Archived News
May 2008
Millions of BT internet users 'open to hackers'?
You may have seen this recent sensational headline in The Daily Telegraph. As usual, the truth is a little different from the headline.
The article states that 'Criminals could use software easily downloaded from the internet to crack passwords and change settings on the company's popular Home Hub system in as little as five seconds, experts warned. One specialist stated that customers could be living in a "false paradise"'.
The reality is that BT home hubs are usually delivered to home users with a security setting known as WEP switched on. Unfortunately the ability to crack WEP security has been known for some time, but it does require knowledge, special tools and the "hacker" to be situated within physical range of your BT home hub.
The fact that the hacker needs to be physically within range of your BT home hub (i.e. a few tens of metres away) means that the risk of someone taking the time to do this is very small, so there is no need to panic.
To remedy this small risk by changing a setting on your BT home hub is very simple, and details of how to do it are explained on BT's help page at http://www.bt.com/help/hub. You may also need to update any wireless devices connected to the BT home hub.
Eaton Bray Millenium Book
The Eaton Bray millenium booklet titled Eaton Bray - A Century of Change was origially published as part of the millenium celebrations by Eaton Bray Parish Council. It has now been reproduced on eatonbray.com by kind permission of Peter and Mary Mayne, author and editor of the booklet respectively.
To view the contents of the Millenium Book, see Eaton Bray - A Century of Change.
If you have any of your own photos or historic documents that you would like to see published for others to enjoy, please leave a comment below or use the Contact Us page. You can also send us files directly using the Submit Content page.
Parish Council Minutes - May 2008
Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting: Tuesday 6th May 2008
Minutes of Annual Parish Council Meeting: Wednesday 7th May 2008
The next Parish Council meeting to be held at the Coffee Tavern on Monday 2nd June 2008 at 7.30pm. Items for the June agenda to be requested no later than Thursday 22 May 2008.
Record amount raised at fete
The record sum of £3,700 was raised at the Dagnall village fete.
The sunshine attracted the crowds, who were glad to spend towards the provision of a new all-weather track at the village recreation ground and towards school funds.
Cathy Bovington at the school said: "There was a great community spirit. It was a wonderful day."
The fete on Saturday (May 10) included many side shows, family races and games.
There was a display of vintage cars and motorcycles and staff member Adrian Bush ran a goal shooting attraction on behalf of Eaton Bray Lions.
Sally Thorne organised the family races and also the hog roast which followed in the evening and included a disco for the children.
Source: Hemel Today, 12 May 2008
Cricket: Bray suffer humiliation in the sun
On a bright hot sunny day and with most of the team being far too sober the Bray travelled to old rivals Bourne End. This is the first time we've met in about 3 years due to being rained off in the last 3 seasons.
On what was a good day to lose a toss the captain actually won it and made the biggest mistake of the day by batting first! This seemed prudent at 2.30pm with temperatures at about 25 degrees and a pitch that looked dubious although hard.
About the only highlight of our innings was a dogged 15 from new boy Glenn Hearn having been asked to open the batting and a top edge 6 from youngster Adam Harvey, this cleared the short boundary fence, struck the road and clattered into an AA Van that had stopped to watch us play!! Brooksey and Harv were later heard commenting that the driver was a very nice man indeed!! Although the rest of the team thought they had disappeared for 10 minutes to go to McDonalds!!
Following these highlights and lots of lowlights, including the skippers wild hoick that led to a 3rd ball duck, we eventually succumbed to the not very nice men of Bourne End for 82!
There were no further things of note, with Bourne End knocking the runs off 1 wicket down in about 11 overs!!
We even managed to visit the wrong pub after the game, Bourne End having changed about 23 years ago following the last time we palyed them!!
A team meeting will be held after the President's 40th celebrations (which are in the Social Club of Eaton Bray) at 4.30am in the Cube Room in Leighton Buzzard on Saturday 17th.
Source: Eaton Bray Cricket Club
Eaton Bray Lawn Tennis Club
Everyone has a dream. Some come true, others slowly fade away into oblivion. Such was ours; thanks to the imminent relegation of Luton Town, they can no longer afford to rent our tennis courts and play on our artificial Subbuteo pitches. I was only sent two anyway and one of those had beer stains on it. No one bought a plank, our grandstand builder has vanished (VAT issues I think...) and I've had to walk home from the Cayman Islands having spent all my spare dosh on one last rum and coke. So bringing league football to Eaton Bray will have to remain a dream. Always optimistic though, I've put a letters in the post to the London Wasps and Inter Milan (with a few Euros) so we'll see what comes of that...
