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Page 1: Pump September 2012

September 2012

Page 2: Pump September 2012

2

The Parish Pump was started in 1979 to pro-vide a free community magazine in the parish. It began as, and still is, a joint venture, com-

bining the church magazine and village magazine. The Parish Pump is sponsored by the Parochial Church Council and Debden Parish Council. Both bodies contribute financially to the cost of running the magazine by means of a donation, received annually. It is intended that the magazine reflects all aspects of village life within the parish and provides an opportunity for ‘community’ matters to be raised. In addition to the information recorded in the magazine, our sister publication, the Debden Directory provides a host of useful contact numbers for services ranging from bus times, local plumbers, doctors and restaurants. If you do not have a copy, please contact a member of the committee.

The magazine has editors but no official reporters. Consequently, an interesting magazine depends on articles, news, etc. coming from people in the village. The closing date for submitting material is: the 5th of each month.

The editor’s job is to edit. This means fitting the material into the space available and trying to ensure there is a reasonable balance of views on controversial subjects etc. Consequently, it is not always possible to publish everything submitted and sometimes changes have to be made to the length of a contribution. ‘Non topical’ articles cannot always be published in the next issue but will appear later unless you are told otherwise. Contributions of up to 400 words have a better chance of being published in full than longer ones.

Please note that the present and past editions of the Parish Pump are now available on line on the new website www.debden.org and that any material submitted will be automatically featured on the website. If you wish to have your name and/or contact details (which must normally accompany any contributions) withheld from the printed edition and/or not to appear on the website, this must be stated at the time of submission. Copy for inclusion in the next edition should be emailed by the 5th of the month to;

[email protected]. There is also a folder in the shop for submission of written or typed copy. The current editors of the Parish Pump, who have the sole prerogative of the editorial policy (so don’t blame anyone else) are;

Mike Fairchild [email protected] Ursula Lyons [email protected]

Advertising rates per issue are; full page £10.00; half page £8.00; quarter page or less £6.00. Full payment in advance and an electronic copy of the ad should be sent to the Editors or Treasurer by email. Cheques should be made payable to “The Parish Pump”

The other Committee members include Chairman: Judith Forster [email protected] Treasurer: Alastair Donald [email protected] Secretary: Marion Bamfield [email protected] Distribution: Caroline Burchall [email protected]

ABOUT THE PUMP

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EDITORIAL

Let’s be inspired by the Olympic ‘roar’

If conversation in The Plough is anything to go by, the hot topic in the village these last couple of weeks has been the Olympics. Who could fail to be amazed, delighted and incredibly proud of what British athletes have achieved in the London Games and how smoothly we have run the greatest show on earth. And now, hopefully, we are about to repeat it all with the Paralympics.

As our gold, silver and bronze tally mounted, as our feelings of pride and patriotism grew and (let’s be honest) as sometimes our British stiff upper lip quivered, there was something about these Games that outshone even the performance of our British athletes. It was the power of people getting involved, from the roar in the stadium that lifted our athletes to greater heights to the smiles and the courtesy of the thousands of volunteers who smoothed the path and increased the enjoyment of the visitors to the sporting venues.

As well as Team GB’s clutch of medals, world-class sports facilities for future generations and regenerated wasteland, another legacy to come out of these Games is proof yet again of what can be achieved when we decide to get behind a worthwhile cause.

That Olympic spirit should extend beyond sport - a sentiment supported by several Pump contributors this month. People in towns and villages across the land – like Debden – should now look around and ask themselves: how can we draw on the inspiration from the Games? What do we have in our community that would benefit from some of that Olympic roar? We’ve already proved we can do it with highly successful Jubilee celebrations and our own mini-Olympics. Let’s ride the wave and put the same energy into other things, like helping to get our parish council back on the starting blocks by volunteering time or playing an active part in meetings; by using the village shop more to provide the revenue to improve the shopping experience; or by supporting the efforts of the New Village Hall team. And you’ll know what else.

There may not be any medals to be won but there could be a hell of a lot of satisfaction. Come on Team Debden!

Mike Fairchild

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NEWS

Members of Debden Parish Council renew their appeal for residents to volunteer to serve on the council and list the invaluable work the council does on behalf of your community.

W e did not expect a stampede to fill the vacant positions created on the Parish Council by the recent resignations of three parish councillors and our very competent clerk. But we had hoped for some response from the community. The result was one very supportive letter in the Parish Pump and a tentative offer to join the PC to avoid disaster. The lack of support and volunteers to join the Parish Council seems to be due to the negative personal criticism it has attracted in the past, which led to the most recent resignations. Let’s just say that in our own experience all the negativity comes from a small minority. The fact is that most of our time is spent on managing and maintaining a number of valuable facilities and services for the use of the local community. These are financed from the Precept, which is that part of the Council Tax set by the Parish Council and received by them to spend as approved on:

Allotments Children’s Playground and Equipment Recreation Ground Pavilion Village Pond Car Park Litter Skips, Bins and Dog Bins Street Lighting Village Signs Flower Tubs Footpath Warden 

 

In addition to this we make contributions to the Parish Pump, Essex Air Ambulance and Thaxted First Aiders. Our policy is to support local groups and encourage and assist them in their projects and fundraising efforts wherever possible.

