Tuesday 29 March 2016

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Dog Fouling
It has been observed that this is on the increase again, particularly in Church Lane, despite the installation of two dog bins in the village. Dog walkers have a legal duty to clear up their dog mess in public places and not to just leave it for anyone to have the unpleasantness of stepping in it, or to throw it into a garden hedge. Please will dog walkers ensure that they carry plastic bags so they can pick up any dog faeces and either take the bags home or deposit them in the red dog bins provided at the expense of the Parish Council at the bottom and top of Church Lane.

Parish Council Meeting Monday March 21
Six members of the public, including our District Councillor were present with John Lewis in the chair.
  • Public Session: As the book by Ted Hooton cannot be reprinted, there was an alternative suggestion that a small booklet “A short history of our village – Chearsley” written by Dennis Lane and published in 1977 could be updated and reprinted. The Parish Council would pass on this suggestion to the villager who had originally suggested publication of Ted’s book for him to take up further.
  • Matters Arising from The Minutes
    A resistivity test on the chestnut tree at the junction of Winchendon Road and Aylesbury Road has now been commissioned.
    VAS: It was confirmed that the equipment in our possession is outdated and it was agreed to abandon the scheme for the present time.
  • Planning Matters
    Site meetings had been held at The Old Orchard which was agreed to in principle and at Byeways with no objection.
    The Winchendon Road housing scheme meeting had been well attended with an impression from the organisers of a 50/50 for and against. Plans were in the process of being submitted for approval.
    War Memorial area: No further action would be taken for now regarding a new pedestrian access from the Chilton Road into the village hall grounds. It would be decided on the exact spot for the new flagpole and installed as soon as possible.
  • Play equipment: these were reported as being in bad condition. The chairman of the village hall committee reported that an official inspection and risk assessment had been arranged to take place in May.
  • Damage to The Green
    It was generally felt that this damage had been caused as a result of cars, possibly belonging to builders from the building site in Chilton Road being parked alongside the wall by the post box and The Old Farmhouse and preventing enough room for lorries to get through. It was agreed to go ahead with the idea that notices should be affixed to the wall asking people not to park there. It was reported that the damaged sign at Winchendon Road had now been replaced. APL Logistics, the owners of the lorry seen damaging the sign had adopted an unhelpful attitude in the matter, not being able to provide the name of the driver concerned. There was a suggestion of approaching The Bucks Herald to publicise the incident and to express the village’s annoyance and frustration.
  • Kerbing: There was a formal proposal that the proposed kerbing in Dark Lane should start as soon as possible.
  • Defibrillator: It is planned for this to be installed on the wall of the outhouse at Byeways, next to the shop and will have to be delayed until this wall has been rebuilt.
  • New Noticeboard: There was now a date for delivery of this and its installation would be arranged as soon as possible thereafter.
  • Proposed new village hall: Antonia Stratford, chairman of the village hall committee addressed the meeting with an update of the plans. A village meeting has been arranged for the plans to be viewed by villagers for Saturday April 23. There is now a great need for help from anyone with commercial and building experience to support the work of the committee. A meeting with representatives from the Parish Council had been arranged to go through a project plan.
  • AOB:
    Dog fouling, particularly in Church Lane is on the increase again. Cuddington have a dispenser with bags and this idea will be investigated.
    Mud on roads particularly in Chilton Road is a problem, possibly caused by farm vehicles and building site equipment. It was suggested that Rectory Homes should be approached to re-instate the damage caused to the verges.
  • Next meeting is the Annual Parish Meeting on Monday April 18. The venue is to be confirmed.

Cricket Club update
The club has now invested £30,000 raised from 2 years of fund-raising and grants to produce an ECB approved 2-lane non-turf practice facility. It was hoped to have this ready for the start of the Tuesday evening junior training sessions , but due to wet weather, work on this will not now start until the beginning of May, and should be ready in 6 days. It is then planned to have an ex-England cricketer to open the nets when completed.

Cricket Club Work parties
Weekend work parties at the cricket club grounds have now started and will continue every week end until the first match of the season on Sunday April 26. Anyone able and willing to come and help prepare the grounds and pavilion for the forthcoming season would be very welcome and are asked to contact Pete Redfern on 07775 618929; James Veness on 07732 43868 or Adam Lazaruk on 07865 093154. The more help there is, the quicker the jobs will be completed.

