Issue 430 Mar 2021 Now reaching 3500 people every month Sharing the Joy of Art Folksworth Art Club continue to brighten up our days by sharing their latest paintings. Thanks to Terry Francis for this painting of Washingley Junction. CAN NO-ONE SAVE IT? A BEDTIME STORY P4 FOR LOCKDOWN P10 P3 ARE YOU READY P12 TO BE COUNTED? THE FINAL CHAPTER INCORPORATING FOLKLORE, FOR READERS IN FOLKSWORTH AND THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES SCAN 430 Mar 2021 SCAN is published by The Stilton Community Association. All articles, original artwork and the SCAN name and logo are copyright. All trade marks recognised. Views of contributors are not necessarily endorsed by The Stilton Community Association. Advertising: Production: Distribution: Christine Kime 243336 Kelvin Davis 244140 Tony Edwards 241232 Advertising Rates: Monthly Annual Full page: £45 £495 19 x 12.7 cm Half page: £30 £330 9 x 12.7 cm landscape - 19 x 6 cm portrait 1/3 page: £20 £220 6 x 12.7 cm landscape - 12.5 x 6 cm portrait 1/6 page: £10 £110 6 x 6 cm All advertising copy or instructions to the Advertising Manager by 10th of month prior to publication. Payment in advance to Stilton Community Association - NO PAY, NO DISPLAY! Advertisement orders MUST be accompanied by the advertiser’s name, address and telephone number. We recommend you use the order form on www.stilton.org/village-life/scan/advertising-in-scan/ All other copy to the Production Manager, 15 Walnut Way, Stilton by 14th of month prior to publication. Digital material in a neutral PC format please. email: [email protected] Printed by clanpress www.clanpress.co.uk Index to Advertisers Grey Bin Days: Category Service Page Mon 8th, 22nd March; Retail Furnishings 27 5th April Pharmacy 22 Health & Exercise 28 Garden Bin Days: Fitness Foot care 30, 31 Fri 5th, 19th March; Pet care 31 2nd April Financial Accountancy / Payroll 31 Personal Hair & Beauty 31 Recycling Bins: Counselling 26 Mon 1st, 15th, 29th March; Trades Building services 25, 29, 30, 12th April 31 Conservatories 27 www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins Heating / Plumbing 25, 28, 30 Electrical / TV 25 To book a slot at Alconbury Garden services 29 recycling depot, go to Removals 26 www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Recycling 25 or call 0345 045 5207 Vehicle services 32 Professional Architect / Civils 25 Funeral services 29 2 Shop local! And be sure to tell our advertisers you found them in SCAN. SCAN 430 Mar 2021 The Parish Pump Local News Good News, Bad News AND TIME TO BE COUNTED We’ve always felt that a newsletter like SCAN should emphasise the positive aspects of community life. So it comes as a wrench to March 21st is Census Day, so look out for have to report on the sad demise of Stilton information dropping on your doormat soon. Playgroup - see page 4. Let’s hope this encourages a few readers to rise to the Run by the Office for National Statistics opportunity. (ONS), census data helps government and business planners provide the services we Similarly, we were pained to report last need. month on the ill-feeling engendered in the village by the Parish Council’s actions Census 2021 is a digital-first census, so you regarding the planned Children’s Play Park. will be able to complete it using your mobile We print on page 5 the PC’s response to it phone, laptop or tablet. You’ll get an access and leave it to the reader to judge whether code in the post. or not this answers the concerns expressed. SCAN has no skin in this particular game. You must complete the census by law. If you don’t, or if you supply false information, But it’s not all bad news this month. Perhaps you could be fined up to £1,000. most significant is the rolling out of the Covid jab. Not only a national success story, For more about Census 2021, visit but a local one as well. The operation at https://census.gov.uk/ Stanground surgery - ably supported by volunteers including a few from Stilton - has been as slick as a greased weasel. It’s amazing how a community can respond to a challenge. Well done everybody! Contributors ! We want your material! And just when you thought there was nothing more to be said about the A14 For SCAN, email [email protected] project, we learn that its archaeology or call Kelvin on (01733) 244140 continues to reveal fascinating insights into our region’s history. See page 13. For Folklore, email to Sarah Abbott at [email protected] or call her on (01733) 247275 Shop local! And be sure to tell our advertisers you found them in SCAN. 3 SCAN 430 Mar 2021 Stilton Culture Is This The End? WILL NOBODY SAVE PLAYGROUP? Stilton Playgroup has for many years been without the in-depth support that such work