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Page 1 2 3 4Bugbrooke Link Magazine(Issue
144), June 2007 Editor: Paul Cockcroft At our AGM the committee was re-elected
and I look forward to working again with an excellent team of members and
supporters to produce the village magazine for another year. In this issue we share the thoughts of an ex councillor,
the experience of somebody who has been introduced to computers in their
early 70’s, news of a midsummer concert, details of the church fete and
an invitation to gospel singing. The Bugbrooke LINK website can be found at www.bugbrookelink.co.uk and as well
as reading the magazine online, there is a wide range of other information
and links to other organisations and websites. This is a valuable asset to
the village and I am sure you will find it of interest, particularly those
of you who may wish to learn more of Parish Council matters, to see
historic issues of LINK and read the thoughts of Stephen French that are
not included in the printed magazine. You can contribute to the magazine by posting articles
through my door or preferably by submitting copy by e-mail to . This minimises the amount of copy that has to be typed in, and it is
greatly appreciated as it reduces the workload for the production team. This month we do not have room for all of our articles,
and have had to leave out the regular monthly police article. This is not
unusual, and we have therefore decided to group all police articles
together and publish them all on the LINK website. See them at
www.bugbrookelink.co.uk/police. The deadline for
articles and advert changes for the next issue is Monday 02 July 2007. Parish Council
After the fantastic response to the
Parish Plan survey resulting in excess of 450 surveys being returned, the
reality of trying to analyse them quickly became apparent! However thanks
to the sterling efforts of a small team, comprising Dave & Rosemary
Harries, Diana Cockrill, myself and the Clerk, Emma Bignell, we were able
to produce sufficient data to make very interesting reading. The findings
were then presented at the public exhibition on 1st May at the Community
Centre. Special thanks to Brenda Inch, Alan Kent and Terry Ward who helped
to mount the displays. Once again the village showed its support for the
event and we had a steady stream of visitors all afternoon right up to the
close at 8.00 p.m. – the full results are available on the LINK website
for anybody who could not attend on the day. (www.bugbrookelink.co.uk/survey) Meanwhile here is a brief summary of some of the key
points:– · There is a
strong requirement for social housing but most people felt it should be
restricted to Bugbrooke residents. · Very few
people admitted to driving their children to school but the actual
congestion suggests otherwise. · Both the
surgery & pharmacy are valued for the service they provide although
there is a need for a dentist. · The bus
service only rated adequate and destinations such as Towcester were
wanted. · The two
biggest traffic issues were speeding and inconsiderate parking which were
of no real surprise. · In this green
age most people are recycling but the frequency of collection of the black
bin was a cause of concern. · HGV’s and
motor cycle scrambling were the biggest nuisance for noise disturbance. · Out of town
retail parks were by far the most popular destination for shopping. · Link is the
most used source of village information. · Fish &
Chips or a take away were high on list for other food outlets. · Finally
speeding was considered the most important issue that parishioners wanted
the Council to address. I would like to finish this month by making two points,
the first of which is that all the costs for producing the surveys, their
analysis, the organising of the exhibition and the ultimate cost to
produce the ‘Parish Plan’ itself are all covered by a £3000 grant
obtained from DEFRA via Northamptonshire Acre and of course voluntary time
donations. This effectively leads on to my second point, which is really a
plea, the Parish Plan should be ‘created by the community, for the
community’ and we therefore need more parishioners to get involved at
this stage to progress some of the issues and aspirations that have come
forward from the survey. If you feel this is something you would like to
play a more active role in, then do contact the Clerk at the Parish Office
or any Councillor. We have started the ball rolling but we need you to
actually take it forward & create your plan for Bugbrooke.
Phil Bignell –
Chairman Information on the Parish Council, and minutes of Parish Council meetings are available to read on the Link website at www.bugbrookelink.co.uk/parishcouncil. 3rd May 2007 District Council
Election Results
Heyford
& Bugbrooke Ward - turnout
47.48% · John
Curtis-Ind. 875 votes - Elected · David
Harries-Ind. 663 votes · Graham
Smith-Con. 797 votes - Elected · Shaun
Walton - S-O-S! 304 votes An Ex-District Councillor’s Tale
Well, I lost! I am now officially a
former District Councillor. It
was always going to be an uphill struggle. The Ward changes that paired
Bugbrooke with The Heyfords rather than Gayton left three existing
councillors competing for two places. I was a relative new boy up against
two candidates with many years’ service. We also had a single-issue
candidate, with no chance of winning but every prospect of influencing the
outcome – and I believe probably did. As
I predicted, I came third. Sometimes I just hate being right. So,
have I achieved anything? I like to think that in my four years as a
District Councillor I encouraged a consensual rather than an adversarial
approach to get the best results for the people of the District in general
and Bugbrooke in particular. I was also able to help a number of local
individuals and families, particularly with housing and planning
difficulties. I
have been touched by the messages of goodwill and commiserations that I
have received from Bugbrooke people, and from many District Councillors
from across the political spectrum. Am
I downhearted? A little: it’s always better to win than to lose.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed clearing out the study, filling two crates
with paper for recycling. I now have room for whatever clutter I may
produce in the future. I
remain an active member of the Parish Council and, in anticipation of the
likelihood of having more time; I recently took over as secretary to
Northamptonshire Record Society. (New members interested in local history
are always welcome.) I would like to thank the people of Bugbrooke for
allowing me to represent what is a thriving and active community. David Harries Crimestoppers |
 |
Anyone can become a victim or witness of
crime and Victim Support is a national organisation that will support
anyone who is affected by crime.
