Thank You

Thank you to all those volunteers who help to keep the Parish News magazine running:
All those who contribute articles and news, those who organise the delivery rota, all those who walk the villages delivering the magazine to every household in the parish, the advert co-ordinator, the treasurer, the person who adds the events to the online calendar.
Without your voluntary assistance, the Parish News could not continue. Thanks you!

Parish News Copy Dates

Please note the dates for copy to be sent for inclusion in the Parish News each month have changed slightly. The Copy Date is now always a THURSDAY. (See p9)
COPY DATE for the FEB 2024 issue of the Parish News: THURSDAY Jan 18th before 6pm
Download a copy of the dates for 2024 here: http://bit.ly/46DPdAQ

First Local Art Exhibition

First Local Art Exhibition for Bainton and Ashton is great success
Over the weekend of 11th and 12th of November, ten residents of the Parish of Bainton and Ashton held the first ever exhibition and sale of their art and craftwork in the Reading Room.
The work on display included paintings and drawings, embroidery, ceramic and glass sculpture, ornaments, woodwork, jewelry, and even fine handcrafted furniture
On both days the venue was busy from opening to closing time and clearly there’s a real local appetite for this kind of event.
Homemade refreshments were available, and visitors welcomed the opportunities to meet and greet in a convivial setting and to enjoy the work on display, even to buy some sometimes!
The net revenue from donations and contributions will enable the organisers to make a donation to The Stamford Food Bank of £850.
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated Andrea Taylor, Susie Lucas, and Irene Walsh

The Art Society Peterborough

11th January 2024, The Arts Society Peterborough’s monthly talk is at The Fleet, PE2 4 DL.
J.W.M. Turner (1775-1851) ‘From Covent Garden to Rome’, by Leslie Primo.
This talk presents an expanded visual history of the life of Turner and traces his life from the boy genius to his early entry into The Royal Academy.
Doors open at 10-15am for coffee and a chat, the talk starts at 10-45 and lasts an hour, all are welcome, so why not come and join us?
For more information and details of how to join the society, visit: www.the-arts-society-peterborough.org.uk

The Ufford Village Hall & Social Committee

The Ufford Village Hall & Social Committee will be holding their annual AGM on Tuesday 6th February at 7.30pm in Ufford Village Hall. All are welcome. The committee would also welcome any new members interested in joining.

Barnack Parish Council is asking for your help with the revision of our Neighbourhood Plan

Our Neighbourhood Plan was adopted in 2021, giving Barnack increased influence over development in the parish and a bigger slice of income from Community Infrastructure Levy. The policies in Barnack’sNeighbourhood Plan were supported by local opinion, obtained througha questionnaire to residents, issued in 2019.
In 2023, Peterborough City Council decided to produce a new Local Plan. This means that we need to review our Neighbourhood Plan, taking into account changes of policy in Peterborough as a whole.
In the 2019 questionnaire, opinions were sought on22 possible objectives for the Neighbourhood Plan. Since then, 80 new homes have been built in Barnack, possibly altering the balance of opinion about housing development. Also, there is now much more awareness than before of the threat posed by climate change. To find out whether the weight of local opinion has changed, we have produced a new questionnaire, which will be delivered in early December to every household. This repeats the objectives listed in the 2019 questionnaire and adds a few supplementary ones. We are again asking residents whether they support the inclusion of each of theseobjectivesin the Neighbourhood Plan.
Everyone aged 18 or over is invited to answer this questionnaire. Please fill in one form per person. Extra forms are available from parish councillors, or you can download, print and fill in the A4 version, which will be posted on the Parish Council website (http://www.barnackparishcouncil.org). Pleasereturncompleted questionnaires via the Barnack Parish Council letter box at the Village Hall. The deadline for your response is Sunday January 7th 2024.
Barnack’s current (2021) Neighbourhood Plan can be viewed on the Parish Council website. A summary of the results of the questionnaire will also be posted on the website. Your answers will guide us in our review of the Neighbourhood Plan. Many thanks for your participation.

Remembering your Faithful Friend this Christmas

Christmas may be a time to remember family and friends – but the Dogs Trust is also asking local dog owners to remember their four-legged friends this festive time, with a Canine Care Card.
The Canine Care Card is a free service, which helps to ensure your dog’s future, in the event of youeither passing away, receiving a life-changing diagnosis or moving into a care home.This can often be a great concern to some people, who perhaps do not have a family member or friend in a position to look after their dog, should the worst happen. Therefore, by signing up to the service, Dogs Trust can offer peace of mind, reassuring you that your faithful friend will be well cared for by the charity.
It is easy to sign up to the service, which simply asks for some information on your dog, including their likes and dislikes, as well as your dog’s medical history and your vet details. It also asks for you to confirm who you would like as your Dog Guardian. This should be someone you trust, like a friend, family member, solicitor, neighbour or vet, who can sign over ownership of your dog to Dogs Trust on your behalf, should you become seriously ill or pass away.
You can register online by going to www.dogstrust.org.uk and searching for ‘Canine Care Card’- or if you do not have access to the internet, you can request a paper version of the application form.Once the form is submitted, Dogs Trust will then write to you, to confirm when your application has been processed.
Once signed up, should your card ever need to be activated, Dogs Trust will then arrange with your Dog Guardian for your dog to come intothe rehoming centre or into foster care. With a team of vets, trainers and behaviourists on hand if needed, your dog will then be welcomed, loved and wellcared for by the charity, who will work tirelessly to find a loving new home for your much-loved canine companion.
If you would like further information about the Canine Care Card, or to request a paper application form, please contact Dogs Trust Snetterton’s Supporter Relations Officer, Paige Pope, atpaige.pope@dogstrust.org.ukor phone 01953 497912.

