PARISH CHURCHES - WEEKLY SET SERVICES & EVENTS:
All are welcome at any of our Services.

Morning Prayer will be said at 8.30 am at St John’s Barnack on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday at 7.00am.
A Service of Prayer for Peace and Justice will be said in St Mary’s Bainton at 9.00am on Tuesdays, followed by coffee.
Prayer Group: Mondays 6.00pm Ufford Church
Children’s Church: Children’s Church meets on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Sun of every month, during the service. Children of all ages are welcome.
Family Services: A Family Service is held in St John’s Barnack on every 3rd Sunday. This service is specially for families and their children and is not a communion service.

Change to Collectors for Parish News
Please could all contributions for the Parish News be emailed direct to the editor (on the email at the back of the magazine) rather than to village collectors. Anyone who does not have email may still post contributions through the door of the village collector, but all emails should be sent to the editor direct please. Thank you. Lisa

Barnack Church Notes
A Happy New Year to you all.
It is a while since we up-dated you regarding progress on the Open Door Project – the installation of a toilet and servery in the church.
Thank you to everyone who has made a donation or who has been involved in fund-raising; we now have £17016 in the kitty, a fantastic achievement. We still have £33,000 to raise, so 2010 will be another active year.
So far, we have completed some of the preparatory work, involving re-locating the oak cupboards at the back of the church, repairing the plaster-work and applying new lime-wash finish to the repaired walls. We are now looking at ways of lime-washing the whole church, which has not been undertaken for many years.
We have also started to improve the crèche area, and Children’s Church teachers are working hard to create a well-equipped and welcoming space.
You may have noticed that the bells have been rung for every service over Christmas, thanks to the commitment of the band of ringers – ten members at present. Stuart McCarey is now organising the next tutoring group; if you are interested in joining, please ring him on 740854, or e-mail stuart@mccarey.plus.com.
In February, we will be saying good-bye to our Priest-in-charge, Canon Margaret Venables. Having extended her ministry from last July, she will be retiring, which will leave the benefice interregnum. However, Margaret will be conducting services occasionally in future, together with Rev Haydn Smart, who has also agreed to help.
The Archdeacon, who is responsible for local church organisation, has asked all the benefice to consider amalgamation with Helpston and Wittering. By re-organising in this way, our interregnum could be made shorter, and the new minister could be resident in the Barnack rectory. We will keep you informed of any further developments.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to Margaret for her hard work, inspiration and pastoral care during her incumbency. We wish her health and happiness in her retirement.
Petrina and June (churchwardens)

Buttercross Club
The Granary was a-buzz with festivity last month when the Buttercross Club’s Xmas party merged with Bainton Pub Night for the first time. The array of food provided for the buffet was mouth-watering and the mulled wine was greatly appreciated by all. Our thanks go to Kitty Hardy and the girls from King’s School choir who led the carols and to Sheila and Michael Bratley for kindly providing the venue.
Our AGM will be held on Wednesday, 3rd February; also Fiona Hardy will be giving us an insight into the preparation needed to run a marathon, from her extensive experience in long-distance running and walking. JJ

Village Ladies’ February 010
We hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
Our next meeting will be January the 26th and we have a member of staff from
Shaws Coaches talking about visits, holidays and experiences, please feel free to come and join us, we meet at Ufford Village Hall at 7-45 pm.
On Tuesday the 23rd of February we hope to go for a lunch-time meal at the Lady Anne’s hotel in Stamford, the time will be 12-15pm for 12-30pm,we will be taking names of those interested at our January meeting.
Tuesday the 23rd of March is our AGM however we try to keep it as short as possible to allow for a speaker, this year we have another visit from the East Anglian Air Ambulance which has been our charity for 2009/10 and we will present them with a cheque for approximately £300, A big Thank You to speakers, members and visitors who all contributed so generously to our cause, The meeting will start at 7-45pm at Ufford Village Hall, guests are most welcome.

RSPCA Blanket Collection Thanks
Thanks to everyone who left blankets by my back door, I had an overwhelming response and they were very gratefully received by the RSPCA. They thank the people from Barnack who kindly donated. Laura Woollard

February Quiz.
Why don’t you and seven of your friends come along and put your general knowledge to the test on Saturday 27th February, at the Village Hall, 7.30pm, quiz starts at 8pm. Bring your own drinks and refreshment. Tickets £5.00 per person available from Tessa Jackson on 740127, Proceeds go towards new equipment for the children’s corner in St John Baptist Church, Barnack. If you can’t make up a team, but would like to come along we will match you up on the night.

