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The Midsummer Ball
Tess Gent writes Saturday 16th June saw the return of Great Chishill's Midsummer Ball, raising money for St Swithun's Church. Months of what must have been very hard work by the organising committee culminated in a truly spectacular event, enjoyed by 250 friends and neighbours on a beautiful sunny evening.
Taking full advantage of the weather, welcome drinks were served on the playing fields as the guests arrived in an array of stunning black tie outfits – it turns out that we all scrub up rather well!
The party continued as we sat down to a delicious meal in the marquee adorned with fabulous tropical flowers, fruit and flamingoes. There was plenty more fun (and importantly, fund-raising) between courses with games, raffles and an auction of promises all featuring great prizes.
Having already eaten more than might seem prudent in our highly tailored outfits we then discovered the cheese and sweetie carts which were the perfect after-dinner treat. After posing for some quick pictures at the photo booth, live music from the wonderful band “Fred's House” lured us on to the dance floor where an energetic crowd remained until 2am!
Enormous thanks must of course go to the generosity of many local businesses who kindly sponsored the tables, the beer and the bar which contributed hugely to a fantastically successful evening.
Emily Hanson was there with her camera - click on the centre picture below to see the pictures taken in the 'photo booth' on the night and here to see other photos from the ball. (more to follow)
Mobile Phone Mast Proposal
 The Parish Council have received a letter from a company called Waldon who are proposing a telephone mast on Hall Lane and given until 20th June for comments! The Parish Council discussed this at their regular meeting on 21st June. See the PC website for more information. ( www.greatchishillPC.com)send any comments to clerk@greatchishillpc.com or email the company directly.
Letter to PC and Details.
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St Swithuns Restoration - Update - June  With the scaffold in place we took the opportunity to make other much needed repairs to the stonework and the louvres in the upper windows, where the wood was decaying and letting in water. The clock was taken out during the repairs, it is now back with new gilding, so after an absence of over 6 months we can hear its familiar chimes once more. The craftsmen have made 'eyebrows' above the clock face to prevent water running down the tower face and getting into the clock mechanism.
As the tower is being revealed you can see what an excellent job the builders have made. The scaffold is coming down, so is the project finished? Not quite yet…. the toilet in the tower needs completing, then next stage will be 'groundworks', digging up the churchyard to make connections for the new water supply and for the waste water for the toilet. The road outside the church was reduced to one lane with traffic lights for a couple of days to access the mains water and sewer – apologies for any disruption - BUT unfortunately it was not possible to complete the works without closing the road completely! It is hoped that this will happen in early August.
Rainwater getting into the tower seems to be the main cause of all the damp and decay of the tower structure – plus using the wrong materials. So to make sure the tower stays dry in the future rainwater will be channelled away from the tower into a new soakaway.
Anything else? A new history and church guide has been written by our very own Dr Celina Fox, which will be published soon.
Click here to see pictures of the restoration in progress and the problem walls.
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Windmill Cycling Club
 The Windmill Club is a Cycling UK affiliated group. The club is based at The Pheasant. Rides take place twice a week - approx. 20/25 miles on a Monday afternoon/evening and approx. 30/45 miles on Thursday mornings, usually in the lovely quiet lanes surrounding this area. During the summer months rides sometimes start at locations in Suffolk or Norfolk and take in places such as Aldeburgh, Southwold or Wells. The pace is leisurely and there is as much focus on good companionship, conversation and coffee/pub stops as there is on cycling. Each ride costs £3.00 and the proceeds are donated to various charities at the end of each year. So far, over £5,000 has been raised.
For more details of The Windmill Club's rides please take a look at their blog.
New members are always welcome.
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Saffron Screen
Saffron Screen is your not-for-profit independent community cinema based within Saffron Walden County High School. The professional auditorium boasts a full size screen, 200 cinema seats, Dolby Digital surround sound and both 35mm and digital projection equipment. Ticket and refreshment prices are kept low to benefit all and parking is free.
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A Autism-friendly screening (No adverts or trailers, Low level lighting throughout the showing, Film sound at a consistently lower volume)
DDementia Friendly screening. (see cinema website for details)
s Subtitled line Sold Out
B Baby friendly - Bring your baby (under 12 months) for a trip to the cinema without worrying about babysitters. There will be changing mats and a comfortable environment for new parents – and a certain amount of noise can be expected!
