May 2000 Edition of the Linton News
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Linton Village College pupil Ashley Johnson,
winner of the Diana, Princess of Wales
Award for Young People, tells how he and his family went to the award’s launch event
in London Top
Ashley Johnson with a photograph of his brother
Tristan and the award certificate
My Uncle’s joking prediction of snow turned out to be true for the day I went to
London with Mum, to be present as an Award holder at the Launch Event of the Diana,
Princess of Wales Award for Young People. Everyone had experienced horrendous journeys
even just travelling through London!
It was awe inspiring to be present in the Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts, with
many other Award holders from only 143 secondary schools throughout Britain, amidst the
spirit of others who have celebrated their achievements there over the last two hundred
years. It also felt very good to have lunch in the Benjamin Franklin Room. Dr. Kay
Andrews, OBE and Director of Education Extra who had literally just been made a Baroness,
welcomed everyone, speaking of this ‘unique award for a unique purpose’. Lindsay
Mackie, Director of the Memorial Award was swiftly followed by T.V. presenter Diane Louise
Jordan who interviewed a representative group of Award holders before the list of all of
us present was read out and shown on screen. I have to admit to a lump in my throat and
Mum, along with other parents and school representatives, to a tear or two. It was a very
moving occasion especially considering the amazing variety of youngsters and their
accomplishments.
David Blunkett MP, Secretary of State for Education and Employment spoke to us all. He
said that young people are the solution, not the problem and the wonderful activities in
which they are involved are happening right across the country all the time, everyday. He
spoke of the way we as young people, shared our talents and abilities with each other,
taking on a challenge and reaching out to others, showing an example of what we can do and
how we can do it. This Award was a way of honouring our individual methods of quietly and
unobtrusively giving to others.
The Newsletter "inspire" was named by Award holders and also launched. The last
sentence that I wrote in response to a request for contributions to this new publication,
features on the front page. The extract is "To receive this Award was something I
never dreamt of, but it seems to have opened up new avenues." This newsletter is to
be sent to every secondary school in the U.K. to encourage other schools to nominate their
pupils, and to all Award holders.
Linton Village College encouraged and supported me in my fundraising efforts for the local
charity COPARS (Childhood Cancer Organisation for Parents and Relatives Support) and were
responsible for nominating me for this Award. I feel that my Award is the result of the
amazing support I received from my fellow students, teachers, villagers, friends, local
newspapers and radio stations and my family. Without all these people the money
wouldn’t have materialised, neither would this Award and of course my brother,
Tristan, is totally responsible in a very strange way.
Everyone at the event felt that The Princess of Wales would have been very proud of this
"celebration of individual courage and community consciousness," quoting from
the article by Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate, in "inspire." Tristan too, I
believe.
What price the Linton House sales boom?
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House prices in Linton have been roaring ahead, with some properties worth over 50%
more today than three years ago.
But buyer demand is part of the population growth in the county with economic development
sucking in new people.
What does this all mean to Linton? House sales specialist ANDREW BIBBEY looks at the
housing market and District Councillor JOHN BATCHELOR assesses the growth in development
Any casual observer of the property market will have been staggered at the recent steep
price rises. Home ownership has grown at a massive rate and I believe the pattern of
change has followed that of the motor car with the same three influencing factors:
Greater affluence due to better paid employment and inherited wealth
Increasing expectations and desires for materialistic improvement
Cheap money for mortgages.
Locally, there is a net inflow of buyers with a buoyant employment situation sucking even
more people to Cambridge, Stansted Airport and all the local towns which are enjoying
their own mini-booms.
The housing market is a classic example of supply and demand. Prices last peaked in 1988
and then fell until 1995 – the 20-40% "losses" have not long been made up
and any recent gains should be taken as part of a long-term pattern.
Rising prices will classically cut demand and leave some unable to buy deciding to rent.
This demand is now largely met by private landlords who have reappeared since the
introduction of the ‘Shorthold Tenancy’. Mortgages specifically designed for the
‘Buy To Let’ borrower are leaving some pundits shaking worried heads and opining
that it will all end in tears and an almighty property crash.
This extra bank of buyers plus Housing Associations buying at the cheaper end of the
private sector to house the erstwhile council tenant has meant more competition for the
ordinary buyer and another twist to the price spiral.
Where are Linton and the nearby villages in all this? Will local people be able to afford
a home locally? Will prices keep on rising?
Prices will rise with inflation, stoked by demand, which will grow as local employment
pulls people into the area.
The M11 and the A1307 link to it also encourages buyers to look at the Linton area, where
before it was too far north. The results obtained in tests by the local schools mean that
parents are happy to settle here knowing there is good education available.
