FULMER NEWSLETTER December 2014 – Issue 56 www.fulmervillage.org

LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Bucks Prestige Cars, Mark Roberts 07436 548784

Brunel Gallery 01753 662323

Chiropody, Adriana Rozek 01753 652754

Dog Walking Service 07922 577699

Hamptons Estate Agents, Gerrards Cross 01753 886464

Helping hands – Care Service 0808 1801021

Hibiscus beauty salon, Wexham 01753 664166

Plumbing/electrics, Tom Kehoe 01494 580518/07716 440916

South Bucks Physio, Wexham 01753 664114

Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens 01753 523744

We are very grateful to our advertisers, many of whom have been supporting the Newsletter for a number of years. Please remember to tell any of the advertisers that you have seen their advert here. The advertising income with a contribution from the Parish Council helps us fund the Newsletter and secure its future.

If anyone would like to advertise in a future issue, please contact

Susie Simkins on 662537 or by email to susiemsimkins@gmail.

From Dominic Grieve QC MP

As I write this piece, the rain is falling outside and the long-range weather forecast predicts a wet winter. I hope it may be mistaken as my trips round the constituency show me that ground and river water levels remain high after last winter’s offering. Fortunately much of Fulmer being an old settlement was wisely placed in dry locations, something which modern development often ignores.

Firm foundations both terrestrial and moral are a good place to withstand the vicissitudes which daily life throws up for us. I am conscious that the year has been not without its challenges. The prospect of the start of development at

Pinewood is a source of anxiety and we must strive to ensure that the process and the end result preserve Fulmer’s charms. The maintenance of a cohesive community in a world of change is another. And for me personally as much as for the electorate, a looming election year will see hopes and fears for the future debated and expressed as political parties set out their stalls and those we strive to serve have an important opportunity to tell us what they think.

But before we reach that I that this Christmas will see the village able to share together in the seasonal rejoicing at the possibility, despite our imperfections, of redemption through our Saviour’s birth, a Christian festival accessible to all of goodwill.

I wish all Fulmer residents a very happy Christmas and New Year. FIFTY YEARS A FULMERITE By coincidence the 50th Anniversary of my family moving into Fulmer was on the 24 June, two days before my 90th birthday. We had bought Huyton Fold (the name of my boyhood home in Lancashire), the year before and as our family was growing, we converted the three bedroom house into five. The original had been built seven years earlier and stood in three acres of grassland, looking rather isolated. The reason for the three acres derived from the fact that Harold Colebrook, who lived at Fulmer Hall and who had done so much to modernise Fulmer Village in the ‘30’s, was alarmed that, before the Town & Country Planning Act and before the advent of the Green Belt, there was no protection against development and he, therefore, persuaded the families who owned the land to agree that no new properties would be built unless they stood in a minimum of 3 acres. The previous owner had not been interested in creating a garden and so we were faced with establishing a lawn by levelling out a steep bank; starting flower beds and a fruit and vegetable garden and planting trees, hedges and shrubs. It took many years but enabled Elizabeth and I to claim it as ‘All our own work’.

Early on we set about discovering Fulmer and the community in which we had come to live. I describe this in the following article. When I was co-authoring (with Ken Peters), ‘Fulmer’s Fallen’, the stories of the 19 sons of Fulmer who lost their lives in two World Wars, I reconstructed what life in Fulmer would have been like for those who left it for the battlefronts in World War I (Fulmer’s Fallen has just been reprinted and is currently available). By the standards of today, conditions bordered on the primitive and life was hard. Fulmer was very much a rural community and travelling any distance was unusual and those who lived here were very interdependent. But there was a very identifiable community spirit, which must have established some of the traditions we enjoy today.

How Fulmer life has developed in the intervening century has been well chronicled in Michael Saxby’s Histories of Fulmer, Pauline Hedley’s History of Fulmer Church; the pages of the Fulmer Newsletter; the dramatic presentations of Fulmer life devised by Ken Peters and produced by Merry Rushton, Fiona Gray and Diana Mann and so many items in the County Archives in Aylesbury, the comprehensive form it now takes being the fruits of the work carried out by the Archiving team which operated in Fulmer between 2005-2010.

