The parklands at Woburn Abbey will be transformed from a grassy area grazed by Woburn’s deer into a fully functional airfield to allow the 29th International Moth Rally to take place at the weekend of August 16-17.

There are currently 134 aircraft booked in for the event, and more than 100 vintage cars will be on show.

Extra special visitors arrrive on the Sunday afternoon when for the first time in many years the world’s only two airworthy Lancaster Bombers will be flying in formation at the site.

On the gate ticket prices are £10 per adult on Saturday and £15 per adult on Sunday (accompanied under 16s free). See www.mothsatwoburn.co.uk

Friday night sees Milton Keynes-based three-piece Latino punk band The Zeroes back at The Wheatsheaf in North Street, Leighton.

Always very popular, the band will perform a great mix of covers and some brilliant self-penned numbers such as Catalina, Angelina, MK Girls and The Adventures of Lola Montez.

Expect a few ‘off piste’ covers to sing along to as well! This fun, lively band last played here on New Year’s Eve and the place was packed!

The Zeroes are Duncan on vocals, guitar and mouthie, Tom on bass and vocals and Ginger on drums and percussion.

On Saturday, Leighton band The Lost Keys perform with covers from the 1980s to the present day. Expect Sanctuary, Survive and Nobody Does It Better to be included in the play list!

The music starts at about 9.45pm and admission is free both evenings.

Leighton resident and author John Newton wrote the following article about the WW1 Battle of Tanga.

During 20 years in East Africa, the 79-year-old, of Taylors Ride, became fascinated by the history of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika.

He said: “As soon as I discovered that WW1 was a long and difficult campaign in East Africa I began the study which resulted in my first novel, White Sunrise that takes in WW1 in the area. It disappoints me that most writings concentrate on the trenches in France. Many other interesting theatres of war were involved, but Tanga is ignored because we lost so badly.”

John is currently working on his seventh book. He also runs The Writing Room, a writers’ group that meets on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm at The Barn, Heath & Reach. Call 01525 378193 for details.

Battle of Tanga
November 3, 1914

The countries now known as Kenya and Tanzania were, in 1914, colonies known as German East Africa (DOA) and British East Africa (BEA).

When war broke out, the European soldier/settlers of DOA – veterans of two ferocious colonial wars – were armed and trained. Each province contained a battalion of efficient African troops.

BEA, with a smaller population of untrained farmers and traders had only a few locally raised companies of British officered The King’s African Rifles keeping peace on the northern borders.

Britain decided that troops from India would attack DOA from the sea. At dawn on November 2, 1914 a fleet transports carrying 10,000 Indian soldiers arrived off the town of Tanga.

The cruiser HMS Fox entered the enclosed deep-water harbor and demanded the town surrender or suffer attack, despite flying a white flag.

The German administrator asked for time to consider. He returned ashore, lowered the white flag, raised the Imperial Eagle and called out his company of 200 African troops, and 20 German officers.

They lined the cliffs and opened rifle fire on HMS Fox, which retreated and rejoined the fleet.

General Aitken, the British commander with 35 years in The Indian Army had never commanded fighting troops. He ordered a night landing two miles from Tanga. His men, collected from farms and villages, were mostly untrained Sepoys from different cultures and religions, not yet trained on the weapons they carried.

Overnight a thousand of these poor men were dumped on the beach. Once ashore, they lay on the sand and refused to move.

Finally, at sunrise on November 3, they were mustered into lines ready to attack. Lack of night patrols meant Aitken had no idea of German strength or defences.

Captain Tafel set defences in a railway cutting looking across open ground to thick trees and bush. When the first Indian troops stepped out, Tafel’s whole line opened withering rifle and machinegun fire, decimating all who left the trees.

The Indians turned and ran. Fighting stopped. The British continued bringing troops ashore.

Overnight, Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German commander, arrived by train from Moshi with reinforcements that he positioned along the railway.

The British did not move until 14.30 on November 4, when Aitken attacked with 6,000 troops, his only British soldiers to the left, Ghurkas to the right, untrained Indians in the centre.

Met by a ferocious blast of bullets, the centre melted away. Survivors rushed back, carrying reserves with them. The British and Ghurkas kept fighting, but with the battle lost, they withdrew.

During this time great swarms of African bees, angered by the noise, attacked both sides. Fighting stopped for 30 minutes.

