“Fraud takes away money that should be spent on public services,” says Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, Lead Cabinet Member for Resources at South Cambs District Council.

“This is not just a problem for specialist teams to solve. The more of us who know what to look out for, the harder we make it for fraud to succeed.

“Fraud can affect anyone, regardless of age or background. Scammers are becoming increasingly convincing, often impersonating trusted organisations or creating a sense of urgency to pressure people into making decisions quickly.

“International Fraud Awareness Week is an important opportunity to remind residents to stay vigilant, think carefully before sharing personal information, and report suspicious activity immediately.”

Raising awareness of scams

Tackling fraud requires action on multiple fronts. Alongside raising awareness of scams, the District Council’s Corporate Investigation Unit works year-round to prevent, detect and investigate fraud against council services and public funds. Between April and September 2026, the team carried out:

• 138 checks to help prevent fraud and ensure accurate information is provided for council services. These included checks on housing applications, grant scheme eligibility and other council service applications.

• 144 checks on identification documents submitted in support of applications and service requests. The council uses specialist software to verify document authenticity, helping to prevent fraud and ensure services are accessed appropriately.

• The first case of tax levy avoidance was reported for investigation.  This is where a person owns two properties and claims that both homes are occupied to avoid paying an empty home levy.

Residents can play an important role in tackling fraud, both by reporting suspected fraud against council services and by protecting themselves from scams.

Suspected housing fraud (including empty homes), council tax fraud, procurement fraud, Right to Buy fraud and grant fraud can be reported online to the authority via the council’s online link for further investigation.

Protecting against scams

For advice on protecting against scams – such as phishing emails, text message scams, investment fraud, romance scams, doorstep crime and fake delivery notifications – residents are encouraged to:

• Stop and think before parting with money or personal information.
• Be cautious of unexpected phone calls, emails or texts.
• Never click on suspicious links or download attachments from unknown sources.
• Check that organisations are genuine by contacting them through official channels.
• Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication where possible.

Further information

For further information and support, anyone who believes they have been targeted by fraud should report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, and contact their bank immediately if they think their financial details may have been compromised.

Alternatively visit Take Five to Stop Fraud, a national campaign which empowers individuals and businesses to confidently challenge suspicious activity and protect themselves from fraud and scams.

Visit the Friends Against Scams website, a National Trading Standards initiative which inspires action, highlights the scale of the problem, changes perceptions of why people become scam victims and make scams a community, regional and national topic.

The Metropolitan Police has compiled The Little Book of Fraud to help people spot scams and know what to do if they think they have uncovered a scam or been scammed themselves.

_{Post created by Peter Mann from a press release provided by SCDC, 12th November 2026.}

Many topics were covered, most of which are mentioned below, but everyone present…

Expressed a firm desire to see St James’ Chapel of Ease building survive and flourish and were prepared to offer their services to the Friends of St James.

We concluded with three main action areas:

1.  Getting a clear idea of remedial works required and their costs and sources of grants.
2.  Raising awareness of St James’.
3.  Considering uses of the place other than for worship.

Action 1 – administration

Ann Davis (Gamlingay and Hatleys PCC), Ben Hewlitt, Michael Erlebach, Micky Astor and Peter Mann were prepared to be officially named as Friends and to focus on this item.

Action list:

A.  Draw up a constitution for the Friends.
B.  Officially secure an architect.
C.  Approach the Diocese to understand how and where to apply for grants, including sponsorship.
D.  Detail the first phase of remedial works.

There is a degree of chicken and egg in that to achieve ‘D’, some initial funding is required.

After the event it was established by Ann there is some ‘pump priming’ money available in the Hatley Restoration fund (also available for marketing?), which is great news.

Action 2 – marketing

Alex Freaks, Amy Jones, Sue Parish and Sebastian Kindersley said they would help with this.

Action list:

A.  Produce a pamphlet about St James’ and its plight, including its part of a circular walk involving neighbouring churches.
B.  Consider and develop ideas on sponsorship.
C.  Contact the National Churches Trust and the local county Historic Churches Trusts.
D.  Consider and develop marketing and awareness-raising ideas.
E.  Create an on-line campaign and presence.
F.  Having a large sign about St James with a donation bucket at the upcoming 5th November village bonfire event – asking for donations for all such events seems more successful than charging for attending.
G.  Making St James’ church warmer and more welcoming in the winter.
H.  The possibility of having a key rota to open the building during the day.

Action 3 – other uses and events

Alex, Amy, Sue and Sebastian said they would help with this too.

Propose and explore other uses of the building both for low level funding and raising awareness and interest.

Various ideas discussed:

• Organ recitals/lessons (Cambridge colleges, county organ societies), building on the quality of our 1878 Bevington Organ.
• Music recitals.
• Local schools re local history: gravestones, shields, wall inscriptions.
• Art exhibitions – removing the pews would be a major task, but laying wooden sheets across them to mount easels on could be done.
• Small fete.
• Talks.
• Film location (Alex).
• Building on the popularity of the Carol service, Christingle, Easter service, family gatherings.

I am sure I haven’t covered all the suggestions which were made – e.g. for ecclesiastical reasons, weddings for those not in the community are not allowed.

Also, other people present, and some unable to attend, expressed interest in helping with all of the above; there is no demarcation implied between the groups’ activities as written here.

• Please get in touch with the various groups or myself if you want to help.
• The next meeting will be another social gathering on a Friday night, during mulled wine season, pre-Christmas.

How all this started

On 4th September 2026, Micky Astor wrote…

We have a beautiful historic building in the church at Hatley St George.

It is officially called the Chapel of St James the Greater – it is listed Grade II*, which makes it quite particular.

But it needs support if it is to endure, for there are issues with the condition of the building.

As the Revd Hilary Young retired at the end of July, the church is without a vicar and likely to remain so for maybe 18 months, or longer.

Roof boss in Hatley St George’s church. There are eight in all, four pairs of male and female.

And, as the last two quinquennial inspections have indicated, the church needs some work to stop further deterioration:

• The drains on the south side need sorting out to start reducing the damp problem.
• To establish what needs to be done in the tower, a safe ladder and landing system needs to be installed to gain access to the various floors.

I had a meeting in the church recently with Hilary, Ann Davis, the churchwarden of St Mary’s, Gamlingay, Samuel Pedlar of Ely Diocese and an architect friend, who knows a lot about historic buildings – he was impressed with the state and quality of the church and immediately suggested some things which could be done locally.

What to do?

One of the shields of the St. George family in Hatley St George’s church.

It was agreed there are grants available for such work, but the grantors need to be convinced there is a group of people who will continue to care about the church, both now and in the future.

With a very dwindling congregation, and no vicar, this is currently not the situation.

My aim is to see if we can muster such a group, who will befriend the church and help it as a building to continue and flourish.

I say as a building, for I believe it can be cared for by those who are not necessarily religious, but who do care about such an historic – and local – landmark.

Friends of St James?

I have had my fill of committees and so would propose a loose association, perhaps the ‘Friends of St James’.

We would have to work with Ann, in liaison with the Gamlingay and Hatleys Parochial Church Council (PCC) as it is officially responsible for the church.

A piece of good news is that Stephanie Norris, the architect who did the last quinquennial inspection, is willing to be involved.

This is important as any work done by a local group (e.g. looking for drains on the south side) must be done under the guidance of an appropriate architect, and she knows the church.

Click here for our Hatley St George’s church photo gallery

The church’s address is The Chapel of St James the Greater, Main Street, Hatley St George, Cambridgeshire, SG19 3HP. A key to open the church is available from the farmhouse opposite.

Use this link for more about the history of Hatley St George’s church.

_{Post created: 4th September 2026; updated 28th September 2026.}

By Peter Mann

There is banking hub in Royston.

It is located at 4 Kneesworth Street, Royston, SG8 5AA – Royston branch.

The hub, pictured – click on it for a larger version – is open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. In addition to cash transactions, a community banker service will also be available – but if all you want is cash, Hatley post office is handier.

The banking hub is owned by Cash Access UK and operated by the Post Office. Each hub has a counter where you can access cash services whenever the hub is open and whoever you bank with:

• Pay in cash (notes and coins) and cheques.*
• Withdraw cash (notes and coins).*
• Check your balance.
• Pay utility bills.*
• Top up your gas and electricity.*
• Manage your PIN.
• For small businesses, access change-giving services.

* You can also do these at Hatley post office.

There is also a private space where you can talk face-to-face to a community banker from your bank (on the day your bank is in the hub), about more complicated banking issues like payments and transfers, managing your account and how to use online banking.