My homecoming caused much excitement, and a huge party was thrown for me at the Village Hall. To keep it a surprise from me, the Chairman booked it under the pseudonym of his hur-humphth birthday party (I'm not allowed to say which one but it wasn't his 59th or 61st). Whilst entertaining some party-goers I'd cleverly manoeuvred into a corner so I could regale them with interesting stories of my secret assignment in the Caribbean, I was approached by a lady I didn't recognise. Now this usually starts alarm bells ringing due to past experiences, but as she wasn't dressed as a policewoman I acknowledged her, at which point she reached into her handbag and extracted a folded photocopy of my last Focus article. Having introduced herself as Lesley, a founder member of our tennis club back in 1988, she proceeded to ask me to sign the article. My first ever autograph! My cornered partygoers looked on in awe (or something resembling disbelief) as I gave her my full attention and commenced a detailed narrative history of the last fifteen years of my involvement on the committee.
I'd only got to 1997 when she excused herself to attend to a 'personal matter' and I never saw her again. I expect the excitement of obtaining my signature had overwhelmed her; same for the other people I was talking to as they'd gone too. The band played 'I Think We're Alone Now' and I danced with myself.
I don't believe I've reported yet on our other recent moment of fame? A few weeks ago, Eaton Bray Tennis Club was the answer to the third clue on BBC Three Counties Radio 'Treasure Quest' programme where studio contestants have to solve clues to guide their intrepid reporter, Victoria (aka 'Cookie') around various locations in the county to find the treasure. This week there was a sporting theme, and after several false starts, the clue 'Old Macdonald's place by the river. Can you hear a donkey make a racket'? was successfully found to be our club! There were 12 of us playing as the reporter arrived, running breathlessly from the car park, followed at some distance by a huffing and puffing soundman carrying most of Dixons on his back. We hid her fourth clue in a bucket of tennis balls, which we asked her to hit over the net (with my new racquet!) until she uncovered the clue. She was pretty good in fact and asked what happened if she got all ten balls over. 'If you get ten balls over', quipped John Palmer of dodgy umpiring fame, 'then you're in the first team'!
Having successfully found the next clue, which was something about local leisure centres, Cookie turned her attention to me and thrust a microphone in my face as I was unexpectedly interviewed about the club, live on air! To say I was a tad nervous is a huge understatement, but as this is our 20th anniversary year, it was a good opportunity for a 'plug' about what we do, both socially and on the courts, especially in the wonderful sunny weather that adorned our three new courts that morning. She then scurried off with her heavily laden soundman in pursuit, in search of the next clue, leaving us to enjoy our tennis and bask in our newfound fame within the three counties.... I did drop her a note asking if there were any top media jobs going at Three Counties, but I guess she's been too busy to get back to me. So I put 'On the Radio' by Martine McCutcheon on continuous loop on the CD player and danced with myself....
For any further information about the club, including when we get together for our social tennis sessions up at the School Lane courts, or our various activities, please call either Chairman Ross Bagni, Coach Nick Boys, or if they're all out and I'm not presenting News at Ten, me, Andy Cross.
Source: Focus, May 2008
Youth Football: Eaton Bray Lions
EB Lions Reds U8 - 1
St Martins Blues - 1
In the last match of what has been an exciting and successful season we were away to the runners up in our league, having already beaten them twice we knew that they would be looking to try and get one back.
In what turned out to be a great match there was nothing between the two teams. With the score 0-0 at halftime we made our substitutions and with six minutes left we went one up and then straight from their centre they ran at us and scored the equalizer and then the rest of the match was very tense with both sides pushing to score the winning goal but the match ended in a draw. This was a great match to finish on and gives us plenty to look forward to next season.
Kev and Steve thank all the players and parents for their support this season.
EB Lions U10 - 3
Barton Rovers Gunners U10 - 6
The visitors netted almost immediately, but the goal would prove Lions' wakeup call as they responded to the pressure and an arcing strike from Sean evened the scoreline.
Barton maintained their attacking surge but, testament to keeper Dan and some stylish defending from James, Mason and Aarin, were held at bay until the closing minutes of the half, when a controversial goal landed. Any sideline debate would prove academic though, as Barton struck four more times in the second half.
