Biggleswade Town are at home to Bashley in their opening game of their Calor Gas Southern Premier League season after the fixtures were announced this morning.

The Waders are then away at Cambridge City on Wednesday, August 21.

Meanwhile, Arlesey Town begin their campaign at Redditch United, with the Blues first home match the following Tuesday is against Chesham United, who signed strikers Chris Dillon and Drew Roberts recently.

Biggleswade United begin their Molten Spartan SML Premier Division season at home to London Colney.

Stotfold are at home to Hillington Borough on the opening day, while in Division One. Langford host Baldock Town and Arlesey Town Reserves visit Risborough Rangers.

A woman is in critical condition after she was involved in a two-vehicle traffic collision this morning (Wednesday).

The pedestrian in her 20s was taken to Bedford Hospital after suffering multiple injuries in the collision on the A1 just before 8am.

A lorry and a car were also involved in the collision, which took place northbound at Beeston.

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) attended along with a Magpas Helimedix air ambulance.

The woman was taken to hospital by land ambulance.

Bedfordshire Police have closed both carriages between Sandy and Biggleswade at the Sainsbury’s roundabout, though the southbound carriageway is due to open again soon.

Anyone with any information should contact Beds Police on 101.

Two organisations have celebrated the installation of 
planters in a road.

Biggleswade Town Council and the Biggleswade Chamber of Trade have teamed up to install new planters in Hitchin Street.

The Chamber of Trade has agreed to pay for the planters to be installed. Chamber of Trade chairman Martin Thomas met Biggleswade mayor Councillor Hazel Ramsay, town centre management committee chairman Councillor Madeline Russell and town clerk Rob McGregor so Mr Thomas could hand over a £2,000 cheque.

Mrs Ramsay said: “This is another example of how the two organisations are working together, not only to enhance Hitchin Street but also to support trade in the town centre.”

Celebrating its 30th year, the popular ‘Now’ series is back with the release of Now That’s What I Call Music! 85.

44 of the best songs of recent months all packed on two compact discs, a far cry from when the first Now was released on 28 November 1983.

It featured 30 UK hit singles on a double vinyl LP or cassette….ask your parents kids! Since its launch, the compilations has amassed over 100 million album sales worldwide .

Now 85 features nine songs which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.

Dance numbers

Get Lucky by Daft Punk, Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith’s La La La, the excellent Waiting All Night by Rudimental and Need U (100%) from Duke Dumont feat. A*M*E have all hit the top spot this year.

R’n’B tracks which also made number one; Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell and Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors make the listing.

As well as the relatively new I Love It by Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX and the excellent John Newman (from Rudimental fame) with Love Me Again.

Pop fanatics will be pleased with the addition of Michael Bublé - It’s A Beautiful Day, Olly Murs’ Dear Darlin’ and girl band The Saturdays with Gentleman. Heart-throb boy bands Union J - Carry You and the awful but catchy Walks Like Rihanna by The Wanted also make it.

The increased popularity of dance music in today’s charts see an extensive range on disc two. Tracks from David Guetta feat. Ne - Yo & Akon, Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding, Pitbull, Sebastian Ingrosso and Chase & Status to name but a few. The unique collaboration of Dizzee Rascal feat. Robbie Williams on Goin’ Crazy is also a highlight.

With the sudden arrival of glorious sunshine and the thought of summer days in the garden with a family and barbecue, Now That’s What I Call Music! 85 has everything for every member of a family. A great compilation from a great series.

Here’s to another 30 years!

A supermarket will be laying on activities for children over the summer holidays.

ASDA in Biggleswade will be providing mask making, badge making, model making and face painting sessions.

The activity days will take place on Friday, July 26 and August 2, 9 and 16 from 10am to 4pm.

A church fundraising group brought in £1,314 at a garden party on Saturday (July 13).

The Friends of St Andrew’s Church in Biggleswade raised the money, which will be added to the £1,112 brought in by Sylvia Rutt at her garage sales.

The event attracted a large attendance.

