0106.htmlJune 2001 Edition of the Linton News
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VICAR ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR A
GENUINELY QUIET RETIREMENT Top
Julian and Brenda Thomson explain their plans for
the future and the reasons for their decision
BRENDA
and I will be leaving the Linton Group of Parishes this autumn. I am retiring
early so that we can begin a fresh chapter, a different kind of ministry, which
we are calling ‘Prayer and Care’.
We have bought a small terraced cottage in Norfolk where we shall settle and
prepare to begin by Easter 2002 a lifestyle of prayer and hospitality. People,
in singles and pairs, will be able to come and stay for a few days, sharing
prayer and care, and then return home.
Many clergy and their parishes find that a ten-year incumbency is the natural
span, after which time both need to move forward again. Even ten years ago we
expected to begin something like this on our retirement. However, since our
annual holidays near Lindisfarne since 1997, we have decided to launch out while
we have health and strength.
After thirty years of fruitful ministry within the Anglican Church we shall face
quite a challenge as we prepare to live our lives more by faith than anything
else. We do realise that our leaving may cause others surprise and sadness and
we shall take the Group and people with us wherever we go – a host of happy
memories.
Our final Sunday will be September 9th. After this we shall take our annual
holiday and move to Norfolk at the beginning of October. Although we know within
ourselves that this is the right thing for us to do, we look forward to a very
different style of life, yet at the same time the going, the saying ‘Goodbye’
will be most difficult. I have known some vicars light-heartedly referred to as
an ‘encumbrance’ – an impediment. When a vicar leaves a parish very often
the congregation has a real opportunity to develop, to do things they’ve never
had the chance to do before, even as they wait for their next ‘encumbrance’.
THE Linton Group is greatly blessed in having such strength and depth of
experience. No rural Group of Parishes could be better placed to sustain church
life in every aspect until another team rector is here.
Part of the process to find Julian’s successor can begin this summer as the
parishes prepare their profiles – pictures of their church and parish and an
outline of their particular needs. Other important meetings and preparations
generally have to wait until t he outgoing incumbent has left.
Readers may like to know that the congregation had a photograph taken from the
top of the Tower on Sunday April 29th after the service as a retiring gift for
Brenda and Julian Thomson. J M Annett
AFTER years of prompting from your local councillors the
District Council is taking recycling seriously by collecting from your home. In
the week commencing 11th June every household in Hildersham and Linton should
receive a green plastic box. This is for you to fill with recyclable materials
ready for the first collection on 28th June. What can go in the box? Newspapers,
magazines, junk mail, telephone directories (not Yellow Pages), textiles, steel
tins and steel/aluminium drinks cans. Glass bottles and jars will also be
collected but do not put them in the green box. Glass should be put out
separately in a plastic bag/cardboard box.
This is your chance to make a positive contribution to saving valuable resources
and protecting the environment. It can only work if you do your bit by sorting
your goods properly. If all goes well this collection will allow 33% of all
household waste to be recycled! And you will be helping our community directly.
For every tonne collected the Parish Council will receive £5.71. Please support
this effort.
If you want help or more information ring % 01353 863971 during office hours.
J Batchelor
THE theme of this year’s 33rd consecutive Flower Festival
is "Whose world is it anyway?" There is so much current concern about
the state of our planet: global warming, the ethical implications of scientific
research, the crisis in the farming industry and the destruction of the great
forest areas of the world are some of the issues which come to mind. We hope to
reflect some of them in our flower displays in church and give pause for
reflection. In addition there will be as usual a full programme of entertainment
for all the family with the Great Granta Duck Race as the climax on Sunday
afternoon, a range of stalls including produce and crafts, an all-day
restaurant, cream teas and musical events.
HADSTOCK PLANS ITS FETE
Top
OVER the years, Hadstock Fête has had various distinguished
visitors. Last year the fête was opened by Matthew Pinsent who, along with
Steve Redgrave and Co., went on to Sydney and Olympic glory. The fête raised
£4,800—a record amount.
This year the fête will be held on Saturday 16th June, starting at 2pm. The
main attractions will be an aerobatic display by David Barrell, weather
permitting, a display of birds of prey, a mini traction engine, a display of
children dancing from Ashdon School and a small auction. A new event this year
is a sack race between teams from various pubs and businesses in the area. The
tug-of-war is between teams from Linton and Hadstock. Once again there will be a
display of vintage cars. There will be a small craft fair and during the
afternoon the Hadstock Silver Band will entertain everyone. All this in addition
to the usual attractions—stalls, games, raffles, rides, burgers, etc.
If you have any toys, books, bric-à-brac, etc., that you would like to donate to
the fête, please take them to 41 High Street, Linton—behind the bakery— and we will arrange to pick things up.
Tim Plumridge
LINTON Village College is the venue for the Eastern Region
Final of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes Drama Festival on
Saturday 30th June, from 2 to 10pm. Eight new one-act plays will be judged by
GODA adjudicator Sally Noble.
