BEDFORD CELEBRATES UNITARY CREATION

Moot Hall


Today Wednesday 1 April 2009 Bedford Borough Council becomes a single Unitary Council. The new Council has published a 'One Council' booklet on all the services covered by the Council, with useful telephone numbers. Pictured above is Borough Hall, formerly County Hall, the new Bedford Borough Council HQ and the Council logo.

One of the new Council's strategies is to create a Healthy Bedford. Everyone aged 60+ is eligible for free swimming at all the Borough swimming pools. Also for one week 1-7 April free access will be provided for everyone to a range of Council run sports facilities, eg casual swimming, badminton, squash and football. For more information have a look at the Borough Council website www.bedford.gov.uk.

Bedford Borough has a history which spans over 1,000 years and I was delighted to see a photograph of Elstow village's Moot Hall in 'One Council'. On Sunday 5 April 2009 Elstow is hosting a Sealed Knot Civil War re enactment on the village green. In the afternoon at 3.00pm I will hand over the key of Moot Hall, fomerly owned by the County Council to Bedford Borough Council in a short formal ceremony. The Sealed Knot celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2008 and this will be a real Family Fun Day from 11am - 4pm next Sunday.

THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR BEDFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 1889 - 2009

Today as County Council Vice Chairman I attended a Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Church, Bedford to celebrate 120 years of Bedfordshire County Council from 1889 until 31 March 2009 when the County Council is abolished. The Salvation Army played and we sang the famous John Bunyan hymn "He who would valiant be". The County Council motto "Constant Be" on the crest above is taken from this hymn which has a special meaning for me as I live in Elstow, home of John Bunyan. The Chief Executive gave an address on the Council's long history and the Bishop of Bedford preached the sermon.

Afterwards we had tea at County Hall before watching the Minden Band of The Queen's Division conduct a Sunset and Beating Retreat ceremony. Then the Bedfordshire County Council flag was lowered for the last time by Bedford Sea Cadets. It was an emotional occasion for County Councillors and staff, some of whom do not know if they will have a job after 1 April. Many senior staff are leaving on 31 March.

The Minden Band consists of 35 talented musicians including 3 women, and are based at Bassingbourn Barracks in Royston near Cambridge. The Band supports 3 Regiments of the Queen's Division - The Royal Anglian, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and The Prince of Wales Royal Regiment and perform at high profile civilian events.

Bedfordshire County Council is handing over its services to Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire in excellent order. For example, during March the Highways Department have filled over 1,000 potholes across the County caused by the recent severe weather, investing £400,000 to put the roads in good order for the new Councils. Recently I visited Hertfordshire where the local paper said that Herts County Council was still surveying its potholes so Bedfordshire was ahead of the pack once again.

On 1 April Bedford Borough Council takes on 5,5000 new staff and responsibility for many new services - Children's Services including 79 schools, fostering and adoption and the youth service, Adult Services including residential care and mental health, highways, waste management, strategic planning, archives & records, libraries, etc.

The present 54 Bedford Borough Councillors will remain in post for two months until Thursday 4 June when Unitary Elections take place. Then there will be only 36 Unitary Councillors taking over the current 72 County and Borough Council roles.

GORDON BROWN'S PUBLIC MAULING ON THE INTERNET BY DANIEL HANNAN

Gordon Brown Prime Minister and Daniel Hannan MEP





Gordon Brown has been publicly exposed on U Tube for his hypocrisy and incompetencer by a young Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan after Brown's appalling speech in the European Parliament this week. The left wing biased BBC and ITV only reported Brown's speech on TV news bulletins but a video of Daniel Hannan's devastating critique of Brown was posted on U Tube and has been seen by 1 million people so far - striking a chord with the British public who are getting increasingly fed up with Brown's meaningless cliches on the global recession.

Daniel Hannan accused Brown of behaving like a "Brezhnev-era apparatchik". Even the Governor of the Bank of England has warned Brown to stop borrowing money. In his speech Brown warned against protectionism but is guilty of hypocrisy, having nationalised banks and parts of the car industry, to say nothing of his proud boast of wanting "British jobs for British workers". As Hannan said:

"Perhaps you would have more authority in this House if your actions matched your words? You would have more legitimacy.. in the world if the UK were not going into this recession in the worst condition of any G20 country. The truth is Prime Minister that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. Every British child is born owing around £20,000. Servicing that debt is going to cost more than educating the child.