Different types of property rise at different rates and older, non-estate homes are always
in short supply. Bungalows are thin on the ground, new homes are under-supplied, good
large new properties in the £300,000-plus category are scarce, and so on.
Generally there are not enough homes for sale. So prices rise. When no-one buys, then
prices have to be reduced.
There are already some prices which are proving to be top heavy and these vendors will
either sit and wait for the market to rise further, or reduce prices.
Andrew Bibbey FNAEA is a partner in CENTURY 21 Davies & Bibbey
THE government wants 83,700 houses built in Cambridgeshire by 2016 – which will mean
the population of South Cambs. growing by at least 50% in the same period.
What does this mean for Linton? The true answer is that we do not know yet. We know the
general level of growth expected but we do not know how it will be split within the
region. What is certain is that very substantial housing growth will happen.
The government has taken the alarming step of changing the way it issues its figures, from
a target to be achieved over a long period to a minimum number of houses that should be
built each year. The growth expected has never been achieved in the past.
Will Linton have to expand? Not necessarily. Together with the figures, the government has
also given a priority order identifying the order of growth.
The first two areas would be to develop within the City or on the edge of the City.
The third priority would be a new settlement "close to Cambridge". The use of
the word "settlement" is important because it means that the new town idea is
dropped and replaced with a smaller development.
The last two priorities call for growth within, or extensions to, market towns and larger
villages.
We could come into the "larger village" category. However, this section
specifies that the larger village would have to have "good public transport access to
Cambridge". In Linton’s case that is clearly a debatable point.
We are also still protected by the Policy of Restraint. This specifically restricts
development in our area as a protection against the effects of an ever-expanding Stansted
Airport. It was this policy that saved us from a large housing allocation last year. The
policy of housing dispersal, everyone getting a share, has been dropped in favour of
concentrating development in a few areas.
All these things mean that it is less likely that Linton would be called on for more
housing growth.
What happens next? The figures are not yet final; this is yet another round of
consultations. The District Council is trying to reach agreement on a united front with
the other authorities in the region. We will argue that the figures are not realistic and
cannot be achieved, that the infrastructure needed to sustain these growth levels does not
exist, that the 70% allocation to our area is too high and that more growth should go to
those areas that want it, Peterborough and the Fenland District.
What is certain is that every builder, developer and chancer will make proposals for
grandiose schemes all over the area.
GOOD news for Barclays’ customers! Personal banking facilities are now available
at the Post Office. Cash and cheques can be deposited using your current deposit slips,
and daily cash withdrawals can be made by cashing a cheque up to the value of your cheque
card limit.
The same facilities are also available with Alliance & Leicester, Giro, Lloyds TSB and
the Co-operative banks.
So do not despair, your Post Office is there!
LINTON Bridge Club, which began in March with a membership of 20 enthusiasts, wants to
expand. We would welcome new members, and help is at hand for any rubber bridge players
requiring assistance with duplicate scoring. We meet at 7.15pm on Fridays at the Linton
Library where facilities are excellent. At the inaugural meeting, a membership fee of £10
was agreed, plus £5 annual fee, and a table fee of £1.50. For further information please
telephone Bill Penfold
Are you young and keen? We want you!
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THE Linton News is looking for someone in the 14 to 16 age group (Year 10 or 11) a
pupil of Linton Village College and living in the village, to join the editorial team.
We need someone who is bright and enthusiastic – and who wants to write about young
people and what they are doing. You will become a member of the Linton News executive
committee, which runs the paper, and get a voice in how it operates, as well as how we
cover youth interests and concerns.
You will get the opportunity to learn in as much detail as you like how the paper operates
– from the Apple Mac technology to how to plan pages, from getting in the advertising
to making sure that everyone in the area gets a copy of the paper.
This chance to have fun while doing some worthwhile voluntary work and expanding your
skills comes up because the present youth member, Ashley Johnson, is leaving the College,
and the Linton News, this summer after making an excellent contribution to the paper.
If you are interested in joining the Linton News Email the editor
A REQUEST has been received from Mrs Jeffery to help fund her late husband’s
research on Council Houses in Linton – the village was one of the earliest to have
Council Houses – the Parish Council agreed to give £400 to help the project.
The police reported that 150 calls for assistance had been received since January,
resulting in 29 crime reports. Under the new police arrangements a higher police presence
in the village should be seen.
The paper bank in the car park has been set on fire. Three new litter bins are to be
provided on the recreation ground. The cemetery is now under the new maintenance contract
and progress will be monitored. The cost for interment would come under review at the next
meeting. Dr Brian Cox was thanked for repairing the shed window in the cemetery and for
the maintenance carried out on the notice board.
