Little Thetford .org

Norah Bedford

Norah Bedford, who recently celebrated her 105 birthday, passed away on Friday 18 March 2011 following a short illness after a fall. A former councillor, school governor and president of the Isle of Ely Federation of Women’s Institutes, Norah had two sons, John and Denis; six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Norah is pictured in this photo of the Little Thetford WI visit to the Wedgewood factory in the 1950’s. Our thoughts are with Norah’s family at this sad time.

Can you help with a Litter Pick around the village on Saturday 9th April 9.30 am.

If yes, please report to the Village Hall Car Park.

Black bags and a supply of equipment will be supplied, but if you can bring gardening gloves, florescent bands or jackets and pickers that would be helpful.

Here’s what we collected after just 1 hour last year:

Local sportsman, John Rich, reports seeing a Hobby (Falco subbuteo) flying over Little Thetford last week. This is unusual as it is normally an April through September visitor, migrating from Africa, Europe and Central and East Asia. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds records only two thousand two hundred breeding pairs in the United Kingdom.

The Birds of Britain suggests this Kestrel sized bird, which settles in isolated clumps of trees around heath and farmland, can fly “… at a speed approaching 100 mph”. The Hobby feeds by transferring insects, often dragonfly, from its feet to its mouth during flight, hunting late into the evening.

See also a BBC wildlife article on the Hobby and a recent BBC report commenting on increasing numbers of birds of prey.

Peter Adolph at first attempted to register the trademark “Hobby” for his 1946 table football game. When this was refused, he settled on the Linnaean species name, subbuteo.

Click to enlarge:

The Little Thetford WI Programme 2011 can be found here.

Monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (except where indicated in the programme) at 7 .30pm in the Village Hall. Visitors are welcome to attend any meeting at a cost of £3 (limited to two a year).