£526 Raised For Charity In One Week: Jean Spendlove For Northampton Women’s Aid And Louise Stothard For The Mothers’ Union Wheels Appeal – posted 01 May 2013

Have A Look At The May Diary – posted 01 May 2013

Fellowship Members Meet The Llamas – posted 30 April 2013

New Family History Researcher – posted 29 April 2013

200 Club Winners For April – posted 29 April 2013

Grants From Parish Council Available To Groups & Organisations. Deadline 12 May – posted 29 April 2013

Politics and Plastics Were On The Agenda At The Annual Parish Meeting – posted 28 April 2013

It’s Spring In Jubilee Wood – posted 28 April 2013

Over 50+ Roadshow At Towcester On Wednesday 8 May – posted 27 April 2013

Who’s Who On The PCC 2013/14 – posted 26 April 2013

Cheese & Wine Tasting In Reading Room Friday 3 May Postponed Until Later Date – posted 26 April 2013

Windfarm Update – posted 25 April 2013

Trains Running At Pimlico On Sunday 28 April – posted 24 April 2013

MU Coffee Morning This Friday 26 April – posted 23 April 2013

Harking Back Into Helmdon’s History: Shops In Helmdon – posted 22 April

“Fascinating” WEA Course: 1066 – More Than Just A Battle – posted 21 April 2013

Move Towards More Accurate Crime Figures – posted 20 April 2013

Cheese & Wine Tasting In Reading Room Friday 3 May – posted 19 April 2013

Farewell Lesley And Date For Start Of Summer Evening Health Walks – posted 18 April 2013

World Book Night Give Away On Tuesday 23 April – posted 17 April 2013

New Family History Researcher – posted 16 April 2013

Only A Few Days Left To Get Your Reports In For Helmdon Voice – posted 16 April 2013

WEA Summer Discovery Walks Begin On Thursday 18 April – posted 15 April 2013

Jubilee Wood Update – posted 15 April 2013

Attention Young Mums: Real Nappy Week 15 – 21 April – posted 14 April 2013

Billiards Team Report 2013 – posted 13 April 2013

Recruitment Of Special Constables – posted 12 April 2013

WEA Annual General Meeting On Tuesday 16 April: All Welcome – posted 12 April 2013

Pilates Class Commencing Monday 15 April – posted 11 April 2013

Didn’t see It? Skyfall Is Showing At The Film Club On Friday 12 April: All Welcome – posted 10 April 2013

More Gravestones Revealed In The Churchyard: Report Of The Friends Of Helmdon Churchyard – posted 09 April 2013

Mothers’ Union Coffee Morning On Friday 26 April: All Welcome – posted 08 April 2013

News From The Weston Baptist Fellowship – posted 07 April 2013

Looking Forward To Sunny Spring Days: Good Stock Of Helmdon Footpath Maps – posted 06 April 2013

Secrets & Scandals At Canons Ashby: WI Wednesday 10 April When All Welcome – posted 05 April 2013

Date On A Mantle-piece At Helmdon (historical article no. 78) – posted 04 April 2013

Good News! A New Rector Is Announced… – posted 03 April 2013

Watch County Council Meetings Live On-Line – posted 03 April 2013

Have Your Say On New Homes Bonus Money – posted 02 April 2013

Find Out What’s In The Tin At The Family Service Sunday 7 April – posted 01 April 2013

Have You Noted Down April Events From The Village Diary? – posted 01 April 2013

Successful Easter Raffle At Village Cafe – posted 31 March 2013

SPLAT Children & Young Poeple’s Easter Activities Begin Tuesday 2 April – posted 30 March 2013

Interesting Summer Programme For The Fellowship – posted 29 March 2013

Hop On Over To The Acorns’ Easter Egg Hunt On Easter Saturday 30 March – posted 28 March 2013

WEA Annual General Meeting On Tuesday 16 April: All Welcome – posted 27 March 2013

Guide Dogs For The Blind Volunteer Role: Brood Bitch Holder – posted 26 March 2013

Agenda For The Parish Council Meeting To Be Held On 27.03.13 – posted 26 March 2013

