Shudy Camps News

Newsletter serving Shudy Camps, Mill Green and Nosterfield End.
No. 30 - July 2003

Village News | Roadside Verge Warden Scheme | Friends of Linton Village College | Dayrell Monuments Updates | Glebe House | Brownies | Reading Group | Refuse Collections | Parish Council | Diary Dates

Editorial

Another three months passed already, and time for another issue of Shudy News! With only short breaks, the wonderful weather has continued since April, and as I write this I am sorry to be in a stuffy study that is too hot even with the windows wide open at ten o’clock at night.

The summer is well advanced now. Already some of the fields have been harvested; some of the children are at a summer loose-end; and we have had the second summer party to be held in St Mary’s churchyard – a wonderful venue, especially on a warm summer afternoon as the sun slowly sets and the church casts a longer cooling shadow over the grass. As usual, Trevor Bishop and John Peace manned the barbecues, slowly kippering themselves in the process of dispensing hot dogs and burgers. The bar did a roaring trade in wine, beer and soft drinks, while Barry Tyler’s Original Dixieland Jazz Band entertained us all. Downsides of the afternoon were an unfortunate boy becoming locked inside the village facilities (but he was released eventually); and Ritchie Blackmore our indefatigable postman was tempted to try his hand (?) at skateboarding and received a grazed knee for his pains – we hope it heals soon Ritchie! There was a raffle, and a prize-giving for the earlier treasure hunt (organised again by Roger and Christiane Barker) and “guess the weight of this cake” competitions.

This month we have the usual eclectic mix of articles for you. I am pleased to have an item on Glebe House contributed by its Director. Glebe House is an important part of Shudy Camps, and maybe its location in our peaceful village is part of the reason for its success in helping so many young people find their feet. For the first time I can remember we have a “letter to the editor” – it would be nice to have more of these, so if you would like to make your views known please write to me. We have a poem, and a joke! More of these please! And there is some information on the new arrangements for collecting rubbish that affect us all – I have tried to arrange this so you can tear out the relevant pages for reference – Shudy News’ first tear-out-and-keep supplement!

A Spring highlight was the concert which Assheton Bogg organised in the Church. Shudy Camps always seems to have had at least its fair share of resident professional musicians, and as well as these we had a talented set of amateurs joining in for a memorable evening. I know that the event took a lot of organising, but I hope Assheton will be willing to run another event next year!

This issue is sponsored again by Mullucks Wells, Estate Agents of Saffron Walden, and we thank them for helping us by printing the newsletter.

I hope you enjoy this issue - material for the newsletter, of local interest, or just interesting, is always welcome, as are “Letters to the Editor”. You can pass them to me, or any member of the Social Committee; or by email to shudy.news@dial.pipex.com. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this issue.

We also accept local business advertising - our rates are £10 for a one-page display advert for a single issue, or £30 for all 4 issues in a year. Copy to the Editor, cheques to Shudy Camps Social Committee.

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New arrivals in the village
Welcome to Dr Mark Hows and Miss Anna Jenkins who recently
moved into Snowdrops, Main Street. Mark writes:

“We have moved from Cherry Green the other side of Saffron Walden, but previously both of us lived and worked in Surrey. We are both scientists, I work for Glaxo-Smith-Kline at Harlow, Anna at Bourn Hall Clinic near Cambridge. We are both interested in bird watching and wildlife in general. Everyone we have met so far has been most welcoming.”

Jubilee Green
The small triangle of land at the top of Main Street, with the Village Notice board on it, is known as Jubilee Green. This is the only piece of land that is owned by the Village.

The grass on Jubilee Green is cut regularly by a small band of volunteers. Would you like to join the mowing team? It only takes about 30 minutes to cut the grass using the Village mower (which is kept at Carter’s Farm), or your own mower if you prefer. If enough people help, each person would only have to mow the Green two or three times each year. Please contact Roger Lemon (584563) or Tony Broscomb (584920) if you are interested.

