January 2023

3 Buckden Roundabout January 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 photograph of a rather tubby robin by Alec MacAndrew. As ever, we are very grateful. 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 and winter scenes and of events 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 FEBRUARY EDITION IS NO LATER THAN 4.30 pm ON TUESDAY 10TH JANUARY 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. January Production Dates Production dates for the February Edition of the Roundabout are as follows: Copy deadline: Tuesday 10 January Proof Reading Friday 13 January Copy to Printers Tuesday 17 January Distribution Thursday 26 January Contents Buckden Parish Council 4 From Your District Councillor 5 Church News 6 - 8 For your Diary 9 - 10 ROC Observation post 11 Village News 12 - 14, 16 Pre - school & School 15 Library and Knot Garden 17 The fox 18 Advertisements & Classifieds 19 - 24 January 2023 By the time you read this, Christmas will have been and gone. I hope you had a very enjoyable holiday season. As I write, the weather is freezing, and snow on the fields, trees and hedge- rows is providing a festive look to the countryside. Sadly, the long term weather forecast is for milder weather before Christmas itself. I was delighted to see so many people turn out for the light switch - on in the High Street. The street was packed with peo- ple enjoying the stalls, the carols from the choir, and other delights. We have a short report and a few photos of the event on page 13 Have you ever noticed the strange structure in a field to your left as you approach the A1 on the slip - road from Brampton? Richard Storey, the chairman of Buckden History Society has written pieces for us in the past and he returns this month on page 11 with the history of this Royal Observer Corps observa- tion post—for that is what the structure is. Check out page 18 for an interesting article about the fox. We hope to publish more wildlife articles in the future. 2022 has been a very challenging year in many respects. The war in Ukraine which has resulted in huge increases in energy costs, the lengthening NHS waiting lists along with increasing difficulty in seeing a GP, rates of inflation unseen for decades, and strikes in public services are all ongoing sources of worry for many. With the New Year just round the corner, we can only hope that it turns out to be a more positive year. And therefore we wish everyone, our readers, contributors, adver- tisers and distributors: A very happy and prosperous 2023! 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