Address

4 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AA

Opening hours

• Monday,  09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Tuesday,  09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Wednesday,  09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Thursday,  09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Friday,  09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Saturday,  closed
• Sunday,  closed

Community banker availability

• Monday –  Santander, 09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Tuesday – NatWest, 09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Wednesday – Barclays, 09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Thursday – HSBC, 09.00 am to 5.00 pm
• Friday – Lloyds, 09.00 am to 5.00 pm

NB  Community bankers may be unavailable during lunchtime ‘as they take a well-deserved break’.

• Banking hubs – the official website.
• Royston branch.

_{Post created 7th November 2024; checked / updated 7th January 2026.}

Residents are being urged not to dump waste beside charity ‘bring’ banks – the plea comes after South Cambridgeshire District Council fined 24 people for fly-tipping at one site.

SCDC fined 24 people for fly-tipping at the recycling bank in Cambourne Morrisons’ car park. Photo: SCDC – click for a larger image.

The recycling bank area in the Cambourne Morrisons car park, outside Home Bargains, was the subject of repeated dumping involving bags of recycling, rubbish and other unwanted items being left next to the banks when they were full.

Vacuum cleaners, TVs, mattresses, furniture and child seats – none of which could have been recycled via the small banks even if they were not full – were among the items dumped.

Dumping items beside recycling or charity banks is fly-tipping and can result in you being fined or prosecuted, says SCDC.

As a result of the fly-tipping, the banks have been removed, so depriving residents of a local charity recycling facility.

Enforcing the law

Over the past two years, SCDC Envirocrimes Officers took significant enforcement action at the Cambourne site, including issuing:

• 14 fly-tipping Fixed Penalty Notices.
• Eight littering Fixed Penalty Notices.
• Seven warning letters.

The Council has also brought six prosecutions, issued two Duty of Care Fixed Penalty Notices and is investigating a further 11 cases.

SCDC’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, said: “We know people in Cambourne were frustrated by rubbish being left beside these ‘bring’ banks – it is also an issue nationally.

“Most residents use them responsibly, they provide income for good causes, and they’re a convenient recycling option. But leaving items next to full banks or dumping unwanted goods is fly-tipping, which is not acceptable.

“If there is no room in a container, please take your items home and return another day or use a Household Recycling Centre. If they get misused, they’ll be removed as we’ve seen in Cambourne.

“Our officers investigate to identify those responsible wherever possible – and we will continue to issue fines and pursue prosecutions where we can.

“Fly-tipping harms communities and the environment. We will continue to investigate incidents and take action against offenders to protect South Cambridgeshire.”

He added: “Leaving waste beside recycling and charity banks creates an eyesore, can attract further dumping and vermin and places an unnecessary burden on those responsible for maintaining the site.”

Check there’s space!

Residents are asked to check there is space in the bins before depositing items and to take any materials away with them if the containers are full.

Household Recycling Centres across Cambridgeshire can be used to recycle a huge range of items – details are on this page of the Hatley website.

Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping can report it to South Cambridgeshire District Council online.

Unwanted clothes, bedding, shoes and accessories that are still in good condition can often be donated to charity shops, sold through second-hand platforms, given away via local community groups, or passed on through retailer take-back schemes where available.

Across the UK, rising costs and fly-tipping have led many textile recycling operators to reduce the number of collection banks they manage.

See also…

• Fly-tippers – does you mum still clean up after you?
• Someone put a grenade in their blue bin!

_{Post created by Peter Mann from a press release provided by SCDC, 5th October 2026.}

New proposals to keep South Cambridgeshire communities safe include work to prevent exploitation, improve support for those affected by domestic abuse, tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce shoplifting.

The priorities are all in the 2026-2027 Operational Plan for the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership (CSP).

While South Cambridgeshire is widely regarded as a safe place to live, partners are committed to ensuring residents feel even safer. The plan includes:

• Support for people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence
• Targeted work to prevent young people becoming involved in exploitation or serious violence
• Action to address anti-social behaviour hotspots
• Joint initiatives with retailers and police to reduce shoplifting
• Awareness campaigns in schools and communities.

The plan also includes continued work to combat fraud, scams and cybercrime, reduce substance misuse and reoffending, support vulnerable residents and help communities identify and respond to emerging local concerns before problems escalate.

The proposals have been informed by analysis of local crime and community safety data, alongside intelligence and insights from partners.

Targeted work is expected in several areas where data suggests extra support may be needed, including Cambourne, Northstowe, Milton and Waterbeach, Histon and Impington, and Fen Ditton and Fulbourn.

The South Cambs Community Safety Partnership brings together partners responsible for community safety, including South Cambridgeshire District Council, the police, health services, probation, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Cambridgeshire County Council and voluntary and community sector organisations.

Together, they work to reduce crime, disorder, substance misuse and reoffending, while helping residents feel safe in their communities.

Recently, the CSP has worked to implement Public Space Protection Orders at the Milton and Babraham Road Park and Ride sites to combat anti-social driving issues.

It also ran a series of court experience days to provide knife crime and criminal justice system awareness to year nine students – with 120 young people attending during the last year and more events planned this year.

Elsewhere, following research into effective interventions for young people, the CSP partnered with Public Health to contribute funding to the Skill Mill project – which aims to support young people away from offending and into training or employment.

As the accountable body for the Partnership, South Cambridgeshire District Council plays a leading role in coordinating its work.

It oversees governance arrangements, commissions an annual assessment to identify priorities, coordinates partnership activities and supports a dedicated Community Safety Partnership Project Officer, funded by Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who works with residents and communities to address local concerns.

Darryl Preston, the Police and Crime Commissioner, added: “Issues such as anti-social behaviour can blight communities and cannot always be solved by policing alone.

“I am pleased to fund the problem-solving co-ordinator role in South Cambs, enabling the CSP to have more capacity to work with local communities and partners on practical solutions to make our communities stronger and more resilient to ASB and disorder.”

Cllr Dr Lisa Redrup, Lead Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “South Cambridgeshire is already a safe place to live, work and raise a family. Our plan for next year focuses on working together to prevent problems before they escalate.

“No single organisation can tackle these challenges alone. The strength of the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership is that it brings together councils, police, health services, probation and voluntary organisations to share information, identify emerging risks and take action together.

“We’re proud to help lead this work and support practical initiatives that make our communities safer, stronger and more resilient.”

The Operational Plan will guide the work of the CSP throughout 2026-2027.

_{Post created by Peter Mann from a press release provided by SCDC, 29th September 2026.}

Current application(s)

• Outline application for the erection of one self-build dwelling on land lying to the north east of 15 East Hatley. The details are on the SCDC website.
• A decision is still awaited – on 31st July, the planning officer emailed the applicant to say ‘Yes, I would be agreeable to you providing the outstanding FRA [flood risk assessment] and confirmation of the route for the newts and agreeing an extension of time to allow you to do this.’ See the ‘Documents’ tab on the SCDC website planning application page for the current correspondence.
• The planning reference number is 26/02181/OUT.
• While the consultation period ended on 13th July 2026 – all comments are normally taken into account right up to when the application is considered.
• Planning application notice.

NB  When originally posted on this website 23rd June, the address on the application is given as ‘West of Moat Farm’.

Kim Wilde, clerk to Hatley Parish Council, queried the application with Heather Williams, our district councillor, because it is a close duplication of land described as ‘Land lying to the north east of 15 East Hatley’ in the application (25/02051/OUT) submitted in May 2025, which was refused on appeal.

Referring to section 70 of the Town and Country Planning Act, Kim was troubled how a development that had been refused by the Planning Inspectorate can be resubmitted so soon and with such small amendments.

To save time wasting, the Act states resubmissions that are ‘substantially the same’ can be denied if it is within two years of a refusal by the inspectorate.

The new application should have been denied, but was missed due to human error at SCDC (possibly understandable, with it being logged as Moat Farm).

• As the process is already under way it now must continue. SCDC understands residents / the parish council may want to just resubmit their previous response, with an updated planning reference number (which the parish council is doing).

Details of all Hatley’s planning applications since 2004 are listed on our planning page.

_{Page created 23rd June 2026; updated 25th September 2026.}

Hatley Parish Council has a vacancy for a parish councillor.

The council comprises five members.

But right now there are only four councillors: Samantha Abbasi (chair), Micky Astor (vice-chair), Harold Nickerson and Al Smith, our newest councillor – sharing the work of five among four puts a tremendous burden on them and Kim Wilde, the parish clerk.

So…

• Do you enjoy living in Hatley?
• Do you want to make a difference?
• Do you wish to serve your community?
• Do you want to help shape the future of Hatley?
• Would you like to provide a voice for residents?
• Are you interested in local current affairs?
• Do the challenges of being a councillor appeal to you?
• If yes, then JOIN THE PARISH COUNCIL!

The post is unpaid and the term of office will run until the next election in May 2030.

As a parish councillor you would be expected to attend parish council meetings, which are held at least four times a year.

