THE Brampton MAGAZINE IN THIS ISSUE The Queen’s 90th Birthday Street Party on 12th June Village Event Picnic on the Green Brampton’s New Walking Club JUNE 2016 挀 ㄀ ─ 漀û 瘀漀甀挀栀攀爀 瘀愀氀椀搀 䨀甀渀攀 ㈀ ㄀㘀 䈀爀愀洀瀀琀漀渀 倀愀爀欀 䜀漀氀昀 䌀氀甀戀Ⰰ 䈀爀愀洀瀀琀漀渀Ⰰ 倀䔀㈀㠀 㐀一䘀 ㄀㐀㠀 㐀㔀㜀㘀㐀㈀ 2 THE Brampton MAGAZINE That’s a Thatch In this issue You may have seen Master Thatcher Stewart Close . 4 Tony Dolton working on the cottage roof Royal British Legion . 5 on the Green over the past few weeks. The Willow’s Café. .5 Tony is a Brampton man and now Brampton Biodiversity Project . 6 lives in Grafham. He became interested Portholme Meadow Walk . 8 in thatching as a boy and joined Nature Notes for June. .9 Stephen Morley - known as Sid, a 5th Brampton Flower Club . 10 generation thatcher for training. The Brampton Cycling Club. 10 training to become a thatcher takes 7 Brampton Walking Club . .11 years. Tony is always busy but chooses Your Local Councillors. 12 not to work in the freezing winters. Parish Council. 13 The long straw (wheat) is grown Brampton Village Primary School . 14 specifically for thatching. Tony gets Update by Revd Jason Taylor . 18 his straw for thatching from Europe The Brampton Memorial Obelisk. 19 as Norfolk cannot produce enough Mothers’ Union . 20 of the alternative traditional reeds St James the Least of All . 21 needed today. It can take 2-3 months Parish Churches in June . 23 to re-thatch one roof. The ligger work, Methodist Church on the Green . 23 from ancient Anglo-Saxon patterns Brampton Befrienders . 25 is the pegged design for the ridge Brampton Thrift Shop. 27 and edges and can take over one day What’s On Weekly . 30 just to lay it out. There are various What’s On Monthly . 32 nationwide competitions for the Best Events for June . 32 Thatcher. Maybe Tony should enter! The Brampton Institute . 35 The front cover shows the fabulous Childrens’ Tennis . 36 results of his expert thatching. Vist Brampton Tennis Court . 36 tony-dolton-thatching.org.uk for more. Outdoor Gym . 37 JUDITH CHITTY Co-editor Allotments . 37 STOP PRESS Articles needed Co-editors Viv Jenkins and The new Brampton Events Group set up Judith Chitty look forward to your continued in response to the recent Community support of providing articles and photos Survey is organising its first village event for publication. Please send in reports of the groups, clubs and societies that you in early July. The Picnic on the Green belong to, anything that you think will be of will be held on Saturday 2nd July from interest to the village or whatever you have 12- 3pm with fun for the whole family. an opinion on that you feel needs airing. It’s free so please come and support us. Details of where to send on page 27. JUNE 2016 3 Stewart Close THIRD IN THE SERIES GIVING BACKGROUND TO BRAMPTON’S STREET NAMES This road lies of Centenary Way, She was also prominent in the Girl which itself is off Park Road and Guide movement and was remembered commemorates Miss Stewart who died with respect and affection by genrations on 22 April 1996 aged 97, regretted by of village children. It was with delight many of the older citizens who knew that a packed congregation heard her her as a teacher and Girl Guider. When read the lesson at the Parish Council’s the development in this area was Centenary Service in 1994. She also proposed it was strongly opposed by assisted the then Prime Minister, John residents of Willow Close and West End. Major CH, PC, MP in planting a centenary Miss Stewart came to the village on oak on the small off-cut of The Green the death of her father, when very young, during the Council celebrations. to live with her uncle. Her involvement “She was one of two recipients with the school extended from from Brampton of the Royal Maundy childhood until retirement. She was in Ely Cathedral on 16 April 1987. pupil, student teacher 1912, uncertified assistant 1917, and in charge during Mr Emery’s absence in 1922; she retired as COUNCILLORS’ SURGERIES deputy-head. Additionally during WW2 First Saturday of each month she was a night duty auxiliary nurse. She 10 – 11am in the Scout Hut lived at Bell’s Garden in the High street. 