Now once again today you try to spread the blame around; you spoke about an international recession. Well it is true that we are all sailing together into the squalls. But not every vessel in the convoy is in the same dilapidated condition. Other ships use the good years to caulk their hulls and clear their rigging; in other words to pay off debt. But you used the good years to raise borrowing yet further. As a consequence, under your captaincy, our hull is pressed deep into the water line under the accumulated weight of your debt.

We are now running a deficit that touches 10% of GDP, an almost unbelievable figure. More than Pakistan and Hungary, countries where the International Monetary Fund have been called in.. You're pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility... You're carrying on wilfully worsening our situation, wantonly spending what little we have left...In the last year 100,000 private sector jobs have been lost and yet you created 30,000 public sector jobs....You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt.

And when you repeat in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we're "well placed to weather the storm .... you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know and we know..that it's nonsense! Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times. The IMF has said so; the European Commission has said so; the markets have said so - which is why our currency has devalued by 30%. ..soon the voters will get their chance to say so. They can see what the markets have already seen; .. you are a devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government"

Gordon Brown has been flying round the world, trying to drum up support for his dtrategy of "saving the world" in countries like Chile and Brazil, while the British economy falls apart at home. In Chile he was embarrassed by their President who said that Chile "had saved in the good times" echoing David Cameron's comment that Brown should have "fixed the roof while the sun was shining".

Roll on the 2010 General Election when we can elect David Cameron as Prime Minister and get rid of this unelected Prime Minister.

KEMPSTON PERFORMING ARTS EVENING

Last week I was invited as Vice Chairman of Bedfordshire County Council to attend Kempston Schools Performing Arts Evening in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Pupils from 5 Kempston schools sang, danced and played music, including some pupils from St. Johns Special School who performed a A Taste of Africa, dressed in African costume. Camestone Lower School sang some lovely songs including My Fantasy Football Team, followed by a superb dance performance - Jellicle Cats by Balliol Lower School and some amazing Breakdancers from Daubeney Middle School.

The evening ended with a rousing performance of Everybody needs Somebody by the Blues Brothers by Hastingsbury Upper School Brass Band who were enthusiastically received by the large audience and gave us an encore. There is a wealth of talent in the Kempston schools and the concert raised much needed funds for MacMillan Cancer Support, a very worthy national charity which supports cancer patients and their families.

Kempston is a historic town, dating back to AD 885 before the neighbouring town of Bedford and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Camestone" situated in Wessex. After the Norman Conquest King William gave Kempston to his niece the Countess Judith de Balliol. In 1078 Judith founded a Benedictine Convent for Nuns in nearby Elstow village - Elstow Abbey which became a church in 1539 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.

MOTHERING SUNDAY

Today is Mothering Sunday, a religious festival celebrated in Christian churches all over the world - all the mothers are presented with small posies of spring flowers by their children. Mothering Sunday is very commercialised but at least people are encouraged to remember the loving care provided by their mothers. Sadly my own mother died 34 years ago but my 2 lovely daughters always remember me on Mothering Sunday and we generally arrange a family reunion.

This year I enjoyed a family lunch in Watford with my daughter Sarah, Gary her husband, 2 of my grandchildren Emma, 6 and Thomas, 3 and Gary's mother, father and grandmother. We went for a lovely spring walk after lunch in the nearby park where the children climbed on the new play equipment which Gary campaigned for as Chairman of the local Residents' Association. He also persuaded the Council to plant lots of daffodil bulbs which are now in full bloom.

When the sun shines in England and the spring flowers are in bloom there is no finer country to live in. It's a pity that the sun does not shine a bit more often, because it cheers us all up when we are emerging from a long, grey and cold winter.

Last night I stayed with an old friend Valmai in Pirton, near Hitchin in Hertfordshire where I lived for 15 years and represented Pirton and Offley villages on North Hertfordshire District Council. Valmai was born in the Welsh valleys and loves to sing, dance and play the recorder. She was performing in an excellent Music Hall Show with the Pirton Players, a very active amateur dramatic group which puts on excellent shows several times a year.