Support your Parish Council - or lose it Help us maintain community services,

say councillors

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Also in this edition

New Village Hall: Revised plans and costs 6

Stories of a ukulele and a banjo 7

Parish Church 10

Olympic impressions 12

Pentecostal Church 18

Debden’s “Green and Pleasant Land” 20

Debden Shop 22

“Ride or Stride” 25

Countryfile 26

Letters 30

Kids’ Farm Quiz 31

Diwali Quiz Night (Tang Ting) 36

Events 38

Information 39

Church Services 40

Copy deadline for October Pump is Sep 5

Our underlining aim is to make Debden an even better place in which to live. To that end here is a list of new projects we are actively supporting or working on:

. Drawing up a Parish Plan to improve the quality of life and the environment . Building a new Village Hall to replace the 90-year-old building . Extending the existing car park . Extending outside storage for Debden Pre-School and Mums and Tots to free up the Village Hall for other users . A tree survey and ongoing maintenance plan for trees surrounding the recreation ground . A new toilet in the Pavilion for use by the shop and tennis players . Planting up and replacing four stolen or broken flower tubs around the village

Some projects are already happening but without more committed people to join us and a qualified clerk we are unlikely to achieve them all. It is also very possible that without some real and visible support or help from the village, existing members may also resign. This would leave Debden without a Parish Council and a democratic forum to control or influence key issues such as expenditure of local taxation and local planning and development.

“Tell us if you care”

If you care about these matters and want to join us to make these things happen, ring up one of us for a chat about what it entails. Should you simply wish to lend moral support or make positive suggestions, come to our meetings where there is a public forum, or write to the Parish Pump. We need to know if you want to retain and support your Parish Council or not. Roger Forster (01799) 541409 April Gardner 542288 Stephen Jasper 543141 Andrew Tetlow 541502

Please come to the next Parish Council meeting on Wednesday October 3 at 8pm in the Village Hall

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NEWS

P lans for Debden’s new village hall are being revised to modify the design and bring down the cost to a more affordable level. Stuart

Walsh, who heads up fund raising on the New Village Hall Committee, has provided the Pump with this update. At the annual village meeting, the New Village Hall Committee explained that the economic climate was having a negative impact on charities and other sources of grants, and this situation continues. Key sources of funding are either reduced or operating on more restricted criteria, or in

the case of the National Lottery, are just not available to us. This has left a big gap in reaching our required target of £700,000. The committee is exploring two avenues to address the current situation: Cost plan review In the survey of village views conducted back in 2009, the preference was for a timber frame and environmentally friendly build. This is probably the most costly type of build, and so we have explored alternative, cheaper approaches to building the hall. (As an example, brick and block build per square metre is about 50% less than a timber frame construction). We have consulted the architects to gauge their opinion on how much impact this might have. Their opinion was that whilst it would reduce costs, it would not be a material reduction to the overall project based on the current design, and so we have decided on this basis not to progress a full re-costing of the existing plan by the Quantity Surveyors to avoid cost. Funding sources We have spoken with and visited other villages that have recently built new halls to see what we might learn. A common factor (to varying degrees) was use of the village Precept as a means of funding or part funding the projects. This is something we wrote about in the Pump some months ago – we have since raised it at the Parish Council Meeting and we continue to take this forward as a route to evaluate and take to a point of proposal. We are now exploring how we can deliver a new hall for a reduced target cost of approximately £450,000. This is a target that we feel could be achieved, supported by the Parish Council’s use of the Precept to help continued Page 30

New plans, lower costs for new Village Hall

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Stories … with (heart) strings attached Alan Shambrook, aka ‘Hairy Al’, celebrates his 50th birthday with his wife Stephanie and friends at the ‘Fleur’ (right). There was a double surprise for Al in the form of gifts of a ukulele, which he yearned for after a trial session at a music festival, and a Fieseler Storch to add to his model aircraft collection. Al, who used to sport long hair and got his nickname to distinguish him from two other ‘Alans’ at the tennis club, belongs to the band “60 Beats” and makes regular appearances at The Plough music nights. When he’s not enjoying his other hobby of fishing, Al works as a cabinet maker. With his new ‘uke’, Al claims he has progressed beyond “You are my sunshine”!

Secret inside a banjo case Our other pictures also concern a stringed instrument – and airplanes! James Rowley, a family friend of Dave and Cousha Wilson and daughter Shannon, is pictured playing a banjo with a history. It belonged to Cousha’s father, Frederick Houghton, a band leader in the Royal Air Force, which he joined in the

1920s and served in the Middle East and India. He is pictured here, with one of many other instruments he played, at RAF Felixtowe. After his retirement, his beloved banjo that went everywhere with him in the RAF and had his favourite tunes written on the skin of the instrument, rarely left his side. Cousha inherited it after her dad died. While exploring the battered case she found in the lining a bundle of love letters between Frederick and Cousha’s mum, Marion. When Marion died the letters were, appropriately, put into her coffin. And that might have been the end of the story until Cousha asked James, who also plays guitar at The Plough, if he’d ever strummed the banjo. Well he does now … and maybe we’ll hear a “You are my sunshine” duet at our local!

