Click here for online booking form

The Wiki Cafe season is now over.
Thanks for all your support - as a host or as a coffee drinker or cake eater.

We made £260 just by chatting! This year the consensus was to support the charity 'Rainbow Trust', which in turn supports families with seriously ill children.

Past events:

13th February 7:00pm

William Smith (1769-1839) devoted his life to revealing the ‘geological colours’ beneath our feet. In 1815 Smith published the world’s first large scale geological map - “A Delineation of the strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland . . . ” - that forever changed the way we view the landscape around us. This talk will explore Smith’s great journey of discovery, and the people and events that influenced his life and world.

Booking is essential and here is the link to the Langdyke website where people can book tickets;
https://langdyke.org.uk/welcome-to-langdyke-countryside-trust/events

To open the Reading Room booking page click here

Thanks to everyone that helped us mark the 2023 King's Coronation. Below are some of the photos  - I have included several since everyone has their eyes closed at some point :-) We will be putting a physical copy in the Reading Room in due course to capture this moment in our history.  Special thanks to David Radcliffe for the photography and the many people who generously donated the cakes and Pimms.We all know a loved one either family member or friend who has been affected by Cancer as a result we are hosting an official coffee/tea/orange squash & most importantly CAKE morning to help raise funds for this amazing charity.

Anyone & everyone your friends & family members of all ages are welcome to join us for a chat, catch-up meet new friends whilst enjoying a drink and some delicious cake, what’s not to love and all money raised will be very gratefully received by the charity MacMillan.

For fun there will be a guess the weight of cake competition and nearest guess will win the cake.

Also guess the number of sweets in a jar again the closest will win the jar of sweets.

There will also be a tombola stall on the day to try your luck to win a prize.

Please find enclosed my email address lynda.haylett@icloud.com and if you would like to donate either a prize for the tombola or able to make a cake then please feel free to contact me.

High resolution versions of these pictures can be found here:

Friends of  Bainton Reading Room:  WIKI WARMERS ARE BACK!

After an interval of a couple of years, due to building works and Covid, the Wiki Cafes are back in the Reading Room for the first six Saturdays of 2023 from 10.30 to 12 noon, starting on Saturday, January 7th.

The cafe idea started nearly 20 years ago as a quick (wiki in Hawaiian) way for the community to come together to raise money for the Boxing Day Tsunami. People gathered for a chat, coffee and cake and left a donation for the disaster relief.

Over the years the number of weeks have increased and the donations have helped many other humanitarian charities. It’s now a much valued event for people to meet up in the winter – some even walk or cycle beforehand and end up there for a well-earned coffee!

So, whether you’re an old friend of the Wiki, are new to the village and want to meet up with you’re neighbours or just want to see what the refurbishment of the Reading Room looks like, then come along on any of the Saturdays. It’s a cosy place to spend the morning…you could even turn your own heating off for a couple of hours!

Since Government advice is currently  inconsistent and press briefings and ministers are often inaccurate and sometimes untruthful please follow the precautionary principle. 

Official Reopening of the Reading Room 2nd October 2021

As part of the conditions of our community grant, we were required to hold an official community event for all those involved. Given the continued caution around COVID the numbers needed to be as low as practical. We did have the honour of our MP join us to talk about the importance of community and we shared this video of the intense work done over the past 4 months. Nigel, the Chair of the Trustees, talked about the long process and diverse community input since 2018 to win the grants and raise local donations to enable all the work to happen. The Reading Room is now good for the next 50 years... what memorable moments will you create in this space?

The reading room is now open for you to create the events that you value. If you simply want to have a look then just get in touch with one of the committee and will be happy to show you around.

360 view of the main hall and kitchen

Aug 2021: Update from the Trustees:

Work on the major refurbishment of the Reading Room is now nearing completion. It is hoped that the contractors will have finished by the end of August with the installation of new curtains and blinds and removal of fixtures and fittings back from storage taking place in the early weeks of September.

Villagers now have a much improved, cleaner, brighter, more modern, and energy-efficient space with a completely new electrical system, a new kitchen, more efficient storage, redecoration inside and out, and new projection equipment. Additionally, the car park and apron at the front of the building have had make-overs.

Bookings for autumn onwards are now being taken, and we now have a new simple online booking form. Alternatively, contact Andy Totten on 740381 to discuss your booking.

The project would not have been possible without the help of all those in the villages who have contributed in so many different ways- those who responded so generously to the fundraising appeal; those who have given their time to the myriad of jobs that have needed action before, during and after the contractors took possession; those who have provided temporary storage facilities for the fixtures and fittings and the two grant-giving bodies, Augean and Defra /ACRE, who between them provided grants of some 60% of the total costs.

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed in whatever way.

Nigel Clough (Chair of the Trustees)

If you wish to make future bookings please do so via Andy Totten that way we can all get back up and running as soon as everything is in place. How to make a booking

Currently, the guidance looks like this:

Government guidance will set out how people can manage the risks to themselves and to others:

1. 1. Meeting in well-ventilated areas where possible, such as outdoors or indoors with windows open.

2. Wearing a face covering where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces.

3. Washing your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day.

4. Covering your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.

5. Staying at home if unwell, to reduce the risk of passing on other illnesses onto friends, family, colleagues, and others in your community.