WALKING IN HARROLD COUNTRY PARK

Today was one of those a rare sunny English days with blue skies and a mild breeze - a perfect day for a country walk. This morning I went on a one hour Health Walk in Harrold-Odell Country Park led by Ed Burnett of the Countryside Access Service. The Country Park was purchased and developed by Bedfordshire County Council in 1983 and
will be transferred to Bedford Unitary Council on 1 April 2009.

These Health Walks will continue fortnightly through the summer so if you fancy a beautiful country walk visit Harrold Country Park on Thursday 2, 16 or 30 April, meeting outside the cafe at 10.30 am.

I had a wonderful scenic drive to and from Harrold through some of Bedfordshire's loveliest villages - Turvey, Carlton, Chellington, Odell, Radwell, Felmersham and Milton Ernest. After our walk I enjoyed a coffee and some homemade carrot cake in the cafe, watching the ducks and swans on Harrold's large lake. It is a haven for wildlife and spring flowers and the Park is very popular at weekends.

Harrold Bridge, pictured above is one of the many single track low bridges in this part of North Bedfordshire, criss crossing the River Ouse which is prone to flooding.

In 2004 I was selected as the Conservative candidate for Harrold Division, replacing County Councillor Phyllis Gershon who had decided to retire. However Phyllis changed her mind and stayed on for another 4 years. Instead I now represent Elstow and Wilstead villages on the County and Borough Councils. Sadly Phyllis died suddenly in January after a long and distinguished local government career representing the 14 villages in the Harrold Division.

FITNESS AND HEALTH FOR THE OVER 50's

My 2009 New Year Resolution was to find time to improve my fitness and lose some weight. I have succeeded in my first aim, having joined the LA Fitness Club in Kimbolton Road 8 weeks ago. Three times a week I go to Aquacise Classes or the gym. I much prefer the Aquacise and share it with 12-14 other women of varying ages.

Also I now walk regularly between Council activities. On Thursday morning I will to to Harrold Country Park for one of 4 Health Walks organised by Bedfordshire County Council to improve people's health and enjoyment of green spaces. Research has shown that regular walking improves physical health and reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressures, strokes and depression.

Bedford Borough Council have just launched a series of activity classes for the Over 50's so there is no excuse for 'couch potatoes' not to drag themselves away from the TV and computer to learn line dancing, badminton, golf, swim or just go walking.

Physical exercise was never popular with me as a child. I was musical and an avid reader and was put off sport by the sporting enthusiasms of my sporty father and my 2brothers. I am a mental athlete but do not really enjoy physical exercise, although I am enjoying the Aquacise classes and healthy walks. Losing weight is a harder challenge as I love my food. In 2006 I succeeded in losing 2 stone, raising £800 for the British Heart Foundation but it is hard to keep it off long term.

Today I was saddened to see the prematurely aged face of Sean Hodgson, aged 57 years, who has just been released from prison after serving 27 years for a rape and murder he did not commit. His prison sentence lasted longer because he has always protested his innocence. We should all be grateful for our liberty and the freedom to stay healthy and enjoy the countryside as we grow older.

Tonight I will fulfil one of my last official functions as Vice Chairman of Bedfordshire County Council by attending the Kempston Schools Performing Arts Evening at the Addison Centre, raising funds for the Kempston Mayor's Charities.

As the 2008 Bedford Youth Champion and a former County Cabinet Member for Culture I am happy to support a charity function involving school children and the performing arts. My daughter Helen used to perform with the Wilstead Players and went on to gain a Stage Management degree at the Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff. Later she worked at the Gateway Theatre, Chester as a sound and lighting technician before moving into the conference industry.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY AT THE EMBANKMENT

Today is St. Patrick's Day, celebrated by the Irish all over the world, including me as my paternal grandfather was Irish. My cousins live in a quiet and beautiful corner of County Down, Northern Ireland near the famous Mountains of Mourne. Northern Ireland has been almost free from terrorism for some years, although I can remember two bombs going off within 20 miles of my cousins' home when I visited them them in 1998. Sadly this peace has been shattered by the shooting of two unarmed soldiers and a police officer, a tragedy for their families and for the Northern Irish people, the vast majority of whom want to live in peace with their neighbours.