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Local Architectural Design

Planning and Building Regulation Applications

For a FREE INITIAL VISIT call us on

Tel: 01799 540600 Alun Design Consultancy Email: [email protected]

See samples of our work at www.alundesign.com

Extensions,

Loft Conversions,

New houses,

Barn Conversions,

Listed Buildings

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NEWS FROM THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY

Dear Friends,

What a difference a few days of sun makes! As I write, the Olympics are in full swing and Team GB has already gained a couple of gold medals. But one of the best things about the Olympics so far has been the very genuine warmth and good feeling between members of the different Teams as they applaud each other’s successes and the generosity with which individual athletes have accepted their disappointments. Those same qualities have characterised so many events this summer, despite the vagaries of the weather: the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Debden Olympic weekend (a huge thank you to Stewart Luck for all his hard work) and the Olympic Torch Relay (how proud we all are of Clare Thompson and how generously she has shared her triumph with others). These are qualities to cultivate as they change lives for the better.

Thanks to the drier weather, Debden farmers are harvesting – let’s hope and pray it will be far better than feared, after all the rain and cold. It is so easy to forget that farmers carry the burden of feeding the nation, while managing and caring for our countryside, often in very difficult circumstances. Please keep them in your prayers.

As we celebrate Harvest and thank God for his goodness, it is good to offer something back to help others. Once again, we will be collecting Harvest Festival gifts of dried and tinned foodstuffs for Jimmy’s Night Shelter in Cambridge, which supports homeless men and women. A very worthy cause – do please give generously.

This Harvest Festival, please bring along a tool of your trade – we shall be asking God to bless all that we are and do for the coming year. At a recent wedding, the bridegroom arrived on a sparkling clean tractor – it would be terrific to have a tractor for harvest …..!

At the beginning of this new school year, please pray for our young people as they return to school or university and please pray for the teachers and staff at our lovely village school.

God bless you all, Hilary

I am always happy to visit, whether at home or in hospital. If you, or someone you know, would appreciate a visit please don’t hesitate to ring me on 01799 522616

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HARVEST SUPPER

Saturday 6th October at 7 for 7.30pm in the Village Hall

Tickets from the Shop or the Church Adult: £7.50 Family (Parents and up to 4 children):£25

Vegetarian option Bring your own wine and glasses

HARVEST FESTIVAL

On Sunday 7th October at 9.30am in Church

From the Church Registers We send our congratulations and best wishes to

Moray Fleming & Fiona Baines who were married on 18th August

Debden Church Youth Group

will next meet on Wednesday 26th September 7 – 8.30pm in Debden Church New Room

for a Welcome Back Party! All of secondary school age, are very welcome

Please contact Hilary on 01799 522616 if you would like to come and for more details

The Church Mice ……are trying to do their best

on Monday 10th September at 10.30am

Come and join them in the New Room at Debden Church!

For children 0 – 4 years old with a parent

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NEWS

We shared Olympic golden moments The London Olympics will almost certainly only happen once in our lifetime and Debden, like most communities across the UK, has been caught up in the atmosphere. Here are a few impressions of some who have been lucky enough to enjoy the experience at first hand.

“It brought a lump to my throat” We went to the Olympic stadium to see Jessica Ennis continue her bid for glory in the heptathlon and were secretly dreading the prospect of heaving crowds and the transport delays we'd been promised, writes Darren Glover who went there with financee Annette (pictured). In fact, everything worked so smoothly: the massive volunteer force kept things moving and jolly. I even got to quite like the purple and pink Olympic livery! There must have been close to 200,000 people in the Olympic park attending events at the main arena, Aquatic Centre, BMX track, Riverbank and Water Polo arenas, Basketball Arena, Copper Box and the Velodrome.

Probably the oddest sight is the 115m tall ArecelorMittal Orbit tower – at a cost of £19.1m it looks more like a collapsed rollercoaster than a restaurant and observation tower. It brought a lump to my throat as I walked into the magnificent Olympic arena. We enjoyed a highly charged (pun intended) evening of rapid fire track and field events - the atmosphere was electric and the noise and volume like nothing I had ever experienced.

We watched Poland’s Thomasz Majewski become the first man to win back- to-back Olympic Shot Put titles in 60 years and we cheered on Brit’s Golden girls Jess Ennis and World Junior long jump champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the Heptathlon, Shot put and 200m. Highlight was Tirunesh Dibaba becoming the first woman to defend her Olympic 10,000m title. All in all a memorable, unforgettable evening and a demonstration to the world of what makes Great Britain Great…! Dazza

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Perks in the Park Having said that there are absolutely no perks available to Olympics volunteers, I was thrilled to get a free ticket to the final dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony. It was a beautiful sunny day and evening and I made the most of the time beforehand to look around the Olympic park with its swathes of meadow flowers and impressive gardens along the waterway. Although it looks strange, the Orbit is quite something close up and has become an icon in the background to media coverage.