On two occasions at meetings convened in the Village Hall, residents have been asked whether Fulmer should remain an active and vibrant community or serve as a dormitory village and traffic thoroughfare and on each occasion there has been a resounding ‘Yes’ vote for it to remain so, accepting that this entails the need for residents to give active support to the various organisations which are part of our community life together.

And our community life in a small parish remains rich. With Fulmer Day; the activities initiated through the Black Horse and the Church; the Infant and the Nursery Schools; the Village Hall; the Annual President’s cricket match and the robustness of the Youth Football, enhanced by the new Pavilion at the Recreation Ground; the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme; winning this year the Sword of Excellence in the County’s Best Kept Village Competition; the recent introduction of the Civic Awards; our association with the Riding for the Disabled Centre on Framewood Road and the Teikyo School; the Family Activity Day; the Christmas and Harvest Suppers with the drama productions while not forgetting those anonymous people who do so much for the elderly people living in our midst, all this is the constant evidence of a community that is breathing and breathing well. It is all part of the Fulmer Torch - may it burn brightly for many years to come.

It is not the province of an Introduction to be quite so personal but perhaps I can claim for this to be exceptional. Since founding the Fulmer Newsletter in 1986, I have written the Introduction and compiled the Personalia pages, which have included tributes to those who are sadly no longer with us. Ronnie and Susie Simkins have agreed to take over the latter. At the end of June, we not only celebrated our 50 years in Fulmer but also, at my 90th birthday party, we launched my autobiography, ‘A Brewer’s Tale’ which covers not only my family life and career in the brewing industry but also so much of my involvement in Fulmer community life. I feel this is the moment to lay down my pen with regard to the Introduction with grateful thanks to all those who have supported me in an eventful period of Fulmer life. EDWARD GUINNESS

BEST KEPT VILLAGE - Hurrah—we won the Best Kept Village Competition again this year. The judges gave us a score of 95 out of a possible 100. Several areas got maximum marks, and no area got less than 9 out of 10. The areas which got 9 out of 10 were: hedges and ditches, the Village Hall, the Playing Fields, ancillary features and overall appearance. Amongst the judges’ comments were: Obvious pride taken in the village………no litter.….neat hedges….fresh paint….informative Notice Board…..very attractive pub. Following refreshments in the Black Horse, Countess Howe, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, presented the Gurney Cup to Richard Marshall and the Sword of Excellence to myself. The Judging Party included Richard Pushman, the Competition Chairman, and Ruth Powell, the Competition Administrator. Fulmer has won the Best Kept Village more than any other village in our category and hopefully with the efforts of the Volunteers, householders and The Black Horse we can keep up an excellent appearance and succeed in the Competition again next year.

RONNIE LAMB

FIFTY YEARS IN FULMER – THE EARLY YEARS

Huyton Fold was situated in Windmill Road next door to the Old Rectory from which in 1964 the Rev. Rex Lloyd was retiring as Rector of Fulmer; he was succeeded by Rev. Bill Taylor. He and his family moved there shortly after we had come to Fulmer and on their first evening I went down to see if they required any help. Sitting on a sofa – about the only piece of furniture to have arrived – were the three sisters, Margaret, Valerie and Mary. Valerie was training as a physiotherapist and when qualified she went to East Pakistan, as it then was, and out of a population of 77 million she and one other were the only trained physiotherapists. Valerie was later to found the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Dhaka, in what had become, Bangladesh. People in Fulmer were very active in supporting her work and the Friends’ of the Centre was founded with John Morrell, who had come to live at the Old Rectory, as its Chairman and myself as Vice Chairman. The Friends received tremendous support through the country and were able to send tens of thousands of pounds annually to establish the charity in its early stages. Some years later the Princess Royal asked me where the enterprise had started and I was proud to answer ‘Fulmer’.