To be considered for the vacancy you must be…

• Aged 18 or over.
• An elector.
• A resident or worker based within three miles of the parish during the past year.

Become a parish councillor
and help make a difference

Micky Astor, vice-chairman of the council, says: “In this time when autocracy is challenging democracy around world, it is even more important individuals contribute to our democratic process.

“Standing for the Parish Council does just that – it gives you a chance to help steer our immediate community as we all face the climate and energy crisis and a glimpse into how local government works.

“With the help of experienced members on the council, carrying out the role need not be an alarming or time-consuming process for a new councillor.

“Your community needs the invigoration of new – and especially younger people – on its council, so, please, seriously consider putting yourself forward to becoming a member.”

How to apply

Contact Kim Wilde, the parish clerk, by email – clerk@hatley-pc.gov.uk – for more information about the role or to request an application form.

• A completed application form must be submitted to the parish clerk no later than 5.00 pm on Monday, 12 October 2026.

Applications will be formally received and considered by the council at its Ordinary Meetings, due to be held at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, 20th October 2026 in Hatley village hall.

The meeting will temporarily close to the public while a decision is reached by the council to co-opt a new member.

We look forward to hearing from you.

• About the parish council.

_{Post re-created 17th April 2026; updated 22nd July 2026.}

The Gamlingay Food Project is a partnership between Gamlingay’s two churches – Gamlingay Baptist Church and St Mary’s.

It is run by volunteers from both churches and the wider community – and now it has its own receipt book (pictured): more about it below.

The Food Project

Click here for things to donate and opening times.

The Food Project is based in the Alms Houses’ former chapel in Church Street, opposite the pharmacy – it has two strands: the Need Project Hub and the Community Fridge:

The Gamlingay Food Project in the Alms Houses’ former chapel in Church Street; click for a larger version. Photo: Peter Mann.

The Need Project Hub takes donations from across the community of non-perishable items and provides parcels for those in need as they are referred to the Project.

The Hatley Leave a tin on your drive initiative is a regular contributor – for which the Project is very thankful.

Referrals will come from local partners, schools, children services and social services etc. Parcels are made up on site and delivered to the homes of those referred, as often as once a week and for as long as may be needed.

It works in close partnership with The Need Project in Stotfold and currently supports upwards of 30 households on a weekly basis.

The Community Fridge has a simple aim, to reduce food waste. We do this by taking food that would otherwise be thrown out and wasted from the local Co-Op, M&S in St Neots, Nisa in Potton and few other shops, and give it away free, to anyone, from the Community Fridge (and freezer). We originally set up in partnership with with Cambridge Sustainable Food and Zero Carbon communities to reduce food waste and carbon footprints.

Things to donate

The principle requirement is for food items, such as…

• Cereals
• Tins of…
• • Baked beans
  • Cold meats
  • Custard or rice pudding
  • Fruit
  • Pasta
  • Pasta sauce
  • Tuna
  • Veg – potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, peas

As well as things like…

• Tea
• Coffee
• Squash
• UHT milk
• …and any other non-perishable items, such as toothpaste, tissues and toilet rolls.

When open and where to

The Need Project Hub always welcomes donations, which can be dropped off at the Alms House Chapel when the Food Project is open…

• Monday 2.30 to 4.30 pm
• Tuesday to Friday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon
• Saturday from 9.30 am until the Community Fridge is emptied.

Recipe book

Gamlingay has a new book: the Community Cookbook, published on 5th June 2026 as ‘a celebration of people, generosity and the simple, but powerful act, of sharing food’.

It was developed by Rev Adrian Semerene, Lead Pastor Gamlingay Baptist Church, and Amanda Semerene, his wife, in partnership with Jenny Jeffries, the Little Gransden author of recipe books – and with financial help from South Cambs District Council, which awarded the Gamlingay Food Project a £1,899 grant from its Community Chest to print 1,000 copies.

“The book,” says Adrian, “aims to help households using the Need Project Hub and Community Fridge to make the best use of food parcels through simple, low cost recipes. The featured recipes are by local chefs and community members.”

In addition to the physical printed copies (£10.00 for the 72 page softback edition, with lots of excellent photographs), the book is also available as a PDF download, extending its reach beyond those who rely on food hubs to residents in South Cambridgeshire and a much wider public.

A fuller description of the book is on the Gamlingay Baptist Church website: www.gbchurch.org.uk/cookbook.

If you want to know more about the Gamlingay Food Project or help out in any way, please speak to one of their wonderful volunteers.

_{Post created 15th December 2024; updated 5th June 2026.}

Revd Hilary Young – her last service at Hatley St George’s church, 25th July 2026. Photo by Peter Mann.

In the final (31st July) issue of the St Mary’s weekly newsletter, the Revd Hilary Young (left – click for a larger version), formally priest in charge for our diocese – she retired on 31st July 2026 – offers many ‘thank-yous’, not least to Brenda Elcome who produced most of the newsletters (there are links to copies of all 318 editions below).

The final newsletter also includes a summary of Hilary’s ‘farewell’ service in Hatley St George, complete with our photo of her.

A decision on appointing a new vicar to the Gamlingay benefice is some way off – and what form and frequency of any future newsletter is on hold – although a schedule of services for the coming months has been announced (including at Hatley St George’s church): please go to ‘Church services in Hatley‘.

Gamlingay’s cookbook is featured right (click for a larger image) – more information on our Food Project post.

• Online giving: St Mary’s Gamlingay carries the financial commitment for the Hatleys, which is incorporated into the parish; your donation goes to the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Gamlingay with Hatley St George and East Hatley.
• A video about Greensands Country, which includes St Mary’s, Gamlingay.
• Just another Sunday? by the late Norma Hood on her visit to the 2022 Hatley Harvest Festival events.

Click on the graphics below… to download every edition from when the newsletter started on 1st May 2020.

2026

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_{Post created 1st May 2020; updated 31st July 2026.}

In March, the government put out a consultation asking for views on the idea of establishing Greater Cambridge Development Corporation – a centrally-led urban development corporation (UDC).

Its function is to combine Cambridge city and South Cambs as an UDC.

Part of its rationale for creating the UDC was the economic benefit, but the figure it used – Cambridge contributes an estimated £30bn annually to UK Gross Value Added – was rather spoilt by London Economics’ report putting the amount at £13.358bn. It also said the government’s £30bn was the aggregate economic impact of the University of Cambridge, not ‘Cambridge’.

We highlighted this with a ‘Have your say’ news post at the time.

Not surprisingly, as the UDC was planning-centred, South Cambs District Council, our local planning authority, was not impressed and rejected the proposal.

To no avail – the government has announced, through a press release on 2nd June, the formation of a new Development Corporation for Greater Cambridge.

The release does not mention the local authorities, our MP or the consultation survey – which raises the point of whether ‘they’ listen.

Here is the response from SCDC and below from Heather Williams, our district councillor.

Council warns that government’s urban development corporation risks sidelining local communities

South Cambridgeshire District Council has reiterated its serious concern after the government confirmed plans to create a Greater Cambridge urban development corporation – which would hand planning powers from local councils to the new body.

Councillors have restated their opposition, arguing the shift from locally elected authorities to a central government body is wholly unnecessary.

As outlined at the Full Council meeting in March this year, councillors said that while government funding is needed to support Greater Cambridge’s significant infrastructure challenges, this should not come at the cost of local democratic accountability – particularly in an area ranked among the top 10 nationally for delivering new homes and growth.

Although details remain unclear, the government decision, announced on Tuesday 2 June, is expected to remove many developments – currently shaped through local plans and community engagement – from local decision-making, creating the largest corporation of its type.

The centrally led body, following MHCLG consultation earlier this year, would be governed mainly by government-appointed board members rather than local representatives.

Cllr Bridget Smith, Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We’re already one of the top areas in the country when it comes to how fast new homes are being completed. Planning permission for a total of 37,000 new homes has already been granted across Greater Cambridge.

“There’s existing permission for the equivalent of almost 60 football pitches worth of lab and commercial space. The Royal Town Planning Institute say we’ve got the best Planning Service in the country. Removing planning decisions from locally accountable councils risks undermining the very things that make growth successful – local knowledge, community involvement and democratic decision-making.

“In fact, we think this change risks slowing growth down. The real barriers to delivery are not the planning decisions made locally, but delays in key supporting facilities such as water, transport and utilities – where any development corporation should focus its energy and influence.

“The government needs to work in partnership with local councils – not create uncertainty amongst communities and developers about the future of the area.

“The announcement pledges working in partnership with local leaders and communities – none of which has happened since the government’s consultation. We are in the dark as to any details about how the development corporation will operate and frankly, we have more questions than answers.