My seat in the stadium by the scenery entrance gave us a great view of the arrival of the clouds on guy ropes and then the animals for the rural scene. They didn’t look at all stressed to me! It may have looked rather fragmented and frenetic on television, but what they didn’t show was the huge effort to completely strip the arena each scene change. The hundreds of performers swarming in and out with the props and scenery and the precision by which everything came together was absolutely fascinating.

The arrival of the Olympic rings overhead was just magic and a huge cheer went up when the fireworks went off within them. Our evening ended when the parade of athletes started, the role ably taken on by other volunteers and army personnel. We didn’t see everything as some surprises were kept under wraps until the end, the James Bond sequence being a notable one!

I feel very privileged to have actually been there to experience a major part of it and all the quirky things that were viewed as being typically British! Marion Bamfield

Marion has been selected to be part of the security team at the Paralympics. Read her experiences in the October issue and how she took to her “Adidas track suit type of thing with an aubergine and poppy top to make us look like guardsmen” .

Traffic Report I have not been to any events but am still travelling to work in London most days. After many dire warnings about how awful it could be, I have been pleasantly surprised by the smooth running (so far) of the whole process. There are loads of pink-outfitted people milling about the street and the station areas to help people with directions and all of them seem to be happy, smiling and helpful. The hardest part of my own journey has been trying to cross the road near my office. It is something of an Olympic M25 with dedicated lanes for Olympic Games traffic in both directions. The OG traffic includes coaches (no one in them), cars with blacked out windows and police escorts (at 8:30am?), lorries with lifting equipment and more with covered loads. Most of the traffic seems to consist of police cars making sure no one else is using the lane - to the consternation of taxi drivers! Stephanie Watson

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Benten & Co

Chartered Certified Accountants

Offering friendly, helpful advice on all taxation

and accountancy matters.

Abbey House 51 High Street Saffron Walden

Telephone 01799 523 053

www.benten.co.uk

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Your local lawncare company, offering: • Lawn moss killing • Scarification • Aeration

• Complete weed and disease control • Re-seeding

• Bespoke feed programme • Hard surface weed control

Please contact us for a free Lawncare Analysis

Tel: 01763 242909

[email protected]

All Makes & Models Service Book on Line at www.johnbanks.co.uk

From £69.99 Oil & Filter Change From £23.50 Air Con Servicing

£35.00 MOT

Est 1974

Call: 01223 355388 John Banks Ltd Cheddars Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8LD Off East exit of the A14

Collection & Delivery Available Free Wash & Leather

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Weddings to anniversaries.

A piece of cake. We design delicious and stunning handmade personalised celebration cakes

for every occasion.

Weddings, birthdays, christenings,

anniversaries, corporate and Christmas

We are now supplying high quality everyday cakes to the Village Shop.

Linda Clarke

The Old Service Station, Henham Road,

Debden Green, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3LZ

Tel: 01371 831021

www.icingandthecake.co.uk

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Really Practical Company Working with You to achieve:

Completion of your DIY jobs Flat pack furniture construction Sheds & Attics cleared & sorted Sheds built, gardens cleared etc.

No Job Too Small For a written no obligation quote please call:

Tel: 01799 543 048 Mobile: 07899 700 894

e.Mail: [email protected]

Nick Shutes Painting and Decorating

Ltd High quality interior and exterior

redecoration

Woodwork repairs and replacements.

Fascias, soffits and cladding

www.nicksutesdecorating.co.uk

01799 542385 07885 778213

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News from Debden Pentecostal Church Dear Friends,

We were so pleased to have the visit of Maureen, our previous Pastor, and delighted that many from the village and beyond came to

the tea. It was intended to be a farewell service but it was such a

joyful time to meet up with friends and to see Maureen looking so much better. Maureen was presented with flowers and gifts from the church and people who attend the coffee morning. Later she gave an inspiring talk from Hebrews 12. It was also a pleasure to have Hilary with us and she gave a lovely appreciation of Maureen’s ministry in the village.

God bless, Simon Gale 

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Debden Pentecostal Church Thaxted Rd

Weekly Programme

Debden Pentecostal Church

www.debden-pentecostal.org.uk

Sunday 11.00 am Morning Worship 6.30 pm Evening Service

Wednesday

10.30 to 12 noon Coffee Morning

Special note

Please contact Paul Baker on 01440 710416

if you need information about the church.

Special Dates in September Despite one of the wettest summers we can remember we will be giving thanks for God’s provision to us in another harvest safely gathered in. So please come and join with us on the 23rd September, there will be a tea at 5.30pm followed by the Harvest service at 6.30pm.

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Debden’s “green and pleasant land”“green and pleasant land” Danny Boyle’s spectacular Olympics opening ceremony provided the inspiration to explore Debden’s ‘green and pleasant land’. The terrain is too flat for our own ‘Glastonbury Tor’ but we can manage cottages with smoking chimneys (at least in the winter), floating clouds (real ones), the occasional cricket match, the odd goose and not long ago a field full of sheep. And we score Gold with bountiful fields, wild flowers, woodlands, lake and pond. These photographs were taken on a one-hour stroll from the village sign.

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Like a good many of us, I have been so caught up with the Olympics that thinking about the September 'Pump' has come as quite a shock! We have witnessed a wonderful festival of sport, as well as a unique uniting of countries, especially our own, and it is surely that national support and pride that we should continue to foster at a local level.

