Who’s who in the Villages Contact Telephone Parish Council inc. Allotments Jane Haggar 711129 District Councillor Terry Bell 813799 County Councillor Victor Lucas 822812 Horticultural Society Ian Gaunt 710702 History Group Ian Gaunt 710702 55+ Chris Bruce 812327 Cricket Club Neil Tuffin 812924 St. Peter’s Church Gordon Slinn 815951 Upwood & The Raveleys Newsletter Home to Home Frances Ashfield 711411 February 2011 Number 52 Upwood School PTA Jane Day 710362 Upwood School Playgroup Angie Dean 830373 Upwood’s Out (after school club) Debbie Ayres 711118 Editorial Embroidery Group Jane Slinn 815951 Its an old cliché that a dog is not just for Christmas. The same goes for children. Brownies Louise Jackson 814844 Young people these days do not have the opportunities for the experiences that past Meet and Munch Mags Dudley 812424 Upwood Youth Club Denice Smith 711735 generations had. In the mid 1940s when I was nine or ten years old I could take my Art Group Frances Ashfield 711411 younger brother along the narrow road from our home, up a rough farm track, over an Cross Keys Golf Society Malcolm Hudson 711221 unguarded railway crossing into the woods to play with our Dinky toys in an old sand Upwood Pantomime Society Doug Mcleod 814114 pit. I had two instructions: if we saw Mr Toze we must not talk to him, and when the Community Bus Co-ordinator Ivan Youds 814645 Village Hall Hire Bob Child 815475 freight train rumbled along the railway line it was time to come home for lunch. If Village Fete Committee Frances Ashfield 711411 parents did this today they would have the full weight of Social Services fall upon Upwood Business Association Deana Hudson 711221 them. Sunday Club Ann-Marie Cracknell 812195 To make up for this lack of freedom, a group of keen residents formed a Youth Club Table Tennis Club David Williams 812923 Ramsey Bridge Club B & A Quinton 813349 that could meet in the Village Hall every week. But modern rules say that there must Ramsey Choral Society June Green 813562 be a specified number of adults in attendance to monitor their activities. And therein Upwood Quilters Deana Hudson 711221 lies the rub. Upwood and the Raveleys Community Archive Trevor Brown 711541 Elsewhere in this issue Bob Child is asking for adults (they don’t have to be parents W.E.A Liz Carter 813008 St. Peter’s Handbells Deana Phillips 824755 but that’s even better) who are keen to help run the Club. Parents do volunteer, but Speed Watch Keith Sisman 710552 when their children grow up and leave the club they tend to leave also, leaving a Ramsey Rural Museum Michael Latchem 01354 694241 vacancy. Hence the need for more volunteer adults. There is a management committee who would welcome new members and tell them how everything works - Note: Deadline for the April issue is the 19 th March 2011 . and it isn’t time consuming and you are not left on your own.. The Editor is very diligent but regrets that he cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or We are fortunate to have a Village Hall, and a range of equipment for young people to omissions. use, and a group of adults who are enthusiastic to ensure that our young people have somewhere to go in their free time. All they need is a few more adults to help them. Editor: David Paine 17 Meadow Road, Upwood Tel: 814350 e-mail: [email protected] Deputy Editor: Deana Hudson Tel: 711221 Ramsey Foundation Squash Courts If you are interested in playing either Squash or Racquet Ball or if your child Printed by Micromac Printers Ramsey would like to join a club please telephone Sharon Radford on 01487 812352 or e-mail sharon.radford@the ramseyfoundation.org.uk Upwood Youth Club The Youth Club had a good Autumn, with the numbers of youngsters attending rising week on week with renewed enthusiasm for the future of their Club. The members formed a new Youth Committee to help run the Club and come up with ideas and activities that they – the members – would like to see in the future. The year ended with the Club’s Christmas Party on 17 th December. The Club is now closed for Upwood Small to Tall January while the Panto takes over the Village Hall, however the Youth Club’s future EVERY WEEK DAY TERM TIME is very uncertain. Since September the Governing Committee has been running the Breakfast Club 8 – 9am Club whilst making extensive efforts to find a new Youth Leader for the New Year. Pre-School 8.30 – 11.30am (funded children) At the time of writing this search has been unsuccessful and it is likely that the Club 9 – 11.30am (non-funded children) will not re-open in the