Tickets £5 from Margaret Clark.
APRIL, the latest month for which figures are available, was
the quietest month since I took over the role of Community Officer (CBO) in
February 2000. Linton has had fewer crimes than it has had for a long time. I
feel that through my hard work over the last year, local people who would have
continued to commit offences are now deciding that it is not worth it. Let’s
wait and see what happens over the summer.
I have had success obtaining prosecutions for some local youths and I feel that
this has now deterred them from their criminality. There is always going to be
crime, and some is committed by persons visiting as opposed to locals, but I am
very pleased with the way crime has fallen this last month. I will continue to
monitor the figures and continue in my policy of firm but fair policing. If
anyone has anything they wish to say on the subject I would welcome the
feedback.
I am aware that these figures are for one month only, but I have received less
than complimentary comments about previous months’ figures, and I would like
to put people’s minds at rest about my commitment, and also the commitment of
the service as a whole. The CBOs at Sawston have been promised that they will
remain on their respective beats as long as possible. I have been a full-time
CBO since April, and this will continue into June. The service understands the
importance of CBO work, and also the needs of the community.
I am appealing for anyone interested in becoming a Neighbourhood Watch Member to
please get in touch with our Community Contact Jacqui Arbon at Sawston on
01223 358966 ext. 3609.
I value the NHW and I would like to see more people getting involved. There is
not very much input required setting up, and running it is very simple. It is
all about something that we used to do years ago without being told, looking
after each other. It doesn’t require much more than just keeping an eye on
your neighbours’ houses while they are out, watching for suspicious vehicles
in your street, and letting the police know. In some instances there is a
reduction in the cost of your home insurance if you are a member, and you will
receive regular contact from me, about all sorts of issues, such as crime
reduction and what’s been going on locally and nearby.
It doesn’t mean that you have to patrol the streets until the early hours,
just be vigilant when you are at home or in the garden or washing your car. If
you hear something about an offence and are worried, I can give you the facts
(obviously without breaching data protection). I would ask anyone reading this
to try to get his or her neighbour, or street involved in looking after each
other. If just two people in a street join, that can make a vast difference to
helping to keep your neighbourhood safe from crime. Training is available if you
want it.
Remember, if you are reporting an incident or crime, ring 01223 358966. If
it is an emergency ring 999.
Pc Andy Denzey
Reported by GRAHAM POTTER
THE AGM of the Parish Council saw the election of a new
Chairman, Dr Val Urwin, with Mrs Enid Bald as vice chair.
It was confirmed that there will be no bus pass refund this year as bus passes
are free now. The Council are looking into providing bike stands for the
cemetery. The District Councillor gave an update on the foot and mouth situation
concerning footpaths. The police meeting has been cancelled in the village and
the police will now be at Tesco’s car park in Saffron Walden.
At the Annual Parish Meeting only 12 members of the public attended with 10
Councillors and two guests. The Chairman gave a summary of the Council’s
activities over the year. The Cathodeon building has been such a success that a
storage extension had to be added. The Social Centre, the Council’s base, has
had a new roof with assistance from the Parish Council. We have also helped to
fund the Millennium Sculpture Project and support the Drop-In Centre. We have
increased street furniture with three new seats, waste bins, grit bins and
doggie bins. We gave grants to the Linton Pool Project, and to Mrs Iris Jeffery
to complete her late husband’s work on Linton’s council housing. The Council
is still looking to increase its recreational areas. Work is continuing to find
a replacement for Barclays in the High Street. The Horn Lane bridge area is
being refurbished as a Millennium Project. Money has also been set aside to
support the Mobile Village Warden Scheme. The traffic situation was updated. The
Council is preparing to apply for funding under the government White Paper on
‘Quality Parish Councils’ which is aimed to allow Parish Councils to provide
more of their own local services. Following suggestions from three young women
for improvements at the recreation ground the Council has made provision for
safety surfacing under the play equipment within the fenced area, replacement of
swings and aerial runway and an additional piece of equipment. It will also
provide a tarmac play area and a tarmac path around the recreation ground, and
possibly a car parking area near the Meadow Lane entrance. Dr Cox reported on
the un-audited accounts for the past year with the high spend being the final
costs of the Cathodeon Building. Mr Linsdell reported on the Parish Charities
and how 40 of our elderly parish residents received £25. Clive Bush then gave a
presentation on the Village College’s twinning with the Boepathutse
Junior/Secondary school with its 1100 children and 23 teachers, in an area with
80% unemployment. Mr Bush was joined by a young student, Moses Mashishi, on a
cultural visit from the Boepathutse school . Mr Gore gave a presentation on
recreational space related to increase in population over the last 150 years.
When asked about more houses in Linton the District Councillor reported that
SCDC was trying to protect villages, market towns and larger villages. There is
an option of 6000 houses at Abington but development at Oakington is the SCDC
favoured site. Mike Gee the Chairman reminded the meeting of the Public Meeting
about traffic on the A1307 at 7.30pm on 14th June at Linton Village College,
urging all to attend.