Bedfordshire U14s claimed their first win of the season with a 47-run victory at Herefordshire in ECB U14 County Cup - Group 2 on June 30.

Put into bat at Wormelow CC, Beds captain Avi Patel (48) and Matthew Taylor (21) put on 81 for the first wicket before both were out in quick succession.

The Herefordshire spin attack then used the dry conditions to good effect by running through Beds’ middle order to leave them struggling on 117 for 8 after 31 overs.

However, Mehul Godhania (29), supported by Ed Johnson (13) and Hasib Homyoon (12no), helped Beds grab back the initiative at they posted 164.

The hosts started slowly and were pegged back to 28-2 thanks to tight opening bowling spells from Homyoon and Johnson, who took two wickets with Shaylen Tomlinson Patel running 20 yards to take a high catch from over his shoulder for one.

Herefordshire then rallied to move to 87, before the spin of Tomlinson-Patel (2-32) and Oliver Hind (4-26) ripped into the Herefordshire batting.

Johnson returned to take the final two wickets to end with impressive figures of 4-21 as Herefordshire were all out for 117 in 32 overs.

Bedfordshire: Avi Patel, Matthew Taylor, Samee Mohammed, Shaylen Tomlinson-Patel, Oliver Hind, Connor Marshall, Edward Else, Ed Johnson, Mehul Godhania, Lewis Bridger, Hasib Homyoon.

A charity shop is in desperate need of new donations.

Age UK in Biggleswade High Street is running short on donations.

The store, which raises money to help the elderly, hopes that people will look through their wardrobes and take any clothes they no longer wear to the shop.

Age UK will also take second hand accessories, CDs, DVDs and household items.

Dorota Phillips, shop manager for Biggleswade, said: “When you are sorting through last season’s wears please donate any unwanted items in preparation you have to Age UK.

“We are desperately in need of clothes, accessories and household items.

“All donations can make such a huge difference, because anything we cannot sell we recycle so nothing is wasted.”

Any money raised will be spent on delivering hands-on local services for older people. These include befriending and providing advice.

Age UK also campaigns on such issues as pensions, care provision and fuel poverty.

The charity will collect donations if you have several bags – call the Biggleswade store on 01767 317645 – or take them into the shop.

The RSPB is holding a summer wildlife cruise down the River Ouse on the Bedford Community Boat.

It will be on Friday, August 2 from 6.30pm to 9pm, starting at Priory Marina in Bedford. For tickets call the RSPB on 01767 680541.

There’s little evidence of X-Men director Bryan Singer’s fantasy flair in JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (12: Warner), a flabby makeover of Jack And The Beanstalk.

He simply goes through the fairy-tale motions and the busy action fails to make any real impact due to its reliance on fake-looking CGI.

Nicholas Hoult is the farmhand who swaps his horse for a bag of magic beans and inadvertently starts a war between humans and man-eating ogres in the sky.

He then joins all the king’s men on a mission to save the kidnapped princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) that he’s fallen for. She’s trapped in the monsters’ realm, but one of the rescue group intends to betray them in a bid to seize the throne.

While the film offers up some nice vistas, with windmills in the moonlight and similar chocolate-box images, the spectacle is standard swashbuckling fare. The land of the giants resembling Shrek’s village doesn’t help either, although there are a few reasons to keep watching.

These include Stanley Tucci camping away as the hissable villain and knight Ewan McGregor being sausage-rolled up by a chef colossus.

> All-action, no-plot adventure sequel GI JOE: RETALIATION (12: Paramount) picks up on the ‘to be continued’ conclusion of GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra.

An elite military team is nearly wiped out after a terrorist organisation replaces the US president with an imposter and has them declared enemies of the state.

With Dwayne Johnson leading the surviving soldiers, aided by the original GI Joe (played by Bruce Willis on sleep-walking leave from The Expendables), they seek to clear their names, avenge their fallen comrades and halt Cobra’s surge to world domination. An indigestible stew of cheesy one-liners, perfunctory military battles and bland martial arts, this lumbering follow-up starts off on a dud note and simply goes downhill.

