July 2018

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18 Buckden Roundabout
July 2018 Village News
BUCKDEN WI
In our June meeting Pat Doody gave a talk entitled "Britain's Wild Flowers" – a bit of a misnomer as his
talk was about so much more and was centred on Huntingdon. He explained how our meadows and
woodlands were influenced by 2 ice ages, the Anglian Glaciation being the most important for our re-
gion. 10-12000 years ago ice covered the whole of Britain down as far as London and as the ice retreat-
ed water poured from it creating valleys and the River Ouse. Scrub and woodland developed which was
grazed by red deer and aurochs (they survived in Britain up to 3,000 years ago). In the 1600s small areas
of woodland were left such as Brampton Wood, (classed as Ancient Woodland and the second largest in Cambridgeshire) char-
acterised by bluebells. Muntjacs were prolific but pose a problem today as they eat the new, fresh shoots and deplete the
woodlands.
Meadows, traditionally cut for hay and used for grazing by sheep, cattle and red deer, have been seeded and planted and pro-
vide a rich habitat for wild flowers, dragonflies and moths.
Gravel pits also have an important role to play in our region. Cow Lane in Godmanchester is rich in plants and birds such as Wil-
low Warblers and Grafham Water has a great variety of birds including Cormorants, Tufted ducks and Red Shanks. Around the
edge are ancient woodlands which abound in nightingales and primroses. Road verges, too, are important for wild flowers and
insects. Who would have thought that the Tesco roundabout could provide habitat for many species of insects and butterflies?
Thank you, Pat, for a most interesting and informative talk on an area so close to our homes.
The next meeting of the Buckden WI is on Tuesday, 3rd July and is our party night so please feel free to bring a glass and wine if
desired, tea and scones will be provided. There will be no competition. All are most welcome and for further information please
contact:
Ruth Nicholas – 07957 334142 Judith Armitage – 01480 811717 Patricia Ford – 01480 819144
Burberry Road, Buckden, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5UY
Tel: 01480 811101
www.buckdenvillagehall.co.uk email:admin@buckdenvillagehall.co.uk
Bookings
This month we’re looking forward to the Village Festival on 7th July. There will be a fashion show again in the Hall on the
Friday evening (6th). We look forward to seeing you all there! Buckfest will be on the playing field on 14th July.
Repairs and maintenance
The flood damage in the pavilion has been rectified and the fencing around the 5-a-side pitch has been improved.
Please can those who play football on the field not intentionally bang the ball against the fence around the children’s play
area or against the pavilion. Unfortunately the balls are causing damage.
New Chairman
The Trustees are delighted to announce that Cynthia Alers is now the new Chairman of the Village Hall Trust.
How you can help Buckden Village Hall when buying online
As you know Buckden Village Hall Trust is a charity and it costs a lot of money to maintain and repair this building. Did you
know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising money
for Buckden Village Hall Trust? There are nearly 3,000 retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, M&S, Aviva and Tesco who
will donate a percentage of the amount you spend to Buckden Village Hall Trust to say thank you for shopping with them.
It’s really simple and doesn’t cost you anything. All you have to do is:
1. Go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/buckdenvillagehall
2. Sign up for free
3. Get shopping! Your donations will be collected by easyfundraising and automatically sent to us!
There are no catches or hidden charges and Buckden Village Hall Trust will be extremely grateful for your donations :o)
Don’t forget that as residents of Buckden you all receive discounted rates on Hall hire. Please call or email me if you
would like to find out more information.
Jo Harvey, 01480 811101, admin@buckdenvillagehall.co.uk