April 2023

3 Buckden Roundabout April 2023 Buckden Roundabout Team Editors - Articles & Events Ian Carter and Alec MacAndrew Email: editor@buckdenroundabout.info 33 Beaufort Drive, Buckden, PE19 5YU 07515 737636 Webmaster Alec MacAndrew Email: webmaster@buckdenroundabout.info Proofreading and editorial assistance Wendy Trattner Advertisements and Payments Fiona Shirley Email: adverts@buckdenroundabout.info Distribution Co - ordinators Wendy Thelwall, Lesley MacAndrew, Patricia Ford Contact this email for info: Email: distribution@buckdenroundabout.info Front Cover This month ’ s cover is a lovely watercolour painted by Rachel Noble. We are very grateful to her for allowing us to use her painting in the Roundabout. We are looking for more photos and paintings of any kind that we could use as a front cover. We especially need photos and paintings of autumn scenes, and of events in the village. We should be grateful for photos (or even paintings!) of the coro- nation celebrations in the village. Please note that photos should ideally be in portrait format and should be a minimum of 2400 x 1700 pixels. More is better! All advertisements and non - advertising material are printed in good faith. Neither the Buckden Roundabout nor the Buckden Parish Council can accept any responsibility for the content of the advertisements, the services provided by the advertisers or any statements made in the advertisements or non - advertising material. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored with- out the express permission of the Editor of the Buckden Roundabout. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF ALL MATERIAL FOR THE MAY EDITION IS NO LATER THAN 4.30 pm ON MONDAY 10TH APRIL HOWEVER, SPACE IS ALLOCATED ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED, BASIS. IT IS REGRETTED THAT ANY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED. April Production Dates Production dates for the May Edition of the Roundabout are as follows: Copy deadline: Monday 10 April Proof Reading Friday 14 April Copy to Printers Tuesday 18 April Distribution Thursday 27 April Contents Buckden Parish Council 4 From your District Councillor 5 Church News 6 - 8 For your Diary 9 - 11 Village News 12, 16, 17 Hurricane Gabrielle 13 Wildlife 14 School and Pre - School 15 Sport 18 Advertisements & Classifieds 19 - 24 April 2023 I am writing this just a few days after the very disappointing news that our butcher, Days of Buckden, has been forced to close because of soaring energy costs and the changes in cus- tomers ’ shopping habits after Covid. Days was a wonderful resource for the village. It was more than a shop—it was a community hub with a team who were always welcoming and accommodating, supporting village events like Buckfest and the Christmas Market. It will be sorely missed. We wish Jason and all the team the very best in their future endeavours. Thanks, Jason, for all the great service over the years. Buckden resident, Keith Lawrence was visiting New Zealand in what he hoped would be the balmy days of a southern hemi- sphere summer, when he was caught in Cyclone Gabrielle. You can read about his experience on page 13. I wasn ’ t aware before reading his piece of the true extent of the devastation and the extended period without power and means of com- munication that entire towns suffered for days on. Go to page 13 to read his story. On page 14 we have an article on woodpeckers written by Gregory Belcher of the BCN wildlife trust based at Grafham Water. Both common species of woodpecker, the greater- spotted and the green, are regular visitors to gardens and wooded areas in Buckden. There are several events planned in the village to celebrate the coronation of King Charles on the weekend of 6th, 7th and 8th of May. Go to page 12 for an advert listing some of these events planned over coronation weekend. Buckden Cricket Club is launching a junior cricket school over the early summer period, and is also looking for more senior players. Go to page 18 for details. Please remember to visit the Roundabout website. As well as every edition from 2013 onwards available to see, there are often articles there that we could not fit into the print edition, as well as information that arrives during the month. The online edition of the magazine is in full colour: www.buckdenroundabout.info This month ’ s editor - Alec MacAndrew Editor ’ s Page