Plans for a solar farm to be built outside of Mentmore have been opposed by local councillors who say it will spoil the view of the countryside.

Developers Bowler Energy are seeking to build the 5mw farm on 11 hectares of land at Oakwood Farm, between Ledburn and Mentmore.

Cllr Peter Cooper called for the application to be refused. He said: “Such a large area of glass in this location will be highly visible and will have a major negative impact on the landscape.”

Due to a lack of members, Mentmore Parish Council originally offered no comments on the application.

Upon filling their shortfall, they amended their position to oppose the plans.

Their comments stated: “It will not only be visible but will create a significant feature, the size of more than 16 football pitches, on the landscape.”

In addition, MP John Bercow, Speaker in the House of Commons, also wrote expressing concerns over the “visual impact” of the development.

The planning report stated the solar farm would be clearly visible from Ledburn Road and houses in northeast Mentmore.

Consultation with the Environment Agency, Network Rail and and the County Highways raised no objections.

The report recommended approval be given subject to conditions. A decision will be reached by the Stategic Development Committee of Aylesbury Vale District Council on Wednesday, November 12.

The relieved manager of Leighton Town FC has described his “wrongful” arrest and trial on suspicion of drugs supply as “15 months of hell”.

On Wednesday the CPS dropped a charge of conspiracy to possess Class A drugs (cocaine) with intent to supply against Craig Bicknell – two weeks after a jury found the manager not guilty of an identical offence.

Both decisions have put an end to more than a year of fear and uncertainty for Craig, who has exclusively told the LBO of his anguish.

He said: “It has been a terrible time– I feel like I have aged ten years. I always knew I was innocent of everything but having to say goodbye to my kids in case something happened was such a bad moment. My wife was put through so much as well, she has already said that she never wants to talk about it again.”

Craig, 37, of Wolverton, was originally arrested alongside his brother Paul at his home in August 2013 by officers of the serious organised crime agency, who had been investigating the supply of Class A drugs around Milton Keynes.

After being held in custody and interviewed by officers for two days Craig was bailed, before later being charged with two counts of conspiracy to possess Class A drugs with intent to supply on December 13.

Paul Bicknell was charged with the same offences and the brothers first appeared in court in January.

Ten months later the pair appeared alongside each other in the dock at Aylesbury Crown Court, for what turned out to be a six-day trial.

Paul was cleared of both charges while Craig was found not guilty on one, with a hung jury on the other. The 37-year-old was forced to wait another fortnight before going back to court, where the CPS dropped the case against the Leighton Town manager by offering no evidence on the second charge.

Craig said: “There was never any proper evidence against me, no drugs, money or paraphernalia was ever found at my home or on my person. Associates of mine are now serving prison sentences on this and when they went through phone records I came up.

“It was from there a conspiracy was put together that things were being organised.

“At the time my brother was staying with me and he borrowed my phone a couple of times and when the officers arrived at my home they arrested both of us.

“I was so shocked when we were charged as the conspiracy theory was so complex.

“We were under surveillance for a year before the arrest but they never had any evidence against us.”

The ordeal also had wide-reaching implications for Paul’s wife and two children (aged five and nine), who he was forced to say goodbye to before the end of the trial.

Paul said: “It was in my head every moment and I was treating each of my children’s birthdays as if it could have been the last one in years.

“I spent the last two days before the end of the trial with my wife and children and it hung over me the entire time.

“It is especially tough when you know you have done nothing wrong.

He added: “When I heard ‘not guilty’ I was relieved but that turned to frustration on why I had been put through this. I was always confident but you never know.”

Following the departure of former first team coach Craig Wells, Leighton Town chairman Terry McCafferty moved quickly to appoint Craig Bicknell in June.

The 37-year-old had just left Ampthill Town after a successful season in which he took them to a runners-up finish in the Spartan South Midlands League, winning the League Cup and reaching the quarter final of the FA Vase along the way.

Despite this the appointment was somewhat of a gamble for Leighton Town, who knew that their new manager was waiting on a trial date.

Following his acquittal Mr Bicknell has paid tribute to his chairman, players and fans of the club for their support.

He said: “I stayed in football as I knew I was innocent and I didn’t want it to interrupt my career.

“Terry was brilliant from the start when I looked him in the eye and said I didn’t do it. It paid off for him as I am going nowhere and will stand by him as he stood by me.

“I have so much respect for him. The entire club has been fantastic as it has been really tough to manage with all of this going on.

