Tuesday 19 May 2015

No More Walkies at the Cricket Club


Despite an impassioned plea from the groundsman in April asking for owners to clean up after their dogs, the continuing problem has left Chearsley Cricket Club no option but to make the ground a no dog area.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Steve Vear Memorial Tree
Karen Vear, Steve’s widow, wishes to thank the many people to came to the coffee cake and produce morning on Saturday May 9 in the village hall. An amazing sum of over £850 was raised in memory of Steve. The selection of cakes was superb. Karen would like to thank everyone who donated cakes, money and other items to raise money for a tree in Steve’s memory. Special thanks must go to Julie and Sonia Timberlake who organized the whole event and to everyone who stayed at the end to help clear up. We are so fortunate to live in such a wonderful village. Karen and her family were really touched by how many people came up to the village hall to raise such a huge amount of money for a tree and possibly a bench for us all to enjoy. The morning was a testament of how many villagers hold Steve in such high regard and remember him with love and affection.

Bridge Closure at Cuddington
The following is an extract from an email sent to a Cuddington villager by Len Smith, Team Leader Highway Structures Management for Transport for Bucks in reply to a query about the bridge repairs and which has been sent on to me for interest.
“Both of the bridge parapet walls and approach fencing were significantly damaged by vehicles striking them. Before the works could commence on site, consent had to be obtained from the Environment Agency, a legal requirement and the necessary bricks had to be ordered and supplied. We have had a significant number of our operatives working on the repairs and are currently rebuilding/repairing the damaged section of parapets. Also scaffolding was required to be erected before demolition and repairs could commence. The wall is fairly substantial and we are limited on the amount of brickwork that can be placed per shift. The breaks between shifts allows sufficient time for the brickwork to be set and allow the next courses of bricks to be laid. Programmed date for completion of the works is May 22. We will be monitoring progress and hope to complete ahead of May 22 subject to the weather. The website dates relate to the maximum period that the order could stay in place rather than the actual works completion date. Because we had to use an emergency closure which is valid for 28 days and then has to be extended, this has led to different dates posted on the Transport for Bucks website.” 
Julia Witcher, Parish councillor, has also been told that by May 22 the bridge should be open again. Let’s hope the weather doesn’t hamper progress and things go to plan.

Pub Lunch at The Bell – there will be Pub Lunch with a choice of menu on Wednesday May 27. Everyone is welcome to come along. Just book either with Sharon at The Bell or with me a few days beforehand. It is a very informal get- together intended for those who are unable to get to many other social occasions, and a way of enjoying a very reasonably priced 2 course lunch in our charming old pub.

Chearsley and Haddenham Under Fives Pre-School

Set within idyllic village locations, CHUF provides children with a nurturing, safe, stimulating and happy environment to learn. Great outside play areas; high quality care and pre-school education; play equipment for learning and interactive play; high staff to child ratios; highly qualified and caring team. CHUF is a registered charity and member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance. They welcome parents and carers to come and meet the team and see the pre-schools. Visit chuf.co.uk for session times or call 01844 299123 to book a free trial session.

The Village Picture House, Cuddington
On Thursday May 28, there will be a showing of “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” a 1970s made for television version of Agatha Christie’s whodunit in The Bernard Hall, Cuddington. Most of the fictional welsh seaside town of Marchbolt is filmed in Cuddington – in the church, The Bernard Hall, Tibby’s cottage, Wellfield House, Bethany and The Pitchings. Actors in the film include John Gielgud and Francesa Annis. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Refreshments available. Tickets cost £5 each, concessions £4 and can be booked on-line via the Cuddington village website or at Cuddington Stores.

Village England is a documentary made in the mid-7os by the Inner London Education Authority about the changing nature of English village life and focuses on Cuddington and Nether Winchendon. The hour long film will be shown in The Bernard Hall, Cuddington on Sunday June 14 with 3 viewings at 3pm, 4.30pm and 6pm. The film is a wonderful piece of nostalgic social history and captures the villages at a time when more commuters and “newcomers” were moving in. There are interviews with a number of Cuddington residents mainly conducted in The Red Lion. It is being screened as part of a Local Heritage Project being run in Nether Winchendon centred on the repair and restoration of historic churchyards’ tombs. Tickets cost £2 and can be booked on line at the Cuddington village website, or enquire at the shop. Refreshments will be available.

Church Services at St Nicholas:
  • Sunday May 17 Communion at 9am
  • Sunday May 24 Family Service at 10am.
  • Every Thursday at Church House, Long Crendon Coffee and home-made cakes from 10.30 to 12. All welcome.