Like myself, Bill Taylor, was new to Fulmer and we set about together getting to know people and learning how community life in Fulmer ‘ticked’. As a result, in 1973 I was asked by Peter Bryett, the Chairman of Fulmer Parish Council, to agree to be nominated to succeed him as he was leaving the area. I accepted and Bill Taylor was one of my Councillors. He regarded this as important as it enabled him to have the ‘pulse’ of those who did not attend the church as well as those who did. The high quality of Bill’s sermons became legendary and many were taped for posterity. It was a good apprenticeship before starting to undertake the responsibilities of the Chairmanship of the Parish Council. It was an exciting time as early on the village of Fulmer, rather than the whole Parish, was designated a Conservation area. The main structural changes in the centre of the village had taken place in the ‘30’s as mentioned in the previous article and the threats which arose from unauthorized dumping of building materials in the ‘80’s had been fought off (it took two Courts of Inquiry to achieve this) and with the bottom of Hay Lane and Stoke Common Road being especially affected, the Fulmer of today is very recognisable from the village of 50 years ago when I started here with its natural attractiveness being sustained. This was a major factor in our successes in the Best Kept Village Competition which started in the later ‘70’s since when we have been Cup Winners on 12 occasions since 1985 and have won the Sword of Excellence three times. The Sword is awarded to the best kept village in the County of Buckinghamshire. Having run the Fulmer participation for 28 years, I can attest to the fact that this feat can only be achieved through the efforts of everyone in our community and Fulmer has every right to be proud of it.

Another serious challenge was although the old Eton Rural District Council had mapped out a main drainage scheme covering the whole Parish, the responsibility had passed to Thames Water who placed an embargo on all ‘first time’ sewerage schemes. At that time Fulmer was suffering badly from lack of main drainage and the stench when septic tanks and cesspits were being emptied earned us the unwelcome sobriquet in the local press of ‘Smelly Fulmer’. It took 18 years of representations to Government departments at ministerial level, local authorities and the packing of Fulmer residents in the public gallery at District Council meetings before agreement was reached and in 1994 the centre of Fulmer village was at last on main drainage. Perhaps we now take it for granted but it was very hard work and a sustained effort at the time!

On taking up the reins of the Parish Council in 1973, I found that my predecessor had done most of the Council work himself with very little delegation. He was assisted by the Clerk, a lady from Ruislip who would not drive in the dark so that Council meetings took place on Saturday mornings, probably the most inconvenient time in the week for everyone other than herself. In this respect I was fortunate in recruiting one Alf Westwood, who lived in Stoke Poges and as a staff member of Eton RDC had been responsible for planning the main drainage scheme which was to cover the whole Parish. As a result he knew Fulmer well and was to prove excellent. I quickly realised that with changing times there were a growing number of issues facing Fulmer such as those mentioned above and there was no way by which I could cope with these by myself (I was more than fully employed by Guinness at the time) and I therefore allotted specific roles to Council members such as Planning; Highways & Bye-Ways; Liaison with County and District Authorities; Liaison with Church, Schools and Village Hall; Finance (mostly handled by the Clerk); young people; the Recreation Ground and so on. I found that members responded well to taking on responsibilities involved and at Council meetings would report on the progress or otherwise on items in their sector.

Apart from the issues set out above, there were also: · Proposed substantial gravel excavation sites at the Pickeridge and in the Fulmer Lane vicinity · Plans were being formulated for the routes of the M25 and M40 motorways, both of which would be occupying Fulmer land while gravel for their construction was to be taken from ‘borrow pits’ sited in the vicinity of Low Farm · Boundary changes which could vitally affect Fulmer · At that time the Recreation Ground came under the jurisdiction of the Parish Council, which had to approve every significant item of expenditure. To me this seemed ridiculous as the Groundsman would be the best judge of requirements. As a result the Sports & Social Club was formed and they received an annual grant from the Council to be spent as they thought most fitting. The new Pavilion was opened in 2003. · Car parking at The Black Horse, which was blocking Windmill Road: setting down and collecting children at the Infant School in Alderbourne Lane could be dangerous · There was no co-ordinated effort in respect of the Best Kept Village Competition and it was clear that success could only be achieved if the whole village became active participants and this cannot be generated overnight. We started the Warden system, each Warden being responsible for his/her own particular sector – it took 6 years before we had our first success, but our record since then has been consistently excellent.

