Thanksgiving service

By on April 8, 2013   /   Community, Forthcoming events, Great Gidding, St Michael's Church, Uncategorized   /   Leave a comment
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Over the last few years, many things have happened in St Michael’s Church which have enhanced the beauty of this place of worship as well as improving the facilities.

On Sunday 21st April we are holding a Service of Thanksgiving to reflect our thanks to God for his goodness as well as recognising the generosity of so many people, both in terms of giving and creating. After the service there will be refreshments.

May we extend a warm welcome to you to join as at this service. St Michael’s Church is an important part of the infastructure of the village, and this is obviously recognised by the number of people who give so generously of their time, money and talents.

The service starts at 3pm.

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Clarion – March 2013

By on March 18, 2013   /   Great Gidding, Home page latest news, News stories and reports, Parish Council News & Notices   /   Leave a comment
Clarion - March 2013

Great & Little Gidding Parish Council

Clarion – March 2013

The Giddings Website www.giddings.org.uk In March 2012 the new Giddings website was launched with funding from the Great Gidding Charity.   A calendar has been added so now it’s really easy to keep up to date with what’s happening. The new site is updated by different editors who take responsibility for their own section.   Not just oldies! We are looking for young (15+) members of the village who would like to contribute.   We can set up your own section and help you get started with your very own blog (village-related in some way!)

The Parish News for The Giddings, Hamerton, Winwick and Upton is produced 10 months of the year – annual cost £4 delivered to your door. Please support all those whose voluntary efforts go to produce it. 

Sawtry Eye This is produced bi monthly and distributed to Conington, Glatton, Upton, Winwick, Hamerton and Sawtry.   It may be possible for the distribution to be extended to Great Gidding but it would require volunteers to deliver. Initially we need to know if there is enough interest in receiving this publication – please let the Parish Council know either by email giddingspc1@btinernet.com, tel 293068 (answerphone) or a note through the office door at the village hall.    

Chapel End – the Parish Council have successfully gained funding to make improvements along this stretch of road.   Plans have been drawn up by the County Council for a new footway.   This is a jointly funded initiative and the Parish Council contribution will be 10% of the total cost.

Gains Lane – The County Council have recently removed some dead trees from the verge.

The Jitty – the Community Payback Scheme recently sent a team to clear the path.   Network Power will   carry out work to remove branches that are obstructing their wires

Jubilee Wood – Ash Tree Dieback has been observed in the Jubilee Wood and inspected by FERA.  We await a decision on any action that needs to be taken. The Jubilee Wood will reach its 10th Anniversary in June 2013 and it is hoped to mark this celebration with a Woodside Arbour.

Recreation Ground – A plaque to commemorate the Fields in Trust Queen Elizabeth II Field status will be placed near to the entrance.  As items of the wooden adventure trail deteriorate they are being removed for safety reasons.

Parish Council meetings are usually held on 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm in the village hall, check noticeboards for agenda – all are welcome to attend

 

Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 19th March at 7pm

All welcome – come along and take part

Great Gidding Shop
Did you know that the following are available from, or through the shop Prescription service – Wellside Surgery will deliver your medication for you to collect Dry cleaning service – drop off and collection.  Daily papers, magazines and lottery tickets

Mobile LibraryRoute H18 – 3rd Thursday every month, Chapel End 12.40pm –1. 00pm
Friendly staff, ready to help, free to join, open to everyone.

  • A wide range of books for all ages.
  • Large print books and audio books
  • Access to all library service stock on request
  • On-line requests delivered to your local mobile library
  • Return items borrowed from any library

Mobile Post Office, Chapel End  Monday 9.30 – 11.30am, Tuesday to Friday 9.30 – 11.00am (exc bank holidays)

Fox and Hounds Public House –  serving food Tue – Sat 7 – 9pm and to book Sunday lunch tel. 293298

Better Broadband
– thank you to everyone who supported the Connecting Cambridgeshire campaign. BT has been awarded the contract and we await further news

Police

Dial 999 for emergency incident requiring immediate assistance. If it is non-emergency dial 101. If you wish to discuss an issue or pass on information by email with your local team email HuntsCops@cambs-police.co.uk Senior contact Sgt Ed McNeill. Please take part in the Community Feedback survey athttp://www.cambs-police.co.uk/survey/huntscops/communitysurvey.htm

Recycling – a textile recycling bank is located in the Village Hall car park.  The materials put in the textile bank are sorted and sent to Africa, any clothes not suitable are cut into rags for industry. A small income may be generated from this (£150 per tonne) for the village

Buses – do you use service 409 – would you like to be involved in Cambridgeshire Future Transport programme, if so we would like to hear from you, please contact the Parish Council.

