WILLINGHAM & LONGSTANTON SURGERIES Willingham 01954 260230  Longstanton 01954 207600  Dispensary 01954 20760 Website: www.willinghammedicalpractice.nhs.net Community (District) Nurses: 0330 726 0077       Health Visitors:  0300 029 5050 A&E  is not an alternative to a GP appointment When the surgery is closed please call 111 for medical assistance, or 999 for a life threatening emergency for urgent mental health support, please call 111 and select option 2 MAY BANK HOLIDAYS – OPENING HOURS Please note the surgery will be CLOSED for the bank holidays on MONDAY 5TH MAY and MONDAY 26TH MAY. In addition, we will also be CLOSED from 1pm on THURSDAY 15th MAY for whole staff training. Please plan ahead…

46 local residents met to hear Colin Chapman from Gloucestershire speak on The Poor Laws.  The Poor Law of 1601 formalised earlier poor relief measures in England.  It established a nationwide system of poor relief funded by local parishes through a mandatory “poor rate”.  This law aimed to address poverty and vagrancy, providing support for the “deserving poor” while also addressing the issue of the “idle poor”.  By 1600, attitudes to poverty started to soften and the government decided action was necessary, fearing that the growing number of poor people might gang together and start a rebellion, vagabonds and beggars might turn to crime and the poor might spread disease. …

Our April meeting was full of crafting and creativity. Our recent felting workshop had been a huge success and a fabulous array of felted Easter bunnies were proudly displayed by members who attended the workshop.  We also had the pleasure of welcoming Alison Moore of Cottenham W.I. as our guest speaker. Alison gave a delightful and engaging talk about her passion for dolls’ houses, bringing along a selection from her fascinating collection to share with us. Her journey into the miniature world began when one of her sons borrowed furniture from Alison’s childhood dolls’ house for a school project. Tasked with creating a Tudor house for a lesson on the…

The OWLS Community Car Scheme has seen an unprecedented demand for its service over the last few weeks and some requests for medical appointments have had to be refused due to not having enough drivers. We urgently need more volunteer drivers especially with the holiday season limiting the availability of the drivers we have.  Drivers receive a total of 45p a mile, do not have to commit to regular days and can always say no to requests. Our elderly and vulnerable customers call it a ‘lifeline’ and say they don’t know how they would manage without it. Please consider volunteering your help to enable this much valued and needed local…

Having recently become a First SAMS responder, I have seen for myself the importance that these defibrillators can make. Please help me in a personal quest to obtain another defibrillator for the lovely village of Over. My name is Clare from Ponders Travel, I’ve lived in Over for the last 29 years, and I’m also a business owner of Ponders Travel,  with our shop being on the high street. Recently, I responded to a medical emergency and accessing the defibrillator at the primary school was a serious challenge as only select people have the code. There is a defibrillator at the community centre, but when responding to medical emergencies, time…

Behind the ordinary front door of 186 Gwydir Street lies an extraordinary hand-painted interior. From 1886, this was the home of Victorian working-class decorative artist David Parr and his family. The house is a remarkable example of Arts and Crafts workmanship, layered with 20th-century social history. After being taken on as an apprentice, David Parr worked for F. R. Leach & Sons, a firm of artworkmen based on City Road in Cambridge. The firm was renowned across the country, working with many notable designers of the day, including George Frederick Bodley, William Morris, and Charles Eamer Kempe. F. R. Leach & Sons specialised in all aspects of church decoration, from…

We would like to wish our subscribers, advertisers, contributors and supporters a lovely Easter weekend ahead. Thank you for your ongoing support and for sharing your brilliant news, events and updates with us and our readers. Please also keep sending your updates and news to submit@overvillage.co.uk. Happy Easter!

Minutes of the latest Parish Council meeting can be found at their website:  www.over-pc.org.uk