Houghton Regis News Desk

Houghton Regis Helpers held their AGM this week. All attendees received a copy of the Annual Report.

The Helpers were Volunteer Group of the Year presented at the Cheering Volunteering Awards.

During the year Houghton Regis Helpers supported the community in Clarkes Way with a tree planting ceremony commemorating the Queen's 90th birthday, helped with a Christmas tea for local residents, and won Best Stall at the town's Carnival in July.

The helpers took part and helped out with many events in Houghton Regis, including The Pancake Race, the May Fayre, and Celebration of Christmas held annually at the Grove Theatre.

Members took part in training and network meetings. 4 new members were added last year. In all, the volunteers completed 1312 jobs in 2016, compared to just over 900 in 2015, helping 115 local residents, 41 new for 2016. They responded to requests for help from other callers from out of the area, from other organisations and from statutory bodies.

 Reading from the…

View this email onlineFebruary 2017Spring Spotting What to look for now
Typically the first butterflies to emerge from hibernation in spring, brimstones flit along sunny banks and hederows. Often seen in farmland fields, hares can be observed 'boxing' as part of their courtship. Grab your binoculars and head out to see them at Trumpington Meadows, Pitsford and other reserves adjacent to arable fields. (Note that Pitsford is permit-only.) Look out for male herons putting on a courtship dance to attract a female. There is an active heronry at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve.Great crested grebes also have an elaborate courtship dance. Watch as the males and females mirror each other on the water, diving down and rising up in perfect unison. Visit our Nene Wetlands reserves to see them. Frogs breed before toads and you may see great jelly masses of early frog spawn in ponds in February. Toad spawn appears somewhat later, in long pearl-like strings.Hazelproduces female flowers and…

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CVS Email Update  |  20 February 2017 Cheering Volunteering now includes a small grants scheme!
'Inspiring Volunteering' is the Cheering Volunteering small grants scheme, set up to assist voluntary and community organisations to encourage volunteering.A total funding pot of £5,000 has been secured to be spent on local voluntary and community sector community projects. Grant awards will be made from a minimum of £100 to a maximum of £1,000.Applications for financial assistance can be made by any group or organisation, providing that the project they wish to spend the money on is located within Central Bedfordshire and/or will support primarily the residents of Central Bedfordshire. Deadline 7 April. For more information click here.Cheering Volunteering Awards - Have you nominated yet? The Central Bedfordshire Cheering Volunteering Awards are an opportunity to say thank you to those who give their time to help others. This year the Awards are sponsored by Biffa, Aragon Housing, …

Sunday 19 February. Alan Winter


A special plaque was unveiled this afternoon in Whitehouse Close.

Around 60 people attended to witness the plaque being revealed on the side of Roslyn House. Hailed as the first of its kind in the town to celebrate Houghton's rich history, it reminds people of Josiah Freeman, who owned two mills in the town, and lived in the White House, which was on a site close to where Roslyn House is now.



Attending the event were Sarah Gelsthorp, author of 'Houghton Regis Up Above The Streets and Houses', David Hill the Houghton Regis Heritage Society chairman, local councillors, and representatives from local community groups, as well as some residents of Roslyn House.



Following the unveiling, light refreshments were served at All Saints Parish Church, and copies of 'Up Above The Streets and Houses' were on sale, along with a book by Houghton Regis Heritage Society about the History of All Saints.

The plaque was purchased with a third of the fun…

An incident in Parkside Drive last night took out a fence, a tree, and wrote off 2 cars.

It is known that a Volvo XC70 was driving in Parkside Drive and went straight over the T-junction with Windsor Drive, crashed into a metal lamp post and wooden fencing panel, and took out a tree. Substantial damage was caused to a Land Rover parked in a parking bay on the other side of the fence.

Passer-by, Ant Halligan said, "I saw all the blue lights when I was passing and I stopped to see if I could help. All the emergency services were on the scene with more turning up as I was there."