6. Considering individual risks, such as clinical vulnerabilities and vaccination status.

Please note that a booking is confirmed when it can be seen in the calendar

Keeping up to date in these strange times
Bainton & Ashton Community Website

2020: A successful Wiki Cafe season is now over

This year we are supporting Shelterbox which provides vital kit in disaster locations all over the globe. Through simple tea, coffee, cake and conversation we raised £265 which will help keep a family warm and dry in harsh conditions. Thanks to all the people who hosted the mornings, with a special shout out to Izzy Durrands who baked a couple of really nice cakes as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Challenge.

https://www.shelterbox.org/#

2020 Wiki season is underway:

We are now over halfway through the Wiki Café, Doors open at 10:30 today.

Pop-Up, Wiki Café 2019 From 10:30 to 12:00

Proceeds this year will go to ShelterBox - the charity that responds to disasters around the world.

The dates left are Saturdays:

25th January

1st February

8th February

All welcome… come in for tea, coffee, and a chat.

It’s a good excuse to get out and about, perhaps have a walk beforehand and certainly catch up on village news.

Hope to see you there

New EASY heating controls are installed and working

2019 Wiki Cafe raised £387.03 for shelterbox.

Thanks to all that came along, especially to the Womaks and the Hannas for hosting some of the sessions.

2019 New Heater INstalled

Good news for keeping cosy in winter. The Reading Room has new (quiet) heater for the main hall. The previous one has lasted over 30 years which is not bad. It is a Kestr

2019 Art in the Reading Room 

2018 Reading Room is getting a new roof:
The works is now all complete, thanks to all involved

Thanks to the efforts of lots of villagers and a grant from Augean (the landfill tax people) we have raised enough money to do a major refurbishment of the roof: new insulation, new membrane, replacing and renewing the tiles.

The Reading Room will be full working during the work so appologies for a bit of noise and 100 year old dust, I hope it does not cause too much of a problem.

2018 A Pop-Up Shop and Christmas Carols: Friday 8th Dec 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Maisie & Ludd, Rosie’s Potting Shed, Ned Loves Florence and Anita Ruiz Fusion Glass are holding an evening sale.

On sale will be an eclectic mix of Christmas decorations, gifts and items for the home.

Carols around the Christmas Tree at Bainton Church 6:30pm

You are all invited for mulled wine, tea, coffee, mince pies, and festive food at the Reading Room

2018 Two new classes about to start:

Mondays from 11th September and Wednesdays from 13th September

Contact Sam McGreevy to book your place

2018 A very enjoyble Quiz Night was had by all

Buttercross Celebrating 30 years

Ro Yates has put together this wonderful album going back to 2008, click the album to view as a PDF ( Please note it is a big file : 29Mb)

A Lighter Shade Of Blues

Acoustic Blues and Gospel from the 1920s and Beyond
Music @ Bainton Reading Room Saturday Evening 2nd April 2016

CELLO AND HARP with Rowena Calvert and Eleanor Turner

Saturday 5th March 2016 at 3pm in Bainton, Reading Room, Badinton Lane (on corner with Barnack Road, PE9 3AE)

Cellist Rowena Calvert performs with long-term duo partner harpist Eleanor Turner in a stunning concert of music by Bach, Manuel de Falla, Ravi Shankar, Astor Piazzolla and more! Tickets here.

Reading Room Parking policy

How to make good use of the car park and how to not get blocked in when there is a big event going on.

The policy document is here - admittedly not exciting, but important to ensure fair use.

Bainton People & Places: a collection of old photos discussed at the Buttercross AGM

Click here to see the full set of 30 full-size images as a PDF:

If you have any other old photos of Bainton then please let me know

Buttercross Ladies at their 2016 AGM (click image for large versions)

Wiki Café 2016

We are starting this year’s Wiki Cafés a little later in the month this year

From 10:30 to 12:00

The dates are:

Saturday 16th January

Saturday 23rd January

Saturday 30th January

Saturday 6th February

Saturday 13th February

Saturday 20th February

All welcome… come in for tea, coffee and a chat.

Proceeds to the a humanitarian charity; in the past we have done, water projects, flooding relief, shelter boxes, local cancer charities and disaster relief. Each year the attendees choose something appropriate.

It’s a good excuse to get out and about, perhaps have a walk and certainly catch up on village news. I hope to see you there. Ian AD

Do you know where the nearest flood zones are to Bainton?

See the big images here

BAINTON & ASHTON FAMILY DAY 2015

Bainton House, Tallington Road

SUNDAY 5TH JULY

• 1pm BBQ & Bar

• 2pm Family Day is officially opened

• 3pm Games

• 5pm Evensong

Please come along and support this wonderful celebration of village life. The BBQ & bar is open at 1 and the stalls and the Family Day officially is opened at 2pm.

We have the usual stalls, Tombola, Auction of Promises and Cakes etc. Lambs to guess the weight of and Chickens to name, singers to entertain you and of course there are the games for children – of all ages - at 3pm.

The theme this year is Country and Western so why not come along in fancy dress….!!! Children please bring your decorated bike – as the Revd. Dave Maylor will be judging and there will be prizes for the best presented bikes, no theme just whatever you (and your Mum & Dads) come up with.