The 200 Club Lottery Result: Winners For March – posted 25 March 2013

Fellowship Coffee Morning On Wednesday 27 March – posted 24 March 2013

Easter Newsletter From The Acorns – posted 23 March 2013

Helmdon Presents … Opera Dudes: The Cod Fathers Of Croon On Saturday 25 May – posted 22 March 2013

Police Notice: Serious Welsh Lane Road Traffic Collision – posted 21 March 2013

Slaves In Helmdon? Oh, Yes (historical article no. 76) – posted 20 March 2013

Minutes Of The Parish Council Meeting Held On 30.01.13 – posted 20 March 2013

Shared Ownership Week – posted 19 March 2013

Swimming Session At Ckers Sunday 24 March – posted 19 March 2013

Swap Seeds At The Gardening Club On Thursday 21 March – posted 18 March 2013

See The Latest Posts On The New Combined Message & Advts Page – posted 17 March 2013

SPLAT Children’s & Young People’s Easter Holiday Activities – posted 17 March 2013

What Was The Population Of Helmdon In 1872? : Look At Historical Article no. 77/ Wilson’s Gazetteer – posted 16 March 2013

Surprise, Surprise, At The Women’s Club On Wednesday 20 March – posted 15 March 2013

Twenty Years Of Stitching And Knitting – posted 13 March 2013

Important: Changes to Waste & Recycling Collection Days – posted 12 March 2013

700 Rides For Children Young And Old In 2012: Pimlico Trains Begin Running Again In April – posted 12 March 2013

Fellowship Coffee Morning On Wednesdy 27 March: All Welcome – posted 11 March 2013

Hop On Over To The Acorns Easter Egg Hunt On Easter Saturday 30 March – posted 10 March 2013

The Village Cafe Says Thank You – posted 09 March 2013

Police Notices: Stray & Lost Dogs And Dog Kidnapping Rumours – posted 08 March 2013

Thai Cookery At The WI: New Members Always Welcome – posted 07 March 2013

See The Latest Posts On The Message Board – posted 06 March 2013

Don’t Delay, Reply Today, To The Community Responder Scheme – posted 06 March 2013

Anna Karenina Showing At Film Club Friday 8 March: All Welcome – posted 05 March 2013

WEA Day Course: Warwick Artisan’s Gardens – posted 04 March 2013

All Welcome At The Mothering Sunday Service On 10 March – posted 04 March 2013

Winners For February With The 200 Club Lottery – posted 03 March 2013

Check Events For March On The Village Diary – posted 03 March 2013

Posted 1 July 2013
Laying The Ghost

The Helmdon Bridge Player’s summer production for 2013 was “Laying the Ghost” by Simon Williams. The play is set in The Yew Tree Retirement Home on the south coast. It is the current home of two elderly actresses, Margot Buchanan, the witty and acerbic ex-wife of the famous actor Sir Leo Buchanan, and Freda Deacon, an eccentric lady with a love of naughty jigsaws and an unusual tendency to talk to ghosts.

Things go haywire on the morning of Margot’s 70th birthday, when she receives a variety of unwanted guests and well-wishers.

The Bridge Players staged the play in the Reading Room on 7 and 8 June with the help of the newly-installed lighting rig.

To see more photos please visit the Laying the Ghost gallery.

[ ]

Posted 19 June 2013
Gone Forever

The image above will never be seen in Helmdon again. The photograph was taken a few weeks ago under the Station Road bridge that is currently being filled in.

The street art has been entombed forever with stone fill and a concrete cap.

Station Road was closed to traffic on Monday 17 June for two weeks. The official diversion route is along the B4525 and through Sulgrave although there has been a marked increase of traffic along Church Street and through Falcutt.

For anyone thinking that they might be able to drive through even though the road is closed, don’t bother – there’s safety fencing right across the road. Closed means closed.

It is hoped to be able to reopen the road ahead of Grand Prix weekend.

[ ]

Posted 9 June 2013
A Summer Bin Loading

Blue bins and grey boxes appeared all over Helmdon on Thursday last week. They herald the start of the new recycling scheme for the village commencing on 14 June.

The blue bin is for all recyclables and the grey bin is for food waste.

Click here to download the schedule of collections that will operate from now on.

If you have any questions about the new scheme please visit the South Northants Council web site or e-mail waste@southnorthants.gov.uk.

