Ashwell Village News- March 2021

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Ashwell Village News – March 2021, St Mary’s

Pivotal Moments

Pivotal moments. Those experiences which can change the future
direction of our lives. A chance encounter. An unexpected telephone call.
The nudge of a friend. Maybe an unforeseen turn of events.
We are living through pivotal times just now. How will we emerge from
it? Will we expect to remain exactly the same afterwards as before or
perhaps will we have reappraised our priorities and values? And maybe
appreciate things we can so easily take for granted?
The United States has recently experienced a pivotal time with the
inauguration of its new President Joe Biden. We were all inspired by his
magnificent speech as he spoke of ‘a day of history and hope, of renewal
and resolve’.
Pope Francis has just written a thought-provoking book about pivotal
issues facing us all: climate change, fair distribution of resources and
other challenges and choices we have to make. It’s a good book for
reading during Lent. The title: ‘Let Us Dream – The Path To A Better
Future’.
And in the Christian calendar we are currently observing the season of Lent which originated in Jesus’ own
pivotal experience.
The word ‘quarantine’ has been much used over these past months. Interestingly it derives from the Latin
‘quarantina’ meaning a period of forty days. And coincidentally Jesus spent forty days in the Judean
wilderness, self-isolating. It was pivotal for Him. It was the moment of transition from relative obscurity to
His public ministry when He most definitely came to the attention of the authorities which was to result in
the events culminating in all that we will remember next month: Holy Week, Good Friday, the joy of Easter.
It was in the desert that Jesus was thinking out His life-work and the methods He would follow. It was crucial
for Him and His destiny. He struggled with conflicting thoughts and ideas, was tested and tempted, but came
through with firm resolve.
As a result we are encouraged to find in Him One who understands us in the various pivotal experiences as
well as the seemingly uneventful days, in our quandaries, in our struggles and inner conflicts ‘that we may
receive from Him grace to help in the hour of need’.

Alan Gilliam
Former Church Warden.

The PCC would like to thank James
and George Boyle for their hard work
editing and putting together Ashwell
Village News over the last year. We would also like to thank all
those who contributed content and helped get AVN online.

SUPPORTING THE WORK Of ST MARY’S Did you know that the

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2. You can donate £3 by text by texting ; STMASH 3 to 70085 ( eAVN )
(you can donate different amounts by changing the number in
the text) https://tinyurl.com/
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We really appreciate all donations which are helping us sustain
our ministry and maintain our building.

We really appreciate all your donations THANK YOU!

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Front Cover Artist– Paula Doran

My Botanic Art

This month’s cover artwork is my botanic painting of mature ivy with berries. Not
everybody recognises this plant as ivy because they are more familiar with the
immature lobed leaves of the juvenile ivy that climbs up trees and fences. One day,
when walking around Ashwell with my dogs I was struck by some glossy ivy leaves
with plump, richly coloured berries catching some low beams of sunlight. Drawing or
painting a picture of a plant because some aspect of it appeals to me is what I do but
it took a long time to find my niche as an artist.

I moved to Ashwell nine years ago from inner London, at the end of a long career in
health/social care, for the open countryside, bigger dogs and a large garden. Art had
always been a part of my life but with all the demands of a career and rearing a family
it often lay dormant for very long periods. What I have always been able to do for as
long as I can remember is draw and paint to achieve a very good likeness of my
subject, so I assumed that was what I would do as a ‘grown up’. However, there was
no encouragement towards that end and much more enthusiasm when I decided to go into nursing.

I did a number of art courses over time but my skills seemed to be of a previous era because art had become more
expressive, abstract or conceptual and, as much as I enjoy other people’s expressive creativity, that’s not what I could do.
Then I discovered botanic art on a course at Cambridge Botanic Gardens

What I learnt early in the course was that botanic artists were the first to create images of plants for botanists, horticulturists
and for medicinal purposes so the emphasis had to be on a reliable scientific record and botanical accuracy. At last, I had
discovered an art form that used my strengths for detailed drawing combined with other art skills acquired over the years.

You might ask what is the point of botanic art now we have cameras but, although a photo records a good overall image of a
plant, it can’t bring the unique detail to life. For example, I can hone in on the soft petals folded around a bud or I can pick out
the tiny hairs on a poppy’s stem and give them a little more emphasis in a way that a photo cannot. Botanic art shows you
what we see when we carefully study the plant as we draw or paint it.

The science of botany is still dependent on botanic illustrators but botanic art can also have a more aesthetic quality.
Although always scientifically and botanically correct, we can also capture what it is about a plant or flower that attracted our
interest so much that we wanted to paint or draw it.

I use pen drawings to capture the fine details of a plant, e.g., the intricate network of crinkles characteristic of primrose
leaves but I love colour so when I do a painting, I strive to capture enough detail with a pen alongside watercolour paints for
those glorious colours.

My other interest, obsession even, is gardening so whereas designing with plants and nurturing them in my garden is closely
linked to botanic art, during the gardening season, drawing plants can be pushed aside by growing them because weeding,
pruning, cutting back, etc, will not wait. Hence my growing collection of winter ivy pictures.

St Mary’s Ashwell Lent Group

We will be running a Lent Bible Study and Discussion Group online on Zoom during Lent this year. The sessions will be on
Wednesdays at 8pm for about 1 hour. The focus for our sessions this year is going to be “The Prayers of Jesus” looking
mainly at his prayers up to and associated with The Passion.

There will be five studies as follows:

24th February The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15)
3rd March The Raining of Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
10th March The Hour Has Come for the Son of Man to be Glorified (John 12:20-36)
17th March Jesus Great Farewell Prayer for the Disciples (John 17)
20th March Jesus Prayers the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)

The Zoom Link to join the sessions is: “Each study stands alone. Do
please feel free to join us even it
https://tinyurl.com/StMarys-Lent-Group you cannot make it every week.”
Meeting ID: 897 5258 4606
Passcode: 815215 4

Services for Passiontide and Easter

The continued situation with respect to the COVID-19 Pandemic means there is still a degree of
uncertainty over the church’s programme of services for this season. We intend to hold as many
of the traditional Easter events and services as possible but at this stage our assumption is that
most of our events will need to take place on line. As soon as we are in a position to make firm
plans, we will publicise these widely. Please keep a look out on:
The St Mary’s Ashwell Web Site

- http://stmarysashwell.org.uk
The St Mary’s Ashwell Facebook Page

- https://www.facebook.com/St-Marys-Ashwell-202963206977018
The St Marys’ Ashwell page on “A Church near You”

- https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7833/

Easter Activities at St Mary’s Church

As we go to press, the Prime Minister has not made it clear what
the next few months will bring in terms of lifting the lockdown and
allowing us to resume so many of the activities and gatherings we
have missed. Good news about vaccines and the lower numbers
of coronavirus
cases give us cause to be optimistic, and yet great care will be
needed to to prevent a third spike in infections and more re-
strictions. So what can we look forward to?
When we are able to go back to communal worship in church we
will try to get the message out by e-mail, phone calls, social media
and on the church website.
We have very much missed the younger members of our communi-
ty and we hope to be able to run the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday
April 3rd in the churchyard. We may also be able to hold an Out-
door Messy Church on an Easter theme. Whatever the next few
weeks bring we will be creating the Easter Garden outdoors, under
the Lych-gate in Mill Street. Rather like the Christmas Crib, which
was also there, the
Easter Garden is for EVERYONE to enjoy and to contribute to. It
will be in place from Palm Sunday, 28th March, and will tell the story
of the last week in Jesus life, as he faced his death on the cross,

and was resurrected for us all. If you would like to con-
tribute to the garden you can bring a posy of flowers in
a jam jar, a little pot plant, a painted stone or an inter-
esting piece of wood, or a small drawing of a character
from the Easter story and place it in the garden.