These are but some of the early challenges to be faced by the Parish Council in the ‘70’s but it was steadily to become a coherent and effective team and we were enjoying working together.

EDWARD GUINNESS

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FROM OUR RECTOR There is something both comforting and very reassuring about things that stay the same. The church building in Fulmer village is a great symbol of that reassurance. Familiarity, consistency and reliability all flow from the things that stay the same. Village life is attractive and preferable to many of us for that same reason. While all around us is changing at an increasing rate, the village stays the same. The bible tells us that God is unchanging, He is the same 'yesterday, today and for ever'. His character, his love, his care for everything and everyone that He has made, never changes. Yet as someone once said, 'one thing is for sure, change is here to stay'. The world changes, we change and nothing really stays the same. And change, we all know can be very healthy and often essential Charles Darwin said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

Jesus said 'My Father is always at work', in other words God's character may never change but he is always at work in the world. He is the ultimate change agent. He changes our perspectives, he changes our understanding and he changes our very eternity if we put our faith and trust in him. When we commit our lives to Christ he brings the most extraordinary and wonderful change imaginable and into the bargain he gives us the strength and the wisdom we need to handle all the change that the world might throw at us. If God is interested in change and transformation surely we should be too; so much in our world needs to change to make it a better and safer place to live in for us and future generations. What are you working to change? Whatever that may be, big or small, if it is for the good of your neighbour and your community it is surely worth persevering with. And perhaps this prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr might be a help to us all as we seek to change things for good: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Reinhold Niebuhr Martin Williams – Rector - 01753-883301 www.saintjames.org.uk

RNLI – FULMER BRANCH

Just one event held since the last Newsletter – a very successful and well supported Bridge Drive with touching 100 players at the Memorial Centre Gerrards Cross in November. Our next event is our annual Quiz Night at Fulmer Village Hall – make a note in your diaries for Saturday, 24 January at 7.30pm for a fun evening with great questions, fish & chips from Andrews’ in GX and delicious home-made puddings and good wine. Please contact Susie on [email protected] if you would like to come – either make up a table of 8 or we can put you with others. It is lovely to have an event in the village and we hope you will come and support a very worthy charity. SUE FAGAN - [email protected] ADRIANA ROZEK - STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST

Iver Heath Health Centre, Trewarden Ave, Iver, SL0 0SB 07966 426627/01753 652754 And: Chiropody Clinic & Footcare, 1b Oaklands Grove, Shepherds Bush Tel: 020 8749 3456 Authorised Stockist of

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE SERVICE NHS Trust

MAKE A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY BY BECOMING A VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDER (CFR). SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE SERVICE NHS TRUST (SCAS) RUN CFR SCHEMES IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, BUT IS FUNDED BY CHARITABLE DONATIONS (REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBERS 1049778 & 280826) YOU’LL BE FULLY TRAINED BY SCAS PROFESSIOBNAL CLINICIANS. INTERESTED TO JOIN OR WANT TO DONATE? EMAIL – [email protected] RING – 0800 587 0207 VISIT – www.southcentralambulance.nhs.uk For all your plumbing and electrical needs. City & Guilds qualified. No job too small.

