These are the pages where you can air your views on village issues or about this web site. They have been added to provide feedback or comments on items too large or unsuitable for the Guest Book.
E-mail your comments by clicking on webmaster@wood-ditton.org.uk and they will appear on this page unless you request otherwise. The views expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily shared by the webmaster.(Please note that if your PC does not have a mail link programme you will need to send an e-mail in the normal way)

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January 26th 2006 from Ivor Brown:
Just had a fill of oil via w.ditton website and Derek Bassett, jolly good, saved us £25.

December 4th 2005 from Derek Bassett
Hi Rodney,
I thought you might like to give a mention on your website to the Woodditton Heating Oil Syndicate which has been established to save the villagers money. The first bulk purchase of 8000 Litres of heating oil has just been made by ten village residents giving a total saving of around £400.
Briefly, it works like this:- At regular intervals I will contact all interested residents and group their requirements together. I then telephone all the local suppliers to obtain the best possible price.
The group is then notified of the Supplier being used, price and delivery date.
MINIMUM quantity per customer is 500 Litres.
Customers have a choice of buying a fixed amount or giving an approximate amount and instructing the Supplier to fill the tank. Customers are invoiced individually by the Supplier.
The Syndicate is non-profit making.
At present I have in mind to make more group purchases at the beginning of February, April, August and November 2006 although if there is sufficient interest I could be persuaded to change these dates.
Anyone interested can contact me (Derek Bassett) at 10 Stetchworth Road. Telephone 01638 730853
Finally, many thanks for running such an interestng and informative website. Kind Regards

October 2005. From Doug Everitt of Kirtling, following the publication of the pictures on the Saxon Street History page.
"How well I remember Mr Nicholls threshing machine. We as boys used to follow, or hear through the grapevine where they were 'sheaning', off we would go armed with a stick, ratting, as some of the corn stacks used to be heaving with them.
We sometimes hitched a lift on the rear axle of the elevator as they travelled slowly through the village, sometimes though, as they always had two crew, one would get off as it was still moving and clear us off the free ride, we would then have to stay on the path so they could see us.
Looking at the two men with the van, notice how their boots/shoes shine, what pride we had in the way we dressed then, will we ever see that again? I doubt it."

July 21st 2005.
Dear Sir,
Have just viewed your website with great interest as it was impossible to find Woodditton on an A to Z map I have. Probably not looking correctly. My name is Justin Ulvaer, I am a 25 year old student at York college but live in Goole and have an avid interest in Geneology. Today after some long hours of searching I have traced my roots back to the Clerke family of Woodditton in 1551 with the birth of William Clerke and his marriage to Mary Ashbee who was born in 1555 and was married at woodditton on the 9th may 1577. I know that Mary was buried there on the 20th of feb 1613. Their son Water (Walter I have taken this for) Clerke was christened on the 2nd of June 1577 and married Agnes Foster of Bottisham on Sept 22nd 1605 at Chevely. Agnes was buried at Woodditton 2nd of Sept 1630. Their daughter, my 10 x great grandmama, Margaret Clerke was born in Woodditton in 1614. She was christened 3rd of April 1614. I was looking at the old family names on your website and wondered if there are any Clerkes still in Woodditton or if the village has any reference as to how the lives of my ancestors may have been way back in the late 1500's.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email, Justin Ulvaer.

