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Dear Reader

April 2005 saw the very first edition of Village Connect: 36 pages, distributed to 2,000 homes in 16 villages.  Thirteen years later, Village Connect mostly stands at 116 pages and is distributed to 21,000 homes in 71 villages.  My ‘fourth baby’, as Village Connect is endearingly referred to within the family, has now become a ‘teenager’, and I would like to thank you all for your support during the ‘childhood years’.

Village Connect may have grown substantially but its ethos remains the same: to encourage support of local businesses, events and charities, many of whom have limited budgets and benefit from the free exposure we give.  Please ask your friends and followers on Facebook to like the Village Connect page so they too can be kept updated on news and special offers in our community.

After a winter with many stunning, frosty mornings, we can now begin to notice the messengers of spring.  Bulbs are piercing the ground with vigour and birds are chirping away in anticipation of the nesting activity ahead.  Sam Bosworth describes his love for spring-flowering trees on pages 52-53, and you will be able to enjoy walks in the countryside and around our majestic country houses.  Lyveden, see page 62, is launching a new family-friendly trail and also hosts an Easter egg hunt, so get outside and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

The Easter weekend will see Boughton House, page 39, open to the public, and Kelmarsh Hall will have its Grand Opening of the ‘Below Stairs’ exhibition, see pages 44-45, giving us an insight into the past through augmented reality and sensory experiences.  You will find plenty of ideas on how to treat your Mum for Mother’s Day, including Helen Bach’s suggestions on page 48.  If you wish to be ahead of the game for Father’s Day, go to page 70 to take part in the competition to win a copy of the latest book from Kevin Turton: Northamptonshire in the War 1939-45.

A second competition will give you the chance to win a Festival Pass to the fourth Brixworth Music Festival, see pages 36-37, with more spring concerts offered on pages 66-67, theatre performances on pages 58-59, literature debates on pages 72-73, and cinema screenings on pages 88-89.  We are truly spoilt for choice…

 

Vivi Sant Cole

Village Connect

Hillcrest House

Church Hill

Geddington

Northants

NN14 1AH

Tel: 01536 744700