A VERY SPECIAL DAY
Tuesday 6th July dawned a brilliant day. We were lucky with the weather as it chucked it down for the rest of the week.
Howard and I set out for Buckingham Palace, arriving outside the gates at about 12.30. We found a place to park in Pall Mall: the entire area was reserved parking for the Garden Party, I don't think that we've ever parked in London quite so easily! Like us, many had arrived early so we walked a little and sat in the Park. Many were in uniform, armed forces and police, not just from the UK, there were officers of the Queensland and Jamaica. Local services were represented too, the Prison Service, Fire, Ambulance. Also, there were clergy, one or two Colonial Bishops and nuns. The clothes and hats were beautiful, all the ladies looked lovely.
By about 1.30 crowds were building up outside the Palace, as we were also mingling with the tourists who can usually be found there, some interesting conversations were held. A couple of Italian tourists asked me what was going on and when I explained about the Garden Party they wanted to know how they could get in!! Invitazione
necessario!
The gates opened at two and we were instructed to proceed across the gravel and straight up through the arch under the balcony that the Royal Family usually come out on. Onwards further across the courtyard and finally, up the red carpet into the Palace. Our invitation was taken from us by a footman and then we went on up some more stairs, through the room directly opposite and out onto the terrace. What a view met our eyes! The gardens were beautiful, Marine bands were playing and the tea tents were ready to rock and roll. Having just participated in Slip End Open Garden Day the previous Saturday, the Queens garden, if there had been a competition they would have won it. We think the Queen has these parties to aerate her lawn each summer, what with the high heels that the ladies wear!
We found a table and had something to eat ( old army motto - always sit down when you can and eat when you can). At three, to the sounds of the National Anthem, the Royal Family appeared. Her Majesty had obviously changed from her clothes from the morning when she had opened the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial because she was wearing a pale green outfit with the usual feathery hat (I call them poulet morte hats) the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Princes William and Harry and others that I could not recognise.
At this point several Equerries, very distinguished, tall very suave and dressed formally, started their 'nipping in' process whereby they managed the crowd into long lines that stretched around the garden. We found ourselves near the lake and had no idea as to which member of the Royal Family we would see. We stood for ages, Howard got fed up and went off for another cream tea, but I held my ground. The equerries would chat with you and find out where you had come from. One saw my Chain of Office and recognised Slip End Village because of course the Queen and Prince Philip used to visit Luton Hoo each November, for their wedding anniversary. I had the same reply from the equerry that I get from anyone who knows Slip End, 'Slip End - nice pubs there!' Publicans take note: you never know who you may be serving.
At this point the Queen made her appearance. She was really close to me, just four feet away. Unfortunately she made a bee line for a young lady in an RAF uniform and spoke to her, but I didn't mind as any one in a uniform deserves special attention.
Proceedings were being filmed from the roof. As we had already paid out for a DVD of the occasion, when we receive it, I expect to see myself in all my glory really close up.
Once all the presentations had been made the Royal Family retired to the Royal Tea Tent and we went back and had some very nice ice cream. By now it was about 5.30 and my feet had been hurting for a long time so we called it a day and went back through the garden, up the terrace, into a room with beautiful china which we stopped to take a look at and then, down, out of the palace, across the red carpet and out into The Mall - talk about Cinderella existence.
As a footnote to all this, and just to bring ourselves back down to earth. On the Sunday 4 July we rang up and paid for a Congestion Charge fee for our car. Although we checked the registration to be correct by asking the operator to repeat it back to us several times. Two days after our visit, we got a Congestion Charge Fine sent to our house saying that we had not paid it. So, I then had to enter into correspondence with Transport for London proving that I had paid for my car. I bet the Queen doesn't have that problem!!!
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed and there were no official photographers, but as I previously mentioned, we have ordered a DVD of the occasion so when it comes I shall pass it onto David Kingston who may be able to lift some pictures off of it for us.
Christine & Howard Benson.
FOSELS
Friends of Slip End Lower School
Did you know that you don't need to have a child attending Slip End Lower School to be a FoSEL?! Anyone who enjoys helping with fundraising events and activities is welcome to join our team of enthusiastic and hard working Friends of the school. This year the school fair raised a fantastic £1,500 which will be added to our playground fund:design work for the new layout and equipment is due to begin in September.
FoSELS actions give results - all our fundraising directly benefits the children: contributing to the cost of school trips, refurbishing the library, providing computers for the IT suite, new classroom furniture and now new playground equipment. The FoSELS events wouldn't be as successful as they are without the help and generosity of parents and volunteers, as the hugely popular Pamper Evening and Auction of Promises proved. Look out for the family Barn Dance in the autumn term and of course, everyone's favourite, the Christmas Fair on December 4th.
We are always looking for new ideas, so if you have any suggestions for future fundraising or special events, or if you have any free time that you'd like to give to FoSELS, we would love to hear from you. Contact the School Office on 720152 for details of our next meeting.
