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Thursday, May 11, 2017
Bell foundry talk
HISTORIAN Graham Palmer gave a talk on the
Aldbourne Bell Foundry at the latest meeting
of Hungerford Historical Association (HHA).
Mr Palmer based his talk on 30 years’ study of
bells, especially relating to the Aldbourne Bell
Foundry.
Drawings from the 17th century showed that the
village had not changed drastically, and that a
number of original buildings remain today.
The Bell Foundry, installed by Robert Corr in the
17th century, cast cannons emblazoned with his
distinctive embellished marks.
Several generations followed as gunsmiths.
Later, church bells were cast, including one for
the rebuilt St Lawrence Church in Hungerford in
1814.
Sadly, the meeting heard, the local Bell pub no
longer exists with its iconic sign to record
Aldbourne’s unique industrial past and renowned
foundry.
The talk was followed by the enthusiastic audi-
ence having the opportunity to view a display of
some of the unique collection of bells Mr Palmer
has amassed over the years.
The next HHA meeting will be on Wednesday,
May 24, when Charles Baxter and Kevin Challen
will deliver a talk on ‘The Wilton Windmill and the
mill at Chateau Guédelon’.
For more information on the HHA, visit the
website
Dementiawalkandcupcakes
LAMBOURN Valley Dementia Friendly
Community Forum has organised a walk in
support of Dementia Awareness Week.
The event is open to everyone, and dogs are
welcome too.
Participants will meet in the British Legion car
park, Big Lane, at 9.30am on Monday, May 15, for a
gentle walk around the Old Cricket Field, followed
by cupcakes and hot drinks outside The George,
High Street, Lambourn.
Drug dealing pair
‘absolute mugs’
A LAMBOURN couple caught
with half a kilo of cannabis
and thousands of pounds in
cash have been spared an
immediate jail sentence.
His Honour Paul Dugdale gave
the pair a furious dressing down,
which made them visibly pale,
before telling them they would
not be going to prison that day.
In the dock at Reading Crown
Court on Thursday, April 27,
were 41-year-old Scott Owen
Edwards and his heavily preg-
nant partner, Tanya Emma
Ledbury, aged 23, who had been
supplying friends in the village.
Richard Moss, prosecuting,
said a member of the Hungerford
and Lambourn Valley neighbour-
hood police team, had been
alerted to a strong smell of herbal
cannabis coming their home.
Subsequent police raids netted
a huge haul of the powerful strain
of the Class B controlled drug
called ‘skunk’, plus £3,000 in cash.
Edwards and Ledbury, both of
The Old Station Yard, admitted
possessing cannabis with intent
to supply between August 3 and
August 25 last year.
Edwards also has previous
drug convictions, including one
for growing cannabis, the court
heard.
Lucky Thandi, representing
Edwards, said her client was
living on benefits, prompting
Judge Dugdale to interject: “Why
isn’t he working? It’s not compli-
cated – he could just get off his
backside, get out and get a job.”
Ms Thandi replied that her
client, who had been using the
drug for 20 years, suffered from
paranoia and anxiety, to which
the judge retorted: “That’s the
cannabis.”
She added that Edwards had
helped to wean Ledbury from a
heroin habit and she hoped to be
completely opiate free by the
time she gave birth in June.
Michelle Clark, representing
Ledbury, said: “She is aware she
is at grave risk of going into
custody today.”
After reading pre-sentence
reports, Judge Dugdale told the
pair to stand, and said to
Edwards: “When your child asks
in six or seven years’ time where
you were when they were born,
and you have to say ‘in prison’,
that won't look good.”
Turning to Ledbury, Judge
Dugdale said: “When the child
looks at his or her birth certifi-
cate and sees the place of birth
was prison, that won’t look good
either, will it?”
As the pair sobbed in the dock,
the judge added: “Let me tell you
now: I’m not sending you to
prison today. Let this be a big,
big, wake-up call. You have a
positive future ahead of you if
you give up drugs... a stable
home, a family.