At dawn on November 5 a British officer walked into Tanga with a white flag. The Germans agreed to a simple request: “Please stop shooting and we’ll go away”.

Aitken embarked his shattered force, leaving all landed stores where they lay. Von Lettow-Vorbeck collected everything and took to the bush, fighting the British until late 1918.

He kept a British force of 100,000 chasing his three guerilla columns without success until late November 1918.

He marched his remaining column into Abercorn in honourable surrender, with shouldered arms and flags flying to parade in the main square.

Applauded by the admiring British he dismissed his brave soldiers and returned to Germany a hero and a General.

Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE) Eastern Region volunteers say they are thrilled that a media campaign has attracted homes for a litter of puppies; and they are set to celebrate with a night of music in Totternhoe.

GRWE took lurcher Cienna from a dog pound, after she was set to be put to sleep as a stray.

But having rescued waggy-tailed Cienna from her fate, the charity discovered they were taking in more than they expected.

“Cienna had nine pups, who at seven weeks old are growing up beautifully and Cienna’s now a retired Mum which she much deserves,” said GRWE volunteer Gulie Butcher.

“The pups all have home offers and our feature pup Chance, found his home through your pages and will be living very locally,” Gulie smiled.

Raising pups is an expensive business, so on Saturday, August 30 there will be a music evening with an interval quiz round at Totternhoe Memorial Hall, Castle Hill Road, LU6 1QQ to regenerate GRWE’s New Life fund - which has been supporting the puppies.

The fun starts at 7.30pm and lasts until 11pm. Gulie said that you can bring your own nibbles and buy drinks from the pay bar. Kevin Crompton will be playing Irish songs and covers of people like James Taylor, Ralph McTell, Christy Moore plus some well-known songs.

To book a place at £5 per person contact guliebutcher@btinternet.com or ring 07984616582.

If spaces then pay at the door.

The Highways Agency will be helping holidaymakers have happy holidays by keeping traffic moving over the August bank holiday weekend, ensuring that 98 per cent of England’s motorways and other major roads are free of roadworks.

Around 164 miles of roadworks will be completed before the August bank holiday weekend and 110 miles will be suspended between Friday 22 August and Tuesday 26 August, providing extra lane capacity for holiday traffic .

Highways Agency, Director of Traffic Management, Simon Sheldon-Wilson, said: “This bank holiday weekend, over 98 per cent of motorways and major A-roads in England will be clear of roadworks. This will be a great help to people travelling during the holiday – with roadworks lifted, more lanes will be open and many of the associated speed restrictions will also be lifted.

“To help road users, Highways Agency traffic officers and the police will work to clear up any incidents as soon as possible but we advise drivers to check weather and travel conditions before any long journey and make sure they have maintained their vehicles, including trailers and caravans before setting out.”

To help its customers, roadworks at 73 locations will be completed before the bank holiday. A further 50 sets of roadworks and lane restrictions will be removed by 6am on Friday 22 August and will not be put back before 00:01 on Tuesday 26 August.

This year, the Agency is doing more work than ever to improve the condition of its network, reduce congestion and provide real long-term benefits for drivers. A record amount of money is being invested in Agency’s roads, but this means there are more roadworks on the ground than before so drivers need to plan and allow sufficient time for their journeys. For the safety of drivers and their passengers, lane restrictions or temporary speed limits will need to remain in place at 49 locations.

Drivers can find out about the busiest routes in their region by looking at the Agency’s website which shows the holiday hotspot routes over the August bank holiday period and the times they are expected to be busiest and through Twitter (www.highways.gov.uk/twitter). This will help them help them choose the best time to travel and plan their routes. Friday evening and Monday afternoon are expected to be the busiest periods over the bank holiday weekend, especially on the main holiday routes, as people set out and return from short breaks or day trips.

A very important part of my job as a local MP is to make sure that our NHS is delivering really good care for local people. We are fortunate to have a very well regarded Luton and Dunstable Hospital as well as dedicated GP’s and community health staff. Of course from time to time things go wrong, as they do in any organisation and I am always available to my constituents to take up any particular concerns they may have.

I have raised concerns in the past about aspects of orthopaedic care at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and I believe that improvements have been made since then.

There were concerns before last winter that our accident and emergency departments would not be able to cope but it is very good news that A&E targets have been met both for the last quarter and for the last year as a whole despite there being over 100 more admissions each week since the previous year.