The day will close with optional Evensong at 5pm.

Coming up 2015 Winter Wiki Cafe

Starts Saturday 10th Jan until 14th Feb, 10:30 to 12:00

Do come along, have a tea or coffee, catch up with village life and suggest things the Reading Room might do in 2015.

Old Maps of the Village

click to see all the maps

2014 More old Photos added by George Hayward as part of the new Village Brochure soon to be published

Click to see large images

2014 Werrington Joggers visit Bainton ReadingRoom as part of the annual 'Rice Pudding Run'

November

2014 Wiki to Commemorate the Start of WW1

Bainton Reading Room

Saturday 2nd August

10:30 to 12:00

The 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1 has prompted many people to look into their history - how the war affected their family.

On Saturday 2nd August (just ahead of the Anniversary date of 4th August) we will be holding a Wiki Café and encouraging people to bring along pictures, stories and artefacts from their family history to share and discuss.

A small group of us has already found lots of interesting connections for both our own families and for people from Bainton. What might you find?

It would great if you could add to the collection.

Click on this link to find websites that you might find useful: http://baintonreadingroomww1history.blogspot.co.uk/

On 4th August people might like recognise the day by:

1. Joining in the national plan for ‘Lights Out’

The Department of Culture has revealed its plans to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, which will include a nationwide blackout in August.

Communities throughout the country will be encouraged to turn off their lights at 11pm on 4 August to memorialise the day war was officially declared.

A candlelit vigil at Westminster Abbey will take place at the same time.

2. Adding to the candles in jars being placed on the Buttercross on the evening of 4th August.

The theme emerging from many of the events is not that this is in any way a celebration, rather that 100 years is an important milestone for people to remember and connect with the past.

2014: June 12th Thursday 7:30 to 9:30 What is your connection to 1914?

The second of our evenings o help you explore your links with WW1.

An informal get together to see how you can find out more ahead of the anniversary in August 2014.

Come alone and share what you know and discover what others have found. You are welcome to just come along and just listen or recommend what has worked for you.

The Reading Room now has a new bigger projector screen- fantastic images are now possible.

There is even talk of starting a film club - if you are interested or have a recommendation then let me know.

2014: March 17th Monday 7:30 to 9:30 What is your connection to 1914?

An evening to help you explore your links. How did it affect your relatives?

An informal get together to see how you can find out more ahead of the anniversary in August 2014

We aim to put on a small event in the reading room during August where we can display some of the history we find about locals and relatives.

Update: lots of people came to try out the Library Van and now regularly pickup some new books.

Next dates are here, however remember the Libary box in the Reading Room means it is with us all of the time!

Bainton at 10:25-10:45 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 9/4/14, 7/5/14, 4/6/14, 1/7/14, 29/7/14

Ashton at 10:25-10:35 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 2/4/14, 30/4/14, 28/5/14, 25/6/14, 23/7/14

http://www.vivacity-peterborough.com/libraries-and-archives/mobile-library

2014 Wiki @ The Library Van

17th March Noon to 2:00pm in the Reading Room

+ 

A one-off wiki cafe is being held to link up with the Library Van's launch of its new service and stopping point.

The Library Van will park outside the Reading Room once a month and will leave a box of books in the Reading Room to borrow from (and return) whenever we like. A trust system will operate; simply write on the sheet in the box details of which books you have borrowed.

Come along on the 17th to rediscover your library over a cup of coffee ... you know you will enjoy it!

2014 Bainton Winter Lunch

Wednesday 12th March 12:30 for 1pm @ Bainton Reading Room

The cost is £8:00, tickets from Jill Plant 740814

2014 Bainton Reading Room Quiz Night (All tickets now sold :-))

(a great evening was had... and the event raised almost £600 towards the upkeep of the reading room)

Your Quiz Master Nigel Clough

Come and have some fun on a cold winter night and support Reading Room Funds

 
21st February 2014   (7pm for 7.30pm prompt start)

Tickets £11

Come as a table of 8 or join a table when you arrive

Fish and chip supper included

Drinks available to buy on the evening - Raffle

Please ring Helen  (740091) for tickets

 Entry by ticket only (we have to order the meals)

2014 Winter Wiki Cafe (Find out what the Wiki Cafe is about... click here?)

(the winter wiki season is now finished, thanks to everyone who came and played host, we wer able to donate almost £400 to the Rotary UK appeal to help those affected by the recent floods)

Starts Saturday 11th Jan until 15th Feb, 10:30 to 12:00

The charity for last year was Evergreen Care Trust... what will it be this year?

Do come along, have a tea or coffee, catch up with village life and suggest things the Reading Room might do in 2014.

We already have a few great ideas lined up: e.g.

- Live @Bainton Reading Room: The history of Blues

- Winter lunch

- What did your ancesters do in World War I - remembering 100 years ago

- Quiz night planned for February 21st

...

2013 Riveting talks by remarkable people. This time the theme was: ‘Story’

www.ted.com

A great evening was had by all and a special thanks to Ron Donaldson our first 'live' speaker lived up the to high standard of TED and was both remarkable and riveting. We now have a much better understanding of how 'story' shapes the way make sense of the world.