It is very exciting that our Parish Council and New Village Hall Committee are continuing to work hard towards producing a scheme for a hall and shop complex which the village can be both proud of and afford. The shop is very supportive of the project and looks forward to being involved in the new ideas.

Suggestions please To this end, we have introduced a 'Suggestions' box, which sits next to the till – please use this to tell us what you think of our shop, or what other items you would like to see stocked on our shelves. At this point, can I thank the anonymous writer, who left the following note on the shop notice board:

“Not so much of a suggestion but a 'thank you' for everything you do and for making the village proud.”

How good that made us feel and what encouragement it gave!

This month there are two new lines to promote. We have a variety of wrapped biscuits and cake snacks, all coming in under 80p. These, along with one of our many individual drinks are ideal for 'back to school' lunch boxes, or for an energy boost on the tennis court. We have a new line in preserves – Candy's Country Produce – whose labels such as “Seville Orange and Whiskey Marmalade” surely deserve a try.

Please use us – we are proud to be a village resource and our volunteers are as committed as those who have been a part of our Olympic dream. Nina Manser Chairman DVS

An Olympic cheer for whiskey marmalade!

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DEBDEN PLUMBER

Colin Wolff OVER 30 YEARS’

EXPERIENCE

Charmily Deynes RoadDebden CB11 3LG

01799 543679 07792 250237

[email protected]

Arboricultural Services

01799 520044

Fully Insured

NPTC Qualified

SEASONED FIREWOOD

www.mercertrees.co.uk

I A N A B R A M S

CHARTERED ARCHITECT for a complete

architectural service

18 The Maltings Station Road

Newport, Essex, CB11 3RN

Tel : 01799 543533 Fax: 01799 543653

[email protected]

www.ian-abrams-architects.co.uk

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Hearing Help Uttlesford

Problems with you NHS Hearing Aid? Obtain FREE help and advice at:-

SAFFRON WALDEN

at the Day Centre in Hill Street on the

First Saturday of each month from 9.45 ‘til 11.30 am

or at

THAXTED

at ‘The Surgery’, Margaret Street

on the

Last Thursday of each month from 10.00 am ‘til Noon For more information call 01799 599790 (9am –4pm)

Regd. Charity No. 289280

MATHS COACHING

Recently retired Maths teacher

offering extra tuition for

GCSE and A levels

Contact: Lucy Chapman

Sharon, Thaxted Road, Debden

Tel:01799 543864

The Police

will be visiting

the Village Shop on:

Fri – 31st August

Thu - 27th September

Fri - 5th October

between

10.30am and 11.30am

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RIDE OR STRIDE FOR HISTORIC CHURCHES Saturday 8th September

Why not get out your bike or your walking boots on Saturday 8th September and raise some money to keep the historic church buildings in Essex in good repair? Many churches will be open, including some which are normally closed, for those who participate on bike or on foot in the annual ‘Ride & Stride.’

You can start and finish at any church and at any time to suit your plans for the day. You can visit as many or as few churches as you choose. If you want to maximise the number of churches you visit, there are seven churches in Saffron Walden and six in Thaxted. A list of churches in the area is available from the organiser, together with sponsorship forms. Some sponsors may choose to donate a specific sum per church visited. Others may prefer to give you a fixed amount, particularly if they are unsure how fit you are! If you enjoy seeing church buildings in the town or country, you can do your part to keep them there. Many churches, particularly in the countryside, have small regular congregations and find it difficult to raise funds to keep the buildings in good repair. Your help will be appreciated. If you choose Debden parish church as your nominated church, half the money you raise will go to Debden and half will be available for grants to other historic churches of all denominations in Essex. For more information, sponsorship forms and lists of churches, please contact: Tony Vernon, Debden Church secretary, on 01371 830801 or by email at [email protected].

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DEBDEN COUNTRYFILE

All eyes on the weather If you’ve moaned about all the recent rain, spare a thought for our local farmers. The conditions have delayed harvesting and reduced yields. As we go to press, the fields around the village are changing dramatically: most of the oil seed rape is cut and the combines should be hard at work on the wheat. The headlights in the fields at night are not Martians making a reciprocal visit - just our farmers working round the clock to make up for lost time.

Peter Graves of Smiths Green Farm, like most farmers, watches the weather like a hawk. Every morning at 6.45 he listens to weather man Steve Weston on Essex Radio to get the best local forecast - sun, rain, windspeed - via the Norwich weather centre. With only 140 acres of wheat - local farms tend to devote as much as 50 per cent of land to cereals - Peter is not quite so dependent on the weather. His main crop of sugar beet has a longer lifting period, from October to December.

On a wing and a prayer Readers will remember the success that John and Celia Hare were having with their barn owls at Freemans Farm. Well, amidst all the toil at this time of the year, Celia has found time to bring us an update on their wildlife as well as what’s happening in the fields.

Two tractors prepare the ground for next season’s wheat. Spring tines rake the ground producing a 4in tilth to help seeds germinate. This field at Will Bunting’s Brocton Farm has just had its oil seed rape crop harvested.

