(Link June 2007)

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Mothers’ Union

14th March, 7.30pm. A talk by Anna Smith called “Home Start”; Shirley Faulkner took a short service. “Home Start” is a voluntary organisation, which cares for and supports families locally. Mothers finding it stressful dealing with young children, and families needing help for various reasons are helped for as long as necessary. Owing to the weather only 6 members attended.

26th March, 2.30pm. Lady Day Service held in Braunston Church, Bugbrooke members unable to attend.

5th April. Maundy Service was held in Bugbrooke Church. The Rev. Stephen French officiated and it was well attended. Hymns were sung and prayers said. Hands were washed for and by our neighbours. Bread and wine given one to another. Intercessions were said by the congregation as and when they needed to. Stephen spoke of Christ’s gifts to us. A truly meaningful service.

23rd April, 2.30pm. Mothers’ Union held a Beetle Drive at Jubilee House for members and residents. 15 attended. There were raffle prizes and prizes were given to the winners. Refreshments were enjoyed and a donation given to Jubilee House.

Pat Archer

Bugbrooke and Harpole Scout Group

The Beaver colony have been busy this spring term gaining their Artist’s badge, doing craftwork including colouring in and making a model fire engine. They’ve made passports, personalised with their names, height, shoe size and fingerprints. The boys have been on an outdoor treasure hunt, finding the letters to spell “Beavers”, and have had a games night with 3 teams competing in bean-bag throwing, darts and a game like quoits, tossing horse shoes round a stick in the ground.

Cubs have made modelling clay volcanoes, which they filled with sodium bicarbonate. The addition of red food colouring and vinegar produced messy and effective lava eruptions. They’ve made film canister bombs and propellers, as well as doing paper chromatography with food colouring in preparation for their Scientist’s badge. Cubs made Mothers’ Day cards featuring elephants, and brought in their favourite games for a games evening, including chess, Top Trumps and a Dr Who game with sound effects. Cubs and Beavers have both made cup cakes. Beavers took theirs home but the Cub buns provided refreshments for about 25 people who came to our Parents’ Meeting. They heard Tony Inwood, our District Commissioner, tell us about the St George’s Day activities in Daventry – more on this later – and our need for a new Beaver leader, and parent helpers at weekly meetings. Our chairman asked us to note that in August we will be calling for volunteers to repaint the Scout Hut and give it a good spring clean. In addition we need to put up all the tents that are in the storeroom, see what goes together and what is no longer useful. Tony assures us that our hut is the best in Daventry District, so please everyone, respond when you get the letter with the date and time, and come and join in.

Dragons, knights and about 300 Beavers, Cubs and Scouts paraded through Daventry with a band playing to mark St George’s Day, led by St George himself on a very well behaved white charger, on April 21st. Members of 17 Scout groups across the District renewed their promises before a series of races and events took place. 3 teams of Bugbrooke Scouts have been working on their go-karts, all in preparation for the Scouts kart race, where 30 teams were entered, and negotiated a tricky course on a tennis court. We are proud to say that one of our teams won the race against fierce competition

. Members of Daventry Town Council and Daventry Mayor Deanna Eddon attended the event, and the Mayor made a speech congratulating the boys, leaders and parents for being part of Scouting. She said this is such a worthwhile activity, instead of hanging around the streets and getting into trouble. This sort of positive behaviour should be front page news, instead of the few wrongdoers.

Scouts spent the weekend April 20–22nd at Welton, a ‘greenfield’ site with no facilities, a new experience for everyone. Thanks to confusing directions around road works in Daventry, the leader with the ropes and tent pegs got lost, and the tents were eventually put up in the dark. One of the Scouts commented, “I can see why people invest in a satnav!” The rest of the camp went very well with the St George’s Day activities, and a superb Sunday lunch with roast chicken and Yorkshire pudding.