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For full details see website www.saffronscreen.com
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Saffron Hall
 Saffron Hall is an exciting venture set up in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School. The vision is to inspire through music and the arts. The impressive programme includes performances by the school's own ensembles and a host of well known British artists with international reputations.
Exceptional adjustable acoustics. Ample FREE parking.
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Triorca Orchestra
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Triorca international youth orchestra is made up of the most talented young musicians from Norfolk, England; Vojvodina, Serbia and Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Under the baton of Nicholas Daniel, winner of the Queens medal for music in 2012, musicians from different cultural backgrounds learn together and from each other using the international language of music.
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Sat 28th July
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7.30pm
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Aurora Orchestra: Shostakovich 9th from Memory
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Four years ago at the BBC Proms, Aurora became the first orchestra to perform a symphony from memory, without the aid of printed sheet music. Since then the orchestra has electrified audiences around the world with this direct and communicative performance style.
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Sat 4th August
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7.30pm
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SWCHS Event = School performers
www.saffronhall.com Box office 0845 548 7650
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Royston Cinema
The Royston Picture Palace is a community cinema run by the people of Royston and surrounding villages. Although staffed by volunteers, the audience will experience state-of-the-art digital projection onto a 7m screen supported by a 17 speaker digital sound system.
The cinema is located in Royston Town Hall, which has undergone a complete refurbishment in preparation for its new role in the community.
Currently films are shown on Fridays and Saturdays.
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The Happy Prince
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15
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Fri 20th July
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7.30pm
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The Bookshop
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TBC
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Sat 28th July
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7.30pm
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Swimming with Men
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12A
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Sat 4th August
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7.30pm
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Complete Diary available here
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Bin Collections Tuesdays unless otherwise marked
17/07/18: Black Bin
24/07/18:Green Bin and Blue Bin
31/07/18: Black Bin
07/08/18:Green Bin and Blue Bin
Not sure what you can recycle? Click here to see the SCDC quick guide.
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Thriplow Dump
Gravel Pit Hill, Thriplow, Cambridgeshire SG8 7HZ
Tel: (01223) 839001
Opening hours:
8am to 5pm Every day including Bank Holidays, 1st April to 30th September
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Fancy a Walk?
Circular Walks from Great Chishill
13.3Km
8.9km
7.4Km
or
4.5Km
or, if you want to go further afield, Walking in Essex More than 50 FREE walks to download, details of all the books, maps and walking groups in the county.
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Road Closure
In order to facilitate connection of services to the church, Heydon Road will be completely closed outside the church from 6-10th August.
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The Windmill Can Be Seen Once More
 Just a few days after the church tower was unveiled, the windmill also emerged to full view. Removal of the scaffolding indicates that work on the main body, the buck, of the mill is complete and it looks splendid! The cedar boarding that so many villagers contributed to via the Sponsor a Board campaign has been painted and topped with extra protection on the roof that should see the mill through the next hundred years.
This gleaming white finish covers an extraordinary amount of effort that was needed to make the structure safe. Bill Griffiths, our millwright, and his assistant, Klaine Feagan, have completed repairs to a superb quality. Framework timbers were cut back to sound wood and new oak plates were glued and bolted to replace the lost section.
See pictures of the restoration progress here.
New window frames were built and all board edges were carefully ‘flashed’ to ensure no water ingress.
Just before the scaffolding was removed, the ‘striking rod’ was fitted. This is a steel rod, well over 8m long, that is positioned in the centre of the windshaft to connect the mechanism on the sails that opens and closes the shutters with the control gear that can be seen on the rear of the buck. This took some adjusting of size and shape and careful manipulation.
Whilst we are very proud of the achievement so far, it is only part of the story, as we have to repair the tail assembly before visitors can freely enter the building. The skeleton tail fan erected in the sixties is unsafe and the steps of the stairway need attention. Planning permission for both is imminent and Bill aims to remove the tail carriage before the end of summer and rebuild it off-site.
He also has a repair to make to one of the sail frames currently in Chris Bates’s barn and to one of the main sail stocks still attached to the mill. The sail frames have been completely stripped, repaired and repainted by Tony Andrews with Chris’s help. The plan is to have all the work done and the sails back in place by late Spring 2019 when we can look forward to a grand celebration to reopen the windmill to the public.
