News from Maidwell – December 2024/January 2025
Church Services
1 December Family Service 11:00 am
15 December Holy Communion 11:00 am
21 December Carols and Christingle 4:00 pm
25 December Christmas Day service 11:00 am
with Holy Communion
5 January Family Service 11.00am
19 January Holy Communion 11.00am
Wreath and table decoration making
Sat 7 December 11am-2pm in the church
£15-£35 per person (includes food and drink)
All wreath bases and greenery will be supplied and if you would like to add your own baubles, decorations etc., please bring them.
Prices from £15 to £35 upwards, depending on the size of the wreath or table decoration. See the wonderful wreaths made last year.
Children also welcome to make their own wreath or tree decorations.
Please let Amanda know if you can come 07707 530720.
MOSAIC at Christmas
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Maidwell (NN6 9JG)
Saturday 14 December 2024 7.00pm
The A Cappella Octet returns to Maidwell with a programme of beautiful Christmas music
Tickets: £10.00, including interval refreshments, from Amanda
07707 530720
All proceeds to St Mary the Virgin Church made each item a piece of real vocal chamber
The PCC would like thank all those who have helped and supported all the fundraising activities throughout 2024.
The Loder Hall
Thank you to all those who came and supported the Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 16 November, the vendors, the volunteers and all who purchased the lovely items available. A grand total of £810 was made for the Loder Hall – well done everyone!
The Loder Hall is looking for additional committee members. If you would like the opportunity to help maintain and improve this wonderful space for the benefit of all Maidwellians, then please contact Ann (07939 124521) or Colin (07771 806094) for more details.
The Loder Hall is available for hire at £10 for the first hour and £5 per hour thereafter.
The hall is approximately 10m x 5m with a small kitchen (NOT compliant with food preparation regulations), equipped with an electric hob, fridge, microwave and warming oven. We also have a good selection of crockery, cutlery and glasses which, along with tables and chairs, can be hired out separately. There is a secure outside area ideal for summer parties with direct access to the Maidwell recreation field.
Contact Ann on 07939 124521 or annrabjohn1@gmail.com.
Parish Council
The Parish Council met on Wednesday 13th November. The meeting was dominated by two topics:
- 2024/25 budget. This was our first discussion about the council budget for the next financial year. Much of our expenditure is on relatively fixed items: our clerk’s salary, memberships/subscriptions such as Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils (NCALC, who provide us with necessary support, advice and training), as well as essential costs such as street lighting, grass mowing and insurance. We always seek to maintain a small amount of discretionary spend so that we can support and invest in items or activities that will benefit residents – such as the new defibrillators that are now in each village. We are not anticipating any significant changes to the current budget (just over £12k) and it will be finalised at our next meeting in January 2025.
- Sustainability. We were joined by Joely Martin, Sustainability Officer for West Northants Council and a Draughton resident. She provided us with an overview of a recent conference held by WNC focusing on nature, food and communicating climate change. We will be providing links on our website to Sustainable West Northants, where there is lots of valuable information for individuals, communities and business.
You may be interested to know that:
– only around one third of WNC residents use their food waste caddy to recycle food – increasing this number and reducing food waste into landfill could save WNC up to £2m!
– you do not need special bags in your food bins – any bag will do (as long as not black). Caddy bin bags are being sold at Brixworth library for £1 roll – a significantly discounted price. You can also use newspaper – or no bag at all.
Did you know that there is a WNC app? You can use this to report a whole range of issues including fly tipping, street cleaning/sign issues etc and you can get weekly notifications about which bins need to go out for the bin round.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 7.30pm in the Loder Hall. All residents are most welcome to attend.
Please note that the contact details for the Parish Council have now changed. The Parish Clerk’s e-mail address is clerk@maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk and the website address is now https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk
Maidwell-being/coffee morning – come not bearing gifts, but with suggestions!
Thank you to all who came to our meeting on 9 November. Amanda provided sewing services, Fiona provided details about Lasting Powers of Attorney and the tech team were on hand – thank you.
The next date is Saturday 13 December between 10am-12noon. It will be a coffee morning to celebrate the festive season – we would encourage as many people as possible to come along, both to see neighbours and have a chat and to canvas your thoughts/suggestions as to what is needed in the village. There will be also tech support.