2007 marks the Centenary of Scouting worldwide, as it is 100 years since Scouting was started by Lord Baden-Powell with a camp on Brownsea Island, August 1907. All our lads have received a Centenary badge and the option to have a special necker (neck-scarf) to mark this important year. Scouts are attending the Centenary camp at Youlbury 25–28th May. Our Scout Group is planning a camp on the Primary School field in Bugbrooke in the summer holidays for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts as our way of observing the Centenary.

We are looking to recruit a new Beaver leader in the next few weeks to replace Sue, our temporary leader. Beavers are 6–8 years old, and meet for an hour every week in term time after school. 2 or more people could work together so that it would not be a weekly commitment. The idea of scouting is to develop children and young people and is very worthwhile. The Scout Association provides excellent support and training for leaders. If you are interested in becoming a Beaver leader, or would like an informal chat, please ring the secretary.

Finally, for information about the Scout Group, please ring me, or visit the website, www.bahscouts.co.uk.

Margarent Raymond, secretary. Tel. 830532

Are You Missing Out?

If you are not computer literate, do you sometimes feel marginalized by the constant media references to websites and e-mails? Perhaps you are retired, and although there may be a computer in your home, you prefer to leave its use to other members of the household. Things could be different.

At the age of seventy two, I was introduced to the computer by a younger friend who told me it was easy. However this was not my experience. I was a complete novice and had never learned to type (unnecessary in fact). I tried some introductory courses, and although they had their place, it was regular usage and the help and encouragement of a patient and supportive friend as my guru that proved invaluable. In this respect I was extremely lucky. Unfortunately he has now left the village and if something seems to go seriously wrong I have to call in a paid professional who also has been a real help. Also I have learned (and am still learning) that when I feel defeated it is more sensible to leave the PC alone for twenty four hours and ask myself if what I am grappling with is really important. It is usually better to seek help rather than struggle for hours with computer self-help books and manuals. Sometimes the answers to problems are quite simple, and a more experienced computer user can put you right in minutes.

So if learning to use a computer can be stressful, why have I persevered? What are the advantages? Firstly, immediate access to information via the internet has become almost indispensable; there seems nothing you cannot find out. For example, pictures of gardens to visit, city maps, details about books and their authors, clothing, recipes, comparison of prices, how things work, medical information, tracing relatives, sending and receiving photos, listening to radio programmes you may have missed are only a few. And you can do all this in your own time and at your own speed which makes a difference when you are older. Secondly, immediate communication by e-mail saves time and postage, and you can also produce and store for reference letters and documents written in a professional format. Life becomes more manageable, interesting and challenging. Mastering the computer may not be easy but it is certainly worthwhile. You don’t have to miss out.

Bugbrooke Cricket Club

John Mundy:Chairman & Treasurer 830725 (H, B & FAX)   07850–084535

Lesley Bird: Secretary              832630 (H)       

Our season has begun with the warmest & driest ever recorded April with a very hot summer forecast. We have 1st & 2nd X1 Saturday League with “friendly“ matches every Sunday & Thursday.  Practice evenings from 6pm are held every Monday (except Bank Holidays) for under 10 to 15 age group & Tuesdays for seniors.  Just turn up at our ground by the brook or if you want more information and if you wish to be involved with Junior Cricket this summer contact Roger Stone (01604-842961). There are matches arranged against other Clubs for Under 10’s, 12’s & 14’s.  

 There are a lot of matches arranged this summer so if you wish to join a progressive Club at its picturesque ground by the brook, get in touch with any of the above officers or myself. We have a well stocked bar which is open most days of the week run by Tony Bird who will always give you a good welcome! Have a look at our websites www.bugbrookecc.co.uk &  www.bugbrooke.play-cricket.com for further information & chat. 

Peter White (President) 50 High Street, Bugbrooke

(830452 H. B & FAX ) 

Bugbrooke Bowls Club

With the new season now under way, why not come and join us?