Leadwell meadows (Pocket Park) have been cut, including Hogs Head, the furthest field. The
recreation ground is once again being invaded by moles; a catcher has been called in. The
ground also needed weed killing but the spray used is not as effective as in the past and
the contractor is trying to find a solution.
In a review of Council Meetings, members agreed to keep the present format two full
council meetings a month, Mrs Linda Read was elected as representative on the Social
Centre Committee. The Council suggested Paynes Pasture as the road name for the houses on
the Chalklands development. The work on the kerb stones in the High Street has started.
Barclays has not changed its policy on bank closures. The cash machine has been removed
even though planning permission had not been sought.
A grant from the Anderson Trust is being used to improve disabled access to the rear of
the Cathodeon Centre.
THE new Bowls Club season has begun. We played our first friendly match against
Melbourn on Sunday 16th April; it was a close run game, in the end we won 86–64
shots. Everybody enjoyed the afternoon; it was good to be on the green again.
When you read this the Wednesday Drives will be in full operation. Please be there by 2pm
if wishing to play.
League games start on Monday 8th May at home against Lucas (A) and continue thereafter,
mostly on Fridays.
New Officer on the Linton beat
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Meet Andy Denzey, the village’s community policeman
I have been in the police for six years, working both in Cambridge City and Cambridge
Rural. I have also worked in the Divisional Intelligence Unit as well as CID.
I took over the Linton beat on 14th February. I am married with two children and I have
lived in Linton for five years.My responsibilities are to tackle the priorities outlined
within the Crime and Disorder Act, which are burglary, vehicle crime, drugs and youth
problems as well as anti-social behaviour.
I am not just the local police officer for Linton. My beat includes Balsham, West
Wratting, West Wickham, Hildersham, Castle Camps, Shudy Camps, Horse-heath, Weston
Colville, Carl-ton and Bartlow. I have to investigate assaults, thefts, traffic matters
and anything else in my area as well as being the contact point for local councillors.
THE Trustees of the Charles & Mary Anderson Benefaction held their first AGM at
which they agreed to donate £7,550 to local causes.
This was: £5,000 to the Infants School; £1,800 towards two computers for the use of
people of all ages at the library, £750 to St Mary’s Church for a signpost and
notice boards.
The Trustees will be meeting again in October to review how the donations have been spent
and to consider fresh applications to the Benefaction.
THE Pool Steering Committee met for the first time last month and made the following
main decisions:
Although aiming to raise a maximum of £1m for the building of the pool, we must set our
target higher to cover three other items – the cost of modifying the A1307 to make a
safe entry to the Sports Hall, re-making the road from the main road to the Sports Hall,
and making a parking space for 45 vehicles.
- In addition, we must raise funds in advance to run the pool for the first year at least.
- Fund raising will have to show there is a need for the pool.
- The survey of swimmers’ requirements made two years ago will have to be up-dated.
- The current planning approval must be up-dated and charity status applied for. Trustees
have volunteered.
Gratitude was expressed for Mr Alan Hurran’s invaluable help in basic planning and
drawings. Unfortunately pressure of work has made it impossible for him to join this
committee. The outline plan, on which the display model was based, led to much discussion
concerning the design of changing-rooms. As the pool will be used by several schools as
well as the general public, compromises must be made. The available space is limited but
flexibility is possible.
THE Linton WI annual general meeting last month began with birthday posies and posies
for visitors being presented by the President, Mrs Eileen Impey. We had with us a
Voluntary County Organiser, a trainee VCO and a lady with a stall selling WI books,
birthday cards and the annual WI glossy magazine Women’s World. Also present were our
Auditor, Mr Roger Bowran, and his wife.
The President then told us that £83 had been sent towards the cost of the Linton Library
display table and £35 to the Association of Country Women Worldwide. She mentioned the
Cambridge Federation Spring Council Meeting in May and also the Federation Cake Baking.
There are many activities arranged by the Cambridge Federation ranging from a soft toy
competition and a poetry competition, to a visit to the Dome and a science conference.
After 29 years of auditing the Linton WI accounts, Mr Bowran is retiring. He was presented
with a cut glass decanter and with a bottle of whisky. Mr Frank Appleyard has kindly
agreed to be our new auditor.
Six new committee members were chosen with Wendy Foster as President, Joan Pearman as
Secretary (as last year) and Jean Goodwin as Treasurer.