He added: “From the start I let all the players know the situation and I owed it to them to stay on considering how well they had done.

“I now want to put it all behind me to concentrate on the two most important things in my life, family and football.”

Organisers of Leighton Buzzard’s Oxjam music festival are starting to hatch plans for the 2015 event – and are on the lookout for fresh acts as well as old favourites to take part.

Scheduled to run as usual throughout March, it will be the seventh annual festival to be held locally. Last year, the amount raised for Oxfam through a series of more than 30 musical events was an impressive £6,575.

There’ll be one major change on the organising committee in 2015, with Ed Flach stepping down from the helm – although remaining part of the team – and Jill Warren-Taylor, who runs The Stag’s Open Mic night, taking over his role.

Jill would love to hear from local musicians with an interest in being part of the 2015 festival, or anyone with an idea for a gig or event.

Contact her on jwarrentaylor@gmail.com if you can help, or get in touch via the Oxjam Leighton Buzzard Facebook page.

Visitors to the Woburn Heritage Centre can find out more about the next chapter in the life of the former Maryland Cottage Hospital after Kebbell Homes presented the museum with a new information board charting the building’s transformation.

The luxury house builder has updated the story of Maryland after breathing new life into the Grade II listed arts and craft building, which was built by the 11th Duke of Bedford, Herbrand Russell, for his wife Mary in the early 1900s.

Maryland has now been extensively refurbished into a collection of two and three-bedroom apartments, combining the building’s historic features with highly modern interiors to create a number of highly desirable homes.

Kebbell’s Andrea Fawell presented Woburn Heritage Centre with the new information board before providing members of the local community with a tour of the refurbished development.

She said: “We are proud to have given this iconic building a new lease of life and to have given it a purpose once again.”

Gill Green, of the Woburn Heritage Centre Trust, added: “We think Kebbell Homes has done a brilliant job of upgrading Maryland and are impressed with the sympathetic way they have used the land around it.

“The building had looked very sad in recent years, but we are pleased to see that it is now an asset to the landscape.”

To find out more go to www.kebbell.co.uk.

Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club commemorated Remembrance Sunday with their third marathon race to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal.

Eighty seven paddlers from across the region gathered to make the 15 mile trip on the Grand Union Canal from Great Linford in Milton Keynes back to the Leighton Buzzard, portaging across 4 locks on route.

Paddlers and their support crews enjoyed breakfast and refreshments organised by the club before setting off on their marathon journey either in single K1 boats or in double K2s.

With the sun shining and local residents, family and friends spectating, all boats stopped on the water to pay their respects at 11am for the 2 minutes silence before setting off.

All paddlers were ranked by ability and competed in Class A, B or C in either a K1 or K2. Team LBCC finished with paddlers in the top four of every class.

In K1 it was a comfortable win for GB squad member Sam Plummer who had returned home from University especially for the race. Sam was followed across the line in 3rd by coach Mike Martin.

In Class B it was Paul Plummer, Sam’s Dad, who took top honours followed closely by Paul Stenning in 2nd. In Class C it was a well deserved 2nd for Nigel Dixon.

In the K2’s all Leighton Buzzard podium crews had come together especially for this race with some having never having paddled this distance before.

In Class A Eloise Hall and Charlie Smith paddled well together for their club and took the win. Robert Poole and Peter Collins followed in 3rd.

In Class B It was a pleasing 4th for Tom Pickering and Matt Callow and in Class C it was 2nd for Fiona Barber and Charlie Toosey.

Special mention to the LBCC relay paddlers Katy Dixon, Izzy Pickering, and Amanda Morris and daughter Bethany who split the 15 miles in two.

LBCC hope to have raised over £250 this year for the Poppy Appeal from race entries, poppies and cake sales.

Premier Division supported by Sportsform action this weekend sees league leaders Renhold United in home action against AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College - still unbeaten on the road this season.

Second place Shefford Town & Campton will be en route to Jubilee Playing Fields to defend their unbeaten league ways against the hosting Wilstead who will be looking for just their second home win of the season.

Over at Oakley Playing Fields third place AFC Oakley M&DH will endeavour to retain their unbeaten home ways when visited by 11th place AFC Turvey who nevertheless will make tracks still unbeaten on the road this season but also without a win from their last nine league outings. Whilst at their own Playing Field headquarters fourth place Marston Shelton Rovers receive a visit from sixth place Sharnbrook who will arrive in search of their fourth consecutive league away win.