Still Lions would not succumb without a fight, and displayed some of their most accomplished football to date. Ben took up position in goal and pulled off some impressive diving deflections, while Charlie and Tom knocked the ball easily between the Barton defenders. Forward Adam finally saw his hard work pay off as he drove a corner ball into the back of the net, while MoM Chris slotted a crisp pass to Dom who completed beautifully to bring Lions' tally to three.
EB Lions U12 - 1
Cranfield - 1
What a great finish to a great season, at home against a team that needed to win to stand any chance winning the league. The Lions were on fire, controlling the game from start to finish. With some strong runs up front from Hattie, who scored a great goal from a corner, and Megan who kept the pressure on the Cranfield defence.
Lions controlled midfield with Darcy putting in another strong performance and Elsa and Emily ensuring that we kept the pressure on Cranfield. In defence Katy and Devon (GoM) showed what a strong pairing they have at the back, with some great runs up field to assist our attack.
When Lions made their substitutions Beth and Shannon worked hard and continued to protect our goal while also pushing forward to help in midfield. In goal Nancy again looked confident and made some good saves.
Kev and Kazza would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players and parents for all the support they have had this season.
Source: EB Lions
An evening of Jazz with 'Gentle Jazz'
Rotary Club of Dunstable Downs
presents
An evening of Jazz with 'Gentle Jazz'
Saturday 17 May 2008 at 7.30pm
Eaton Bray Village Hall
Tickets £12 to include Ploughman's Supper
- Bring your own drinks, glasses and nibbles
- Dancing area for the energetic
- Tables of 6 and 8 can be reserved
- Raffle with quality prizes
All proceeds to be donated to local charities
Enquiries welcome tel: 07768 415605
Source: Focus, May 2008
Eaton Bray 5th Annual Beer festival
Note: This article describes the 2008 event.
For details of this year's Beer Festival, please see Village Hall Events.
Eaton Bray Hall
Friday 6th June and Saturday 7th June 2008
As usual I am trying to think of a snazzy way to start this piece and as usual (as those of you who read my pieces will have noticed) I am failing miserably. So I thought I would start with some basic facts.
The Location: Eaton Bray Village Hall
The Beer: 16 Real ales plus cider & perry
The Dates: Friday 6th June 6pm till 11pm, Saturday 7th June 12 noon till 11pm
The Food: BBQ (the best as run by me!) plus baked potatoes and assorted fillings. And all the other usual bits!
The Entertainment: Friday evening Jerome Chance, Saturday afternoon Children's magician, Saturday evening Bob Thompson
Other Drinks For those of you who do not like Real Ale or are either too young or driving we will have a selection of lagers, wines and soft drinks.
All in all this should make for an excellent couple of days. We do hope you will join us and remember we are delighted for families to come and join in the fun as the bar is in a separate area.
All monies raised from the event are going to the continuing refurbishment of the hall.
The quiz, which by the time you are reading this, will have happened was sold out by the first week of April with a waiting list. So we are sorry to any disappointed villagers.
I have promised to give those people first dibs for our next Quiz on Saturday 11th October. The rest of you don't say you haven't been warned.
See you at the Beer Festival. Any further enquires please contact Ross on 221411.
Source: Focus, May 2008
Last chance to comment on proposals for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in the East of England
Time is running out for residents in the East of England to have their say on plans to address the shortage of caravan pitches for Gypsies and Travellers in the region. The deadline for comments is Friday 16 May, 2008.
This consultation is being run by the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East), on behalf of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Local authorities are responsible for planning authorised pitches for the 4,229 Gypsy and Traveller caravans in the region. Of these 1,140 are currently on unauthorised pitches. East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has recommended that each of the region's 48 local authorities should provide at least 15 additional pitches. Proposals will be finalised by GO-East in 2009.
Tim Freathy, Acting Deputy Regional Director of GO-East said:
"It is important to engage with the Gypsy and Traveller community. By providing enough authorised sites to meet people's needs we can reduce unauthorised encampments and help to end friction with settled communities."
The plans for additional Gypsy and Traveller caravan pitches are part of a single issue review of the East of England Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy) and follow two years of research and consultation with local authorities, businesses, voluntary organisations, the public and Gypsies and Travellers.
The East of England Plan provides a clear, agreed, long-term vision for how the region will provide jobs and homes for its residents until 2021 and beyond. It is the framework for putting into place the Government's growth agenda within the region and ensuring that growth is sustainable. The adequate provision of homes and affordable housing to accommodate the needs of different communities, is a vital element of the Plan.