Who would want this job? Early morning duties at the Health Centre: 8am arrive for
work. First, pick your way through broken bottles, cans and fast food remains to the
door. Unlock the door taking care not to stand in the vomit deposited on the step. Collect
bucket, broom and several bin bags from the store cupboard. Put on rubber gloves for
protection. Return to porch and first scrape the vomit from the doorstep (the lids from
the Chinese take-away containers can be useful for this purpose). Sweep up all the empties
and the solid refuse. Swill the front step down with water/disinfectant. Climb in to the
shrubbery and pick up any empties that have been tossed in there (wear gloves and take
care as this area is used as a public lavatory). When front entrance is clear, proceed to
clear side entrance.
Duties from 8.15am or when finished the above: Proceed with more traditional
duties. Doctors: prepare to greet your first patient. Caretaker: prepare the treatment
room for nurse. Reception/admin staff: prepare to welcome patients.
The above job description is a true reflection of the situation faced by staff on Saturday
and Monday mornings in particular. On Saturdays the receptionist and duty doctor clear the
porch area before patients arrive. On Mondays we are extremely grateful to Mr Colin Tofts
and Mrs Linda Read who work incredibly hard to ensure that patients arriving at 8.30am
are, for the most part, blissfully unaware of the disgusting mess left by the youngsters
over the weekend.
There are times when emergency patients are seen at the Health Centre in the evenings and,
of course, the doctors often return to do their paperwork in the evenings. Patients and
doctors alike feel intimidated when faced with approaching a group of youngsters on the
doorstep. Unfortunately, a polite request to move away is often treated with abuse.
Readers will have noted that security bollards have been installed. This is on the advice
of the police and sends a clear message to all that the Health Centre is private property
and the car park is out of bounds.
To those who think the youngsters are not doing any real harm, please come down before 8am
on a Monday morning and see the mess that they leave and the distress that this causes to
the staff and doctors.
Sheila Griffiths,
Practice Manager
Dr Hewlett & Partners
I visit the library often and noted in the computer room that they are currently
running courses for use on the internet. When I inquired about this I was told it was for
Senior Citizens only and I don’t think this is fair as I am only in my early 40s and
when I was at school this particular range of technology was not available to us.
Do you feel this is fair to exclude younger members of the community from these classes?
I am sure if you dropped the age limit you would certainly attract a wider range of
interest from members of the community.
Hillway resident
Editor’s note: It is not our practice to print letters without a full name
and address being supplied but this echoes many comments reaching us from people in the
village.
Senior surfers, page 5
It gave us all great pleasure to see our daffodils in bloom; an effort well rewarded.
The mention in the Linton News was much appreciated, especially in the Country Diary
describing the daffodils as "up and blooming – a lovely sight and hedges tipped
with green leaf buds or in places white with the flowers of the sloe".
Alas! The hedges did not bud or flower for long and bird’s nests fell to the ground.
The hedges were slashed by a tractor/hedge cutter much to the disappointment of many
residents.
It was thoughtless, bad timing. Lovely whilst it lasted.
We want more for police money
Like all council tax payers we have just received our bill for 2000/2001. I am sure
that I will be corrected if my calculations are wrong. I was intrigued to note the
difference in the amounts collected for Linton and the Police Authority.
The Special Expenses for Linton amount to £78,125. The figure for the Cambridge Police
Authority is 34.55% more. If my calculations are correct the money collected from Linton
for the Police Authority exceeds £100,000. This begs the question, when will there be a
police officer posted to Linton on a permanent basis? If this is not possible there should
be a greater police presence in the village.
It would be nice to see police officers on speed enforcement duties, especially at the
Bartlow Road crossroads and the High Street junction with the A1307. The number of
accidents justifies speed cameras – they are a deterrent with or without film!
I would like to thank all those who so generously supported our little effort towards
raising funds for the stricken area of Mozambique on Saturday 18th March. We made £85.
Early win for Aztec men’s soccer team
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The very successful Aztecs Men’s team have won the Alliance league already . On
Sunday 7th May at Cambridge City Football ground they will play Chem Labs for the Alliance
Cup. Please come and cheer them on
Kerb repairs ‘will last longer’
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DURING the Easter school holidays, County Council contractors repaired the kerbstones
in the High Street between Green and Mill lanes. This follows the public meeting at the
Social Centre to discuss the problem of the broken, dangerous kerbstones. At the meeting
nearly everyone said that they thought the broken kerbstones should be repaired as they
were, rather than change the road layout or parking restrictions to protect the kerb from
heavy vehicles.
High Street residents also said that their cellars did not extend under the road and
therefore there was no reason why the kerbstones could not be set deeper with more
substantial concrete foundations. Consequently, County Council engineers supervised the
excavation of some of the broken kerbing to see if the stones had been laid properly and
if there was any limit on the depth of foundation. They found that the concrete foundation
was as specified, but it looked as if it had failed before it had a chance to cure
properly.