On average, waiting times in A&E have fallen from more than 70 minutes under the last government to 30 minutes now.

Our A&E departments are treating on average 2000 more people every day within four hours compared to what happened before 2010.

Across the whole of the NHS 800,000 more operations have been carried out every year under this government and at the same time mixed sex wards have been virtually eliminated and hospital infections halved. In addition, waiting times are lower at 18, 26 and 52 weeks than at any time under the last government. Many patients have also benefitted from the new Cancer Drugs Fund.

The reforms which we have introduced are enabling £1 billion in back office savings to be redirected into front line care enabling 1,700 more nurses and 7,000 more doctors to be employed.

The government is determined that the lessons of the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal will be learnt.

We know have a Chief Inspector of Hospitals who has put 14 hospitals in special measures.

These hospitals are being turned around. MORI polling shows that the number of people who feel they are being treated with dignity and respect by the NHS has gone up by 10% to the highest level ever.

Medical Supermarket has launched a new warehouse, holding 8,000 medical product lines in Grovebury Road, Leighton Buzzard.

Medical Supermarket was launched in 2010 by Nick Coleman and Udhi Silva to help GP surgeries save money on everything they bought from pens and paper to minor surgery instruments.

The model adopted meant that any order a customer placed was delivered directly by the chosen distributor or manufacturer. Four years on the business has evolved to selling to care homes, hospitals, dentists and even attracted the interest of big brand restaurants and hotels.

Mr Silva said: “We wanted to run our own facility as we wanted to provide our customers with even more value for money, better delivery times, more innovative products and improved pricing.

“We have invested heavily in our IT and logistics ensuring we continue to innovate and wow our customers each and every time they interact with us.”

Nick added: “Predominately we have been an online retailer and similar to how Amazon started in the 90s we used our suppliers to store our products and when orders came in they dispatched directly to our customer.

“However as our growth has been so strong and with opportunities to increase our range and provide a better service to our customers we wanted to open up our own facility.

“We viewed many different locations around the Midlands, south west and south east of England and we located the warehouse in Leighton Buzzard due to geographic location, a strong supply of qualified and experienced people to work for us and a facility that suited us perfectly.”

For more information email hello@medical-supermarket.com or call 0844 824 8188.

Central Bedfordshire Council has reduced its carbon footprint by 17 per cent in one year, according to its latest Green House Gas report. This saving equates to a total reduction in energy bills of just over £100,000.

The council has set a goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 35 per cent by 2016.

Councillor Nigel Young said: “These results really illustrate that the measures we are taking to move towards truly sustainable energy usage are working. So far we’ve achieved reductions by including solar panels, new lighting schemes and boiler controls in our offices. We’ve also installed automated metering systems to better regulate the energy that we use.”

Leighton’s Carnival Committee is currently running a ballot for the theme for the 2015 event.

There are five suggestions put forward by the public (1960s, Countries & Cultures, Fair Trade, Films & Movies, Myths & Legends).

Vote at www.leightoncarnival.co.uk up to August 31.

The youngest member of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s herd of elephants received a surprise treat this week, as baby elephant Max got to splash around in his first ever paddling pool.

Recent warm weather prompted the Zoo’s elephant keepers to splash out on a big, brightly coloured paddling pool for young Max so he could join in with the summer fun.

Baby Asian elephant Max’s birth last October was filmed for documentary ‘The Zoo’ which airs today. The ITV series, which aims to give viewers behind-the-scenes insights into the lives of the Zoo’s animals and keepers, also captured Max’s early stages of development.

Head Elephant Keeper Lee Sambrook says: “Bath time is one of Max’s favourite activities so we knew he’d love his own paddling pool to splash around in.

“Having a film crew following us during Max’s first few months was an amazing opportunity to show the public how incredible our elephants are and why breeding and protecting this endangered species is so important.”

The second episode of ITV’s ‘The Zoo’, which features baby Max’s birth, airs tonight at 8pm.

Put your best foot forward and head out into the Bedfordshire countryside for this year’s county walking festival.

More than 70 walks have been set up for the 9-day long festival from September 6-14, taking in some of the breathtaking scenery across Bedfordshire.

Whether it’s a family ramble with the children or an informative walk with a knowledgeable leader or something more serious with a 40 mile challenge over two days the festival has it all.