• Who will be making decisions about planning in our area?
• Will they protect the green belt?
• Will they protect our villages from rogue developers who see an opportunity to submit planning applications which democratically elected councillors would not support?
• Where is the funding for all of the new housing and required infrastructure?
• Did the government listen to any of the feedback in the consultation or was this a ‘done deal’ from the outset?

“This is not my understanding of a partnership and it’s disappointing that after nearly three years of being involved in the growth company project we are responding to a government announcement with so little understanding of what is being proposed.

“When you also consider the emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan, there are already proposals for up to 77,000 new homes and over 100,000 jobs across South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge. These proposals have been shaped by extensive public consultation and robust evidence.

“It is anticipated that the corporation would also replace the councils’ role in preparing Local Plans after the conclusion of the current emerging Greater Cambridge Local Plan. This would mean that, for the next 25 years, decisions about where new homes and jobs come forward across Greater Cambridge would be made by the urban development corporation, rather than by local communities through the councils.”

Heather Williams’ response

Heather Williams, district councillor for Hatley, added: “We support new homes, investment and sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge. What we do not support is the transfer of significant powers from democratically elected councils to an unelected Development Corporation.

“The announcement raises serious questions about accountability, transparency and local democratic control. Residents deserve to know who will be making decisions about development in their communities, how those decisions will be scrutinised, and what powers will be removed from local councils.

“It cannot claim to be simplifying local government through reorganisation while simultaneously creating a powerful new layer of unelected governance.

“Growth must happen with communities, not be imposed upon them.

“This government do not care at all about the residents of South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge. They are only interested in draining every penny they can out of us to bail out their financial incompetence. And be of no illusion once they’ve bled us dry, they will be on to their next victim.

“Unchallenged, this government will ride roughshod over every area of our district. We will be pushing the council to not simply sit back and wait to be told what the government wants – they’ve tried waiting to see what the government thinks, and it hasn’t worked.

“They are not being listened to so it’s time to stop pussy-footing around. It is time to prepare for battle and make it clear to government we will fight them at every turn unless they start putting our residents first not the treasury’s purse strings.

“This is why we are calling on the administration at South Cambs to start preparing for a Judicial Review. No urban development corporation has a place in our villages.

“The government has clearly demonstrated they are clueless when it comes to the countryside, but we are not – it’s time to stand up for the wonderful area we are elected to protect.”

_{Post created by Peter Mann (with no AI assistance): 3rd June 2026.}

Monday, 26th January 2026 brought forth the scaffolders – and the start of the next stage of a new east window for St Denis’ church, East Hatley.

The scaffolding, internal and external, enabled contractors Lodge & Sons to remove (for the second time) the protective boards, put there 20 years ago when the building was saved following over 40 years of neglect.

East window, St Denis’ church from being hidden in 2006 to repaired tracery in 2026. Photos: Peter Mann.

As our composite of photographs (click on it to enlarge the picture), taken in 2006, August 2024 and April 2026 show, the tracery hidden for 18 years by security boards was in poor condition, with pieces of wood acting as braces to hold some of it together has been repaired.

Lodge was appointed by the Friends of Friendless Churches, owners of St Denis’ (the building, not the churchyard*) to repair the window under the guidance of Stephanie Norris, the FoFC’s architect on this project – we are in good hands, for she has overseen all the repairs to the church since the FoFC became its owners in 2016, as recalled in ‘The FoFC acquires St Denis’.

In early February 2026 Lodges’ stonemasons, Stuart Thompson and Ryan Johnson, his apprentice, were on site to assess and ‘measure up’ the tracery – which highlighted an issue all stonemasons dread: the tracery did not line up, there being 25 mm vertical spread across the window caused by over 40 years of neglect between 1959 when the church was closed and 2006 when the major restoration work was completed; as there was insufficient budget at the time to repair the window (indeed, any of the windows or the floor inside), wooden chocks were inserted in the tracery as supports (held with a metal tie to the outer frame) and the whole covered in black plywood security boarding.

Stone, unlike metal, wood or glass, cannot be bent to fit a shape, so the out of kilter masonry created quite a headache for Stuart who resolved it by altering the curves in the tracery sufficiently to allow the cut lines for the glass to line up correctly; it’s unlikely from the ground one can see the differences.

The new stonework, Stoke Ground Base Bed Bath Stone, a hard wearing, light buff/grey and frost resistant limestone, very similar to the stone used by William Butterfield when he restored the church in 1874, was produced off-site. The repairs to the tracery were completed in mid-March and the black plywood security boards replaced by transparent Perspex sheets.

Having finished the stonework, Aidan McRae Thomson, the stained glass artist commissioned by the FoFC, templated the tracery, allowing him to begin working on a full size drawing (or ‘cartoon’) of each section – his key stage prior to selecting the appropriate coloured glasses and cutting them to shape, a process he succinctly describes in his book Stained Glass.

And next? In spring 2027, Aidan will install the new window – and exciting time for us all to look forward to.

Traditional design

St Denis’, East Hatley – proposed design for a new east window by Aidan McRae Thomson. Click the graphic.

The old east window was by Alexander Gibbs, one of the foremost stained glass designers and manufacturers of the late 19th century – and friend of William Butterfield the architect who restored St Denis’ in 1874.

Butterfield was as eminent as Gibbs – it is extraordinary they would want to have bothered with such an out-of-the-way place as East Hatley must have been then. Perhaps any commission was welcome!

Aidan based his design for the new window on the FoFC’s brief – which incorporated comments from the survey we carried out during the Heritage Open Day festival in September 2022 asking for the window to be ‘Victorian-type bright colours like the old window’; he writes…

I have done my best to pay homage to the style of Butterfield and Gibbs, in form, colouring and layout without strictly copying any particular work.

I have as requested depicted the legend of St Denis, though his story is a nebulous one and most accounts simply mention his conversion of Christians and becoming bishop of Paris, and then his martyrdom with two followers under the Emperor Decius and the legend of him carrying his head away after execution to the spot now occupied by the St Denis basilica.

I have thus depicted these episodes in the lower half, on the left his role in drawing converts as bishop, in the centre about to be executed with his two followers (the emperor gives his order to the left, the executioner wields his sword to the right), and in the last panel on the right the famous image of the Saint carrying his head to the site of the present St Denis’ Cathedral.

Above I have depicted Christ surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists, a composition used in many Gibbs / Butterfield windows in prominent positions, and also linking to the similar focus that was in the original window.

In the traceries two angels hold scrolls, while in the smallest above an image of St Denis’s church, East Hatley, cradled by two hands to signify the rescue of the church following its redundancy.

Want to know more? Start here!

Owning a listed building brings with it considerable responsibility – the first and foremost being to look after it… indeed, as St Denis’ is Grade II* (the second highest grading) South Cambs District Council, as owners of the building at the time, was compelled to restore it in the early 2000s, as we recount in St Denis’ is to be saved.

Everything the FoFC has done to the church since it took ownership in late 2016 has been approved by SCDC’s conservation officer, who works within the council’s planning department (now under the auspices of Greater Cambridge Shared Planning – ‘a strategic partnership between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council’).

Here are links to SCDC’s planning pages and other useful key detail regarding St Denis’ new east window:

• Planning application documents for 25/01044/LBC.
• Sketch of tracery repairs.
• Description of the work to be done.

* While the church of St Denis, East Hatley is no longer in use for worship, the churchyard remains consecrated ground, open for burials.

It was in late 2013 when the Trustees of the FoFC first came to look at St Denis’ with a view to adding it to their portfolio of (at the time) nearly 50 churches (it’s now over 60).

Thanks to them (and grants from various public bodies) it is opened every day from around 8.30 am to dusk to look round, to remember or for quiet contemplation.

• Friends of Friendless Churches – website.
• St Denis’ East Hatley – 800 years old: redundant but not abandoned.

_{Post written / created by Peter Mann (without the use of AI), 26th January 2026; updated 28th January and again on 17th April 2026.}

Most of us will heard of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme – it is, after all, one of the most recognisable and long-standing community-led crime prevention initiatives.

And a new group – Gamlingay & Hatley – has been set up for Gamlingay and us in the Hatleys, with a specific Facebook page too.

Since its inception in 1982, Neighbourhood Watch has grown into a nationwide movement comprising millions of volunteers dedicated to making their streets safer and supporting their neighbours.

While the classic yellow signs are a familiar sight, the real benefits of Neighbourhood Watch extend well beyond visible deterrents – at its heart, it is about making communities safer:

• Bringing our community together.
• Neighbours looking out for one another.
• Reassuring the community.
• Reducing crime – and reducing the fear of crime.
• Better connected with the police.
• Favoured by insurance companies.
• Join NHW – it’s free… just follow the 1-2-3 steps below.
• Current Neighbourhood Watch newsletter.

You can belong – how to join

Nigel Stevenson, the Gamlingay and Hatleys Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator. Photo by Peter Mann / Buzz Associates.