Roadside Verge Warden Scheme
In 1994 the County Council had the bright idea of designating verges in the county where rare flowers or a diverse range of species grew. Some were also classified as County Wildlife sites if they were particularly special. All were marked by small wooden posts at each end, with a label to say they were protected. Regrettably, an action plan on how they were to be managed never materialised. As a consequence, the grass cutting contractors simply missed them out on their rounds and many have been overtaken by rank grass and coarse, competitive plants such as hogweed, nettles and docks.

Of the eighty-eight protected verges in the county, three are in the parish of Castle Camps and two are in our parish. Thirty-four of the eighty-eight are also County Wildlife Sites, two being in Castle Camps (on Bolts Hill and on the hill between Whitensmere Farm and Camps Hall) and one in Shudy (on the second bend out of the village past the church).

The County Council have now realised that inappropriate management has destroyed some of these special habitats. The new Biodiversity Action Plans for Cambridgeshire have highlighted the importance of un-improved grassland to the continuing survival of many of our rare plant species, and the County Council have recognised that roadside verges make up a valuable part of this habitat group.

After a successful grant application to the landfill tax credit scheme
(WREN) the County Council now have funding to train parish volunteers to oversee these verges and ensure that appropriate management is applied at the right time of year for the relevant species.

If anyone is interested in helping to look after the plants and wildlife in our Village and would like more information about becoming the Roadside Verge Warden for Shudy Camps, please contact Stasia Carlyle (584645) or any Parish Councillor.

Broadband Update

Readers of recent issues will know that I am very interested in getting broadband communications to Shudy Camps and other rural communities round about. Adrian Winckles, who is the leading light in the Linton Broadband group, which would cover Shudy, provided the update below.
Broadband for South East Cambs – An Update
Entries for the EEDA “Connecting Communities” have now closed and our region has submitted two bids, with very different emphasis.
South Cambridgeshire District Council has submitted an entry to cover the 101 communities within its district which are without broadband and will be based on a “voucher” system for each community to “purchase” a solution from a number of preferred suppliers and then rely on market forces to determine demand and setup fees. However from initial discussions there is not much allowance for social inclusion or community service developments and initially it will rely on those really wanting broadband to pay higher setup fees.

Cambridge Ring South East/Linton Broadband submitted a bid covering 13 local villages and aimed to develop a level playing field so that local subscribers only paid what consumers in existing broadband areas would pay (i.e. £50 setup plus £24-£30 per month). We now have the backing of all the local communities, parish councils, local businesses, teleworkers, local clubs and individuals. The chosen supplier will provide the community association managing the project with a community dividend to reinvest in local community broadband projects and support.

I would like to thank everyone who helped in the competition entry, by providing letters of support and endorsement, leaflet delivery, checked through applications, financial costings, and general help and advice. The outcome of the competition should be announced late June/early July. (Now scheduled for 23rd July – Ed.)

If our community bid is successful, we will need to set up a not-for-profit community association with a more distinctive name rather than CRSE/Linton Broadband. Initial suggestions include Granta Broadband (Community Association). A draft constitution has been written but we need to have volunteers willing to act as trustees to represent local communities and organizations. Ideally, at least one
person from each community to be nominated and at least 12 elected members once the service is up and running

Anyone interested in keeping up to date with developments is welcome to subscribe to
Lintonbroadband-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk
If you have still not registered your interest in having broadband, please visit the following site
http://www.crse.uk.net
If anyone has any interest in becoming a trustee or has any other query please contact me on
Adrian.Winckles@computer.org or (01223) 890067

Friends of Linton Village College

During refreshments we drew the winners of the Summer Draw. Congratulations to all the lucky winners and also thank you to all those who donated prizes.

The new lighting system for the hall is going ahead at a cost of approximately £7,000, and will be installed during the Summer Holiday. The Friends have agreed to fund this project in instalments spread over 2/3 years: the first one of £3,000 to be paid this year and subsequent payments to be made from future fund raising events. This is very much appreciated by the College.
On 20th September we are having a Disco, 8-12, at which we hope to welcome any new parents of year seven children and maybe see some 'old faces' from years gone by. The Disco will be by Nitelife and with any tickets bought prior to the event you will be able to request your favourite tracks, which we will endeavour to play during the evening. Requests will be played for those who want to send a message to a special someone or for those who just want to hear their favourite tune.