W e await a period of warm and dry weather to get the crops fit for harvest which is a good two weeks late. It is very frustrating when a large proportion of your annual income is out there waving around on stalks and you can’t get to it!

Kids’ Farm Quiz

Win a tractor!!

See page 31

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27

Yields will probably be down as the Wheat has been affected by Fusarium, a fungus which thrives in wet weather. Although we have applied a full spray programme it has still managed to get away. This will lead to shriveled grains and thus a weight loss. All our grain goes straight from the farm into Camgrain, the local farmer cooperative store where it is dried and stored and marketed

throughout the year. We follow a five year crop rotation of Winter Oats, Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, Spring Beans or Winter Linseed, Winter Wheat - Winter or Spring refers to when the crop is planted. We use ‘Break’ crops between the wheat to minimize disease carry-over and to optimize wheat yield and give the soil a break from certain weed treatments. Most of the crops go in from mid September to mid October so when harvest is delayed we are under pressure to get the land ploughed up and ready for re-drilling. This is why you will see farmers out working late into the night! We are going to try growing winter linseed this year as a change from beans which can be very variable and difficult to keep clear of weeds as many sprays have been withdrawn from use. Blackgrass, a pernicious weed of this area, is getting increasingly difficult to control and is very competitive - another reason for crop rotation and our preference for deep ploughing. It is particularly difficult to control in oats.

Grass is greener We are waiting delivery of the seven week old pheasant poults. The pens are all ready but again the weather has delayed the breeder. We have Fen type birds from Norfolk which are smaller so can fly up well over tall trees in the wood. Unfortunately they always seem to think the grass is greener in Debden so that’s why you will see us doing a dog ‘round-up’ later on to try and keep them at home. Our Nepalese neighbours on the Barracks have discovered a real liking for pheasant curry and can’t buy enough of them in the winter! Our Barn Owl boxes have proved a success. After early disappointment when one owl died, the other one must have found a new mate and quietly got on with laying a clutch. We are now very fortunate to be able to watch two fully fledged barn owlets exploring the farm. By the time you are reading this, hopefully the harvest will be safely gathered in and we will be ploughing all hours of the day and night! Celia Hare Freemans Farm

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Organic based cleaning solutions

Allergy-Out anti allergy treatment

Guardsman anti-stain protection

Spot cleaning & stain removal

Free advice & estimates

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Cleaning

Safeclean Cambridge Ltd 08700465528

www.safeclean-cambridge.co.uk

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Enjoy good company, a wide selection of wines, beers and great food! Starters

small selection from our menu Prawns Pil Pil (cooked in garlic, chilli tomatoes & herbs)

Deep fried Brie with Cumberland sauce Crispy devilled whitebait

Main Courses

A small selection from our menu Large rack of BBQ ribs with salad & chips

Half roast crispy duck with stir fry vegetables & dauphinoise potatoes Home made steak & kidney pie cooked in Guinness, vegetables &

dauphinoise 10oz Ribeye served with onion rings, mushrooms and choice of potatoes

Whole trout wrapped in bacon with lemon butter & fresh vegetables Home made lasagne, salad & chips

Selection of vegetarian dishes always available Plus Bar Snacks menu

Sunday lunch

Selection of starters Main courses

Roast topside of beef and Yorkshire Pudding Succulent slow roast pork and Yorkshire pudding

Fish dish of the day Vegetarian dish of the day

All mains £8.95, book for 12-12.30pm, £7.95 Selection of sweets

Fish & Chip Night – Wednesdays Take-away £7.95, eat in £8.95)

Music Night – 1st Wednesday of the month Quiz Night – 3rd Wednesday

For bookings telephone Stuart or Margaret 01799 541899 Tuesdays - Fridays 6pm—11pm

Saturdays 12pm—11pm Sundays 12pm—5pm

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LETTERS

New Village Hall Continued from page 6 finance the build, in conjunction with a number of other grants. We are also reviewing the design of the proposed hall. Even with a lower build cost approach, it’s clear the overall footprint and specification of the hall will need to be reviewed and likely reduced to achieve this goal. It is currently the holiday season and we expect to have a further update on the key points here for the start of the autumn. How much might council tax rise? In the July Pump we reported that before the parish council could vote on using the precept, which determines council tax, to support a loan for the new village hall, it would need to see a business plan and a fully costed proposal. The council could call an extraordinary meeting with a question and answer session for residents. As an example, to support a £200,000 loan, a Band C property would see a 45p a week rise in council tax and a Band G property 85p a week.

Dear Editors, The question was asked, in June’s edition, as to what has happened to the water pump opposite “Saxbys” at Purton End. It was “in situ” when we settled in the village in 1971. Over the course of years the vegetation has been allowed to encroach the site. Now the area is cleared, the spot where the pump was, appears to be covered by a plate.

Was the pump removed by the Highways Department and if so why? Perhaps a councillor will throw some light on this disappearance of an element of our Parish Heritage?

Michael and Susan Barton 2 Old Ships Cottages Woops! Dear Editors, Would somebody please tell my 9-year-old granddaughter that when preparing eggs for the back garden Olympics, to boil them for more than one minute!