Cricket Club Quiz 
 A fun Quiz evening for everyone, even those with little general knowledge, or knowledge of any sort has been arranged by the Cricket Club when well known Quiz master Larry Warr will be setting the questions and conducting the evening. It will take place in the village hall on Saturday April 16 at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Teams of 8 or 10 are invited with tickets at £10 per person which includes a fish and chip supper. Bring your own drinks. There will also be a raffle and auction. Please contact John Howard for tickets or for more information on jnh@dbmc.co.uk

Wednesday Pilates Classes
Debbie Corpe’s evening Mat Pilates classes will continue after the Easter break beginning again on April 6 through to July 13, with a break on June 1 and June 8. These classes are held in Chearsley village hall from 6 to 7pm and aim to tone, strengthen, stretch and lengthen with classic pilates exercises and a variety of small props. Please contact Debbie on 07770 646494 or email deborahcorpe@gmail.com for more information.

Crunchie the Cat
I am sure most people in the village have been asked to keep a look out and check sheds and outbuildings for Crunchie who has been missing from The Boot since Friday March 18. Crunchie, who is microchipped has still not come home as of Wednesday March 23. Anyone who might have seen the missing cat is asked to get in touch with the Taylor family on 07979655648. It must be heartbreaking for the family especially the children and I really hope Crunchie comes home soon.

St Nicholas Church Services:
  • Sunday April 3 Family Communion at 10am
Diary Dates:
  • Tuesday April 5 Bingo at The Bell at 8.30pm (ish). Special meal deals for bingo players. Come in good time. Saturday April 16 Cricket Club Quiz at the village hall. 7pm for 7.30pm start.
  • Sunday April 17 Parochial Church Council AGM and tea for the village in the hall at 3.30pm
  • Saturday April 23 Village Meeting for Plans for the New Village Hall 10.30am with presentations at 11.15. Refreshments available.

Thursday 24 March 2016

Village Hall Meeting


Come and Hear About Plans for the New Village Hall!

A meeting will be held on Saturday 23 April for villagers to view and comment on the proposed new plans for the Village Hall.

Doors will open at 10:30am and members of the committee will be present to talk villagers through the design.

In addition, at 11:15am there will be a short presentation from Antonia Stratford (Chair, Village Hall Committee) followed by a few words from Amy Hollis (Community Impact Bucks), Lynn Palmer (Lynn Palmer Architects) and Jack Peeters (Oving Village Hall). The morning will finish around 12:30pm.

All Welcome - Tea, Coffee and Cake will be served.

Monday 21 March 2016

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Village Hall donation from The Bell
Funds towards the building of the new village hall have been given a very welcome boost from The Bell. The contents of the charity bottle on the bar which has been filled by donations from customers and the proceeds from raffles held during regular events at The Bell over the past year has been counted and an amazing amount of £577 has been presented to the Village Hall committee by Sharon. Many thanks go to Sharon and everyone who has contributed.

Easy Fundraising
The Heybrook Family and Rectory Homes have already donated £95,000 towards the estimated cost of £450,000 of building the new village hall. Everyone could help contribute by joining up to a scheme whereby a retailer makes a donation every time an online purchase is made. It is free to join, with no catches or obligations and is simple to use. M & S, Argos, Amazon and ebay are among the retailers. An easyfundraising toolbar can be installed on your computer which will give a reminder whenever a site visited is part of the scheme. You then have the opportunity to raise funds.
Visit http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/chearsleyvh This site can also be accessed from the village hall link on chearsley.blogspot.co.uk which reveals that £64 has been raised so far by 5 shoppers. My recent purchase of £15 with Cotton Traders raised 75p – a very small amount, but it all helps.

Village Hall Meeting
A reminder that there will be a meeting for all villagers on Saturday April 23 in the village hall from 10.30am for an opportunity to see and comment on the new hall plans.

Easter Sunday Egg Hunt at The Bell
Families are welcome to The Bell on Easter Sunday April 27 for an Easter Egg Hunt which starts at 10.30am. Anyone who has given up chocolate for Lent, as Sharon has, should not miss this opportunity to indulge themselves.

Fiddler on The Roof
Easter holiday entertainment in Cuddington is being provided by Cuddington Youth Drama as they present a special abridged version of the award-winning 1964 musical, Fiddler on the Roof in The Bernard Hall. There will be performances from Tuesday April 5 to Saturday April 9 when doors open at 7pm with a matinee on Saturday April 9 when doors open at 2pm. Information about ticket prices which vary according to the performance date can be found and bought online at www.cuddingtonvillage.com/cyd. Refreshments will be available.

Reading Half Marathon
Good luck to Adam Lazaruk and his “Save our Melons With Breast Friends” team mates on Saturday April 3. They are running this Half Marathon in support of Adam’s wife, Claire who is currently getting over a breast cancer operation. Donations can still be made in support of Adam running for Breast Cancer Care and Maggie’s Centres by going to www.justgiving.com.

Garden Refuse Bin Collection
Please remember that because of the Easter holiday, there will be a collection of the brown garden waste bins on Saturday April 2 instead of Monday April 28.
Refuse Collections : Saturday March26 when the recycling and food bins will be collected.