The Club has a mixed membership of males and females and is located at the Community Centre. New members, experienced or novice, young and old are most welcome to come along and give it a try. We have spare woods and shoes that can be used by those who wish to give it a try. Tuition is available for the inexperienced.

The Club plays weekend friendly matches against other Clubs, Club competitions, in a weekday league, and the Green is available for roll-ups and practice.

For more information contact Robin Frost (01604 831567), Gary Abbott (01604 832553), Geoff Vincent (01604 832713) or Tony Pace (01604 832516).

Bugbrooke St Michael’s Football Club

Another season has drawn to a close with varied fortunes being experienced by the teams. The first XI finished a disappointing fourth from the bottom of UCL Division One but finished on a high with 4 straight wins. Hopefully this will set them up for better things next season.

The Reserves and ‘A’ teams did very well and both achieved Runners-up status in their leagues whilst the ‘B’ side kept out of relegation trouble whilst giving enjoyable games to a mixed group of young and old players.

The AGM will take place on Thursday 17th May in the clubhouse at 7.30pm when a new committee will be chosen. Andy Dyson will be stepping down as Chairman after leading the club through its development stage to providing the best changing facilities in the United Counties League. This means the UCL will be looking for Bugbrooke to achieve Premier Division status and the first team will be aiming towards that next year.

During the summer the club will be looking to upgrade the main pitch and will be putting a path and fence all round the pitch and site. These efforts will be funded by the club with grant aid from South Northants Council and the Football Foundation.

The Senior Youth team have held their own against the senior sides in the county to finish mid-table. Other youth teams have had variable success with all teams up to 13 years performing well and getting valuable experience. The gap between this age and senior youth might present a problem for a couple of years and will have to be addressed by the club.

Thanks go to all those who have helped provide playing and social facilities for the club. The club runs 4 adult and 12 youth teams as well as hosting Northampton Town Ladies on Sundays. It is hoped the club can run its own girls teams in the future.

The club is held in high regard because of its efforts to provide a wide range of opportunities to play the game and credit goes to all those who have brought the club to this level. It is hoped the future will be catered for by other caring volunteers. 

Bugbrooke Playgroup

During the Easter break, playgroup has had a "makeover"; a complete re-decoration of the main hall. It has really smartened the setting up. The staff and children are having fun putting their finishing touches in place. If anyone would like to hire the hall for parties or functions; they can contact Margaret Raymond, through Bugbrooke Playgroup for more information.

Sadly, we said goodbye to Claire Cooper, our Supervisor, who has taken on a role at the Primary School. We wish you luck with your new job Claire. Jess Pell has taken on the Supervisory role at present, thank you for "stepping up" into this position. We also have two new members of staff. Victoria Tofte, Playgroup Assistant, and Jane Pearson, Deputy Supervisor. Welcome to you both. There is still the need for a Vice-Chairperson and general committee members for September. It is open to parents, helpers or members of the village. For more information concerning these roles contact playgroup.

We have been introduced to a website called www.easyfundraising.org.uk , on which we have registered, and this has created a way of fundraising. If you shop on-line, you could support us through this site. There are over 350 popular retailers involved, including Amazon, Next, John Lewis and Woolworths, and at no extra cost to you, the retailers will make a free donation to our playgroup. Our unique website address is www.easyfundraising.org.uk/bugbrookevillagehallplaygroup.                                      
Lisa Merry

Grumpy Old Women

· I don’t allow my dog to pee up your recycling boxes so please stop yours from peeing up mine!

· Why do little girls scream?

· Why does everybody who knocks your door have the cheapest gas, electric, etc.

· If you want a conifer hedge please maintain both sides and the height.

· Ball games are for the playing fields not the streets.

· Why do some people not respect other people’s property and possessions?

· What kind of people bag their rubbish up (on the canal) and then throw it on the towpath? Likewise, those who clean up after their dogs and then throw the plastic bag in the hedge!

· Why does almost everyone on the telephone say “bear with me a moment”?

· How much more unsolicited junk do we have to have with our newspapers/magazines?

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