Come and meet up with friends, neighbours and visitors and have a chat over coffee, cake and the Sunday papers! We hope you’ll be able to join us.
Don’t forget to follow (and ‘like’) the Gidding Gobblers Facebook page
Gidding Gobblers Café will be open this Sunday July 7th from 10am until 2pm in Great Gidding Village Hall.
Come and meet up with friends, neighbours and visitors and have a chat over coffee, cake and the Sunday papers! We hope you’ll be able to join us.
Don’t forget to follow (and ‘like’) the Gidding Gobblers Facebook page
Key points for the 2018/19 Council Year from Tim Alban, District Councillor for Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley Ward
New Council Year – New Council Ward
In May 2018 I was elected as one of two District Councillors to represent the new Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley ward and I have been busier during the past twelve months than at any time in the preceding 3 years. The ward is about 11 miles from Wansford in the north to Little Gidding in the south and even with my fellow ward councillor, Marge Beuttell and I splitting the ward in half, I am still the first point of contact for residents in 6 villages and 3 hamlets.
Getting to all the Parish Councils continues to be a challenge, especially as a number of them meet on the same evening but I have visited them all and enjoy working with the various Parish Councillors and Parish Clerks.
Marge and I also work well with our County Councillor Simon Bywater, especially when our areas of responsibility overlap.
I am fortunate to be the Chairman of the Council’s Customers & Partnerships – Overview & Scrutiny Panel, which covers some of the areas I am most interested in such as leisure and the environment.
Planning
The most time-consuming issue this year has been planning – something I had very little to do with in my first 3 years as a District Councillor. Although there hasn’t been much for me to be involved with in the Giddings with regards to planning, applications in Stilton and Holme have involved significant amount of work.
Other Issues
Over the last year I’ve worked to tackle fly-posting, dog fouling, dangerous and illegal parking, faulty and damaged signs, fly-tipping, pot holes, litter as well as issues for individual residents. Sometimes I’ve worked on my own, other times I have worked with Marge, Simon and some of our excellent Parish Councillors. The most unusual issue I have dealt with this year (if not ever) was the wayward portaloo and damaged signs at the junction of Milking Slade and Chapel end.
District Wide
This year the District Council part of the Council Tax went up by 2.66%, a new parking regime has been introduced so that charges better reflect the time used and changes were made to way the Council handles enquiries from residents who prefer to access more information online.
If you need to contact me please call me on 07193 101145 or email tim.alban@huntingdonshire.gov.uk you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.
A Pond Dipping event is to be held on Sunday 10th May at 2.30pm, all ages and level of ignorance welcome!! We’ll be exploring what’s in the pond and sharing our knowledge as well as helping to make some homes for insects, frogs and toads.
At 5.30p.m. on Friday May 10th we’ll be flinging open the doors of the Village Hall to welcome gardeners and plant hunters from near and far..
- You can put your horticultural questions to Radio Cambridgeshire’s Tony Arnold in a Gardeners’ Question Time session.
- Browse stalls including interesting garden bric a brac and beautiful and unusual garden ornaments and custom-designed barbecue covers made by local craftsman, Ped Baker.
- There’s a special bird quiz for children, with prizes to be won.
- And a children’s craft table with lots of interesting things to do.
- Enjoy demonstrations and learn the secrets of successful pot and basket-planting.
- Enter the raffle with lovely garden-themed prizes.
- AND, of course……PLANTS GALORE! Whether you’re after annuals, perennials, small shrubs, herbs or vegetables, there will be lots of choice and something here for everyone.
- PLUS PLUS PLUS……Barbecue and Bar.
What a great way to spend a Friday evening!
We hope to see you there.
Next event – Pond life in, on and above & habitat construction
Sunday 12th May 2.30pm.
The May event focuses on the pond environment (although if it doent rain hard soon we may just be looking at a deep muddy puddle) Always facinating to see an active pond and we will try to have some jars showing the micro life that inhabits the lower reaches. All welcome, dogs on leads please or we wont be able to see into the pond.
Bring a flask or bottle of cold drink, you never know it may be warm
Look out for some monthly themed topics that will take place in the Jubilee wood this spring and summer.
On the second Sunday of each month starting at 2.30pm there will be a chance to learn about a particular topic using the Jubilee wood as the source of inspiration. The knowledge will come from amongst those who come along.
So far the list of themes is as follows
March 10th – Close up photography How to use your camera phone to get pin sharp close ups or using a big digital SLR to get right in with macro shots using elements of the Jubilee wood for inspiration and subject matter.