4 THE Brampton MAGAZINE Royal British Legion The Willow’s Café BRAMPTON AND DISTRICT BRANCH HIGH STREET, BRAMPTON At the Royal British Legion County The Willow’s Café has recently Conference in January 2016, it was opened in the High Street. Proprietor announced that the Brampton and Claire Hardwick-Lane commented that District Branch of the Royal British they had had a great start in the first Legion had been awarded the month. at the Willows. Opening hours Cup for the 2015 Poppy Appeal for are Monday to Friday 9 to 4pm and achieving the highest increase in Saturday from 9 to 3pm. All the cakes poppy sales. The amount raised was are homemade and light lunches are £9,134. What an excellent result! available. The pretty garden is now open Mr David Willis, the Branch Poppy so you can even enjoy your coffee or tea Appeal Organiser, was asked to invite in the Spring sunshine. please come and all the members of his supporting team visit Brampton’s homely coffee shop. to the Branch Open meeting on the www.thewillowscafe.co.uk 19th April 2016, so they could be given a big ‘Thank You’ for all their efforts and dedication to the task. The meeting was a great success, followed by an enjoyable social get together. Not only was a significant amount of money raised, but such an effort strengthens the morale and support for the Branch. Finally, I would like to thank all those in the district, who were so generous in their support for the Poppy Appeal. The picture shows Mr David Brown String Popup Shop Willis on the left together with his THE FORGE, BRAMPTON supporting team, with the cup and certificate on the table. Friday 3rd June 7 – 10pm Wg Cdr Bob Carr OBE RAF (Ret’d) President Saturday 4th June 9 – 5pm Sunday 5th June 11 – 4pm and Monday 6th June 9 – 5pm Selling vintage finds, painted furniture, cushions, rustic planters, pre-loved clothes, pictures, mirrors and something just a little bit special. JUNE 2016 5 Brampton Biodiversity Project HOTSPOT REPORT A1 FLYOVER In 2013/2014 a two year project inspection revealed plants not only on began with the aim of providing a the area shown in the picture oposite, comprehensive description of the but also scattered along the road Parish its landscape, history and natural verge leading towards Brampton. history by engaging people in the This, the ‘main’ colony lies in parish in the collection and collation species poor grassland with: Achillea of information. Despite having a highly millefolium: Yarrow, Anacamptis modified landscape the Parish retains pyramidalis: Pyramidal Orchid, a remarkable series of habitats. During Arrhenatherum elatius: False Oat-grass, the course of the surveys a number of Bellis perennis: Daisy, Brassica nigra: ‘Hot Spots’ were identified. These have Black Mustard, Bromus hordeaceus: been described in individual reports. Soft-brome, Cochlearia danica: Danish This one describes a small area of poor Scuvy-grass, Conium maculatum: grassland adjacent to the A1 flyover. Hemlock, Dactylis glomerata: Cock’s- On the 21st June 2007, a colony foot, Geranium pusillum: Small- of flowering Bee Orchid (Ophrys flowered Crane’s-bill, Helminthotheca apifera) appeared on the west side echioides: Bristly Oxtongue, Heracleum of the A1 on Brampton Road. Further sphondylium: Hogweed, Hyacinthoides 6 THE Brampton MAGAZINE non-scripta: Bluebell, Hypochaeris Since then further surveys have radicata: Cat’s-ear, Lamium album: White revealed a wide scatter of plants in both Dead-nettle, Lepidium draba: Hoary roadside grassland and open scrub. The Cress*, Lolium perenne: Perennial Rye- figure below shows their distribution grass, Medicago lupulina: Black Medick and number of flowering spikes up , Ophrys apifera: Bee Orchid, Papaver to 2014. 2007 was the ‘best year’ for somniferum subsp. Somniferum: the main colony. Orchids generally Poppy*, Plantago lanceolata: Ribwort have ‘good’ and ‘bad’ flowering years. Plantain, Salvia verbenaca: Wild Clary, However, the increase in number of Senecio jacobaea: Common Ragwort, flowing spikes at the locations along the Silene latifolia: White Campion, road where no mowing has taken place Spergula arvensis: Corn Spurrey, Vicia suggests it may have had a detrimental hirsuta: Hairy Tare. (*Non-native) effect on the ‘main’ colony. Plants were The plants lying along the roadside also present in 2015, but much less are in a narrow open strip near to in number. These were not counted. a metal crash barrier. Realignment Anacamptis pyramidalis – one plant of this section of the A1 took place present 12/07/2012 in the same location about twenty years ago when the as the ‘main colony’ of bee orchids. A1 was straightened and the new The developments associated with flyover built. There are no previous a new 10 lane A1/A14 will obliterate records of this colony. [Note most of this site and with it most of the the flowering spikes were lost the grassland. Isolated peripheral colonies following day, when the grassland may survive. Work on this new road was mown, only three remained.] is scheduled to begin in 2017. Photograph: Site of the main colony Dr J Patrick Doody Chair, Wildlife Trust Hunts Local Group [email protected] JUNE 2016 7 Brampton Wood Walks A REPORT ON THE WALKS WITH THE WILDLIFE TRUST HELD ON SUNDAY 1ST MAY the year! Visitors in the Summer should see lots of butterflies and wildflowers.