Reply to above:
Dear Justin,
Only a few of the more learned people could write at the time you are researching, therefore family names tended to be recorded as they sounded, and over the centuries the spellings evolved differently. It is likely that the name Clerke became Clarke, and of course that is a very common name now with dozens of entries in the phone book. So the ancestors of your Clerkes probably would have spread around, and could be anywhere. Another complication is that Wood Ditton parish in those days included half of the town of Newmarket, including All Saints' Church. Most of this is now in the county of Suffolk.
As for the life in Wood Ditton in the 16th and 17th century, it would have been a feudal society with the Lords of the Manor owning not only the land, but to a great extent the lives of ordinary people. Apart from the craftsmen the ordinary 'villeins' (peasants) would have been land or forestry workers who were tied to the Lord and Masters who granted them the use of small pieces of land. A few adventurous individuals decided to emigrate to New England to set up colonies there in the 17th century, as did Thomas Kilburne the Wood Ditton Churchwarden in 1632. I expect you have read the History page on the Wood Ditton website which gives you a flavour of the times you are interested in. The 17th century was also a time of great upheaval leading to the Civil War between the parliamentarians and the Royalists.
Old burial records are no longer available at the Church but are held at the County Records office at Cambridge or at Bury St. Edmunds, they are also on Microfiche available from the Cambridge Family History Society, see our Links page.
Rod Vincent (webmaster)

October 17th 2004. From Richard Varney
Hello webmaster, just a quick message to say how much I enjoy this site. Living away from the village for many years it is a wonderful way of keeping up to date with the many famous faces that still make it the lovely place it was when I lived there. I know dad would be so pleased the bells are still ringing away. Keep up the wonderful work.
all the best regards
Richard is the son of Tom and Pam (nee Jaggard) Varney. Both were brought up in the village and for many years Tom was Tower Captain of the Church bellringers. R.H.V.

September 25th 2004. From Marie Symonds.
Hello. I would like to tell you how much we enjoy your site. It is one of the best that I have viewed. I have been to your beautiful piece of the world, and it gives us much pleasure to drop in if only on the computer. Thank you so very much for putting this site together. Della Boudreau, Ontario, Canada.

June 27th 2004 from Scott and Kathie Roberts.
Dear Rodney,
It was lovely to meet both you and your wife and I will always treasure the Woodditton compilation that you've written. We will be headed back to America next week and I wanted to be sure to provide a picture and a submission for you website. Here is my submission:
"Upon our return to America, more than anything, these paragraphs are a simple "thank you" to all of our Woodditton villagers and also to our wonderful unforgettable English friends that have made our five glorious years in England stunningly incomparable. We arrived in Woodditton five years ago and have lived in Nigel and Shirley Gardiner's beautiful home on Stetchworth Road. The Gardiners, as a lot (to include Jill and John and families), have been so very gracious and accomodating that we all literally view them as extended family....even down to our newest addition, Rose. We arrived here in 1999, trailing my husband, Scott, an F15 Pilot stationed at RAF Lakenheath . After a harrowing search for a home, we were thrilled to find such a wonderful place in Woodditton! My children, then ages 5 and 7, became immediately entrenched in St. Louis RC Primary School in Newmarket, which provided an absolutely wonderful introduction into British culture...one of the most important/valued aspects of my childrens' education. Since then, the children moved on to middle school in Bury enriching their friendships even further. Throughout the years, our home in Woodditton has been the venue of so many wonderful gatherings especially at Halloween, Christmas and end of the school year celebrations. We have enjoyed meeting our wonderful friends in the village, especially Jack and Doris, Mandy and Darek, Jill and Roy, Beryl and John, Angie and Dennis, Paul and his family, Charlotte and her family, Ellie and her family, Eric and his son, Chris Winch and a host of others. We are especially indebted to Nigel and Shirley Gardiner, who have been so very kind and accomodating. Through their eyes, we gained the most history, appreciation and insight into this little East Anglian village than all else combined. We will miss them very much and hope to see them in America. God Bless you all! - Kathie and Scott"

14th May 2004 - From Doug Everitt (Kirtling)
Congratulation Rodney on your award I have no doubt you really deserved it.
The first thing I do after checking my emails is go to your site and feel a little disappointed if its not been updated as I enjoy seeing what has happend locally.
It has replaced the friendly talk we used to have when we biked to work or walked to the shop [missing from villages now]. Your website has in some ways given us back the chat and the knowledge we can share with each other in some small way like it used to be.
Well done Rodney for keeping us updated, Doug

