Agenda for Annual Meeting of the Parish Council 23 May 2013

View the Spaldwick Parish Council minutes for the meeting on 25th April 2013

Simon Bywater – UKIP (1,228)
Viv McGuire – Conservative (894)
Mary Theresa Howell – Labour (230)
Rupert William George Moss-Eccardt – Liberal Democrat (149)

In the last election – in 2009 – Viv McGuire secured 1735 votes making it a very safe Conservative seat.

In another interesting development, the Conservative leader, Nick Clarke, lost his Fulbourn seat to Liberal Democrat John Williams. Nick Clarke received 848 votes against John Williams’ total of 1,180.

View the May 2013 edition of the Spaldwick News

I showed the group how to divide perennials by splitting clumps of established plants and then potting them on in order to increase people’s stock. (We sold every one we split so added much needed funds to the club).

The club ran a raffle and plant and preserve stall at the Easter Fayre and were able to donate £118 to the funds raised on the day, bringing the total raised by the Easter Fayre to about £500.

In May, the Spaldwick Gardening Club will be visiting Lucy Boston’s garden at Hemingford Gray for a tour of the house and garden and we are very much looking forward to this. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 8th May 2013 at 7.30pm at 18 High Street. New members are always welcome!

Roger Haines

You can view answers to the many questions that were asked at the session by clicking on the link below:

Questions and answers for the Cambridgeshire Broadband Champions meeting (Apr 2013)

They will be playing a mix of live acoustic Blues, jazz, Soul and Funk.

All ages are welcome.

You can follow Bianca & The TopCats on their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/topcatsmusic

A big thank you to everyone, including Amba Harbour and Julia Rutherford, for ensuring that the Easter Fayre  – held on Saturday 13th April 2013 – was a great success. Attendance was up on the previous year. So far, £343 has been raised, with more to come from the joint raffle with Spaldwick Gardening Club.

The day was made more special by the attendance of Spaldwick’s youngest resident – Rosie Hunter.

Amba Harbour said, “A big thank you to our judges, helpers setting up on the day and all who entered the competition!”

View photographs taken on the day

View the PDF information about the Woolley Hill Wind Farm meeting.

Yasmin says, “Interiors enthusiasts came from far and wide (including Wellingborough and Peterborough) and many people came to more than one meeting.”

Here are just some of the subjects touched upon:

• carpets, curtains, blinds and lighting
• room layouts and flexible furniture
• being brave with colour and understanding neutrals
• the best colours to use in a kitchen
• how to deal with a dark hallway
• using texture to create interest
• where to buy interesting accessories
• using eco-friendly materials
• building your own home
• space-saving ideas

A number of people had never been to The George before although many had passed it on their way through the village. “It was a real hit so I am sure our local will enjoy new business as a result”, Yasmin said.

After the meetings, Yasmin conducted a short survey and, without exception, everyone enjoyed the chat and would like to do it again. She received a request to run some sessions during the morning for people who couldn’t get away in the evening so she would welcome more comments on this. To contact Yasmin, and to get on the list for her Talking Interiors newsletter, email ycid@yasminchopin.com.

Also, I have had great feedback for the ’132 Faces of the Jubilee’ watercolour that was on display at the 2013 Easter Fayre. All of the proceeds made from the sale of these prints will go to Spaldwick Church. Please email Vicky Wakefield for more information, or visit the new Victoria Wakefield Art website.

Vicky Wakefield

All ages are welcome!

You can follow Bianca & The TopCats on their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/topcatsmusic

http://www.spaldwick.com/s-club

Please make an entry in one or more of our classes. You can view or download detailed descriptions (in PDF format) of the different classes and age groups by clicking on the following link:

Easter Church Fayre competition classes

We are looking forward to entries being delivered between 9 and 10am on the morning.

Please come back and join us in Spaldwick Church for the results over tea and cake between 2 and 4pm.

Lots of local talent will be in evidence on our stalls of art work and crafts, and the Spaldwick Gardening Club also will be there!

There will be the Teddy Parachute and Church tower climbs. Bring your teddy along at 2pm! We will also have an Easter egg quiz hunt for children, so who will find the ‘Golden Egg’?

Two years ago today, Spaldwick mourned the death of George David Hunter – the son of Lisa and Mark Hunter – who was born asleep.

It is with great joy that we welcome to the village Rosie Hunter, who was born today! We send congratulations and much love to Mark and Lisa.

Cambridgeshire County Council has today, Friday 8th March 2013, signed a contract with BT that exceeds its original ambitious targets to bring better broadband to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. 98% of homes and businesses across the county can expect to have access to fibre-based broadband by the end of 2015. The original target was more than 90% of premises being able to access superfast broadband services (with speeds  of at least 24Mbps).

BT was chosen by the Council following a competitive selection process. The company will contribute £16 million to the £45 million project with the rest of the investment coming from Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council and Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK).

The project was helped by more than 24,000 households and businesses registering for the Connecting Cambridgeshire campaign – making it the most effective in the country – and the fantastic support of over 100 broadband champions. Spaldwick achieved one of the highest registration totals in the county.

The three-year roll-out will begin with a period of planning and detailed surveying. The large-scale project will involve enabling over 100 telephone exchanges and many more cabinets. The Connecting Cambridgeshire team will be working closely with BT, neighbouring authorities, local authority planning teams, broadband champions and local communities to ensure the roll-out is as speedy and efficient as possible.

This is extremely promising for Spaldwick. Spaldwick should be included in the roll-out plans and we hope that this will occur well before the end of 2015. Early deployment would allow us to demonstrate how to achieve high take-up of commercial superfast broadband services – to act as a case study for other rural areas. Roll out plans will be announced in due course and published on this website.

For more information, view our dedicated Cambridgeshire superfast broadband page.

We have updated our Spaldwick Shop and Deli page, to reflect the broader range of produce now offered, so please give Darrell and Maud your support and spread the word! Our local shop now offers:

• Freshly-made sandwiches
• Wines, beers and spirits
• Take-away coffees
• Sausage rolls and pies (baked daily)
• Homemade jams, chutneys and marmalades
• Great range of cakes and biscuits (supplied by Tom’s Cakes)
• Cheeses
• Ham, sausages and bacon (from Grasmere Farm)
• Local honeys
• Vegetables and vegetable boxes
• Gluten-free produce (including beer and flour)
• Eggs

You can find details and prices for freshly made sandwiches on our Spaldwick Shop and Deli page. You can also download details and prices for the comprehensive selection of wine now offered.

The contract is due to be signed in March 2013, once the procurement process has been completed. Schedules for rolling out the new infrastructure will be drawn up and agreed with BT as soon as possible after the contract signing. We will have an anxious wait to see if Spaldwick is included in the formal roll-out plans to be announced later in 2013! For more information, view our dedicated Cambridgeshire superfast broadband page.