For more on Ron see his website http://rondon.wordpress.com/ 

The other two speakers were:

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_the_lost_art_of_democratic_debate.html

This event took place on: Thursday 28th Nov. 7:30pm

£5 raising funds for Bainton Reading Room

BYO drinks & nibbles, Tea and Coffee provided

In addition to the one off wiki for the Philippines we also donated £319 form out normal Wiki Cafes during 2013 to a local care trust for the elderly

http://www.evergreencare.org.uk/

The Evergreen Care Trust seeks to serve older and vulnerable adults in our community by improving their circumstances through advocacy, friendship and practical support.

2013 One-off Wiki Café: Thanks to everyone to who came, we raised a total of £362.02 which is enough to buy a shelter for a family

This Saturday Morning

10:30am to12 noon

16th Nov.

In aid of Philippines 

The ‘Wiki Café’ idea came from the need for a quick response to the Boxing Day Tsunami Appeal in 2004 (in Hawaiian wiki means 'quick'). Since then we have annually donated the proceeds of the cafes to various humanitarian charities.

Do come along , have a coffee and a village chat and donate something towards the Philippines Appeal – the hope is that we raise enough for a shelter box.

Even if you cannot come along consider donating on-line either directly on the Shelterbox website, the charity of your choice or via the donate button above.

2013 Autumn iPad Club @Bainton Reading Room

These events took place Wednesday evenings 7:00pm to 9:00pm

November 13th

November 20th

possibly some further evenings... to be arranged

Explore what you can do with the iPad and iPhone

Ask questions, show your favourite app, see what others do.

Informal and no homework.

Even if you don’t have one, do come along and see if it is for you

£3 each evening, proceeds to Bainton Reading Room

2013 Catch up with Library Van Service in Bainton and nearby:

http://www.vivacity-peterborough.com/libraries-and-archives/mobile-library

Ashton at 10:25-10:35 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 18/09/2013, 16/10/2013, 13/11/2013, 11/12/2013

Bainton at 10:25-10:45 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 25/09/2013, 23/10/2013, 20/11/2013, 18/12/2013

Barnack Church at 11:20-12:00 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 2 Weeks

Next visits: 04/09/2013, 18/09/2013, 02/10/2013, 16/10/2013, 30/10/2013

Barnack, Little Northfields at 10:45-11:15 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 18/09/2013, 16/10/2013, 13/11/2013, 11/12/2013

Barnack, School Road at 11:45-12:15 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 2 Weeks

Next visits: 11/09/2013, 25/09/2013, 09/10/2013, 23/10/2013, 06/11/2013

Barnack, The Acres at 10:55-11:30 on Wednesdays

Frequency: Every 4 Weeks

Next visits: 11/09/2013, 09/10/2013, 06/11/2013, 04/12/2013

2013 Summer Wiki Cafe @ the Allotments

About 100 people visited this years event - great cakes, lots of talking and a good display of veg.

Here are some of the images from the day: (click to see larger images)

If you ever feel like a chat do drop by and have a look, there is usually someone around who would welcome a rest, or just have a quiet sit on the bench in the middle.

Have you any old photos of Bainton, this is a great place to pin them: 

Here are a few of mine, click picture to see the details :

We also have some on the the Bainton Reading room website pages 

2013 iPad Club @Bainton Reading Room

NB this has now completed, a great time was had by all, so much so that we plan to do it again in the autumn :-)

4 Wednesday evenings 7:00pm

Feb 20th

Feb 27th

Mar 13th

Mar 20th

Explore what you can do with the iPad

Ask questions, show your favourite app, see what others do.

Informal and no homework. Even if you don’t have one, do come along and see if it is for you

£3 each evening, proceeds to Bainton Reading Room.

The Wiki Cafe season is now closed. Many thanks to everyone that hosted the events.

Particular thanks to the Buttercross Ladies for the 'Brunch Special'... this went down very well and to Jill for a home made cake on all the other weeks - the cakes resulted from an auction of promises which Nan's nephew John Chapman passed on the village. People did indeed enjoy the cakes.

We made £260, we just need to decide which humanitarian charity it will go towards. We have several options

2013 Wiki Cafe (Find out what the Wiki Cafe is about... click here?)

Starts Saturday 12th Jan until 16th Feb, 10:30 to 12:00

The charity for last year was Air Ambulance... what will it be this year?

Do come along, have a tea or coffee, catch up with village life and suggest things the Reading Room might do in 2013.

We already have a few great ideas lined up: e.g.

- Live @Bainton Reading Room: The history of Blues

- Buttercross hosting brunch at the Wiki Cafe

- Alan Oliver Art day

- Quiz night

...

2012 Archive below here:

2012 The TED evening was a real pleasure, a nice mixture of thought provoking insight and intersting discussion:

The links are here:

http://embed.ted.com/talks/david_mackay_a_reality_check_on_renewables.html

http://embed.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude.html

http://embed.ted.com/talks/andrew_mcafee_are_droids_taking_our_jobs.html

http://vimeo.com/49613978

http://embed.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal.html

http://embed.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life.html

http://embed.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_the_magic_of_truth_and_lies_on_ipods.html

2012 TED evening coming up Thursday 29th November 2012, 7:30pm

No tickets, just pay on the door, tea/coffee included, BYO drinks and nibbles

£5 (all funds go to support the upkeep of the Reading Room),

if you want to see what TED is about look here: http://www.ted.com/

2012 Summer Wiki Cafe @ the Allotments

To give people a chance to see how the allotments are progressing do come along for tea, coffee, a chat and a look around... all welcome

With a little sunshine there could be some produce!