12th May 2004 - From Roger Hazlewood. (Roger is the son of Wood Ditton born Jim Hazlewood, who now lives in the Wirral.)
Rodney,
Congratulations on winning your Silver Surfer Award. You should be proud of your achievement.
As you probably know, I'm the Unilever Web Services Manager for Europe, and am responsible for hosting >300 Unilever Brand Web sites for all countries in Europe.
Most of these sites are produced by professional web design agencies, and I can tell you that the ease of use, navigation and content rich features in your Wood Ditton site is up there with the best.
So, take it from me...a much deserved accolade for you.
Best wishes, Roger

5th April 2004 - From June Surrage of Saxon Street following her resignation as Supervisor of the Methodist Church Hall Playgroup.
"After 34 years running the Playgroup I have been forced to resign. Unfortunately all the qualifications I have gained over the years do not now meet with Ofsteds criteria. I could have retrained at great financial cost to myself, but the options I was given were evening classes at St. Neots, Peterborough or Stowmarket. Being a non-driver these options were just not viable.
I would like to thank all those who have supported me in the Playgroup during the last 34 years. I have had some wonderful children in my care, and I have enjoyed it immensely,
June Surrage

14th February 2004 - from Mr Geoffrey Woollard
"You are so good with your Wood Ditton site: lots of other people should emulate you with 'their' villages."

29th January 2004.
Dear Mr Vincent
I would just like to say thank you for a great website, without this website I would not have been able to get in contact with my relation Doris Coe of Wood Ditton. Thanks again
Aaran Coe

13th January 2004. From Sheila Jones.
I have to congratulate you on supplying some lovely photos on the website. They make me want to stop by at every season of the year. Unfortunately I live in Canada and that is not possible. However through the internet I can stop by on a regular basis and say Hello until such time as I can visit in person. My grandparents lived in the fens and their roots go back to Soham, Chettisham and Fordham and a tiny place called West Row. Happy New Year to you all.
Sheila Jones (nee Ridley) (family names are Neal and Frost.)

10th November 2003. From James Youlden, an artist and illustrator, of Burrough Green.
I noted with amusement the comments of the council with regard to the colour of 44 Ditton green, It amazes me when someone has taken on the job of saving a fine old cottage, obviously poured heart and soul into it, beautifully rethatched and returned the cottage to its former glory, the council have the cheek to whine about the colour. There is nothing wrong with the colour, they should pay a visit to Chippenham the other side of Newmarket where a whole terrace of listed 18thC artisans' cottages are painted Oxblood Red and Vibrant Mustard Yellow, true heritage colours they look great as does No 44. The fact is white or country cream were not the only colours cottages used to be painted in fact white together with black beams was inflicted by the Victorians during the gothic revival. I think that No 44 adds to the aesthetic of the village and only hope that others are dedicated and brave enough to renovate the rest of the terrace, they can paint them how they will, surely the most important thing for the village is that they are saved from dereliction.
Of village life and community spirit James writes:
In this modern world people move around a lot , since leaving Newmarket I have spent 2yrs in Ashley, 5yrs in Snailwell, 2yrs in Freckenham and now 1 yr in Burrough Green, (Renovating my way up the property ladder) all lovely villages and all with a good community spirit, in all these villages we always easily got to know our surrounding neigbours and many others, but obviously the longer you live in a village the more people you get to know, so I plan to stay put now,"dun romin'. The populations of villages today are (partly) transient but I believe people still choose to live in a village because they want to be in a community, the most important cogs in keeping the community interactive are a good Pub a Village Hall or community center, a shop a school and Church. A village will survive as a community with some or all of these elements and we must guard them jealously, lets hope that the still young www is beginning to play a part, and is becoming a communication glue between all the social elements promoting and keeping it all alive. Your web site is a great example of this. Lets hope that in the Future more people will tele work from home and a new renaissance of village life will dawn...who knows.
Samples of James Youlden's work can be seen on the website http://www.starving-artists.net/index.htm

Village Websites in the news.
A feature in 'The Times' of 15th February 2003 looked at the role of village websites, their purpose and motivation and their value to local communities.
The article by Nicholas Roe included some amusing examples of how some websites have provoked strong feelings and provided a forum for controversy. He drew the conclusion "Beneath the tranquillity of the English village, gossip is alive and well and online".