Have a lovely summer; we hope to see you in September.

Friends of LVC

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Carol Singing.
Did you miss us?

I was very sorry to have to take the decision to cancel the carol singing last Christmas. It was the first time in 15 years, and we have braved all weathers to go out. You the Villagers have been very generous, consistently giving between £80-£100 for us to donate to worthy charities. This year, I myself had just been a week out of hospital having had my Gall Bladder removed, (for which I thank you for the many get well cards). Four of my stalwart regulars had either double booked the dates, or were unwell, and despite phoning as many people as I could only 2 other people were able to confirm they would come. So Gerry, Trevor and myself felt it really wasn’t worth our effort to continue.

We have pencilled in Thursday 18th December 2003 for this year. PUT IT IN YOUR DIARY. We finish up with mulled wine and homemade sausage rolls and mince-pies at my house, and it’s usually a fun evening. We also struggle each year to find someone to do the house to house collections, since my own children stopped doing this, which they did from the ages of 7-15 years. So please join us this year and if you can’t sing do the collections! Don’t let this Village Tradition die through lack of support!

Jo Bishop.

KEEP FIT.

Every Monday evening at 7.30pm a very small group meet at the Castle Camps Village Hall for keep fit. We are all ages, and men and women. Karen who leads the class is a real sweetheart, and keeps us all smiling. There are no posers in the class and we all go at our own speed and ability. However because there are so few of us, the class is in danger of folding! So get out those trainers, wear what you like, just bring a towel and a drink. If like most people you made a New Year’s resolution to get fit or loose weight you can’t have anything more convenient. If you want some more info, or someone to go with, just give me a ring.

Jo Bishop, 584399.

TREASURE ISLAND
On the 21st and 22nd March 03 CADS put on their first production since the old Hall was pulled down. We are thrilled to report that it was a resounding success, with all three performances a sell out. Thank you to all who supported us. From what you have all said you enjoyed the production even if it was a little too long!

Don’t forget we are always looking for help both front and back stage. Watch this space for our next show and get your tickets early!

Jo and Trevor Bishop.

In the last issue we published an article on restoration of the Dayrell monuments in St Mary’s Church. Shudy News received the following letter on the subject. I raised the issues with Andrew Webb and he also provided the short article that follows, which describes the work done and how it has been funded.

Dear Editor,

I was very disturbed to read the article in the last edition by Andrew Webb regarding the costs to restore the Dayrell family memorials in St Mary’s. It appears we are on another expensive fund raising campaign which I suggest should be funded by the family concerned! The alternative, surely, is for the monuments to be removed from their reported unsafe location and placed somewhere anyone who may be interested can see them and then the walls made good - surely a much cheaper alternative? Shudy now has a web-site so perhaps this could be utilised to post a notice asking for any Dayrell descendants to contact Andrew Webb?

John Peace,
Elizabethan House,
Shudy Camps Park

Dayrell monuments restoration project - progress report
The last edition of Shudy News included an item about the restoration works on the Dayrell Monuments in St Mary’s Church.

Since then, things have moved forward rapidly. We have secured an exceptional 90% grant for the cost of restoring the two largest monuments, to Francis and Elizabeth Dayrell, from the Council for the Care of Churches (CfCC).

The size of the grant is a reflection both of the quality of these monuments, and the importance attached by CfCC to maintaining them in good condition in their historical setting in Shudy Camps.
The work has now begun and is expected to take three months. The Church will (just) be able to meet the balance of the cost of this, more limited, project from its own funds, but doing so will effectively leave us without any reserves for general maintenance and upkeep of the building.

Having an ancient building like St Mary's Church is both a privilege and a challenge for the village. It is a community responsibility to keep it in good order for the benefit of those currently living in Shudy Camps and for future generations. There is now no trace of the Dayrells, so we have had to help ourselves in seeking to restore their legacy to us. In a similar way, we now need to raise resources to undertake the rolling programme of repairs and maintenance needed to keep the building in good order for everyone’s use. We will shortly be inviting the village to consider how it might contribute to the ongoing maintenance of this important community resource.