April 14th – Tree identification in the Jubilee Wood
May 12th – Pond life, in on and above, plus Habitat Construction
June 9th – Grass and plant identification
July 14th – Nature & Well Being
August 11th – Crafts – Leaf and bark rubbing, drawing and natural sculptures
It is hoped that those who have an in-depth knowledge of the subjects will be happy to attend and share with the attendee’s. All ages welcome.
If you have reference books they’d be useful or apps for the well connected.
We will have a “pop-up” meeting point within the wood
Over the past 18 months you might have noticed building work happening at 74 Main St., Great Gidding – previously Laurel Farm. Jan and Margaret have been busy designing and building their own home and office and a further property that will eventually be rented out by Fitzwilliam Estate.
Here’s a few aerial photographs taken by Catalyst Video Services for Jan Maciag at Folium Architects.
FRIDAY, 10 MAY, Great Gidding Village Hall
Things are hotting up as the date of Great Gidding’s Plant Sale draws near.
We hope everyone will find time to visit and take advantage of some bargains just in time for summer. Not only will there be plenty of plants for sale, you can also browse a number of stalls, including unique handmade metal garden ornaments from local maker, Ped Baker, and a horticultural bric a brac stall. You can bring along your garden questions to put to Radio Cambridgeshire’s expert gardener, Tony Arnold or get some handy hints on how to plant your pots and hanging baskets. There’ll also be a garden-themed raffle and, for the children, a bird quiz with a very special prize!
And there’s more!
With a Barbecue and a Bar to help you as you browse, the evening of May 10th promises to be a really convivial and fun event.
Entry is free. Doors open at 5.30p.m.
Don’t throw them away! We would love to ‘repurpose’ them for our garden bric à brac stall at the Plant Sale.
We’re looking for unusual items to use as planters (baskets, chimney pots, old boots, chamber pots, etc), as well as any decorative planters you no longer need or like, or anything else with a horticultural theme (garden ornaments, bird feeders, bird boxes, garden lights, gardening books) …anything at all that might make an interesting addition to someone else’s garden.
All sales on the evening will help to swell the funds for Jubilee Woods projects.
Let your imagination run riot!
You can either deliver to The Village Shop or call 01832 293240 and we’ll be happy to collect.
Jubilee Wood in March
March 2019 Jubilee Wood
As the weak winter sun dips down behind the trees in the wood, and we welcome the first official days of spring with the vernal equinox, it’s hard not to wish for signs of summer with long days and busy hours as wildlife does what wildlife has always done in the season of plenty…….replenishing fat reserves, bringing up young ones and if lucky, having a bit of relaxation after the winter and unpredictable weather of spring.
Spring is a time of uncertainty as we wait to see whether different species have survived the winter, and unfortunately, many of the Ash trees in the wood are showing signs of dieback but time alone will tell how many will survive. It’s a worrying sight and yet nature has a way of compensating and filling the void. Those of us who are old enough to remember how Dutch elm disease changed the look of the landscape should be heartened to know that there are still several quite large elms in this area as well as several small ones in hedgerows, and no doubt some of the Ash trees will adapt and survive in a similar way.
Butterflies are definitely a species which can find winter challenging and many butterfly lovers are waiting to see if the offspring of Chequered Skippers which were reintroduced to England last year from Belgium have survived the winter. The chosen site in Rockingham forest has been kept secret but Butterfly Conservation staff and volunteers are closely monitoring the site. The Chequered Skipper was first recorded in Britain near Bedford in May 1798 by Charles Abott. For many years it was known only in England, found in a band of woodlands stretching from Oxfordshire to Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. Its presence was one of the reasons Charles Rothschild, a pioneer of conservation, set up his estate in the heart of this area, at Ashton near Oundle. Most of us will be familiar with the excellent pub in Ashton named after the butterfly but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could host them here in Jubilee Wood? Thanks to the recent hard work of volunteers in clearing areas around the edges of the wood, the sunny, flower rich open areas are all ready for their return.
On another positive note, sightings of the great crested newts in the pond have been reported so we know that some at least, have survived the winter. It’s a hazardous journey for some of them to return to the pond looking for a mate, especially if they have to travel across the road from their winter home, and at least one unfortunate newt wasn’t lucky enough to make it this year. Perhaps we’ll have to ask the parish council for ‘Newts crossing’ signs next year….or even an underpass!
With so much happening at this time, perhaps we should just take time to appreciate the excitement of seeing the first unfurling of tiny leaves on the trees, the powdery catkins and the glorious golden colour of wild aconites and dandelions. The sound of the dawn chorus never fails to remind us it’s Spring as the rich melodies of blackbirds, doves, robins, and even the squabbling of the sparrows and starlings are played out in this very special part of the year.
The Woodwalker
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