Diary Dates:
  • Friday May 15 Coffee and cake in The Bell at 10am to 12 noon
  • Monday May 18 Mobile Library from 10 to 10.25am at The Green
  • Monday May 18 Sunshine Club Matinee Cinema 1.30pm at The Bernard Hall, Cuddington showing High Society
  • Monday May 18 Parish Council Meeting at 7.30pm in the village hall
  • Wednesday May 27 Pub Lunch at The Bell
  • Thursday May 28 Cuddington Village Picture House showing Why Didn’t They Ask Evans at 7pm
  • Saturday and Sunday June 6 and 7 Dadbrook Garden open from 2 until 6
  • Sunday June 14 Village England Documentary 3 screenings in The Bernard Hall
  • Saturday June 20 Chearsley Midsummer Fete 1pm

Wednesday 13 May 2015

The Only Way Is Oxon


Note that the Winchendon Road will be closed for three hours next Sunday, 17th May.
The sign above is on the Winchendon side of the Ashendon/Cuddington junction on the Winchendon Road, although whether or not this means there will be access to Ashendon is anyone's guess...

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Neighbourhood Police Newsletter

The Neighbourhood Police Update for this month is now available here.

Click for the Thames Valley Police website

Sunday 10 May 2015

Chuf's Pirate Party - Sat 16th May


 
Pirate Party
Saturday 16th May
2.30pm to 4.30pm
Rose and Thistle pub, Haddenham

Bouncy castle, face painting, adventure play area, BBQ, treasure hunt, hook a duck, splat the rat, arts and craft table, children’s tombola, raffle and fancy dress competition
   
£5 per child
included in the ticket will be the Little Pirate’s treasure hunt, piece of BBQ food,
pot of strawberries and party bag
(adults do not require a ticket)

Your children, siblings and friends are welcome.
To book your tickets please complete your child’s invite slip and hand it to one of the CHUF ladies or Sally Smith

We are collecting new or nearly new donations for the children’s tombola please drop in the box at your setting.


Thursday 7 May 2015

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Development at Stoney Furlong
Following a recent meeting between the Heybrook family, Rectory Homes and representatives of the Parish Council and the Village Hall committee, details have been released on the contribution that will be made to the village following the Stoney Furlong development being approved. Rose and Laura Heybrook, speaking jointly with Simon and Sarah Vickers of Rectory Homes, stressed that they wanted the whole village to benefit from the development in a tangible, long-term way. They believe that the best way of expressing that wish is to make a significant donation to the funding of the new village hall. Additionally, they wish to make a contribution to the cost of upgrading the practice nets at the Cricket Club that have to be moved and replaced as a result of the development. Accordingly, there will be donations of £95,000 to the village hall fund and £5000 to the cricket club. These donations are comprised of a £50,000 donation from Rose, Laura and Francis Heybrook jointly and a £50,000 donation from Simon and Sarah Vickers jointly.
The contribution to the Cricket Club is in addition to the benefit of a new long-term lease of 50 years that Rose, Laura and Francis Heybrook intend to grant to the Club for its grounds (including a new car park) at a peppercorn rent. In addition, Rectory Homes are donating an additional £5,000 towards the cost of relocating and upgrading the nets.
As well as giving the funding effort a superb start, this is a very important donation for the new Village Hall project as it will enable applications to be made for various grants that are available only on a matched funding basis. As a further gesture, there is an offer to make the funding available as soon as is necessary to enable grant applications to be submitted. Both the Village Hall Committee and the Cricket Club have expressed their thanks and appreciation for these generous gestures that will benefit all the residents of Chearsley for many years to come.

Bridge Closure at Cuddington
As with most villagers in Chearsley, I am finding the extra time, cost and inconvenience of driving out of Chearsley unable to go via Cuddington extremely annoying. I walked down to the bridge to find out how the work is progressing and it is disappointing to learn that more work is necessary to repair the 2 parapets than was originally thought, and it will not be completed for at least another 2 weeks. The date now given on the live map on Transport for Bucks website is June 10. Work is slow as the heavy engineering bricks of the parapet can only be re-built a few lines at a time otherwise the weight of them would cause them to move, but they are working on 3 sections in turn. (Probably not a very technical way of writing that).
It seems that the Parish Council do not consider this to be their problem, and they can probably do little to alter the matter, but I would have hoped that they could have made some effort on behalf of the villagers in contacting Bucks County Council registering a complaint that very short notice, if any, was given of the road closure. Also to inform them of the difficulties it is causing Chearsley and Cuddington, particularly the shops and Pubs who are experiencing loss of business and to ask if the road could be opened at weekends, and for the Parish Council to keep the village informed of progress of the bridge works.