Responses to the public consultation will be considered by an independent panel who will conduct an Examination in Public and provide recommendations on any changes to the proposals. The Government will consult on any further changes before publishing the final policy later in 2009.
Source: Government Office for the East of England
Eaton Bray Methodist Church
Our 10 o'clock club are holding a Coffee Morning with Bring and Buy, Cake stall and Raffle on Saturday May 10th from 10.00am until 12.00 noon. Proceeds from the event will be shared between the Luton and Dunstable Hospital Incubator Appeal and the Methodist Homes which are the Clubs charities for the year.
Do join us and support two worthwhile causes.
On Sunday May 11th at 10.30am we have our Sunday School Anniversary. This is always a very special day in the life of our Church Family and a warm welcome awaits. This service will be led by Roger Owers and our young people.
Jane, James and Nikki MacFarland are once again opening their gardens in Gt. Billington to host a CREAM TEA'S AFTERNOON on Saturday June 7th from 2.30pm until 4.30pm. There will be various stalls; Cakes, Bric-a-Brac, Plants and Games including Crockery Smashing. A really Fun afternoon for all ages with a scrumptious tea in lovely surroundings and plenty of parking space!
The event is also to try to raise money for the Tear Fund Disaster Appeal and Church Funds. Do join us.
Source: Focus, May 2008
NatWest bank employees admit stealing £30,000 from Harpenden branch
Two bank cashiers stole £30,000 from the Harpenden branch of their employer NatWest.
Hannah Carre, aged 22, from Eaton Bray, and Margret Busani, aged 42, from Dunstable, pleaded guilty in court this morning (Friday) to stealing £15,000 each from ATM machines at the Harpenden town centre NatWest bank between October and February.
They also admitted at St Albans Magistrates Court to false accounting relating to entries into an ATM balancing book.
Busani admitted conspiring with Carre to carry out the theft after their manager noticed money was missing.
The court heard in their defence that the crime was opportunistic and that they were both struggling to manage debts which included Busani's overdraft of around £8,000 and Carre's overdraft of £1,000.
It was claimed that Busani's husband had fallen ill making her the breadwinner, and that Carre's boyfriend had left the country which landed her with all of the domestic bills.
Their defence solicitor said the money was not spent on lavish things but was used to meet household expenses.
The pair allegedly felt they could not turn to their employer for help because they had seen customers seeking financial assistance being turned away.
The magistrates were asked to pass sentence but they decided that due to the seriousness of the crime, the pair should be committed to Crown Court where they will be sentenced at a later date.
Source: The Herts Advertiser, 9 May 2008
Carnival Countdown!
Spring Clean for Carnival
Unwanted items lurking in the back of a cupboard? We need good quality unwanted goods - please contact us on the carnival website for collection.
Give us a Hand!
We desperately need more helpers to make carnival day the great event we all love. Please get in touch via the web if you can help us.
Get Your Kit on!
Join the procession with a Fancy Dress Float for your group - book via the carnival website. We also want lots of people walking in the procession in costume. www.stmarysvillagecarnival.com
Source: Focus, May 2008
1st Eaton Bray and Edlesborough Scout Group
Letter from Dave Jones - Chairman
There's lots happening with our troop at the moment. After a wonderful centenary celebration and lots of camps and activities, we are looking forward to a great summer term of adventure and fun.
The Beaver, Cub and Scout sections have a full schedule of events to make the most of the summer weather and relive Baden Powell's vision of outdoor exploits and healthy pursuits.
The success of the group means that we're always looking for more helpers to cope with the demand. Have you got some time and enthusiasm to lend a hand? Specifically, we know that Erika, our Beaver Leader will be leaving within the next year. To have a smooth transition and easier handover, we'd like to find a new Beaver Leader now.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Dave Jones (Chair), Erika (Beaver Leader), Nick Evans (Group Scout Leader)
Our Beaver Scouts had lots of fun making easter Chickens this week (see photo) and were kindly supported through the donation of Chocolate eggs from our local Dunstable Sainsbury's Store.
Source: Focus, May 2008
Courses will help care home staff
Two women from Eaton Bray who have accrued a wealth of knowledge and experience through caring for people with dementia want to pass their skills on to others.
Pat Quartermaine and Fran Taylor have set up a training company called Vivalo, meaning nourishing aliveness, for carers who want to enhance the lives of people with dementia.