Tonight I dined out with 3 fellow Councillors, two with strong Irish connections, Peter Hand and Andrew McConnell, and one true Englishman Nigel Haughton at a newly refurbished restaurant The Embankment, Bedford. It is a historic building located on the Embankment, one of Bedford's beauty spots which is illuminated at night. The new owners Kelly and Andrew invited us to sample their new menu free, paying only for our drinks and desserts and also showed us a few of the renovated hotel rooms.

My Scotch beef rump steak was superb as was the starter - a crab and asparagus risotto -, but my dessert was a bit stodgy. My 3 companions enjoyed their starters - a crispy duck salad, leek and potato soup and a pear and Stilton tart and their main courses of leg of lamb, rump steak and stuffed mushrooms. However they were also disappointed with their desserts. The service was friendly but the music a bit raucous for a smart pub restaurant. Do look up the The Embankment's new website, www.embankmentbedford.co.uk and go and try their delicious food:

LAMBING DAY IN WILSTEAD

Spring is here! Daffodils are everywhere and today on a beautiful Spring Sunday Wilstead held its annual Lambing Day at Manor Farm, owned by sheep farmers David and Barbara Seamark. Bedfordshire has some very large sheep farms and there are now 20 million breeding sheep in the UK, producing the delicious lamb many of us enjoy for our Sunday lunches, especially at Easter.

Many local families came to watch lambs being born to some of the 470 sheep at Manor Farm, sometimes as many as 3 or 4 lambs to one sheep. Wilstead Lower School Parent Teachers' Association provided burgers, hot dogs and cakes, raising funds for the school and a good time was had by all. The only slight hitch was a power cut which stopped the important supply of tea and coffee for a short while.

I took my daugher Helen and 2 of my grandchildren Jessica, aged 6 and Oliver, 4, who were fascinated by the lambing process and the chance to hold an orphaned lamb. We also met two of Helen's former school friends, Sarah and Debbie who used to live in Wilstead, with their 5 children, aged from 10 years down to 9 months, so our young children had a great time and we all enjoyed the spring sunshine.

During the visit I bumped into Cathy Whittle, Project Manager of Wilstead Children's Centre which opened in April 2009. Cathy told me that Wilstead Pre School was inspected by Ofsted in October 2008 and rated Outstanding, the top rating. I was delighted at their good news, after the hard work put in by Cathy and many other Wilstead volunteers on a building project, which was completed in a very tight timescale to qualify for its Government grant.

Helen, Debbie and Sarah all attended John Bunyan Upper School, starting in 1988 and Helen went on to graduate from University in 1996. In those days John Bunyan Upper was an excellent school but in recent years it has been in the doldrums. Since the appointment of a dynamic new Head Teacher, Ursula Byrne last year John Bunyan School has started to improve rapidly and achieved good GCSE results in July 2008. In September 2010 it will become Bedford Academy with the support of Bedford College and the Harpur Trust. With the new buildings due in 2012, the school should continue to improve its academic results and provide a good rounded education.

AMANDA PLATELL AT THE CARLTON CLUB

Amanda Platell

Last night as a Patron of Mid Beds Conservative Association I attended a wonderful dinner at the Carlton Club, off Pall Mall in London with 40 others. The dinner was hosted by our MP Nadine Dorries and our guest speaker was Amanda Platell, the well known acerbic Daily Mail columnist who was once William Hague's spin doctor. Amanda is Australian, came to live in the UK in 1983 and never went home. She is charming, funny and warm and we enjoyed an excellent dinner in the Churchill Room, with enormous portraits of Sir Winston Church and Queen Elizabeth II, painted soon after her accession to the throne in 1952, looking down on us.

The Carlton was founded in 1823 by the Prince Regent, after he had a row with his father King George III, and the Club symbol is the Prince of Wales feathers. It has a spectacular circular staircase and dozens of large portraits of historic figures.

WILSTEAD WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

Wilstead WI Committee show off some of their 40 new mugs

Wilstead Women's Institute has 43 members and is one of the largest village branches in Bedfordshire. Nationally, the Women's Institute has over 200,000 members and is a force to be reckoned with as Tony Blair discovered in 1997 soon after his election as Prime Minister. Blair attended the National WI Conference at the Royal Albert Hall and made the mistake of patronising the large female audience and made a blatantly party political speech to a non-political organisation. His reward was slow handclapping and humiliation by thousands of women.