Birthday Congratulations to Pat Miles of Bernards Close who recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Pat looks at least 10 years younger and is often out and about on her mobility scooter, now sporting a klaxon horn, a present from Fenella, her neighbour for the past 40 years.

Mobile Library will next be in the village by The Green on Monday May 18 from 10 until 10.25am.

Parish Council Meeting 
Come and meet Chearsley’s Parish councillors at the next meeting on Monday May 18 at 7.40pm in the village hall. John Howard and Paul Bown join the 6 others who have remained on the council. No voting was necessary as there were only 8 candidates for the 8 places. All members of the public are welcome at the meetings to hear what the council is discussing and to voice any concerns, problems or issues you may have.

High Society at Sunshine Club Matinee Cinema
This will be shown at Bernard Hall on Monday May 18 at 1.30pm with doors open at 1pm. Tickets are now available price £5 or £4 for concessions which includes a cup of tea and cake during the interval from Liz Davies. Please phone her on 01844 299150. Please park considerately for shop customers and the school bus and park if possible in the Playing Fields Car Park.

An Open Garden at Dadbrook House Cuddington will be open on Saturday and Sunday June 6 and 7 from 2 and 6pm. Admission is £4 (children free). Home- made teas will be available and there will be plants for sale. There is free parking on the gravel courtyard and wheelchair access. No dogs please.
Proceeds from this weekend will go to the Finley Newell Mobility and Equipment Fund. Finley is the grandson of Liz and Steve Davies of Cuddington and has Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare neuromuscular condition which leaves him unable to walk, also affecting his arms, hand, head and neck movement, breathing and swallowing. He will be 2 this month and gets around in his power chair which was supplied on free loan by the national charity “Designability”. At 3, Finley will need a larger power chair costing in the region of £15,000. A larger family vehicle will also be necessary to accommodate him in his wheelchair and his parents and big brother and his small home in Haddenham is to be extended with specialised facilities being installed throughout. Finley’s parents, Rosie and Joel are grateful to Clico and Gerald Kingsbury for their kind generosity in opening their garden.
The main garden of Dadbrook house faces south where three terraced lawns lead down to a small lake filled with koi carp. One terrace is formally laid out with lavender-edged beds filled with hebe and alliums with a box knot at its centre. A ha ha was added 30 years ago to open up the view across the 11 acre field to the side of the house. This view is framed by two borders – a new rose border and a mixed border. Both are backed by clipped yew hedges. There are many mature trees throughout the garden including Dawn redwoods, ancient yew trees and a large holm oak. A shrub border hides a tennis court and the walled kitchen garden behind the house is laid out to a strict pattern with box edged beds where vegetables and ornamental herbs are grown as well as flowering annuals and topiary shapes.

Are you an Extrovert with a Passion for Cooking ? The TV show Come Dine with Me are looking for people over the age of 18 in the Aylesbury and Oxford areas to take part in the Channel 4 daytime series. Over 5 days, 5 strangers from all walks of life take turns to host the perfect dinner party for each other. At the end of the week the best host wins a £1000 cash prize. If you would like to take part please email cdwm@shiver.tv or phone 08712444142. Shooting dates are June 1 to 5.

Church Services at St Nicholas:
  • Sunday May 10 Morning Celebration at 10am Evensong at 6pm
  • Sunday May 17 9am Communion
  • Every Thursday at Church House, Long Crendon Coffee and home-made cakes from 10.30 to 12. All welcome.
Diary Dates:
  • Friday May 8 Coffee and cake at The Bell 10 to 12
  • Saturday May 9 Coffee and cake at the village hall from 10 to 12.30 for Steve Vear
  • Sunday May 10 Monthly Quiz at The Bell
  • Wednesday May 13 Pub Lunch. 12.30. Let me know if you would like to come Margaret on 208913
  • Monday May 18 Mobile Library from 10 to 10.25am at The Green
  • Monday May 18 Sunshine Club Matinee Cinema 1.30pm at The Bernard Hall Cuddington
  • Monday May 18 Parish Council Meeting at 7.30pm in the village hall
  • Saturday and Sunday June 6 and 7 Dadbrook Garden open from 2 until 6
  • Saturday June 20 Chearsley Midsummer Fete 1pm