Vamoose burglaries - Aylesbury Vale

Thames Valley Police is urging Aylesbury Vale residents to get a handle on car  security by dead locking their cars and placing car keys out of sight of potential offenders.
The appeal comes after a recent vamoose burglary in Halton, Aylesbury Vale.  This is where offenders break in to a house, find the car keys and steal the car. The latest incident took place on Friday 4 January (04/01).

Vamoose burglaries have increased in last quarter in Aylesbury Vale.  From six in August/September to eight between 12 to 25 October.  Car-owners in the rural areas of Edlesborough, Slapton and Pitstone are asked to be particularly vigilant and report any activity however trivial it may seem.
No specific vehicle type is being targeted but most have been new models which could be of a reasonable value.  The offences take place at night and cars have been stolen from both occupied and unoccupied houses.

Det Insp Russ Murden who is investigating the burglaries said: “Thieves can break in almost silently and within seconds. If your front and back doors are locked securely and the keys are not adjacent to either exit, taking those extra seconds to find the keys could substantially reduce your risk of becoming a victim of a vamoose car crime.

“Vamoose’ burglaries often happen when car keys can be seen or are left next to a door or window of a building. Handbags are one of the first places offenders look to find car keys.”
In order to avoid being the victim of a vamoose burglary, house owners are advised to

• Make sure that your vehicle is properly dead-locked and that the alarm is fully activated.
• Lock all car windows and doors.
• At home keep your car keys away from any windows and doors to prevent them from being "fished" through letterboxes, or seen from outside to tempt the offender but do make sure you know where they are in case of fire.

Anyone with any information about these vamoose burglaries should contact  Det Insp Russ Murden in Aylesbury police station using the Police Enquiry Line 101.
If you don't want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org . Personal details are not taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

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Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Rob Atkinson
It is sad news to learn of the death of Rob of Manor Villas last week. Our love and sympathies go to his family, particularly his wife Sue and daughter Emily. The funeral will be held on Thursday February 14th at 11am in Chearsley Church and to which everyone is welcome. A photo and tribute to Rob can be found on the St Nicholas web page

Norman Lilley
Many villagers in Chearsley will remember with great fondness and love Norman Lilley who has died recently. For many years, he was a lay preacher at our Church and I was very pleased when Norman was able to conduct the funeral service of my mother Mary Fowler, nearly 8 years ago at Amersham Crematorium, as I knew Mum always particularly enjoyed it when Norman took the morning service and would sit next to his wife Joan in the congregation. Norman was also an important part of Chearsley Show, coming to judge the photographic entries and taking great care and trouble to judge fairly and to give helpful reasons for his decision. He will be missed by many.

Burns Night Friday January 25
Ladies and men in kilts, sporrans, daggers and tartan in all forms were in abundance on this night when The Bell was well filled with customers looking forward to the traditional Burns Night supper - a delicious meal made of Cullen Skink or homemade bannocks followed by haggis, neeps and tatties ending with with cranachan pudding, all splendidly cooked and served by Sharon, Rob and the staff at The Bell. The meal commenced with a lively rendition of The Selkirk Grace by several Chearsley residents, some Scottish and some sassanacks! This was another enjoyable village evening at The Bell. Make sure you book your meal for St Patrick’s Day celebrations in March!

Eric Carte’s New Venture
Eric will be busy during February and March touring the country starting in Swansea performing in Gilbert and Sullivan Abridged. This is a show of parody, wit and song in an evening when excepts of all Gilbert and Sullivan’s 14 operettas are performed, from the classics to the more rarely performed Grand Duke. A different role for Eric and we wish him all the best. There is more information and a list of the many venues and dates on the website www.gilbertandsullivanabridged.com. There is a performance at The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes on Sunday February 24, which is about the nearest to Chearsley.

Break-ins continue in Chearsley
There has been another burglary in Chearsley this week. A garage in the Winchendon Road was broken into during the evening of Wednesday 29 when fishing tackle was stolen. Another reminder to be vigilant and to be aware of strangers in our village.

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Rugby at the Pavilion

IT'S TIME TO
SCRUM DOWN!

Next Saturday 2nd February is the start of the RBS 6 Nations Rugby Trophy series, and we are showing both games.

Have you chosen who you are going to support yet? Come on up to the cricket pavilion, we'd love to see you for both matches.

We'll be open from 1:00pm with a stocked bar and we plan to offer hot refreshments during the afternoon.

So whatever you're planning,try to include a bit of rugby.

Village News

with Margaret Morbey

Baby Congratulations
Alan and Rowena Parry are delighted to have become Grandparents again. Their son, Jonathan and Catherine became proud parents to Thomas James on January 21st. Congratulations and very best wishes.

Lunch Club at The Bell
The monthly lunch club is now going to be held every 2 weeks from February. The dates in February will be Wednesday 13th and 27th. Please let Ann Hooton on 01844 208306 know a few days beforehand if you would like to come and to choose your meal.