Based on this survey, the County Council has re-laid the kerbstones deeper than before and
with a stronger concrete mix. This time, traffic lights were installed in the High Street
to protect the kerbs from traffic for a few days until the concrete had time to cure
properly. The engineers now hope the kerbs will last much longer than before. Let us keep
our fingers crossed. Other ideas on traffic management that came out of the meeting, such
as one-way systems or a partial restriction on cars in the High Street, will need further
consideration by County Council traffic engineers.
Reasons to be Cheerful – Year 2
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THE afternoon of 5th April was one of musical celebration at Linton
Infants School. All the Year 2 pupils from the surrounding cluster schools came together
to enjoy a combination of rap, calypso, popular and traditional songs, line dancing and
country dancing. The schools taking part were Burrough Green, Great Abington, Castle
Camps, Meadow School Balsham and Linton Infants. Each school performed an individual item
during the afternoon and everyone joined in for combined items.
The MC for the afternoon was Mr Rod Halls, headteacher at Linton Heights Junior School.
Last year he contacted the music co-ordinators of all the schools and put forward the idea
of a regular annual music festival. This year’s theme was ‘Celebration’ and
we all organised and rehearsed with the children in our respective schools.
Great Abington School performed the ceilidh dance ‘Brighton Camp’ and the
enjoyment on their faces was obvious. Castle Camps gave us a rap that we all joined in
with. From Meadow School Balsham came an excellent exhibition of line dancing, complete
with ten-gallon hats! We at Linton School showed off the ability of our recorder group who
played two pieces followed by a calypso song performed by all forty-two children with
percussionists, singers and dancers. Everyone joined together for a variety of songs,
culminating in a round that we all sang in Hebrew! As an extra treat, Anna Mudge and Lucy
Cunningham, pupils at Linton Heights, performed a piece on the oboe, not the easiest of
instruments to play.
Although the weather was dull, the atmosphere in the school hall certainly wasn’t. I
would like to say a big thank you to all those who took part and helped during the
afternoon. The ceilidh was a great success, one which I hope we will all repeat next year
and once again ‘make those rafters rock’.
Your Mission, If You Choose To Accept It
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CHILDREN aged five to 11 are invited to be detectives for the day at
the latest J-Team Saturday Special "Mission Impossible". This will be a
fun-filled activity morning packed with Bible stories, music, games and crafts as we join
Inspector Bodgett on his latest case, which he thinks is Mission Impossible.
The activity morning will be held on Saturday 3rd June at the Free Church (URC) Hall in
Horn Lane, Linton. The cost will be £1.50 per child. The fun begins at 10am and at
12.30pm the rest of the family are invited to see what we have been doing and join us for
lunch and games.
Look out for posters nearer the day! Registration forms will be distributed via local
schools or contact
THERE will be a Blood Donor Session on 19th May at Linton Social
Centre. The session will run from 11am – 7pm with no break at lunch or tea time. It
is hoped that this will give more flexibility to the donors and also reduce the Blood
Team’s long working day which is, on average, 13 hours including travelling. Please
come if you possibly can; blood is urgently needed. Susan Anderson
LINTON Action for Youth thanks South Cambs. District Council for
agreeing to cover the £4,300 shortfall on the building costs for the Drop-In Centre.
Particular thanks to Joan Smith, our District Councilor, who persuaded the Council to do
this.
This means that the Drop-In Centre is complete and paid for – and we are free to
concentrate fully on our real work. For some time we have been working with young people
who are excluded from school and other youngsters with problems, in addition to running
the Drop-In sessions. We have found that help is needed by parents as well as youngsters.
Mediation by our professional youth workers has proved to be of great benefit in a number
of cases. We hope to expand this ‘parent support’ role but it is the same old
story, not enough money to pay for the time we need. We are exploring various avenues for
funding more hours so that we can offer this service to the community.
An area of particular concern to us since the beginning of LA4Y has been the problem of
under-age drinking. No alcoholic drinks are allowed in the Drop-In Centre but it is clear
that alcohol is regularly consumed in and around the recreation ground. We are hopeful
that a charity, specialising in this area of work, will provide us with some additional
funding to help us address this serious question. Recently the police have taken an
interest, confiscated alcohol from under-age drinkers and notified their parents. There is
little more they can do. Needless to say, if asked, no one should buy drink on behalf of
people under age.
Barclays Close but Life Goes On
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AS a result of the public campaign Barclays have at least made some
arrangements for customers (sorry not us - that’s share holders only,
according to their management) so I should say, for account holders, to access some
services via the post office.
