COMMENT: Lyn of Littleport

This village is the best! In spite of the drawbacks inherent in rural society that is still mostly manifest by its harbouring a ruling clique of landlords, (some rogue) and the propensity of employers to offer low wages in the countryside at large, moral and good spirit is still uppermost in Littleport.

Although we still like to have a moan about things that are obviously wrong, like disabled access in general, and trains in particular.

All the usual pleasant village activities go on apace, with Timebank membership rising, (swap hours of work credits with each other, not money) the Brass Band, WI, Flower Club, Littleport Society, and more socialising with events at the Leisure Centre, like one coming up this Saturday night (18), a disco in aid of Cancer Research UK. Then there’s the monthly YANA cuppa, cake and company group and fund raising with the Rotary, Lions and YPL.

And even though we have a huge population compared to many other rural settlements, 10,000 head, everyone knows everyone else just about.

For instance, when Jessica O’Shea’s young lad dropped his coat on the way home from school as he’d done once before and happily got it back, Millfield School supervisor, Rachel Johnson - known of course as ‘Miss Johnson’ to pupils, spotted it on the ground, recognised whose it was, and hot-footed it round to his house.

And among other many such incidents of helpfulness this last week, people have been on the look-out for a tortoise that escaped from his garden, and a cat. No problem.

We are now looking forward to having our own secondary school campus here in Littleport, scheduled to open in September, but meanwhile Ely College gets the benefit of our innovative youth!

Jaden Coe, Emily Wells, Beth Laws and Jasmine Surtees are Business Studies students there. They have coupled their culinary skills with business skills and set up the ‘Unicorn Bakery’ as part of the Ely College Business Challenge.

Their tasty cakes sold out by 11.30am at the Parish Church coffee morning last Saturday. And they have set up a Facebook page too, entitled: Unicorn Bakery.

The railway station is still the recipient of ire on another count.

It’s been discovered that CCTV cameras are focused on the platforms, and not the bike racks from where bikes are getting stolen a bit too regularly. Glen Banyard reckons it’s because they don’t want their benches nicked!