Recently I gave Wilstead WI a small grant from my Community Leaders' Fund to buy 40 new mugs and last week I went along to celebrate with them and enjoy a cup of tea and some homemade cake. I also enjoyed an interesting talk from Trevor Gunton, a retired RSPB officer on his travels around the UK's Offshore Islands and wildlife watching.

This has been another busy week, culminating in a visit to Essex today to see an MBT (Mechanical and Biological Treatment Plant) one possible solution to reducing the waste going into Landfill. However it is a messier and more expensive process than the modern EfW (Energy from Waste) Plant I viewed in Portsmouth, which generates electricity on site and is cost effective.

WOTHOLES?

Bedfordshire in the snow

Remember all that snow we had in February? It all seems like a bad dream now, but it devastated our roads and we now have large potholes everywhere. Bedfordshire County Council disappears on 31 March and the Bedfordshire roads will then become the responsiblity of Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council.

The public get very upset about potholes as they can cause nasty accidents. Therefore as a gesture of goodwill Beds County Council launched its "Wotholes?" campaign last week, allocating £400,000 extra funding to repair as many potholes as possible across Bedfordshire before 31 March. The photograph on the left is of my County Council colleague Tom Wootton, Cabinet Member for Highways and Waste Management, standing by one of the larger potholes created by the severe weather in February.

Already after only one week £75,000 has been spent on filling over 600 potholes in Bedford, Bromham, Harrold, Kempston, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade and other places.

If you see any dangerous potholes which need repairing, please call the Wotholes Hotline on 01234 228661.

Last night as Vice Chairman of Bedfordshire County Council I co hosted a final reception for Town and Parish Councils before handing over to the new Unitary Councils on 1 April 2009. There are 125 'settlements' in Bedfordshire, including four large towns -Bedford, Dunstable, Kemspton, Leighton Buzzard and Houghton Regis, smaller towns like Ampthill, Arlesey, Biggleswade, Flitwick, Sandy, Shefford and Stotfold, and dozens of villages. There are 20 town councils and dozens of parish councils. My Division includes just 2 villages, Elstow and Wilstead, but some councillors represent large numbers of small villages. Tom Wootton, a local farmer, represents rural North East Bedfordshire which has 24 villages and 14 parish councils.

On Monday I chaired two Personnel Appeals at County Hall, one a Grievance Appeal and the other an Appeal against Dismissal.

When Bedford Borough Council takes over County Hall on 1 April 2009, the building is to be renamed Borough Hall, although some Central Bedfordshire staff will continue to work in the building for the foreseeable future.

THE CYCLE OF LIFE and QUEEN VICTORIA

These two photographs epitomise the Cycle of Life from 0 to 110 years.


Last weekend I attended two christenings - the first of Eleanor Milligan, the 3rd chld of Philip and Katherine in the Roman Catholic church in Flitwick. On Sunday I sang in Elstow Abbey choir at the Anglican christening of Isabella Rose Sanderson. Both events were joyous family occasions attended by many relatives and children.

Elstow Abbey is a popular venue for christenings because it is a beautiful and historic church, where John Bunyan was baptised in 1628. Also we have a charismatic Vicar Jeremy Crocker and in the next 2 weeks we will have the baptisms of Natalie, granddaughter of our organist Steve McDonald and Alice, Martha and James Matthews, the triplet grandchildren of my fellow chorister Teresa.

The 2nd photo is of Margaret Fish, the oldest person in Bedfordshire who lives in Wilstead and celebrated her 110th Birthday on Friday 6 March. Sam Whitbread, the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, personally presented Margaret with her 7th telegram from the Queen. There are only 30 people aged 110 years in whole of the UK.

Margaret was born in London in 1899, the year the paper clip was invented and Coca Cola was first bottled in America. The population of Britain was only 29 million. Mrs Fish was a dressmaker, married in 1928 and moved to Bedfordshire with her husband during the 2nd World War bombings. She visited her daughter in Australia at the age of 90, lived independently in Cople until she was 104 and was still digging her garden at the age of 100! And her favourite TV programme is "Dancing on Ice".