Saturday 14th July from 10:30 to 12:00

Not everything is a vegetable... this collection shows some of the flowers ( click to see large images)

 first Aerial view of allotments 2012

2012 Bainton celebrations for Queen's Diamond Jubilee, DVD now available

Following a successfull, if wet, bank holiday enjoying the Jubilee celebrations, a DVD has been produced giving a fly on the wall pictorial

account of Bainton Jubilee celebrations set to music. Cost £5. All profits from the DVD will be donated to St Mary's Church, Bainton. The DVD lasts 4 minutes 34 secs and can be ordered and/or viewed at Blue Boar House, Bainton.

All enquiries/orders to robroyphoto@tiscali.co.uk or on 01780 740709 

2012 Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

In true British style it rained a lot and we just carried on and enjoyed the day...

Here are Viki Birkbeck's photos, click to see the album

Royal Puddings were fantastic: (Ian AD photos)

Aerial view of Bainton 18th May 2012

Fish & Chip Van

A little known factis that the Fish and Chip van passes through Bainton on a Tuesday Evening on its way from Barnack to Tallington.

He doesn't have a set place to stop, but is happy to be flagged down (I watch out for him passing the post box) Usually he is passing after 6:30 going North up Tallington Road. If you wanted more certainty then he can be contacted on 07904 842027

2012 Zumba

New Classes starting Monday 14th May:

 Zumba: 9:30 to 10:30 Body Conditioning 10:30 to 11:30

Classes are £5 each and last for approx. 1 hour

for more information contact Nicola 07827 998779 n-mead@hotmail.co.uk

We had a very pleasant TED evening listening and talking about some great speakers on a very diverse set of subjects.

If you missed it or want watch some of them again then here are the links:

 http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html

 http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kathryn_schulz_don_t_regret_regret.html

 http://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes.html

 http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_gilding_the_earth_is_full.html

 http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandis_abundance_is_our_future.html

2012 Bainton Pub Night:

Normally this is held each month at Manor farm, The 'Bainton Pub Night' is just a relaxed occasion for to chat over a drink for a couple of hours. People gather around 7:30 and depart around 9:30. People bring their own drink and glasses which means the organisation is minimal.

This year we will change things slightly and start a tour of the village with effect from Friday 11th May.

The intention is to hold the pub night at varying venues in the village, which will invariably be volunteers gardens whenever the weather is appropriate. When the weather deteriorates, the Reading Room will act as a reserve venue if needed, and may well be the location in the colder months.

Anyone willing to host the monthly pub night should contact Rob at baintonpubnight 'at' talktalk.net or phone 740709.

A calender of pub nights and the location will be kept up to date on the Reading Room website.

The next pub night on April 13th will be at Manor Farm.

TED evening comming up Wednesday 14th March 2012, 7:30pm

No tickets, just pay on the door, tea/coffee included, BYOB

£5 (all funds go to support the upkeep of the reading room),

Buttercross evening with local poets:

 Words and wisdom from Tony & Chris

Tour of the Universe @ Bainton Reading Room , Friday Feb 24th 2012 at 7:30pm

Bainton is perhaps the centre of the universe... come an see what else is out there.

£5 (all funds go to support the upkeep of the reading room), no tickets, just pay on the night, tea/coffee included

Great images and insight from Graham Edridge our local astronomer

Winter Lunch 22nd Feb 2012

As a resident of Bainton & Ashton you are invited to our annual Winter Lunch

Wednesday 22 Feb 2012, 12:30 for 1:00 

£7:00, please contact Jill Plant as soon as possible, places limited.

2012 Wiki Cafe (Find out what the Wiki Cafe is about... click here?)

Update: Winter wiki is now finished - the charity for this year will be Air Ambulance

Do come along, have a tea or coffee, catch up with village life and suggest things the the reading room might do in 2012.

We already have a few great ideas lined up:

- Live @Bainton Reading Room James Goodwin.. From ragtime to Roc and role - playing and explaining the evolution of this music

- A TED evening

- Queens Diamond Jubilee in June

Live@Bainton Reading Room: James Goodwin... "From Ragtime to Rock n' Roll

Saturday 4th February 2012 at 7:30pm Sold Out

Tickets £10 (Includes a Licenced Bar) NB: Tickets need to be purchased in advance since seating is limited

please contact David Hare 01780 740626 Oak House, 2 Beever Way, Bainton,PE93AP

Cheques made out to 'Bainton Reading Room'

James Goodwin will give a performance which follows the history and styles of blues piano and boogie woogie music.

 'Goodwins piano playing is a joy to behold'

To hear a preview of his excellent playing see his website here: http://www.jamesgoodwin.co.uk/sounds.html

'Laura's Yoga' www.laurasyoga.co.uk

2012 New Village Potato

An intereting article by Kerryn Ramm

Norman DePear, 78, from Bainton, Cambridgeshire got the surprise of his life earlier this year when he discovered this strange shaped potato growing on his allotment. The whopping three and a half pound Romano potato grew after being left in the ground over the winter. “I’m surprised it lasted the harsh frost! There were three of them in the ground last year so I just left them, only one was left when I came to dig them. It’s an ugly thing!” Mr DePear said. The potato measures 12 inches from head to toe but also sports many uncanny human characteristic features such as a mouth and an arm. As if that didn’t make it lifelike enough, there are also indentations for eyes and a raised area similar to a nose!

