January 20101 Voice 2.indd - Hinxworth and Edworth Village Website

<strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong><br />

<strong>January</strong> 2011 for Caldecote, <strong>Edworth</strong>, <strong>Hinxworth</strong> <strong>and</strong> Newnham No.112<br />

Busy Bethlehem‛s joy<br />

A crowd of kings,angels <strong>and</strong> shepherds greeted the birth of the baby Jesus<br />

at Ashwell School’s brilliant infant nativity play, “Busy Bethlehem”.<br />

Around £500 raised at this <strong>and</strong> the Juniors’ Christmas production<br />

“Th e Snow Queen” will go to help children <strong>and</strong> teachers at Ashwell’s<br />

twinned school in Chejika, Malawi.<br />

Broadb<strong>and</strong> deadline is December 31st<br />

Time is running out if you intend to vote in BT’s Race to Infi nity<br />

scheme to provide superfast fi bre optic broadb<strong>and</strong> at Ashwell’s<br />

exchange. In November’s <strong>Voice</strong>, just 30 local people had voted in<br />

this ballot, 2.74% out of 1096. By December 11th, this fi gure had<br />

increased to just 66, 6.02% of those eligible to vote.<br />

Th is must surely mean that the majority of broadb<strong>and</strong> subscribers<br />

are thrilled with their quality of service, with the download <strong>and</strong> upload<br />

speeds. Otherwise they would have voted, wouldn’t they?<br />

vote for better broadb<strong>and</strong><br />

If by any mysterious chance you are unhappy with your broadb<strong>and</strong><br />

service, you have until December 31st to opt for something much<br />

better. It matters not who your internet service provider is; they all<br />

use the same decaying BT lines from Ashwell to where you live.<br />

Unless <strong>and</strong> until these lines are replaced there will be no signifi cant<br />

increase in broadb<strong>and</strong> speeds. So please, please before you fall asleep<br />

over your Christmas pud, or even think of celebrating the arrival of<br />

a br<strong>and</strong> new year, log on to bt.com/racetoinfi nity <strong>and</strong> vote for better<br />

broadb<strong>and</strong>. Th ank you.<br />

Events planners needed<br />

Volunteers wanted to help organise a calendar of special events for<br />

2012 for the Jubilee <strong>and</strong> the Olympic Games. Please contact Sylvia<br />

Scales 01462 742505.<br />

Don‛t miss our next deadline <strong>January</strong> 20th<br />

Please send all copy <strong>and</strong> pictures for February <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> to Patrick Forbes,<br />

18 Francis Road, <strong>Hinxworth</strong>, Herts. SG7 5HL, by <strong>January</strong> 20th . <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong><br />

is published by Forbes Services Ltd <strong>and</strong> can be read at www.hinxworth.info<br />

Email address for all copy <strong>and</strong> pictures is fool1@patrickforbes.plus.com<br />

Our new parish priest, the Reverend Chris Ball,<br />

will be licensed by the Bishop of Bedford at 8 pm<br />

on March 31st in St Mary‛s Church, Ashwell.<br />

Carol singers raise £190<br />

A b<strong>and</strong> of carol singers w<strong>and</strong>ered around <strong>Hinxworth</strong> on the afternoon<br />

of Sunday December 12th. It was cold <strong>and</strong> clear <strong>and</strong> some houses seemed<br />

strangely quiet. We discovered that there was a party at Rectory Corner<br />

where we were warmly received. We fi nished at the Th ree Horseshoes with<br />

mince pies <strong>and</strong> mulled wine thanks to Margaret <strong>and</strong> Gerald. We raised<br />

£190 for the charity Toybox. Th anks to all who sang <strong>and</strong> gave.