Pat and Fran have been working in care, therapy and education for many years and will be co-ordinating their teaching programmes from Eaton Bray.
Pat, who is a qualified State Registered Nurse, said: "Between us we have over 50 years experience in the field. To enhance the quality of life of residents we feel all care staff need to have a practical and theoretical training programme. With the increased number of residents having dementia, understanding their needs and having the confidence to approach with a variety of communication skills and appropriate activities is essential."
State registered art therapist Fran said: "We believe by working with care organisations we can help increase staff motivation and skills."
Workshops will study communication, music and massage, daily living skills, expressive art, craft and movement, life history, drama games and assessing community facilities. Any care homes or individuals interested in the sessions should ring 078 0175 4602 or visit www.vivalo.co.uk
Get the Leighton Buzzard Observer every Tuesday.
Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 6 May 2008
Cricket: Bray Slaughter Shenley Church End
On a pitch that would do well to be decscribed as poor, Bray were inevitably asked to bat after losing yet another toss.
The attitude of the batsmen was to try and play positive as it was expected that a ball with your name on it would soon be coming. An early wicket brought the experienced Norris & Kerins together and with some fine hitting and at times gutsy defending, the rate ticked along at more than a run a ball.
A stand of 157 in 25 overs was eventually ended when Kerins was well caught for 71 and Norris soon followed for 80 when the ball failed to bounce. Fine hitting by Peacock and Hurren (42 and 35 respectively) kept the momentum going and Bray ended up 283-6, a score well in excess of par on that wicket.
Church End never had any momentum as wickets fell steadily. 2 catches from Wilson (the less said about the celebrations the better) paved the way for a good fielding performance as 7 catches were taken in total.
But the man able to extract the most from the wicket was Roff. Bamboozaling the number 3 by clean bowling him, he went on to claim his first ever 5 wicket haul, his figures ending up 5-25. He even deliberately dropped a dolly catch off skipper Jones so he could claim the wicket at the other end.
But the story doesn't end there. The introduction of Spicer left players and spectators gaping as his missiles were launched. One batsman thought he was the luckiest person in the world when, after being completely deceived by the flight and guile of Spicer, the ball hit the bail and failed to remove it!!! The batsman then became the unluckiest player in the world when in the next over he was caught Jones bowled Spicer!!!
There was still time for Jones to drop another catch off the luckless Harvey before Spicer wrapped up proceedings and ended with figures of 3-34.
Source: Eaton Bray Cricket Club
Salvation Sound - May 2008
Who would want to be a woman working in the home?
Step out of bed, and the day starts, you slave away; - washing, ironing, dusting, polishing, hoovering, cooking, and for what ? Hungry for appreciation, yet nobody notices anything you've done!! In between these chores you tend the garden, do the shopping, a little mending, write the letters, birthday cards etc. arrange flowers, put out the rubbish, clean the bins, sweep the paths, disinfect the drains,... need I go on?... The old saying "A woman's work is never done", is so true. Home come the family? books, boots, coats, just dropped - the cry - "Anything to eat", rings out. Next it's the turn of the briefcase and newspaper - "What a day, I'm so tired, - I could murder a cup of tea," echoes through to the kitchen, followed by "What time's dinner?"
At school you receive gold stars, a. "Well done", from your tutor, at work in the office, another step up the ladder, or perhaps a rise in salary comes your way. But what about the housewife? Within a few minutes the labours of her day are by-passed. When was the last time someone said, "house looks nice Mum", or "like the flower arrangement", or even "that was scrumptious" after dinner. A quick hug, a kiss, someone saying "love you Mum" can make such a difference if your day has been hard too.
It takes strength to work and labour without any recognition. Human beings need love, care and protection; Christian families are bound by these ties; so although the stresses and strains of life might bring about the temptation to go on strike, or at least run away from it all, because we know that our work is primarily a God given task, we know our responsibilities will be rewarded by Him if we are faithful. Psalm 55:22. says 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you'.
It's not really so bad is it? After all we can stop and have a rest and a "cuppa" whenever we want to. Sit and see a bit of tele' when our back aches - and knowing that tomorrow we have a little retail therapy to look forward to does wonders for our moral.
'As thy day so shall thy strength be'. The Master told us to take up our cross daily - just call me Martha.!! Patience Strong wrote:
"Don't withhold the word of praise, it may spur someone on -
Just at the moment when they think everything has gone -
A word of praise for work well done, may seem a trifling thing,
But from it - someday, something good and wonderful may spring.