Just down the road at Hurst Grove bottom of the table Lidlington United Sports having won their first game of the season last weekend are visited by a Caldecote side who are yet to win on the road this season and at Sharnbrook Upper School eighth place Eastcotts AFC now unbeaten in their last four home outings play hosts to ninth place Ickwell & Old Warden.

Other action comes at Bedford Road Recreation Ground where tenth place Sandy who have yet to win on home soil this season play hosts to fifth place Flitwick Town who have only lost just the once at Shefford Town & Campton on their travels this season and at Weston Park having lost their last two home encounters twelfth place Wootton Blue Cross will look to return to winning ways against the visiting second from bottom of the table Pavenham.

Division One supported by Wests Citroen Bedford action sees league leaders Henlow at their Groveside base defending their unbeaten ways against local rivals Shefford Town & Campton Reserves who won on the road for the first time last weekend. W

hilst second place Elstow Abbey having lost on the road for the first time last weekend make tracks to face eighth place Riseley Sports at Gold Street who are now unbeaten in their last three league outings.

For third place Cranfield United its home Crawley Road action against AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College Reserves, the hosts still 100% on home soil this season whilst the Town travel winners in four out of five of their outings away from Hillgrounds this season.

Over at Fisher Close, fifth place Great Barford will be in home action looking to take their winning ways up to five games against fourth place Sundon Park Rangers and at Grange Road, Bedford SA will be fully expected to collect all three points when they are called upon by bottom of the table Brache Sparta.

Other action comes at Mill Lane, the venue at which tenth place Potton Town winners of their last two home starts host the visiting 11th place AFC Oakley M&DH Reserves who themselves are unbeaten in their last two away outings and in Mowsbury Park, twelfth place Queens Park Crescents seek just their third home win of the season against the visiting sixth place Meltis Albion who will be in search of their first away league win of the season. Whilst for second from bottom of the table AFC Harlington at New Grounds its the search of win number one of the season against the visiting Marabese Ceramics who sit just one place above them in the league standings.

The game of the day in division two takes place at the Warren where fourth place Elstow Abbey Reserves still unbeaten on home soil this season face a visit from the still unbeaten away from home league leaders Westoning. Whilst second place FC Houghton look to extend their winning ways to eight games when at Moore Crescent they receive a visit from second from bottom of the table Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves who will travel in search of their first away point/points of the season.

Over at King George VI Playing Fields third place Clapham Sports go into home action against bottom of the table Wilstead Reserves who are still seeking their first win of the season and at the Hockey Centre, Bedford United take on Wootton Village.

Other action comes at Harvey Close, the venue at which Caldecote Reserves look to end a five game losing run when called upon by Kempston Athletic who are yet to be defeated on the road this season and at their Playing Field headquarters fifth place Stevington still unbeaten on home soil this season are called upon by sixth place Meltis Albion Reserves who travel looking to take their unbeaten away ways up to four games.

In Division Three for league leaders Clifton its the search of home win number five on the bounce when at Whiston Crescent they receive a visit from tenth place White Eagles side who are still 100% on the road this season.

Elsewhere its derby day in Sandy when at The Academy eleventh place hosts Mid Beds Tigers seek their first home win of the season against the visiting second from bottom of the table Sandy Reserves who themselves look to end a run of three consecutive away defeats.Whilst at Harvey Close, bottom of the table Caldecote A face the still 100% away from home and sixth place Atletico Europa.

Other action coming at the Bedford Academy where ninth place FC Serbia play hosts to the still unbeaten fifth place Cranfield United Reserves and at Rectory Road for eighth place Shefford Town & Campton A its a visit from fourth place Dinamo Flitwick who will be looking for their fourth win on the bounce.

The final game is at Greenfield Road, the venue at which third from bottom of the table Westoning U20 look to end a run of four consecutive home defeats when they play hosts to seventh place Lea Sports PSG who travel in search of their third away win on the bounce.

Leighton Town booked their spot in the quarter finals of the Beds Senior Cup with a 1-0 win over Biggleswade United on Tuesday night.

Christian Lester, a late replacement for top scorer Danny Watson, grabbed the only goal of the game two minutes before half time.

Town were bolstered by the news of a new signing prior to kick off, softening the blow of losing Watson to injury in warm-up. Harvey-Bailey Irving, who had been spotted at a few Town games this season, was named among the substitutes for Craig Bicknell’s side.

Both sides enjoyed time on the ball in the opening exchanges, but chances were few and far between.