People
react to crime in many different ways. Although most people don’t suffer
long-term harm, both adults and children can be seriously affected.
The
support that is offered by Victim Support will vary from person to person.
Sometimes it will be a listening ear, other times practical support,
advice and information.
We
can provide information on the police and court procedures.
We
can liaise with other organisations such as the Housing Authority.
We
can provide information on criminal injury compensation and insurance
matters and can arrange for workers to accompany people to the police
station and courts. We will help people access other forms of help if we
cannot provide the service they need.
Our
services are free and totally confidential and accessible to all.
Our
workers are trained to deal with all types of crime from criminal damage,
harassment, burglary, robbery, theft and assaults. Specially trained
workers will also support male and female victims of domestic abuse, rape,
sexual assault and people bereaved by homicide.
We
also have workers that support victims of Hate Crimes, (racist, homophobic
and disabilist crimes)
Hopefully
you will never have needed the services of Victim Support, but if you do
or know someone who might benefit from contact from us, don’t hesitate
to get in touch.
We
will not contact a victim directly, unless we have their consent.
We
can be contacted by telephone on 01604 603477, at our offices at Angel
Street, Northampton or by e-mail to -----------------
Bob Dunn
Support / Outreach worker
Millennium Green Report – Spring
2007
First
of all, the Trustees wish to thank everyone who came to help with
maintenance of the Green on Saturday April 14th. Great things were
achieved including the clearing of the path edges. Whilst last year’s
leaves were burned, it is planned to create some leaf bins in an
unobtrusive area of the Green so that in future, leaves can be rotted down
and possibly sold as compost. Credit goes to Trevor Brown for this idea.
All
the trees are flourishing. The sweet chestnut had fruit on it last autumn,
and the wych elm is in flower this year for the first time.
A
strip has now been mowed flanking the spinney, to facilitate walking, but
this does not go all round the spinney in order not to invade the privacy
of the house owner immediately to the rear.
A
new notice board has been put up in a slightly different position at the
West End area of the green.
Vandalism
has been at a minimum, involving slight damage to trees, smashing the
Perspex of the new notice board and a broken bench. It is planned to take
this up and destroy it, as the jagged end of the break could be dangerous
to a small child.
Wild
flowers – with great satisfaction the Trustees had a view meeting during
the working party on 14th April and noted 26 different species of native
flowering plants well established. Details can be obtained either by going
and looking [!] or from the Millennium Green Trustees.
John Curtis, Chairman
It’s All Very Liquid!
–
 |
Liquid
Church is now into its fourth month and
continues to be innovative, challenging and enjoyable. One of those who
came last time said ‘I do not know where the time went to!’.
As
I said in the last edition of the Link ‘Liquid Church’ is simply a
chance to 'try' church in a different and less structured way. We continue
to meet about every four to five weeks on a Saturday between 5:30pm and
7:30pm at St. Michael's. You simply come along for as long or as short a
time as you wish (next two dates June 2nd and June 30th. We then take a
break for the summer and return on Saturday September 8th).
The
first thing you will notice is the church will be set out differently with
the immediate warm invitation to have a cuppa of your choice along with
something to eat. There is then the opportunity in various parts of the
church to explore what the Christian message is all about in a variety of
ways. Opportunities are planned to meet all ages. During the two hours
also, there is an opportunity to join in three short acts of worship using
contemporary and traditional hymns, songs and music.
The
sum total of the experience for everyone of any age is a non-threatening
environment and introduction to the worshipping life of the church.
Why
not give it a try…………….. See ya there……………….
Liquid Worship
I
recently sent a questionnaire out via the school, which asked the
following questions :–
If
you came to a church service that was Lively, Interactive, Quality,
Imaginative and Dynamic (Liquid), plus user friendly with the added bonus,
less than an hour topped off by light refreshments, what time would be
best? What date would be best? What Church would you go to?
I would like now ask you the same questions? You can either call me on 831621 or e-mail me at ------------
I
look forward to hearing from you.
Stephen French, Rector of Bugbrooke, Kislingbury,
Harpole and Rothersthorpe
Stephen’s article this month, entitled “Change”
can be found at www.bugbrookelink.co.uk/stephen
Friends of St Michael and All
Angels Church
Our
annual Race Night event took place on 20 April. There was a excellent
turnout and it seems a good time was had by all as it achieved a record
profit of almost £950 which will go towards the future maintenance of the
church. This will more than cover the costs of repairs to the roof which
were done earlier this year. Since the last issue of Link, we have also
held our eighth AGM which was the usual stimulating and exciting event.
Our
next main fund raising event will be the Fish & Chip Supper
and Quiz which will take place on Friday, 6 July
at the Community Centre starting at 7:30 sharp. We shall be following the
established pattern of teams of four with the questions being set by last
years winners “Rooster and Three Hens”, perhaps better known as Steve
Ellis and friends from Duston. This is always a very popular event and as
I write two months in advance, we have ticket orders already coming in. So
please get your orders in early so as not to be disappointed. Tickets will
be £7.50 each and are available from Roy Smith, 25, Pound Lane (tel
832715) or Irene Neary, 17, The Paddocks (tel 830678).
Although
it is a long way ahead, we have also scheduled our annual Wine tasting
evening for Friday, 30 November. Please make a note of the date in your
diaries and there will be more news in the next issue of Link.
If
you want to know more about the Church Friends, we now have a page on the
Bugbrooke Link web site so please go and have a look.
Tony Pace (Chairman) www.bugbrookelink.co.uk/friends