If you have any questions please ring Sarah Talks on
742182 or e-mail [email protected]

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Desert Island Discs

Each month we interview someone and ask them to tell us their 8 tracks they would want to have with
them whilst they are stuck on their own desert island. For March we spoke to Byron Searle.
Byron’s Desert Island Discs
Born on Back Street in 1936 next to the Engine pub (now home of the co-author), Byron has
lived his entire life in the village. His parents had different shops on the High Street before he
himself ran the newsagents from 1972 until he retired in 2001. Away from work, he has lived
a full Ashwell life serving 25 years as a Parish Councillor but even longer tending the cricket
pitch. He married Fay in 1964 and has three children – Jonathan, Emma and Rachel and three
grandchildren. Fay sadly passed away in 2005 and he keeps himself busy with watching
sport, tending his garden and doing puzzles.

Here are Byron’s music choices:
Track 1 is Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. When I was very young I remember having
my own radio and I enjoyed listening to music like this. I also really enjoyed listening to
sports commentary particularly cricket from all over the world as well as football, but only on
a Saturday. There were no TVs in those days and my cricket idols were opening bowler Alec Bedser, batsman PBH May. My football
idol was Billy Wright, the England and Wolves captain. I loved sport and played in both the football and cricket teams for Ashwell
growing up. This reminds me of that time.
Track 2 is The Dam Busters March by Eric Coates. This famous tune of the raid, was staged on my birthday, 16th May 1943.
It helped bring hope that the the end of the war was nearer. Sadly, many Germans lost their lives, as we had, during the Blitz.
Track 3 is 633 Squadron by Ron Goodwin. This reminds me of The Billy Cotton Band show often played on a Sunday lunchtime after
Forces Favourite (later known as Two Way Family Favourites) also broadcasted to the troops abroad. Many years later I remember
this being in a music quiz at the village school. I was in the Cricket Club team and Fay was in the WI team. I was the only one who
knew the answer and our team won the quiz! Great times.
Track 4 is Hawaiian War Chant by The Ted Heath band. In July 1953 I fell ill with polio. I was admitted to Hitchin Lister Hospital, then
transferred to Neasden Hospital where I was treated inside an iron lung for seven weeks. I suffered double vision, had to be fed by a
tube as I could not bite or swallow anything. My right side felt odd as those muscles had wasted the most. After 13 weeks in hospital,
I was released with a calliper for my right leg. This song reminds me of the year in particular.
Track 5 is Peanut Vendor by Stan Kenton. Stan Kenton was an American music artist. In 1956, he did a European Tour called
“All Things Kenton” and I remember travelling to the State Cinema in Kilburn to see his show.

Track 6 is Orange Blossom Special by James Last. This was covered by James Last in 1977. Fay and I really enjoyed his albums of
which we had quite a few. This one stands out for me following our trip to the Royal Albert Hall to see him perform.
Track 7 is Skyliner by Charlie Barnet. Following the closure of Merchant Taylors School, all pupils in the village had to attend school
elsewhere. I went to Baldock Secondary Modern, now Knights Templar, where I thoroughly enjoyed my school days. As you’ve
probably gathered, I love my sport. I won the school high jump title and took six wickets in the cricket final for the area schools com-
petition which we won. I represented the school for North Herts too at football. After many years, I heard this piece again not too
long ago, on the Clare Teal Show on Radio 2 on a Sunday evening. It brought back so many happy memories of those school days.

Track 8 is The Closest Thing to Crazy by Katie Melua. I just drop everything to listen to this song. Nearly 85 years is a long time to pick
just 8 songs but this one is my most up to date one.
A great trip down Memory Lane for you Byron and your life in Ashwell. Here’s a Spotify playlist of your suggestions
https://tinyurl.com/y4kkbhcg Now, you can have a luxury item and a book. We’ve already left the bible and the complete works of
Shakespeare on the island for you.
A wind-up radio. So not to miss music and sport. My book would probably be an autobiography of a cricketer.
If you could only have one track?
It would have to be The Closest Thing to Crazy. Her voice is just beautiful and it evokes great feelings.

Thanks Byron. Enjoy the island.
Jack Busby & Bene’t Coldstream

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Chairman: Graham Lee (( 743126)
Office at Bear Farm, 6A Back Street ((743706)
Clerk: Jane Porter,
Deputy Clerk: Laura Brooks-Payne
www.ashwell.gov.uk * [email protected]

Ashwell Parish Council

Jottings from Ashwell Parish Council. The Surgery and its Letchworth Primary Care
Network continue making good progress with the
Meeting held on Wednesday 3 February 2021 Covid vaccination programme and news is updated
on a weekly basis. Visit:
Parish Council meetings hit the news recently, but www.ashwell.gov.uk or
I’m glad to report that February’s meeting contained
no Handforth style fireworks! But it was by no means https://www.ashwellsurgery.co.uk/practice_news/
dull or lacking in controversy, as the 14 parishioners surgery-update-01-03-2021/
who attended will have witnessed.
for the latest information.
The issue that concerned both the PC and some of
the parishioners present was the blatant disregard We also now have a Facebook page:
by the developers of the 9 Houses in Station Rd to
normal planning process. The original planning @AshwellParishCouncil
consent in September 2019 was for 6 x 3 bedroom
and 3 x 4 bedroom houses all in 2 storey format. In Please contact any of us with any comments or
December 2020, having already started building, the questions.
developer submitted a revised application to NHDC
increasing all dwellings by one bedroom to be Graham Lee – Chairman
achieved by building into the roof space (i.e. 3
storeys) with rooflights. The Parish Council Councillors: Gemma Allen, Dr Martin Hoffman,
recommended ‘refusal’ of this modification to NHDC, Norton Mahy, David Sims,
and the NHDC decision is due in March at their Plan- Mark Westbrook-White
ning Meeting. However, as building work continues it
has become apparent that the houses are actually Clerk – Jane Porter;
being built with the extra bedroom in the roof, and Deputy Clark – Laura Brookes-Payne
have even been advertised for sale as such!! This
contravenes the planning approval, and the Parish
Council has accordingly made a formal complaint to
NHDC. Unfortunately NHDC has allowed the develop-
er to continue building ‘at their own risk’. As far as
the Parish Council is concerned this response lacks
teeth, and opens the door to future abuse of
Planning procedures. So the PC agreed at the meet-
ing to take up this example of blatant developer
deceit with the Chairman of the NHDC Planning Com-
mittee and our MP, Sir Oliver Heald.

However, at the same meeting 6 other single
household planning applications were recommended
for approval by the PC.

During January the village street lights were
converted to LED, which is great news for the
village’s CO2 consumption. Most of the lights have
now been dimmed, and turned off during core night
hours. Some lights are still subject to calibration and
inclusion of additional ‘shields’ to reduce glare for
homeowners. If you still find the light level too bright
please contact us so we can liaise with Herts CC via
our County Councillor Steve Jarvis.

