A traditional LOW IMPACT exercise to music class.
Great Gidding Village Hall
Thursdays at 10.00am
Ideal for beginners and those who remember how classes used to be.
£5.00 per class.
Free refreshments after.
Contact Steph on 07720 583340
Gidding Gobblers Café is open this coming Sunday 5th August from 10am until 2pm.
We look forward to welcoming you for coffee, cakes and a relaxing break.
Many local residents will know that Sawtry Byway 33 – the Bullock Road that links Milking Slade Lane, Great Gidding with Gidding Road, Sawtry, is usually open during the drier months from April until October every year.
The gates controlling access to Byway 33 have only very recently been opened to the public, but may be closed at short notice at any time. Please note that access to all local Byways are solely controlled by Cambridgeshire County Council and the “Rights of Way” officers will make the decisions regarding when the Byway gates are open to the public.
Clearly, right of way access to historic Byways is very important to many in our local communities, and if there are any queries regarding Byway access, then please contact the Rights of Way Officer for Huntingdonshire directly.
Email: highways@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
A Special General Meeting of the Friends of St Michael’s Church was held on Tuesday 5th June in St Michael’s Church to vote on two Resolutions proposed by Paul Burgess and seconded by Sue Shepherd, concerning the future of the society.
Before the voting took place the chairman, Sue Shephard, said she was sure everyone would wish to join with her in thanking the previous chairmen of the society (Paul Burgess & Patrick Jarvis) for all their hard work. During their tenure, the Society had given grants to Great Gidding PCC to enable the restoration of 90% of the clear glass windows in the church. Furthermore grants had enabled the maintenance of the churchyard. Grants had paid for a new mower, regular equipment maintenance and the cost of petrol for grass cutting. Also grants had been given for tree surgery as and when required. Finally society members had given freely of their time to mow and keep the churchyard in a good condition.
The support of the Patrons (Sir Phillip Naylor-Leyland and David Woodley) was noted with thanks.
Robin Hayden expressed his sadness that there was insufficient practical support for the Society. Comment was noted that people’s lives had much greater demands on them these days, and people found difficulty in offering their time. However it was hoped that perhaps in the future someone may be enthused to start the Society again.
On the first resolution to dissolve the society with immediate effect, the motion was carried by twelve votes to three. The second motion to pass the money in the society’s account to the church was also carried by the same margin. This motion included a caveat that the money should be spent solely on either fabric or the churchyard, in accordance with the society’s aims and objectives.
Since this meeting the Parochial Church Council has agreed to use money passed across by the society for the restoration of the remaining clear glass window in the chancel.
From Mike Keck
Gidding Gobblers Café will be open from 10am until 2pm this coming Sunday July 1st and we look forward to welcoming you all for a refreshing break.
We are open on the first Sunday of each month throughout the summer from 10am until 2pm in Great Gidding Village Hall. Next dates are: Sunday July 1st, Sunday August 5th and Sunday September 2nd.
Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/giddinggobblers
We hope to see you there!
The University of Cambridge’s Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA) is supervising the excavation of a number of archaelogical test pits around the village this week. With the goodwill of local householders supported by Access Cambridge Archaelogy a number of young people will be finding out how to excavate and analyse their findings. For the householders and Gidding History Group this will be a peek into the past.
Jubilee Wood in May 2018
May has been another interesting month weather wise, sometimes pouring with rain and at other times so hot it’s been difficult to be outside.It doesn’t seem to have bothered Mother Nature though, and the Jubilee wood is growing at a fast pace, full of flowering trees and hedges as well as many different varieties of ground cover including grasses and wildflowers.
The pond
The pond is now quiet as far as the newts are concerned but there’s plenty of activity still to be seen as the damsel and dragon flies take their opportunity to fascinate the viewer with their aerobatic displays on sunny days, and in case you’re wondering how to tell the difference between the two….
Dragonflies and damselflies
Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the insect order Odonata meaning ‘toothed jaws.’ They originated some 300 million years ago and have survived with relatively little change in their basic structure. Collectively known as Dragonflies they are divided into two distinct sub-orders, the Anisoptera (true dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies). There are a number of differences between these sub-orders which will help you decide if you are looking at a dragonfly or damselfly:
Unequal wings
Anisoptera means ‘unequal wings’ as the forewing is narrower than the hindwing. They are generally larger and more robust with a powerful flight. When the insect comes to rest it leaves the wings outstretched. The head shape is spherical with eyes that cover most of the head and usually meet in the middle at a contact point.
Equal wings
Zygoptera means ‘equal wings’ as the wings do not differ in shape. The damselflies are usually smaller insects with a weaker fluttery flight and when they come to rest most species fold the wings neatly together and hold them above the abdomen. They have a rectangular head shape with eyes located at the side of the head which are clearly separated with no contact point.
Can you identify the following from these photos taken recently at the Jubilee pond?
The Wood Walker
This weekend saw the Tour of Cambridgeshire Gran Fondo cycle event pass through our village on its 80 mile route. Here are a few photos of the event.
Roads closed for a few hours
The Queen always likes to get a new outfit for the occasion
The elite cyclists pass through the village first. Average speed over 20mph!!
A little encouragement from some of the villagers
Passing the Fox and Hounds
Over 9,000 cyclists…
…passed through the village
Good excuse for a barbecue
Tour of Cambridgeshire through Great Gidding – June 2016
Video: Paul Crank
Due to the Tour of Cambridgeshire cycle race we will not be opening this coming Sunday, 3rd June, as Main Street, Great Gidding will be closed for the majority of the hours that we would usually be open. You will not be able to gain entry to the Village Hall car park and it will be difficult/unsafe to cross the road during those hours.
Hopefully the weather will be good on Sunday 3rd June and we can watch the colourful spectacle of the cycle race passing through the village.
Thank you
Julie and Krystyna
The results from the Community Survey were presented at the Annual Parish Meeting on 15 May 2018.
This Survey was the first “test“ of community opinion in Great & Little Gidding since 2003. The focus of the questions was on life in the Parish, community services, roads and transport and also asked about any future development in the Parish.
View a copy of the Community Survey Presentation 15 May 18 (Final)
School children’s ‘Parliament’
With the approval of the Head Teacher at Great Gidding primary school, we also conducted a separate survey with “child-friendly” questions and held a meeting with the school children’s ‘Parliament’. The children were asked for their opinions about the village recreation and play park facilities and about the natural local heritage including the Nature Trails and Jubilee Wood.
Village life and sense of community
Respondents of the main survey really liked the village life and sense of community and having access to a village shop and pub. Conversely, lack of suitable public transport, the absence of a permanent Post Office were negative factors. Additionally, there is a perception that an aging Parish population and a degree of apathy towards getting involved in the community detracted from the quality of village life.
Regarding roads in the Parish: most people thought the roads were safe and adequate for current traffic; however, speeding on the B660 was a significant concern, as were road maintenance issues: especially potholes, subsidence of the road edges and poor road markings. Long term surface water and drainage issues persist in Gains Lane and Chapel End.
There was almost an even split of opinion regarding any concerns about future developments, but significantly all respondents agreed that any future development should be sympathetic to the existing village environment. Most people objected to any large-scale developments but were happy to encourage smaller ‘infill’ projects.
Accurate ‘snapshot’
In summary, we are very grateful to those who participated in the 2018 Community Survey and we believe that it provided an accurate ‘snapshot’ of opinion that will enable the Parish Council to focus on those issues that are of greatest concern to the residents of Great & Little Gidding.
Any questions please ask. Many thanks.
Nick Hill (Parish Councillor)