St Nicholas Church Services:
  • Maundy Thursday March 24 Benefice Holy Communion at St Nicholas Chearsley at 7.30pm.
  • Good Friday March 25 Service for Good Friday at 10am
  • Easter Sunday March 27 Easter Garden Family Communion at 10am
Diary Dates:
  • Monday March 21 Parish Council Meeting at 7.30pm
  • Wednesday March 23 Pub Lunch at The Bell at 12.30pm – 2 courses and tea or coffee. Book by phoning 208913 and for more information or see Sharon in the Bell
  • Saturday March 26 Recycling bins will be collected
  • Tuesday April 5 Bingo at The Bell at 8.30pm (ish). Special meal deals for bingo players. Come in good time.
  • Sunday April 17 Parochial Church Council AGM and tea for the village in the hall at 3.30pm
  • Saturday April 23 Village Meeting for Plans for the New Village Hall 10.30am with presentations at 11.15. Refreshments available.

Monday 7 March 2016

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

New Village Hall Information Meeting
A meeting is being held on Saturday April 23 in the village hall for all villagers to view and comment on the proposed new plans for the village hall. Doors will open at 10.30am and members of the Committee will be present to talk villagers through the design. In addition, at 11.15am there will be a short presentation from Antonia Stratford (chair of the Village Hall committee) followed by a few words from Amy Hollis (Community Impact Bucks), Lynn Palmer (Lynn Palmer, architects) and Jack Peeters (Oving Village Hall). The morning will finish around 12.30pm. Tea, coffee and cake will be available.  In advance of this meeting, please take a look at the design and plans now at www.chearsleyvillagehall.co.uk.

Village Hall Website
Community Impact Bucks have kindly created and funded a new website for Chearsley Village hall which contains a fabulous new logo designed by Tony Fleetwood. The new website provides clear information on how to book the hall and to view a timetable of current activities. Also, there is information on the re-build project.  The website can be found at www.chearsleyvillagehall.co.uk or accessed via the village hall link above.

Litter Pick
Around a dozen villagers and friends gathered in the rain on Tuesday March 1 to clean up the village roads and main roads into the village. A vast amount of mainly fast-food wrappers and containers, beer cans, wine bottles and  plastic bags filled many black bin liners which were then taken to the Rabans Lane tip. A back-breaking, tiring  job, and at times a revolting one when used nappies or other unmentionable items are found.  It was heartening that it was felt that this year, there was less litter and the village roads were mainly rubbish free. Laura of the Heybrook family treated all the tired and  wet litter pickers to well deserved coffee (and stronger stuff for some) and  delicious pub-made cake in The Bell. Thank you to Laura and her family for organising us all.

Chearsley WI Visit
On Wednesday, March 2, a small group of Chearsley W.I. members were to be seen huddled on Haddenham Station at 7am at the start of their day out to The Houses of Parliament. The visit began with a magnificent guided tour of both Houses of Parliament with one of Parliament’s Gatekeepers who, during the 90 minute tour, pointed out many of the treasures and historical highlights and Westminster Hall, traditionally used for great State events, e.g. the lying in state of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The tour was followed by the Speaker’s Procession where our MP John Bercow  processed into the House of Commons shortly before Prime Minister’s Questions. The Speaker had arranged seats in the Speaker’s Gallery  which provided a birdseye view of the weekly challenge to the Prime Minister. A truly exciting event and day.  Chearsley W.I. meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month in the village hall from 2 to 4.30pm. Please contact Anne Lewis on 01844 201011 for more information.

Bingo at The Bell
The Bell was busy for March’s Bingo session on Tuesday March 1 (always the first Tuesday of the month) with proceedings conducted by our regular caller, Paul Kingsman. There were plenty of lucky winners (myself among them)  including some with Bingo beginner's luck who had several wins including the winning ticket drawn at the end of the evening for a free meal. We hope to see them again next month to try their  luck.
It is good to welcome not only Chearsley residents, but others from other villages who enjoy coming to The Bell with its cosy fire and friendly banter, hoping to go home with a cash prize. The evening  also raised £47 from the raffle to go in the New Village Hall collection pot at The Bell. If anyone would like an enjoyable evening out and  the chance to win a good cash prize - this month, the final full house prize was £70 – make a note of April 5 for the next one. Eyes down at around 8.30pm. Bingo players can also have a meal  beforehand at a special price of £7.50.