For fellow farmers wishing to grow an unusual spud like this, it had no artificial help, “It’s a self set potato and completely organic!” Only horse manure was used from horses in the nearby village of Ashton. Mr DePear has said “I’ve always used horse manure on my crops, but in the seventy years I’ve been growing potatoes I’ve never come across one like it.” It’s certainly a potato to remember and comes soon after similar news that a potato in the shape of a turtle has been found in China! So what is Mr DePear planning to do with the potato exactly? “I don’t know what to do with it, hopefully my daughter can cook it and we can all have dinner off it one day!”

2011 Archive below here:

2011November Parish Council minutes now available Click here or use Parish Council menu on left

2011 Werrington Joggers : come to Bainton for the annual 'Rice Pudding Run', all welcome, Sunday 27th November 9:30

A lot of chatting over tea after the talk about the work of 'Help for Heroes'

2011 Quiz Night in aid of Bainton Reading Room on Friday 16th September

(including fish and chip supper)

7.30 start, Tickets £10

Quiz Master Nigel Clough

Come as a table of 8, or join a table when you arrive

Drinks available on the evening, Good fun evening! & Raffle

Tickets from Helen Fancourt 01780 740091

2011 A special Summer Wiki Cafe @ the Allotments

To give people a chance to see how the allotments are doing we are holding

Do come allong for tea, coffee, a chat and a look around... all welcome

Saturday 9th July from 10:30 to 12:00

The Bainton Allotments are flourishing...

 click to see files

2011 Come and help celebrate the Club’s 25th Birthday

at The Buttercross Birthday Breakfast!

Sunday 5th June, 10.30 – 12.30, in the Reading Room.

Take your pick from

Croissants & Coffee, Cakes & Tea, Bacon Rolls & Juice.

Entry only £2 for Adults; £1 for Children (school age)

Read the Sunday Newspapers. Browse through the Buttercross Archives.

Chat to friends and neighbours.

Competition PRIZES

Under 16? A painting or picture of the Buttercross. (Any medium on A4).

Over 16? A photograph of the Buttercross. (B&W or colour, min size 5 x 7).

Further entries on the day by 12 noon. Prize giving at the end.

The winner in each age range will receive a £10 voucher.

Comptition kindly sponsored by the Parish Council.

click the photo for a big version

 2011Joules Clothing Sale

Catalogue returns/Sample Items FRIDAY 17th JUNE 12 noon until 7pm

DONT MISS OUT ON AN AMAZING BARGAIN TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS PLEASE

call Jane Franks 740004 or Helen Fancourt 740091 if you need to know MORE !!

Stamford Shoestring Roadshow Saturday 21st May 2011 at 7:30

Proceedings start with a glass of wine at 7:30, the road show commences at 8:00 and lasts about 45 minutes.

It is entitled 'Battle of the Sexes' - and is a light hearted look at men's view of women and women's view of men

Hopefully everyone will stay and enjoy chatting after the performance

Tickets include the first glass of wine £8 from Helen Fancourt 01780740091

After much discussion about the possible options for celebrating the wedding this was thought would work and would be simple to organise

Bring and Share Royal Wedding Tea!

@Bainton House on 29th April 2011from 4:00pm

All welcome

Village photo at 5:00pm (sharp) followed by a Royal Toast to the happy couple.

To enable everyone to enjoy the event please bring:

............ what you want to drink/eat and some to share

............ your own garden chairs or rugs

............ your own mugs/cups/glasses (tea/coffee/squash will be available).

If it is raining we will change venue to the Reading Room.

Other events for your 2011diary…

May 21st An evening with Stamford Shoestring at the Reading Room

June 5th Buttercross Birthday Breakfast

July 3rd Family Day at Bainton House

July 9th Wiki at the Allotment

Sept 16th Village Quiz at the Reading Room

2011 Allotments are starting to look good, if you want to try it then we have a half a plot available.

Some great old photographs of Bainton residents

enjoying themselves from 1980 & 1981, Many thanks to Mary Birkbeck

Click image to explore large version of thes pictures.

2011 Friends of Bainton Reading Room

As you may know Bainton Reading Room receives funding from Peterborough City Council each year to help cover its’ running costs. This year due to a lack of funds itself, PCC is proposing that instead of £1,250 which we have received for many years now, only £400 can be guaranteed with may be some extra cash for special projects.

Each year it costs nearly all the money we receive from grants, donations and room hire to run the Reading Room. The loss of several hundred pounds will make a big difference and whilst there are a couple of thousand pounds in reserve for emergencies we really need to cover the running costs with income each year.

The Reading Room is so important to our villages and a facility we could not let disappear. With this in mind we invite you to become a Friend of Bainton Reading Room. We ask for an annual donation of £20 to help towards the running costs. In return we can offer the satisfaction of knowing that the Reading Room will continue for our benefit. As a token of thanks to our Friends, a 25% discount will be available when booking the Room.