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Object of the Month March 2021 - Pattens

In these muddy times when all the
paths around Ashwell are almost
impassable it made me wonder how we coped before there were any made
-up roads or even separate pavements to walk on. To stop dirt coming into
the house a first line of defence was to have a boot scraper by the door.
They used to be a common sight but you can still see some on local houses.
But to lift you out of the mire and protect the hems of skirts and trousers
pattens were often worn. They were an overshoe with a wooden sole
underneath which was fixed a metal ring that raised the shoe from the
ground.
They are hard to date because the style changed extraordinarily little from
the 17th to the 19th century. Relics of the metal rings are sometimes found in the ground long after the wood and leather have disin-
tegrated. This pair were bought in Fanny Adkins shop on the High Street (now the dentists) where they were still available to pur-
chase in the early 20th century.

Peter Greener - Curator. [email protected] or 742956

Please join us for a Lady Day Service
On 25th March at 10.30am

This special service remembers the visitation of the
Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary
Zoom ID 88572132169
Passcode 136728

Any questions please contact Caroline Evens on 743587

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100 Years Ago - March 1921

The news this month was dominated by the death of Wolverley Mr Fordham went in, calmed them
Fordham who was a major figure in local life and politics. He was down and led them quietly away
a Magistrate for Cambridgeshire, chairman of Ashwell Rural through smoke and fire down the
Council, member of the County Council and Guardian of the lane.
Poor. He was on the Board of all village committees and in
sporting life was a member of the Cambridgeshire Hunt and the After their talk on wildflowers the
Cricket Club. His name still lives on in the Wolverley House flats Ashwell W.I. had a poem to the
in memory of Mr Fordham which might
Gardiners Lane. have been this one by local farmer
He was born on the 9th September 1859. In his younger years he Thomas Wylie.
had travelled widely. He went big game hunting with Cecil
Rhodes in Rhodesia and saw service with him in the Matabele Around the wheatfields,
campaign. Then he spent time on a ranch in America where he is where the sheep-pens stood
said to have introduced schemes which improved pig and dairy
production in the district. He must also have visited New Zealand Or, where the fathers of the people meet,
where in 1877 he played one first class cricket match for
Wellington. (His batting average is 14) To plan and choose, with judgment wise, discreet,

Back home at the Bury he settled down to brewing and married How common life may move to common good.
Phyllis Gribble in 1903. He died in The Grange having moved out
of the Bury while it was a hospital during WW1. There did we find him. Ne'er with noisy strife,

Unusually for the time his body was taken to Golders Green for But quietly pressing on where duty lay.
cremation and the ashes were returned for burial here. Albert
Sheldrick describes his memory of the funeral and the surprise at And seeking every hour and every day
seeing a casket and not a coffin:
The fitting work, the rich abounding life.
‘I remember the funeral: Morgan Biles, headmaster of the
Merchant Taylors school lined the boys up on either side of When near at hand he heard the evening bell,
Mill Street with strict instructions to stand with heads bowed
and on no account look up as the procession passed. Then he He did not flinch, but straightly went his way,
hurried away to play the organ for the service. However as
the cortege passed through our ranks to the solemn tolling of Laid down no burden, - calmly faced the fray,
the church bell, I just had to take a peep. First came four
estate men carrying on their shoulders not as I expected a Trusting that at the end all should be well.
coffin, but a flat polished box containing the ashes, resting on
two crudely cut elm branches. This was followed closely by So let him rest! His memory shall inspire
Ted Ashby, the groom, leading a horse and then came the
mourners.’ The living dwellers by the ancient well,

Other commemorations followed. The Church service next Beside the cottage fires they long shall tell
Sunday had a sermon especially for him. Miss A M Walkden
recalled an incident in the brewery when, in a fire, his 2 horses Of him, the good, true, English country Squire.
neighing in great distress, refused, to leave their stable.
In other news some Merchant Taylors School boys were award-
ed medals by the RSPB for studies of trees and birds.

There were only two football results this month. Ashwell beat
Norton 2-0 away and Guilden Morden 3-2 at home. The Cricket
Club met sort out the appointments for the coming season.

The Choral Society had recently competed at Bedford and were
now rehearsing The Merrie Men of Sherwood Forest.

120 members of the Ex-Servicemen’s Club all combined a 5s
(25p) grant they had been awarded and donated the £30 to
Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

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RT HON SIR OLIVER HEALD QC

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
FOR NORTH EAST HERTFORDSHIRE

If you have any concerns please contact me
Email: [email protected]
Telephone : 01462 486074
or look on www.oliverhealdmp.com

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Peregrines

In a most exciting development, a pair of Peregrine
Falcons have made their home on the church tower.
They arrived in the autumn and have been spotted
on different ledges depending on the prevailing
wind. Peregrines are very successful hunters, prey-
ing on feral pigeons, jackdaws and other bird spe-
cies. They are highly protected and it is illegal to
disturb them in any way when they are breeding.
We have taken advice from the RSPB and the Herts

Bird Group and have placed a nest tray with gravel at the
top of the tower. We are getting advice about placing a
camera on the tower to monitor the progress of any
nest. Please help us to look after these birds of prey by
not disturbing them but keep an eye at a distance and if
you see anything you are worried about please let a
Churchwarden or member of the PCC know.

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CLIMATE CHANGE is now part of our way of life. The BIG CLIMATE FIGHT BACK by The Woodland Trust has a
target of planting 1 MILLION TREES. GREENING ASHWELL endorses this by helping to restore natural features of

our village through community involvement and improving sustainable biodiversity to our surroundings.

Rewilding is currently a buzz word which a lot of people have become
aware of but are not sure what it actually means. It can be summed up
as ecological reassessment where the emphasis is on us stepping
back and leaving an area of land/ nature to “go wild”. The aim is to
create ecosystems requiring only passive management.

Humans are part of a larger complex natural ecosystem where we
need to reduce our dominance and destruction of the natural
environment and live in harmony with other species. We need a
recoverable earth for the future instead of constant conflict with
nature. The Netherlands have been pioneers in rewilding but we
currently also have around ten projects in the UK with Great Fen in
Cambridgeshire the nearest and the Knepp Estate, West Sussex
noted for its ecotourism.

Rewilding Britain is
the national body campaigning for a natural rewilding network to channel
nature, climate crisis and COVID19 recovery for the whole country. Last
year fifty land owners formed a partnership to recover 200,000 acres and
large to small scale, local groups to individuals are getting involved in
rewilding projects

Rewilding is not only about re-introducing species like the beaver to help
recover wetlands ecosystems and reduce areas susceptible to flooding but
improving woodland habitats for the currently scarce pine martin, who can
keep grey squirrel in check for red squirrel to recolonise (more difficult to
catch) former natural areas. Local initiatives like the “MayBee” campaign to
leave lawns and verges unmown for May to allow short native herbs to
grow and flower for early insects like bees and butterflies to find nectar for
pollination.