The Buttercross Club

The meeting on Wednesday, 6th December, was our annual Christmas Party. The club members brought along plates of food, savoury or sweet and the long table set up for the buffet was positively heaving with Christmas fare. Members were invited to bring one guest each and the hall was thronging. It was good to see that the cold, wet winter weather had not deterred people. It was a lovely evening which included a quiz prepared by one of our committee, Carol Hall. There was a raffle for several prizes, the main one being a basket of Christmas treats.
Diary Dates: The next Buttercross meeting is on the first Wednesday of February, 2023 (the 7th). More details about it will be forthcoming in the early New Year.
With best wishes for Christmas 2023 from the Buttercross Club.

Barnack Hills and Holes Village Forum

Terms of Reference of the Forum
To bring the Village Community, Natural England and Burghley Estate together to help promote the management of the Barnack Hills and Holes National Nature Reserve, for the benefit of the internationally important grassland habitat, the village, local community and interest groups.
News from meeting held on 6th December 2023
Over the autumn, 40 large Turkey Oak trees have been felled, and the wood and chippings removed from the Reserve. This has been the first stage of a five-year programme aimed at removing 40 large Turkey Oaks annually. It will reduce competition with native trees and lessen the threat of Turkey Oak seedlings taking over open grassland areas of the Hills and Holes.
Improvements have been made to the car park, and from the New Year Natural England will be requesting a voluntary parking fee. An accurate record of visitor numbers will soon be available, using data from people-counters installed at each of the nine gates. The results of the recent drone surveys are still being analysed, but it is already evident that over the summer, while the sheep were away, vegetation grew back on many of the minor paths.
Peterborough City Council has begun its consultation on the new Local Development Plan. This has included a call for potential sites for housing development. Decisions have yet to be made on which of the sites put forward will be considered suitable, but any substantial increase in the population of Peterborough and local villages will add to the already heavy public pressure on the Hills and Holes.
The usual plea for more volunteers to join the work parties on the Hills and Holes is repeated. Sessions are normally held fortnightly, on Tuesdays. For further information please contact the Reserve Manager (ross.edgar@naturalengland.org.uk). The last session of 2023 is scheduled for December 12th and the first in 2024 will be on January 9th. Tackling scrub and repairing fences is an excellent antidote to the effects of over-indulgence at Christmas.
The sheep continue to do a sterling job by removing coarse vegetation that threatens to compete with and smother the rare plant communities. The flock is given a welfare check by vets every six months. To make sure that they maintain good condition over the winter, the sheep have been prescribed a Christmas treat of ‘licking blocks’, containing essential minerals and molasses. They will spend the holiday in the southwestern compartment of the Reserve, well away from the roads. Please report any problems with sheep worrying or other welfare concerns to Natural England’s on-call number – 0300 060 6000.
We wish you a happy Christmas.
Margaret Palmer, on behalf of Barnack Hills and Holes Village Forum

CANDLEMAS EVENSONG AND RECITAL

The St Peter’s Singers will be leading us in a candlelit Choral Evensong at St John’s Barnack, on Saturday 3rd February at 4 pm to celebrate the feast of Candlemas.
This will be followed by a Recital of other choral music.
There will be a retiring collection, to be divided between St John’s and the Singers. Refreshments will be available.

THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP

True friends are like good books. You don’t always use them but you know where they are when you need them.
A friend never asks you for a reason. A friend never asks you why, or when? A friend pays no heed to time or season, they’re a friend. A friend never asks for smiles and laughter. A friend is there in gladness and in tears. A friend is there, tomorrow and hereafter, through the years.
A friend is a precious possession whose value increases with the years. Someone who doesn’t forsake us when a difficult moment appears. Someone who lights up the darkness with a smile that’s as warm as the sun. Who rejoices with us when we’re happy, who praises the good we have done. And our road will be smooth and untroubled no matter what cares life may send; if we travel the pathway together and walk side by side with a friend.
Friends are like jewels, precious and rare, loved and respected and treated with care. Friends reveal facets in good times and strife, compassion, strength, humour, fashioned from life. Friends sparkle like diamonds, or quietly glow, their love and companionship on us bestow. Friendship’s a jewel of priceless design, strong as rock, and constant as time.