Gidding Badminton Club

Fresh players still needed

 

DadddersGidding  Badminton Club  has for a number of years played social badminton at the Sawtry Leisure Centre. Over recent weeks active players have been a bit thin on the ground so this is really a call for new  members and old members to come back to the fold .

It is social badminton played with every intention of winning but recognising the skill level is sometimes  found wanting. If this sounds like your sort of game then come and join in on Tuesday evening’s  from 6 pm until 7 pm. There is no club membership fee, just the court hire which floats around £1.50 to  £2.50 depending on numbers.

 

We aim to play mixed doubles which rotate  after each game and we play with the modern scoring system  whereby you win a point at each serve. This makes for a faster, livelier and  usually error strewn game. All good fun!

Contact Michael Trolove  for more details

 

 

Tour Of Cambridegshire (Gran Fondo)

Tour Of Cambridegshire (Gran Fondo)

The first cycling Tour Of Cambridgeshire took place in June 2015 The route on public roads that were closed specifically for the race to happen. Around 5000 cyclists were reported to have signed up to take part. So on a stunningly glorious day we watched and waited to see what 5000 cyclists looked like speeding through the village. What a spectacle apart from the heads down first few hundred who were on a mission to win the great mass of riders responded in kind to the roadside cheering and reserved clapping that Brits do so well. It was a grand spectacle and is to be repeated in 2016 on the same route. A Gran Fondo is a cycling event on closed roads for mass participation.

It should be noted that there were a few grumbles and the notification process before hand could have been more robust. The idea of the roads closed for 12 hours was a nonsense and should never have been allowed to be displayed, despite rectification the die had been cast. Hopefully the organisers will take this on board and make bigger efforts to contact affected buisnesses on route and make it clear that nobody is trapped in their homes.

The plus side of all this is Gidding is on the map and not some backwater beyond Sawtry and Stilton. It provided grand entertaiment on the roadside at no cost and no doubt charities were the biggest winners.

John O’Groats to Lands End

John O'Groats to Lands End

Amelia and Sue are currently cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End.

They started the 1,000 mile journey on Friday, and anyone watching the golf will know just what terrible weather they have had to endure so far, but they are pressing on regardless, without a support vehicle. (they declined Andy’s offer)

Sue has meticulously planed  the route and their accommodation, and they will average about 75 miles each day, finishing on Thursday the 30th of July.

They were planning to do it just for fun, but have now decided that they could also raise funds for  good cause. If you would like to show your support, for their efforts then please donate via their just giving sites

https://www.justgiving.com/Amelia-Hodson

https://www.justgiving.com/SueLocke/

 

Mince Pie Champion Revealed

Mince Pie Champion Revealed

Following three weeks of intensive, in depth and incisive analysis of Mince Pies,  yes Mince Pies!  we now know the identity of the Champion Mince Pie maker.

But first a little background. Since mid autumn Thursday evenings at the Fox & Hounds have been the centre of the culinary universe. What started out as a simple Pork Pie tasting has morphed into weekly food challenge. Pasties, Sausages, Bedfordshire Clangers and Scotch Eggs have all been subject to the judging panel. Remarkably some of the finest food presented has been submitted from the gnarled hands of the Farming, Undertaking and Electricians community.

Well done to all those who have taken part and watch this space for further challenges in 2015

David Roughton enjoying the limelight as Mince Pie Champion

David Roughton enjoying the limelight as Mince Pie Champion

Jubilee Wood maintenance weekends

Jubilee Wood maintenance weekends

For three consecutive  Saturday mornings in November a team of volunteers have been trimming the sides of the main path in the Jubilee Wood,  primarily to cut back bramble which was encroaching on to the path way.  A fourth Saturday trimming morning is scheduled for the 6th of December. If you want to join in then its a 10am start, bring some stout gloves and some tree loppers or secateurs. We will be concentrating on the boundary hedge between the Wood and the Allotments next time. But in the meantime, thank you to those who have already volunteered their time.

Great War exhibition

Great War exhibition

An exhibition of ongoing research into those from the Giddings who served in the Great War has been mounted in St Michael’s Church.

The exhibition will run from Friday 7th November until Thursday 13th November, and will be open from 8.30am – 4.00pm each day.

Great Gidding History Day – Report, photos and time-lapse video

Great Gidding History Day - Report, photos and time-lapse video

Another very successful History Day was held at Great Gidding Village Hall on the 18th of October.