The amount of work required to restore the windmill has been far greater than anticipated but it is worth it just to see that brilliant white beacon welcoming people to our village. Next year it will look even better!
Please visit our website greatchishillwindmill.com to see our progress.
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Great Chishill Open Gardens 2018
 June 10th started out overcast but as 2pm approached the skies cleared giving way to a glorious afternoon and evening - perfect for the Open Gardens afternoon. This was the fifth time that this biennial event has been held, raising money for St Swithun's Church. The church was the starting point where for £5 visitors were given a green wrist band so that they could visit any of the 8 gardens open for viewing in the village. Teas were available at Rectory Farmhouse, ice creams and other delights at the URC schoolroom and Indian nibbles served at the Rectory.
The event raised £840. Click here to see pictures from the day.
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Defibrillator
 An Automatic Electronic Defibrillator (AED) has been installed on the wall of the sports pavilion facing the car park. In the event of a cardiac arrest, upon calling 999 the caller is given the location of the nearest AED and the code to unlock it. The device gives easy to follow verbal instructions, is safe to use, and will only operate if it is appropriate.
It is hoped to arrange a Cardio Pulmonary Massage (CPR) and AED training session soon for anyone interested.
More information about Defibrillators.
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 July 2018 Chishills Newsletter now available to view or download
If you have trouble downloading or viewing the newsletter it may be because you do not have the latest version of Adobe Reader. 
Back numbers of Newsletters here
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Village Hall Bookings
 It is possible to have a look at the Village Hall diary online. Simply click on the picture of the calendar to see it. (the diary will open in its own window).
Please treat this calendar as a guide only as some events may be provisional.
If you would like to make a booking, please telephone Janet Crouch on 838301.
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Plastic Flower Dishes
Have you won one of Tess Gent's flower arrangements in a raffle, or bought one with a donation after an event? If so, Tess would really appreciate having the plastic flower dish back. Thank you in advance from Tess.
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Forthcoming Events
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Wine Circle
Next Wine Circle Sue and Phil Maynard Friday 27th July
ANTIQUES & VINTAGE FAIR
Great Chishill Village Hall Sunday 5th August, 10am to 4pm Entry Fee £1. Call Rosei on 07720647696 or email rosei@flapperfortunes.co.uk for more info.
Annual Parish Walk
Saturday 29th September Details to follow
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Great Chishill United Reformed Church - The Future
There have been great concerns about the falling of numbers in the congregation anxieties have grown that the Chapel is not sustainable. As a matter of our huge respect we feel very strongly that it would very wrong to simply close the Chapel without exploring areas of increasing the use of this most charming and useful building.
We would very much like to make a concerted effort to raise the profile of the Chapel, the schoolroom and the lovely garden within the village. We would like to make it a really positive facility for the benefit of all of us who live in and around the village.
From now onwards services will be held on the first and third Sundays of the month. The next services will be at 9.30 on 15th July and 5th August. The parish Youth Fellowship meet in the Schoolroom on the second Sunday of each month between 5.00-6.30, run by Helen Williams, (01799 520398).
Click here to see more information about the future of the URC.
Read about more than 300 years of 'Non Conformist' worship in Great Chishill
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Get your event listed here by emailing webmaster@greatchishill.org.uk or phone 838311
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Parish Church Services
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15th July
9.00am Hamlet
10.00am Chrishall
6.00pm Great Chishall
22nd July
9.00am Strethall
10.40am Elmdon
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Other Parish activities, news etc.available here
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History
 
To find out about the history of our villages read an extract from 'A tale of two villages' by the late Lorna Prior together with the Doomsday Book entry.
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Mobile Library Dates
Heydon Road opposite the bus stop, on the first Wednesday of each month 14:10-14.40
1st August
5th September
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Melbourn Library Opening Times
Monday 2.30 to 4.30
Tuesday 2.30 to 4.30
Wednesday 2.30 to 4.30
Thursday 5.00 to 7.00
Friday 2.30 to 4.30
Saturday 10.00 to 12.00
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Barley Shop Opening Times
Normal opening hours
Mon to Fri 7am to 7pm
Sat 7am to 2pm
Sun 8am to 2pm
Note: The Post Office is now open most of the time when the shop is open, the exceptions being closing at 5pm on Wednesday, 1pm on Saturday and closed all day Sunday
Tel 848288
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