BREWING BANNED IN HILLWAY:
BESTSELLER REVEALS ALL Top
IF Frank and Iris Jeffery’s sell-out book on Linton housing
makes fascinating reading for a resident of less than five years, it will be
even more so for those who have witnessed many of the changes so carefully
recorded.
The numerous photographs of cottages now gone and their replacement council
houses inserted into the chronological text in sequence rather than in blocks
contribute to a very easy and comfortable read. The book is a tribute to the
efforts of individuals, one of whom "had no faith in Local
Authorities" and those serving on District and Parish Councils who slowly
but surely brought about changes to improve the dreadful living conditions of
the workers.
Some fascinating facts emerge including a mention of Linton in Parliament in
1908, the sale of a Council house in Duxford as early as 1936 and a ban on
brewing in the houses in Hillway! My walks around the village are now taken with
new insight as I pass dwellings I can match with snippets of information gleaned
from this absorbing book. Gloria Fidler
EVER thought it would be fun to learn to bowl? Well now is your
opportunity. The Linton Granta Bowls Club are offering a five week introductory
course completely free of charge. It starts on Thursday 7th June, runs from 7 to
9pm and takes place at the bowls green on the recreation ground. They even
supply all the equipment! For more details phone the Community Education office
on 892400 or simply come along on 7th June. All you need is a
pair of flat heeled shoes and a keen eye!
John Batchelor
Three Committee Members from the Linton Area Pool Project
attended an awards ceremony hosted by the Cambridge Evening News on 15th May at
the Guildhall, Cambridge. Lynda Askew, Tim Richardson and Tracey Wilson were
presented with a cheque for £350 in recognition of the endeavours of the
Committee to resurrect the 30-year struggle to build a swimming pool in Linton,
for the use of all residents of Linton and the surrounding areas.
Ron Amsden, founder of the current committee, entered the project for the
competition at the last minute, and they were put in the category of ‘Schools
and Community Foundations Projects’. LAPP’s entry was only beaten by Great
Chesterford-based MEDICS, who were certainly worthy of their award of £1,200.
Lynda Askew
A COFFEE morning in aid of the Alzheimers Research Trust will be
held from 10am until 12noon on Thursday 28th June at 2 Kenwood Gardens, Linton.
There will be cakes and a bring-and-buy stall.
Jean Pollock
IT was fifth time lucky for Linton Action For Youth’s entry in
this year’s Cambridge Evening News Community Challenge Awards. The judges were
impressed with the ground-breaking work being undertaken with young people and
were particularly keen to support the work LA4Y is doing with families.
A £1,000 prize will go towards funding a new full-time Family Support Worker
whose job will be to build on the work already started in helping families. It
is hoped that the new staff member will join the existing youth work team in
September. The rest of the money needed, some £25,000, has already been raised
from a consortium of donors including the Parish Council, Anderson Trust,
Village College, Community Education, Student Support, Primary Care, Social
Services and the District Council. This development, together with the Community
Challenge Award, represents a considerable vote of confidence in the
professional expertise of our youth workers and a big boost to the team. Well
done to all of them.
John Batchelor
HAVE you wondered what all the fuss is over the human genome
project? Please come and hear Dr Richard Durbin from the Sanger Centre, at
Hinxton Hall, speak on ‘The human genome project - what is it and what will it
mean for society at large’ at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church on Sunday 3rd June.
The talk will be followed by refreshments and a discussion, chaired by David
Parry-Smith.
ANN Simpkin, Vice President, welcomed 28 members to the May
meeting. Birthday posies were made and distributed by Miriam Rixon.
Linton WI have received an invitation to WI House in Cambridge, which is
celebrating its 30th Anniversary in July. There is to be an evening for new
members on 27th July, at Pampisford. Information has been received about summer
day schools, to be held at Cottenham Village College.
Enid Bald joined the meeting to give information about the proposed Community
Warden scheme. There was an opportunity to ask questions. Volunteers were
requested to help with fund raising. Joan Pearman then gave a report on the
Spring Council Meeting at which Jeremy Spake had given a very humorous account
of his job with the BBC.The main business of the evening was a presentation on
the two resolutions to be put forward in June at the Intermediate General
Meeting in Cardiff. Tricia Lewis will be the delegate from Linton WI at this
meeting. The first resolution proposes the re-introduction of school nurses and
the second concerns the training of staff working with the elderly.
After refreshments, there was a beetle drive organised by Clare Neville and June
Bunn. The raffle was then drawn.
The next meeting takes place at 7.30pm on 5th June at the Social Centre. The
speaker will be Shirley Love from Addenbrooke’s talking about osteoporosis.
Anne Parry-Smith
Top
Dear Editor,
I was very pleased to read in the last issue of Linton News that a meeting has
finally been set up to give the residents of Linton and other parishes along the
A1307 an opportunity to air their views about the ever increasing volume and
unchecked speed of traffic through our villages.