This still leaves us with the problem of access to cash out of hours.
So I have written to the Co-operative Bank’s Network Development Manager asking him
to consider putting a cash machine into the Co-op shop in Linton. He told me that the
Co-operative Bank is expanding their network into Co-op shops, spending £8 million this
year. He said that this year’s programme is complete but he would be prepared to
consider us for later and that he was more likely to listen if there were several other
villages where this was needed.
I have since got the support of councilors from Melbourn, Gamlingay and Cottenham which
all have Co-op shops and have written on their behalf as well. All these larger villages
have a ‘necklace’ of smaller ones whose population come in for schooling and
other services and are also on commuter routes. I am hoping that he will give us serious
consideration.
I am also talking to the Co-op Bank about the possibility of their visiting our
village to help people to open or to move accounts.
I am so annoyed myself at the poor management for large salaries shown by Barclays
management that after 50 years as a customer (sorry – account holder) I am moving all
my accounts. It is a nuisance but money seems to be the only language their customers,
i.e. shareholders, may understand – and there is a small silver lining I’ve
discovered – it’s cheaper!
There are, of course, several banks offering services through the post office.
On the national scene there is a movement to secure community banking services which is
being led by several charities, especially Help The Aged, which we as a community should
be aware of and contribute our ideas to. They are indicating that the spur of national
legislation might be needed so I have written to our MP to ask him to support the All
Party Group on Community Banking Services and to lobby ministers. I am pleased to say he
does support it but feels, disappointingly, that it is unlikely to be very effective.
District Councilor Joan Smith
Walking Is Good For The Heart
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THE Brownies are holding their Charity Walk on Wednesday 17th May, in
aid of The Heart Foundation. We leave from Linton Infants School Playground at 6pm to walk
across the meadows to Hildersham, where refreshments will be served. Please come along and
support us. Mums, Dads, families and dogs are invited. Cost £1 per family.
Monday Brownies will be collecting pennies for NSPCC.
Wednesday Brownies would like help for one hour a week, so if you have some spare time,
please come along.
FUTURE FOOTBALL PIN-UPS?
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Tracey Wilson meets two Linton lads poised for football stardom
MOST small boys dream of playing football, and getting paid for it – this was
certainly the ambition of Neil Elsom and James Bohanna (Bo to his friends) when they used
to kick a ball around the playground at Linton Heights Junior School. When they were just
eight, they joined the Aztecs Junior Under 9 football team within days of each other. By
the time they progressed to the Under 10 team, they were the two main players of the side,
both strikers.
In just one season, their team won the league, and Neil and James notched up 130 goals
between them. A highlight of this period was playing at Abbey Stadium in Cambridge against
Fulbourn (one of the opposition players was Daniel Murray from Balsham who has just signed
a 5-year contract at Peterborough United, and played for the first team). Unfortunately
Aztecs lost 6 goals to 5 after extra time.
A regular treat for Aztec players is a tournament for the Holus Sofrasem Cup, against
Strijen from Holland, played alternately in Holland and England. Neil and James’s
team won the tournament when they played in Linton, and were runners up in Holland.
Many awards were won whilst with the Aztecs. James earned the titles Player of the Year
and Players’ Player of the Year, and Neil was awarded Players’ Player of the
Year, Most Improved Player and Player of the Tournament during their first Holland trip .
Whilst playing for the Aztecs, a talent scout saw James in action and offered him a trial
at Peterborough. Naturally, Neil trialled as well (as they usually did things together)
and within a week both Peterborough United and Cambridge United were expressing interest.
Without consulting each other, they both decided to join the Peterborough School of
Excellence, during which time their family cars clocked up countless miles taking them to
and from the Peterborough ground, and away grounds all over the country, at least three
times every week. Without the support of Sue and Colin Elsom, and Wendy and Dave Bohanna,
they wouldn’t have got this far in their footballing careers.
By this time, both players had changed playing positions – James to right wing, and
Neil to centre half.
At Under 14 level, Neil played in Austria at the biggest indoor football tournament in
Europe (at youth level). Seven players were selected from Peterborough, with Neil as their
captain. The team won the tournament, beating some youth players from the German Bundesliege.
During this season, Neil was asked to play up a year older. One of his team-mates was
Matthew Etherington, a recent £1million buy for Tottenham Hotspur. By Under 16 level,
both boys were making regular youth team appearances.
Whilst playing for the county and Peterborough, there were also many matches for Linton
Village College, in some very successful seasons. Their team appeared in three cup finals
for Area Schools, winning two of them.
But school came to an end, and at the same time, their Peterborough careers. They were not
offered apprenticeships, as there were no openings for players in their playing positions.