Nigel Stevenson (left), who lives in Gamlingay, is the new NHW co-ordinator for the Gamlingay and Hatley’s Neighbourhood Watch scheme – he has taken over from Sue Barrett, who retired in May after many years as the hardworking co-ordinator for NHW locally.

“As Sue always reminded us, our community is best served when we’re all members,” says Nigel.

“All I’d like you to do is to join up – that’s it!

“You don’t have to do anything other than be a member and put the free sticker in your window to show everyone you’re part of the Neighbourhood Watch.

“It’s free, really easy to join and takes about a minute:

1.  Visit the NHW website www.ourwatch.org/find-your-local-nw.
2.  Put your postcode in the search box, click on ‘search’ and a list of local NHW groups will appear – click on ‘Gamlingay & Hatley’.
3.  Scroll down to the link to join the NHW.

“Once you join, I’ll deliver your Neighbourhood Watch sticker. I hope to see you soon.”

You can contact Nigel via…

Email  gamlingay-hatley@outlook.com.
Facebook  Gamlingay & Hatley Neighbourhood Watch.

Police on side, too

Cambs police is putting community safety and local accountability at the forefront of its policing efforts:

• Residents in every neighbourhood now have named police officers dedicated to their area – for us they are…
  • PC James Lynch James.Lynch@cambs.police.uk.
  • PCSO Karen Davey Karen.Davey@cambs.police.uk.

They are the first point of contact for local policing matters, committed to building lasting relationships with residents and community groups.

If you have information you’d like to pass onto the police but don’t want to do it directly, you can email Nigel at gamlingay-hatley@outlook.com who can pass it on anonymously.

Deterring crime

Nigel continues: “The presence of an active Watch is a proven deterrent to crime, from burglary and vandalism to anti-social behaviour

• Criminals are far less likely to target areas where they know residents are vigilant, connected – and proactive.
• Numerous studies have shown that areas with active Neighbourhood Watch groups experience lower rates of crime compared to those without.

“While you are fortunate in Hatley not to suffer a great deal of crime, it’s not something you should ignore – but all crime impacts us when we’re the victims or we know the victims.”

NHW signs and wheelie bin stickers

Nigel is planning to put up Neighbourhood Watch signs around Gamlingay and Hatley, so please let him know if you have any suggestions for where you’d like to see them: gamlingay.hatley@outlook.com.

He has also ordered some wheelie bin stickers – again these are available should you want one for one of your bins: just drop him an email.

_{Post created by Peter Mann on 23rd July 2025; updated 3rd October 2025.}

Do you need help getting to a hospital, your doctor or vaccine appointment?

The Gamlingay and Hatleys Car Scheme provides transport for medical appointments – including vaccine appointments.

Mick Marshall with client. Photo: Peter Mann.

If you have no means of getting to a hospital, or other, appointment, with the help of The Gamlingay and Hatleys Car Scheme, a ‘door-to-door’ trip to Addenbrooke’s, for instance, will cost you £14.00.

If cost is an issue, Hatley Parish Council can help – please contact Kim Wilde, the parish clerk, on 07591 346 835 or email her parishclerk@hatley.info to discuss this further.

To use the scheme, please ring 07519 493 701.

If the phone is unmanned, a recorded message will ask you to leave your name and phone number(s) – the booking coordinator will ring you back as soon as possible.

A journey is not booked until confirmed by the coordinator.

Transport by approved volunteer drivers is organised for anyone who can’t provide their own transport and where public transport is unsuitable or non-existent.

There’s lots and lots more about the scheme on this page.

_{Post created 20th January 2021. Updated 12th October 2026.}

By Peter Mann and Nicola Jenkins

It’s fair to say Hatley is not served well by public transport.

The C2 Thursday bus service to St Neots. Photo: Peter Mann.

Other than the ‘Thursday market day’ C2 service to St Neots (pictured left – click for an enlargement), there are no other direct services.

Full details of the C2 service are on our buses page.

However, in updating this site’s buses page, we noted there’s a regular service from Croydon to Cambridge as well as a service (189 / 190) from Gamlingay to various parts of Bedfordshire – both detailed on the buses page.

Not ideal, of course, but the reality of present day economics – and current subsidies for buses.

Park & Ride – and concessionary bus travel

While Cambridge city is infamous for its high parking charges – they increased by 20p in March 2024 – and dearth of spaces (particularly when compared with Ely, Royston, Saffron Walden, St Ives and St Neots), there are good Park & Ride options – the two relevant to us in Hatley (Madingley Road and Trumpington) are also listed on the buses page.

And it’s worth bearing in mind concessionary pass holders can travel free on most buses, local and national – including the C2, 905, Park & Ride schemes and in London – after 9.30 am until the last bus of the day on Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and public holidays.

Do you qualify? There’s more information on the buses page.

Gamlingay and Hatleys Car Scheme

The Gamlingay and Hatleys Car Scheme, run by local volunteers, will take you to doctors, hospitals and other places. Phone 07519 493 701 to arrange a door-to-door service – there is a modest mileage charge, which will be confirmed when you make a booking. Use this link below for more detailed information.

Links

• Buses page.
• Services 188, 189 and 190.
• Croydon to Cambridge.
• Cambridge Park & Ride.
• Concessionary bus travel.
• Gamlingay and Hatleys Car Scheme.

_{Post created 15th August 2022; checked and updated 14th May 2024.}

By Peter Mann

A rail and ale trail for Hatley? Erm, no… but a new booklet puts a spotlight on using local trains and the walks you can take to village pubs in South Cambridgeshire.

It has been published by the District Council alongside the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership.

The booklet features five stations in South Cambridgeshire – Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Shelford and Whittlesford Parkway – with trails to 16 village pubs, all within a 35-minute walk from the stations.

It details short, picturesque walks you can take from the stations to the local pubs within the area and what is on offer.

Copies are available at all the pubs included in the guide – it can also be accessed online via the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership website.

Community Rail Partnerships

Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “Community rail partnerships and thousands of ‘station friend’ volunteers the length and breadth of Britain are mobilising en masse, engaging local people and partners to raise awareness about sustainable travel by rail and get people enthused about its many benefits.

“They are using the theme ‘More Than A Railway’ to showcase the inspiring work which goes on in community rail, bringing people together and creating more inclusive communities and mobility, as well as the wider socio-economic benefit railways deliver.

“It is a grassroots national movement to improve travel confidence, increase access to opportunities, tackle social isolation, give communities a voice and put railways and stations at the heart of community life, while supporting a shift to sustainable, more social forms of travel, including rail.”

_{Post created 24th May 2024.}

By Peter Mann

St Denis’ church in East Hatley, Cambridgeshire, has won a major ‘Best conservation’ award.

The CFCI award given to St Denis’ church.

The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry (CFCI) runs an annual competition for the best construction projects completed in Greater Cambridge.

These include conservation, alterations or extensions to existing buildings as well as new buildings.

For 2023, there were eight project award categories – and St Denis’ won the Best Conservation, Alteration or Extension of an Existing Building (under £2m construction costs) category.

Architect Stephanie Norris and the FoFC’s Richard Halsey.

Submission for the award was made by Stephanie Norris, the Impington based architect who, on behalf of the Friends of Friendless Churches, has overseen the restoration of St Denis’ since the FoFC took ownership of the church in 2016.

Their work has included a new floor, new windows, repairing the reredos and replastering the nave. On the FoFC’s ‘to do’ list is a new east window. The church was declared redundant in 1959.

Judging panel

The judging panel was chaired by Dame Fiona Reynolds, former master of Emmanuel College Cambridge and former director-general of the National Trust.

Stephanie Norris with the judging panel at St Denis’ on 27th January 2023. Photo by Peter Mann.

The judges’ commented:

“This is a delightful and heart-warming project. St Denis’ church was closed and stripped out in the 1960s and left to become almost derelict, smothered in ivy and structurally unsafe.

“Taken on by the Friends of Friendless Churches and with strong community support, it has finally received the attention it deserved. The church has been transformed, given new life and added value for the local community.

“We found the enthusiasm from and engagement with the local community particularly inspiring, and hope the church will be used for many events now that is has been brought back to life from the very brink.”

Those involved in the restoration of St Denis’ are listed on the CFCI’s website.

• The award is also celebrated on the Friends of Friendless Churches website – which includes some interesting historic photos as well as a reference to the ‘Heritage Heroes of Hatley’…

Open daily

St Denis’ is open daily from around 8.30 am to dusk to look round or for quiet contemplation.

There is much more information about St Denis’ in the churches section of this website.

_{Post created 7th April 2023; extra photos and information added 21st April 2023.}

By Peter Mann

According to the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants, the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds is ‘a collection of wildlife rich ancient woodlands in an area defined for over 1000 years by the old Anglo-Saxon regional divisions known as the Cambridgeshire Hundreds’.