We have been campaigning for some time to get the County Council to speak with
us about the dangers to all pedestrians and motorists of the stretch of road
that bisects Linton, but with little success. We are currently circulating a
petition to reinforce the level of feeling within Linton and whilst we have been
out getting signatures we have also been asking people if they are going to
attend the meeting set up at Linton Village College at 7.30pm on 14th June. To
our horror, very few appear to know about it. People are attending this meeting
from the County and Parish Councils, rarely does one get the opportunity to
address them both at the same time, it is imperative to attend, if you care.
This is our big chance to really make those in power sit up and take notice of
our concerns. If you ever sit in your car waiting for a chance to join the
A1307, or try to find a gap to cross the road, or moan at the amount of traffic
in the High Street and the speed that it travels at, then surely you owe it to
yourself to attend and try to make a difference. There is no point in sitting
back, as things will only get worse with the planned housing development in the
area. If we don’t get something done now it will be too late.
In the Spring 2001 publication from South Cambridgeshire District Council, the
word transport was only mentioned once. However, they are planning astonishing
new housing development, which will mean an additional 42,000 homes within a
20-mile radius of Cambridge within the next 15 years. How do they think those
people are going to get to work, take their children to school, use the local
amenities, etc? Have they really thought about it?
I urge people to stand up and be counted on behalf of their own families and
others within the community by attending the meeting. This could affect the rest
of our lives.
Jenny Roland
Dear Editor
Please may I say a big "Thank You" to everyone who responded so kindly
to our recent appeal for funds for a new bowls carpet and equipment. I have been
completely overwhelmed by such generosity. The target was reached within six
weeks, which is amazing.
Now our bowlers are ready for all challengers!
A full list of donors is on display in Chalklands Communal room.
Linda Kelly, Warden, Chalklands
Dear Editor
I thank all my friends for the beautiful cards and gifts, which I received on my
special day, and most of all being there and helping me to enjoy a lively day
with so many of them, and also to Rosemary and Peter for the lovely lunch.
Biddy Morgan
Dear Editor
Whether or not we can completely agree with their point of view, those people
who are so vehemently opposed to animal experimentation as to give up a
considerable part of their spare time in arguing and demonstrating against it
must earn our respect. Most of the great wrongs of the world were finally put
right because of people like them—people who were willing to be different, and
to tirelessly attempt to persuade others to be different too.
That said, and truly meant, it will do their cause no good whatsoever if these
admirable people do not find some way of distancing themselves from the extreme
behaviour of some of their fellow demonstrators. Even allowing for the
distortions and sensationalism of the media, it is clear that there has been
some violence and some intimidation; and it would surely strengthen the cause as
a whole if those demonstrators for whom such methods are repugnant would clearly
disassociate themselves from them. No crusading movement welcomes a split in its
ranks, but until such a split does take place all demonstrators against animal
experimentation are likely to be tarred with the same brush. And that—given
that their argument must ultimately rest on moral rather than scientific grounds—
would be fatal.
C Scarles
Although the Linton News paper will not carry any more letters
on Animal Testing any received will be put on the web site
Dear Editor
It’s not often that anybody has something good to say about the NHS, but I do.
Give praise where praise is due.
Recently I took my 10 year old son to the doctors. I was rather concerned
because he had a very bad headache, had been sick twice, was shying away from
the light, and had a worrying rash on his face. I’m sure that every mother is
aware of what was going through my head–is it the unmentionable ‘M’ word?
I took my son to see Dr Lea-Cox, whom we had never seen before. She had a good
look at him and explained that she didn’t think it was the ‘M’ word, but
wanted him to pop up to the hospital for a blood test. Unfortunately due to
health problems myself I am unable to drive so transport was arranged by the
surgery.
After waiting some time for the transport, we were asked to go into a side room,
where my son received another check over by the same doctor. She was concerned
after this check–his temperature had risen and his headache was worse. He was
given Calpol and a hefty dose of penicillin was administered, an ambulance was
now requested to take my son to Addenbrooke’s immediately, the nurse stayed
with us to sponge him down and keep an eye on him till the ambulance arrived.
Every parent’s nightmare!
My son was treated for meningitis, all tests were inconclusive, but all the
signs were there. Thankfully due to the quick thinking of the doctor and nurse
involved my son only got better. He was in isolation for three days in hospital
and then was allowed home with a course of penicillin.
I’m still not sure if he had meningitis but I’m very grateful to all at the
Health Centre for their care regarding this matter.
Thank you very much to Dr Lea-Cox and the nurse (I’m sorry, I’m unsure of
her name).