“But you gambled with all of
that when you thought it a bright
idea to buy an awful lot of
cannabis, to smoke an awful lot of
cannabis and to sell it.”
He added: “You both behaved
like absolute mugs.
“Skunk is very powerful. It is
debilitating and pretty much
ruins you for anything in life – of
course you can’t work, because of
anxiety and paranoia.
“That’s cannabis. It causes
more mental health issues in our
community than anything else.
“It will ruin your life and make
you utterly useless for your
child.”
Sentencing Edwards – “the
main mover in this operation” –
the judge imposed a 12-month
term of imprisonment,
suspended for 18 months, with a
25-day rehabilitation activity
requirement and six-month drug
rehabilitation requirement.
Ms Ledbury was made subject
to a 12-month community order
with a 20-day rehabilitation
activity requirement.
As a parting shot, Judge
Dugdale said: “You’re being
given a chance. Good luck and
don’t muck it up.”
Judge gives couple ‘abig,bigwake-up call’ overcannabis
Plant sale
this weekend
THERE will be a record
number of plants on offer at
this year’s Hungerford Rotary
Club plant sale.
But more are always welcome.
The event takes place on Satur-
day between 10am and noon at
Tumblings, opposite St Lawrence
Church, Parsonage Lane. If you
have any plants to donate, take
them to the same address tomor-
row (Friday), between 2pm and
4pm. All money raised will go to
Rotary charities.
Volunteers have Dun such a great job
A PROJECT to clean up the
River Dun at Bearwater in
Hungerford is under way.
The work is being done by the
Action for the River Kennet
(ARK) charity, with lots of help
from the local community.
ARK project officer Anna
Forbes said the first two river
restoration days, where local
people volunteered to help while
learning news skills, had been a
huge success.
She said: “Everyone enjoyed
last week; feedback from volun-
teers has been incredibly positive.
“They all worked really hard
and together we’re improving
this stretch of the Dun for
wildlife and for people to enjoy
too.”
Bearwater’s retired residents
are also playing their part, keep-
ing volunteers fuelled with tea
and cakes and occasionally drop-
ping by to see the transformation
of the river and have a chat.
Ms Forbes said: “The Methodist
church are kindly letting volun-
teers use the church facilities.
“Bearwater people have been
amazing – they’ve all totally
embraced this project and have
truly mucked in.”
Next week, a team of managers
from the Cognatum retirement
facility is having a team-building
day with ARK to continue the
river work.
There may be more opportuni-
ties to get involved with this
project throughout May.
To keep up to date and follow
this project, visit ARK’s Face-
book page
riverkennet
The Bearwater Community
River Days project is led by ARK
and funded by Thames Water
Rivers & Wetlands Community
Days, with additional support
from Bearwater, the Bearwater
residents coffee morning and Co-
op Local Good Cause.
Theprojecteamhauls alargepieceofmetal from thewaters
Motorist faces two drink-drive charges
A DRINK-driver from Great
Shefford still faces a trial on a
similar charge.
Alexander Hislop, of Wantage
Road, appeared before Reading
magistrates on Thursday, May 4,
where he admitted driving a Jeep
Cheroke on Hungerford Hill,
Great Shefford, after drinking
more than the legal limit on
April 19. Clare Barclay, prosecut-
ing, said a police patrol stopped
him because he was weaving
across the carriageway.
Tests subsequently showed
43mcg of alcohol per 100ml of
breath in his system.
The legal limit is 35mcg.
Joanna Benn, defending, said
her client had been dealing with
psychological issues and that, on
the same day of his arrest, he had
been to court to deny a second
charge of drink-driving on
another occasion. The trial for
that alleged offence will take
place on June 20, the court heard.
Mr Hislop was meanwhile
fined £300 and ordered to pay £85
costs plus a statutory victim
services surcharge of £30.
In addition, he was banned
from driving for 12 months.
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