In our managed landscapes it is not an easy concept to promote letting
“weeds “and potentially invasive natives to take over land that may have
been cultivated for a long time. But by allowing grazing animals to keep the
vegetation in check produces a mosaic of different plant communities and
associated fauna to develop. Rewilding can also be carried out in the most
unlikely places. Some of our town centres, like Sheffield are considering a
more ecological approach on how to revitalise empty shopping malls with
urban green spaces along natural lines. Urban dwellers given the
opportunity to experience colourful native vegetation, buzzing with
pollinating insects and bird song as they rest by natural ponds.

So, how could rewilding apply to our neat and tidy heritage village. In
the not-too-distant past Ashwell would have abounded with native
hedgerow boundaries to properties, verges colourful with wild herbs
and fields divided by wooded corpses and other field hedges. We still
have a diminishing number of these features, like abandoned
orchards, of a rural biodiversity and this should be our guide to going
forward. Rewilding should be one of the issues of Greening Ashwell
as a part of our goals and we will be discussing how this can work
practically as we develop the Green Plan. We may not be considering
introducing European Bison, as in Kent, to our community but we
could look at more bee friendly meadows on public areas and private
gardens.

KEN COYNE on [email protected] or phone 01462 743723 07857844745 GREENING ASHWELL Coordinator

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Youth News

Favourite things and happy places

Whether you are a fan of the old favourite The Sound of Music or the more recent I’m a Celebrity (get me
out of here) we can all appreciate the importance of favourite things like raindrops on roses and whiskers on
kittens, or happy places like Jordan North’s Burnley football ground.

Now more than ever, we need to find ways to stay positive and improve our wellbeing. Here is how some of
our young people have been doing just that:

“We have a weekly disco in the living room which makes eve-
ryone feel better. Last weekend we built a den and had a
sleepover in Emily’s bedroom. It was very exciting to sleep
somewhere different and we had a midnight feast! It felt a
bit like being on holiday.”

Emily 9 and “My happy place is walking in the sunshine with
Connie 6 Daisy the dog. Fresh air and space to run is a good

addition to the day!”

Belle, age 8

“I enjoy being outside too. I like to look for signs
of new life with budding trees and spring bulbs

pushing
through.”

Amelie, age 10

“We have enjoyed making dream catchers from the wil-
low tree as well as starting a very long scarf with a very
big ball of wool. The knitting usually happens on top of

the aga!”
Nina, age 9

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For the first time since Ashwell Mummers in 2021
2002, Ashwell Mummers
were unable to perform
their Christmas Play in the
pubs and Wolverley House
this year. As with most
things during the COVID-19
lockdown, this has affected
far more than just the mum-
mers and their audience. In
particular, we have always
collected for Helping Herts
Homeless and, over the
years, have collected over
£4,800.

For 2021, we have produced

a short video including our

song and a slideshow of pho-

tos of past performances.

It’s available on Youtube and

we're hoping that people will

use this as an opportunity to

donate to Helping Herts

Homeless so that we are

able to contribute as usual

via our performance. If you'd like to see the Youtube video, the link is: https://youtu.be/L99xI2VHZNM or you

can search for Ashwell Mummers. The donation page for Helping Herts. Homeless is:

http://helpinghertshomeless.org.uk/donate/.

For up-to-date information, follow us on our Facebook Group Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/
AshwellMummers/. If you’d like to know more about Ashwell Mummers, please get in touch.

Ian Chandler - 743091

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Senegal Update

In Senegal a growing number
of coronavirus cases is
causing disquiet, but we can only dream enviously of their
low levels of cases and deaths. Nonetheless, their rise in
cases is concerning as they have no vaccines and limited
hospital beds.
2021 brought the launch of a new project at the
Diapalante Community Education Centre, teaching talibés
to read and write in Wolof. Talibés are young boys who live
in “daaras”, religious schools. This project reaches out to
daaras where there is extreme poverty (the daaras
function as orphanages). The boys live under the care of a Talibés coming to the Centre to learn to read and write.
Koranic teacher, studying the Koran, and spend many
hours in the street begging from door to door for their daily food and needs. They do not attend normal
school. While other organisations work to change the system, we have created the opportunity for some of
the talibés to improve their life prospects through a little basic education.
After months of planning and discussions our local oversight committee launched the project in January.
The twice weekly lessons teaching 60 talibés are going well and the children are enthusiastic but the
introduction has not gone without its problems. The three daaras we approached eagerly agreed to their
talibés learning Wolof literacy. The first lesson went well but the children from one daara were absent from
the second lesson. A subsequent visit revealed the problem: the marabout, the teacher running the daara,
had considered the offer further and was concerned that the free offer must have an ulterior motive. It
wasn’t possible to reassure him that the long-term benefit of the children was the Centre’s only aim, so we
have invited another daara to take their place. Meanwhile the children from the original daara turned up for
the next lesson, but sadly the Centre had to turn them away as the marabout had not given them
permission to attend. The talibés are proving to be motivated learners. Their favourite lesson so far was a
computer session where mastery of the keyboard proved a brilliant tool to learning the alphabet!

Liz Chandler

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From an English Country Garden…

I hadn’t mean to devote this column in 2021 to the
shenanigans of the gods and goddesses of ancient
times, but as they offer a rich vein of explanations for
the natural things around us, I think
another tale is a must. This time, it is about the ori-
gins of the seasons.

Saturday the 20th March is the official start of spring
and heralds the warm weather we have all been long-
ing for. According to Greek mythology, this change in
the seasons is down to Demeter and her love for her
daughter Persephone.

Persephone’s father was Zeus, king of the gods, and
her mother Demeter, was the goddess of agriculture
and the harvest, reigning over the earth’s fertility. Her
emblems are the poppy growing amidst grain, and the
cornucopia. Demeter lived on Mount Olympus and vis-
ited the mortals below to enjoy the abundant
fertility of the Earth herself. Her daughter Persephone, a
young woman of great beauty and vivacity from whom she
could not bear to be parted, always accompanied her.

One day, Persephone strayed from her mother’s side to
gather flowers. She was spotted by her uncle Hades, king
of the underworld and brother of Zeus. Not having much

truck with the rules of consan-
guinity and affinity that apply to
the rest of us, Hades abducted
her and took her to his kingdom
in the underworld, where he
forced her to become his queen.

Demeter was inconsolable. In
her grief, crops died and the
harvest failed. Famine spread.
Alarmed, Zeus intervened, re-
quiring Hades to return Perseph-
one as long as she had eaten
nothing while in the underworld.
Though Persephone had refused all food during her enforced
sojourn, Hades tricked her into eating a handful of pome-
granate seeds, and rejoiced in preventing her return to her mother. However, he under-
estimated
Demeter’s fury and anguish. Faced with the destruction of life on Earth, Zeus sought a
compromise, and ruled that Persephone must divide the year between her mother and
her husband. For her part, Demeter agreed to allow life on Earth to be renewed while
her daughter was with her.

So for six months of each year, when mother and daughter are together, plants flower
and flourish, but during the rest of the year, when Persephone is with Hades in the un-
derworld, they wither and die while Demeter grieves. And thus the seasons were creat-
ed.