foreseeable future. Since it started 8 years ago, the Youth After School Club 3.30 – 6pm Leader has always been a volunteer, invariably a parent, supported by an Organising Committee of other volunteer/parents who value the Club as an important part of our village, somewhere where our youngsters can come, meet their friends and enjoy themselves in a safe, friendly environment. The Club has a venue, is well equipped, has all the formal policies in place, has some funds in the bank, and most importantly Learning Through Creative Play has plenty of young members who don’t want to see their Club close. If you are interested in becoming the Youth Leader, heading a small committee to run A rich early learning environment with a positive Ofsted report the Club, with the full support of a Governing Committee that’s also made up of PLEASE CALL ANGIE DEAN on volunteers, all of whom have been involved in running Youth Club over the years, 01487 813 510 or EMAIL [email protected] please contact Bob Child on 815475 or email [email protected] No previous experience is necessary – just the enthusiasm to work with others to BOOKS FOR BRICKS Ramsey Abbey Walled Kitchen Garden Trust will start their fundraising this make the Club a success. The whole Organising Committee (including the Youth th Leader) is in place for one year and elections would take place at the YC AGM each year by holding a second-hand Book Sale on Sunday February 13 between Spring. 10 am and 3.30 pm at the Community Hall, Stocking Fen Road, Ramsey - free parking in the Rainbow Surgery Car Park- entrance £1.00 Adults, PARISH COUNCILLORS - Children Free Volunteers desperately need to raise £4,000 this year to Names and Telephone numbers reinstate the two brick built cold frames (30ft by 4ft) in the Walled Garden. Colin Racey...……..812380 David Paine….. 814350 They have been able to reclaim some of the old bricks but still need to buy Terry Bell….....… 813799 Andrew Perkins…...812826 hundreds more to match them. If you have any books, that you would like to Keith Sisman...... .710552 Nigel Gowler..…….812742 donate please contact 814304 for collection. DVDs and CDs, would also be Jo Paxton........… . 812138 David Oldale ex directory welcomed. Terry Bell….... ..813799 David McCreadie….812831 Robin Howe……… 814393 Colin Bryce The Clerk to the Council is Jane Haggar, Tel: 711129 WANTED Stallholders at the Village fete on Saturday 25 th June 2011 Interested in joining an allotment group? The main aim would be to swop surplus Craftwork of all kinds plants, consider bulk buying of seeds, exchange news and growing tips plus joining Basket makers, potters, wood carvers, etc. etc. the National Society for Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NASLG) and provide a Book stall, Toy stall, etc. contact point with the local Parish Council. If you are interested in joining - contact Call 01487 711411 with and for details, please LIZ CARTER [email protected] or ALISON MILES [email protected] (01487) 813008 07824682872 UPWOOD BOOK LOVERS’ GROUP A new group is being formed in the village – if you love books and reading, come Investigating and Exploring along and join us! We will be meeting at The Cross Keys PH, in the public bar, on a Wednesday morning every 6 weeks. First official meeting will be 23 rd February - Only got a couple of hours to spare? 2011. - Don’t want to travel far? Heart Start is a free initiative provided by the British Heart Foundation and the Members are invited to put forward a book for inclusion on the reading list, from Ambulance Service. We are offering you a 2 hour emergency First Aid course th which one is chosen at each meeting to be read and then discussed at the next in your community on Sunday 13 of February at Upwood Village Hall . meeting. Books should be available from the local lending library or to purchase via Places are strictly limited and must be booked. nd Open to both adults and children over 8 years old. charity bookshops or from Amazon 2 hand online bookstore. th 2 sessions are available at either 10:30am or 1pm on Sunday 13 February . The first book chosen from our existing list is THE NINE TAILORS by Dorothy L Please call Graham Hillman on 01487 711407 a.s.a.p. to book your free place th Sayers – set in the Fens in the early part of 20 century, this book comes highly recommended. So, if you have not yet tried it, grab a copy from the lending library Upwood Village Hall and if it is an old favourite, have a re-read so you are up-to-date with the characters in association with Arts in Cambs on Tour and the action.