Parish Council Office open Monday and Thursday 1200 – 2pm in the Village Hall (note amended times) Telephone 293068 (answerphone out of hours) or email giddingspc1@btinternet.com

Parish Councillors

Andrew Alexander (Chairman) 62 Main Street. Tel: 293315
Robin Hayden Warren House, Main Street. Tel: 293360
Paul Hodson 17 Chapel End. Tel: 293782
Chris Howden 9 Main Street. Tel: 293679
Rachel Giddens 47 Main Street. Tel: 293277
Michael Trolove 87 Main Street. Tel: 293591
Lydia James Manor Farmhouse, Main Street. Tel: 07962099922

Huntingdonshire District Councillors
Darren Tysoe Grove Cottage, Ellington. Tel: 01480 388310
Dick Tuplin t Andrew’s House, Sawtry. Tel: 01487 834156

Cambridgeshire County  Councillor 
Viv McGuire viv.mcguire@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Tel: 01733 248788

 

Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the village Hall on Tuesday 19th March at 7pm

All Welcome – come along and take part

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Chilli evening a huge success – thank you!

By on February 11, 2013   /   Great Gidding, Home page latest news, St Michael's Church, Uncategorized, Village Hall   /   Leave a comment
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Chilli evening a huge success - thank you!

 

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed to making the Chilli Evening with the “Auction of Promises” such a huge success. It was a really enjoyable evening, mainly as a result of the wonderful food and drink, followed by the excellent performance of our auctioneer who succeeded in persuading people to bid generously (and occasionally unwittingly!) for the many items up for auction. We were delighted to welcome friends from Winwick and to be able to “get our own back” – in the nicest possible way! The evening raised the staggering sum of over £2000 for church funds.

None of this would have happened but for the hard work of Mary Read, Sue Shepherd, Jane Edwards, Anthea Keck and all the team who organised the event. Yet this effort would have been for nothing had not the evening received the tremendous support it did from people far and wide.

Once again thank you to everyone for your time, generosity and support.

Revd Mary Jepp, Lois Jordan & John DeVal

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Townsend Pond

By on January 3, 2013   /   Community, Great Gidding, Home page latest news, News stories and reports, Newt articles, The Environment   /   1 Comment
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The big clean out

Townsend Pond or the Horse Pond as it is known in the village had reached crisis point. Almost completely silted up and giving off a foul smell when the water was low, it was becoming a bit of an environmental hazard. Long gone are the days when you could just get a gang organised and clear it out. Forms have to be filled in,notifications given and other ponderous red tape hurdles jumped.

Pond cleaning comes way down the list on priorities for any level of local government or agency so step in the Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire  Wild life Trust along with some determined  Parish councillor activity and you get a result courtesy of a Lottery Environmental Grant for £10,000.  Certain criteria had to be met and managed but the result is a clean deep pond with a vibrant wildlife habitat and a viewing platform for serious pond dippers.

The work was carried out by Lattenbury Services who did a first class job.

 

A couple of thing of particular note were the benign weather conditions in January 2011 when the project started. No rain, the pond already low because of previous dry weather and the sunny days whilst the work was undertaken.

The second point was the remarkable cobble base that had been laid in previous times. When it was done, nobody’s quite sure but it was a sturdy piece of work and the lads carrying out the work this time were careful not to break this surface.

Another fact about Townsend Pond is that it used to stretch right to the road edge with a modest single rail wooden fence as the barrier. The pond was partially filled by using excavated soil when Great Gidding was put on to Mains Sewage in the late 1960’s.

 

 

 

 

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Ash Dieback Disease

By on December 11, 2012   /   Community, Great Gidding, Home page latest news, Jubilee Wood news, News stories and reports, Uncategorized   /   3 Comments
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Ash Dieback Disease

Ash trees are under serious threat from a fungal disease that has spread to the UK from Continental Europe.

Chalara  Fraxinea or Ash Die-back Disease has been noted in East Anglia and Scotland. If the disease takes hold  as expert’s predict it will then it will be particularly devastating  for our area as every third tree is an Ash.

It is important however to identify the disease accurately as many Ash trees are suffering the effect of last years drought and signs of dead branches can sometimes be attributed to natural die back or age.

Ash tree disease

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help you identify the disease correctly here is a direct link to the Forestry Commission 

An  interactive app called Ashtag is available free for both Android and iphone users to help you identify and report suspected Ash Dieback disease.

These are available for download at Google Play and the app store.

Update 1

Further information can be found at the Ash Tag website  which includes an interactive map to show current  geo photo reports.

Update 2

A picture of this diseased tree has been sent to the Forestry Commission via the University of East Anglia Ashtag app.

