To all who have donated, thank you very much for your kindness. Food can be left in the blue box outside the entrance to the Duke of Wellington car park at 57 Church Street, 9am to 9pm every day.

We need at anytime: eggs, long life milk, cheese, canned meat and fish, cereal, biscuits, fruit drinks.

We need on Wednesdays and Thursday: fresh fruit and vegetables, bread.

We have enough supply of: canned beans, canned soup, canned tomatoes, pasta and pasta sauces.

This is the emergency food bank for Willingham run by The Willingham Hub as a response to the pandemic.

After a suggestion by one of our WAG members, Willingham Action Group (WAG), Willingham School Association (WSA), The Fen Edge Community Association (FECA) and Willingham Primary School (WPS) worked together recently to obtain PC’s, laptops and tablets from people who no longer needed so that they could be refurbished and donated to schoolchildren who needed them for home study. Nearly thirty were sourced which has solved the problem for WPS for  the time being as other kind donations were received. Some machines are still needed for Cottenham Primary and the Village College. Our thanks go to all who helped.

Residents of Willingham are starting to get the Covid-19 vaccination and there is an increasing air of optimism. However, if you watch the news you will see the enormous strain all our NHS workers are under. For many, doing their job may leave them with problems they will find difficult to leave behind. We should always have them in our thoughts, support them when we can and never forget what they have done for us. To see doctors and nurses in tears with the stress and trauma is heartbreaking.

This is a Friends of the Earth petition to HMG asking for an increase the number of trees being planted.

Ask the UK government to double tree cover | Friends of the Earth

and if you like bees

Shape the future of our countryside | Friends of the Earth

Now that we are confined to our homes there are two fascinating programmes you might want to watch. The first is both fun to watch and rather educational and run by Gregg Wallace from Masterchef and follows celebrities having a dinner party and looking at the cost to the planet of what they eat.

You need to search on Catch up for the BBC Horizon ‘Feast to Save the Planet.’ It is a must see.

The second, you’ll need to search for the Sky documentary called ‘Plastic Nile’ showing the horrific plastic contamination and the damage it does to both fish and humans. Both programmes should be available for a while.

About fourteen years ago an appeal went out for volunteers to help put together a development plan for the village. A comprehensive questionnaire was delivered to every home and there was a 67% response rate. The completed plan, based on residents comments, was published in October 2008. It has guided progress in the village since then with more facilities (QEII play area, community orchard), more social events (e.g. The Feast), and many other actions by the parish council (speeding, number of lorries through the village, youth centre, etc.)

The December Willingham News carries an appeal for volunteers to produce a new plan as the original is now twelve years old and in need of updating. Please consider volunteering and help continue the improvements in our village.

Just click on any of the links below…

Sir David Attenborough makes stark warning about species extinction

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54118769

NASA: Antarctica Melts Under Its Hottest Days on Record
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146322/antarctica-melts-under-its-hottest-days-on-record

Boris Johnson to unveil plan to power all UK homes with wind by 2030

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/05/boris-johnson-to-unveil-plan-to-power-all-uk-homes-with-wind-by-2030

UK set to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030

https://www.ft.com/content/5e9af60b-774b-4a72-8d06-d34b5192ffb4

You can take the Willingham Plastics Pledge here

If you have, or know of, a swarm of bees that may cause problems the Willingham Bee Group will be happy to collect and remove swarms.

Please phone Steve on  07795 215071 for help.  This applies to Willingham and other nearby villages. There is no charge but if you wish to make a donation it will be gratefully accepted. For villages further afield please contact the CBKA website for help.

Please be aware that during this difficult time scammers can be even more active. The scams involve offers of money from the Government to help you, asking for donations to help fight the virus, offers to buy protective equipment, and much more. Please be very wary about communications you receive that are related to the current epidemic as thieves are using it as an excuse. Always check the authenticity of everything before you give your money.

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-related-fraud-reports