There’s zero energy, suspense or excitement generated by Step Up director Jon M. Chu. He dances around the fact he has a shambolic script with cardboard cut-outs wearing silly costumes to animate action that mostly exists to shove in outlandish vehicles taken from the Hasbro toy range.

The best sequence is an aerial assault on a Himalayan retreat by swooping ninja assassins.

> Modest, but often very moving, British film BROKEN (15: Studio Canal) marks the feature debut of theatre director Rufus Norris.

Newcomer Eloise Laurence stars as Skunk, an 11-year-old girl living in a suburban cul-de-sac with her single father (Tim Roth), older brother (Bill Milner) and their au pair (Zana Marjanovic).

Skunk’s life is normal and, except for her diabetes, uncomplicated, until her upstart teenage neighbours the Oswalds declare war on a young, emotionally damaged man (Robert Emms) who lives opposite.

A vicious lie gets out of hand, kick-starting a chain of events that results in violence and murder. It’s based on a novel inspired by To Kill A Mockingbird, but though it has elements of lurid melodrama, it’s the quiet moments that define this atmospheric film, making for an unusual coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of today’s “broken” Britain.

Biggleswade Talking Newspaper has stepped into the digital age with a new and improved service for the visually impaired.

The Talking Newspaper, which has been bringing local news to people with sight difficulties for 32 years, has now made the change to digital recordings on USB memory sticks thanks to the generosity of local organisations that donated cash for the new equipment – a total of around £5,500.

Representatives from these groups, which included Biggleswade and Sandy town councils, gathered together to celebrate the landmark switch from casette recording with a behind the scenes look at the operation and a celebratory cake baked by listener Anne Newman.

Each week the Biggleswade Talking Newspaper distributes some 30 items of local news to people who may have difficulty reading newsprint.

The service’s five teams – one for each calendar month – put together a recording of items taken from the Biggleswade Chronicle, distributing them free of charge via Biggleswade Post Office.

The work begins on Friday mornings after the Chronicle hits the news stands, with listeners hopefully receiving their memory sticks packed with news and even readers’ letters on Saturday.

The new technology means that duplicating the recording for its 50-odd listeners now takes just a fraction of the 30 minutes it previously took, as well as improving sound 
quality. It also means additional material can be added to the recordings, with the possibility of expanding to include other local services like parish magazines.

Nick Gurney, Biggleswade Talking News chairman, explained: “Every listener that was currently having the service under the casette regime changed over. We were very concerned that it was quite a leap in technology and people might be reluctant but the feedback has been fantastic. We’ve had lots of cards and even the odd donation saying ‘thank you’.

“It’s a far crisper sound that we are delivering to the listeners and it means that we can quite easily add additional material to the memory stick going forward.”

The service was founded in January 1981 after St Neots Talking Newspaper impressed Biggleswade Rotarians. They decided to see if they could set up a similar organisation for Biggleswade and surrounds.

Thanks to funding from Jordans Millers, volunteers from the Rotary group and the then Beds County Council – which offered the Day Centre in Mead End as a base of operations – the service took its first steps, sending out 30 tapes to its inaugural listeners.

Nick added: “We’ve been going for 32 years and this is our move into the 21st Century. From the listeners’ point of view the operation of the player is even easier than a casette machine.”

The digital process means listeners can now skip forwards to the next news article or backwards to the beginning of a reading at the touch of a button.

Listener Anne said: “It is so much easier and I also feel that it’s much more clear to listen to. I can now go backwards and forwards so now if I’m listening to an item and three quarters of the way through I think ‘I can’t quite remember how this started’ I can just go back.”

Now the Talking News is hoping to encourage more people to sign up to the free service, as well as attracting more volunteers.

Nick said: “There must be more people who would enjoy the service. Apart from encouraging new listeners it is a 60 person operation. Each team has two sorters, two readers, two technicians and we have a dispatcher. Without the volunteers and without the Biggleswade Chronicle, we wouldn’t have a service.”

A man is sought by police after touching himself inappropriately on a train.