Dawn Newman dawn.newman@ukgateway.net
WE at Linton Action for youth would like to share with you some
of the recent achievements of Linton’s young people. Firstly we have now
formed an LA4Y Alcohol Committee which consists of ten young people working
alongside their three youth workers to raise awareness of alcohol issues, to
begin to adopt a more responsible attitude to alcohol and update our Alcohol
Policy. We all recently enjoyed a training day at Burwell House—covering such
topics as communication skills and how committees work. We also have a small
group who are all working hard towards their first bronze Youth Achievement
Award. Some of the group have already completed their first 15-hour challenge.
This year we are taking part in the Flower Festival and a group of three young
women have volunteered to give up their time to create a display which will be
called ‘Allsorts’. We hope you will join us in celebrating and
congratulating all of the young people involved and we should all be very proud
of them.
On a more topical note we would like to announce that the Drop-In building is
soon to be painted green—with plenty of young people already volunteering to
help.
Liz Govier
Dear Editor
Thanks to publicity provided by The Linton News and other papers my book on
Linton housing has just about sold out and I would like to thank all who helped
in one way or another, among them Linton Post Office, Hale and Jacobs, Sweet
Talk News and Salon One who did most of the selling and not least those who
bought copies!
The book concentrated on relatively recent housing, but Linton buildings, of
course, go back many centuries. This broad spectrum is encapsulated in the
fabric of the parish church of St Mary which for many, whether churchgoers or
not, must be one of the focal points of the village. We would be very much the
poorer without it, but old buildings such as this require constant repair and
maintenance and ours is no exception as indicated by the article by the
Venerable Alan Clarkson in last month’s issue of The Linton News. When
originally set up some years ago the Friends of St Mary’s was intended to have
a secular appeal and reach out to people who were not necessarily churchgoers
but recognised the importance of keeping the church fabric in good condition.
Let us hope, therefore, that the newly constituted Friends will attract
widespread support.
Iris Jeffery
THE Spring Term was yet again another busy time for staff and
pupils at the Heights. Year Six pupils are very aware that the SATs were looming–
just a few weeks away. The rest of the school have taken their optional SATs as
part of the School’s Self-evaluation programme.
With the continuing pressure of maintaining standards and reaching targets, it
is difficult for staff to avoid pupils having ‘all work and no play’. But
teachers at the Heights have found room in the curriculum for some light relief!
The whole school supported Comic Relief in March. Pupils arrived clad in red
attire with pennies to add to the ‘mile’ created in the playground. For a
small fee, cakes and biscuits could be purchased and pupils were invited to
enter a joke- telling competition won by Charlie Morrison-Ayton whose joke
involved a woman locked in a car without a key being eventually saved by a man
in ‘khaki’ trousers! A creditable £270.70 was raised for Comic Relief.
I was privileged to join Year 6 pupils and staff at a science lecture by
Dr.Bryson Doyle on the subject of ‘Light’ at Cambridge University. It proved
to be an interactive mind-boggling journey on a subject that is part of the
National Curriculum. Dr Doyle showed us how light heats, illuminates, bounces,
bends, splits, reflects and refracts! A member of staff commented that to create
the same experience in the classroom would be no easy task and Year 6 pupils
came away enlightened! The same pupils, accompanied by four members of staff,
had a trip to the Isle of Wight to look forward to at the end of April. It was a
chance for the pupils to enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor activities while
learning some independence and responsibility away from home, for some, for the
first time.
The Year 3 and 4 football team recently achieved success by beating Icknield
School 4–3. While the mixed netball team also beat Icknield 7–3.
Congratulations to them.
The Summer Term amongst other activities will offer a Musical Workshop
production called ‘Backtrack’. Years 3 and 4 will be visiting Kentwell Hall
in July as part of their Tudor History studies.
Ms Sophia Peck, teacher of Year 5, could have been attended by at least 15
bridesmaids at her wedding at Easter, all willing volunteers from her class.
Transporting them to Scotland for the happy occasion proved a bit daunting! Ms
Peck has returned this term as Mrs Wareham and Linton Heights wishes her every
happiness in her married life.
Jane Bowen
LINTON Granta Playgroup is pleased to welcome new members of
staff: Elizabeth Simpson (our new leader), Anna Wright, Julie McCarthy and
Rosemary Palmer. We rely on fund raising and our Midsummer Madness will be held
with Chestnut Playgroup on 7th July at Linton Infants School. Tickets are
available now from both playgroups. Contact Karen Ager or Esther Cox.
A NUMBER of events are planned for June and July in aid of the
Friends of St Mary’s.
On Saturday 9th June, there will be a teddy bear parachute drop from the top of
St Mary’s tower. We have the parachutes, just bring your teddies (all sizes).
There will be first aid on hand. Successful teddies will be awarded a
certificate to say they have jumped from the top of the tower of St Mary’s.
The drop begins at 3pm. Each bear will pay an entry fee of £1 in aid of the
Friends of St Mary’s in restoring the church. Parachutes are very kindly
supplied by Irvin Aerospace of Letchworth.