Interest for Neil came from Lincoln City and Cambridge United, while Cardiff City and
Scunthorpe United were looking at James.
Due to personal circumstances, football had to take a back seat for Neil in early 1998,
and James decided to join Cambridge City Football Club on a YTS scheme. Neil then joined
James at Cambridge City in the summer of that year – still both playing in the
positions they trained for at Peterborough. During the final month of their first season,
they narrowly lost the league, and a cup final. They had a very good FA Youth Cup run,
being narrowly defeated in the first round by Northampton Town.
This season they have been playing Under 19 football, occasionally appearing in the youth
team, with regular places in the reserves and many mentions on the back pages of the
Cambridge Evening News. Neil, who has appeared for the first team, has recently been
offered a one-year semi-professional contract which he will take up when he finishes his
studies at Long Road Sixth Form College. Both hope to make the first team regularly by
Christmas. But not everything is done together. The football teams they both follow avidly
are Manchester United (James) and Liverpool (Neil).
As for the future, well, Michael Owen and David Beckham started somewhere, and are now
pin-ups on bedroom walls all over the country. Will it be Neil or James on your
child’s wall?
DURING the past six weeks I have paid eight visits to Linton. A total of eight fixed
penalty tickets were issued by me during this period, seven outside the Co-op, and one in
Balsham Road opposite the Post Office. Ten drivers have been reported for Tax Disc
offences.
One anonymous complaint was received about delivery trucks parking outside the Co-op. It
is not unlawful to cause or permit any vehicle to wait for as long as may be necessary to
load or unload goods. Parking outside the Co-op on the double yellow lines to pop in for
some milk can’t be classed as loading.
TW20 James Hutchinson
Senior Surfers Share Skills
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LINTON Seniors IT Club has proved very popular with our senior citizens. Most have
learnt how to send and receive e-mail, many have learnt how to surf the internet, and
others have moved even further ahead. One member has recently enjoyed a trip to Venice for
an amazingly cheap price, details of which he discovered on the internet. Some have their
own computers, but most use the library opening hours and club meetings to practise what
they have learnt.
Everyday life is now so affected by Information Technology, that every opportunity should
be taken to understand something about how it works. Our club is a gathering of
like-minded villagers finding out for themselves, at their own pace, without
embarrassment, how they can use IT to their own advantage. If you can work a video
recorder, get money from a cash machine, or fill in a lottery ticket, you will soon get to
grips with computing. At club meetings, everyone is to some extent an instructor. Most
members know some little thing that the next person does not know and it is very
encouraging to be able to pass tips on to someone else!
The organisers of the club and the volunteer instructors feel that the time has come to
extend membership to more adult members of our community. Parents who had no opportunity
to learn about computers at school or college need help to keep up with their children.
Other young adults who are thinking of buying a computer would feel happier if there was
some inexpensive and convenient way of learning basic skills. The club makes learning
about computing and the internet fun. If you are interested, come and register at a club
meeting (Tuesday 7pm to 9pm in the Cathodeon Centre). You do not have to attend meetings
every Tuesday if it is not convenient. There are enough volunteers at most meetings to
give you some time individually, whether it is for basic instruction or for helping you
with problems or difficulties you have experienced. When you enrol with the club, it is
advisable to join the library if you are not already a member, because you will need the
help of the library staff when you use the joint facilities. Some of the computers are
owned by the club and some by the library service. If you become a member of both, there
is no problem. At present it does not cost anything to join either the club or the
library. Anyone who is unsure whether they are eligible should come to the club and
enquire. Have fun!
Instrumental In Their Success - Jazz
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THE Linton Jazz Cabaret evening on 15th April raised £620. Thank you to everybody who
helped behind the scenes and to the Libra Company, Linton Zoo, the Village Chemist and
Culpepers for their generous donations to the raffle. A very big thank you to everyone who
supported us on the night. The money raised will go towards new music and a baritone
saxophone. Our next appearance will be at the Linton Infants School fete.
The Bush Telegraph
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AS I write, it is almost the end of the last day of a very long term
and quite frankly, I’m tired out! So are my staff and all our pupils. We all like to
believe we have two whole weeks off even though we know we have much less time than that.
