- Braintree District Council
- Essex County Council
- Rural Community Council of Essex
- Essex Association of Local Councils
- Campaign to Protect Rural England
- Stop Stansted Expansion
Helions Wildlife Group
The village Wildlife Group provides an opportunity for those with a particular interest in our local flora and fauna to meet together informally, but on a regular basis, and provides a forum for wide-ranging discussions about interesting local sightings. We have set up an email alert system, so that any particularly unusual sightings can be disseminated quickly.
But the main purpose of the Group is to survey different areas of the Parish, to identify our existing flora and fauna, and look at ways of improving the landscape to make it more wildlife friendly. Brown hares, pipistrelle bats, skylarks, grey partridges, song thrushes, oxslips, stag beetles are all indicator species for biodiversity and all have been seen locally.
For further information contact Martin Catchesides on 730 422.
Bowls Club
Helions Bumpstead Carpet Bowls Club meets every Tuesday between September and May, at 7.30pm, in Helions Bumpstead Village Hall.
This season, 2008/2009, has been very successful. Helions were runners up in the Essex North Area division 1.
The Club’s Officers are:
Captain: Clive Brazier
Deputy: Keith Andrews
Chairman: John Robins
Vice-Chair: Gillian Robins
Treasurer: Gill Robins
Secretary: Linda Carpenter
Come along and have a go! You may find you have a hidden talent and at the same time meet new friends and have fun.
No experience necessary. Contact Gill Robins on 730 608 for further information.
Book Club
The village Book Club meets very informally approximately every six weeks, taking turns to host the meetings and provide the coffee. Our discussions are loosely centred on the book that we have just read, but always range far more widely, usually putting the world to rights by the end of the evening.
The books chosen have included some of the best modern fiction, such as Small Island by Andrea Levy, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, and Lighthouse-keeping by Jeanette Winterson.
We also read non-fiction, ranging from Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything to Peter Ackroyd’s excellent London – the Biography.
New members are always very welcome. You don’t have to read every book, or come to every meeting. Choose those that interest you. For details of our current book, and the time and place of the next meeting, call Juliet on 730 937.
Cricket Club
Helions Bumpstead Cricket Club was re-formed in the late sixties, and for a small village, successfully competes in several competitions, throughout the year.
On Saturdays the club plays in division 2C of the Cambridgeshire Cricket Association league, in which they retained their place from the 2011 season. On Sundays friendly matches take precedence. The club also plays in the Adams Harrison Midweek League.
The indoor first team currently compete in division two of the Braintree Indoor Cricket League. They have resided in this division for the last five years, since their only venture into the top flight. The second ‘six’ play in division four.
Club Officials 2016:
President: Nigel Turner
Vice-Presidents:
K. Andrews, J. Straight, D. West, G. Moore, P. Pearce, G. Page, R. Suckling, R. Meeks
Chairman: Gordon Moore (730 681)
Secretary: Matthew Vickery (768 832)(07747 842989)
Treasurer: Michael Claydon (730 406)
Fixture Secretary: Clive Brazier (730 094) (07765 335002)
Saturday Captain: D. Saville (702 400)
Sunday Captain: D Wrenn (01223 894 688)(07877 197037)
Midweek Captain: C. Lewis (07881 383757)
Helions Cricket Club has a respected and well-deserved reputation for sportsmanship, of which it is rightly proud. Clubs that have played Helions over the years seem to enjoy these games as much as any. The club is always on the lookout for new players, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are interested in playing in a friendly environment.
Last season Helions Bumpstead had one of their most successful seasons in years.
The Saturday Team won the Cambs. League Division Three South and promotion to Division Two South.The Midweek Team won promotion from Adams Harrison Haverhill and District League Division Three and achieved promotion as champions to Division Two. The Midweek Team also reached the final of the Adams Harrison League Cup where, unfortunately, they lost to Babraham. That was a great achievement for a small village team.
The club also has a Sunday Team where youngsters are developed and this is good preparation for the cut and thrust of the league games. Together with the help of more mature players the Sunday Team fulfilled all of their fixtures and had a successful season.
The club extends a hearty welcome to everyone to come along and watch a home game on the Village Recreation Ground on a Saturday or Sunday and on Wednesday evenings between May and July. You can be sure of a warm welcome.
History in the making…
An historic day for the Cricket Club on 28th June, 2009, when they played their first-ever home game on the Recreation Ground on a Sunday.
A clause in the conveyance drawn up when the Recreation Ground was purchased by the Village in 1920 prohibited the use of the field for organised games on Sundays. The Parish Council had been trying to change this for years; with the co-operation of the Parish Property Trustees (the Custodian Trustees for the Recreation Ground) and the Charity Commission, this restriction has now been lifted.