At 6.30pm the re-launch of the Friends will take place in St Mary’s with a
champagne and strawberries reception prior to an exciting jazz/classical concert
in church at 7.30pm with Respectable Groove, a programme with popular and wide
appeal. Tickets at £10 (concessions £8) from Linton newsagents or reserved by
phone. Admission to the reception will be by free
ticket only (for catering numbers). The concert is being presented by the
Friends of St Mary’s in association with the Linton Musical Society as part of
the Linton Church Flower Festival 2001, ‘Whose world is it anyway?’
The Friends aim to enrol 250 new members this year and begin to raise money
towards the £100,000 target needed. Do come and join the fun.
On Thursday 12th July we have the Safari Supper, from 6.30 to 10pm. There are
just 20 tickets left, so book soon from Monica and Alan Clarkson. Tickets are £10. People need to travel in pairs in
cars. If you need car transport, please let us know.
The Safari starts at the Rectory with glass in hand. Each pair is directed to
one host and hostess for a starter, to another for the main course, and to a
third for dessert. With luck no one meets the same people twice (except at the
beginning and the end). Furthermore, no one knows where they are going until
they meet each host. All end up at the Rectory at 9.30pm for coffee and the
swapping of notes.
Alan Clarkson
THE Historical Society’s last meeting before the summer break
was well-attended. Mrs Holman, who inaugurated the Gurteen Museum, related
Gurteen’s long history of textile manufacturing. Since its start over 200
years ago it has remained in the hands of the same family and in the same town
(Haverhill). It expanded from weaving cloth and manufacturing workers’ smocks
to ready-made suits for men and boys. The onset of mechanised manufacture and
the import of cheap foreign clothes led to the manufacturing side being
transferred to Portugal and the premises are now used as a warehouse for the
imported clothes, with a museum to which admission is by appointment only.
The next meeting on Tuesday 18th September will be the AGM, with wine and a quiz
on Linton.
Joan Pearman
HIGH STREET: BE PATIENT AND RESPECT
THE RULES Top
IN last month’s Linton News, I congratulated the Co-op for
supporting wholeheartedly our aim to improve safety for our schoolchildren (‘High
Street traffic: simple solutions work’). The Co-op, however, is not the only
cause of traffic congestion at the time children go to and from school. Any
vehicle accessing this section of the High Street at school times could
potentially cause problems and does. Although school numbers and associated car
journeys can alter year by year the High Street cannot and parking spaces will
always be limited no matter what traffic measures are in force. We are currently
exploring the possibility of staggering the time children arrive at school,
perhaps in association with a Breakfast Club, something which has been well
received in other areas, which would reduce the number of vehicles requiring
access to the school at the same time.
In the mean time we would like all High Street users to ask themselves ‘Am I
causing a traffic problem for someone else?’ It may be that a small alteration
to your use of the High Street would benefit many. If you can answer ‘yes’
to any of the following questions, you too could have been responsible for
creating a dangerous traffic situation for other road users.
Have you ever parked on the double yellow lines outside the Co-op?
Have you ever parked on the double yellow lines anywhere between Green Lane and
Coles Lane?
Have you ever parked on the pavement?
Have you parked your car in Green Lane close to the junction with the High
Street?
Have you ever allowed your car to mount the pavement to pass another vehicle
when it was possible to slow down, remain on the road and still pass safely?
Did you know that you have committed a traffic offence if you have answered ‘yes’
to any of the above?
Did you know that if you have ever parked on double yellow lines anywhere along
the High Street you could have caused a major snarl up of traffic? Double yellow
lines free from parked vehicles are essential for traffic to manoeuvre through
the narrow High Street. Please do not park on double yellow lines.
If you see any vehicle parked illegally please record the vehicle make and
number and give the details to Andy Denzey via the police at Sawston (01223
358966) or Gill Barker at the Parish Council office. Alternatively, you could
use the Traffic Incident Report forms available at the Chemist, Sweet Talk News,
the Co-op, The Video Store, The Post Office and Hale & Jacobs.
Above all, do not forget the Public Meeting to be held at 7.30pm on 14th June at
the Village College to discuss pressing traffic issues on the A1307. This
meeting will be attended by members of the County Council as well as the Parish
Council and is a chance for you to have your say. Val Urwin
‘It is by human contact that we achieve a sense of how we are
all global citizens’
Clive Bush on the hopes that brought four South African students to Linton
STANDING
in the dusty heat of a South African spring last September, I looked across the
open assembly courtyard of Boepathutse School, over the heads of a thousand
township children to a sign on a door which read ‘Linton Village Community
Laboratory’. It was tremendous to see such tangible evidence of our
partnership with Boepathutse Junior Secondary School in Soshanguve. A school
with no gym, sports hall, technology rooms, assembly hall or any of the luxuries
we have taken for granted, at least now has a science laboratory paid for and
equipped by Linton Village College and its community. The idea materialised
about then. What about bringing four of these children to Linton to live and
study in our community for an extended period? What would be the results of such
a venture? I talked it over with the Principal at Boepathutse who in turn talked
to the Governing Body of the school. They came up with the same feeling I had;
that the experience would have a profound effect on the individuals, the school
and the wider community - very positive ripples in a severely disadvantaged
environment.
