March 2022

21 Buckden Roundabout March 2022 Village News Bookings Update This month, we have five kid ’ s birthday parties and a 60 th birthday celebration alongside all our regular hirers. We are also delighted to welcome Buckden Local History Society to the Village Hall family. Pantomime Melodramatics were due to perform Rumpelstiltskin from 4 th to 6 th March but the current Covid situation has forced them to move their performance dates. They will now be performing from Friday 8 th to Sunday 10 th July. Tickets are now on sale at www.ticketsource.co.uk/ melodramaticspanto Oh no they ’ re not … oh yes they are! The Valley Those who visit the Valley will have seen the first of our planted bulbs coming up, with the snowdrops making a brave showing (along with a very active mole!). The daffo- dils are also pushing up, and hopefully the fritillary and blue- bells will appear in a month or so. We are working on plans to fill in the bare areas in the Valley with more bushes and plantings now that we can see the shape of the lake and new plantings. The new zip wire should be arriving sometime in March and will be installed along the walkway by the current storage bins. We hope this will be welcomed by the children in the Village. Rubbish bins should also be arriving soon, many thanks to the Parish Council for funding these. The bins are multipurpose for litter and dog waste so please use these bins for all your waste and help us maintain the Valley properly. In February, some people thought it highly amus- ing to throw a chair into the water. Many thanks to the brave ladies who waded in to take it out! A number of people are kindly keeping the Valley neat by clearing dead branches and picking up litter. Many thanks for the community effort. We are planning on organising a village wide Valley clear up on the early May bank holiday Monday (2 nd May). Several people have already volun- teered, so please email or ring the Village Hall if you would like to help out: admin@buckdenvillagehall.co.uk or 01480 811101. Hall Floor The floor in the main Hall has been sanded and resealed and looks great. Litter around the building There has been an increase in the amount of litter being left along the side of the building between the Hall building and the tennis courts, near the entrance to preschool. There are plenty of bins within easy reach and also please remember that CCTV covers all the building! Jo Harvey, Hall Manager Email: admin@buckdenvillagehall.co.uk Tel: 01480 811101 Please call or email to arrange any face - to - face appoint- ments or Hall viewings. Office hours: 9am – 2pm Burberry Road, Buckden, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5UY Tel: 01480 811101 www. buckdenvillagehall.co.uk email: admin@buckdenvillagehall.co.uk Spring in the Knot Garden The winter flowering clematis has brightened up the garden throughout the winter months and the snowdrops are now at their best. We ’ ve been working to complete our maintenance jobs. The Bishop Russell bed is looking very sad as all the plants and the blue slate have been removed. Weedkiller was sprayed on when there was still a little warmth but there is still a lot of bindweed that needs to be eradicated. We have tidied up the Fleur de Lys and are intending to trans- plant the Golden Marjoram that was growing outside the de- sign, in the chevron shapes in the Bishop Russell bed . The rickety arbour has been dismantled, the new wood has been delivered and we ’ re working on rebuilding the frame before the climbing plants start to grow. The lamb has a new flag and is looking very smart. The fruit trees have been trimmed and the centres thinned to maintain their shapes. The gardeners have started the winter checks on plant conges- tion as well as ensuring the winter hardy herbs are neat. Some of the trimmings are being cultivated as cuttings and will be available in pots as soon as they have rooted. Plants already available include Bearded Iris (purple), Golden Rod, Pot Mari- gold and Chives. These are available by the Dye bed so please take a plant but remember to leave us a donation. Your donations have already helped us to buy the replacement wood for the arbour with more money earmarked for com- pleting the Bishop Russell bed.