There's always a word that we can say,
To lift their eyes above the seeming darkness of the day
And so renew their confidence to make another start,
And do the job before them with a brave and happy heart..."
Paul wrote to the Philippians, Ch. 4 " 12 & 13:
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. (I wish he'd let me in on it ! )
But the end of the verse puts everything in perspective for it says;
can do anything through him who gives me strength."
Source: Focus, May 2008
Theatre Review - Old Time Music Hall
A very special event took place on 28th March at Eaton Bray village hall. Eighteen young people aged from 10-18 presented a full-scale traditional Old Time Music Hall to a sold-out audience to raise money for the Friends of St Mary's.
There was a buzz of expectation as a packed hall greeted the appearance on stage of James Lake who introduced the evening in the guise of the traditional music hall Chairman. Dressed in top hat and tails he introduced each act with witty quips, jokes, alliteration and a bang of the gavel (who remembers Leonard Sachs on The Good Old Days?!). He introduced the 'orchestra' for the evening - Ros Yalden on the piano - with traditional jibes about the quality of her playing but it was all in good humour and she accompanied the performers beautifully all evening.
The opening choruses were sung by the entire company and we could tell straight away that we were in for a good evening as the cast danced and sang with great strength and quality - they were all clearly enjoying the experience. They all looked authentic, with period costumes and props supplied by Wendy Ashman, whose husband, Peter, directed the show and provided much of the script.
The workload for the evening was fairly shared across the entire company with each performer having at least one solo performance in each of the two acts - that was a wise decision as everyone in the cast was clearly a highly competent performer - there were no weak links.
The first half consisted of fourteen separate acts starting with one of the all time greats - Daisy Bell - beautifully sung by Sophie Yalden. Other highlights in Act One included: a cheeky performance of a little known song called What's that For Eh? by Alice O'Neill who had the audience in the palm of her hand; a hilarious comic rendition of the poem The Green Eye of the Yellow God by Heather Mullett whose arm movements were provided by Emily Ann Varley; the Stanley Holloway monologue Runcorn Ferry by Sebastian Calloway (how did he learn all those lines?); Don't Dilly Dally and Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow sung by the highly talented Heather and Holly Potten; Cockles and Mussels sung with great conviction by Alex Mustoe; a touching performance of Won't You Buy My Pretty Flowers by Molly Blumsom: and a melodrama which had Freddie Marshall being henpecked by a convincing Melissa Wade before getting his revenge by selling her to the local squire wonderfully played by a joke-cracking William Sanders (who went on to give us a classical guitar solo in Act Two).
After such a slick and fast-paced first Act, the audience were ready for their lovely ploughman's supper provided by Val Trantum and her vastly capable team.
In Act Two the audience were treated to delights such as I Was A Good Little Girl sung by Olivia Calloway who made several gentlemen's nights by flirting with them from the stage whilst her talented sister Sabrina Calloway attracted whistles from the audience as a scantily clad artist's model in It's Alright in the Summertime. Emily Lake gave a beautiful rendition of the little-heard Shine On Harvest Moon and the half climaxed with a performance of the melodrama The Old Red Barn which had strong comic acting from Erin O'Neill as the wronged Maria Martin and Joe Ashman as the wicked William Corder who ends up killing her - but not before he milked the boos and hisses from the audience.
The evening concluded with the Chairman inviting the audience to join in the final choruses in traditional style ("chiefly yourselves") and the entire cast sung and danced such numbers as Any Old Iron and Beside the Seaside with great energy, enthusiasm and quality.
The audience went home happy after two and a half hours - nearly a thousand pounds was raised for Friends of St Mary's and they had been entertained by a group of highly-talented young people. There were no 'stars' in this show - every performer was exceptionally strong - they looked good, were well-rehearsed and clearly enjoyed entertaining their audience. When are we going to get an encore?!
Source: Focus, May 2008
Eaton Bray Lower School: Top Marks!
The opening paragraph from the OfSTED inspection report, after their October 2007 visit, said this about EBLS:
Please come and visit our friendly village school. Phone 01525 220468 or see our website.
Coming Soon: EBLS Nursery with extended School provision and wraparound care in a modern, light, environmentally-aware building - due to complete Spring 2008 - please call at the school (01525 220468) to find out more.