Rene Baker
Rene who was born and bred in Chearsley has celebrated her 90th birthday. She is a regular at the lunches at The Bell and at the lunch held on Wednesday 23, Sharon presented her with a cake to mark the occasion while her friends sang Happy Birthday. There are several references and photos of Rene in Ted Hooton’s book of Chearsley. One photo is of her about a year old and another of her aged about 10 while at Chearsley school. When she left school, she went to work at The Vicarage in 1937 when the new vicar, Elliot Wigg, came to Chearsley. During the war, she worked at Thame airport making propellers for Spitfires. Congratulations to Rene who looks so well and fit for such a fine age.

Post delivery during the snow
During the recent difficult snowy and icy conditions I don’t think there was a day when Gary our postman of many years failed to get round. The lanes in Chearsley quickly become slippery when the snow falls and the temperature drops, but Gary manages to get here and get round with our mail, albeit junk mail and bills. So, thank you Gary for your loyal service.

Bingo at The Bell
February Bingo will be on Tuesday February 5. Come along for a bit of fun and possibly come away with a prize. Have a meal beforehand. Don’t forget The Bell is offering 2 meals for £10 from a selected menu – just the thing before the excitement starts.

Quiz at The Bell
The next quiz at The Bell will be held on Sunday February 10 at 8.00pm. Just turn up or pop in to book a table.

Shrove Tuesday at St Nicholas
Pancakes are being made on Tuesday February 12 from 4 until 5pm at St Nicholas church.

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A Local List of the Vale's historic buildings and features - are you interested?

Received by the Parish Council:

Dear Parish Clerk,

We are Aylesbury Vale district councillors, working on a cross party basis to look into potential levels of support for a “Local List” within the Vale’s communities. We hope to prepare a brief report to be presented to the Environment and Living Scrutiny committee on 13 February.

Local Lists identify buildings and many other features that, although not suitable for national statutory listing, are valued by local people. While such a List does not give direct legal protection to the items listed, it helps to make sure that such buildings and places are properly considered when planning proposals affecting them are presented to the district council. Identifying buildings and features suitable for local listing assists in establishing the uniqueness of place and is a further contribution to the character of the area and the sense of identity within a community.

We are writing to ask whether individuals or an amenity or history society in your parish would be interested in supporting, in principle at this stage, such a List were one to be drawn up? Equally, if your community has already compiled its own Local List then we would like to hear about it. AVDC would provide appropriate support to help volunteers identify and report on suitable candidates for the List. It would also maintain the List which could be adopted as a policy in the Vale of Aylesbury plan.

Please let us know if there is interest in your parish. As we have said, we are trying to gauge what level of support for the principle of a Local List may exist in the Vale. We emphasise that at this stage we are not looking for any commitment to action from you, other than the courtesy of a response to this email.

We look forward to hearing from you, no matter how brief your response. Should you, in the meantime have any further questions then please let us know. Contact details are Tel: 01296 668565 and Email: c.cashman@zen.co.uk

Yours Sincerely,
Judy Brandis - Corry Cashman

Refuse collections

AVDC have advised that due to treacherous road conditions, some areas will not have had their bins emptied today.

If this applies to you, please put your bins out for Monday when, weather permitting, the collections will be made.

AVDC also mentioned that their job had not been made easier by badly parked cars. Please park considerately - access at any time may be needed by the emergency services.

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Village News

with Margaret morbey

6 Nations Rugby
Chearsley Cricket Club will again be showing live matches at their clubhouse with the first match of Wales v Ireland on February 2 at 1.30pm followed by England v Scotland at 4pm. In order to engender a spirit of “friendly antagonism”, volunteers to become Team captains for the various countries are being urged to come forward. The positions for Wales and England have already been filled, but captains to represent Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy are still needed. Please contact Larry Greenfield if you are interested.

Burglary in Church Lane
During the morning of Tuesday January 15 a house in Church Lane was broken into. Access was gained from the back of the property. Cash was stolen. If anyone has any information or saw anyone or anything suspicious which may be connected, please ring the police on the 101 non-emergency number. Another unfortunate reminder to always be alert and aware to keep our property secure. Cars in Nether Winchendon, Upper Pollicott, Ashenden have also been targeted recently, when, cash, sat navs, ipods and keys have been stolen. All these cars had been left unlocked.

Mobile Library
This is next in the village on Monday January 28 from 12.20 until 12.45pm.

Long Crendon and Chearsley Art Group
New members are always welcome at this small friendly group which meet every Wednesday morning from 10 until 12pm at Church House, Long Crendon. Please either call in or ring Jann Grimshaw on 01844 202630 for more information.

St Nicholas Church
Publication of the church magazine aCross, which serves Long Crendon, Chearsley and Nether Winchenden is coming to an end with the February edition being the last one. No-one has come forward to take over the job of editor when Anne Pratt the current editor finishes. It is hoped that it may be resurrected in the future. Until then, a list of services and other church functions and activities can be found on the St. Nicholas Church website.

Soul Spark
This week long event is being held in the church again this year from March 3 until March 9. Sharon Sampson is asking for help in the way of pictures from old magazines which could help with the theme of “celebration” – donations of any magazines of travel or nature would be much appreciated. A long shot is a request for a distorting mirror, or possibly a large bendy reflective board and also a 'Welcome' doormat. If you are able to help, please contact Sharon on 01844 208740.

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