THE LIFE OF A SPITFIRE PILOT - 7 April 2016

Village Link on Thursday 7th April There was a chance to learn about the life of a Spitfire pilot.

John Dingeman's took some photos, click here.

The Royal Household - 1 October 2015

A packed hall greeted Mr Graham Craker, popularly known as Crackers at the latest Village Link meeting. He was Princes William and Harry's personal security officer and had some very amusing tales to tell about his time with the family and the characters that made up the Royal Household, whilst never letting us forget the serious nature of his work.

There will now not be a meeting until next year when the first meeting will be in March. The speaker and date are still to be confirmed.

Medical Detection Dogs - 2 July 2015

Village Link's talk on Medical Detection Dogs required extra chairs for the people who had come to find out more about this fascinating medical advance. Geoff Lambert, the speaker introduced us to Buddy, a retired medical dog and warned us that he would probably be checking our breath afterwards for sugar overload from the biscuits, that was if he didn't eat them first. We were amazed at how these dogs can be used. At present they are a major support for children with type 1 diabetes and also for people with narcolepsy. Mongrels are used and it costs £11,000 to train a dog. They are dedicated to the detection of human disease through canine olfaction. A dog's sense of smell is estimated to be 100,00 times more sensitive than a human's. They are trained by learning to recognise glasses of water and their contents but owners have also said that dogs are aware when they have illnesses such as cancer and work is continuing along these lines including bladder, bowel, prostate and breast. They are now legally allowed in schools and in Holland stand at hospital entrances to sniff out C Difficil. If the dog sits down you are a carrier! Other diseases recognised are Addison's and TB. If you would like to learn more visit their website or write to geofflambert2@ntlworld.com 


Our next meeting will probably be in October and the speaker will be Princes William and Harry's former Protection Officer.

Forced Marriage in Today's Britain - 19 February 2015

Judge Lindsay Davies gave a fascinating talk on Forced Marriage in Today's Britain. She drew on analogies with marriage customs in history and other countries. She also pointed out that forced marriage is not only found in certain ethnic communities, her first case being that of an Irish Catholic family.

Everyone is welcome to a talk on medical sniffer dogs at Rushden Village Hall on Thursday 2nd July at 8pm. Recent research has shown that these dogs can warn people of a need for medication or of undiagnosed illnesses. Soft drinks and refreshments will be provided afterwards or if in need of something stronger you are free to bring your own.

Please remember also that we look forward to your sharing your village news.

My Time as an RAF Test Pilot - 2 October 2014

Village Link was fortunate to welcome top speaker Air Vice Marshall Alan Merriman to its Autumn meeting on Thursday 2nd October at Rushden Village Hall. He was an RAF test pilot for many years and amused and horrified us with tales of all that can go wrong ( and occasionally right!) with military planes and how they have developed over the years. This talk was as interesting for the non techie as the science buffs as was proved by the very lengthy question time at the end from all members of the audience.

Points raised on village matters were that there are plans to expand both Luton and Stansted airports. If you want to know more or would like to express your concerns please contact your Parish Council.

Forced Marriage- What Are Your Views?

On Thursday 19th February 2015 at 8pm at Rushden Village Hall, Judge Lindsay Davies will be speaking on Forced Marriage. If you want to express your opinions on this subject or just come and learn more this
is your chance

This is a Village Link meeting. Subscriptions are £10 for the year or £4 per meeting. Soft drinks and light refreshments are provided but fell welcome to bring your own if you prefer something stronger.

An Independant Bookseller - 3 July 2014

At our Summer meeting we greeted Stephen Poulter, ex BBC producer turned bookseller and author. He began by telling us about the problems of being an independent book seller these days and of the numbers of bookshops closing. Consequrently he had to look for alternative ways of selling books and so began to contribute to books on local history, originally town based and then for Befordshire and Hertfordshire. We were treated to an alphabetical tour of the county of Hertfordshire through photos and enjoyed a guess where this is quiz and were then told about the town itself.

Village events mentioned during our tell us what's happening session were from Jean Handley who talked about her latest book now on sale all proceeeds going to the British School Museum in Hitchin and the recent trip to Belgium to lay a wreath for "Our boys."

Chris Hoefkens informed us of the forthcoming Sandon event of life in the villages 100 years ago with poetry readoings, music provided by the Taylor family and an Act of Remembrance.

Our Autumn meeting will be on Thursday 2nd October ( please note change of date) at 8pm at Rushden Village Hall. As our speaker has been taken ill we are looking for an alternative.

The First Woman Bomb Disposal Expert - 24 April 2014

If you want to know why as a female army officer you should wear six pairs of knickers to functions or how the first woman bomb disposal officer ended up in a brothel in Ecuador on her birthday with eleven soldiers you will have to ask someone who attended April's Village Link meeting. As you can imagine, the talk was extremely amusing and very much enjoyed by everyone.

This was followed by Jenny's delicious nibbles.

Forthcoming events mentioned by members were the villages commemoration of the beginning of WW1 on Saturday  12th July commencing with a concert at 2.30pm at Sandon Church.

On 4th May 2014, Jean Handley will hand over her research on the WW1 Soldiers of Rushden to St Mary's Church for display.

Friday 16th May is Sandon Cinema Night.

Our next Village Link Meeting is on Thursday 3rd July when we are hoping that Stephen Poulter, ex BBC producer and now author will talk about his recent book on the History of Hertfordshire.

On Thursday 6th October, we are looking forward to a talk by Andrew Hambling on The Somme Offfensive.

Judge Lindsay Davies is unable to talk in October but will be coming to speak in February on Forced Marriages.

If you would like to become a member of Village Link please email me at john.lever@btinternet.com