Phil Draycott scuppered a decent chance for the home side when United keeper Rui Goncalves picked up a back pass, earning Town an in-direct free kick. But Draycott’s strike was straight into the wall and danger was averted.

As half time approached, Goncalves made amends for his earlier mistake by tipping over Mark Bunker’s goalbound effort just over the bar, but there was nothing he could do about Lester’s strike two minutes before the break which put Town into the lead.

Town keeper Dan Green out-witted Stuart Richardson when the striker went through one-on-one, diving low to his left to keep out his effort.

Lester found himself in the net, rather than the ball, 10 minutes after the restart when he couldn’t reach Aaron Morgan’s cross with a flying header.

It was a fairly comfortable half though for Town, who dealt with United’s threat well, without the need to extend their lead further.

Leighton will now face Arlesey Town in the next round.

Leighton’s next game is away to North Greenford in round two of the Red Insure League Cup on Tuesday November 18, kick off 7.45pm.

Cheddington Combined School pupils are preparing to host their Best Assembly Ever, as part of this year’s BBC Children In Need.

The school was one of 48 schools across the country that won a Lloyds Bank Best Assembly Ever prize box, because of their creative fundraising ideas for Children In Need.

Lloyds Bank has provided primary schools across the UK with curriculum linked resources to help with charitable fundraising and key skills development.

The boxes will help schools celebrate their pupil’s fundraising efforts by providing games, balloons, t-shirts and special Pudsey prizes.

Lauren Reid, PSHE coordinator, Cheddington Combined School, said “We’ve always supported BBC Children in Need through school fundraising and the children really get behind the activities. This year they’ve been incredibly excited to develop their Best Assembly Ever.”

Stuart Beaver, partnership marketing and community engagement director, Lloyds Banking Group, said “We have been inspired by the children and school’s fundraising activities and their proposals for celebrating the ‘Best.Assembly.Ever.’

“It has been fantastic to see so many children developing plans to help other children and through Lloyds Bank’s unique partnership with BBC Children in Need we’re immensely proud to play a part in helping this happen.”

The school held an auction on Thursday, November 6, to raise money for Children In Need.

They auctioned a a sailing lesson, a personal guitar lesson, a vineyard tour, four tickets to this year’s Christmas pantomime, and much more.

Mrs Reid said: “The auction was incredibly successful. We didn’t have as many people as we would have hoped but the people who did make the effort and turned up made such a difference.

“The atmosphere was ecstatic and we had a great laugh. We managed to raise just over £1,800.”

Students and staff came to the Brooklands School in Leighton on November 11 in period costume for both the eras of the wars and participated in history-based activities during the morning.

They had some artefacts on loan from Bletchley Park to show the children and the school lunch was corned beef hash and crumble.

In the afternoon the children invited Royal British Legion members to a tea party where they sang to the visitors and hosted a raffle.

See more photos in the Nov 18 issue of the LBO.

A 10-year-old girl is getting 11 inches of her hair cut off and donating it to The Little Princess Trust.

Hannah Milligan, of Stewkley, decided to cut her hair, give it to the charity and raise money for them.

The Little Princess Trust use donated human hair to make wigs for children suffering hair loss as a result of cancer treatment and conditions like alopecia.

The St Michaels School pupil said: “I thought that my hair was just going to go in the bin otherwise and that if I could give it to charity I would.

“Each wig costs up to £350 to buy and the charity gives them free to children. I decided that I would ask people to sponsor me to have it cut to see if I could help the charity a but more.

“Mum says I should be really proud of myself but I am more proud of the people who have donated money to the charity, having my hair cut is not going to hurt me at all and I’m just really pleased that someone in need can benefit from it.”

Allison Milligan, Hannah’s mum, said: “I’m very proud of Hannah, so far she has raised £444, it’s far exceeded all our expectations.

“I thrilled that Hannah has embraced this idea and am so proud of her willingness to support a charity like the Little Princess Trust.”

She will be getting her cut at Top Cutz on Sunday, November 23. To donate, visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraiser/hannahmilligan

Kid-friendly space adventure GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (12: Walt Disney), based on the Marvel comic, has a retro feel that grown-ups should lap up, too.

Chris Pratt has no particular superpower as Peter Quill, except to brilliantly wisecrack his way out of sticky situations after pilfering a mystical orb coveted by power-hungry aliens Ronan (Lee Pace) and Nebula (Karen Gillan).

