BERDEN RECORDER’S REPORT 2017  

January
The year opens with a sighting of a big cat in Berden and Stocking Pelham. Suggestions include a small jaguar or a puma. The Social Club began the year with a New Year’s Eve party and drinks on New Year’s Day. The Auction of promises in aid of the Village hall extension raised over £4000. Chris Bishop was auctioneer. An idea was proposed to set up a Berden Film Club showing between 6-8 films per year at the Village hall.

February
The Christmas Busstopshop held last December raised over £750 and this was shared between the Friends of Berden Church and the Parish Council. Dick Tanner gave a talk on his work as a volunteer with the East Herts Citizens Advice charity to the Women in Berden group on the 7th. The Stephen Griffiths memorial trophy for Pool began this month at the Social Club.

March
A Pancake tossing competition took place on the 3rd with 13 children and 8 adults taking part. The winner of the adult section was Kate Mason. Berden Book Club continues to meet every month. They are currently reading the Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. The group is run by John Walker who is Chairman of the Social Club. Once a month the Social Club put on a Friday Soup Lunch at the village hall for residents who are at home during the week. This has proved to be very popular and so far has raised £198 for the extension fund. On the 7th March a talk was given by a local astronomer to the Women in Berden group. The ever popular Quiz night was held on the 17th and was hosted by Mike Phillimore-Brown. The annual Spring Litter Pick took place on the 19th. Plenty of rubbish was collected including a large number of coffee cups, take away packaging and beer tins.

April
The annual Fish Supper took place on the 14th at the Church. It was well attended and raised money for the Church. On the following day an Easter Garden was created by the children in the Church.An Easter Egg Hunt took place on the 16th and was very popular with the Children. It took place at the Village hall.
Chris Bishop returned with another popular concert at the Church on the 29th. This was in aid of the Friends of Berden Church.

May
The Progressive Supper took place on the 6th May and was well supported with couples moving from one house to the next for a different dinner course.

June
Flossie Malavialle gave a concert in Berden Church on the 3rd. They were a mixture of English and French songs and were enjoyed by the audience with a glass of Pimms. Another successful concert. A very successful Barn dance took place at Berden Priory farm on the 10th. Many thanks were given to Frank Tinney for the use of his barn. The footpaths around Berden are once again being maintained by the parish council after a spell under Essec CC control. They are now in a much better condition.

July
David Williams resigned as Chairman and Councillor for Berden Parish Council after 13 years. Berden Neighbourhood watch continues and is organised by area basis. The Women in Berden Car Rally took place on the 5th July. The Berden Fete took place on the 16th July and was a huge success. However two days prior to the event, publicity posters around the area were changed with a notice saying that it had been cancelled. Members of the village were utilised and the signs were taken down. The culprit is unknown. £11455 was raised and split between the Church and the Village hall.

August
Berden Open Gardens took place on the 2nd July and was a very popular event. 8 gardens were open and refreshments were provided. This was in aid of the Village hall extension. The mystery car rally took place on the 4th and was well supported. On the 5th July Berden was awarded the best village for its size award in Essex and was 4th in the overall competition. A 500 word submission and presentation was given to the judges. £200 was awarded. On the 15th the Berden Fete took place. Another big success with over £10000 being raised for the Church and the Village hall. However on the following day a long time resident of Berden, Christopher Barker died. He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday. A call was put out for more members to join the Berden band. They practice regularly on a Sunday afternoon. Table Tennis is the next sport to be played for the memorial cup. These matches will take place every Friday at the Social Club.

August
A quiet month due to holidays.

September
On the 9th September the Berden sweetshop was reopened at Wheelwrights. This was the former home of Annie Tant who used to sell sweets in the early part of the last century. All profits were shared between the church and the hurricane fund which affected the USA. A significant amount of road resurfacing was carried out this month. This was to remedy the large number of pot holes that have appeared over the past year. Berden was awarded a prize for the Living Landscapes Award organised by Essex Wildlife Trust for the work on maintaining the ponds, bird boxes and nurturing wild life across the parish.

October
The popular quiz night returned on the 13th October with hot supper and good food. The annual bonfire collections began once again in preparation for the Bonfire party in November. On the 14th October a large number of villagers helped to clear up the churchyard. A meal of thanks was organised by John Burton who is chair of the Parish Council and took place in the village hall. Mark Trapmore organised with Richard Gibson a Field walk behind Berden Farm House this month. Bronze Age, Roman and early Medieval pottery fragments were found suggesting that a farm stead could well have been on the site.

November
The Fireworks Night was well attended on the 4th November. A large number of people came from outside the area. £30000 was awarded by Essex Council for the Village hall extension fund. An incredible amount and a huge thank you to the Village Clerk, Sue Griffiths for completing the grant application

December
The Berden Christmas Busstopshop took place on the 9th and raised over £600. This coincided with the erection of the Christmas Tree and carol singing on the Village Green. On the 15th Carol singing took place around the village in aid of the Essex air Ambulance. This was followed on the Saturday with the popular Children’s Christmas party with disco and a visit from Father Christmas. On the 17th we had over 120 people who came to the Village carol service. Berden Film Club continues to be popular.
We had a warm early summer but a rather damp August. The Autumn has been quite dry. In the first half of December we had a day of significant snowfall with many schools being closed. It was the first major fall for 4 or 5 years.

 

Mark Trapmore
Berden Local History Recorder