The marking, examination preparation and coursework moderation all reach a head around
this time of year and with a late Easter, the examination pressures of the summer term are
on us very quickly. What makes the job so exhausting of course, are the legitimate
requirements of 760 young people. The better they do, the more we put in so they can do
better still. This produces an amazing sense of fulfilment and job satisfaction which is
why we do this job. Achievement is a word normally tied to examination marks but it is
important to take a broader view. We had a visit from three university graduates today,
volunteers in the Link Africa scheme who will be going to South Africa this summer to work
in township schools like the one we support. They arrived looking nervous and
apprehensive. By lunchtime, in a hall full of pleasant, well behaved and animated school
children they were a little happier. After spending time chatting to groups of bright,
well turned out and articulate youngsters over lunchtime, they were positively smiling and
by the time their visit was over they were full of excitement and wanting more. Now that
says a huge amount about our school. One of my greatest sources of pride in LVC is that
visitors always leave singing the praises of our children and their teachers. Looking back
over this term’s brilliant sporting success, that marvellous production of Oliver!,
the music, art, high levels of academic attainment, fundraising and our enthusiastic
visitors, I think it is very important, for all our futures, that we do not fall into the
common trap of condemning young people as selfish, careless and badly behaved. Some manage
to be these things with spectacular success of course but for the vast majority, the
reality is very much the opposite and that is a cause for celebration for all of us Clive
Bush, Principal
Season Ends With A Splash Of Colour
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AT the last Gardening Club meeting of the season, Ken Akers, a freelance gardener and
designer, demonstrated how to plan striking herbaceous borders. Trees, shrubs, the
occasional conifer, perennials and static elements all combine to make a pleasing display,
and colour schemes don’t necessarily matter. Many of the slides were of his own
garden in Great Saling which has developed from an almost empty space to a beautiful area
designed to give colour and interest through the seasons.
There will be an evening outing on 9th May, and please do keep potting up for the bring
and buy plant sale to be held at 101 High Street on Saturday 27th May. Everyone welcome,
so look out for the posters. Happy gardening during the summer break.
Wednesday 19th April 2000 Illustrated by Maureen Williams
APRIL was a mixture of January temperatures, February rainfall and March winds,
with occasional spring-like days in between weeks of gloom. Finally in the last few days,
the sun returned and with it the birdsong.
On 9th April, I found a first bluebell in bud. Sloe blossom is about finished and the
leaves are out. Hedge parsley is half grown and hopefully it will not be too long before
the early spring flowers give way to the delights of summer. However, toadstools in spring
are unusual, as fungi seem mainly to favour the autumn. A few are to be found all the year
round and the same trip produced a fine display of Sulphur Tuft fungus growing on rotting
wood.
One of the spectacular events of April is the mating of frogs and toads. On the same day,
I came across a ditch in middle of a wood, where some forty or more toads had congregated.
At first, I mistook their calling for the sound of ducks, but then realised that the water
was crawling with pairs of toads, each male clutching a larger female under the arms.
There were matted tangles with a female surrounded by six or more males, all trying to
gain possession. It was evidently early in their mating ritual, as there was no sign yet
of toadspawn.
In the garden, starlings are plump, sleek and cheeky; blackbirds call defiantly at dusk;
great tits and blue tits continue to call for nuts ; dunnocks sing from the tops of bushes
and chase away rivals; the wren calls from the middle of the Japonica bush and collared
doves argue over territory and chant "United, United" endlessly. (Not that it
did Manchester any good this evening!)
Speedy Meeting, Quick Recital
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FOLLOWING the successful concert given by the Barton String Orchestra in the church on
12th April, the Friends of St Mary’s Trust, formed to arrange fund-raising events for
the upkeep of Linton’s parish church, are holding their Annual General Meeting at
7.45pm on Thursday 11th May in the church . The business of the AGM is generally concluded
fairly rapidly and this year will be followed by coffee and biscuits and a short organ
recital to be given by Richard Godel, the parish church organist, and by David
Parry-Smith, who often plays the organ when Richard is conducting the choir. There will be
posters around the village giving more details. Dr Bruce Conochie, Chairman
District Council elections on 4th May.
The District Council provides services that touch all our lives. It organises rubbish
collection, provides social housing, acts as the Planning Authority, oversees
environmental health regulations and collects the Council Tax . These are the nuts and
bolts of our village life and it’s important that you play your part by choosing who
you want representing you.
All three major parties have candidates standing, so please use your vote!
Councillor John Batchelor
WANT to look the bees’ knees in your bikini, smashing in your swimsuit or just
feel the benefits of physical fitness? Put a spring into your step with Kate Weber’s
fitness classes. Suitable for all fitness levels, the classes run on a pay-as-you-come
basis each week (including holidays) at the Village College.
Kick start the week with body conditioning and aerobics on Monday 9.30-10.30am in the
Sports Centre. There is a step class on Tuesday 8-9pm and a more rigorous aerobics session
on Thursday 8-9pm. Both these classes are held in the LVC gym.
Telephone Mark Wilson at LVC Sports Centre for more information 890248.
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