If you are interested please sign up by providing the details below and return to Helen Fancourt (3 Bainton Gardens) Treasurer with your £20 donation.

Name:

Address:

Telephone no:

E-mail:

2011 Monday mornings at Bainton Reading room

Friendly and relaxed Pilates group lessons given by level III qualified Pilates instructor.

Pilates is an exercise method which was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s.

Pilates focuses on breathing, posture and body awareness.

People of any age and ability can enjoy Pilates which is a gentle yet powerful form of exercise which is often recommended by physiotherapists and osteopaths

Call Chris 07966371402, sharpchr@gmail.com website www.pilates4everyone.co.uk

2011 The TED evening was enjoyed by about 20 people and we launched the 'Friends of Bainton Reading Room'

The programme for the evening was:

Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: ...

Stacey Kramer: The best gift I ever survived

 Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life ...

Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with music

An Evening of TED, Thursday 17th February 2011, 7:30pm

Riveting talks by remarkable people 

To raise funds for Bainton Reading Room, £5, BYO

More details here...

2011 Wiki Cafe (What is a Wiki Cafe?)

Something for your new diaries - we will be running the wiki cafe each

Saturday morning from 8th January to 12th February at 10:30 to 12:00

2010 Archive below here:

2010 The winter sale queues start early at the Bainton Reading Room:

Werry Joggers winter 'Rice Pudding run'

Autumn tidy up around the Reading Room Saturday 16th October 2010 10:00 to 12:00

(This went well many thanks to all who participated)

As Autumn draws in the outside of the reading room needs a bit of a tidy up, weeds, plants and a bit of sweeping. A good excuse for a cup of tea.

Do join in between 10 and 12 on Saturday morning (16th)

I am please to announce that the new booking secretary is Andy Totten, he can be reached via email (Booking Enquiry) or on 740381

2010 See our new booking calendar

See what is on, get confirmation you booking is in the calendar

The ideal steps if you want to book the reading room or hire equipment are:

1. Look on the Booking calendar to see if it is available

2. Fill in the booking form which has lots of useful information

3. Either: Email a copy of the form the booking secretary on Booking Enquiry

4. Or: phone Andy Totten 740381

5. Check your entry gets into the booking calendar

Booking calendar

2010 August & September Parish Council minutes

Now out see here

Charles Milner: 1923-2010

On the 23rd of May 2010 Charles Milner passed away peacefully.

For many years he played an active part in the work of the Reading Room - he will be missed.

2010 The Bainton Literary Festival

It all worked well, many thanks to all who helped and participated... the photos can be viewed here

General photos of Literary Festival:

Bainton history photos

Poetry submitted to the Literary Festival:

See what we did in May 2010- 

2010 Bainton and Ashton Allotment Association

As of Jan 2010 we have an acre of land containing 10 allotments next to the pump house on Helpston Road.

See Allotments in Google Earth

These are starting to take shape as the tenants get established. There is still space to develop further and anyone interested in taking on an allotment or part of an allotment can ring:

Graham Fletcher - 01780-740034 ( Association Chairman ) or

Richard Harris - 01780-740886 ( Association Secretary )"

2010 Laura Goodliffe is hoping to restart Yoga/Pilates/Meditation

on Tuesday evenings

This will be a 7 week course starting on Tuesday, 7th September 2010

If you are interested please email her - lauracharlie AT hotmail.com

(just replace the AT with @, doing it like this prevents Laura getting SPAM)

About 20 people joined in the Reading Room Spring Clean 24th May 2010

Many thanks to all the Spring Cleaners who washed, mended, planted, painted, wired, swept, weeded, de-cobwebed, polished, pruned and made tea. The looks much better for it.

Dates for your diary: The weekend of 21st, 22nd,23rd May 2010

See the full programme here - 

2010 Bainton Parish Council Information

Bainton Parish Council has its very own page, giving you information on how it works and the latest minutes.

March minutes now available

2010 Allotments have been allocated:

We had a great talk by one of the authors of the handbook Geoff Hodge (See it on Amazon)

See Allotments in Google Earth

Please note the actual plots are not quite as show - I will update the diagram once it has settled down

2010 Wiki Cafe season now over

We raised £490 enough to buy a Shelterbox

Many thanks

What’s new in 2010 at the Reading Room

The most significant thing is that the Reading Room celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Spring clean and fix: Saturday morning 24th April from 10:00 to 12:00. An annual spruce up where we sort out all the jobs that keep the place in great condition.