This site contributed to a recent research project into village websites carried out by Plymouth University. Martyn Warren, the head of land use and rural management, reports "almost 80% of the websites are operated by just one person sitting in a room, squeezing information from local clubs and and councils and bunging it online in a more or less unfettered fashion. It's inevitable, it's how villages often work. But is it democratic? Doesn't the medium demand a subtler approach?"
Other quotes from the article:
"Much of the information and views delivered to the world online is, nevertheless, harmless and comfortingly idiosyncratic - exactly what you might expect from country life".
"Rural websites have now become such a success story that they are attracting government money. Nick Holliday, the head of the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages Programme, says that more than £71,000 in grants has been paid to them and more is available. 'We hear about dead or dormant villages but I think these websites can encourage the village spirit,' he says".
As far as the Wood Ditton and Saxon Street website is concerned it was started and is continuing out of a love for the village and the real belief that it can help promote community spirit. One slightly disappointing aspect has been the relatively small amount of feedback from the village about whether the site is on the right lines, hopefully this is because people are happy with it, or could it be that they are treating it as an irrelevance? Whatever the reasons, the site is currently receiving more than 600 visits per month. It's your site and it would be good to hear what you want from it.
Footnote February 2003. A report from the National Audit Office concluded that the elderly are being left behind in the Government's £6 bn drive to deliver public services over the internet. Only 17% of over 65s had ever logged on. They risked being left on the wrong side of a digital divide.

26th January 2003 From T Cornwell.
I was in your area photographing village signs for a book when I chanced upon the marvellous sculpture at the crossroads in Ditton Green. Can anyone please give me more information on this, such as when & why it was erected, who designed it, etc, etc. My email is tcornwell@supanet.com and any info would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
ps Your web site is one of the best village sites in Cambridgeshire.
Note from webmaster - T Cornwell has been forwarded the information he requires.

From Wendy Farrington, Merriden Western Australia 22nd December 2002.
Just been enjoying reading the story re Ada Chamberlain nee Woollard, must admit to a few tears.
If you see the people responsible for the Spooners Close lights can you tell them that everyone who comes into my house and looks at my computer screen remarks how lovely they are and wants to know all about them. So, many thanks to those people who take time to make enjoyment for others.
Joe Lancaster, who was born and bred in Stetchworth, became very excited on reading about the historical photos of Stechworth. His Grandfathers and father both worked for Lady Ellesmere, and Joe lived with his parents in a tied house opposite The Marquis Of Granby pub. Joe now has very poor health , and to cut a long story short we were wondering if there was any plan to make the photos available on line. .

31st October 02, from Patti Kilborn after her return to the U.S.A.
Dear Mr. Vincent, Although I did not receive your email before I left for England, God did bless me thoroughly and led me to the Potters anyway! I tried several numbers listed outside the door of the church without success. When I saw the Potter's name and local address and that they had a key, I phoned them and they very graciously dropped everything and came over to show us around. Many thanks to you as you had apparently forwarded my name to them and they knew I would be visiting during the week. I must say that I have never had kinder or more enthusiastic guides! It is evident that they love their church and were extremely generous with their time. They even went out of their way to take us back to the train. Our visit would certainly have been wonderful but not perfect had we missed the opportunity to meet the Potters. Thank you again for your help and especially for your wonderful web site! I will visit again! Best wishes, Patti Kilborn

