Marriage & archives 01525 403430 Births & Deaths 0300 300 8089.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 42 Should any of the above contacts be incorrect, changed or if additions are required please contact the Parish Clerk or email [email protected]. Amendments will be made in the next Issue.

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 43

Houghton Conquest Newsletter - October 2020 44