British Transport Police officers are appealing for information after a man touched himself inappropriately on board a train between Arlesey and Biggleswade.

The incident took place on Wednesday, June 19 between 7.55pm and 8.30pm.

The victim, a 24-year-old woman, boarded the train at Kings Cross. During the journey, a man, who boarded the train at Arlesey, sat opposite her and began to touch himself inappropriately.

As the train arrived into Biggleswade, the victim got up and left the service though the man stayed on. He later left the train at Sandy station.

Sergeant Roy McMichael said: “Although the victim was unharmed, this was clearly a very intimidating experience for her.

“If you were on board the train at the time of the incident or have information that could assist the investigation, I’d urge you to contact BTP.”

Information can be passed to British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting background reference B10/LNA of 18/07/2013. Information can also be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A woman who was involved in a road collision on the A1 on Wednesday (July 17) has died of her injuries.

Kristiania Crilly, 28, was taken to Bedford Hospital following the collision just before 8am on the northbound carriageway at Beeston.

A car and a lorry were also involved.

Ms Crilly, of High Road, Beeston, was pronounced dead at the hospital later on Wednesday morning.

She had suffered multiple injuries.

EEAST ambulances were joined by a Magpas Helimedix air ambulance, though Ms Crilly was taken to hospital by land ambulance.

Bedford Coroner’s Court has opened an inquest into Ms Crilly’s death.

Anyone with information should call 101.

A dean from a Texan college has paid a visit to Bedford College.

Steve Scheffler from Lone Star College–Montgomery was the guest of the college during a fact-finding mission he was undertaking across the UK.

Steve learned about how the college connects with the community.

A group of suspected illegal immigrants who were seen jumping out of a trailer were arrested on Monday (July 15).

The seven men and one woman were seen leaving the trailer in Albone Way, Biggleswade at around 11.30am.

Bedfordshire Police received calls from members of the public who had seen the group, who then made their way into the town centre.

They were reported to have made enquiries at Biggleswade train station and at shops close by over how they could travel to London on the train.

A PCSO was called who distracted the group by making conversation while other police made their way to the area around the station.

The group were then arrested and were taken to a police station in Luton where they were later handed over to officers from the UK Border Agency.

It is believed that the men and woman were from Eritrea in East Africa.

Anyone who knows anything about any illegal immigrants who may be living in the area should contact Bedfordshire Police on the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively see www.bedfordshire.police.uk

Staff at Pets at Home in Biggleswade are celebrating after raising £983 during the store’s spring fundraising appeal.

For two weeksthe Biggleswade store team worked tirelessly to raise money for animal rescues in an initiative being run by charity Support Adoption For Pets.

The money will be donated to Chronicle Country rescue the Re-homing Animal Telephone Service (RATS), which rescues and re-homes abandoned animals in Biggleswade.

Store manager Alann di Marco said: “As always, our customers have proved incredibly generous and I want to thank them, and my store team, for helping to contribute to our store total as well as to the wider nationwide total.

“More than £300,000 is a staggering amount that was raised by our different stores across the country and will help animal rescues everywhere to continue to do such important work.”

Nationally Pets at Home stores raised £300,500 for good animal causes.

Jamie Oliver and celebrity farmer Jimmy Doherty are coming to Chronicle Country on Thursday (July 25).

The celebrity TV chef and Jimmy, who appeared on Jimmy’s Farm will be filming a new programme at a location close to Biggleswade.

The public are welcome to attend but places are limited so anyone who wants to take part in the show – which will focus on local produce – must register their interest in advance.

There will be free food available and members of the audience can also vote to help decide the future of a top local product.

Anyone who would like to take part can contact Becky Evans at becky.evans@freshone.tv or on 07951 536623.

Becky will then send over the full details and address for the filming location.

Jamie’s filming company Fresh One Productions is making the new programme, which is expected to include a section on the Bedfordshire Clanger.

The life and crimes of Jack the Ripper are the focus of a new book by a Chronicle Country author.

Biggleswade writer Peter Rutt explores the life of the infamous 19th Century serial killer in Jack the Ripper: From the Cradle to the Grave.