HIGHWAY MATTERS - Michael Saxby

Take· note of a number of new ways of obtaining information and reporting problems. - For road or pavement defects, contact Buckinghamshire County Council Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB for short) 01296 382416

Out of hours (5pm to 9am and weekends):- 01296 486630 and Email:www.transportforbucks.net/parish [email protected] (also useful-zone.aspx if you want to send pictures) · TfB information can be found on www.buckscc.gov.uk/tell tfb

Lighting defects: notify Peter Kelly, Parish Clerk, and, most importantly, the light standard's reference number and location. His telephone number is · Stre 01628 628183; or email: [email protected] et Names. Contact Simon Gray, Property & Contract Services, South Bucks District Council, regarding. damaged street signs and new developments [email protected] requiring signage Telephone: 01895 837200; or email:

PERSONALIA FUNERALS – We record with sadness the funerals of: Greville Selby-Lowndes on 26 June in Fulmer Church. Gillian Hubble on 10 September in Stoke Poges Church David Farrant, died 6 September, funeral in Fulmer Church 1 November Robert Norman Hall died on 13 September in South Carolina, funeral on 17 September. Robert had a long association with Fulmer when he established the Fulmer School of Equitation in the 1960’s until the 1980’s.

BURIAL OF ASHES Lionel Adrian Evans known as Adrian who died 19 February. Brother of Colin Evans, Adrian and his sister lived with their parents in Hay Lane whilst growing up. Adrian continued to visit the Black Horse for many years.

SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING Joan Elizabeth Ryan known as Nanny Ryan, she died on 21 June at age 100.

ARRIVALS – We welcome into the Fulmer Community: Charlie, Alexis Gray and their daughter, Perdita, into Bracken Cottage, Cherry Tree Lane. Richard Walker who has moved to 1 South Row (the former village shop) Jessica & Peter Whelan into North Row with their daughter, Yvie Florence. Fiona Gray has moved from Gerrards Cross into Fulmer Place; Fiona has a long association with Fulmer through St James and it is lovely to have her living in the centre of the village now. Matt Small & Gemma Saffhill into North Row from Iver. Tom Laslett and Paul Pownall, co owners of TOPA Hair Design, Gerrards Cross, have recently moved into Fulmer Village

GOODBYES – we are sad to say farewell to: Dee Knight who has moved to Bledlow in August. Pauline Vahey who has moved to Stoke Poges.

ACHIEVEMENTS – We congratulate Michael Saxby who writes of his special birthday: The Big 90 - Wow! Only another ten years to scoring my century. In September, my wife Dahlia was 95, topping my 90. Sadly, she has not been in good health, whereas I seem to keep going. We had advance birthday presents in the form of flu jabs administered by a charming lady doctor, elegantly attired in an ankle length dress and colourful head scarf. We shook hands and she had me chatting about my "achievements" - obviously a good sort! She asked me to what I attributed my longevity. I answered that apart from long life being the norm on my father's side of the family, keeping mentally active was a contributor, such as the various voluntary commitments. My very supportive neighbours turned up with a bottle of champagne. Another day, all the family came for a happy lunch party. I do enjoy being spoilt. Another occasion of importance was in July - 60 years of marriage.

Bradley Stone from Fulmer Common Road has been playing ice hockey since the age of 5, and has represented England in the World Championships as well as competing in several South West Conference Tournaments. When he was just 16 he was accepted into a hockey school in New York in the hopes of one day becoming a professional hockey player and knew if he was to realise his dream he would have to make the move to the States and because of his good grades, his school offered him a place and lived in New York for 2 years, he graduated on May 17th, and has a contract with a Junior A hockey club in Boston in the USPHL – he is the first British Goalie ever to play in that league and their number one goalie! Bradley has worked so hard to get where he is today, who would have thought that a little boy from Fulmer has ended up playing on a team in Boston! Hopefully this is just the beginning of a new journey, for him.

MARRIAGES We send our best wishes for their future happiness together to: Oliver Newton and Laura Thomas who were married in Fulmer Church on 24 May. Laura is the daughter of Celia & Daffyd Thomas (of Cherry Tree Lane) James Ramsay and Christine Wilson on 19 July in Fulmer Church. James is the son of Fiona Gray now living in Fulmer. David Martland and Katrina Stone on 4 October in Fulmer Church; Katrina is the daughter of Sue and Richard Stone. Ian Radford and Clare Stutton on 21 June; Clare lived within the Parish for many years. Leslie Fraser and Sophie Jarman on 26 July Gerhard Du Plessis and Katherine Secoy on 27 September.

