How Whittlesford is celebrating its 1,000th anniversary

By Adrian Peel and Meg Holland

Whittlesford began 2022 by celebrating 1,000 years of the village and parish church.

About 130 people turned out to watch a specially-designed flag be raised on the flagpole beside the pavilion on the Lawn, Whittlesford’s large village green, on January 1 and listen to Alasdair Coles, chair of the Whittlesford 1,000 – 2022 Committee.

For the past year, the group has been planning how to mark this milestone, after realising from the parish church records that 100 years ago there had been a project of renovation and extension.

There will be a history week, a village party and a stained glass window, among other celebrations.

Alasdair, whose wife Olivia is the reverend at St Mary and St Andrew’s Church, said: “In 1922, the village celebrated 900 years of the parish church and celebrated the end of the First World War – and recovery from the influenza pandemic.

“So in 2022 we’re celebrating 1,000 years of the church and the village, and hopefully celebrating the end of the Covid pandemic, in a kind of symmetrical way from 1922.”

The flag-raising was met with cheers from those watching – even though the event itself had not been publicised.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be a thing people wanted to attend, but word got round,” said Alasdair, who introduced David Toop, a well-known figure involved in church and village fundraising, plus young Jack Blake, son of another member of the 2022 Committee, to raise the flag together in a sign that the celebrations were “for all” village residents.

David and Penny Toop sponsored the manufacture of the flag, which features a project logo created by Mark Coleman, the organiser of the biennial autumn Whittlesford Art Exhibition held in the church.

Alasdair and Olivia have lived in Whittlesford for three years.

He credits his wife with the idea of marking the 1,000th anniversary.

“We’re very excited and I think we all need something new and fresh and exciting to think about,” says Alasdair.

“Just like everyone else we’re in the doldrums here... It’s giving us a new focus and it’s giving us an excuse to celebrate – and we all need that.”

The year-long celebrations

Whittlesford’s1,000th anniversary is being marked in four ways: A history week will be held from May 16-22, with lectures and exhibitions involving all aspects of village history. A village party will follow on July 16 and a lasting memorial in the form of a striking new stained glass window is due to go in the church , alongside the one installed in 1922.

Finally, the ‘One thousand things’ project will encourage individuals or any groups/societies to do something with the number ‘1,000’ during the year.

Examples and suggestions so far include collections of 1,000 things, for example, metal items found metal detecting round the village, making/completing things with a 1,000 pieces (like jigsaws or Lego), picking up a 1,000 bits of litter, and taking photographs to upload on to the Whittlesford 1,000 Facebook page. Alasdair and Olivia are planning to walk 1,000 miles.

Another plan is for a special aerial photo of 1,000 Whittlesford villagers on the Lawn one Saturday on a date to be announced, which will then be added with other photos and items for a Whittlesford 1,000 time capsule being put together over the year.

Visit facebook.com/Whittlesford1000/ and https://bit.ly/3ncZqk7 for more.

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