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Broadway Cinema – your local<br />

Did you know that<br />

not far from here there is a<br />

4 screen Cinema situated<br />

in an Art-Deco building<br />

in the heart of Letchworth<br />

Garden City? Cheaper<br />

<strong>and</strong> more convenient than<br />

the multiplexes, you can<br />

watch the latest films for<br />

only £4.50* or watch a<br />

film, have popcorn <strong>and</strong> a<br />

drink for just a tenner*.<br />

*Monday all day through<br />

to Friday 5pm excluding<br />

Bank holidays.<br />

The Broadway also has<br />

Technicolor 3D for some<br />

films – a price supplement<br />

is payable.<br />

For the older folk on a Tuesday morning at 11am during the school<br />

term we have our ‘Silver Screen’ showing of a current film for just £3.75<br />

including a hot or cold drink.<br />

big scream bargain<br />

For parents or carers with babies under 36 months, on a Thursday morning<br />

during term time we have our ‘Big Scream’ showing of a current film.<br />

Only £3.75 each including a drink, baby is free – maximum 2 adults<br />

per baby. The lights are kept up slightly <strong>and</strong> the sound is turned down a<br />

fraction. This is an ideal opportunity to keep up to date with the movies<br />

<strong>and</strong> meet others.<br />

weekend kids club<br />

For the family we have our Kids Club on Saturday <strong>and</strong> Sunday mornings,<br />

a film for just £1 each. Adults must be accompanied by a child.<br />

If you would like to indulge yourself, why not try our new range of Icecreams,<br />

locally made <strong>and</strong> boasting wonderful flavours such as Cambridge<br />

Chocolate, Bramley Apple <strong>and</strong> Cinnamon <strong>and</strong> Coffee <strong>and</strong> Walnut?<br />

Check us out on www.broadway-cinema.com or ring 01462 681223<br />

for latest information.<br />

Sharon Cooper<br />

At the Parish Council<br />

The Parish Council met on Thursday 2nd December. All Councillors<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Clerk were present.<br />

The planning application for Chapel House was unanimously agreed.<br />

hurrah for regular gritting<br />

The Council noted that the roads in the Parish <strong>and</strong> through <strong>Edworth</strong> to<br />

the Dunton road are being adequately gritted. It was decided to request<br />

that Francis Road be included in the gritting schedule.<br />

Concern has been raised about vehicles coming into the village from<br />

Ashwell at excessive speeds. It was agreed to investigate the possibility<br />

of training <strong>Village</strong> volunteers to use h<strong>and</strong>-held speed guns.<br />

overhanging hedges menace<br />

Overhanging hedges can obstruct the High Street pavement <strong>and</strong> the<br />

residents have been contacted about this problem which is compounded<br />

by the pavement being too narrow in places. The Councillors agreed to<br />

notify Hertfordshire County Council <strong>and</strong> request a visit to <strong>Hinxworth</strong><br />

to assess the situation.<br />

The Council agreed to order the Turfguard for the Allotment car park.<br />

view the full minutes<br />

The full minutes are published on the village website at www.hinxworth.<br />

com the month following the meeting.<br />

Date of the Next Meeting: Thursday <strong>January</strong> 6th 2011 at 8.00pm<br />

in the <strong>Village</strong> Hall.<br />

Travelling Knitted Nativity<br />

Yvonne Tookey’ learned about the travelling nativity set from her<br />

daughter in law in Blunham. “It comes to your house from the church.<br />

You keep it overnight <strong>and</strong> then you pass it on to someone else. It comes<br />

with a prayer, ‘Dear God, you are always present in our homes unseen<br />

yet so often we forget that you are here with us. We welcome Mary <strong>and</strong><br />

Jospeh <strong>and</strong> pray that you will bless this house <strong>and</strong> all who live here. Amen.’<br />

It returns to the church in time for the crib service before Christmas.”<br />

How long did it take Yvonne <strong>and</strong> Viv Hughes to knit the set shown in<br />

our picture? “A fortnight. This set is going up to Yorkshire for my other<br />

daughter in law. We’ll get another set knitted up for <strong>Hinxworth</strong> <strong>and</strong> use<br />

it next Christmas.” What are you going to knit next? “Maybe we could<br />

knit the village of <strong>Hinxworth</strong>.” If you’d like to know more, ring Yvonne<br />

on 01462 742439.<br />

winter scene by Sylvia Scales<br />

Adrienne Gumm Book-keeping Service<br />

Taking care of your paperwork so you can take care of<br />

your business<br />

Tel: 01462 743979 E-Mail: adrienne.gumm@tiscali.co.uk

---

<strong>Hinxworth</strong> Archers win gold Barbershop singers wow WI<br />

Senior compound winners: Neil Bridgewater, men’s champion <strong>and</strong> David<br />

