December 2022

12 Buckden Roundabout December 2022 Village News Ruth Nicholas – 07957334142 Judith Armitage – 01480 811717 Buckden WI At our November Meeting we en- joyed another talk by Bill Templeton entitled “ Huntingdon High Street – a Bridge through Time ” part 2. Bill told us that the Town Hall and Assize Court was built again in 1745 on Mar- ket Hill as it was burnt down in 1743. The coat of Arms has been changed in recent years. The Falcon Inn opposite the Market Square is a 16 th century Coaching Inn and Bill told us it has been beautifully restored keeping original features. In days gone by Cromwell recruited people in the Falcon Inn. Bill informed us that the War Memorial was made by a woman which was unusual. The British Legion met in Mon- tague House. Bill told us lots about All Saints Church on the Market Square. It is a Tudor Church and Oliver Cromwell was baptised in 1599, in the font there which is near the door. Edward 7 th visited All Saints Church with Alice Keppell and Bill informed us that she was great - great grandmother to Queen Camilla, which some members knew. Opposite the Church is the Cromwell Museum, which used to be the Grammar School. Oliver Cromwell was educated as a schoolboy there. Whitwell house, built in 1727, has 3 storeys and has recently been sold. Bill showed us the inside of the house which prompted lots of conversation. Further down the High Street is the Cromwell Nursing home. Bill told us it is a historical house that dates to 1599 and it is the place where Oliver Cromwell was born. Bill ’ s talk was enhanced by pictures on a screen. Bill kept the audience interested as we reminisced about Hun- tingdon High Street in the past. It was an enjoyable evening. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 6 th December at 7:30pm in the Millard Suite and it will be our Christmas party and en- tertainment by Jess and Hilary. We warmly welcome new members and visitors so if you would like more information please contact: Buckden Neighbourhood Watch RICHARD WEST Village Coordinator 01480 811467 / 07841 866630 To contact the police: 999 in an emergency; 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers; 0300 123 2040 Action Fraud. EMAIL burglarycrackdown@cambs.pnn.police.uk or visit www.crimestoppers.uk.org or you can telephone 101 Suspicions or concerns can be reported via the police force ’ s online web chat function here https://bit.ly/3tfssQF Or via the online reporting forms here https://bit.ly/3ck9z85 Beware of Cold Callers During the last twelve months I have frequently warned of the dangers of giving jobs to ‘ Cold Callers ’. The letter below recounts the experience of one local resident. “ I received a call at the door from a man who gave me a very professional looking leaflet which offered to carry out some work at a reduced cost. It seemed a very good deal. He offered to steam clean the roof, clean out the gutters and downpipes and would apply a copper fungicide which would stop future moss and algae growth. He explained that there would be no need to pay until I was 100% satisfied and that I could pay by cheque. Before he had completed the job, he demanded payment in cash and said that a cheque would not be accepted. He as- sured me that all gutters and down pipes were clean and working and that all other work was completed. With this assurance I paid in cash. It was only later that I discovered that the ‘ steam cleaning ’ was just high pressure washing and that the copper fungicide and sealant were just water out of the tap. To add final insult to injury the gutters and downpipes were still blocked and some roof tiles had been broken. ” This sort of horror story is not uncommon. As I have urged before always employ, whenever possible, a local a company. Make sure that they have a local address and landline tele- phone. Sometimes the best solution is to ask a neighbour or friend for a recommendation. plaint, the G.Ps asked the audience to ensure that, at their hospital appointments, they request that these tasks are com- pleted there and then. We were reminded that, since 2015, we have "lost" 1850 full time G.P.s. , which means there is more work for the remaining staff. There are particular issues locally that need to be addressed, such as the housing developments. The money provided to cope with this extra demand is not sufficient, and there is the immediate need to fund more clini- cal rooms, in order to respond to the increases in patient popu- lation. I wish to now thank our two Partner G.P.s for their Presenta- tion, which was clearly appreciated by all of the attendees at the meeting. And I also wish to thank all those who did attend our A.G.M. and helped to make it such a success with their questions and active participation. And finally, I wish to register our committee's appreciation of the Buckden School's hospital- ity and generosity, in providing a venue for our meeting. I will end by drawing attention to the two recent vaccination clinics , held in October, at our surgeries, when 4500 covid and flu vaccinations were delivered by our health professionals. And I cannot leave without acknowledging the support provid- ed by the Volunteer Team at these clinics, who as always proved invaluable in enabling them to be so efficient in their performance. There is to be one final clinic, to be held on the 26th of November. On behalf of our committee Rob Gardiner, Chair of PPG ( Continued from page 5, Patient Participation Group)