Hatley is in two of the Cambridgeshire Hundreds. Picture source: Wikipedia.

Buff Wood in East Hatley, Hayley Wood in Little Gransden and Gamlingay Wood are three of our local ancient woodlands – Hayley Wood, Gamlingay Wood and other woods (but not Buff Wood) are detailed on the Wildlife Trust’s West Cambridgeshire Hundreds website page.

The latest (March 2024) newsletter has more local detail.

As ever with things ancient, there’s the quirky thing of East Hatley being in the Armingford Hundred and Hatley St George in the Longstow Hundred.

And while Warseley and Great Gransden are local to us, they are in the Toseland Hundred in Huntingdonshire and so, strictly speaking, not part of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds.

Beware – they may be closed!

While currently now open, these woods are having bits closed off at times as part of the Wildlife Trust’s maintenance programme, so if you want to go for a walk in Waresley and Gransden Woods be aware they may be closed; details of what is being done are on the Wildlife Trust’s website).

When that work is completed, the contractors will move to Gamlingay Wood, which may also be closed.

What is a ‘hundred’?

A hundred is an administrative division which is geographically part of a larger region.

Between early medieval times (circa 850 AD) and the 19th century, Cambridgeshire was divided into 17 hundreds, plus the borough of Cambridge. Each hundred had a separate council which met every month to rule on local judicial and taxation matters.

Wikipedia (as you might expect) details the Cambridgeshire Hundreds and the Hundreds of Huntingdonshire.

Exploring the hundreds

Hatley is a great place for wildlife – because there’s such a wide variety of habitats and places where plants and animals live.

And we humans are very fortunate to have so many footpaths and bridleways running to and from East Hatley and Hatley St George.

If you really want to, you can probably make your way from Hatley to almost anywhere in the country via the UK’s unique, extensive and mostly very ancient rural footpaths and by-ways.

There’s much more on this, including ‘definitive maps’ showing all the footpaths and bridleways around Hatley, on our Countryside around Hatley page.

NB  Woods managed by the Wildlife Trust are closed from time to time for ‘essential maintenance’ – so always best to check the Know before you go page of their website for up-to-date news.

_{Post created 9th August 2022; updated 12th February 2024.}

By Peter Mann

Gamlingay gym, based at the village primary school in Station Road, has all the equipment one would expect to help keep one fit.

Gamlingay gym reopened in 2022.
Photo: SCDC.

And South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) has just announced (9-10-25) a £1,333 injection for new gym equipment, including smaller-increment dumbbells, yoga mats, a replacement fitness bench and specialist bars.

“These additions will help the charity which runs the gym to host women-only sessions and maintain a safe, modern facility for its 155 members,” says the SCDC press release.

“The community gym plays a vital role in supporting fitness, health referrals, and grassroots sport across Gamlingay and nearby villages,” it concludes.

The gym’s main equipment includes a treadmill, exercise bikes, weightlifting, lateral pulldown equipment and a new leg raise / leg curl machine.

It is open and staffed by two instructors, who can give on-the-spot advice of how best to use everything…

• Mondays to Fridays from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm and 5.00 to 9.00 pm.
• Saturday and Sunday from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Membership costs (correct as at 9th October 2025, according to the gym’s website)…

• £35.00 / month or £400 / year.
• £30.00 / month or £340 / year for over 65s and 14 to 17 year olds or students with ID.

• Exercise referral scheme in operation.
• All weather pitches can be booked for football, hockey and tennis – for all ages, including children’s football birthday parties.

Facebook  www.facebook.com/GamlingayCommunityGym.
Website  www.gamlingayleisure.clubright.co.uk/home.

Chequered history

The gym reopened in June 2022 and marked a milestone of community teamwork to resolve the ‘will it / won’t it’ debate created when the old village college became a primary school owned by Cam Academy Trust – which closed the gym in March 2020, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as its reason.

The Trust also threw doubt into the gym’s viability, saying it would be illegal for the school to support the gym financially.

Not to be thwarted, residents set up Gamlingay Leisure as a charity to retain the gym and outdoor floodlit sports pitches (which can be hired for hockey, tennis and five-a-side football).

As keen gym goers, they had not forgotten the gym was created under a long-term dual use agreement between the then school operators and South Cambs District Council, which funded a major (£200,000) refurbishment in 2012, with the condition the gym should remain open until at least 2024 – see page three of the Gamlingay Gazette, May 2021.

South Cambridgeshire District Council also awarded the gym £7,454 in July 2021 towards new equipment and refreshing the gym, as well as an extra £2,000 from SCDC’s Community Chest fund towards new gym equipment and an improved online booking system.

Simon Fisher, trustee of the charity which now runs the facilities, said: “This is more than just a gym – it’s a community focal point for people to drop in and socialise, enjoy the benefits of having fun while working out and promote wellbeing and mental health.

“We cannot thank everyone enough for supporting us to achieve this – with a special thank you to local businesses Pinewood Structures, Brogan Group, Cousins Safety and F Mark Ltd who have supported the charity.”

_{Post created 27th June 2022; layout updated 4th January 2023; text updated 9th October 2025.}

By Margot Eagle

what3words is the perfect tool for finding and guiding people to a precise location, which street addresses and post codes don’t always do; most people also find it far less confusing than GPS coordinates – and it’s free to use.

Hadrian’s Wall at Housesteads Roman Fort near Hexham. Photo: Peter Mann.

It’s particularly useful for guiding emergency services to a rural location… like East Hatley or Hatley St George – say the children’s play area in Hatley St George, for which the three words are suspect.jousting.prefer.

How does it work?

what3words has divided the world into three metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three words – cleanser.ordeals.acting for St Denis’ church in East Hatley, launched.collected.sifts for Hatley St George church and recruiter.ombudsman.influence for the village hall.

All you have to do is put your postcode or location into the what3words website search engine and you’ll be rewarded with three words to assist friends, delivery drivers and other visitors to find your home or business easily.

Imagine you’ve told a friend you’ll meet them at Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.

Defining which bit of its 73 miles would prove tricky if all you had was a postcode – but it’s no problem with what3words.

So if you want to meet where Peter took the photo on this page, just go to rental.puzzle.outcasts (and hope the weather is as good!).

what3words also has lots of other applications which you can find out about on the what3words website.

You can put the app onto your phone or look at the website on your PC.

It’s fantastically useful – and was developed by someone from Gamlingay.

UPDATE! What 3 Words’ 2024 roundup.

Plus Code

what3words has a rival (writes Peter Mann). It’s called Plus Code and, because it’s run by Google, means using it takes one straight to Google maps, with its instant option of ‘directions’.

Although the code doesn’t have the romanticism of what3words’ words – it’s arguably more efficient, although it probably helps to know your NATO Phonetic Alphabet (other websites are available – this one sets out the alphabet most clearly).

• 4VQG+5H for St Denis’ church.
• 4VV8+F3 for Hatley St George church.
• 4VRC+M3 for the playing field in Hatley St George.
• 4VRF+9J for the village hall.

_{Post created 29th April 2022. Plus Code information added 6th April 2023; mini-update 21st December 2024.}

Hatley’s defibrillator (above) is located outside the Village Hall in Hatley St George in a locked and temperature-controlled cabinet.

It has full public access and can be used at any time, day or night and on any day of the week.

If you need to use it…

• Use your phone to ring 999 – the defibrillator has been registered with the NHS who will confirm the code to open the cabinet door and give instructions for its use.

NB / 1  If you ring from home before going to the Village Hall, write down the code on a bit of paper and take it – and your phone – with you.

NB / 2  Once the defibrillator has been used, we urge you to replace it as soon as possible please so it is available for future use.

Reminders of what to do

Click on the graphic below for our mini-gallery of useful CPR photos.

Click on this graphic for reminders of what to do.

• St John’s Ambulance has produced a useful emergency first aid advice poster.

Our thanks to East Anglian Air Ambulance for the two excellent CPR training courses held in Hatley Village Hall in March and September 2019.

_{Post created 2nd April 2019; updated 10th March 2022.}

There is a small corner of Hatley which is forever a nature reserve – it surrounds St Denis’ church and is, officially, a Local Nature Reserve and a County Wildlife Site.

Bee orchid in St Denis’ churchyard.
Photo: Nicola Jenkins.

It’s more familiar as the churchyard – still open for burials even though the church, now owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches, is redundant.

A few weeks ago we asked John O’Sullivan if he’d be good enough to write an article on the churchyard as a nature reserve.

And what a great piece he’s written, together with some super photographs he and Nicola Jenkins have also contributed.

Here’s a link to John’s article: The nature reserve at St Denis’ church.

He’s also updated his earlier piece on the cave spiders which live in the furnace chamber under the church.