Wayman with Junior match winners: James <strong>and</strong> Issy Wayman.<br />

This year’s Hertfordshire Indoor Team Championships were held on<br />

the 21st November at the Odyssey Sports Centre in Knebworth. Local<br />

interest was centred on <strong>Hinxworth</strong> Archery Club who were the 2009<br />

champions in the recurve, olympic bow, category <strong>and</strong> who had this year<br />

also entered a team in the compound category. The compound bow<br />

is the “Rambo” type which has the aid of a pulley system giving extra<br />

power to the shot.<br />

third in recurve, first in compound<br />

There were seven Hertfordshire teams entered in the four-man senior<br />

recurve division <strong>and</strong> after a close finish Chiltern ended up in the top<br />

spot on 2159 followed by Abbey, St.Albans, on 2131 <strong>and</strong> <strong>Hinxworth</strong> in<br />

third place with bronze on 2099. <strong>Hinxworth</strong> fared better in the two-man<br />

compound division however, with a clean sweep of team golds at their<br />

very first time of competing. Senior Compound Team consisting of Neil<br />

Bridgewater <strong>and</strong> David Wayman finished on 1122, followed by Abbey<br />

with 1119 <strong>and</strong> Berkhamsted on 1076. Our Junior Compound Team<br />

of James <strong>and</strong> sister Issy Wayman also won the junior match with 862.<br />

Individual gold medals were awarded to Neil, David, James <strong>and</strong> Issy.<br />

All in all, this was a very satisfactory conclusion to our 2010 season.<br />

David Osmond<br />

Friends of Ashwell <strong>Village</strong> Museum<br />

Our next coach trip is to London to The British Museum. the cost<br />

of this is £15 <strong>and</strong> departure from Ashwell Post Office at 9.15 am The<br />

date is Thursday 17th February.<br />

On Tuesday 28th June we are going to Bletchley Park. The cost<br />

of this is £20 which includes the cost of the coach <strong>and</strong> admission plus a<br />

guide who will be available for the whole day.<br />

Our AGM will be on Monday 14th March at Ashwell School when<br />

Peter Greener <strong>and</strong> David Short will look at <strong>and</strong> talk about ‘Our 20 Best<br />

Objects’. Do come <strong>and</strong> join us.<br />

For further Information please contact either Karyn Mills 742155<br />

or Hilary Masham 742416.<br />

Dates for your diary<br />

December 24th Midnight Communion St Vincent’s Newnham 11.30 pm<br />

December 25th Christmas Family Communion St Nicholas <strong>Hinxworth</strong> 10 am<br />

February 17th Trip to British Museum, ring 01462 742155 or 742416<br />

March 19th Multi-venue quiz - details to come<br />

June 28th trip to Bletchley Park, ring 01462 742155 or 742416<br />

The Editor <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> team<br />

wish all our readers a very happy<br />

New Year<br />

Barbershop quartet “Double Take” from Potton<br />

The annual Christmas dinner was<br />

held at the <strong>Village</strong> Hall on Wednesday<br />

8th December. Approx. 30 people sat<br />

down to a delicious dinner prepared<br />

<strong>and</strong> served by James Bedford, Caterer.<br />

A selection of turkey, gammon <strong>and</strong><br />

salmon en croute was served with<br />

accompanying vegetables <strong>and</strong> salads,<br />

followed by an array of delectable des-<br />

Santa <strong>and</strong> Mrs Claus<br />

serts. After coffee we were entertained by a Barber Shop Quartet called<br />

Double Take from Potton <strong>and</strong> they entertained us to a variety of songs<br />

across the years also some carols, <strong>and</strong> one or two songs with audience participation.<br />