Nebula’s adoptive sister (Zoe Saldana) is a green-skinned warrior determined to stop Ronan getting the orb and achieving galactic domination.

She also serves as a comic foil to the other, less principled, Guardians.

There’s plenty of action in this bright and breezy affair in which a tough-talking raccoon (delightfully voiced by Bradley Cooper) threatens to steal the show.

He’s the sort of fast-talking sidekick you’d expect to find in a Disney animation, as is walking tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).

But Pratt remains the lynchpin, straddling the line between bold and brazen in a fun, exciting and psychedelic vision of the galaxy.

> A colony of super-intelligent apes thrives following a global virus outbreak that wipes out much of the human race in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (12: Twentieth Century Fox).

In this sequel to 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, director Matt Reeves clearly decided that to tell the next chapter in the story, he needed to go bigger.

Superintelligent chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis) is now the leader of a large ape colony after the Simian Flu epidemic and is teaching his companions to live in peace. But then the pesky humans turn up to spoil things.

Caesar is torn between his desire to protect his ape family and compassion towards the beleaguered humans, while human-hating right-hand-ape Koba is determined to show him the error of mixing with mankind.

The script and ape characterisation are superb and the acting, coupled with the magic of the visual effects, means there’s no sense that what you’re seeing is constructed on a computer. The apes seem 100% real.

It’s just a pity that the human characters are underdeveloped, with Gary Oldman, as the trigger-happy human leader, woefully underused.

> Superior junior sci-fi yarn EARTH TO ECHO (PG: Entertainment One) is influenced by earlier ‘kids help an alien’ adventures like ET, Super 8, The Goonies and a dozen others.

It borrows wholesale from those films, but still makes fun viewing for young audiences.

On the eve of eviction from their suburban homes, three boys find their mobile phones picking up mysterious interference.

The messages lead them into the desert where they discover an otherworldly thingamajig that’s literally the key to a hidden spaceship.

But there is a sinister group of grown-ups after the alien gizmo, too.

The special effects are decent, the pacing is fast and frantic, and it all makes use of the fashionable ‘found footage’ approach.

A mother of one has started a petition to get Lifestyles@tiddenfoot to reverse the decision to cut the crèche hours on a Friday afternoon.

Zoe Tofield, of Leighton Buzzard, was shocked to discover that the Friday session was cut from four hours to just 90 minutes, without any parents being notified.

The 41-year-old has the support of other mothers who use the service, she said: “I joined Tiddenfoot gym in the summer after the birth of my son. I had suffered nerve damage due to the anaesthetic and was barely walking for several weeks, I also have multiple sclerosis.

“The crèche made a huge difference to my life, without it I would not be able to use the gym which has become essential to getting back on my feet.

“The slot has been given to another group in addition to the room they already used. The leisure centre and council need to help parents, we need to make our voices heard.”

The petition has over 180 signatures.

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesman said: “We are sorry that some customers are frustrated about the crèche opening hours being reduced, and we will be responding directly to them in full.

“We do understand that it is important for parents using the leisure centre to have access to this facility, however, we need to consider the space we have available and ensure that we best meet the needs of all of our customers.

“We are currently looking at increasing the crèche opening hours at other times of the day, allowing customers with young children to take part in more activities.

“This is part of a review of all the activities taking part at lifestyles@tiddenfoot.

“A draft programme will be completed by the new year, and we will ensure that centre users have the chance to comment on this and give feedback, including at a customer forum on 21 January, before the final programme is introduced in February.”

As the regular golf season draws to a close, five of Leighton Buzzard Golf Clubs’ major trophies are to have new names engraved on them.

The much-coveted Denis Jordan Trophy played to a foursomes format, has been won by Lance Lawes and Peter Burgoyne, who beat David Scott and David Jones in the final.

The new holders of the Groves Trophy is David Robinson who beat Simon Goodall in the final, while design engineer Mark Vincent won his first major trophy by beating Martin Price in the final of the Lucking Cup.

Pals Steve Light and Tony Russell have won the Daily Mail Foursomes competition and will represent the Leighton club in the regional finals next year.

They completed the Plantation Road course with a nett 66.5, two shots clear of Club President David Hawkins and Paul Atkinson, adding to their sequence of bridesmaids’ finishes.

Leighton’s inter-club team shared the spoils with local rivals Mentmore in a 3-3 draw. Vice Captain Steve Leng and Steve Schmidt and Russell and Josh Rowles got Leighton off to a flying start against Martin Cowling and Matt Sale and Bill Cooke and Andy Jenkins.