Organised by The Bedfordshire Rambler groups the festival offers an interesting and varied walk every day and many are accessible using public transport.

Organiser Barry Ingram said: “ This will be the sixth and each year we have seen an increase in people enjoying the excellent walking opportunities Bedfordshire has to offer. The walks are free although a few have a small charge for additional services and the fact many are accessible by public transport is good for the environment”

Programmes are available in Libraries, Tourist Information Centres, at visitor attractions and many other places and also available on the festival web site: or by contacting the organiser via email: organiser@bedswalkfest.co.uk.

A new way of fixing potholes is being introduced on Central Bedfordshire’s roads this month to reduce pothole repair times dramatically.

Named the Velocity Patcher, the machine can fix up to 150 potholes per day and it can permanently repair a pothole in about two minutes – a fraction of the time it usually takes using a conventional method to do the job. The process leaves a permanent, level repair that means the council can quickly re-open the roads to traffic.

Cllr Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, Services, said: “Maintaining our roads is a key priority for the council, and we’re constantly investigating new ways to use technology to keep our road network moving.

“We trialled a slightly different machine to test this method earlier in the year and were pleased with what we saw. We’ll still be closely monitoring the quality of repairs but this should enable us to make real progress on tackling something we know impacts on residents across the whole area.”

The machine operates a three step process:

1. High-velocity air is used to remove all dust and debris from the hole

2. A cold bitumen mixture is forced into every crack and crevice, sealing the hole and protecting it by preventing water getting in.

3. A final mix is fired into the hole at high speed, evenly coating the area and providing a firm, level finish.

As heat is not involved in the process, the Velocity Patcher is also a greener way of repairing potholes. It produces exceptionally low CO2 emissions, leaves minimal waste material and causes no further damage to the road.

Cllr Spurr added: “We’re conscious that we need to maintain a balance between keeping the roads safe and minimising disruption for our residents, and introducing new vehicles and changing our approach can help us to achieve this. The Velocity Patcher is another way that we are looking to improve the service for our residents.”

The council invests each year in a fund that is aimed mainly at emergency repairs of dangerous pothole and road defects. This new approach will allow the council to treat a large number of more minor defects, for which funding would not normally be available, preventing the more serious potholes from developing.

The patcher will be used for the next two months and is funded by money recently secured from the Department of Transport (DfT). Around a third of this money is being spent on repairing existing defects. The remainder of the funding is being used to contribute to our structural maintenance programme of full resurfacing schemes; this approach prolongs the life of the roads and reduces the occurrence of defects such as potholes. Information on our approach is available at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/resurfacing-factsheet

A list of roads being treated in our structural maintenance programme is available at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/travelling/roads-safety-and-highways/plans/default.aspx

The South East residential market is taking a breather in July, with demand for new homes falling slightly on last month, supply still historically low, and prices rising at a more moderate pace, according to the July RICS Residential Market Survey.

In line with more member caution reflected in some of the comments, prices in the South East are now expected to rise by 2.7% over the next year, a decrease from the 12 month prediction of 4.5% in May and 6.3% in March. This is still however higher than the national picture where prices are expected to increase by 2.6% on a 12 month view (compared with around 4% at the start of the year).

In the region 4% more chartered surveyors are seeing a rise rather than fall in new buyer enquiries in July, down from a net balance of +33% in January. Supply is also still historically low, although with 4% more chartered surveyors seeing a fall in new instructions, although this is an improvement from a net balance of -15% in January.

Prices in the region are still rising, but at a more moderate pace with 58% more respondents seeing a rise over the last three months, compared with a net balance of +80% in January. The same can be seen with price expectations over the next three months, with 30% more chartered surveyors predicting rises in July compared to 59% more predicting a rise in January 2014.

As the regions housing market takes a breather, average stock per chartered surveyor in the region are at 29, down from 40 in July last year and newly agreed sales are declining.

In London, both sales and new buyer demand fell more sharply than elsewhere, with enquiries falling at their fastest rate since April 2008 and a net balance of 10% more respondents reporting an increase in prices (down from 30% in June).

Across the UK as a whole sales expectations remain positive at both the three and twelve month time horizons, albeit a little less so than previously.

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist, said: “A range of policy initiatives adopted by the Bank of England in recent months alongside heightened expectations surrounding a turn in the interest rate cycle has clearly had an impact on sentiment in the market. The shift in the mood music amongst potential buyers in the London market has been particularly pronounced but that is in a sense consistent with the move to a more sustainable market in the capital.”