Lots of visitors attended, some bringing information and others seeking it. The History team had prepared displays and information boards showing properties around the village both past and present.

Questions were posed about who lived where and when, dating of photographs and maps was another challenge.

A separate display highlighted those Great Gidding residents who served in the First World War, who survived and more poignantly who perished.

A new feature this time round was an archeological dig to find out what lay beneath the top soil of Great Gidding. See photos.

To help fortify visitors a “Tea Room” was set up in the Small Hall.

Lots of thank you’s to all the visitors on the day, the History Group team, Mr & Mrs Alexander for hosting the dig, Phil Hill for his archeological expertise and for running the “dig”  Joan Chiswell and team for running the “Tea Room”  Sawtry History Society for the loan of photographs and material and all the folks who provided pin boards for the displays.

However think the biggest thank you should go to Patrick Ellis who has lifted the lid on village life both in recent and distant past. His book and continuing  studies have enthralled many in the village and beyond.

Thank you Patrick.

Time-lapse film of Great Gidding History Day

A time-lapse film recording all the activity surrounding the very successful History Day. I hope you will see this as a record of the day and as a historic document in its self. It will be interesting to see how a You tube video and other digital media helps historians of the future. 

For the technical aspect the camera used was a Brinno TLC 200 mounted on a tripod and set to record a picture every second (NB. The video has been speeded up by 200%). The lighting was just daylight and the normal hall light. The camera aperture is F1.2 with a fixed field of view of 140°.

Video: Michael Trolove

Photo gallery

Jubilee Wood Winter Maintenance

Jubilee Wood Winter Maintenance

 

Jubilee Wood

Winter maintenance

The Jubilee Wood is in need of some ground maintenance. The area to the right of the main entrance is encroaching onto the grass ride. A five metre band from the entrance to the central grass area needs to be cleared, leaving just the planted trees.

You will need to bring loppers, shears, pruning saws and stout gloves or whatever you have in your garden maintenance armoury.

This work will commence from Saturday 15th November and for the following 3 Saturday’s starting at 10am for a couple of hours or however long you can give. I’m sure we can arrange a coffee break for 11am

Michael

Autumn Notes

Autumn Notes

What a lovely September!

Autumn is now here. It’s a great time to get out & about walking, cycling or riding.
Blackberries are out in abundance, with sloes coming to their fullness. Just think of those fabulous blackberry & apple pies not to mention the amazing sloe gin that can be passed around with friends on winter evenings.
I’ve just been out walking with my pruners. There are many blackberry brambles that have grown across pathways & stiles. It’s not a bad idea for folk to do likewise as its a great help. The council usually cut the grass pathways, but they don’t have funding for trimming. So really it’s up to us as walkers & riders to do our bit. Actually it’s quite fun as you’re out in the countryside seeing all that’s going on around you.
Something I did find upsetting was the amount of Dog Fouling on some of the pathways. The bridle way that’s recently be given a lovely new surface leading to the black bridge & the brook was awful. If you see anyone allowing their dog to foul please let me know as it is an offense. Further more it is a serious health hazard, should children come into contact with it.
I’m often asked why it’s OK for horses to excrete on the roads. Well, a well mannered horse & rider should keep their horse moving whilst it does this, so as it is easily washed away by rain. The other thing is that the composition of horse droppings is usually pure grass or cereals orboth. So these break down very quickly, not like a meat based foul. Neither does it carry dangerous bacteria or worms. ( there may be worm infestation, but not dangerous).
However, it is against the law for riders to let their horses mess on the pavements- they shouldn’t be on them anyway! If they do, clear it up.

 
Happy Autumn,
Rachel

Harvest 2014

Harvest 2014

Wheat harvest

Despite very few people in the parish of Great Gidding having any direct link with farming these days its still an important event in the farming calendar. As with every harvest the weather dominates harvesting decisions and this year was no different. A good sunny start in late July  followed by an iffy August. Finally harvest was wrapped up in early September under gloom laden skies.

Harvesting time-lapse video, August 2014

Video: Michael Trolove

Great Gidding grown wheat could well be in any number of foodstuffs that you find in your pantry,  larder, fridge, freezer, cupboard or secret stash for chocolate bars. We’re talking corn syrup derived from wheat starch, flour for baked products and  wheat based breakfast cereal.