BIRTHS - we congratulate: Steve & Lucy Marsh on the birth of their daughter Elizabeth Amy on 17 June; Steve and Lucy live in Stoke Poges William & Beatrice Ramsay of Geneva on the birth of their son, Henry Thomas on 20 October, a brother for Holly. William is the son of Fiona Gray of Fulmer Place.

CHRISTENINGS - Imogen & Lydia twin daughters of Yvette (Baba) & Russell Pengelly, and granddaughters of Yvette and the late Steve Harris, on 6 July in Fulmer Church. Elizabeth Amy Marsh on 6 July in Fulmer Church.

GREVILLE SELBY-LOWNDES

Greville Selby-Lowndes was born on 8 March 1920 in Lowestoft, in the most easterly house in England, to a clergy family; he had two older sisters, with his brother Guy arriving 9 years later. An early move to the Vicarage in Bramley, Surrey, saw many happy days.

He went to school at Marlborough College, which were informative and important days for him. He always talked of them with fondness, although tempered with a tinge of sadness for friends who didn’t survive the upcoming war. He was a keen and energetic sportsman who played cricket and rugby.

After Marlborough, he spent two years only at Pembroke, Cambridge reading anthropology. War was declared when he first went up to Cambridge, and, as with all his colleagues, they signed up straightaway. They were allowed to finish their second year.

Initially Greville joined the Cavalry but didn’t want to be in a tank so he transferred to the Grenadier Guards and, perhaps ironically, ended up in the Guards’ Armoured Division where he commanded a troop of what became his beloved honey tanks, which were the reconnaissance unit. From the initial break out from Normandy, capturing bridges on the Seine, to joining 30 corps and liberating Brussels and into Holland - it was here that he faced his hardest challenges from a series of battles, to making sure that his men and tanks were rescued from being stuck in the mud while heavily under fire.

Whilst guarding a bridge in Holland, his appendix burst – and he was returned to England. When he recovered, he was posted to Norway. Greville believed common sense was more important than anything else, and that rules should follow common sense, not the other way round. An example being, when he was in Norway, at the end of the war, he was sitting on a military tribunal when a young overseas soldier was up for theft. It was still war-time which meant the sentence was death. Greville spent considerable time persuading the Colonel that discretion and common sense were more important and that following the law for the sake of it was wrong in situations like this. A sentence of imprisonment followed.

After the war Greville began his pursuit of activities that remained at the heart of the rest of his life: skiing, sailing, shooting and golf. Perhaps the most important was sailing. From his early seeking of crew work at the RORC, he ended up on Foxhound and Bloodhound and made friends for life. It gave him a passion for sailing, and the beautiful mooring on the Beaulieu River, where he spent happy years on Artemis, Talu and Callisto, were punctuated by many a jovial time at the Royal Yacht Squadron.

After he was discharged from the army, he worked for a year at an advertising agency and then joined the Reader’s Digest. Many things are remembered of his days at 25 Berkeley Square, but perhaps especially his window box tomatoes, as the Daily Mail commented in its diary one year; “We know it is summer because tomatoes are back in Berkeley Square”.

He continued working for the Reader’s Digest until 1982 when he retired, aged 62. During his time at the magazine he had travelled far, including India, Europe, South Africa and America as well as Brazil. He was in India during the 6-day war with Pakistan.

Greville married Patricia on 9 May 1962. Initially they lived in London where Polly and Sally were born. They moved to Langley Cottage, Fulmer in 1966 with William being born in 1968.

Following Greville’s retirement he became High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1983-84. 1984 was the year of the Los Angeles Olympics. Unfortunately Los Angeles had no interest in the Paralympics and they decided to cancel them as they had only raised the equivalent of £6,000 in 7 years. Stoke Mandeville wanted to take them on, but they needed to double the £6,000 within 14 days, and, thanks to Greville, they more than raised that sum, as all of the Digest offices happily supported this great cause, and the Paralympics survived. This led to a long association with what was known as the British Paraplegic Sports’ Society.