We are awaiting official confirmation that this tree has Chalara Fraxinea.

Update 3

Part of the trunk of this tree has been sent for analysis

Early December 2012 and a visit from fera (The Food and Environment  Research Agency)to gain samples of potentially infected Ash trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sticky tape left on an Ash tree to show which ones might be infected or sampled

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Great reasons to support the GREAT Great Gidding shop

By on November 26, 2012   /   Community, Great Gidding, Home page latest news, Local businesses   /   Leave a comment
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Great reasons to support the GREAT Great Gidding shop

 

Great Gidding Stores

We’re lucky in Gidding to have the only village shop in the area. The range of services offered by Aruna and Jed is terrific. Did you know, for example, that all the following are available from, or through, the Great Gidding village shop?

● Daily papers, of course, but also magazines. If you regularly buy a magazine in the supermarket, why not order it through Aruna instead?

● A range of groceries and general household goods for those
annoying times when you run out of something essential
and you need it now!

● Dry cleaning service. Just drop in your cleaning and collect
from the shop.

● Prescription service.  Wellside Surgery will deliver your medication to the shop for you to collect

● Nets of logs and kindling

● New! 12.5kg sacks of potatoes

● New! A winning Lotto ticket!

The shop is the hub of the village – you can advertise goods for sale, local events or other attractions; and tickets for village events can usually be bought from Aruna.

By supporting the shop, you are helping to maintain a great village facility. And it helps you, too. By shopping in the village, we save time and precious fuel.

With new, longer, opening hours, our shop offers convenience, great service and helpful and personal attention from Aruna and Jed.

We’re so lucky to have a shop at the heart of our village – it’s up to us to ensure we keep it that way!

If we all committed to buying at least our milk, papers and magazines there, we’ll be helping ourselves, helping the shop and helping our village community!

 

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Recent flooding events around Great Gidding

By on November 25, 2012   /   Great Gidding, Home page latest news, The Environment   /   Leave a comment
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Rainfall problems around the village

 

The weather in 2012 will probably be recorded  as a record rainfall year and low sunshine levels. In reality since the last week of March its been nothing short of  “bloody miserable”  Everyone has felt the impact, events have been cancelled, harvest’s  ruined, autumn seeding at a standstill and still the weather will not relent. November rainfall has been heavy, that in its self is not unusual, the problem has been rain on already saturated ground and this past seven days has been a good example

Two weather events in the 4th week of November caused local difficulties within the Parish but probably much greater problems further afield

The ground is at field capacity in terms of water, the ditches are flowing, the field drains are running hard. The local brooks are running well. On Wednesday the 21st,  25mm of rain fell quickly the resulting flash  floods in and around the Parish of Great Gidding are seen below.

On Saturday 24th  in the afternnon more rain set in and lasted well into Sunday morning and although steadier just added to the flooding problems around the Parish.

 

Most of the houses escaped any flooding issues, most damage was caused to farmland and growing crops althought the impact of this wont be seen until the spring.

There are some interesting links that  will help you monitor flooding situations locally the first being two links to the flood level monitoring stations on the Alconbury Brook at Hamerton and Alconbury Weston

For Environment Agency Flood Warnings

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Monday Night Meanders

By on November 16, 2012   /   Community, Forthcoming events, Great Gidding, Home page upcoming events, The Environment   /   1 Comment
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Monday Night Meanders

As if the weather hasn’t been gloomy enough this year, the onset of the clocks going back will compound  this feeling. So why not join the Monday Night Meander’s for our weekly walk around the Luddington Loop. Its 3.3 miles and takes an hour and ten minutes at a very sedate pace. We meet outside the shop at 6.55 pm for a prompt 7 pm start.

You may need a torch  as the road up to Rectory Farm is a bit rough (surface wise)  Only a monsoon or a blizzard will stop the walk otherwise come along.

The first one is on Monday 29 th  of October and every Monday evening through to March 2013

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September History Group Meeting

By on September 8, 2012   /   Forthcoming events, Giddings history, Great Gidding, Home page upcoming events, Village Hall   /   1 Comment
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September History Group Meeting

One of our aircraft is missing……………

Local history researcher, Chris Hughes, will give a talk and slide show on RAF Molesworth,  the WWII activities and stories of some of the planes that were stationed there, and bring us to date with the role of the Base in mote recent years.

Join us on Wednesday 19th September, 7.30PM start

at Great Giddding Village Hall

Free Entry (donations to Gidding History Grouo)

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.

Everyone is welcome and Chris would love to hear personal stories and experiences connected to RAF Molesworth and other local bases, and to see any” finds” that people may have kept as souvenirs from the crash sites.

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