Elsewhere around the country, the market in general is showing a greater degree of resilience, but that largely reflects the fact that in some areas the recovery has only recently taken hold and affordability is rather less stretched. Significantly, members now expect price gains over the next year to be faster outside of the Capital, than in it.

Would a stranger save your life? It may depend on who you are, where you live and whether you’ve got a family, according to a survey for Anthony Nolan, a charity which relies on the kindness of strangers.

People in the South East are more likely to come to the aid of their pet than to help a male or teenage stranger in danger, new research has revealed.

A poll conducted for the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan found that overwhelmingly, nearly four out of five people in the South East (82%) would be willing to help their pet if it was in danger.

However, only 56% of the 316 respondents from the South East would be willing to help a man on his own and just 66% would help a teenager they didn’t know, if they saw them in a risky situation. Pensioners (92%) and children (87%) on their own in danger were most likely to enlist the sympathy of a kind-hearted stranger in the region.

When asked what would prevent them from stepping in to help a stranger in danger, 42% of people in the South East said they would be concerned about risking their own safety, while 39% said they would not know how to help.

Anthony Nolan released the results today as it announced that, after forty years of appealing for bone marrow donors, more than three people every day are given a secondhance at life, thanks to a generous stranger – but it’s still not enough.

The overall YouGov survey [1] of 2,353 adults across Britain also revealed that ‘selfie culture’ may be making us more selfish when it comes to helping strangers.

Some 15% of British 18 to 24-year-olds have pretended to be on the phone or texting to avoid helping a stranger who was in danger.

And nearly one in ten (9%) in this age group surveyed online have seen a person in danger and posted about it on social media, rather than helping – although on a positive note, almost half of this age group (47%) have intervened and offered to help.

The survey also shed light on the areas people are from who are most likely to have helped a stranger. Only 49% of adults in the East Midlands having helped a person in danger, the poll reveals. In contrast, 63% of adults in both Wales and Scotland – well over half - have stepped in to help a stranger.

Meanwhile, in the South East, only 55% have intervened to help a stranger in a risky situation.

The findings are particularly significant for Anthony Nolan, which relies on the kindness of strangers who join the charity’s register of potential bone marrow donors. Despite the survey showing 71% of people from the South East would be willing to donate stem cells to a stranger with blood cancer, in reality less than one per cent (0.8%) of the British population are on the Anthony Nolan register.[2]

Anthony Nolan Chief Executive, Henny Braund, said: “These findings have raised thought provoking questions around how far we would each go to save a stranger’s life.

“We can all be guilty of seeing a stranger in need and assuming someone else will help. But every day, three amazing donors give someone the chance of life by donating their stem cells, without knowing anything about the person they are helping. That is quite remarkable.”

When asked what would prevent them from stepping in to help a stranger in danger, the most common reasons people gave were concern about risking their own safety and not knowing how to help.

But it’s not all bad news – only five per cent said that they wouldn’t help a stranger because they were ‘too busy’, and seven per cent said it would be because they ‘didn’t know the person’.

“What is interesting is that most people, whatever their age, aren’t inherently selfish – they simply don’t know how to help, or they are understandably worried about their own safety,” Henny Braund commented. “What many people may not realise is that when it comes to saving a stranger with blood cancer, there is a very simple way to do something truly life-changing for another family.”

Find out how you can save the life of a stranger – visit www.anthonynolan.org/strangers

An Inspector Calls by Insp James Davies, Thames Valley Police’s Neighbourhood Inspector for Aylesbury Vale ...

I am responsible for rural neighbourhood policing across Aylesbury Vale. My team of Sergeants, Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers is based in five stations covering 350 square miles. I also have a role to manage public order – from quiet planned demos to unruly ‘raves’ – as a Custody Inspector ensuring that correct standards are applied after anyone is arrested.

I initially trained as a teacher but soon decided that I wanted a less structured job. I certainly have it now! A typical day in policing, anything can happen, so my team and I need to be able to respond to events. But I have a basic framework of regular meetings, patrols, planning and training that puts me in the best position to meet changing circumstances.

Every police officer has experienced some serious memorable moments: they come with the job. But on a lighter note, I will never forget one trip in a police helicopter taking a very large – and nervous – police dog on a training flight. All the dog wanted was a friendly lap to lie on, without any regard to the pilot’s need to fly the plane!