Spring - Carter Flynn - 1900 Susan Greenbank

Il Ratto di Proserpina - Bernini – 1622
Demeter mourning Persephone –
Evelyn de Morgan - 1906

21

HEAVENS ABOVE 30th.
Constellations of the month: Gemini, Cancer,
The Night Sky in March 2021 Leo: These zodiacal constellations herald early
spring skies to the east of the Winter Hexagon with
Welcome to our page in AVN about the night sky the twins; Castor and Pollux in Gemini -see
seen from Ashwell with the naked eye, binoculars or chart. Just under halfway from Pollux east towards
a small telescope. Use these notes with a bright Regulus is the naked eye open cluster M-44
star atlas or download a chart from: in Cancer. Also known as the "Beehive",
www.astronomynow.com
The Beehive, open cluster in Cancer
As the vernal equinox at 09.37GMT, March
20th marks the arrival of spring, the "Praesepe" or the "Manger", it is a splendid sight
spectacular winter constellations give way in binoculars. See picture. In 130BC Greek
to: Ursa Major, the Great Bear overhead, observer Hipparchus called it a “little cloud”. A few
Leo the Lion below to the south-east, degrees below is another open cluster M-67, which
Cancer the Crab and Gemini the Twins to is 5 times further away, but would look more
the south, Canes Venatici the Hunting impressive than M-44 if it was at the same
Dogs trailing down south-east to Coma distance. Leo is a constellation that actually
Berenices and Virgo, see chart. resembles its namesake. From 2nd magnitude
Regulus, right on the ecliptic, a sickle shape of
The Moon - Phases: - Last Quarter 6th,
New Moon 13th, First Quarter 21st, Full
Moon 28th.

Planets: Venus is unobservable all
month, reaching superior conjunction with
the Sun on March 26th. Mercury, Jupiter
and Saturn all return to the dawn sky in
March but remain low and difficult to
observe. Mercury and Jupiter are in close
conjunction low in the east-south-east about
6.00am on 5th March. A waning crescent Moon joins
the three planets before dawn on March 9th and
10th. Mars passes close beneath the Pleiades
during the first 11 days of March. This should be a
lovely sight in binoculars, high in the south-west
after nightfall. Uranus and Neptune are
unobservable this month with Neptune in solar con-
junction on March 10th and Uranus later on April

Sky in
March

22

stars represents his head and mane, with stars starting at Denebola, scan 12 degrees (24 Moon
away to the east representing his body and tail, widths) NNE to find the huge 6 degree-wide open
including bright Denebola. Just below a line from cluster Melotte 111 in the north-west corner of
Regulus to Denebola are two trios of bright galaxies Coma Berenices. See chart.
visible in small telescopes. A third of the way
east from Regulus lie M-95, M-96 and M- Leo Trio of Galaxies, M65, M66, NGC
105; a further third of the way is the second
trio, M-66, M-65 and the edge-on, fainter Website of the month: Check out Stellarium at:
NGC-3628-see picture. Regulus itself is an http://stellarium.org/en_GB
easy double-star, as is Algeiba, found 8 de-
grees above it in the sickle. Clear Skies!
Mike Taffs
Jargon Busters: Charting the Night Sky:
The small-scale charts included in these [email protected]
articles are only intended for naked-eye and
binoculars. A telescope needs an atlas.
Philips publish a range of star atlases.
Cambridge University Press publish the
Cambridge Star Atlas by Wil Tirion and the
detailed Sky Atlas by Tirion and Sinnott.
Probably the best free planetarium
programme is Stellarium – see website oof
the month. ThYou can customise this to suit
your own viewing interests and abilities.
Check out iphone apps like Sky Guide. You
can buy programmes like The Sky, from
Software Bisque which can control a “go-to”
telescope.

Binocular Highlights: Still visible are The Pleia-
des (M-45) and The Hyades around Aldebaran in
Taurus and The Sword, below the Belt of Orion.
The open cluster M-35 in the west of Gemini is also
a binocular object – see chart. The Beehive, M-44
in Cancer is easy to find and very rewarding. From
there drop down and a little east to find M-67. Then

23

March Madness?

March is a lovely month, the spring flowers are blooming, the ravages of winter are reced-
ing and there are the occasional sunny days for walks in the beautiful English countryside.
March is the perfect month for Mothering Sunday. In the UK the date is linked to Easter
which itself is determined by the lunar calendar. Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday
during Lent which traditionally Christians were encouraged to visit their “Mother Church”.
Mother’s Day in the USA is always the second Sunday in May and was started in 1908 by
Anna Jarvis who held a memorial for her mother and all mothers that had passed away at
her church, St Andrews in Virginia.
Still on the theme of women, March 8th is International Women’s Day. The origin was from the Women’s
Social and Political Union in the UK again in 1908. This day is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural
and political achievements of women throughout the world. It is to accelerate and encourage gender pari-
ty! (Author comments that this is still a work in progress!! )
March 11th, the second Wednesday in March is Ash Wednesday which is No Smoking Day.
This is observed every year to highlight the awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and
to encourage people all over the world to quit smoking.
Beware the Ides of March is a common expression but do we understand why we should see
March as an unlucky month? The origin dates back to Roman times, March 15th was the date
that Julies Caesar was assassinated and in the era of the Romans was the date that all debts were to be
settled, beware the fate of not being able to settle your debts!
Very appropriate this year is March 16th, it’s National Vaccination Day. This is also known
in India as National Immunisation Day. This significant day was first observed in 1995 when
the first dose of Oral Polio Vaccine was given. The focus of this date is to increase aware-
ness of the eradication of polio from the planet earth. Be good to highlight this year the sig-
nificant progress the drug companies and the NHS have achieved fighting the Covid virus
with a vaccine.
On a much lighter note, we round off the month on March 31st with National Crayon Day. A
colourful day celebrating the creation of crayons and the joy of colouring. Wax crayons arrived in the early
1900’s and the Crayola brand was born in 1902. Some interesting crayon facts, over 3 billion are manu-
factured annually, the smell of a crayon is the most recognisable scent worldwide for an adult and over the
years Crayola have made 237 BILLION crayons!

Jo Auckland

24

A Bradleys 742043

Ashwell Parish Council 743706 Halls for Hire 742297
Ashwell St Mary’s Parish Church Office 743922 Ashwell School 743922
Ashwell Primary School 742297 Parish Rooms 742913
Ashwell Playgroup 07565 528194 Ashwell Village Hall 742757
Ashwell Village Museum (Curator) 742956 URC Hall 742258
742931
B Hinxworth 742040

Bakers (Days) 742202 Newnham 03001 234049
Border Ramblers 743723 Horticultural Society
Bus Services (Richmonds) 01763 848226 L 742277
Butchers ( Crumps) 742255 Library Services
742684
C M
742250
Care Guild ( Graham Scott ) Mothers Union 07890 015055
Chimney Sweep (Hinxworth) 07545 273483 N 101 or 01438 7579240
CHURCHES 07736 172988 Nature Reserve( Warden) 01763 852834
St Mary’s (Rector)
United Reform Church ( Christine James) P
Quaker ( Ian Chandler) 742277 Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicines
Zoar Baptist 742684 Plumber ( Ian Ruggles)
Roman Catholic 743091 POLICE Herts Rural
742273 Post Office Steeple Morden
[email protected]

S

CLUBS (Young People) Sports Clubs

Asheteria 01763 318052 Cricket(Richard Young) 07768 792071

Guides( Sue Long) 01223 208337 Football (Andrew Hayes) 07990 598905

Brownies [email protected] Karate 07941 926125

Rainbows [email protected] Tennis [email protected]

Scouts, Cubs, Beavers [email protected] Station ( Inquiries) 0345 484950

T

Computers ( Sigma) 742783 Taxi Services ( Baldock) 01462 486666

County Councillor ( Steve Jarvis) 01438 727122 Theatre Club [email protected]

DW

Dairy (Blunham Dairy) 01234 376006 W.I. [email protected]

Delicatessen (Rhubarb and Mustard) 743462

Dentist 742353

District Councillor ( Tom Tyson) 07546 589377

Doctors and Surgery 01462 417377

E 07990 977124 Cut me out to put on
Electrician 07760 241922 the fridge.