Don’t forget the recycling bins just inside the gate at Loder Hall for medicine blister packs, contact lens cases, old pens, used make up and toothpaste tubes.
Contacts: Amanda (07707 530720), Lynne (07785 790265), Paul (07710 096590), Mary (07703 291169) and Fiona (07903 137219)
Maidwell Wombles – pick a date next year to help!
A big THANK YOU to those who wombled in November – Andrew S, Colin, David, Fiona, Jo & Juan Carlos, Sally and Tim. They cleared from the Harborough end of the village up to and including the two A14 slip roads, collecting 19 bags of rubbish and finding 25 bags if fly-tipped garden waste on the eastbound A14 slip road. Well done to all!
Pick a date! Despite having over 30 people who have expressed an interest in helping out, numbers have dwindled to approximately 5/6 people per session (usually, the same people at each session). If anyone would like to join us, even if just for one session a year, it would help enormously. Please contact Colin on 07771 806094 to put your name down for one of the forthcoming dates below, weather permitting (please note there is no wombling in January as Uncle Bulgaria & Co will be hibernating!):
Friday 6 December (9am), Saturday 8 February (9am), Saturday 8 March (9am), Friday 4 April (10am) and Saturday 3 May (9am) – more dates to be announced.
Maidwell Primary School
With summer well and truly behind us, we are now firmly into our autumn/winter activities (sadly, from a costs perspective, we’ve also had to switch the heating on!).
We have recently taken part in a Children in Need swimathon. Throughout the year we take all our children, from Reception to Year 6, swimming on a weekly basis by hiring the swimming pool at Maidwell Hall. On Tuesday 12 November, at our swimming sessions, all of the children counted their widths/lengths to collectively see how far we could swim as a school. The children were sponsored by family and friends and we have raised over £500 at the last count, having achieved 791 widths and 511 lengths. All of these funds will go to the BBC Children in Need appeal. BBC Radio Northampton, on hearing about our event, interviewed us on live radio on Tuesday morning and played a second recorded interview on Friday morning. A subsequent BBC news item can also be found at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89v1z7lpx1o
With all this excitement behind us, we can now look forward to Christmas and our annual trip to the Pantomime, along with our Christmas dinner in school.
Finally, I would like to repeat how grateful we are for the patience we receive from our neighbours when the road is busy. Our regular times for drop off, pickup and all the school clubs can be found on our website:
https://www.maidwellprimary.net/Information/SchoolDay/
A diary, also on our school website, lists any special events we are planning and thus any extra traffic we might be expecting: https://www.maidwellprimary.net/Diary/
Other news
Carol singing
We are hoping to have carol singing around the village again this year – the tentative date is Thursday 19 December. Further details will be posted on the village WhatsApp group.
Digital membership of WNC libraries
Did you know about this fantastic facility to read books, magazines and newspapers for free?! You can sign up for your free digital membership here:
https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/libraries/online-reference
All the Maidwell news above can also be viewed on the Maidwell with Draughton website: https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk
News from Maidwell – November 2024
Church Services
3 November All Saints Service 11:00 am
17 November Holy Communion 11:00 am
1 December Family Service 11:00 am
15 December Holy Communion 11:00 am
21 December Carols and Christingle 4:00 pm
25 December Christmas Day service 11:00 am
with Holy Communion
Harvest Supper
A huge thank you to all who helped and came to the Harvest Supper. We had 75 people and the church was really buzzing. Thank you to Ingrid for the beautiful flowers, to Angela P for the table decorations, Sarah for the cooking and to all the helpers. We raised £1500 for the church. Thank you – we couldn’t do it without all the help.
Christmas greetings
Once again, we will be sending a “village” Christmas greeting list out in the December magazine. If you would like your names to be included, please send £10 to Susan (Lilacs, Draughton Road – 07958 228960) by no later than 25 November – thank you.
Wreath and Christmas table decoration making
This will be held between 11am-2pm on Saturday 7 December in the church. All wreath bases and greenery will be supplied and if you would like to add your own baubles, decorations etc., please bring them.
A light lunch and drink will be supplied. Prices from £15-35, depending on size of wreath or table decoration. Please let Amanda know if you can come – 07707 530720.
The Mosaic Chamber Choir will be coming to perform a wonderful selection of music in the church on 14 December at 7pm. £10 per person. Drinks and nibbles will be served. Tickets from Amanda – 07707 530720.