My most embarrassing moment, has to be when some worried neighbours called us to check on an elderly man who had not been seen for a while. I decided I could climb in through a window instead of breaking his door down. Unfortunately my boots got stuck, so the gentleman awoke to find one large, young police constable hanging upside down like a bat and another outside laughing helplessly.

Despite all the challenges, it’s a good job. You know that sometimes you have made a real difference to people experiencing very difficult circumstances. I’ve learnt never to jump to conclusions. It’s important always to get the full story, whether it’s about operations or about managing the team.

The most significant change at work has been that new technology has made a huge impact. For example, automatic car number plate recognition systems give us instant information about stolen vehicles. Wearing a video camera in full view on our uniform can defuse a potential confrontation or gather important evidence. And recording events on tablet computers saves us time and paper files.

But the essentials of police work have not changed. It’s still all about working in partnership to make our community safer, engaging with people fairly, acting with courage and integrity, listening and learning.

Would you like to enjoy a traditional Sunday lunch with the Mayor of Leighton-Linslade, Councillor Ray Berry?

The event takes place on Sunday, August 31, at 12noon at Duncombe Drive Day Centre.

Band in the Park will follow (a free town council event).

It costs £16 a head for two courses , plus tea or coffee.

Further details from Christine Barrow, the mayor’s secretary on 01525 631921 / 631920, or pop into The White House to get your tickets.

Councillor Berry’s charities for the year are Macmillian Cancer Support Leighton Buzzard, SSAFA Forces Help Beds branch and the ATC (1003) Leighton Buzzard Squadron.

The August bank holiday weekend sees three very different bands playing The Wheatsheaf in North Street, Leighton Buzzard.

Kicking off at 9.45pm on Friday night are Monkey Finger – a trio who will entertain with ‘rocking indie’ songs for the evening.

Saturday sees the return of the popular local-based rock covers band Free State Revolution at 9.45pm. With a staple diet of classic rock covers, the band have also reworked some more current ‘pop’ tunes in their own energetic rock style!

Expect to witness covers from AC/DC, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters, Guns ‘n Roses and Led Zep played with passion plus a few self-penned numbers to prove their versatility. The band are Dan Banfield (vocals/guitar), Kris Willingham (guitar), Rob Knight (bass) and Andreas Kremheller (drums).

Be prepared for The Electric Experience at 3pm on Monday – a progressive rock blues band who have brought 60’s style kicking into the 21st century.

Playing for around 20 years in the UK and Europe, this three-piece band brings a wealth of experience in an exciting and dynamic fashion.

Pete Orr (guitar/vocals) kicked off his music career at The Marquee in Wardour St supporting Dr Feelgood – and he’s not looked back since!

After a period in France, Pete joined up with Mike Stock (without Aitkin and Waterman!), played in Agents of the Shout at the London Hippodrome and formed a band called Touch Sensitive.

With the 1990’s formation of The Electric Experience, Pete moved into another realm with gigs in blues venues played across Europe and the UK with the likes of The Yardbirds, Canned Heat, Robben Ford and Snowy White.

Also in this well seasoned band are Andy Tolman on bass guitar and veteran musician John Tonks on drums and vocals.

All sessions are free entry and on the Monday afternoon the usual Wheatie hog roast will be up and running!

The Cottesloe School in Wing is celebrating another excellent set of A-level exam results with over 41% of all exam entries being passed with the higher A* - B grades.

This is the fourth consecutive year the school has shown an increase with the vast majority of students being accepted for their first choice university.

Headteacher Andy McBurnie said: “I am delighted to see the hard work and determination of our students being rewarded.

“Some of the results are exceptional and I wish all students the very best in their future studies.”

Students with notable success include:

> Georgina Piggott achieved 4 A grades and is spending a year with Project Trust, an educational charity, teaching English in China.

> James Cockbain achieved 3 A grades and a B and is going to study natural sciences at Durham University.

> Sophie Hunter achieved an A* 2 As and a B and has also been accepted to Durham University to study Law.

> Serena Lander achieved 2 A*’s, 2As and a B and will be attending Bristol University to study Philosophy.

> Theodora Kosanovic achieved 2A*s, an A and a B grade and will be attending Goldsmiths University in London to study English.