From Mary Barnes, Contact the Elderly, Cambridgeshire 30th July 2002
Hi,
I am setting up a branch of Contact the Elderly in Cambridgeshire - a service which helps to alleviate the loneliness felt by some elderly people. It is a totally free service and we wondered if anyone in your area might benefit from it or if anyone would like to help out by either acting as a host or a driver for our monthly tea parties
Regards,
Mary Barnes
Contact the Elderly (01223 566522) Website www.contact-the-elderly.org

DOES A COMMUNITY SPIRIT MATTER?
In the past one big advantage of living in a village was the sense of community. Man is basically a sociable animal and village life met that need. Everybody knew everybody and whether they liked each other or not they felt a sense of belonging. Village society tended to be self-regulating too with very little crime or disorder.
With the changes in society over the last forty years it is much harder today to maintain a community spirit. People move around more, work away from the village and feel part of a much wider society, far less reliant on local institutions. Things that helped to make a community, the local school, the shop, the post office and the village pub have either disappeared or altered drastically. The growth of personal transport and supermarkets have speeded the process. An ageing endemic population, those that were either born in the village or spent many years there are becoming more of a minority and tend to form small groups of their own, or they migrate to the town for more convenient living. The concept of living in a village is attractive to newcomers who want a quiet rural life, away from the bustle of traffic. Villages have become desirable places to live and those that can afford it are prepared to pay the high prices that village properties command today. New residents are often self-sufficient with work, friends and interests outside the village and not all of them wish to become involved in local affairs.

So what is being done today to make up for the loss of community that results from these changes? A few people are working hard to maintain a sense of belonging. St Mary's Church Wood Ditton and The Methodist Church at Saxon Street both have a strong following and are very welcoming to newcomers. The Link church magazine, produced monthly, is shared by four parishes but does a good job in keeping people informed about local events. The Wood Ditton & Saxon Street Woman's Institute too is in good shape with a mixed age group of members. At Saxon Street a playgroup and a successful Girl's Brigade group are held in The Methodist Church meeting room. Neighbourhood Watch groups in both Wood Ditton and Saxon Street often exceed their basic brief to further community activities and the former was instrumental in the creation of the unique Millennium village sign at the crossroads. The village has no shop or post office but at nearby Stetchworth The Ellesmere Community Centre provides the nearest thing, offering an alternative and more personal service than the supermarkets.
The village also has this internet community website which gives the local community worldwide as well as local links.
Each month the Parish Council meets as a function of local government but finds it difficult to rouse much enthusiasm from the wide mix of parishoners. Part of the community problem that has existed for many years is related to the county and parish boundary whereby two thirds of the population of the parish live in what is usually considered to be a part of Newmarket. How many of these residents feel that they belong to Wood Ditton and would they want to be included in village activities? Apart from that there is no publically owned hall or sports ground in the parish and in the past the village has had to rely on church ground or the generosity of landowners to stage events.
Rodney Vincent (Webmaster).

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From John H Woollard 14/01/02

In my young days, villagers were 'agin it' - whatever 'it' was. Their genes were programmed at birth to reject anything new until they had chewed it over for a few years. Generally, their system seemed to serve them well.
The exceptions were, of course, things which their Squire/ employer/landlord told them they should be 'for'. The vicar often didn't have too much influence as he had to side with the gentry.
Generally, this system worked well. The gentry were careful of the welfare of their underlings although they hid it in case they gained the reputation of being an easy touch. In turn, the workers looked after their bosses' interests to a greater extent than they would admit. This interdependence has all but disappeared. Nowadays, newcomers who ignore village activities are critisised as being standoffish. Those who get involved are accused of trying to 'take over'. Either way they can't win!
Although I have been away from Wood Ditton for sixty years I still enjoy my visits to see and chat with old friends. It fascinates me that there are still family names which have been there since the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

I see from these pages that proposals are under consideration for a Jubilee celebration. Whatever you decide we look forward to coming along and supporting it.

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