Bell-ringing
The annual Maidwell peal will be rung on Wednesday 27 November from 5.30-8.30pm. There will therefore be no practice session on Friday 29 November. Thank you to all (most particularly the close neighbours to the church) for your ongoing support.
The Loder Hall
The Loder Hall is looking for additional committee members. If you would like the opportunity to help maintain and improve this wonderful space for the benefit of all Maidwellians, then please contact Ann (07939 124521) or Colin (07771 806094) for more details.
Save the dates
The Christmas Bazaar will take place on Saturday 16 November 11am-3pm. Get your Christmas shopping off to a great start – lots of lovely handmade gifts and cakes available.
The previously-postponed annual Quiz Night will take on Saturday 23 November 7pm for 7.30pm. £5 entry – bring your own drink and nibbles.
The Loder Hall is available for hire at £10 for the first hour and £5 per hour thereafter.
The hall is approximately 10m x 5m with a small kitchen (NOT compliant with food preparation regulations), equipped with an electric hob, fridge, microwave and warming oven. We also have a good selection of crockery, cutlery and glasses which, along with tables and chairs, can be hired out separately. There is a secure outside area ideal for summer parties with direct access to the Maidwell recreation field.
Contact Ann on 07939 124521 or annrabjohn1@gmail.com.
Parish Council
The next meeting is on Wednesday 13 November at 7.30pm. Any resident from Maidwell or Draughton is most welcome to attend.
Please note that the contact details for the Parish Council have now changed. The Parish Clerk’s e-mail address is clerk@maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk and the website address is now https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk
Maidwell-being
Thank you to all who came to our meeting on 12 October. Joely from West Northants Council came with the game “How Bad Are Bananas?” to test our knowledge of our carbon footprint – thank you Joely.
The tech team were busy again – thank you.
Our next meeting will be on 10 November between 10am-12noon, with tech support and tea, coffee and cakes as always.
Don’t forget the recycling bins just inside the gate at Loder Hall for medicine blister packs, contact lens cases, old pens, used make up and toothpaste tubes.
Contacts: Amanda (07707 530720), Lynne (07785 790265), Paul (07710 096590), Mary (07703 291169) and Fiona (07903 137219)
Maidwell Wombles
A big THANK YOU to the valiant few who wombled in October – Andrew S, Colin, Jo & Juan Carlos and Tim. They cleared the entire stretch from Maidwell to Lamport, collecting 14 bags of rubbish. Well done to all!
Despite having over 30 people who have expressed an interest in helping out, numbers have dwindled to approximately 5/6 people per session (usually, the same people at each session). If anyone would like to join us, even if just for one session a year, it would help enormously and it would be great to have a final push over the next couple of months, before the inclement weather sets in – please contact Colin on 07771 806094.
The forthcoming dates (weather permitting) are: Saturday 2 November (9am) and Friday 6 December (9am).
Maidwell Primary School
It seems like only just a few moments ago our new reception children were starting their time at Maidwell Primary and now September has flown by! All of the children have settled really well – those returning from the summer holiday and those new to our school.
Following the recent turn in the weather we are sadly not able to use our field as much as we would like to but the Years 1 & 2 children still managed to take a trip to a Tag Rugby festival earlier this week where they all had a fantastic time playing games with other schools.
As we turn our thoughts to the Winter, the children will no doubt work hard and have just as much fun as the rest of the year.
Finally, we hope the Year 6 children who left us in the Summer are having just as successful and enjoyable time in their new schools.
All the Maidwell news above can also be viewed on the Maidwell with Draughton website: https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk
News from Maidwell – October 2024
Church Services
6 October Harvest Family Service 11:00 am
20 October Holy Communion 11:00 am
3 November Family Service 11:00 am
17 November Holy Communion 11:00 am
The Harvest family service will be on 6 October at 11:00 am. Please bring non-perishable food items for collection for the Jubilee Food Bank. All welcome. Refreshments after the service.
Get your tickets for the Harvest Supper
HARVEST SUPPER 2024
Friday 11 October at 7:30pm. £15.00 cash bar and raffle.
Come and enjoy a great evening in the church.
Help and donations needed.