Sunshine Club Matinee Cinema
There will be a showing of Guys and Dolls on Monday March 21 at The Bernard Hall, Cuddington. This film, which lasts 143 minutes and stars Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra, includes well known songs such as “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin The Boat”.  Doors are open at 1pm for a 1.30pm start. Entry is by ticket costing £5 or £4 concession which includes tea and cake during the interval.
Tickets may be available at the door, but purchase beforehand is advisable from Liz Davies on 01844 299150. As parking is limited, please drop off passengers at the Hall and park in the Playing Field Car park at the end of Bernard Close so that space is left for disabled drivers close to the hall.

St Nicholas Church Services:
  • Sunday March 13 Morning Celebration at 10am; Evensong at 6pm  
Diary Dates:
  • Monday March 21 Mobile Library 10 to 10.25am by The Green 
  • March 21 Sunshine Club Matinee Cinema   Guys and Dolls in The Bernard Hall, Cuddington
  • March 21 Parish Council meeting 7.30pm in the village hall

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Chearsley Living Through History
There is a disappointing update to the well received idea of a reprint of Ted Hooton’s book. Ann Hooton, who helped and acted as proof reader of her late husband’s book, has written to explain that the book which took Ted 12 years of hard work to research and compile, was originally printed as a limited edition and numbered copies were sold on this understanding. So a reprint of the book is not possible.
Ann suggests that anyone who no longer has a use for their copy of the Chearsley book should put it for sale via Amazon and in this way people new to the village or anyone with an interest in Chearsley would have the opportunity of getting hold of a copy.

Older Person Bus Pass Renewal
I am very obliged to Christina who writes the Haddenham village column for her information on bus pass renewal. Mine expires at the end of March and I was presuming a new one would just be sent out or a reminder sent. There is information on the Bucks CC website to renew your card online, but I was easily able to renew mine using the automated telephone service, 01296 873011 which takes you very slowly and carefully through a simple procedure of giving your card number and date of birth. I now await its arrival in the post. There is a different telephone number for holders of Disabled bus passes which I hope will prove to be as easy when I renew my son’s. More information about applying for a new bus pass and details of eligibility can be found on the Bucks County Council website or phone 01494 586539.

Vale Lottery
Due to the increasing popularity of this weekly local lottery, which supports good causes in the community, bigger cash prizes are now being offered. A 3 number match will now pay £25 (up from £10) and a 4 number match will now pay £250 (up from £100). This has all been made possible by the good support the lottery has received. Remember that Chuf, our local pre-school is a partaking charity, so every ticket bought can benefit them and when buying a ticket, you have the opportunity to name Chuf as the specific good cause.

Turn End, Haddenham
This internationally acclaimed house and garden designed by architect Peter Aldington in the 1960s to be found in a small but very special corner of Haddenham is marking its 50 anniversary this year and has a special programme of events planned. From Thursday April 21 there will be a 5th anniversary exhibition in conjunction with Allies & Morrison Architects; an NGS Open Day on Bank Holiday Monday May 2; Sculpture in the Garden in conjunction with Lendon Scantlebury from Saturday June 18 to Sunday June 26; a talk and garden party on Saturday August 6; house and garden open day on Bank Holiday Monday August 29 and a garden open afternoon on Saturday September 17.
Turn End Trust was set up as a registered charity with the aim of protecting it and making it more available to visitors as well as promoting appreciation and understanding of the links between architecture and garden design. The Trust launched a Friends of Turn End scheme offering individual, joint, lifetime and corporate membership levels offering Friends special events, free entry into most other events and private access to the garden twice a month from May to October. For more information email turnendtrustevents@gmail.com.

Mothering Sunday Posies
Children are invited to come and make bunches of flowers for Mothering Sunday at Joy's house from 10.30am on Saturday March 5. Any donations of small flowers and foliage would be much appreciated.

Church Services at St Nicholas:
  • Sunday March 6 Mothering Sunday 10am Family Holy Communion when the children will present posies of flowers to their mothers and everyone can enjoy a slice of Beryl’s simnel cake after the service. Rock Solid Youth Group meet from 6 to 7.30pm.
Diary Dates:
  • Friday March 4 at 8pm Chuf Quiz and Auction in the Village Hall, Friday at 8pm
  • Sunday March 6 Mothering Sunday lunch in The Bell from 12 until 3pm when there will be a choice of 2 roast dinners in addition to the usual menu. The weekly meat raffle draw takes place at 3pm, so make sure you buy some tickets for the chance to win a tasty joint or pie from our local butchers – could be another present for your Mother.
  • Sunday March 6 Quiz Night in The Bell at 8pm. Come on your own or in a team.

Tuesday 1 March 2016

Happy Birthday Laura


Laura's annual birthday litter pick was another success, despite the drizzle, with lots of bags of rubbish and recycling collected, mostly beer cans!  Many thanks to Sharon in The Bell for giving us a welcome cup of coffee and some delicious home made cakes as a reward at the end.