Barnack Bowls Club
The winners of the January draw were:
No 1 Ann Butland £25
No 68 Bill Harris £15
No 11 Robin Logue £10

Barnack Methodist Chapel
Our first Coffee Morning of 2010 will be held on Saturday, 6 February at the usual time of 10 am to 11 am and we very much hope to see you there.

A Message from Sheila Dalton:
A rather belated thank you to all the kind people who sent me Get Well Cards and good wishes after I fell and broke my hip. I am pleased to say I am making a good recovery and hope to be out and about again when the weather improves.

Doreen Rice
Alan Rice and family would like to thank everyone who has supported us recently after the sad loss of Doreen. It was a real help to know that so many people were thinking of us and were there for us. We received so many lovely messages and we have some lovely memories.

Working Together for Wildlife
Can you believe it is only 4 months since that inspirational “Bugs Life” evening at Barnack? Think back to that long, sunny autumn when we marvelled at all the berries in the hedgerows and wondered why we saw so few birds in our gardens. They certainly came back to us in January!
The parishes in Barnack Ward will continue to co-operate to create wildlife corridors within and between the villages and will send out details of a workshop day, another evening meeting and hedge and verge surveys in due course. Suggested projects which you could start now include:
1. Make a list of all the different kinds of birds you have seen in your garden each month. The children might also like to help us with this. Please include your name, age if you are still at school, and the name of your village. Send all lists at the end of each month to Frieda, friedagosling@yahoo.co so that a summary can appear Parish News.
2. In due course, make a list of the butterflies you see each month, and if possible their food sources.
3. Try to set aside a patch of your garden for wildlife.
4. Let your parish council representative know if you would like to take part in next summer’s surveys. After initial training to co-ordinate the work, each group of volunteers will be able to decide exactly when and how often they do their surveys. The number of volunteers and the amount of time they can offer will determine what we can achieve in each parish.
We would like to hear from you, particularly about your gardens. Please share your experiences.
To achieve all our aims we need your ongoing support. Please contact your parish councillors with further suggestions or offers of help.
Ashton and Bainton: Zena Coles 01780 740550 Barnack: June Woollard 01780 740276 Helpston: Syd Smith 01733 252903 Southorpe: Nick Lodge 07836 514675 Ufford: Frieda Gosling 01780 740343

Fair Trade Sunday
Both Barnack and Bainton Parish Churches have recently pledged to become Fair Trade churches – this means we will only serve fairly traded tea and coffee and will support Fair trade whenever possible as well as educating ourselves about Fair trade. To this end we will have a speaker at our Services on 7th February who will also answer questions. Anyone not a regular church member is more than welcome to attend at Bainton at 9.00 am or Barnack at 10.15 am.
Well Done Peter Farrer!
A few inches of snow and it is a good excuse to give up: schools close, roads become impossible, the trains stop; yet every week day Peter delivers our papers without fail, all before dawn. Well done Pete. Roger Browne
60’s & 70’s Disco
Barnack Village Hall 7.30pm on January 30th. Tickets are £6 to include light refreshments. Available from the PO
Friends of Barnack Church
Congratulations to all those who were successful in the End of Year/Christmas Draw. The winners were as follows:
£100 No. 126 Mr. A. Knight
£50 No. 168 Mr. R. Graham
£50 No. 9 Mrs. M. Creswell
£50 No. 129 Mrs. E. Venables
£50 No. 14 Mrs. G. Bunce
£5 No. 116 Mrs. L. Pollock
£20 No. 30 Mr. C. Fotheringham
£10 No. 1 Mrs. A. Butland
£5 No. 63 Mrs. V. Kettleborough

Barnack W.I.
The committee regrets that we had to cancel the January meeting because of the icy weather. As many of you will know, the car park at the Village Hall was more suited to the skills of Torvill and Dean than to us mere mortals, and our speaker had to travel from Bourne. We very much hope that the February meeting can go ahead as planned and look forward to seeing you all on Feb 9th. Please try to renew your membership on that evening. The subscription for 2010 is £29. If at all possible could you pay by cheque? This will make life easier for our hard working treasurer. Thanks. Liz Young.