Wreath and Christmas table decoration making
This will be held between 11am-2pm on Saturday 7 December in the church. All wreath bases and greenery will be supplied and if you would like to add your own baubles, decorations etc., please bring them.
A light lunch and drink will be supplied. Prices from £15-35, depending on size of wreath or table decoration. Please let Amanda know if you can come – 07707 530720.
The Mosaic Chamber Choir will be coming to perform a wonderful selection of music in the church on 14 December at 7pm. £10 per person. Drinks and nibbles will be served. Tickets from Amanda – 07707 530720.
The Loder Hall
Save the dates
The Christmas Bazaar will take place on Saturday 16 November 11am-3pm. Get your Christmas shopping off to a great start – lots of lovely handmade gifts and cakes available.
The previously-postponed annual Quiz Night will take on Saturday 23 November 7pm for 7.30pm. £5 entry – bring your own drink and nibbles.
The Loder Hall is available for hire at £10 for the first hour and £5 per hour thereafter.
The hall is approximately 10m x 5m with a small kitchen (NOT compliant with food preparation regulations), equipped with an electric hob, fridge, microwave and warming oven. We also have a good selection of crockery, cutlery and glasses which, along with tables and chairs, can be hired out separately. There is a secure outside area ideal for summer parties with direct access to the Maidwell recreation field.
Contact Ann on 07939 124521 or annrabjohn1@gmail.com.
Parish Council
The next meeting is on Wednesday 13 November. Any resident from Maidwell or Draughton is most welcome to attend.
Maidwell-being
At our meeting on 14 September we had a lot of fun with the apple press making our own juice as well as a produce swap – what great gardeners we have in the village! As always, the “tech” team were busy. Thank you to everyone who came and supported.
Our next meeting will be on Saturday 12 October 10am-12noon. Since they were not able to come last month, we will have a representative from the West Northants Sustainability Team with information and the “How Bad Are Bananas?” game.
Tech support and tea, coffee and cakes as always.
Unfortunately, due to lack of support, Rita the Refill Van will not be coming to Maidwell any more. It does however stop in Brixworth – Rita will be parked outside the Community Centre on Spratton Road between 10am and 12noon on the first and third Saturday of each month.
Don’t forget the recycling bins just inside the gate at Loder Hall for medicine blister packs, contact lens cases, old pens, used make up and toothpaste tubes.
Contacts: Amanda (07707 530720), Lynne (07785 790265), Paul (07710 096590), Mary (07703 291169) and Fiona (07903 137219)
Maidwell Wombles
A big THANK YOU to the valiant few who wombled in September – Andrew S, Colin, Cynthia, Jo & Juan Carlos. They collected 11 bags of rubbish, and uncovered another 50 bags that had been fly-tipped on the Kettering slip road. Well done to all!
If you would like to join us, even if just for one session a year, it would help enormously and it would be great to have a final push over the next couple of months, before the inclement weather sets in – please contact Colin on 07771 806094.
The forthcoming dates (weather permitting) are: Saturday 5 October (9am), Saturday 2 November (9am) and Friday 6 December (9am).
Maidwell Primary School
It seems as if September has arrived in a rush, brushing aside the summer holidays, but it is lovely to see the children back in school again.
In July we waved goodbye to 10 Year 6 children as they moved onto their secondary schools. This month we have welcomed 10 new children into Reception and it is lovely to meet such delightful children.
The term has started really well. with all of the children settling well to our school routines and lessons. In addition to the new children. we also have 2 new members of staff and it is a pleasure to welcome them to our school and community.
Finally, I would like to say a very big thank you to our immediate neighbours who watch over our school buildings. Sadly, we had an attempted break-in last term but no lasting damage was done nor was anything stolen. If our school alarm does go off and you can hear the external bell, please do not hesitate to call the Police – this is the direct advice we received from the Police and they asked us to pass this on.
All the Maidwell news above can also be viewed on the Maidwell with Draughton website: https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk
News from Maidwell – September 2024
Church Services
1 September Family Service 11:00 am
15 September Holy Communion 11:00 am
6 October Family Service 11:00 am
20 October Holy Communion 11:00 am
The family service is for all the benefice and beyond – the more families the better. Refreshments after the service.
The Open Gardens on Sunday 21 July raised £590 for charities supported by the National Garden Scheme and £585 for the church. Thank you again to all who came and supported, as well as those who baked, served and cleaned up.