one of the ‘jewels in the crown’ of the requires she was fighting the long defeat. village. No doubt many younger readers will have fond personal memories of it and many So is Playgroup now utterly extinct? It casts mums will have cause to be grateful for the Stilton in a poor light that a community of start it gave their youngsters. this size - and growing - cannot muster enough support to sustain an important So it came as a shock to learn that, despite village asset with such a long history of strenuous efforts by dedicated volunteers, excellence. Children are now having to go Playgroup has had to close its doors. The to Folksworth Playgroup, which is certainly toys are sold, the buildings revert to the a very successful facility but is less school and the final accounts are being convenient for Stilton parents and submitted to the Charities Commission. presumably will run out of capacity at some point. It also doesn’t enjoy the close physical Many pressures created a ‘perfect storm’ of proximity to Stilton School which has difficulties. Perhaps the worst - and most fostered our children’s smooth transition surprising - has been the inability to recruit into formal education. a Manager, despite advertising extensively. Playgroups rely heavily on volunteers, but If as a community we don’t rise to this, a professional Manager is essential to their Playgroup may never be resurrected. It’s a maintaining OFSTED approval. tragedy that decades of dedicated effort by people like Leslie Kirk and generations of Volunteering also involves sustained young mums should come to such a sad end. commitment - it’s not just running the What’s worse, we’re letting down the next annual Santa sleigh - and here too it proved generation of Stilton children. impossible to attract enough enthusiastic and willing hands. Playgroup needs five So come on Stilton! The Covid experience active trustees in order to operate and for has shown just how well residents can come various personal reasons many of the current together to overcome challenges, so surely team were stepping down. Lucy Andrews - we can raise enough steam to keep a who has two young children of her own to Playgroup alive and thriving? keep her busy - stepped up to take on the Chairman role and has been diligent in dealing with many important issues, but 4 Shop local! And be sure to tell our advertisers you found them in SCAN. SCAN 430 Mar 2021 Parish Council News ABOUT BEING ON THE PARISH COUNCIL Council felt it would be good to share some The Play Park must be completed by the facts about being ‘on the Council’, writes end of September 2021 or the £37,500 grant Olive Leonard. must be returned to the grant providers (a condition of the grant award). The original Parish Councillors are elected by a formal completion date was 31st March 2021 but, statutory process, either by Local Elections because of Covid-19, Council managed to (some were elected in 2018) or by Co- get an extension until 30th September 2021. Option. Both are deemed to be elected positions. Co-option candidates must meet At the 5th January Meeting it was apparent certain criteria, and are bound in law to abide that we would be highly unlikely to meet by prescribed rules. You can’t simply turn the deadline to put the Play Park on Gala up, or apply, to become a councillor. Close. The Parish Council did not own the site and despite our efforts to do so we were All Stilton Parish Councillors live within not confident that the purchase, planning the prescribed area, which includes areas permission and installation could be done outside the village. The implication, in a in time. The clock was ticking. Time was February SCAN article, that councillors living running out. outside the village were not entitled to be councillors, was wrong. The only suitable land to enable the Play Park to be built in time is the Pavilion (where Council meetings have to be called, it was originally planned to be when the advertised and have a published agenda. Pavilion was built). It has since been agreed There are regular Full Council Meetings (in to put the Play Park there. The Parish Stilton this is usually once a month). Council will not commit to spending any Councillors are summoned to meetings and money until they are certain the completion it is their duty to attend. If an urgent matter date can be met. Council is governed by its cannot wait until the next meeting the Financial Regulations and is subject to audit. Chairman calls an Extraordinary Meeting. By law this must also be called, advertised The Parish Council website is the source and have an agenda published, just like the where residents should obtain information meeting on 5th January 2021.