F

Farm Shop ( Sarah’s) 01763 852376

G 742310 Thank you to Karen Mills for her work on the Useful
Garage ( Ashwell Garage 742220 Numbers.
Grocer and Off Licence
H Going forward please contact

Hairdressers Ian Chandler - 743091

Sue Birch 742298

25

MEDALS WANTED

Collector & researcher pays highest prices for all medals:
military or civil, groups or single items.

Also buying other militaria, police and civil aviation items.

Tel: 01438 – 811657
[email protected]

Berry Accounting Services

Litlington, Royston

Offering a friendly personal service for small businesses

• Self Assessment Tax Returns
• Annual Accounts
• Tax Planning
• Business Start-up Specialist
• Business Planning & Support
• Compliance / Disputes with HMRC
• Mentoring
• VAT Returns
• Payroll Services

Contact Jim or Maeve to discuss your requirements

Tel: 01763 852622 Web: www.berryaccounts.co.uk

E-mail:[email protected] Mob: 07850 426325

26

We are staying local again this month, with a southerly loop taking
in Bygrave. There are good views to be had on this walk, as you
end up on a ridge. On the bright sunny day that I walked the
route, you could see off to Baldock from one side of the ridge, and
Newnham to the other. You can either walk out of Ashwell from
the bottom of Partridge Hill for a 7¾ mile walk, or drive up
Claybush Hill over to Cat Ditch where you can park. This shortens
the walk to just over 5 miles.
Set off up Partridge Hill, go straight over the top, and at the end of
the long straight the path turns left and joins the road. Turn right
onto the road and head downhill to Cat Ditch. Turn right here and
follow the ditch to the first tree line. Turn left up the bridleway
(clearly signed). Snake up the path at the field edge to the mast
and pylon at the top of the hill. The path curves round to the right, signed as “Public Byway 14 to North Road”
and you stay on top of the ridge. Carry straight on as the land starts to drop away again. About 200 yards further
on, another path marker shows a path off to the left. Take this path and drop downhill. At the T junction at the
bottom (where the pylons are) turn left and head back until you meet the road. Turn right (towards Baldock),
then almost immediately left onto Wedon Way. At the end of the houses, turn left past the last hedge, heading
slightly uphill on the footpath into the centre of Bygrave. Now a peaceful village, Bygrave flourished between
the 13th and 15th centuries and the once busy village had a 3-day annual fair beginning at the feast of
St Margaret. The fair survived until Victorian days.
Turn right, passing the church on your right, and the Old Rectory on your left. The lane dips down and back up

again. Just before the barn, turn left at the signpost. We want the
path into the woods, which heads off diagonally left. (There is a
small yellow footpath arrow on the left-hand post that you pass).
At the bottom of the wood, turn left and follow the fence line to
the end*. Turn right on to the farm track, and turn right again at
the next track junction. 200 yards further on you get to another
post marker, turn left here onto the permissive path which takes you back towards Cat
Ditch. Turn left along the bridleway and head back to the road. If you parked here, you are all done. For the
longer walk it is another 1.3 miles back to the village, retracing your earlier steps. The brisk uphill walk will be
rewarded by the views of our beautiful village coming back into view as you head back down over the other side.
*Those of you armed with a map will be aware that this section does not follow public rights of way. Around
here, these rights of way are indistinct, and the local farmer is happy that we use the farm tracks mentioned to
complete our route, which makes route finding easier.

27

ASHWELL VILLAGE NEWS

Publication St Marys Contacts List

Ashwell Village News (AVN) is published by Please feel free to contact us.
St Mary’s Church, as a service to the
community. Churchwardens:
Bernard 624564 [email protected]
Correspondence, articles and advertisements in this Sarah 742182 [email protected]
magazine are not to be taken Pastoral matters
as representing the views of either St Mary’s Church Mark, our Reader 743451 [email protected]
or of any of the volunteers who produce the AVN.
Parish Church Office
FINAL Deadlines for articles for April submission Antje 01462 743922 [email protected]
are :

Article Deadline 15th March

Advertising Deadline 10th March

All new articles please contact AVN Team.

To avoid disappointment.

[email protected]

Our AVN Team of volunteers are:

Antje Brantner Layout
Julia Mitchell Advertising
Richard Young Distribution
Al Jacoutot Finance
Sarah Talks Editing

Ian Chandler Useful Numbers

With Speaker-Secretary Margaret Budgen at the helm, the WI has been able
to supply virtual meetings throughout the lockdown. Since Christmas it has no
longer been possible to invite those without computers to our homes, but we
hope to welcome them back soon.

A chocolatier who runs a family business in Newmarket came and talked about
the history of chocolate, and showed us how it is made into different types,
thoughtfully providing us in advance with samples so that we could munch as
she spoke. It was encouraging to learn that chocolate not only adds to the
joys of life, but eaten in moderation is good for the brain and, rather surpris-
ingly, the teeth.

Kate Wrangham-Briggs brought us up to date with the wonderful Kasiisi

Porridge Project which she, family and friends ran from 2005 -2020 raising

over £300,000 for the school at Kasiisi in Uganda, which now runs its own farm, workshops, research cen-

tre and beehives so that the children learn to live in harmony with nature as well as learning the three Rs,

trades and becoming self sufficient. The Ugandan government now

administers the farm but Kate still raises money for the school.

In January, Margaret Budgen gave her talk entitled “Brief Encounters”. A well-respected nutritionist and
member of various think-tanks, Margaret worked for many years with the British Nutrition Foundation,
whose president was Princess Anne and so the encounters were often with royalty – we heard stories
about Princess Anne, Prince Charles, Fergie, and other celebrities – Raymond Blanc, Richard Branson. The
culmination of Margaret’s career was the award of an OBE in 1995 – she told us that her encounter with
the Queen was briefer than intended, since in the excitement she forgot her second curtsey!

This was one of the most amusing talks we’ve had, and it was a real pleasure to see and hear each other
enjoying it in these strange isolated times.

At our March meeting we will be inviting Irma Kurtz, who was an agony aunt for ‘Cosmopolitan’
for many years as well as a reporter and travel writer, to talk to us about her very unusual and
exciting life. We would love to share our Zoom meetings with you, so just let Margaret have
your email address and she will send you the link for March 17th at 2pm and any other meetings
that you would like to share with us. Margaret’s email address is [email protected]

28

Baldock Futures Fund 2021

This year will continue to present challenges for our community and
all that we have come to expect, enjoy and value in our towns and
surrounding villages have been put on hold. We know this is also true
within your own homes , some of you may also suffer financially and
we are here to help.

