Speedwatch – Call for Volunteers
Anthony Robins, the local Speedwatch Coordinator, is issuing a call for volunteers. Speedwatch is a group of volunteers from West Bergholt and EAG who regularly go out and monitor the speed of the traffic on some local roads. Those seen above the limit are reported to the police who, in the first instance, send a letter asking the motorist to please respect the speed limits in future.
Members often hear reports from pedestrians and motorists that at some places, and at some times, there is a lot of speeding. New volunteers are always welcome to help with this project. The aim is not to get anyone into trouble, but just to slow the traffic down to a legal and safe speed. Given that, it is surprising how many motorists do not even seem to see them, even wearing Hi-visibility jackets, and with road signs. To find out more about how Speedwatch operates read their previous update addressing this.
If you are interested in joining, please phone (01206) 571910.
Some Interesting Dates
On a completely unrelated topic, Anthony was interested to note that this year Ash Wednesday and St Valentines Day are on the same day:
Of course, the latter is always on the 14th, but the former depends on Easter. This year Easter is on April 1st, which is, of course, April Fools day. So whenever Easter is April 1st, Ash Wednesday=St Valentines Day, except for leap years.
In the 20th century Easter Day=April Fools day in 1923, 1934 and 1945; and also in the leap year 1956. This will next happen in 2019 and then 2040 (Leap), after which it won’t happen until 2108; somehow, I don’t think any of us will be alive then! After that, it won’t happen again until 2170, 2181 and 2192.
For leap years if Easter Day=April Fools day, then Valentines Day is Tuesday, with Ash Wednesday the day after. If however St Valentines Day=Ash Wednesday then Easter Day is March 31st. This happened in 1872 and will next happen in 2024, then not until 2172, 2244.
Following a Pattern
It is interesting to notice the patterns of 11 years. Sometimes, as long as an extra leap year does not intervene, any date falls on the same day of the week after 11 years. 11 years is also close to 136 lunar cycles. In fact, 19 years is close to 239 lunar cycles, but 19 years doesn’t fit in with days of the week. So this is why we sometimes get three years with differences of 11, like 2018, 2029 and 2040, but we never can get a fourth in this cycle as the extra leap year intervenes. Some tables for finding Easter use what is called the Golden number, which is the number in the 19-year cycle.
Some people like to give things up on Ash Wednesday, I would suggest giving up irrational beliefs and studying the intricacies of the calendar.
Anthony Robins