Mr McBurnie added: “I am extremely proud of the achievements made and would like to thank all the staff for their commitment and professionalism in supporting the students in their academic studies.

“I am delighted by the tremendous performance of students in Art, Chemistry, English Literature and Sociology.”

Leighton Town celebrated their first league win of the season, beating Bedford Town 2-0 at The Eyrie, writes Hannah Sellman.

Craig Bicknell’s first victory in charge sees Leighton climb to ninth in the table, albeit with only three games.

But importantly, Leighton remain undefeated and are playing football worthy of much more.

It was Bedford who began on the front foot though, as Robert Parker tested keeper Dan Child’s resolve within the opening 60 seconds of the game.

Moments later Mark Bunker had to clear the ball off the line, but his attempt ended up hitting Chris Crook in the face who then went down injured. The loose ball ended up in the side netting.

When Josh Winters beat the offside trap, it looked likely that Bedford would take the lead, but for fine Childs save.

With three chances in the first five minutes for the gome side it was finally time for Leighton to take control. A cross by Tyrone Taylor saw Alvin Rajaram hit the ball wide of the post in the 17th minute.

Leighton broke the deadlock after 23 minutes as Christian Lester converted at a corner.

With Bedfords’ crosses coming in thick and fast it took the strength and skill of Leightons back four to keep them from drawing level.

A 40th minute corner saw Sam Macraes’ kick cleared off the line by the confident head of Rajaram.

Child was being kept busy throughout the first half, but couldn’t keep hold of Neil King’s free kick, spilling it into the danger zone, but the follow-up strike was fired well over the top.

Leighton doubled their lead eight minutes after the restart when Phil Draycott raced through on goal, rounding the keeper and rolling the ball home to give Leighton a two goal cushion.

Tommy Glasscoe found a way through Leighton’s defence in the 57th minute, with Jamie Nicholls nipping at his heels to put him off, and his persistence paid off as the ball hit the side of the net.

A stop in play saw an injured Glasscoe for Bedford go down so he could be treated, however he soon made a miraculous recovery and was back on his feet in no time taking a shot at goal.

A timely tackle by Rajaram in the 80th minute saw Tom Rawlings stopped in his tracks in the box on his way towards goal.

With Leighton more than comfortable, the last kick of the game saw Child force the ball down the pitch to Taylor who managed to squeeze himself between two of Bedford’s defenders and get a head to the ball towards the goal, but Lee Crockett plucked the ball from the air as time was called.

Leighton Buzzard Writers’ LBO Column. This week by Sara Harris

One of the things I like most about Leighton Buzzard is how easy it is to cycle in this town.

We have special cycle paths, cycle route signage, painted-on cycle paths on main roads, bike lockers in town and plenty of bike racks just about everywhere...it’s really pro-bike! I see vast numbers of people cycling every day, and it gives me one of those “isn’t that nice” feelings, that people are interested in their health and their environment, and are improving both by getting on their bikes.

As usual, though, some people seem intent on spoiling it for everyone. Let me explain slowly and carefully.

You cannot ride your bike on the pavement. You also cannot ride your bike across pedestrian crossings or zebras. This is not negotiable, or a matter of personal choice, or anything else. I would agree that it’s acceptable for very small children to ride on the pavement, as long as they understand that even then they don’t have right of way over pedestrians, but anyone over the age of eight should be riding on the road properly and not zigzagging across the zebras.

I’ve gone militant about this now. I don’t move out of the way for bike-riding muppets on pavements, even if they ding their little bells at me, and I don’t stop at zebras for people on bikes (and yes, stupid woman outside Leighton Middle last week, it was me that nearly ran you over as you pedalled gaily off the pavement and onto the zebra as if your little yellow waistcoat was some sort of car-repelling forcefield).

I haven’t gone completely fundamentalist about it, and started throwing teaspoons into the spokes of offenders’ bikes as they whizz past, but I am quite literally standing my ground. Please don’t cycle on the pavements or the pedestrian crossings, it is dangerous.

Now, as the Pythons, said, for something completely different (but still a bit ranty).

I have written before about my experiences with Leighton Buzzard library, and to be honest, I am probably being unfair. Libraries are brilliant, and a vital community service. But please, lovely library assistants, please categorise your books properly.

I despair when I choose a lovely juicy thriller, and get it home only to discover that it is in fact a romance in disguise. It ruins my week, and you know what a misery I am.

Stay safe out there.