Barnack Darby & Joan Club -
Members enjoyed their Christmas Lunch at Ketton Sports complex when they were entertained by Stamford U3A Singing for Pleasure Group. Presentation of the Cups for points scored in the competitions was made by Mr. John Bird. The Betty Warters Cup was won by Mrs. E. Hudson and winners of the other two cups were Mrs. R. Porter and Mrs. I Briggs. The first meeting of 2010 will be held on Wed, 10th February 2.0 p.m. at the Acres. New Members welcome.

Reading Room Celebrations.
A great weekend is being arranged to celebrate our centenary on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 21st, 22nd and 23rd May. More details later - watch this space. Over many years one of the social events held in the Reading Room was a Whist Drive. The late Mrs. Scott Ward held these on a regular basis to raise money for Stamford Hospital. Her son Bob continued organising these for many years for Reading Room Funds and various Charities. The Christmas Drive was the highlight of the year in Bainton.
The Committee are, therefore, reinstating the Whist Drive (one night only) and on Friday, 16th April a Progressive Whist Drive will be held in the Reading Room. More details will be give in the next issue.

PARISH COUNCIL

Annual Servicing of gas appliances.
Barnack Parish Council would like to remind home owners to service their gas appliances annually. There is a danger that if this is not done, the appliance could emit carbon monoxide, as recently experienced by a local resident.

Ufford Parish Council Meeting Jan 12th
1. Speeding traffic through the village continues to cause concern. Residents may be interested to see the analysis of speeds recorded by the police at the Walcot Road and Marholm Road ends of the village, currently displayed on the notice board. Negotiations are on-going with PCC about funding for speed sensitive lights.
2. Complaints have been received about the irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to foul the footways and verges. Dog waste is unsightly, offensive and potentially dangerous, especially to children. The quantity has increased over the last few months, especially on Walcot Road and on the hill. There are 7 rubbish bins in the village, including one specifically for dog waste on the playing field. There are reminders on all the lamp posts in the conservation area that fouling by dogs is illegal. The message is Bag It and Bin It. Please don’t just leave the bag for someone else to pick up!
3. This season’s hedge planting on King Street and Langley Bush Road was finished before the December snow. One more day’s work after the thaw should complete the planting on Marholm Road.
4. We are looking for some volunteers to organise a fete of some kind this coming summer. This will be included on the agenda of the next UPC meeting, which will be on Tuesday, February 9th at 7.30pm at Ufford Village Hall.

Bainton and Ashton Parish Council
Your councillors are Coun C. Agnew (Chair), tel. 740007, Andy Totten (740381), Judith Morrice (740865) Zena Coles (Ashton) (740550) and Jane Franks (740004)
Apart from Coun Franks who was ill, all councillors attended the meeting on 5th January together with 5 members of the public. Everyone deserved a medal for getting there on a wretched night. Highlights included fantastic progress with the allotments which are now virtually up and ready to use. A bit of tidying will be done when the weather is better and a rabbit proof fence will be put up: the next news will be vast quantities of vegetables growing on a piece of land previously unused. In February we plan to replace the rusty fence in the children’s playground with a willow tunnel! This idea came from village children and experts will come in February to instruct any village children interested in how to plant and maintain it. If you are still at school and want to be involved please come along- you will then be able to call it yours! A note telling you the date will be put up on the notice board- or ask the Franks girls. We were successful in getting a grant for this and also a selection of wildlife-friendly plants in the boxes in the playground. It’s going to look great! The pilot weight restriction order on the B1443 seems to be working well and Highways Dept at Pboro City Council will make a decision shortly on keeping it. If you want to offer an opinion please contact them soon. The only sad note came from our Chairman who forewarned that he would be retiring at the AGM in May. Chris Agnew has diligently served all us villagers in B&A for many years in this capacity and if you see him please pat him on the back. Next meeting is on Friday 19th March.

Wanted- a Parish Councillor For Bainton and Ashton
A vacancy has arisen for a Parish Councillor at Bainton and Ashton. Although a voluntary role, the rewards of serving your local community are tremendous. Meetings are held every two months, but most councillors get actively involved in village matters on a regular basis. Full training can be given. Applications should be sent to Tony Gowers. Parish Clerk, at 1, Bainton Gardens, Bainton, Stamford. PE9 3AW. If you wish to talk over the implications of the job please ring Tony on 740097 or talk to any of the councillors.