Nana Name and address supplied

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ENVIRON

KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS DESIGN, SUPPLY and INSTALLATION

Or INSTALLATION ONLY ALL ASSOCIATED SERVICES…..

TILING, PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL FLOORING AND DECORATING

Environ Construction Sharon Thaxted Road Debden Contact: Ron Chapman 01799 543864 Saffron Walden 07957220322

Kids’ Farm Quiz

Q1: Can you name the three cereal crops pictured here? If you’re quick, you’ll find them growing in fields around the village.

Q2: What is ‘Corn’? The best explanation wins. The first entry with all the answers correct wins a tractor!

Entrants up to the age of 12.

Send your answers together with your name, age, and ‘phone number to: [email protected]

A

B

C

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Open Every Day except Thursday

Debden Pre-School

For 2 to 5 years old Debden Memorial Hall

www.debdenpreschool.org.uk

Registered charity No 1059433

C B MOWER SERVICES Limited

www.cbmowerservices.co.uk

Sales, services, spares of new and second-hand machinery

HAYTOT COUNTAX WESTWOOD

MIXTOR ROBIN and many others

Call us on

01799 599774 Please see our new website

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Sygma Security Systems Ltd

‘Security Management Specialists’

Sygma provide the following services to both Business & Domestic customers:-

CCTV

Access Control

Perimeter Security

Remote Monitoring

Service & Maintenance

Call now for your FREE initial site survey on 0800 043 6728

Or email [email protected] www.sygmasecurity.co.uk

Unit K Blois Meadow Business Centre Steeple Bumpstead Suffolk CB9 7BN

FLORISTRY, GARDENING AND COOKERY COURSES Calendar of Events September—October 2012

Autumn Pruning, Planting and Planning with Caroline Tilston 13th September

Friday Morning Flowers with Susan Haigh. Create a gorgeous flower bouquet

while having coffee and delicious homemade cake 14th September

Come and Learn to Really Stop and Smell the Roses with Susan Haigh 18th Sept

Choosing Garden Trees with Helen Riches 27th September

Bread and Soup (Half Day) with Susan Haigh 2nd October - new

Party Canapes (Half Day) with Susan Haigh 9th October - new

To book, phone 01799 523411 or online www.coleendfarm.co.uk GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE

The Barn, Cole End Farm, Wimbish, Saffron Walden, CB10 2LJ

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ComputerCare-SaffronWalden All types of PC support work undertaken

Problem solving

Broadband & Wireless

New system installation

Data recovery

Advice on new PC purchase

Tutoring

Home networking

Repairs & Upgrades

We come to you! Our aim is to have satisfied customers who will recommend us to others

01799 520514 [email protected] www.computercare-saffronwalden.co.uk

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Tang Ting Twinning Association Reg charity no: 1130073

Quiz night Quiz night Quiz night to celebrate to celebrate to celebrate Diwali Diwali Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights)

in aid of the Gurkha village of Tang Ting

Nepalese Food, Music and Dance Display

Come and enjoy the magical atmosphere of hundreds of candles and fairy lights

Saturday 10th November 2012

7.30 pm – 11.00 pm

at Sibbards Barn, Debden Green, CB11 3LY

Ticket Price £15.00 includes:

Nepalese Food or Fish/Chicken & Chips & dessert Cash bar Teams of 10 (bring friends or join a team on night)

Tickets from: Tang Ting Twinning Association

phone: 01799 540881, e-mail: [email protected]

(please advise food choice when booking tickets)

Tang Ting Twinning Association

Bringing Together the Local British and Nepalese Communities

www.tangting.org

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DEBDEN LOCAL HISTORY RECORDERS GROUP

The Group have finalised the 2012/2013 programme of activities as follows:

Talks:

Wednesday 10th October: Peter Walker on “Ordnance Survey One Inch Maps of Saffron Walden and surrounding villages from 1805 to current time”. Peter is well known locally for his enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject and has given interesting talks to several history groups in the area. The talk will take place in Debden Village Hall at 7.30pm. Ticket prices are £1.50 for Members and £2.50 for Non-Members and will be available from the Village Shop.

Wednesday 14th November: Gerald Lucy on “Saffron Walden and Debden: the last 100 Million years – Rocks and Fossils of our local area”. Gerald is a member of the Essex Rock and Mineral Society and has written a book on the subject and has kindly agreed to help identify samples of fossils and rocks that members of the public may wish to bring along on the evening. The talk will take place in Debden Village Hall at 7.30pm. Ticket prices are £1.50 for Members and £2.50 for Non-Members and will be available from the Village Shop.

February 2013 date tbc: Henry Blackie and Michael Barton on the Debden War Memorial. More details will follow nearer the time.

Exhibitions:

Early December: The group will set up a display on past and present Places of Worship in Debden and Debden Green at the Church Fayre.

Social evening: Wednesday 23rd January 2013 with a showing of the 1991 production of the Pantomime “Puss in Boots”. Open to members and non-members. Free for members.

New members are always welcome – Please contact me on Tel: 01799 540528 or email me at [email protected]

Elisabeth Blackie

Did you know? To commemorate the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 a bench seat was placed in Debden Green with a farthing of that year embedded on the underside. The bench has been replaced three times since then, what happened to the farthing?