[ ]

Posted 29 May 2013
Waste Not, Want Not

Helmdon’s recycling scheme is about to change. Residents will shortly be receiving packs that include a brochure about the new scheme, bin stickers for the green and black bins, and other useful tools and information about how residents can make the most of their new improved scheme.

New blue bins (for recyclables) and food caddies (for food waste) will be delivered to each household the week commencing 3 June, with the scheme starting the following week.

For more information please visit the South Northants Council web site or e-mail waste@southnorthants.gov.uk.

[ ]

Posted 18 May 2013
These Boots Were Made For Walkin’

Six women from Helmdon Acorns Pre-School are getting their boots on to raise money for charity. On Saturday 8 June, staff and committee members Liz Hart, Sue Morgan, Sarah Owen, Claire Smith. Anne Somerton and Laura Wilson will be taking on Mount Snowdon in Wales. As the highest point in the British Isles, outside of Scotland, Snowdon stands at 3560 feet above sea level and certainly poses a challenge.

The six will climb to the summit and cover around 16 miles on foot. “Each year we have a number of regular fundraising events, but this year I wanted to introduce something a little different, and so the Snowdon Challenge was conceived,” says committee vice-chair Sarah Owen. “As a registered charity we focus a lot of time and effort on fundraising and receive fantastic support from the local community. We hope this time they will be behind us every step of the way. Our target is to raise £1000 to develop an outside conservation area for the children to enjoy and also to commission a bench in the memory of our dear friend and ex-supervisor Judy Butler who sadly lost her battle with cancer last year.”

Sarah continued; “We’ve already received some fantastic support from businesses in the local area and from our suppliers including Macintyers Estate Agents, Howdens Joinery, Ram Racing, Playground Markings Direct and Mineral Star Construction. Without them this expedition would not have been possible.”

As the Snowdon Challenge team get prepared, your support and motivation is much appreciated. You can donate online or for further information please contact Helmdon Acorns on [phone number removed] or visit www.helmdonacorns.org.uk.

[ ]

Posted 13 May 2013
Water, Water, Everywhere

Motorists will have noticed that barriers appeared near the war memorial on Friday.

A water main has burst between Stuchbury and Sulgrave and so Anglia Water has closed the Helmdon to Sulgrave road whilst repairs are carried out.

The road is expected to be closed until at least Tuesday.

A temporary diversion is in place and those wishing to travel from Helmdon to Sulgrave should go via the Welsh Lane.

[ ]

Posted 3 May 2013
And The Winner Is…

Ian Morris of the Conservative Party has been elected as the new county councillor representing Helmdon in the Silverstone Division.

Ian, who lives in Upper Boddington, polled 1,676 votes, soundly seeing off nearest rival Peter Conquest (UKIP) who received 982 votes. Lucy Mills (Labour) got 527 votes and Scott Collins (Liberal Democrat) got 286.

Meanwhile, Cllr Andrew Grant who previously represented Helmdon but who stood in the Towcester & Roade Division, lost his seat to Chris Lofts of the Liberal Democrats.

Overall the Conservatives retain control of Northamptonshire County Council with 36 seats out of 57. Labour has 11, the Lib Dems 6, UKIP 3 and there is 1 Independent.

The full results are available on the NCC Elections 2013 mini site.

[ ]

Posted 2 May 2013
Helmdon Goes To The Polls

As is usual on election day the Reading Room, Church Street was taken over for the day and used as the village’s polling station.

Electors were asked to choose one from four candidates to represent the village on Northamptonshire County Council.

And the winner is… to be announced tomorrow (Friday) after the votes are counted in Kettering along with all the other votes in the county. A result is expected late afternoon or evening.

[ ]

Posted 26 April 2013
Tough. And Muddy.

Helmdon.com’s very own webmaster is going to get muddy for charity.

Danny Moody (or should that be Danny Muddy) is taking part in the Tough Mudder event on Sunday 5 May at Boughton House near Kettering.

The 12 mile assault course is designed to test physical and mental stamina and includes obstacles ominously labeled “Walk The Plank”, “Cage Crawl” and “Arctic Enema”!