Ben Irvine and John Richards, Stephen Gillette and Simon Thornton and Tony Messenger and Peter Sheridan put Mentmore in the lead with early wins over Mark McLoughlin and Phil Eddy, Michael Loot and Nick King and Richard Samuels and Shane Kimber.

But Dave Roberts and Shane Bentley secured the half for Leighton with a vital victory in the last match over Simon Enright and Matt Rolph.

Senior stalwarts Tom Davis and Chris Ives pictured with Leighton’s Fourball knock-out trophy after beating favourites and former winners Mike Turnock and Paul Johnson 3-2 in the final.

Former company boss Tom and retired sales and marketing director Chris attributed their success to “fundamental flaws in their golf swing” being corrected by pro shop coaches Will Tebbs and Wayne Hugo.

Forget adding salt and pepper to your meal, the Olfactic Dog Nose will improve the flavour of your food more than any condiment you own.

Created by Wing-based award-winning inventor Charlie Francis, the Olfactic Dog Nose is soaked in warm water and worn for 10 minutes prior to eating, moistening your nasal cavity and vastly improving your sense of smell and flavour.

Charlie, 30, who runs his company Lick Me I’m Delicious from the Acorn Business Centre, off Cublington Road, said: “It basically gives you a very gentle nasal douche. A wet nose is a healthy nose on a dog, similarly a wet nasal passage is a tasty nasal passage for a human.”

This latest invention is part of the wider Human Cookbook movement Charlie is championing, looking at the effect your mental and physical state has on flavour. If you’re tired, if you haven’t exercised recently, if you’ve been gorging on sugar or eating a diet high in salts, if you’re dehydrated, if you’re stressed, if you had a massive lunch, if you eat really quickly – all these things will have a huge effect on how much you enjoy your meal

Charlie added: “When you go to an expensive restaurant, the chef has spent hours creating the perfect combination of flavours in your dish and then you just walk in off the street, plonk yourself down and start eating without a thought for how you could effect the meal. “You have far more control over how good that meal will taste than any chef does.”

Charlie’s company is also home of the Nitro Ice Cream Buggy, Edible Mist Machines, Ice Cream Pottery Gramophone Wheel, Instant Lollipop Maker, Soup Washing Machine and birthplace of the World’s first glow in the dark ice cream which glows as you lick it.

Last month we reported on Charlie’s new Levitron device – a machine which uses ultrasonic sound waves to create a levitating cocktail. He is now looking at developing contactless cutlery, levitating popcorn and later down the line a floating roast dinner.

On a gloriously sunny day, Leighton Linslade in Bloom Pages Park Community Garden group invited children from local schools to come along and plant bulbs. A number of children came along, all well equipped with gloves and trowels.

Volunteers from In Bloom were on hand to show them how different bulbs need to be planted at different depths.

Spokesman Rowan Hastwell said: “In no time at all, with the help of parents and grandparents, they had planted hundreds of bulbs. The children will be able to see them in their full glory next Spring. They did a wonderful job and enjoyed a well deserved treat.

“The community garden volunteers have been very busy. A very large amount of manure was spread by some hardy souls in September.

“It was rotovated in by a volunteer from the Rotary Club of Leighton Buzzard – this was such a huge help, greatly improving the soil and adding to the support the Rotary have given the garden financially.

“A number of planting days were then organised and virtually all the plants that could be planted before the winter are now in the ground. Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre has given us invaluable advice, support and a nursery for the plants until they could be taken to the garden.

“Leighton-Linslade Town Council, in particular the groundsmen, have helped in numerous ways from transporting plants, helping to spread manure to setting up a watering system. This has made all the hard work so much easier.

“Thank you to all concerned for helping to transform a design on paper into a garden that we hope the community will enjoy as it grows and develops.”

Hold on to your horses – that bad ass cowgirl Calamity Jane is coming to town!

Or rather Jodie Prenger will be playing the role brought to life by American national treasure Doris Day, with velvet-voiced Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok in the 1953 movie.

The feelgood show will be at Milton Keynes Theatre from November 25 - 29.

The cast includes Tom Lister as Hickok, Alex Hammond as Danny and Phoebe Street as Katie Brown.

Jodie came to prominence through the BBC TV series I’d Do Anything, winning the part of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s West End production of Oliver!

Since then she’s starred in the National Theatre hit One Man, Two Guv’nors and as Lady of the Lake in Spamalot.