By our standards, So-shanguve is a tough place. Two and a half million people
live in single storey block-built houses or shacks, criss-crossed by dirt roads.
There are no amenities like parks, sports centres, swimming pools or shopping
centres. The crime rate is very high and the unemployment rate is higher. Even
for those in work, whose life is comparatively comfortable, the future is
unstable. South Africa does not have a buoyant economy, its education system is
struggling and a harsh and bitter racism is rife among some of the whites who
still hold the best and most lucrative jobs in Pretoria and Johannesburg. Life
is far from perfect in the UK though, and I knew that our visitors would bring
much with them which would both strengthen our partnership and enrich and inform
our College.
The township children I met were predominately positive, articulate, outgoing
and fiercely proud of their school, their communities and their rich and vibrant
traditions, all qualities we seek to encourage in the sometimes jaded ‘first
world’. So on Sunday 6th May the departure hall in Johannesburg International
Airport was crowded with 200 people from Soshanguve singing and dancing to wish
farewell to Moses, Eupricia, Desirée and Tshepo as they set off on their
journey to our world. For two hours previous to this, all four had featured on a
radio phone-in programme; the visit is the talk of the township. As they walked
through the barrier at Heathrow next morning and smiled and waved, I knew we had
done the right thing.
Back at LVC they have made the whole partnership come alive for our pupils. They
are popular for all the right reasons and they have become part of four families
in Linton and Haverhill.
That ripple effect goes on and when our guests visit our primary schools, who
are also developing links with schools in Soshanguve, I am sure they will cause
much interest and excitement. And when they return to Soshanguve, something of
LVC and its communities will go back with them. Who knows, other people may
begin to talk to each other across those 11,000 miles and the great gulf between
the developed and developing world, for it is by human contact that we achieve
more understanding, tolerance and a sense of how we are all global citizens.
‘INTERNATIONAL’ is the word on everyone’s lips at Linton
Infants since our application to work towards The International Accreditation
award scheme was accepted. A series of activities to make children, staff and
the community more internationally aware have been planned for the whole of the
academic year and, if everything goes to plan, we will be awarded International
status for the next three years.
Many of the activities we have planned involve our link school in Soshanguve,
South Africa. We share our link school with Linton Heights Junior School and
together we have to raise an annual sponsorship of £300. We decided to raise
our half this year by making a collection after our annual Christmas production
and Carol Service for Grandparents. Due to the generosity of those who donated
we were able to send £377 to South Africa. A huge thank you to everyone who
gave to this very worthy cause.
All the children have recently been producing work to make a brochure all about
our school to send to our link school. We asked them to think about the things
they like about school and the things that they think might be different in
South Africa. For most children this was difficult as they have little knowledge
of life and conditions there. In order to help give them a little more insight,
Clive Bush very kindly came in to talk to all the children about his experiences
in Soshanguve. His stories and slides were certainly an eye-opener for all who
attended and we would like to thank Clive for sharing these with us.
Other International activities planned for this year include an International
World Book Day, further correspondence between our children and our link school,
and various topic and music activities involving other countries. If we are
successful in achieving International Accreditation we will certainly be letting
everyone know! Susan Ireland
THE local house to house collection raised £794 from Linton
supporters. Nineteen collectors took part in the event; six collected less than
last year when £980 was raised. Many thanks to all collectors and supporters.
Volunteers are needed to collect for next year’s event, date to be announced.
Please contact the Linton organiser,
THANK you to everyone who donated to the collection for Save The
Children, and to all those volunteers who did the collecting. A total of
£1407.38 was raised in Linton, Withersfield and Hadstock.
Your support really does make a difference for millions of children around the
world.
Judith White
AS I write, it is a cloudless day and the college is almost
empty. Groups of our children are on activities in various parts of Britain and
Europe. Those who remain here are experiencing things that normal life and
schooling does not provide. For example; climbing, archery, a day with the Army
or a visit to those aspects of Cambridge normally experienced by University
students or tourists. If you add to this the class based follow up work, the
Insight into Industry experience and the African events, you see a classic case
of ‘It wasn’t like that in my day’! That of course is without considering
Year 10 work experience, the Ardèche canoeing trip, the French and German
exchanges and the visit to the WWI battlefields.
We do these things because education should be about enrichment, about
broadening experience and providing for the needs of the whole child. The normal
timetable can only do so much so we squeeze this wealth of opportunities into a
week, or in the case of work experience, two weeks. This leaves the rest of the
year for the more formal curriculum.
These days children are measured and tested more than they have ever been, and
in this country, more than anywhere else. All this testing of course produces
programmes of study and the pressure to do well; no one wants to slip down the
league table ladder.