Barnack Parish Council
The meeting held on Monday 11 January 2010 in the Wilfrid Wood Hall was attended by Mrs J Woollard (Chairman), Mr E Barker, Mrs S Berrill, Mr H Brassey, Mrs D Dolby, Mr D Roxburgh, Cllr D Over, PC N McCallum, 2 members from Peterborough City Council and Mrs R McCallum (Parish Clerk).
Contact has been made with Alice Kershaw regarding the repair of the dry wall between the churchyard and Manor Field. David Wilson Homes has delayed the start of the building on Uffington Road until June/July due to the translocation of the lizard. The 106 agreement money will not paid until work begins on site. Peterborough City Council have been asked to attempt to solve this problem. To date, the Sports Pavilion Fund Raising Committee has raised £21000, with further events planned. Trees will be planted on the B1443 by Peterborough City Council, and some English hardwood trees have been ordered for Uffington Road for planting in the autumn. Replacement hedging for Uffington Road has been ordered for where a hedge had been removed in the past. This will be planted as soon as the weather allows. The chairman asked the councillors to consider planting specimen trees on both sides of the road at each entrance to the village to accentuate the fact that traffic is entering a village in the hope that this would help to reduce the speed of traffic. Officers from PCC planning department attended to consult with the council on their proposed plans for the development of the site in Puddingbag Lane, Pilsgate. Having listened to the comments further plans will be drawn and submitted for planning approval. The Budget Precept for 2010/11 were approved. Cllr Over confirmed that Peterborough City Council is buying the Peterborough football ground, which will mean the whole of the South Bank area will be owned by them. A university is expected to be built as part of the development. The gritting of the B1443 and Main Street has kept the centre of the village accessible. The Parish Council will apply for salt bins to be placed around the village. PC McCallum reported that there had been 29 crimes reported during 2009 for Barnack and Pilsgate. The next Rural Neighbourhood Panel meeting will be on Wednesday 10 February 2010 at 7.00 pm at the Bainton Reading Room. A further request will be made for the repair of the street light in Canon Drive/Saxon Road. The next meeting will be on Monday 8 February 2010 at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall. All are welcome. A full copy of these minutes are on the village notice boards.
A full list of Barnack Councillors and their contact numbers appears on the Parish News website: parishnews-online.co.uk.

The Problem of Uninsured Motorists

Sean Rowcliffe of Hegarty Solicitors identifies the problem area of uninsured motorists and points out that there is something you can do in the event of an accident.
A recent change in legislation has highlighted a significant problem for road users in our region, namely the ever-increasing number of uninsured motorists on our roads. Present estimates suggest as many as two million motorists are driving around the roads of the UK without a valid insurance policy. This represents approximately 6.5% of the driving population. The chances of being hit and injured by an uninsured driver are increasing every year.
The government have recently announced a change in legislation meaning that it will now be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive without cover. The measure has been announced recently by the Road Safety Minister Mr Paul Clark.
Many drivers believe that they are powerless if they are injured as a consequence of the actions of an uninsured motorist but they are in fact still able to present a claim by presenting an application to the Motor Insurers Bureau. The procedure is a little more complicated than presenting a claim against an insured motorist with more procedural requirements but the victim can still be properly compensated says Solicitor Sean Rowcliffe of Hegarty LLP. “I have noticed a significant increase in claims involving uninsured motorists in recent years. Many clients feel powerless but I am able to advise them how to present a claim”.
Clients are often pleased to find that after they are compensated the Motor Insurance Bureau have the right to recover the damages paid and any costs from the “guilty” motorist in full which provides a timely reminder to those who are tempted to drive on our roads without a valid insurance policy.
All uninsured drivers face consequences when they are caught, including 6 penalty points as a minimum (they can even be disqualified), a £200 fixed penalty fine and their vehicle can be seized by the police. If their vehicle is taken they would have to pay £150 plus a car pound fee to recover the car and provide proof of valid insurance in order to have the vehicle returned.
It is hoped that with these new measures we will see fewer and fewer uninsured drivers on our road but if you have been injured and are the victim of an uninsured driver please do not hesitate to contact Sean at Hegarty Solicitors in Peterborough who can advise on the presentation of a claim.
Sean can be contacted on 01733 295638 or at sean.rowcliffe@hegarty.co.uk