Barbara McNamara, Team Vicar.
Robert Manning, Churchwarden.
Andrew Webb, Secretary to PCC.

Glebe House Therapeutic Community
Glebe House has been part of this village since 1969, when a group of Quaker trustees opened the establishment as a children’s home.

The home caters for up to fifteen young people, who for one reason or another cannot live at home. Our core tasks involve supervising our youngsters through a rigorous process of training for independence, helping them to develop the skills and aptitudes they will need to become productive members of society when they leave us.

Since becoming Director in 1991 I have striven, with support from the staff team, to ensure that our youngsters understand and respect the importance of our relationship with the village as a whole. Consequently we try very hard to be “good neighbours”, opening up the community to the village for events such as Bonfire Night and polling day. Whilst a very active and vibrant group of children can tend to be rather noisy at times, we make every effort to consult with our neighbours and to develop mutually acceptable boundaries around activities such as car driving and football matches, to avoid the almost inevitable noise pollution that can arise.

Our young people come to us in a very vulnerable and often acutely distressed state. Following a process of induction, they enter the full programme and at the end of their two-year placement they move on to live in the wider community, often as fully independent young adults in work or full-time education. Our independent research suggests that the vast majority go on to thrive in the long term. On the 24th July I will have the pleasure of attending a graduation ceremony for one of our former residents who has successfully completed a BA at Birmingham University and is about to begin his MA at University College London.

Glebe House is now recognised internationally as a centre of excellence in the field of therapeutic childcare, but we see ourselves as
an extended family, living and working together in a beautiful rural village. In our thirty-year history we have received overwhelming support from our neighbours, and hope and trust that we can maintain and enhance this relationship in the years to come.
Anthony Hockley, Director

1st Horseheath Brownies
Since the last Shudy News we have said goodbye to Bea Woodhouse, Rosie White, Nancy Goodwin and Alex Baribeau who will all continued their Guiding life at Brinkley Guides, and have welcomed two new Brownies Elizabeth Sanders and Georgina McGivern. Also by the end of the Summer Term we hope to have enrolled all six of our ‘new’ Brownies into the Pack.

During June and July we will be very busy finishing off the Lord Lieutenants Award with a Litter Pick up, a sponsored walk with the Linton Brownies and have a fun evening when we invite the parents to a meeting to show them what fun we have. Also there will be the annual Strawberry Evening (date to be arranged) and hopefully an end of term fun evening (if the Brownies are good!).

If you have any girls aged 7-10 years who would like to become a Brownie please give us a ring on 01223 891086 and we will add her name to our waiting list. Also, contact us if you would like more details about what fun we have at Brownies.

BROWN OWL & BARNEY
Your Brownie Guiders

Collecting for Barnardo’s
Recently I carried out the annual collection for Barnardo’s round the village. I am glad to say that I was able to send off the sum of £128.86p as a result – thanks to everyone in the village who contributed to this worthy cause. Let’s see what we can raise next year!
John Haine.

Rosemary Yallop, of Parnell’s, Mill Green, also sometimes has cause to go house-to-house around Shudy, and her experience led to this little poem…

A Poll Card Poem

Village barbecue – treasure hunt
The treasure hunt was won by the Baribeaus for the adults, second were the Gladmans and third the Skerritts.
For the juniors, Alex and Jack Baribeau with Naomi and Imogen Barker won; second were Will Gladman with Josh Webb and third were the Haylock family.

Christiane Barker

Reading Group
The reading group are meeting again on 2nd September at the Broscombs, Bramleys, Main Street. We'll be discussing Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. On 7th October we'll meet to talk about The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. All welcome – For information about venues or lifts ring 584 551

Christiane Barker

Changes to refuse collection arrangements

For all of the nearly eighteen years we have lived in Shudy Camps, Thursday has been Dustbin Day. Soon, all that will change, as from 4th August our rubbish will be collected on MONDAYS. (The following summary is based on the information given in the Summer 2003 South Cambs News – please refer to that for definitive information.)