The raffle prize of a large hamper was won by Reggie Fair.<br />

mystery guest due<br />

Next month’s meeting is on Thursday <strong>January</strong> 13th 2011 at 7.45 pm<br />

in the <strong>Village</strong> Hall, <strong>Hinxworth</strong>. All new members will be very welcome.<br />

Members’ subscriptions of £30 are due. The speaker booked cannot<br />

come, so another one is to be arranged.<br />

Carol Cheney<br />

Friends enjoy Caldecote carols<br />

Saturday December 4th<br />

proved to be the first day in a<br />

fortnight when the bad weather<br />

conditions lifted <strong>and</strong> made it<br />

possible to drive safely along<br />

the road leading to Caldecote,<br />

the smallest hamlet in North<br />

Hertfordshire. This was fortunate<br />

– since it allowed the<br />

‘Carols by C<strong>and</strong>lelight’ at the<br />

church of St. Mary Magdalene to go ahead. picture: Iain Bain<br />

50 people came along <strong>and</strong> completely filled the tiny church.The event<br />

was organised by Caldecote Church Friends, who served refreshments.<br />

Proceeds went towards the fund for the badly needed tower reconstruction.<br />

The church was decorated with holly <strong>and</strong> ivy <strong>and</strong> 150 c<strong>and</strong>les<br />

provided the lighting. Heating was self-produced with warm clothing<br />

<strong>and</strong> stamping of feet.<br />

an absence of figgy pudding<br />

Caldecote’s District Councillor, Andrew Young, compered the proceedings<br />

with good humour, <strong>and</strong> the audience’s voices were supported by<br />

a Langford duo – Philip Rogers on the harmonium <strong>and</strong> Leslie King<br />

with baritone solos. Sue Bain read beautiful Christmas poems. The<br />

programme began with ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ <strong>and</strong> ended with a lusty<br />

rendition of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’. The congregation did<br />

not get their Figgy Pudding – but they certainly enjoyed their mulled<br />

wine, mince pies, sausage rolls <strong>and</strong> apple pie!<br />

Peter Robbins

---

On the beat<br />

with PC 431 Paul Marina<br />

I’m afraid there have been more reports of<br />

the “too good to be true” alarm sales company<br />

which I’ve told you about in the past.<br />

These people have so far tried claiming to<br />

be either recommended by Neighbourhood<br />

Watch or working in conjunction with Neighbourhood Watch <strong>and</strong> in<br />

some cases have also made out that they are working with the Police<br />

doing a “British Crime Survey” <strong>and</strong> giving away free alarm equipment<br />

to a select few. They now choose their words extremely carefully to give<br />

the impression that there is some connection between Neighbourhood<br />

Watch <strong>and</strong> or Police without actually stating this. Unfortunately Trading<br />

St<strong>and</strong>ards are unable to stop them from selling in this way, but they<br />

do tend to be selling extremely expensive packages based on a monthly<br />

rolling payment.<br />

beware telephone sales<br />

I continue to advise anyone to steer clear of anyone who telephones<br />

selling alarm systems, or anything else for that matter, <strong>and</strong> if you have<br />

neighbours, who are interested in buying an alarm system, please recommend<br />

them to speak to us first to ascertain what it is they might actually<br />

need before approaching any alarm companies.<br />

help elderly neighbours<br />

These people do tend to target the elderly - presumably they have purchased<br />

a commercial database from somewhere which give them this information<br />

- another good reason not to fill out a form - so please do let any retired<br />

residents in your area know how to avoid these people if possible.<br />

Defeat car crime<br />

With the frosty mornings <strong>and</strong> evenings<br />

now upon us, we are reminding drivers not<br />

to leave their cars unattended - <strong>and</strong> easy<br />

pickings for opportunistic thieves - when<br />

de-icing them on frosty days over the coming<br />

months.<br />

Police advise:<br />

Never leave your engine running unattended, even if it is on your<br />

drive <strong>and</strong> you are only going to be a couple of seconds. This advice also<br />

applies to leaving engines running at petrol stations or shops as well as<br />

outside your home. Always remain with your car.<br />

Don’t leave the keys in the ignition - always take your keys with you<br />

when you leave your car <strong>and</strong> lock the vehicle.<br />

don‛t lose car <strong>and</strong> insurance<br />

Did you know that leaving your vehicle unattended with the ignition on<br />

is a traffic offence - <strong>and</strong> can invalidate your car insurance?<br />