Margaret was born during the reign of Queen Victoria and on Saturday evening I went to see the new film "The Young Victoria". Victoria became Queen when she was just 18years old and faced a daunting task, surrounded by a dominant mother and power hungry politicians and courtiers. Fortunately Victoria found the ideal husband in Prince Albert, who was intelligent and had a strong social conscience and inspired the 1951 Great Exhibiton at Crystal Palace. It was a true love match which resulted in 9 children and many grandchildren who married into most of the royal houses of Europe - Germany, Spain, Greece, Norway, Italy, Denmark,Russia, Sweden.

Victoria ruled for 64 years, the longest reign in British history and ruled an Empire which covered 25% of the world in the 19th Century. Her great granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II has followed in Victoria's footsteps, having become Queen at the age of 26 and she has reigned for 57 years.

THE RED LION ELSTOW and THE NHS

Elstow village has two fine pubs, The Swan, a traditional village pub and The Red Lion, which has just been refurbished by its new owners Mitchells & Butlers and reopened this week with a new Manager Edward White. On Sunday customers and local residents were invited to sample the new menu and I enjoyed an excellent and fairly priced Sunday lunch. It was a brief relaxation before a very busy week.

On Monday I chaired my last Borough Council Corporate & Resource Committee, and on Tuesday attended a BEAR Seminar about the Countywide Waste Management strategy after a school governors meeting and before an evening update on the new Bedford Academy, which John Bunyan Upper School becomes in September 2009.

On Wednesday and Thursday I had regional meetings in Cambridge and chaired my final County Council Redundancy Panel and on Friday had an Employment Tribunal in Watford, so I seemed to do a lot of driving around this week. In between meetings and dealing with various resident issues and numerous emails I managed to fit in 3 visits to my Fitness Club and two medical appointments.

On Tuesday it was my 3 yearly breast screening and on Friday I had an emergency dental appointment to replace a crown which fell out of my mouth when I was chewing an Opal Fruit sweet! My wonderful NHS dentist is a white South African who came to the UK 16 years ago and I travel 20 miles to see him because he is such an excellent dentist. This time I saw his colleague, another South African who is equally good. Many people complain about the NHS but I have only ever experienced excellent service from NHS doctors, surgeons, dentists, physiotherapists and nurses, especially in 2006/7 when I had 3 operations in Bedford and Cambridge within a year.

On Friday evening I met Hannah Miles, the Masterchef Finalist who runs a popoular Blog called Hannahscountrykitchen which attracts 150,000 hits a month. Hannah is a shipping lawyer with a passion for cooking, especially patries and desserts and lives in Podington, a small village on the edge of North Bedfordshire. Hannah gave a talk and a cookery demonstration to an audience of 100+ enthusiastic Conservatives. She charmed us all and made a delicious Toblerone Tiramisu, which takes only 30 minutes to prepare, a Lime and Ginger cheesecake and a delicious rose flavoured summer punch.

ELSTOW LOWER SCHOOL PUPILS CELEBRATE 'OUTSTANDING' OFSTED REPORT

Last week I announced the great news that Elstow Lower School has just been rated 'Outstanding' for the second time in 3 years by Ofsted. As you can see in this photograph our school children are as thrilled as the staff, parents and governors with this tremendous result as they play a key part in the school's success.

Despite heavy snow in February, Elstow Lower School was one of the few Bedfordshire schools to stay open so that the Inspectors could visit and assess the standard and quality of the education.

Recent achievements at Elstow Lower School include gaining 'Eco School' status and receiving the prestigious 'Green Flag' award. Many of our children do not speak English as their first language and each year the school has an International Week.

Highlights of the Ofsted Inspection report include:
1. Inspectors were 'wowed' by the young School Council Members and 'Eco Warriors' who talked enthusiastically about their roles and the decisions they have to make.

2. Parents said that their children 'always come home full of information and we could not ask for anything more'

3. The Inspectors considered the level of care and support for the children to be of the highest quality and a real strength of the school.

4. Recently the children enriched their learning with visits from 'Night Owls', re- enactments of historical events, becoming 'entrepreneurs', visits to London and other exciting projects.

