Best Kept Village Competition Result
Chearsley entered into this competition again this year and has been awarded a Certificate of Merit for achieving a Highly Commended grade in the Morris Cup the category for inhabitants in villages of 500 – 1500, scoring 88 marks out of a possible 100. Hedgerley, near Farnham Common, were the winners with a score of 94 points. Hedgerley impressed the judges with the hard work put into transforming Glebe Field into a wildlife-friendly meadow which is an on-going project providing a valuable amenity for the residents and visitors.
The judges have some interesting comments about Chearsley -
St Nicholas Church was open and showed evidence of support and commitment from the village over many years. The graveyard has been tended with care. The cricket field is in excellent condition.Richard Pushman, chairman of the competition, thanked the Parish Council for entering the competition and congratulated everyone involved for all their hard work in maintaining such a well-kept village. Well done us.
Grassy areas near the pub and shops are immaculately tended and form an attractive centre to the village. Roadside verges are extensively highlighted on the map and it is clear that some have been left un-mown to encourage wildlife.
The Bell pub has a very attractive and welcoming frontage, as has the shop. A good standard of care was evident in the presentation of bus shelters, the notice board, the pump (its position on the map is slightly misplaced) and particularly the war memorial. We liked the “insect haven” near the children’s playground outside the village hall.
This small village shows much evidence of community effort in projects such as raising money for replacing the bells in the church tower and the insect haven.
Parish Council Meeting on Monday September 15
Nic Brown was in the chair. 7 members of the public attended.
- During the open session, the matter was raised of the overgrown hawthorn hedge on the footpath in Chilton Road which needs to be cut. John Lloyd will be asked to attend to this. It was noted that potholes in some village roads have been marked in white ready for repair and a discussion about the erosion of the lanes, particularly Dark Lane and the necessity or not of having white traffic lines. Some felt that caution at unmarked junctions was preferable to having white lines.
- Grass and verge cutting was now only done by contractors on the main village roads. Any other verges had been attended to by householders. The village mainly looked good. The possibility of the village being responsible for all the verges could be discussed at the budget meeting in December. A quote for memorial plaques for the benches on The Green of £80 each should be accepted and ordered. This is from money bequeathed by Betty Duval for benches on The Green. The second bench should be cleaned up before the plaque is put on.
- There was no objection to planning permission for alteration to a window at Needlemakers, Watts Green. The bathroom window at Foxgloves, Turnip Close still needs to be obscured. The householder will be contacted again.
- It was agreed that a donation from a villager towards daffodils in the grass verges which had been used for a wildflower area in Crendon Road, should be returned to her, as this had been unsuccessful. It was discussed whether the amount kept in reserve of £4000 needed to be so high, and whether some of this money could be put to other uses in the village such as being added to the amount kept aside for kerbing. As Julia Witcher, who is looking into kerbing was absent from the meeting, no further details of plans for kerbing could be discussed. Areas to be kerbed should be prioritized and funding from Bucks County Council and from the LAF should be requested.
- Funding for another vehicle activated sign in the village had been applied for from the LAF. The present sign which had been situated in Chilton Road is having its battery recharged and will be repositioned on another main road once the appropriate holes in the verge to receive the sign are found! The speed limit would then be set at 30mph.
- Mike Heybrook gave an up to date report on work he and others have done on a possible cycle path from the village to Haddenham Station. Although Chiltern Railways supported the use of land adjoining the railway for this project, it would take a very long time for it to be possible, and a crossing over the floodplain would make it almost impossible - “a pipe dream”, and although this idea had come as a result of the Village Plan suggestions, it was decided that it should be taken off the Action Plan for the foreseeable future.
- The Open Meeting regarding plans for the village hall is to be held on Monday September 22 and any repercussions should be discussed as an agenda item at the next Council meeting. It was noted that the salt bins should be topped up. In the public session at the end of the meeting, it was suggested to find out how much it would cost the village to have all of the potholes mended, even though it would be unlikely that this would happen.
- Discussions to have warning signs erected concerning lorries turning into Grove Farm, Crendon Road are still taking place with John Lloyd. The grass verges at the new house, Odyssey in Aylesbury Road should be restored by the builder.
- The next meeting will be held in the village hall on October 20 at 7.30pm. Although 7 members of the public attended, it was commented that it would be encouraging if more villagers would attend.
Ron Dorsett – I am very sad to write that Ron who was a good friend and neighbour in Lammas Lane for a number of years, died on September 17. Ron and his wife, June moved to Princes Risborough 3 years ago as Ron was not in the best of health. Whilst in Chearsley, he was often to be seen on his many walks round the village , and gave a lot of time to village life, enjoying the monthly Pub lunches and helping out as maintenance man at the village hall for several years. His funeral will be on Friday September 26 at 11.30am at Amersham Crematorium. Our sympathies and love to June and their family.
The Bell - 2 Fish and Chip meals for £15 continue to be on special offer on Tuesday to Thursday evenings from 6.30 to 9.00pm. A new seasonal menu will come into operation on October 6.
Tea, Coffee and Cake Mornings - a new initiative by Sharon at The Bell on the first Friday of every month invites anyone and everyone to call in, meet old friends and make new ones over a cup of tea or coffee with home-made cakes and enjoy the charm of The Bell. The first one will be on Friday October 3 from 10.00am to 12.00pm.
Yoga Classes - are now taking place every Thursday evening in the village hall from 7.00pm until 8.00pm. Phone Rachel on 01844 351301 for more information.
Harvest Supper on Saturday September 27 in the village hall at 7.30pm. Tickets are available price £10 from Paula Johnson on 201447 for a two course meal with wine or beer followed by entertainment.
Harvest Festival Family Service – All are welcome to this service to be held on Sunday September 28 at St Nicholas Church at 10.00am. Gifts will be donated to The Steppin’ Stone Centre for the homeless in Oxford. Donations of fresh fruit and vegetables are welcome as are dry produce, such as tinned food, rice, sugar, pasta and all foods which can be used in the Centre’s kitchen.
Diary Dates:
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 19,20 and 21 - Flower Festival at St Nicholas Church.
- Monday September 22 - Open Meeting about the future of the village hall at 8.00pm in the hall
- Wednesday September 24 - Pub lunch in The Bell
- Saturday September 27 – Harvest Supper in the village hall at 7.30pm
- Sunday September 28 - Harvest Festival Family Service at 10.00am in St Nicholas church
- Friday October 3 - Coffee and Cake at The Bell 10.00am until 12.00pm. Open for everyone to call in.
- Saturday October 4 - Theatre in the Villages performance by Morgan & West “Top Victorian Magicians” in the village hall at 7.30pm. Contact Margaret Morbey 208913 for tickets