Source: Focus, May 2008
The Law and Where You get Married
The press recently featured a controversy which has arisen in a village in Surrey over the Rector's insistence that marriages can be conducted in church only where one (or both) of the parties is either resident in the parish or a regular worshipper in the church and on the (church's) Electoral Roll. In this he is simply observing the requirements of English Civil Law, and his bishop has said "You cannot criticize someone for keeping the law".
There have recently been changes in the regulations governing where a civil marriage ceremony can take place, but no change has yet been made in the laws governing church marriages. Changes are proposed which will broaden the qualifying categories, but until the necessary legislation is passed, the requirement remains for a church wedding that at least one party to the marriage must actually live in the parish or be a regular worshipper whose name is on the Electoral Roll. The one exception to this is marriage on the authority of a Special Licence (issued on the authority of the Archbishop), in applying for which an active and long-standing association with the church in question has to be demonstrated.
I hope this clarifies the issue for all parishioners.
-- MALCOLM E. GRANT (Vicar)
Source: Focus, May 2008
Council tax shocker
Bills in the local area total far more than neighbouring Luton, figures show.
People who live inside South Beds District Council's boundaries are stung far more in council tax bills than almost anywhere else in the country, new figures have shown.
On average, people in Band D homes in Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Eaton Bray and the surrounding villages pay £200 more each year than their counterparts in neighbouring Luton.
South Beds trails just Sedgefield Borough Council and Rutland County Council for the dubious honour of being the country's most heavily-taxed local authority area.
The average bill for each Band D property in the district is £1,593, compared to £1,293 in Luton.
This week the Taxpayers' Alliance, which campaigns for public sector efficiency, called on authorities at the top of the list to be more prudent.
But South Beds District Council and Beds County Council have defended themselves against allegations of wastefulness.
For the latest news from Eaton Bray and beyond, get the Dunstable Gazette every Wednesday and make a daily date with Dunstable Today.
Source: Dave Burke, Dunstable Today, 1 May 2008
Eaton Bray Cricket Club
The close season activities of quiz nights, race evenings, trips to London and Towcester race course do not compare with the real thing. The real thing started again on 18 April. Yes, it's the cricket season and summer has finally returned.
Naturally when the members of Eaton Bray Cricket Club opened-up the pavilion in April there was snow laying on the outfield. Not wishing to enter the whole debate on climate change, but, haven't the seasons shifted? Aren't the seasons getting later?
Well, the cricket 'season' is not getting later. The club started on the third weekend in April and league season started after a further two weeks.
The Club competes in the Morrants Four Counties League, loosely based around Milton Keynes. Since its inception in 2000 the Club has a good record having been champions three times and runners-up twice. However it has not won the title for the past two years.
The second team competes in the third division of the same league and should have a good season with Darren Kerins in charge, and with the return of veteran swing bowler Georgie Coughtrey. Georgie played in the Sunday friendly team last season and missed the competitive edge of league cricket.....and a beer on a Saturday night!
Within the bounds of village cricket, the Club is quite progressive. It is always looking to improve its facilities and membership. This year it plans to buy a new, second-hand roller. This will allow the pitch to be prepared to an even higher standard! It is also on the look-out for new players; young and old (not too old!). If you fancy getting involved please contact Ian Jones. MJ
Home Fixtures for May:
- Saturday 3 Whitchurch
- Saturday 10 Olney Town
- Saturday 17 Drayton Parslow
- Sunday 18 Mentmore
- Saturday 24 Milton Keynes
- Saturday 31 Milton Keynes City
Source: Focus, May 2008
Cricket: Close but not quite for Bray
Eaton Bray got their 2008 league season off to a solid start on Saturday with a winning draw at Aspley Guise. Bray were asked to bat first and survived some good early bowling from Aspley Guise in reaching 254-3, declaring with an over to go. Wes Hosking made a typically flamboyant 64, Paul Harris a good 41 and James Flecknell made an excellet 105 not out taking advantage of some tired bowling and hogging a large portion of the strike along the way.
Bray bowled tidily, but struggled to create chances on a track that offered little assistance to the bowlers. Aspley's Batsmen batted sensibly, and a comfortable draw looked the likeliest outcome. An excellent 2nd spell from Gary Ellerton and the carrott of an extra batting point for Aspley brought the game very close to a Bray victory. Aspley had 2 balls to survive with 1 wicket left, but held out for the draw.
The game was played in good spirt between the 2 teams, and we look forward to the return fixture back at Eaton Bray.
Source: Eaton Bray Cricket Club