Is there anybody out there who knows of a company that can sponsor us by giving prizes for the Grand Draw, Auction and Tombola? Last yesr we had a number of generouse donations, for example; a television, an X Box and a bicycle, amongst many others. These are particularly important to the success of the fete and all our sponsors are named on the back of the programme.

If you can help please contact Deborah Patrick on 777065 or Mary Nelson 777784

A Successful Berden Marathon 2009 Well done Berden!

 Once again you have answered the rallying call for support and come up trumps. On Sunday last I completed ‘The Berden Marathon’ in 5 hours and 22 minutes. I had hoped to go a bit quicker but none the less I am pleased to have completed the course. Be assured it was your pledged support that helped get me around. I really need to offer a special thanks to Chris Thickitt who accompanied me on his cycle for much of the journey. To Fiona Cook who ran with me for the second 7 miles and to Simon Cook who covered the third seven and carried on with me to the end! And to my son Graham who accompanied us for the last section. A big thank you to all my Berden friends who turned out to start me off and welcome me home. It felt rather special. So far, the villagers of Berden, along with my other friends and colleagues have pledged £1,219.20p! However I am still hopeful there will be some more to come and I shall post the final amount and the dispersal’s in the next Parish magazine. 

Lastly, to everyone who pledged their support, a special thank you to you for making a difference.  If you would like to see some photographs, go to the web gallery, Berden Events. Kind regards, John Tippett

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with the Thatched Owners Group are holding several home owners Thatched safety seminars in the local area of Braintree and Uttlesford . The Thatched Owners Group is the largest organisation in the United Kingdom that helps owners of Thatched properties and is at the forefront of fire safety in the home.

They are: 16/17 May, 18/19 July and 31 Oct /1 Nov