It would be a great shame though if this meant that those other enriching
experiences were denied to children because of the pressure to meet targets. It
is very important for young people to work in teams, to be expected to behave
properly abroad or at a national monument; to appreciate the hidden delights of
our closest city or quietly contemplate the reality of the American Cemetery.
In our drive to push our young people ever harder, let us not forget the
importance of an open mind, a tolerant approach to life and a rich and varied
experience. Perhaps it wasn’t like this in our day, but then we did not sit
four sets of national tests between the ages of 9 and 12.
Clive Bush, Principal
THE visit to Homerton College gardens will take place on Tuesday
10th July. We will be meeting at the Social Centre at 6.15pm for a 7pm start to
the tour, after which refreshments will be available. Please put the date in
your diaries and we look forward to seeing as many members as possible.
Our Plant and Produce sale last month was a great success with the weather
definitely on our side. The extra space available at the new venue enabled us to
offer refreshments, and gave prospective buyers a better opportunity to view the
plants and spot someone to give advice if needed. A special mention goes to
Susan and John Anderson who let us make free with their lovely garden and a
thank you to everyone who helped in any way and to those who brought and bought.
Our next event is the Annual Show on 28th July, which is also open to
non-members. We would especially welcome more child contributors, so for further
details please contact Alex Todd.
Gloria Fidler
FRED Binks will return to Chalklands on Wednesday 13th June. He
will be showing slides of the Ukraine, where the Knitting Group sends blankets,
etc.
The talk starts at 2pm in the Chalklands Community Room. Everyone is welcome –
it will be an interesting afternoon. Jean Whitby
Monday 21st May 2001 Illustrated by Maureen Williams
AT
last spring has given way to early summer. Although the weather remains erratic,
plants are shooting up, so that cow parsley has now reached head-height and
lines the hedges with a white barrier extending upwards to meet the scented may
blossom. The whole effect is a foamy white from top to toe, with a back-drop of
fresh young green leaves.
The local rooks have diversified their nests this year. There was an old tree in
which the colony used to have many nests, but the main branch at the top came
down in the winter storms. Now nests seem to have increased in number and are
scattered in the smaller trees planted north of the river at Little Linton and
down into the old woods by the river towards the housing estate. We are lucky
still to have a good number of large old trees and little patches of woodland.
But what a pity that the plans for a new wood at Hildersham came to nothing. If
meadowland is left uncut, it tends towards woodland in the end, so perhaps the
same purpose could be achieved by a bit of gentle neglect?
On 30th April, a flock of house martins were feeding on a meadow in Little
Linton south of the river and soon after had increased to about 15. With the
general absence of cattle, there must be a shortage of dung flies and other
insects, so that the horse paddocks would provide welcome feeding for them.
Small numbers of swallows and swifts have also been observed over the fields
near Back Road, but generally fewer than last year. My first sighting of
swallows was very late, on May 7th, with swifts appearing a day later as the
first of the really warm sunshine arrived.
Foot and mouth precautions are still in force in Hildersham, as the sheep are
massed by the Hall Farm and water meadows. However, the notices have disappeared
from the Little Linton footbridge path so owners can again walk their dogs
there. When one considers that muntjak deer have been seen feeding near the
churchyard at Hildersham, banning walkers and their dogs from field footpaths
seems perhaps redundant.
Walking in the Nene Valley Country Park yesterday, we were disappointed to find
that footpaths which were promised to be open still had restriction notices and
threat of a £5000 fine for transgressors. Perhaps the local farmers had decided
that an absence of walkers was good news for them and had not bothered to remove
the notices. With luck, this epidemic is now abating, but at an enormous cost.
THE congregation of St Mary’s Church, Bartlow are looking for
an organist/keyboard player who could accompany two Sunday services a month.
This is an all-age request: perhaps a student who is learning the piano, an
organist/pianist who would like to refresh their keyboard skills, or possibly
someone in their retirement who has more time now.
The Rector, Julian Thom-son, is ‘organist’ at the moment, and looks forward
eagerly to climbing down off the organ bench. If you are interested please
contact Julian Thomson.
AZTECS Under 16s beat Cottenham Juniors 3-1 to win the
Hillsborough Cup Final on Sunday 20th May, at Cambridge Stadium. A thrilling
match was watched by a large crowd of parents and well-wishers who had a
wonderful afternoon of football. Robin Green, the Aztecs manager, and their
coach, Steve Little, saw this as the team’s crowning moment in what has been
their best season. Due to their commitment and diligence this team has blossomed
to its full potential. A big thank you to them from all the boys and their
parents. Gill Barker
WEEKEND and one-day Workshops for June at Bottisham Village
College are as follows: Saturday 9th June: Essential Italian; Introduction to
Messy Play; Life Drawing. Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June: Excel for All.
Saturday 16th June: Photoshop; Comparative Approaches in Counselling; First Aid
for Playworkers. Saturday 30th June: PowerPoint. For further details, please
contact Bottisham Village College on 811372.
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