_{Post created 7th October 2020.}

By Peter Mann

It was a good week for spotting mentions of the Friends of Friendless Churches – and the plight of rural churches – first in County Life’s Christmas double issue (11/18 December 2019) where its regular Athena column was on the subject of ‘Our rural parish churches need help’ and then a proper feature article on the FoFC in The Guardian on Saturday (14th December 2019).

As any rural vicar will tell you, money for church repairs is always in short supply – as can be congregations to provide the cash.  To quote from the Country Life article:

There exist about 15,700 Church of England churches.  Collectively, they absorb almost £100 million per year in major repairs, all of which is donated or raised by parishioners.  A rump of about 600 are presently in a poor condition with no plans for repair.

Of the full total of churches, 9,000 enjoy a rural setting, two thirds of which are listed Grade 1 (3,200) or Grade II* (3,100 [this includes Hatley St George church]).  That means that the burden of maintaining them falls vey unequally on the population as a whole.  As a further complication, church attendance in rural communities continues to decline.  In 2001, of those rural churches, 780 had an attendance of 10 adults or less.  By 2015, that number had more than doubled to 2,000.

The patterns of church repair are hard to predict, but typically, many years of low expenditure followed by a costly project, such as re-reroofing.  It is the ability to meet the latter expense that’s so important and where some kind of central support – and advice – is crucial.  Yet, at present, parishioners are being shamefully failed in both respects by the church authorities and the Government (which accommodates historic church repairs by permitting VAT to be reclaimed).

This Christmas, Athena would like to salute the parishioners and churchwardens who keep this astonishing Christian inheritance alive with so little help or thanks.  She also acknowledges the work of bodies such as the Churches Conservation Trust and the Friends of Friendless Churches, the latter currently fundraising for such projects as essential repairs to the remote St Philip’s Caerdeon, Gwynedd.  She would also like to remind our politicians, all of whom have pledged to maintain free national-museum access, that in their neglect of parish churches, they are failing to save a national collection of at least equal significance and potential.

And, if stats are your thing, in the joint Autumn 2019 Newsletter of the Ancient Monuments Society and the Friends of Friendless Churches, Rachel Morley, FoFC Director, said some stand-out points from conferences she has attended this year, were:

The National Trust has 500 properties, 5½ million members, £500m annual revenue.  English Heritage has 400 properties, 1 million members, £31m annual revenue.  In Norfolk alone there are 659 medieval churches, but have no such support; Places of worship have come to define place – at least subliminally – in a rootless world.

Back in September at an Extraordinary Meeting of Hatley Parish Council, the Reverend Hilary Young, Priest-in-Charge of the parish of Gamlingay with Hatley St George and East Hatley, explained the issues currently facing Hatley St George church and expressed her hopes of securing the support of Hatley parishioners.

As reported in the minutes of the meeting (item four), the church requires a great deal of repair and maintenance work which has been identified in an architectural inspection that takes place every five years.  The most significant issues relate to the roof and the drainage system.  There are concerns that the rising water level is a result of the original drains having collapsed and as such a full survey is required.  It is also desirable to make the church more comfortable in winter months, as the current heating system is not very effective.  The Parochial Church Council is keen to get an improvement project started in the next couple of years but requires support and expertise for such projects from the Hatley community.  Cllr Astor offered to approach a number of residents to see if they might help to kickstart a project.  [Subsequently confirmed, see item six of the October 2019 HPC minutes.]

The Guardian article

Headed ‘Divine inspiration: rescuing run-down churches – a photo essay‘, the article notes ‘Nearly half of the Grade I-listed buildings in England are churches, and around 30 are put up for sale or closed every year.’

In the context of how really fortunate we are now St Denis’ in East Hatley is in the care of the FoFC, the article finishes:

The Friends receive no public funding in England and only modest support from the Church of Wales.  Otherwise, they are entirely reliant on support from their members and donations from the general public.  Though many churches petition the Friends for support, they don’t have the budget to rescue all those that are in need.  In fact, the organisation has a long list of churches that are under threat or that in some cases have been closed and have stood locked and deteriorating for over 12 years.  “There are more churches added to our list every quarter.  Some have been on this list for well over a decade,” says Rachel Morley, FoFC Director – pictured in the front pew in the final photograph in the article.

The Friends stress that cared for and cherished should not mean fossilised, and instead they want to offer their churches for public events such as concerts, knitting groups, seasonal lectures, art exhibitions, supper clubs and the occasional religious ceremony.  They intend to carry on working tirelessly to preserve what Shakespeare described as our magnificent “sermons in stone” for generations to come.

Can you help to support our rural churches?  In his great travel companion England’s thousand best churches, Sir Simon Jenkins answers the question whether visitors should pay to look round churches (he feels we should, and I agree, for ‘every little helps’) by quoting a notice in the chapel at Swell in Somerset, erected long before decimalisation [on 15 February 1971]:

If aught thou hast to give or lend,
This ancient parish church befriend.
If poor but still in spirit willing
Out with thy purse and give a shilling,
But if its depths should be profound
Think of God and give a pound.

And, of course, the Friends of Friendless Churches would welcome your direct support by becoming a member (perhaps as a Christmas present for someone you know who likes visiting churches).

_{Post created 16th Dec 2019, updated 25th Dec 2019; mini-update on 4th Jan 2023.}

There can be no question William Butterfield (1814-1900) was, along with Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), Sir George Gilbert Scott RA (1811-1878) and Sir Charles Barry FRS RA (1795-1860), the star architect of his day.

Between 1843 and 1899 he designed some 120 buildings – mostly religious, but also the odd house, hotel and hospital.  Most of his work was in England, but there are Butterfield buildings in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and… Australia.

Some were relatively small restoration projects (e.g. St Denis’, East Hatley), others were huge – Keble College, Oxford, Exeter Grammar School and St. Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide.

His most famous church is arguably All Saints, Margaret Street, London, for it was this building which purposely incorporated the ideals of the Cambridge Camden Society (now the Ecclesiological Society) and the Oxford Movement in a design which was very bold and set the tone for a style of architecture that remains controversial to this day.

• All Saints, Margaret Street, London.

But what of the man?

There are few books on Butterfield – so we are very grateful to Geoffrey Tyack, Emeritus Fellow, Kellogg College, Oxford, for kindly allowing us to include the text of the lecture he gave in September 2019 on Butterfield and the Victorian Gothic Revival:

• William Butterfield and the Victorian Gothic Revival.

_{Post created 8th February 2020.}

By Peter Mann

Depending on where you live, there can be any number of mentions of your locality in books on the countryside, buildings, counties, cities, towns and villages.

Arthur Mee’s Cambridgeshire, published in 1939, includes a snapshot of East Hatley and Hatley St George.

Even Hatley gets a mention here and there, not too often, it’s true, but we do crop up occasionally.

So, we thought we’d document those mentions on this website – if you go to Hatley in books, you’ll see how far we’ve got.

Have you any books which give a mention to East Hatley and / or Hatley St George?  If so, please let Peter Mann know so he can include your book – peter@buzzassociates.co.uk / 01767 651 115.

_{Post created 29th November 2019.}

South Cambs District Council is erecting these eye-catching signs which question why people are fly-tipping – including whether their mum still cleans up after them.

They are being put up in fly-tipping hotspots which have been identified by data, as part of the District Council’s continuing S.C.R.A.P. fly-tipping campaign.

The high-vis signs ask ‘Why are you fly-tipping?’ and, in case you’re not sure, provides multiple choice answers –

• I don’t care about the environment.
• I want you to prosecute me.
• My mum still cleans up after me.
• All of the above.

The new signs are the latest part of SCDC’s campaign to tackle fly-tipping – more than 900 recorded fly-tips are reported in South Cambs every year. Cleaning up can cost the Council (via our taxes) or landowners anything up to £2,000 to clear.

‘Why are you fly tipping?’ – a new SCDC sign which asks fly-tippers if their mum still cleans up after them.

“It’s worth remembering if your rubbish ends up dumped in the countryside and is traced back to you, you could end up being prosecuted or fined up to £400,” says Cllr Bill Handley, SCDC’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing.

“Most of the fly-tipped waste originates from households, so residents have a big part to play in helping to reduce this environmental problem by making sure whoever takes rubbish away is a registered waste carrier,” he added.

The campaign and new signs also encourage people who spot fly-tipping taking place to call the police on 999 and report an environmental crime in progress.

Anyone who comes across a fly-tip that has already taken place is asked to report it to the Council at www.scambs.gov.uk/report so it can be investigated for evidence and removed.

With around 80 fly-tips investigated and cleared each month within South Cambridgeshire, the Council has already sped up the way it carries out this process.

Cllr Bill Handley continued: “We’ve put a great deal of effort into trying to tackle fly-tipping this year because we know that residents hate it as much as we do.