Visit www.herts.police.uk for more information.<br />

Police Surgery<br />

<strong>January</strong>’s surgery will be held in the United Reformed Church Hall,<br />

Ashwell High Street 10 am until 12 pm on Friday <strong>January</strong> 14th.<br />

contact us<br />

My phone number is 01438 757924. Ring 0845 33 00 222 if you have<br />

suffered a crime or need Police within a couple of hours. 999 for immediate<br />

response if you have just suffered a crime <strong>and</strong> for hare coursing.<br />

PC 431 Paul Marina. North Herts Rural.<br />

paul.marina@herts.pnn.police.uk 01438 757924<br />

chris.brabrook@herts.pnn.police.uk 01438 757935<br />

Amy.Rainbird@herts.pnn.police.uk 01438 757935<br />

Bedfordshire Police Contact<br />

For readers in <strong>Edworth</strong>, in emergency dial 999, otherwise ring 01234 841212,<br />

Bedfordshire Police HQ switchboard, manned around the clock.<br />

Church Services - <strong>January</strong><br />

<strong>January</strong> 2nd 10.15 am Family Service St Nicholas <strong>Hinxworth</strong><br />

<strong>January</strong> 9th 9.15 am Parish Eucharist St Nicholas <strong>Hinxworth</strong><br />

<strong>January</strong> 16th 9.15 am Parish Eucharist St Nicholas <strong>Hinxworth</strong><br />

<strong>January</strong> 23rd 9.30 am Holy Communion St Vincent, Newnham<br />

Soup Lunch Thanks<br />

<strong>January</strong>’s soup lunch will be in <strong>Hinxworth</strong> <strong>Village</strong> Hall on Friday<br />

<strong>January</strong> 7th from 12.30 pm until 2 pm. (CANCELLED)<br />

I would like to give a very big thank you to all those who made soup<br />

during 2010. Without you, <strong>and</strong> your soup, this event would not be the<br />

success it is.<br />

Yvonne Tookey<br />

<strong>Hinxworth</strong> made a great contribution, over £930, to Comic Relief<br />

in 2009, <strong>and</strong> had lots of Red Nose fun in the process!<br />

If you’d like to get involved in 2011 please get in touch with either<br />

Patrick on 01462 742015 or myself on 01462 743453. More details in<br />

the next edition of <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong>.<br />

Michele Jarman<br />

Three Horseshoes Christmas Opening...<br />

December 24th Christmas Eve 3 pm to 11.30 pm, food 5 - 9 pm.<br />

December 25th Christmas Day 12 - 4 pm, bar only.<br />

December 26th Boxing Day 12 - 6 pm, food 12 - 4 pm<br />

<strong>and</strong> New Year opening hours<br />

New Year’s Eve 12 - 3 pm food as usual.<br />

7 pm until ? dinner – bookings only. Late free buffet <strong>and</strong> disco.<br />

New Year’s Day 12 pm – 6 pm. Food 12 pm – 4 pm.<br />

<strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> Thanks<br />

A big thank you to those who print <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> at Wormald Burrows<br />

Partnership in Biggleswade, <strong>and</strong> at Floyd Automatic Tooling in Baldock.<br />

Thank you too to all who distribute our paper to our readers. Thanks to<br />

Assistant Editor Ed Thorn <strong>and</strong> to our proof readers. Your kindness <strong>and</strong><br />

generosity make <strong>Village</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> mostly a joy to edit <strong>and</strong> produce month<br />

by month. It would however be good to find someone new to take on<br />

the editorship some time in the next ten years.<br />

Patrick Forbes<br />

Stuck for a Christmas, New Year or birthday present? Why<br />

not contact Annie Hull on 01462 742650?