Even then we won’t be done with the changes, since from 22 September we will have wheelie bins! The Council will give each household a black and a green bin, sometime in August, and these will be collected on alternate weeks from 22 September.

The black bin is for general household waste, the green bin for recyclable waste. As far as I can tell from the South Cambs Magazine, there is no particular restriction on what can go in the black bin. In the green bin you can put:

• grass cuttings, hedge/shrub trimmings, untreated wood and bark, weeds and flowers, cardboard (at last!) and yellow pages, junk mail.

Don’t put in:

• cooked food, meat and bones, old veg and fruit/peelings, coffee filters or teabags, stale bread, plastic of any sort, disposable nappies, glass cans or textiles, soil/stones, painted or treated wood, pet waste, oil, non-compostable rubbish (I hope you know what that is!).

As well as the green bin you can put out the green box on the same day, containing:

• aluminium and steel cans, newspapers and magazines, textiles, glass bottles and jars.

Monday 4 August will be a rubbish sack and recycling day, as will 18 August, 1 September, and 15 September, with the alternate Mondays being black sacks only. Then that will be the end of dustbins!

Monday 22 September will be a black wheelie bin day, 29 September will be green wheelie bin plus green box. From then on they alternate.

Bins containing crocodiles (that is, with too much in so their lids don’t close) won’t be collected.

You will have to wheel the bin to the edge of your property unless you receive an Assisted Collection Service or the footway/highway would be obstructed – in this case call 0845 650 0280.

Sadly they will still not collect all those plastic bottles for recycling, so either you’ll have to cram them in the black bin so they can go and clog a landfill somewhere, or haul them to Saffron Walden dump where they do accept them for recycling.

I see that UK Wheelie Wash will clean out your bin for you – as Shudy is a long way from anywhere I’d have thought that there is a good chance that we could negotiate a discount on behalf of the village if lots of people wanted the service – maybe the Parish Council or Social Committee could pick this up?

All this inspired Tony Broscomb and he contributed the following joke.

George: Where's ya bin?
Fred: I bin on holiday.
George: No, where's ya wheely bin?
Fred: I weally bin in prison but I didn't want the neighbours to know!

Oi! Keep ‘em coming Tony!

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SHUDY CAMPS PARISH COUNCIL

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 12 May 2003
Local Government and Parish Council elections were held on Thursday 1st May. The current Parish Councillors (Juliet Battong, Richard Blackmore, Tony Broscomb, Graham Kiddy and Roger Lemon) all stood for re-election and, since there were no other candidates, these five councillors were all elected unopposed. The Annual Parish Meeting took place in St.Mary’s Church on Monday 12 May 2003, followed by the first meeting of the new Parish Council. Roger Lemon, the Chairman of the Parish Council, reported on all aspects of Parish and P3 activities and responsibilities. His report is included in this Newsletter.

Other reports were received from:
a) Linton Village College: The past year has proved a success in terms of academic and sports activities, music and in continuing to foster international links. Plans are well advanced in various improvements, in refurbishments and on building plans for a special school on the site.
b) Castle Camps Primary School: The Head reported satisfactory exam results and many varied activities were enjoyed by the pupils. These included music, swimming, athletics, acting and fun based social activities. Mr Alan Hardy has been elected the new Chairman of Governors.
c) Neighbourhood Watch: Co-ordinator Grahame Wilmott submitted a written report and was pleased to note that Shudy Camps is relatively crime free. Households supporting the scheme have increased, the First Aid talk was very well supported and Mr Wilmott had attended the County Conference in November 2002.

Copies of all the above reports may be obtained from the Parish Clerk.
The Parish Council Meeting was preceded by an Open Forum at which members of the public are invited to raise any matters of concern.

John Haine presented a concise booklet summarising the benefits of Broadband in rural areas. South Cambridgeshire District Council has submitted an application on behalf of all Parish Councils and has been informed of Parish Council interest in and support for Linton Broadband. Broadband may be used for a variety of purposes, inc. security matters. Queries arose re. possible sharing on a percentage basis and the costs involved (£30pcm).