Peter, 46, finished the book earlier this year and has just seen it published by AuthorHouse.

Starting the work in 2008, Peter has spent almost five years putting the book together.

He was inspired by a documentary he watched on Jack the Ripper that uncovered some aspects of the killer’s life but also left many questions unanswered.

Peter, who also works as a security supervisor, was additionally influenced by a series of events that occurred shortly after he watched the programme.

He said: “The day after I saw it I travelled to London to watch a show in the West End with my wife.

“We were at Russell Square tube station and I was getting off the train I thought I heard some women mention the name of Jack the Ripper.

“Then when we were waiting for a lift to the top of the station I thought I saw a man walking around the crowd of people and up the stairs, though when I looked up the stairs I couldn’t see him.

“Then I had a dream where I saw this man who I thought I recognised leaning against some railings that I had also seen at the station.

“I started writing the book at that point.”

The Nursery Close resident devoted himself to research at libraries and online, though he admits this was difficult as accurate information is thin on the ground.

He added: “At the time, in the late 1880s and early 1890s there was very little trust between the police and newspaper reporters.

“As such much of what was reported and written about Jack the Ripper was largely speculation.

Peter has found evidence that the killer travelled through Biggleswade on a stagecoach while on the run from his native Yorkshire.

His close accomplice Jimmy Clarke was also said to have visited the town to form a gang at one point.

Peter said: “It is fairly certain that Jack the Ripper passed through Biggleswade at least once when he found he had to leave the family home at quite short notice.

“It was also the town Jimmy selected to visit when he wanted to form a new gang.”

Jack the Ripper: From the Cradle to the Grave is available to buy in paperback and hardback and as a digital download now.

Visitors to a nature reserve stepped back in time on Sunday (July 14).

The Lodge, the RSPB’s headquarters in Sandy, was the location for the now annual Time Explorers event. The wildlife charity teamed up with Cambridge Archaeological Unit to show how people lived from the Stone Age onwards.

Arthur Thompson, four, is pictured with a sheep’s skull.

If Bedfordshire are to lift themselves into the Minor Counties Championship title hunt they will need to beat Hertfordshire in the three-day game starting at Bedford School on Sunday.

The county have shown much improved form this season, but all three games have ended in high-scoring draws.

A stack of bonus points though means they currently lie fifth in the table, 21 points behind Suffolk and 19 adrift of second-placed Hertfordshire.

A win this weekend and Bedfordshire will be very much in the race. However, defeat, or even another draw, is likely to leave them with too much to do in the last two matches.

“We have played some positive cricket this season which has been good to watch,” said chairman of the selectors Mike Archer.

“We have missed out on only one batting point – a remarkable change-around when you think that for the last three years batting for 90 overs in the first innings has proved a real challenge.

“Unfortunately some captains these days don’t seem prepared to take the slightest risk and we have been set some ridiculous targets to chase in the final innings.”

In the last game at Newcastle, Northumberland asked Bedfordshire to score 470 in 80 overs. Jesmond is a small ground, but to score at six an over for such a long period of time was virtually impossible.

By batting on for so long in their second innings Northumberland also robbed themselves of the chance of victory.

Had they pulled out 60 runs sooner, Northumberland would certainly have won. As it was, Bedfordshire were able to hang on for a draw on 283-9.

The side to play Hertfordshire has yet to be finalised but Bedfordshire will definitely be without the unavailable Alex Martin, who has made a real impact this season both as wicketkeeper and batsman.

Martin has been batting at number three and the selectors have to decide whether to bring in another specialist keeper or ask George Thurstance to take the gloves and go for another batsman.

Bedfordshire are also waiting to hear whether Cameron Wake, who made a successful return to the side against Northumberland after a break of several seasons, is available.

Young quick bowler Afaq Babar could also come into contention if he has recovered from injury.

Bedfordshire are back at Bedford School after a three-season absence and play starts at 11 am on all three days and, if the weather holds, the county are hoping for a big crowd on Sunday for President’s Day.