Danny is raising money for Northamptonshire-based charity KidsAid, which provides therapeutic support for children and young people who have suffered any form of trauma.

If you would like to support Danny and/or the charity please go to www.justgiving.com/DannyMoody2013. Every penny gratefully received.

[ ]

Posted 19 April 2013
You Can Only Pick One

Elections for our new County Councillor take place on 2 May 2013. To find out more about the candidates please read the short statements that each candidate has sent to the web site.

And if you would like to meet them in person, maybe even ask them a question, why not come along to the Annual Village Meeting on Wednesday (see below)?

[ ]

Posted 13 April 2013
Annual Village Meeting

Food waste recycling will be here soon. The Annual Village Meeting takes place this year on Wednesday 24 April at 7:30 p.m. in the Reading Room, Church Street.

The meeting is for the whole village so please do come along.

There are three very topical themes this year:

Keith Jones, Chairman of HSGWAG, will be there to give an update on the latest developments with the wind farm application in Helmdon. Hear the latest news and ask any question you like.

A representative from South Northants Council will be there to tell us all about how the new household recycling scheme will work. Soon we’ll have new bins and the opportunity to recycle kitchen waste. If you have any concerns, or just want to know more, make sure you come along.

And last but not least, the four candidates hoping to become Helmdon’s new County Councillor (see below) have been invited to give a short introduction of themselves, so its an opportunity to start thinking who you might vote for.

Download the agenda here. Please do come along, it will be a good evening and remember, this is YOUR village!

[ ]
Posted 9 April 2013
Who Goes? You Decide.

On 2 May 2013 a new county councillor for Helmdon will be elected.

The candidates are Scott Collins (Lib Dem), who lives in Helmdon, Peter Conquest (UKIP), who lives in Towcester, Lucy Mills (Lab), who lives in Silverstone and Ian Morris (Con), who lives in Upper Boddington.

Helmdon will be in the Silverstone Division, which extends from Greens Norton in the east to the Boddingtons in the north. It is a far bigger area than Helmdon was previously in meaning that the new county councillor will have more than twenty villages to cover, rather than the present three. The move is a result of the county council shrinking from 73 councillors to 53.

Our present representative, Cllr Andrew Grant, is standing for election in the Towcester & Roade Division.

Full details of the election are available on the Northamptonshire County Council web site.

[ ]

Posted 9 April 2013
A Drop Of The Black Stuff

The Blackpits Recycle Centre on the Welsh Lane is having a site open day for National Compost Week on Saturday 11 May 2013.

This will give local people a chance to see around the site and to take away samples of the compost produced.

And once again the Centre is making compost available to residents and will even deliver to the allotments by prior arrangement.

The Blackpits Monitoring Group works with the owners of the site, the Environment Agency, and SNC to minimise any impact the centre has on both the environment, and the villagers of Helmdon and Falcutt.

[ ]

Posted 7 April 2013
Who Will Get There First?

Potential volunteers are shown the kit.

The news that Brackley Ambulance station will be retained, despite many others in Northamptonshire and the East Midlands being closed, is very good news for Helmdon.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service announced the closures at the end of March, but the Brackley station escaped the axe.

But Helmdon residents are not resting on their laurels because even if an ambulance was dispatched immediately from Brackley it would still take 12 minutes (according to Google Maps) to get to Helmdon – and that’s assuming it doesn’t have to wait at the red lights at the bridge! So that’s where the Community First Responders could come in.

A small group of potential volunteers met with the South Northants coordinator of the Community First Responders scheme to find out what would be involved in setting up a group for Helmdon.

There was considerable interest and it looks like a group might get off the ground in the summer.

Community First Responders can choose whether to attend an incident or not, and their goal is simply to buy time until the ambulance arrives. They are equipped with emergency medical equipment, including an automatic defibrillator.

Even if the scheme saves one life in Helmdon it will have been worthwhile. If and when the scheme is established there will be full details on the web site. In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out about being a volunteer please contact Liz Hart, Parish Clerk, at parishcouncil@helmdon.com.

[ ]

home

Groups and series: Village news ("What's New")
Topics: WEA and village information

Researched and written by Helmdon Local History Group volunteers. We do our best, but we can sometimes get things wrong. Corrections and additions are welcome.