As Head Teacher Jenny Winder says "We are delighted and proud of the result of this latest inspection. Everyone - children, staff, parents, partner schools and local businesses - works hard as a team and together we strive to provide our children and their families with the very best education which will give them life opportunities and allow them to live healthy and harmonious lives within the society of today and in the future".

As Vice Chairman of Governors at the school I am pleased to endorse these comments, and also passionately believe in the importance of teamwork and partnership in my other role as the local Councillor for Elstow and Wilstead villages.

This week I attended a meeting to discuss the development of John Bunyan Upper School into Bedford Academy in September 2010. The meeting was held at Cauldwell Lower School, another Outstanding Lower School, located in an area of South Bedford with high levels of social deprivation. Elstow Lower School also draws 40% of its pupils from this area and the qualities that shine out of these two schools are strong, inspirational leadership and teamwork.

WILSTEAD FOOTBALL CLUB

Wilstead is a small Bedfordshire village (population 2,300) but it has a splendid Football Club with several adult and youth teams, ably led by the Chairman James Struthers and Chief Coach Ben Wisson. Recently I gave the Club a grant from my County Community Leaders' Fund to refurbish their showers and on Saturday I watched them play a home match against Renhold. They scored 2 goals but Renhold scored 4 so Wilstead lost the match but there was lots of action.

My home town is Portsmouth and my 2 brothers once dragged me to watch Pompey play a match at Fratton Park when I was a teenager. I was bored stiff because no goals were scored until the 89th minute and swore I would never go again. Apart from watching World Cup football on TV I have never watched another football match since until Saturday but it was fun - I just blocked my ears to the occasional four letter words!

I drove 160 miles south down the M1 from Leeds for the match as I was at the CCA (Conservative Councillors' Association) Annual Conference, at which David Cameron was due to speak. David could not attend as he is in mourning for his 6 year old disabled son Ivan who died on Wednesday. David and Samantha Cameron have been devastated by the sudden loss of their eldest child and his funeral takes place tomorrow in Oxfordshire

Alan Duncan gave a keynote speech instead of David Cameron and we had a feisty after dinner speech from Baroness Warsi, the youngest and sole female Moslem peer in the House of Lords who described her relentless battles against discrimination and prejudice, especially from within her own Moslem community in Dewsbury, Yorkshire.

Thank you to Cathy Burridge, from Texas, USA who sent me the following kind comment:

"I have just visited your lovely town and was delighted to have also visited Elstow, what a beautiful place you live in!

It was a whistlestop tour of the City of Bedford, but it was such a shame I did not get to meet a local celebrity as yourself.

Thanks for this blog. Its very informative, it looks like you too travel a lot, have you been to Cambridge, its fantastic?

Oh, I so agree with you, your country needs more trees, so I hope you will be planting some more soon. Best wishes Councillor Lynne"

ELSTOW MUSIC FESTIVAL

Happy St. David's Day!



Last night we had a wonderful Concert performed by the Luton Male Voice Choir at Elstow Abbey, concluding our first ever Elstow Music Festival which raised a total of £1,000 towards refurbishing our 11th Century Abbey and repairing the organ.

The 31 strong choir included several Welshmen, very appropriate just before St. David's Day and they sang two Welsh hymns including my favourite Cwm Rhondda. The varied programme included the South African National Anthem sung in Swahili, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como music, a Russian soprano and some lovely piano solos including a haunting Italian piece - Giorni Dispari by Ludovico Einaudi - played by Stewart, one of the two accompanists. The choir sang superbly without a note of music in front of them and almost raised the roof with their robust singing of the football anthem "Walk On" and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Such a pity that we did not have a larger audience but we will invite them back next year so more people can enjoy their wonderful music.

I have a special fondness for Wales as my younger daughter Helen studied Stage Management at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and we had Cwm Rhondda as one of her wedding hymns. Cardiff is a cosmopolitan city and I used to enjoy shopping in Morgans, Cardiff's answer to Harrods, which alas is no longer there.

Helen's student flat was a stone's throw from Cardiff Castle and within earshot of Cardiff Arms Park. On a Saturday afternoon conversation would suddenly stop when we heard a huge roar - the home rugby team had scored a try!