full April Bulletin - Biggleswade Rugby Club

16 BULLETIN APRIL 2012 TEL: 01234 834700 EDITORIAL: editorial@biggleswadebulletin.co.ukPotton to Celebrate the Queen’s Diamond JubileePOTTON will join in with the restof the country to celebrate theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee in June.St Mary’s Church is organising afull programme of events over theweekend of June 2nd to 4th.Running all weekend in StMary’s Church, there will be aFlower and Arts Festival and adisplay by Potton History Societywhich will depict 60 Years of theQueen’s reign. Many local clubsand societies will be contributingto this display which promises tobe unique and very colourful.All the other events will takeplace on St Mary’s Church Field,or in the marquee on the field, orin the Church Hall. Pam Rhodeswill open the Church Fete, thefirst major event, on Saturdayafternoon starting at 2.00pm. Thiswill be traditional fete with aFancy Dress competition, facepainting, bouncy castle, TeddyBear parachuting from the churchtower, plus many other stalls andattractions and the big event of theafternoon, The Great Potton BakeOff baking competition. Therewill also be a special guestYour local cleaningcompanyHOMEBRIGHTFully vetted andinsured cleaners ataffordable rates■ Weekly house cleans■ One off spring cleans■ Ironing serviceCall Angela for aFREE quoteOffice 01767 222141Mob 07807 452974appearance by Peppa Pig.In the evening in the Marquee,there will be Choral Concert withmany of Potton’s musical societiesparticipating includingPhoenix ladies Barbershop,Shannon Express Men’sBarbershop, St Mary’s Singersand St Mary’s Church Choir and aspecial guest appearance ofGamlingay Village College Choir.On Sunday the celebrationscontinue with St Mary’s JubileeFamily Service in the marquee at10.30am. It is hoped many peoplewill come along to this celebrationwhich is for families withparticipation from the children.Potton’s Big Sunday lunchfollows at 12.30pm, a roastSunday lunch served in the marquee.Tours of the church towerwill be the concluding item for theafternoon so don’t forget to bringthe camera!In the evening commencing at7.30pm, there will be a BarnDance with the Ivel Valley Band.Barbecue food will be availableand a bar.The final day, Monday June 4,HOMEBRIGHTCARPET &UPHOLSTERYCLEANINGPrompt Reliable &Courteous ServiceWe use the very latestProfessional Equipment givingyou Cleaner Healthier FresherCarpets & UpholsteryAt home or at work● Carpet Cleaning● Upholstery Cleaning● Leather Cleaning● Specialist Spot & StainRemoval● Fully InsuredCall Jim for a FREE quoteOffice 01767 222141Mob 07807 452974will see three major events takingplace. The Royal Ascot Racescommence at 12.30pm withhobby horse races for all ages.Some hobby horses will be availablebut for those bringing theirown, there will be a prize for thebest one and for the best turnedout jockey! The lady with the best,most original hat will also win aprize! During the races, there willbe a Picnic with live music andthis will be followed by Potton’svery own Almost ABBA. There isa Widdershins Puppet Show in thechurch hall at 1.00pm.The final event of the weekendwill be Potton’s Got TalentAuditions starting at 7.00pm. Thisis run in collaboration with theParty on Potton committee and isan introduction to the main eventat the August Bank Holiday..Going on sale soon will be arange of souvenirs for the weekend,details will be on the website.However, there will also be a speciallimited edition pack of PottonTHE RECENT success of ‘WarHorse’ and ‘Birdsong’ has raisedinterest in the era of the First WorldWar, ahead of the centenary of thestart of the conflict in two years’time. The heroes who fought arenow all gone, but there are stillsome living links of other kindshere in Bedfordshire.Although horses were essentialto life in the trenches, they weresoon supplemented by a massivenetwork of light railways, whichtook supplies and men into and outof the battle zones. The tracks wereonly two feet wide--less than halfthe width of main-line railways--but they were no toys.Small steam engines were used,but they were easy targets forenemy fire, and so internal-combustiontechnology, specificallypetrol engines, got a big boost. Oneof the largest producers of petrolpoweredlocomotives for the WarDepartment was the Motor Rail &Tramcar Company, whose factoryin Bedford produced hundreds ofexamples.After the war, some of the surplusstock was sold to the leightonBuzzard light Railway, whichopened in 1919 to carry sand fromthe quarries north of the town, soBrewery Beers. Each of the fourbottles in the pack will have aspecial label covering a period ofthe Queen’s reign with a picture ofHer Majesty to match the period.These will be a real collectorsitem and will cost £50 a pack. Thenumber to be produced is 100.Full details on how to order willalso be on the website. Un-numberedsingle bottles with commemorativelabels will also be onsale throughout the weekend.Tickets will be available atTysoes and Camerons, both inPotton Market Square, or byphoning 01767 260782 or emailbobsmith.cam@virgin.net andthere is a bargain Diamond Ticketwhich will cover most of theevents. Watch out for posteradvertising with full details. Fulldetails will also be shown on thewebsite: www.pottonjubilee.org.ukThe programme may besubject to change, please see websitefor up to date information.Bedfordshire’s IronWar Horsesrelieving pressure on the localroads. Armour-plated petrolenginedlocomotives could be seenhauling sand trains until the 1950s,when they were replaced by moremodern designs.Fast-forwarding to the presentday, most of the former sand railwayis now operated as a non-profitworking museum, with a collectionthat includes several MotorRail machines, pride of placegoing to a pair of First World Wararmour-plated examples.Also resident on leightonBuzzard’s narrow-gauge railway isWar Department No 778, a steamlocomotive built in the USA for theBritish forces in 1917. The onlyone of its kind in the UK in workingorder, it is scheduled to haulpassenger trains on Easter Sundayand Monday, 8th and 9th April.Fun for all the family!THIS year Sue Ryder areholding their first Woofs andWellies event at TheShuttleworth Collection inOld Warden on Sunday 27thMay 2012 at 11am. This istheir newest edition to theevents calendar and a first ofits kind in Bedfordshire.