A big thank you to all who helped “clean” the inside of the church. It looks amazing.
Cricket – Maidwell Hall v Maidwell village
Maidwell Hall kindly hosted a return 20-over match with the village on the longest day in June and this was a closer contest than the inaugural one in 2023.
The school racked up a total of 131 runs. Some accurate bowling from Chris Hemmington-Green and Kevin Sharrock helped contain the score, as did a spectacular one-handed catch in the deep by Tom Manz.
Despite some early plundering by Mark Manz, a top score from son, Josh (he of The Piano fame), and a late flourish from Tom Paybody, the village struggled to keep up with the run rate and ended on a score of 114. On the bowling front, Mr Campion was particularly effective.
Grateful thanks to Maidwell Hall for hosting and refreshments, young umpires, scorers and amusing commentary. Thanks also to Rob Willoughby who managed to feed the not quite five thousand in a convivial atmosphere at The Stag following the game.
A definite date for your calendar next year.
Save the dates
The annual Ride and Stride (cycle or walk between as many churches in the area as you can – it can be a great family day out) is on Saturday 14 September. Contact Amanda for sponsorship forms – 07707 530720.
HARVEST SUPPER 2024
Friday 11 October at 7:30pm.
£15.00 cash bar and raffle.
Come and enjoy a great evening in the church.
Help and donations needed.
Wreath and Christmas table decoration making. This will be held between 11-2pm on Saturday 7 December in the church. All wreath bases and greenery will be supplied and if you would like to add your own baubles, decorations etc., please bring them.
A light lunch and drink will be supplied. Prices from £15-35, depending on size of wreath or table decoration. Please let Amanda know if you can come – 07707530720.
The Mosaic Chamber Choir will be coming to perform a wonderful selection of music in the church on 14 December at 7pm. £10 per person. Drinks and nibbles will be served. Tickets from Amanda 07707 530720.
The Loder Hall
The Loder Hall is available for hire at £10 for the first hour and £5 per hour thereafter.
The hall is approximately 10m x 5m with a small kitchen (NOT compliant with food preparation regulations), equipped with an electric hob, fridge, microwave and warming oven.
We also have a good selection of crockery, cutlery and glasses which, along with tables and chairs, can be hired out separately.
There is a secure outside area ideal for summer parties with direct access to the Maidwell recreation field.
Contact Ann on 01604 686967 or 07939 124521 or annrabjohn1@gmail.com.
Parish Council
West Northamptonshire Council has been continuing the remedial work on the A508, with broken kerbs fixed and drain repairs to the corner with Draughton Road. There is still some work to do on the blocked pipe at that corner, so we will have to wait a little longer to see if the issue of ‘the lake’ has been resolved. We’ve asked the Council for an update on what work is still to be done.
The next meeting is on Wednesday 11 September. Any resident from Maidwell or Draughton is most welcome to attend.
Maidwell-being
Our next meeting will be on 14 September between 10am and 12noon.
There will be a produce swap – bring your excess veggies/fruit for all to share.
We will have a representative from the West Northants Sustainability team with information and the “How bad are bananas?” game.
There will also be tech support, Rita the Refill Van and tea, coffee and cakes (as always!).
Don’t forget the recycling bins just inside the gate at Loder Hall for medicine blister packs, contact lens cases, old pens, used make up and toothpaste tubes.
Contacts: Amanda (07707 530720), Lynne (07785 790265), Paul (07710 096590), Mary (07703 291169) and Fiona (07903 137219)
Maidwell Wombles
A big THANK YOU to all those who wombled in July & August – newbies Jo & Juan Carlos, plus Andrew S, Anne, Chris, Colin, David, Fiona and Tim. They collected 28 bags of rubbish over the two sessions, plus 10 bags that had been fly-tipped. Well done to all!
If you would like to join us, even if just for one session a year, it would help enormously – please contact Colin on 07771 806094.
The forthcoming dates (weather permitting) are: Saturday 7 September (9am) (amended), Saturday 5 October (9am), Saturday 2 November (9am) and Friday 6 December (9am).
Maidwell Primary School
We hope all at the school have had a good summer and look forward to an update in the next magazine.
All the Maidwell news above can also be viewed on the Maidwell with Draughton website: https://maidwellwithdraughtonparishcouncil.gov.uk