Our Wildlife Garden
In July, an energetic group of volunteers from FoSELS and the New Life Christian Fellowship, spent an evening clearing out the very over-grown pond and wildlife area in the school grounds. It's now looking great and ready for the children to use to enhance their knowledge of nature and the environment.
However, the garden would really benefit from encouraging wild birds to use it. Perhaps you have a bird table, bird bath or nesting box that you don't need? A bench would also be great! If you have anything you would like to donate to the Wildlife Garden, please contact the School Office on 720152.
WOMEN'S INSTITUTE
The Elstow Abbey Flower Festival was a great success: Caddington W.I. was represented and our thanks go to Su Martin and W.I. husband Denis (what would we do without them?) Not only did Su do a beautiful arrangement in the doorway outside in very gusty weather, on pillars and marble and moveable platforms which were taken in each evening , they also went over every day to move, water and clear the church for everyone else. A big thank you to Su and Denis, not forgetting Su’s friend, Dianne.
The walk through Caddington opened the eyes of members from other W.I.’s in our group, as many of them only have a passing knowledge of roads they drive along on their way through the village on their way to somewhere else. It was a nice friendly evening finished off by scrummy refreshments on our return. Albeit it we were a little wet after the rain came down.
Our speaker in July was Mrs J. Gooding was a real treat. Her subject was adventure in Costa Rica, which did not mean a lot to me, until she started. Her daughter had nominated her for a Millenium Award. It was an international charity in Field Work and Earth Watch. Costa Rica is half the size of England and in 1989 the Santa Rose National Park was founded. It is the hopme for 10% of the world’s butterflies and many other natural species. The were about ten in the mixed party and caterpillars and spiders were their main guests. It was the rainy season so the gators they had to wear protected them from mud and snakes. Her slides and photographs made it all very real for us and her presentation was incredible. As one of our members said to me afterwards, “It makes me feel I have wasted my life!”
The evening was rounded off by a Quiz which was won by Mrs D. Wright.
In September we will be celebrating our birthday and in October Mrs Dobkin will tell us “How to win competitions.” We meet at the Baptist Church Hall in Caddington monthly on each third Tuesday at 7:30pm: see you there.
Patricia Crick
BOTTLE BANK
For use by residents of Slip End and District, our Bottle Bank is situated in the Frog and Rhubarb car park in Church Road. This is supplied and operated by SBDC to improve and increase glass recycling.
PLEASE USE IT
STOP PRESS
This from County Councillor Richard Stay with reference to the Broad Band item, elsewhere in this issue:
As the relevant Cabinet Member at County Hall, I began an initiative to ensure that all the Bedfordshire telephone exchanges were digitally enabled & proposed putting about £0.5M of public money into a public/private partnership to get the scheme underway.
Following a tender process Mesh Broadband were awarded a contract. Initially to fill in the 'gaps' where exchanges were not enabled. As the Luton exchange is enabled, Slip End Parish was not initially going to benefit from the commercial deals available.
However the overall benefit to the County is significant & Bedfordshire will be the first wholly digitally enabled County in the Eastern Region.
Mesh are carrying out a wide range of marketing initiatives & this will generate interest locally, a character called BoB has been developed for this programme (Bedfordshire on Broadband).
Challenge after this is to fill in the gaps & provide a range of connection methods to those areas outside the exchange reach. For example in Kensworth some people have agreed to have 'cluster' dishes on their houses which serve a a street - in exchange they pay lower connection costs.
I entirely endorse the note from Trefor (see page 8). More information also available on the Bedfordshire County Council website
(www.bedfordshire.gov.uk
)
Richard Stay
County Councillor
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
With Christmas fast approaching it’s time to start thinking about Operation Christmas Child again. We had such a great response last year we are once again hoping to achieve the same this year, with the help of all the people who gave shoe-boxes and all the volunteers who helped at the warehouse. The total number of boxes sent to the poor, needy and suffering children totalled 1,058,705 – a brilliant result. Here are just some of the photos taken of the happy children who received their ‘gift in a box’.
November 21st is National Shoe Box Sunday so please remember that date. If you would like to look up any details about Operation Christmas Child please check out the website
www.samaritanspurse.uk.com
Don’t they look happy with their boxes?
This year Operation Christmas Child is appealing for Drop Off Points for the appeal, so if you know anyone with a shop or business who might be able to help please contact Teresa Willson on 01582 482681.
We are also looking for a warehouse to sort and pack the shoe-boxes that are collected in the Luton and Milton Keynes areas, so if there is anyone who has connections who might be able to help please let Teresa know.
We will be appealing for volunteers once we know if we have a warehouse. The knitting club have been busy over summer: we will be meeting on Wednesday Sept 15th. Contact Teresa for details or if you hve any spare wool. Many thanks to all the people who have already donated knitted items and a big thank you to Sew and Sew from Dunstable who have already made many beautiful patchwork quilts for children which will be sent out to Eastern Europe with the boxes.
Sue Cowell
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