• 100 year celebration with the Bainton Literary Festival: This is a weekend of literacy and historical events that celebrate the contribution of the Reading Room and enable people to participate in a range of fun activities and performances: readings, historical newspapers, poetry, book stalls, Edwardian afternoon tea, storytelling, TED, John Claire walk & talk, scrabble… We are currently working on the agenda – if you have any good ideas do let me (Ian AD) know.
  This will take place across the weekend of 21st/22nd/23rd May 2010

Walks and runs around Bainton: to see them in Google Earth download them here: Download KMZ file

See Bainton Reading Room on Google Earth Download KMZ file here and then open in Google Earth

Also new views on Google Streetview:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?utm_campaign=en_GB&utm_medium=lp&utm_source=en_GB-lp-emea-gb-gns-svn

2010 January Parish Council minutes now available:

• Jump to Parish Council pages

• Wiki 100: The annual Wiki Café this year starts on
  Saturday 9th Jan from 10:00 to 12:00 for now until 27th Feb

This year we are raising money for Shelter Boxes... the news from Haiti shows the urgent need for this kind of support So far we have raised £323, come and add your donation.
Open in all weather!
What is a Wiki Cafe? click here for explaination
For ideas on local walks look here: http://www.clarecottage.org/downloadwalks.htm

2009 Archive below here:

Bainton Reading Room Committee Notes 3rd Dec 2009

To enable people to see what goes on to keep the Reading Room in good shape here are my notes of what we are working on (of course we also have our official minutes which we will start to put on the website)

The big news is that in 2010 the Reading Room will be 100 years old and we will be organising a weekend of Reading Room things 21st/22nd/23rd May 2010. Perhaps the smallest literary festival in the world! If you have any ideas or wish to help then do get in touch. – We are imagining things like poets reading, Stamford Shoestring doing ‘With Great Pleasure’, storytelling for children, local Mercury newspapers from 1910, book swap, TED, Joyce Grenfell performance… etc

The things we need to spend money on are:

Repositioning the fence and grassing the patio

Service the rattling heater

New Blackout Blinds

Tarmac repairs out the front

Copier cartridge

Replace kitchen window frames

Car parking was discussed: We feel that as a shared resource it should be available to everyone in the village – if you need to park your car and you are not part of a booked event then just check first with the booking secretary (Elaine 740323) to ensure it is available, there could easily be a wedding, a funeral or an activity that is just about to fill the car park.

We have a couple of mid week evenings where we could start some new activities, if you any ideas of what you want and better still someone who would like to organise it then do get in touch (Ian 740009)

Latest News on Allotments Meeting : 28th Sept 2009

Thank you for responding with your preference on the choice of land to use for allotments in the village. Just in case you were unable to attend the meeting on Monday night, the results of the survey were:

Poors land: 19 votes

Michael Bratley's land: 39 votes

Monday's meeting was attended by over 30 people where a lively debate took place over the issues raised. The Parish Council then held a meeting chaired by me because the Council Chairman registered an interest and did not participate in the meeting. At the end of the meeting the Council voted in favour of Michael Bratley's land ( voting 2:2 with my casting vote as chairman).

The Parish Council is now putting into place the agreement to rent the land from Michael Bratley, and to prepare the necessary action plans to bring it to a suitable condition for those people in Bainton & Ashton who wish to have allotments. This could well require a combined effort from the whole village so it was very encouraging to know that over 30 of you were willing to give up your time on Monday to be involved in the debate. Even though the decision might not have been in line with your own preference we hope that the true spirit of Bainton & Ashton residents will move this project forward with the required pace.

You can follow ( and contribute to) the progress of these plans by speaking to any of your councillors, or by coming to the next Parish Council meeting on Monday 9th November at 7:30.

2009 Wiki in the Porch

Celebrating the Colleweston roofing project at the Old Schoolroom, Ian and Janette had a Wiki in the porch. Thanks for those people who came and the welcome advice during the project. We raised £50 for Breast Cancer Care in support of Ocean Angels Mary's niece and friends who rowed across the Indian Ocean

Proposed changes to the position of the fence to create a new 'patio' space outside the reading room.

Before

After

Following on from our first TED evening, here is another chance to experience some of the best ideas in the world:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader and you will be surprise at the diversity of interesting things that are covered. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in about 18 minutes each. To attend in person costs about £3000 a seat and the conferences for the next few years are already sold out! However by the magic of the Internet we can hold our own TED here in Bainton.

TED Conference @ Bainton Reading Room. Saturday 21st February 2009 7:30pm

(note changed from Friday)

The format will be to select about four of the best speakers and show them on a big screen. The evening will be informal with time to chat as well as listen. A nominal charge of £2 per person will cover the cost of the room, electricity tea and coffee. BYO wine etc. is optional.

I hope to see you there … if you plan to come give me a call (740009) so I can gauge the numbers.

Everyone welcome.

2009 Wiki Cafe season is now over.

When Helen has counted up the proceeds I will let people know, however my guess us that it will be about £150... not bad for sitting around chatting. This will go to charrities people suggested - probably one local and one international. Thanks for attending many people said how much they enjoyed the conversation.

If you would like to participate in a Wiki in the Garden during the summer do let me know.

Sewing circle meet on Mondays

from 2:00 to 4:00

Cosy craftwork, conversation and concentration.

If you would like to know more contact Nina Dobney on 01733 253162

Table Tennis meet twice a week during the season

Tuesdays & Thursdays

contact Chris Gardiner (via Elaine Ward for details 740323)

2009 Bainton Parish Council Information

New, the Bainton Parish Council has its very own page, giving you information on how it works and the latest minutes.

Parish Council Page with minutes November minutes now available

See the photostory of installing the Bainton Stone: (click picture)

The Reading Room is a village facility that is used for a wide range of social, sporting and educational events and is a focal point for the village

New Google map feature for Bainton Reading Room 

If you have Google earth click here to see where we are on the planet

2009 Broadband has arrived & we have a wireless hotspot...

click here for instructions