The people who have come forward to be voluntary Trustees are
diverse and are from their early 20s to mid 70s and there is an ethnic, gender and professional mix. With
these different skills and perspectives, we are able to be creative and innovative in how we meet need. We
have encouraged our donors not only to give money but to meet urgent need by donating IT equipment.
One of our Trustees has linked with our local schools to ensure this equipment is compatible with the
different learning platforms.

Need comes in many forms so please contact us if you want help with either grants or loans.

Please also contact us if you have ideas about how we can help our community at this difficult time. We
continue to work closely with individuals, charities and organisations from Ashwell, Baldock, Clothall Village,
Hinxworth and Radwell , valuing every ones contribution

Contact – www.baldockfuturesfund.co.uk or telephone 07815308124.

Poems for March Home pictures by John Clare

Annette Wynne From March and April The sunshine bathes in clouds of many hues
And morning's feet are gemmed with early dews,
Stay in, stay in, O flowers, stay in,
Spring can't begin, it can't begin! Warm daffodils about the garden beds
For wild rough March rides all about, Peep through their pale slim leaves their golden heads,

Don't put your little noses out; Sweet earthly nuns of Spring; the gosling broods
Small heads should keep safe under ground, In coats of sunny green about the road
Waddle in extasy; and in rich moods
Or March will catch you riding round.
The old hen leads her flickering chicks abroad,
Oft scuttling 'neath her wings to see the kite
Hang wavering o'er them in the spring's blue light.
The sparrows round their new nests chirp with glee
And sweet the robin Spring's young luxury shares
Tootling its song in feathery gooseberry tree
While watching worms the gardener's spade unbares.

Let’s move on and be grateful for what we have…………

Does anyone feel the same? In the frantic days around the turn of the year, with thousands of
lorries queuing at Dover either through Covid or Brexit, and in the weeks following, with hauliers unable to
export first class British meat, and beautiful fish and seafood from our seas around Britain, across the
channel, why on earth are we not eating more of it ourselves.
Whether you voted for Brexit or not, it is over, we are out and we need to get on with life and restore
some national pride. In many ways there is much to be proud of in this country, and we could do worse
than improve our own self-sufficiency and take pleasure in eating and drinking our superb produce, in
season and grown in many cases lose-by. In many ways there is much to be proud of in this village too,
with an exceptional range of shops and services available to us.
I look forward to British produce when it is fresh-picked and local, whether it is kale or
cabbage now, from Sarah’s Farm Shop, Hillfoot Farm in Langford or from Crump’s when I pick up meat and
Jonathan can tell me where it is from. Whether it is fresh bread and pastries from Day’s, groceries from
the Ashwell Store, asparagus from Dunton or free-range eggs from local hens, there is a delight in enjoy-
ing what is best, when at its best, with an acknowledgement that it may be months before it is back in
season. The anticipation is worth the wait; do we really need asparagus all the year round from another
continent?
We all know about food miles and we do need produce from countries around the world, as much as they
need the trade, but do we need so much? Even with limited incomes, could we not accept that we may
need to pay a little more for home-grown produce, eat a little less meat but, better quality meat, more
locally-grown fruit and vegetables when in season, and relish that seasonality.
Our local shops in and around the village have supported us through some difficult times; let’s stay with
them when life improves.

David Richards

29

Natalie Terry Virtual PA

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Contact Natalie Terry
Mobile 07929 276639 Tel 01462 742948

Email [email protected]

30

ENDOMETRIOSIS

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, how much do you know about this condition?
Endometriosis (pronounced en- doh – mee – tree – oh – sis) is the name given to the condition
where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body.
Each month, these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding.
Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape. This can cause
inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.
It is a chronic and often debilitating condition that can cause painful or heavy periods. It may also lead to infertility,
fatigue and bowel and bladder problems. Around 1.5 million women in the UK are currently living with the condition.
Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of a childbearing age, regardless of race or ethnicity. The impact can also be
felt for life.
Endometriosis can have a significant impact on a person's life in a number of ways, including:
 Chronic pain
 Fatigue/lack of energy
 Depression/isolation
 Problems with a couple’s sex life/relationships
 An inability to conceive
 Difficulty in fulfilling work and social commitments
It is difficult to talk about these issues, and the condition is poorly understood which can mean that it takes up to seven
years for some women to be diagnosed. With 1 in 10 women of reproductive age suffering from endometriosis, you will
probably know several people with ‘endo’, but you may never have spoken about it with them. Recently there have been
campaigns to raise awareness and look for better treatment. It is important to know that:
Endometriosis is not an infection
Endometriosis is not contagious
Endometriosis is not cancer

What can you do about Endometriosis awareness?
You can read about the condition at
https://endometriosis-uk.org or in the national press. If one of friends or family has the condition, offer a listening ear
and support.
I have endometriosis and it has affected me since I was a teenager. Over the last three years it has been particularly
severe, causing me to be admitted to hospital as an emergency four times, once in the middle of the lockdown last year,
which was very scary. We have two hospitals locally, at the Lister and Addenbrookes with specialist
endometriosis clinics, but accessing the right help and support is still very difficult.
It is not an easy subject to talk about and traditionally women have suffered in silence. Lets try to make sure that the
next generation of young women have more options and better forms of treatment.

Sarah Talks

Lent

Lent, which began as a Christian tradition of fasting and contemplation, is now the time of giving in to
the social dilemma of bettering yourself; trying to give up something you like or take up an improving
habit. It provides a platform to analyse oneself: to understand the way in which you engage with the
world around you... When one self-reflects what do you see in the world around you? People suggest
giving up alcohol, or meat, but these have also been used at different months in the year, dry January or
Veganuary. A friend jokingly suggests reducing the amount of salad they have. To what end? For this, my
answer is to reflect on this year of isolation, a year of collective sadness, and decide to be more part of
the community, and what a wonderful thing that it is indeed. This season of Lent, which ends with Easter
at the beginning of April, what are you giving or taking up?

The March Hare

31

A March Miracle - A short Story by Deborah Glanville

We take the same week off work every year. We love the month of March with the beautiful things the spring
brings: baby lambs; beautiful spring flowers, and even the sounds of the birds singing in the afternoon. Why
Norfolk? Well, it’s somewhere we hope to retire to someday, probably with a couple of old dogs to walk along
the sand dunes and soak up the sea air. We particularly like Wells -on -the Water and the way the sea rolls in
towards the shore at different angles. Always make sure we are not caught in a water pool by the sea. We en-
joy watching the children fishing for crabs at nearby Burham-Overy-Straith and their joyful Labradors jumping in
the sea like pups. Watching the sun go down behind the rowing boats and listening to the wind whistling and
tasting the salt from the sea. We tried for ten years to have a family. But it never happened. So, we watch oth-
er families having fun and then go home and read our books or watch a box set, sipping expensive château neuf
de pap because we can afford it! "Kids keep your poor" my mum used to say trying to make me feel better that I
had not produced any.
Mike's curry was definitely powerful, stronger than most he has made, I won't notice it much on my ever-
growing waistline, as I do enjoy a triple cheese sandwich for lunch most days with a full fat coffee and a cream
donut. Quite a habit of late too. That curry has given me a tummy ache, I shout as I bend over in a lot of pain.
"My stomachs cramping now, how’s yours Mike?" Mike calls out, " I am fine stop making a fuss, I have poured
you another glass of wine". I reply "I cannot quite stand up now and I am sweating hard, even feeling somewhat
tired and faint". I drag myself to the bed hoping to fall asleep. Nope that pains even stronger,
goodness knows what he put in that curry. I call out again "pains worst, and feel the odd cramps are getting
stronger, don’t feel great call an ambulance something seriously wrong with my stomach". Mike rushed in the
bedroom clutching his mobile phone and talking frantically to 999. He continues "It is my curry I added extra
chillies" he says looking at me with a very guilty face. I am breathing faster now, and Mike definitely looks anx-
ious too. "Hurry up please I feel odd" I shout out! Within minutes I hear the sounds of sirens and hear the am-
bulances pull up on our gravely rental cottage. "She’s in here" Mike says as two young rather fit looking para-
medics enter the bedroom. After a full examination, the younger of the two paramedics with sparkling blue
eyes and jet black hair says “that was a pretty powerful curry that husband of yours cooked, it has bought your
labour on early! but the baby’s fine, a nice size, let’s get you to hospital now".
Well, the rest is now history Nathan Jonathan Albert after our dads of course was born 6lb 2 oz at precisely
11.55 pm on March the 3rd - our March miracle. Parents at age 40 who would have thought.