Tom Lister is probably best known as Carl King in ITV soap Emmerdale. His recent credits include Grimes and Eel in the world premiere of Water Babies at Leicester Curve while Alex Hammond played Adam Pontipee in the national tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Calamity Jane was the nickname of American frontierswoman and professional scout Martha Jane Cannary, who was born in 1852.

The show is directed by Nikolai Foster with choreography by Nick Winston and musical supervision by Catherine Jayes.

It contains a number of evergreen hits incuding Windy City, Black Hills of Dakota and Secret Love. The music was composed by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Paul Fracis Webster.

> For tickets call 0844 8717652 or visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

Write Away ... Leighton Buzzard Writers’ Column. This week by Claire Matthews

I seem to be living in a parallel universe. A place of endless summer, the creation of a benign sorcerer queen designed to keep the inhabitants of Leighton Buzzard in a reverse Narnia. But lately, cracks in the illusion are beginning to appear.

Back in May, I planted a pot of lobelia and it stands beside my front door. It looks beautiful; masses of pretty blue and white flowers erupting all over the place. I have lovingly watered it and enjoy its cheerful display every time I return home.

Now it looks spectacular, like the prize exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show and I’m growing suspicious. Is it too good to be true?

The other day, I was wandering around my favourite shop, coatless and flip-flopped, when I came across a large Christmas tree unashamedly decked out in large baubles. So surprised was I at this strident icon of winter that my sunglasses fell off my head. What is going on?

Last week, I was sitting out on the decking, warming my cockles in the sunshine and reading. “I’m in my garden, but it feels like I’m on holiday,” I said to myself. “Lovely”.

All at once, I became aware that a dusk-like darkness was falling. It was only 4pm by my watch. What strangeness is this, an eclipse? Witchcraft?

Then came the most terrible harbinger of winter doom. I broke my SAD alarm clock. (SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder affects many people and is characterised by depression during the darker months of winter.)

Thankfully I don’t suffer from SAD, but I do enjoy the benefit of a SAD alarm clock. Every morning, I am awakened by the gradual brightening of the lamp, culminating in the sound of a gentle dawn chorus. In my bleary effort to switch off the birds and switch on Chris Evans, I pushed it off the bedside table. Why am I now waking to cruel, unexpected darkness?

I fear the breaking of this summer spell. It’s going to explode into arctic Armageddon soon, the signs are there.

Please, sorcerer queen, make the spell last longer. Don’t make me wear a coat. Bring back the light mornings. And please don’t turn my lobelia into a blackened, frost ravaged heap.

Plans to build a convenience store in Sandhills have been met with “guarded” approval by Leighton-Linslade town councillors.

The 3,000sq metre site, situated at the junction of Theedway and Billington Road, will serve residents of the estates recently built at Sandhills.

Agents for applicant Guildhall Estates (Leighton Buzzard) told the LBO that talks are ongoing for a well-known supermarket brand to occupy the ground floor retail space, but this is not expected to be confirmed until the new year.

The two upper storeys of the building will be set aside for ten flats.

Leighton town and Central Beds councillor Amanda Dodwell said: “This is a much-needed facility for the residents of Sandhills, and in principle I warmly welcome the proposal.”

Concerns had been raised by councillors and members of the Southern Residents’ Group about parking limitations. Currently, there are just 23 parking spaces outlined in plans, with one disabled space. Ten spaces have been earmarked for residents of the flats, and 13 for shoppers at the store.

It was also pointed out that none of the flats had been put forward for affordable housing.

Cllr Dodwell said: “I do share some of the concerns that have been raised with regards to car parking, although I understand that the layout of the site is somewhat restricted due to the presence of overhead electricity cables and pylons.”

She added that social housing needs would be met by the Extra Care Facility, due to be introduced by Central Beds Council in March 2016. This involves the creation of affordable social housing to meet the needs of various groups, namely the elderly – although no specific development appears to have been decided.

Robin Hood is riding into Leighton Buzzard Library Theatre on Saturday, December 13 for two daytime shows.

Following the outstanding success of last year’s production, The Wind in The Willows, Wizard Theatre, in association with international award-winning open air theatre company Illyria, returns with everyone’s favourite heroic outlaw.

Evil Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham tax the people into desperate poverty, but one man decides to fight back – Robin Hood.

Arrows will be unleashed and swords will be thwacked as Wizard Theatre’s own troupe of irrepressibly merry men present the most enduring of English legends.