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EVENTS DIARY

Thursdays Mothers and Toddlers 10-12noon Memorial Hall

2nd Friday of each month Second Friday Club—8pm onwards at The Plough If you planning to hold an event in the village in 2012/2013 please check against dates above to avoid clashes and give your dates (even provisionals) to the editors and they will be posted on the website calendar.

Wed 5 Sep TTTA AGM followed by “An English Teacher in Tang Ting”

Carver Barracks

Village Hall

7.15pm

8pm

August Pump

Page 41

Sat 8 Sep Ride or Stride Essex Churches

Page 25

Sun 23 Sep Harvest Service

Debden Pentecostal

Church

6.30pm Page 19

Wed 3 Oct Debden Parish Council

Village Hall 8pm Page 4

Sat 6 Oct Harvest Supper

Debden Village Hall

7 for 7.30pm Page 11

Sun 7 Oct Harvest Festival

Debden Parish Church

9.30am Page 11

Sat 10 Nov Diwali Quiz Night

Sibbards Farm Debden Green

7.30pm Page 36

“Girls Night Out Walk” for hospice The J’s Hospice is organising a “Girls Night Out Walk” at 7.30pm on 15th September, a 6km walk in Chelmsford with lots of fun and a twist. Participants will receive a pink T-shirt to wear on the night. Contact Janet Whitehead: [email protected] or tel: 01245 475474.

Local MP Surgery You can meet Sir Alan Haselhurst, MP for Saffron Walden, at: Stansted Parish Council Office, Crafton Green, Sat Sep 1, 10.45-11.30am Saffron Walden, The Old Armoury, 3 Museum St, Sat Sep 1 12-12.45pm Broomfield Community Centre, 158 Main Rd, Fri Oct 12, 5.15-6pm Dunmow, Foakes House, Town Council Office, 47 Stortford Rd, Fri Oct 12, 6.30-7.15pm

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In response to readers’ requests for more information, here is a list of telephone numbers that may be useful.

Please inform the editors if any are out of date or incorrect.

INFORMATION

Essex Police 101 NEW non emergency (15p per call) Neighbourhood Police 07779 085615 Hospitals Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge ……………………… ...... 01223 245151 Princess Alexandra, Harlow ……………………… ...... 01279 444455 Doctors Newport………………....01799 540696 Thaxted……………… ....01371 830213 Saffron Walden: Borough Lane……......... 01799 524224 Gold Street…….. ........... 01799 525235 TEDS (out of hours)....... 01371877410 Dentists (Saffron Walden) Church Street…….. ....... 01799 528555 High Street……..…........ 01799 521357 Hill Street……...… ......... 01799 528209 London Road……….…..01799 523194 New Road…………........ 01799 521265 NHS Radwinter Road Hospital ……….…………………..0800 7833396 Churches St Mary the Virgin & All Saints Rev Hilary Davey ........... 01799 522616 Pentecostal Church Paul Baker……………… 01440 710416 Debden Shop 01799 541348 Karen Roper (manager) 01799 541634 Footpaths Pat Hemmings ………... 01799 541308 Village Hall Hire Tony Hudson …………. 01799 541577 pref. email;…. [email protected] Schools Debden Primary ……… 01799 540302 Pre school Newport Free Grammar.. 01799 540237 SW County High …….. 01799 513030 Friends ………………… 01799 525351

Transport Train times …………….. 08457 484950 Ticket booking………… 0800 566566 Stansted Airport…………01279 680500 Noise Complaints……….0800 243788 Village link buses 5 & 3...08457 000333 Debden Clubs Football (Eddie Minet)…. 07766 970296 Tennis (Roger Forster) ... 01799 541409 Table tennis (Jim Watson) “ 540721 Badminton (Richard Simmonds) 541084 Karen Howarth School of Dancing ........................................ 01279 651535 Building Services Watson and Woolner ...... 01799 541846 RA Gunn 07708 493432 Plumber G MacSwan 07877 193292 Plumber C Wolff.............. 01799 543679 County Councillor Simon Walsh ………… email:[email protected] District Councillor Tina Knight …………….. 01799 540881 Parish Council Members (Village Hall and Pavilion) April Gardner ……………01799 542288 (Play Area and Parish Pump) Andrew Tetlow ………….01799 541502 (Finance) Stephen Jasper ………...01799 543141 (Localism Bill) Roger Forster ………….. 01799 541409 (Open Spaces)

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CHURCH SERVICES FOR SEPTEMBER 2012

Date DEBDEN WIMBISH

2nd September : Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am Holy Communion 11am Family Service

9th September : Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am Family Service – Healing 11am Holy Communion

16th September : Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am Holy Communion 11am Matins

23rd September : Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

9.30am Matins 11am Holy Communion

30th September : Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

10am Joint Holy Communion

7th October : HARVEST FESTIVAL

9.30am Harvest Festival 11am Harvest Festival

PRIEST-IN-CHARGE : Rev. Hilary Davey (01799) 522616 CHURCHWARDENS : Micka Brown (01799) 540395 Nina Manser (01799)

541863

PCC SECRETARY : Tony Vernon (01371) 830801 website : www.debden.org