Snowdrops

Although we haven’t been able to visit the church
and churchyard as often as we would like, it has
been great to see the snowdrops under the Holme
Oak trees along Mill Street. These snowdrops were
planted two years ago, kindly donated by the
United Reformed Church Elders, Jeremy Fordham,
John and Jo Mills, the Holiday family and others who
came quietly and added to the planting. We hope
that they will continue to thrive and spread in this
area. The snowdrops along Hodwell are also doing
well. Thank you to everyone who helps look after
our churchyard.

32

The Chronicles of Sir Bark A Lot -The kindness of strangers

I think we all agree January and February can be walked home she had a
pretty miserable months. The Missus who was spring in her step and a big
amazing since March last year, taking me out twice grin on her face. Therefore,
a day on walks that would get longer and longer, Mr. Stranger in the church yard, thank you for put-
sort of gave up on doing that when the days got ting a smile on the Missus' face, you really did make
shorter. I was lucky to get one walk a day – if even her day. I think we should all take a leaf out of
that. She had to sit in front of the screen talking to your book, now is the time to be nice to each other,
the people who are there but aren't really there, even if it is as simple as having a little chat with the
like all the time. strangers we meet on our walks.

I know the signs, if she hits the snooze button, it And on that note of being kind to strangers I just
means she won't take me for a walk in the morning. want to say a Big Thank You to Toby's owners for
I have tried this new tactic: She hits "Snooze", I putting out hot chocolate and tea on our walk which
nudge her. So far, not very successful; but I think is also spreading a little love for strangers. The
something happened today, that makes me more Missus and OtherHalf loved it, although the Oth-
optimistic. erHalf said if you could put a little "Lift-me-up" in it,
we would quite happily paid a little extra….maybe
It snowed, and as the OtherHalf was hard at work next week? We walk past every day, you could
the Missus had to take me out at lunch time. She make a fortune!!!! Please say thank you to Toby's
didn't have a great morning. I know as she kept mini humans for the excellent customer service and
making the face she makes at me, when I am herd- not getting upset about my barking. I was just say-
ing the stripy non-dog. But she did take me out, ing: "I LOVE THIS!"
and then used a lot of the bad words (like the really
bad ones that we can't use in this article) as we So, as it says in the title: The kindness of strangers,
were sliding over the icy patches. So her mood …it goes a long way. I definitely will try to be kind
wasn't getting any better. to all other dogs, which might require some treats
from the Missus, just in case…
But then we got to my favourite bit of the walk,
which is the churchyard. Here we met this gentle- That’s it for now folks,
man, who made a comment about my barking. I
bark at the gate because when I go through it, the Sir Bark A Lot
Missus should give me a treat, she forgets some-
times so I need to bark to remind her. He was
lovely, he said I was handsome and asked the Mis-
sus lots of questions about me (obviously, she had
to feed me treats to stop me from barking). The
Missus asked the gentleman if he read the Ashwell
village magazine and if yes, had he read the Sir
Bark A Lot column. The gentleman said yes, he
thought it was a column about a fictional dog. The
Missus smiled, and said: "No, it's not, meet Sir Bark
A Lot". And this is like the best thing ever, the gen-
tleman smiled back at the Missus and said that
made his day… meeting ME made his day. BUT, for
the Missus it made her day. We didn't get his
name, as the Missus had to get back to talk to the
people who are in the room, but aren't. But as she

Transport to Covid vaccination centres

For residents who do not have access to their own transport. Both Royston & District Community Transport and
North Herts Community Transport have drivers carrying out transport to vaccination
appointments. Both are chargeable (Royston 55p per mile, N Herts 45p per mile with a minimum £5 per journey).
Both cover our area and Bassingbourn to Letchworth.
Royston & District Community Transport https://www.roytrans.co.uk/ 01763 245228
North Herts and Stevenage Community Transport Scheme https://www.nhcvstransport.org.uk/ 01462 689402
Please cascade this information to anyone you know who may need it.

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Rotary’s Support to Eradicate Polio

Baldock Rotary Club is probably better known for its support of community projects and sponsoring events such as the Christmas
lights in the town, Father Christmas and the sleigh, Open Gardens and the Jazz Concert.

Rotary is probably less well known for its support of international projects. One project received acclaim in the Houses of Parlia-
ment when an MP said that “Rotary had made a ‘monumental contribution’ to global efforts to eradicate polio”. The reason for
this praise being that Rotary members, volunteers and supporters across the world have raised over $2 billion in the global fight
to eradicate the disease by helping to immunise and protect over 2.5 billion children around the world.

Many people may not actually know what the polio disease is…it is a disabling and life-threatening disease which spreads from
person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord causing paralysis and often immobilizes a patient’s breathing muscles. It
is contracted predominantly by children.

In 1985, when Rotary first got involved, it is reported that the number of paralytic cases was over 350,000 each year and the
disease was prevalent in 125 countries. In 1988 Rotary joined the “Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)” which was founded
to fight the virus’s spread and disease burden with a global vaccination campaign.

By 2017 the global community effort had resulted in the eradication of the virus down to it being in circulation in only three coun-
tries across the world, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan and since then Africa has been declared free of the ‘wild polio’ strain.

Rotary will accelerate its efforts to completely eradicate the decease and will continue its fundraising programme to enable cam-
paigning, health worker training and vaccination programmes which will all help to stop the disease returning.

Interestingly there are similarities between Covid-19 and polio and the work that Rotary has achieved in fighting polio has helped
countries around the world to better deal with their cases of Covid-19.

Baldock Rotary will also continue with its contributions towards this so worthwhile campaign and although our ability to under-
take fundraising activities have been seriously constrained this year, we will look to resuming our events and activities in 2021
when restrictions permit.

Your support in the fundraising activities of Baldock Rotary is gratefully appreciated and when these efforts result in saving lives,
particularly the lives of children, all of our combined efforts become so worthwhile.

For more information about Rotary and the ‘End Polio Now’ programme please visit www.endpolio.org

Rotarian - Paul Luckett

Rotary in Baldock www.baldockrotary.co.uk
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