“These are not the usual ‘No Fly-tipping’ signs – they are eye-catching and deliberately provocative, intended to get a response from the fly-tippers and also likely to stimulate discussion in the wider community.

“We are putting them up in places where there is an issue with fly-tipping to make those dumping waste think twice before doing so.

“There’s simply no excuse for dumping waste in the countryside – it is an eyesore, expensive to clear up and can be dangerous.

“Residents can continue to help us reduce this issue by making sure they use properly licensed waste carriers when getting rid of rubbish.  Two thirds of the waste which ends up being fly-tipped comes from households, so it’s vital you know the final destination for your rubbish.”

Bill ‘stars’ in this video, filmed as one of the signs was being erected in Waterbeach (and showing it wasn’t SCDC vehicles which churned up the verge).  Does the SCDC employee in the background look familiar?  He certainly adds a touch of unintended humour to the video!

The Cambridgeshire-wide S.C.R.A.P. campaign, which all local councils have taken part in during the past few months, asks residents to:

• Suspect all waste carriers.
• Check with the Environment Agency the provider taking away waste is registered.
• Refuse unexpected offers to have waste taken away.
• Ask what will happen to your waste.
• Paperwork – which should be obtained via a full receipt.
• Fly-tipping is an environmental crime and if spotted taking place should be immediately reported to the police by dialling 999.
• If found afterwards it should be reported online to the Council as quickly as possible so it can be investigated and cleared up.

In both cases, people are being asked to note the exact location, time, what the items are and, if safe to do so, to take photos.

_{Post created 16th December 2019.}

A grenade, a toilet seat and disco lights are on a list of items people in south Cambs have wrongly put into their blue bins for recycling.

For National Recycle Week in September, South Cambs District Council released a list of inappropriate things found inside residents’ blue bins.

Someone put this old toilet seat in their blue bin, perhaps not realising hard plastics are difficult to recycle. Click the photo for a gallery of other things which should not be put in a blue bin.

It included a decorator’s paint tray and rollers (both covered in paint), metal tape measures, wellies, bricks and a games console controller.

None of these things can be recycled – other inappropriate things sent to the recycling plant at Waterbeach include car brake discs, a clothes horse, bowling ball, gas cylinders and lots of cuddly toys.  All have come from residents’ blue bins.

On the positive side, items which can be recycled are sent off to re-processors to be turned into new products, with the council being paid for each tonne – helping to pay for council services and reducing the amount going to landfill.

Getting recycling right
Latest research from Recycle Now, organiser of Recycle Week, revealed that over 60% of UK households are recycling more than they were a year ago.

Plastics which you can put into your blue bin.

Nearly a third of those asked cited environmental concerns as the main reason for doing more – and others attribute it to an increased awareness of what can be recycled.

The research showed more and more UK households are recycling plastic drinks bottles, cleaning product, toiletry and shampoo bottles; other items include glass jars and bottles and tin cans.

And while it showed an increase in recycling, it also showed UK households sometimes incorrectly put items like nappies, wipes and clothing in their blue bins.

Putting the wrong things in your blue bin can mean it may not be emptied if they are spotted at the time of collection.

Worse still, it could mean an entire bin lorry load of recycling is rejected and ends up heading for landfill.

Here are some of the things which you can put in your blue bin for recycling:

• Clean tin foil.  Save up small bits until you can scrunch into a tennis ball size.  This keeps it all together as it passes through the recycling plant.
• Aerosol cans.  Ensure they are empty – but don’t crush them.  Metal like this is extremely valuable to re-processors and can be recycled endlessly.
• Empty plastic bottles from toiletries and cleaning products – including bleach, shampoo, nail varnish remover, etc.
• Cartons, e.g. Tetrapak juice and milk cartons.

And some things which definitely shouldn’t go in your blue bin:

• Food and liquid remains.  A quick rinse or a wipe is usually enough to make your recycling clean.  A tip for jars is to half fill with washing-up water, screw the lid on, shake and empty.  Any leftover chemicals or oil should be taken to a household recycling centre.
• Batteries.  If damaged or crushed, batteries can catch alight and cause fires in the back of bin lorries or at the recycling plant.  Put them in a clear bag and attach the bag to your blue bin so they can be disposed of safely.
• Clothing and textiles.  Take these to a clothing bank or charity shop.  Even clean worn-out clothes have value and can be recycled this way for other purposes.
• Nappies, wipes, sanitary items, kitchen paper and tissues.  These are all too dirty and low-quality to be recycled.
• Treated paper such as greaseproof paper, waxed cheese wrappings, butter papers.
• Black plastic of any sort, including black food trays.
• Black sacks, even if they contain recycling.  Put recyclables loose in the blue bin.

You can find detailed guidance on what goes in which bin at www.scambs.gov.uk/bins.

There’s also useful information on this website, too, including details of our local recycling centres (which take a wider variety of materials than you can put in your blue or green bins) – www.hatley.info/practical-matters/rubbish-collection.

Your recycling is a valuable asset
A council spokesman said: “We should think of the things we put into our blue and green bins as an asset, not rubbish, because the council is paid for every tonne of suitable material and the money raised is reinvested into council services.

“It’s also worth stopping for a moment to think about what we buy – do we really need it?  Does it have unnecessary packaging?  Can the packaging be recycled?  Then, can we re-use it and if we can’t, can it be passed onto someone else who will?

“We can also support recycling by buying products made from recycled materials.  And buying something loose without packaging, taking a re-usable water bottle and only buying the food you know you will eat really does help.

“The challenges of plastic pollution and the way our climate is changing seem pretty overwhelming – while we can’t solve it all as individuals, if everyone does their bit each day, it all adds up.”

Gallery of things not to put in your blue wheelie bin.

_{Post created 23rd September 2019.  Source: SCDC press release.}

Well, that was the website that was. 12th July 2004 to 15th April 2019. RIP.

After 15 years’ faithful service, time for a long rest for the old design now we’ve moved to our entirely new look – specifically designed to be easier to use, more informative and sure to work properly on your mobile.

As with the old site, the new one has over 100 pages, so finding a way to make it easier to navigate was the number one priority; the results of the May 2016 village survey about the site were also borne in mind.

Final home page of the old Hatley website. It was replaced by the present design in early April 2019.

Please let us know what you think about the new site – especially as you drill down whether the link descriptions in the green boxes on the grid pages – restricted to 35 characters – help you to find what you’re looking for.

‘Hatley-dot-info‘ remains a site devoted to the parish of Hatley – East Hatley and Hatley St George.  Many of the old pages have been carried over, but reformatted, updated if necessary and, wherever possible, now include more photos – be sure to click on the ‘thumbnails’ for larger versions and the ‘gallery’ links.

We’ve also added an ‘availability’ page to the section on Hatley Village Hall to give everyone a quick glance appraisal of when it’s free to hire.

Go to Google or the Hatley site? We recognised many of you just search Google for things not wholly connected with Hatley, so rather than give tons of information on our pages, we’ve put single links to the appropriate websites – but to make the Hatley site useful to you, we’ve tried to include as many relevant links as possible, as with, for instance, the Vets page and the Places to go page.

There are more pages on the history of Hatley and our two churches than before – it’s amazing how much there is when one starts to dig into the past.

Like all good websites, ‘Hatley-dot-info‘ is a living entity and we welcome comments and contributions so it can be improved and made more useful and interesting.

Please e-mail your comments, ideas and contributions (stories and photos) to Peter Mann, this site’s webmaster – the site is run by the Hatley Website Group on behalf of Hatley Parish Council.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Peter Mann of Buzz Associates in East Hatley for designing and populating the site – with much help and advice from Parish Councillor Nicola Jenkins – and Steve James and his team at Federation Design for their patience and engineering expertise to realise Peter’s design.

Thanks, too, to everyone, past and present, who has contributed articles (without those contributions, this would be a very uninteresting and far less informative site) and to Hatley Parish Council for appreciating the need for a more modern site and for obtaining grants from South Cambridgeshire District Council and the National Association of Local Councils’ Transparency Fund which enabled the work to be done.

The Parish Council pays the annual hosting cost of running the site – everything else is through unpaid volunteer work.

_{Post created 16th April 2019; mini-updates on 8th October 2021 and 28th September 2022.}

You will have noticed the two original (and a bit worn looking) ‘children’ signs in Hatley St George have gone.

The one above was stolen on Sunday, 6th January 2019; the other was removed by the Parish Council for safe keeping.

These classic ‘children’ signs are quite valuable – they predate the current style of signs which were introduced in 1963, so must be around 60 years old.

If you see it advertised anywhere or hear about it, please tell the police (ring 101 and quote crime number 35/1540/19) and also the Parish Council via the Parish Clerk.

_{Post created 7th January 2019.}