A Fire Service spokesman said this morning, "We got a call at 18:51. The first vehicle was on the scene at 18:58. In all 2 pumps from Dunstable, a pump from Luton, and a Fire Rescue vehicle from Dunstable attended. 1 male and 1 female were cut from a vehicle. The couple were handed on to paramedics."

Bedfordshire Police confirmed that they attended the scene following a call about 18:50 last…

CVS Email Update  |  13 February 2017 CVS will be running a #volunteertocare online campaign from 14 February until the end of the month, highlighting volunteering opportunities relating to care. Why don't you join in and promote your volunteering opportunities on twitter using the #volunteertocare hashtag?Cheering Volunteering - Have you nominated yet? The Central Bedfordshire Cheering Volunteering Awards are an opportunity to say thank you to those who give their time to help others. This year the Awards are sponsored by Biffa, Aragon Housing, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, ProLogis and Jeakins Weir. Nominations close on 31 March. Click here. EVENTS AND COURSESCVS are planning a 'Meet the Funder' session with BIG Lottery Fund on Friday 24 February in Bedford. If you would like to discuss an idea for a project or an application to Reaching Communities, click here for more information on how to book a place. Market Engagement Event - Bedford Borough Council is proposi…

http://www.lutonculture.com/stockwood-discovery-centre/gardens-and-galleries/


Bring your group of twelve or more to Luton's Number One visitor attraction (as rated by TripAdvisor), Stockwood Discovery Centre and enjoy free admission, delicious new catering packages, free parking, and a free meal for your coach driver.
A paradise for garden enthusiasts and one of the few places in the country where the work of acclaimed artist Ian Hamilton Finlay can be seen on permanent display, Stockwood Discovery Centre is rated as Number One for Things to do in Luton on TripAdvisor. Each area in the garden has a special focus ranging from period, ornamental gardens to wildlife and sensory gardens to stimulate sight, sound, touch and smell. Even in winter visitors can experience the beauty of the grounds. 
With 95% of TripAdvisor visitors rating Stockwood Discovery Centre as Very Good or Excellent, you can also enjoy the fantastic and vast galleries; highlights include the Shillington Gold Coin Hoa…

The Prince's Trust and Govia are offering a free four-week course which gives you experience in customer services, working on the railways. If you are aged 18-25, unemployed and interested in a career in railways customer services, join the free training programme where you can:  gain practical work experience at a local Govia Thameslink/Great Northern Railway station.   you will be trained by local team members on different job roles within the station environment, and also the importance of safety and security  improve your teamwork and communication skills and boost your confidence, interview skills and CV  receive six months' support after the programme to help you find employment or further training
Taster day is 22nd  in Luton and 23rd in Stevenage.  The programme runs from  27th February 2017 for 4 weeks

Contact If you are interested please contact Anna Crump on 07904364206                                       
Or email on anna.crump@princes-trust.org.uk

New data for Dunatable and Houghton Regis has been published on Police.uk.
Here is a brief summary of the crime information for the past two months:November 2016December 2016 All crime 772 641 Anti-social behaviour 262 201 Bicycle theft 21 15 Burglary 78 88 Criminal damage and arson 72 44 Drugs���������������…

CVS Email Update  |  2 February 2017
CVS are planning a 'Meet the Funder' session with BIG Lottery Fund on Friday 24 February 2017 at 43 Bromham Road, Bedford. If you would like to discuss an idea for a project or an application to Reaching Communities, click here for more information on how to book a place.
EVENTS AND COURSES
The Bedfordshire Hate Crime Partnership are hosting a Hate Crime Conference on 28 February, 9.am - 4.30 pm, at Venue 360, Gipsy Lane, Luton. Click here.
The next Bedford Community Network event is on Tuesday 28 March, from 5.30pm, in the Council Suite at Borough Hall. The theme of the event is 'Using Social Media, Avoiding Cyber Crime'. Further details to follow.
The Special Needs Action Panel in Central Bedfordshire are holding a morning workshop for parent carers on the Education Health Care (EHC) plan at Henlow Park Pavilion on 21 February 2017. Click here.
Rural Funding Information Event for South East Midlands LEP, 3 March, 9:30am - 2.30pm. This…