The following is an extract from the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting. A complete copy of the Minutes can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.

Cllr. Roger Lemon was re-elected as Chairman for coming year and Cllr Tony Broscomb was re-elected as Vice-Chairman.

Matters arising from the last Minutes:
(i) Grass verge cutting. First cut generally satisfactory, though a manhole cover in Carsey Hill had been demolished and reported to Highways Dept. Clerk to enquire if County Council would consider paying the Parish Council to take responsibility for cutting its own verges (i.e. contract out). Views differ re. too little or too much mowing, mowing at wrong time of year, cutting too wide a swathe etc. It was AGREED that a new Verge Warden needs to be appointed.

(ii) Road name signs have already been replaced, and the Highways Division is also replacing various place name signs.

(iii) Nosterfield End road is currently being resurfaced.

(iv) The Chairman and Clerk recently visited the proposed protected verge at Mill Green. Site considered to have potential; evidence of wood anemone, cowslip, bluebells and knapweed despite verge being massacred last year: will need time to recover. Even so, it was still felt to be a site worth conserving. Clerk to seek guidance on options
available and to ask that the verge not be cut until August/September, once seeds had dispersed. The verge is not on a dangerous bend.

Finances
The Accounts for year 2002/03 were presented and accepted.
Year end balances as follows:
Parish Council: £675.95
Parish Paths Partnership (P3): £428.37
Total: £1,104.32

Cambridgeshire Countryside Watch
It was agreed not to join this organisation, which overlaps with Neighbourhood Watch. It appears to be more suited to individual needs.

Defra ‘Quality’ Town and Parish Council Initiative
It was considered not appropriate to seek Quality status at this time.

Reports on meetings attended
a) A 1307 - Cllr Broscomb’s reported on current situation. A new roundabout at the Linton/Bartlow crossroads has been promised, but is unlikely to be built for up to eight years.
b) Planning Seminar - Cllr Broscomb also reported on this meeting and gave some examples of the complexities involved.

Parish Paths Partnership: Cllr Lemon gave the annual P3 report.

Cllr Battong has replaced Cllr Broscomb as Tree Warden.

Charitable donations
(a) Haverhill CAB £25.
(b) Friends of War Memorials - Refused

Low Cost Housing: Clerk to enquire when next survey is due (2003)

Date and time of next meeting
Monday 11th August 2003 at 8p.m. in St Mary’s Church.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 22.10.

(A full report of the Parish Council meeting can be obtained from the Clerk, Stasia Carlyle, Meadside, Main Street, Tel 584154.)

Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings of the Parish Council. Each meeting starts with a short Open Forum when members of the public can raise issues that they would like to bring to the attention of the Parish Council. During the main meeting, members of the public may listen to the discussion but are not expected to contribute unless invited to do so.

Hiring St. May's Church for social activities
The village Church is available for hire for a wide range of social activities. It costs £4 per hour, plus an extra £2 per hour if the heating system is used. Please book through the vicar, Reverend Barbara McNamara, Tel 584803.

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Shudy Camps Millennium Photograph Album

Copies of individual photos and the complete album are available.

Ø Single copies (7" x 5") price £1.00
Ø Full page group £2.00
Ø Complete album on CD £10.00
Ø Complete album in folder £25.00

For more information, contact Tony Broscomb on 584920

For Your Diary

FOR SALE
Well-rotted horse manure - ideal for the garden
Delivered locally, £25 per van-load
Contact: Justin Turkentine, 01799 585033

Shudy News is published by Shudy Camps Social Committee.
Edited by John Haine, 9 Parkway, Shudy Camps, Tel. 584773.
Additional reporting by Jeannette Ager, 2 Main Street, Tel 584413.
Next issue around 21st October - deadline for copy and diary entries 30 September.

Copy can be sent to
shudy.news@dial.pipex.com

either as email text or as an attachment, preferably in Microsoft Word format.

Thanks to all who help produce and distribute Shudy News.