Packed full of live music, wonderful characters, a breathtaking archery competition and, most important of all, bundles of fun, the shows (11am and 2.30pm) are suitable for ages five and over.

Matthew Rothwell, who studied at St John’s University York before going on to train in physical theatre at Liverpool, will play Robin Hood.

He has toured nationally and internationally performing this year in France and Holland as well as almost every inch of the UK.

Theatre credits including the Unity Theatre Liverpool and the Library Theatre Manchester. He has worked for Contact Theatre, Distraction Theatre Company and the Manchester Actors Company playing ‘George’ in their production Of Mice And Men.

For the last three years he has appeared for Illyria in their production of The Twits, Babe: Sheep Pig and as Banquo/Porter in MacBeth.

Wizard Theatre was set up in 2002 by artistic director, Leon Hamilton.

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in film, TV and theatre, Leon continues his passion of working with and performing to the most challenging, sharpest and vocal of audiences - young people.

He said: “After the fantastic response to The Wind in The Willows last year, Wizard Theatre and our band of merry men can’t wait to bring Sherwood Forest to the Leighton Buzzard Theatre again in December.

“Whether you are looking forward to pelting the sheriff, having an arrow shot of your head or the unique archery competition, you’re guaranteed to be delighted by the excitement of Robin Hood.

“Equally, if you prefer something less energetic you’re welcome to just cheer Robin as he defeats Prince John, gasp at the exciting battles and clap along to Don’t Do This At Home! Loved by all who have seen the show so far, please come along and be an honouree outlaw.”

As well as the main show in Leighton, there will also be the opportunity to join Wizard Theatre in the library on Tuesday, December 2, between 4.30pm and 5.30pm to create Sherwood Forest in a special craft event.

Book now for both of these events for the perfect pre-Christmas treat either in person, online at www.leightonbuzzardlibrarytheatre.co.uk or by phone on 0300 300 8125.

For the craft event, call in at the library or call 0300 300 8059.

Volunteering...By Sue Palmer from the Volunteer Centre at Bossard House, West Street, Leighton Buzzard:

Trustees are the people in charge of a charity. They play a vital role, volunteering their time and making decisions about the charity’s activities, finances and plans for the future.

To run effectively, a board needs a diverse mix of ages, backgrounds, and experience; the student with a flair for social media, the retiree with financial experience and the mother with a passion for a cause are all trustees in the making. Yet people shy away from being trustees because they don’t know what it involves, and the charity sector can seem daunting.

Almost half the charities across the UK are likely to have a vacancy on their board at any time. That’s where Trustees’ Week comes in. Now in its fifth year, the 2014 campaign runs from November 10 to 16 and aims to showcase the essential work trustees do. People often become trustees to ‘give something back’, but there is a two-way benefit. Charities benefit from the range of expertise and viewpoints their trustees bring, and trustees have the chance to develop skills, gain an insight into the work and governance of a charity, and have a chance to make a lasting difference to a cause they care about. It usually fits easily around other commitments too.

There are about a million trustees in position, so why not join them? For more details, visit www.trusteesweek.org.uk or follow @trusteesweek

Of course if the trustee option isn’t for you, other volunteering might be. A recent survey said that people who volunteer have lower rates of depression, live more fulfilled lives and have greater self-esteem.

For those who are unemployed or looking for a new career, volunteering has additional benefits; it provides a chance to try something new, gain skills and experience, increase confidence and get something onto a CV to impress potential employers.

We are pleased to be able to say that a number of those who have volunteered via the Volunteer Centre over the past two years are now in paid work, including in retail, schools, administration and factory/warehouse roles. Others feel that they have gained in terms of confidence and experience and are now much more likely to find work.

Voluntary and Community Action also supports local unemployed people in other ways, including running free courses in Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Houghton Regis to help people to identify their goals, improve their confidence and learn how to sell themselves to a potential employer. We also run Work Clubs in local locations to provide individual support.

If you are interested in further information on volunteering or on accessing our free courses or employment support give Volunteer Centre Central Bedfordshire a call.

Based in Leighton Buzzard town centre (near the multi-storey car park) an advisor will be happy to meet with you and can offer free advice on what might suit you.

Tel: 01525 850559, week days 9.30am – 3.00pm or email volunteer@action-centralbeds.org.uk. You can also discover more about other opportunities in your area by taking a look at www.do-it.org.uk, simply by entering your interests and postcode.