Lidlington News

Five people have been arrested after police were called to reports of a rave at Sheep Tick End in Lidlington in the early hours of Saturday morning (21 December).

Officers attended the rave where around 25 people were found to be playing amplified music.

Three men aged 22, 23 and 28 were arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and have all been released under investigation.

Central Bedfordshire Council has received 209 representations about BT’s proposals to remove 30 public pay-phones during the first phase of a community consultation.

The second phase of the consultation, which runs until Tuesday 21 January 2020, will enable residents to comment on whether they agree or object to the first decision.

Based on feedback from the local community and other public organisations such as town and parish councils and evidence provided, the first decision proposes objecting to 27 pay-phones being removed, including phone boxes in Cranfield, Ridgmont and Lidlington.

The Council said that the number of responses for each payphone was relatively small. But there is general support for retaining the boxes in villages, either as phone boxes or adopting them for community use.

The popular Santa Special switched tracks to Lidlington on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley on Saturday 14th December.

Lidlington Church Hall was transformed into a winter wonderland for the occasion, with Santa & his elves hard at work taking Christmas requests from all the children. A special Christmas gift was given to each child visiting the Grotto.

Families were kept entertained whilst waiting to see Santa by a face painter, balloon modeler, model railway layouts (including a ‘have a go’ Playmobil Twins set & another from Milton Keynes Model Railway Society), stalls and live music from special guests Chasing Deer.

Children also had the opportunity to try a range of Festive Crafts. A variety of refreshments were on sale, including the renowned Bedfordshire Clanger, courtesy of Gunn’s Bakery.

‘Santa’s Special’ Grotto was arranged by the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership in association with the Bedford – St Albans City Community Rail Partnership. Entry to the Grotto was free; a small charge was made for Festive Crafts.

On Sunday 1st December Lisa Raphael and Linsay Black will be running 17 miles to mark the time Linsay’s mum spent receiving care at Keech Hospice.

Part of the run will be on the Bedford Santa 5K Run (3.1 miles) along with hundreds of other runners, all dressed as Santa. The fun run was organised by Keech Hospice Care to help to raise vital funds.

After completing this race Lisa and Linsay will run a further 14 miles back to Woburn, still dressed as Father Christmas. Linsay said:

“This will make 17 miles in total and will be in recognition of the 17 days Linsay’s mum spent being looked after by the wonderful staff at Keech before she sadly passed away in September last year.”

Lisa and Linsay’s aim is to raise as much well-needed funds as possible, Linsay commented that it takes £7000 per day to keep Keech Hospice open.

The Chief Veterinary Officers across the UK are encouraging all poultry keepers to take action now to reduce the risk of disease in their birds over the winter.

There are some simple measures that all poultry keepers, whether they are running a large commercial farm, keeping a few hens in their back garden, or rearing game birds, should take to protect their birds against the threat of avian influenza (bird flu) in the coming winter months.

A Lidlington man, who is currently in prison for indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1970s, has had his jail time extended for assaulting a second victim almost 20 years later, which came to light following an episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody.

Central Bedfordshire Council’s (CBC) Local Plan is currently at the public hearing stage of its examination. These hearings are to be held over five weeks between 21 May and 26 July 2019. The Marston Valley development was discussed on Hearing Day 7 (13 June 2019).

Take a step back into Bedfordshire’s past at a special one-day Brickworks Exhibition at Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre on Saturday 4th May from 10:00 – 4:00. Free entry!

New Class 230 D Trains have come into service on the Marston Vale Line (Bedford – Bletchley). The train, which has been developed by Vivarail, will provide extra capacity and a more comfortable journey for passengers on the Line. The Marston Vale Line is the first route in the country to benefit from these ground-breaking new trains!