Greville remained in Fulmer until his death on 31 May 2015. He was a regular at St James and read the names of the Fallen for the last time at the Remembrance Day service in 2013, supported by his family. He was a Vice- President of Fulmer Cricket Club and had a lot of friends in the neighbourhood.

Greville was a very active man who skied on his 90th birthday, and played golf until about a year before he died, as well as having one last day shooting in 2013. His health had declined following a heart operation in 2011 but his death, although peaceful, was a shock in the end. He will be much missed by many people, but in particular, by Patricia and his three children, Polly, Sally and William and his nine grandchildren.

WILLIAM SELBY-LOWNDES

GILLIAN HUBBLE

Gillian Mary Hubble, of Cygnet House, Windmill Road, passed away peacefully on the 27th August at Wexham Park Hospital after a stroke. She was surrounded by her close family, including her three sons - Dominic, Matthew and Ben - in her final hours.

Gillian (nee Saint) was born in 1933 in Iver, and lived at the village surgery where her GP father practised during and after the war.

After studying at the Sorbonne, Paris, she worked at Woman's Journal in London, climbing to the rank of fashion editor. She met her husband, John, whilst interviewing him for a feature article. After marrying in London, they lived in Stoke Poges, where they brought up their 3 boys.

Gillian produced the annual fashion brochure for Rose and Hubble, the successful fabrics wholesaler, which was managed by her husband. She remained an active employee, and then director, into her fifties, yet still managed to be a hands-on mother and run an always hospitable house at the family home, Calladown.

John, tragically, suffered a pulmonary embolism aged 66, after which he was severely debilitated until his death 11 years later in 2009. Gillian bravely cared for him for many of those years - whilst being a type 1 diabetic herself - and, after eventually agreeing to admit John to Windsor Lodge Care Home, she visited him every day.

It was during this period that she moved to Windmill Road, where, thanks to the kindness of her friends and neighbours, her final years were spent very happily, even as her health and memory deteriorated.

The family would also like to thank St. James Church, who were extremely welcoming to our mother and most thoughtful as she approached her later days.

DOMINIC, MATTHEW & BEN HUBBLE

RENEE ANNIE WILLIAMS

Renee was born in 1925 in Islington and went to school at Hornsey Girls’ School and always attended school annual reunion lunches until about 3 years ago.

Her family ran a silk flower manufacturing business, which during the war turned to making parachutes. She was an only child but had a large number of cousins. She met Peter Brundall Williams, her future husband, at a Christmas dance, whilst he was at college. He was two years younger and also an only child (his father committed suicide when Peter was about 50 years old). Peter was training as an electronics engineer and Renee for a firm of residential/letting agents who were striving to provide accommodation during the bombing and later during post-war rebuilding. They married in September 1950 and honey-mooned in Sidmouth, Devon. They lived in North London for 12 years before moving to Eastcote. Peter rose through the ranks with Ultra Engineering, eventually becoming Managing Director. He went to the USA frequently and sometimes Renee accompanied him. Whilst in Eastcote, Renee worked for many years as a part time secretary at The Metal Box Company. At this time she loved zipping around in her little mini, which was very fashionable at the time and those who knew her thought was marvellous!

They moved to Long Spinney, Stoke Common Road, an architect-designed property in a large woodland garden in Fulmer and it was in October 1987 when sadly, in a snowstorm, Peter had a heart attack and died – he was only 59. They never had any children but Renee was very independent and stoic and took everything in her stride – moving to a house with a small garden in Chalfont St Peter in 1988. In later life she also bought a flat in Bournemouth and enjoyed many short breaks there. She loved walking along the prom with an ice cream and going to the summer shows. Renee and Peter had travelled together over the years and she continued to travel extensively after Peter died. Her friends all enjoyed hearing about her escapades and receiving tips on where to visit themselves. She and Tina’s mother, Joyce, (who had been Renee’s bridesmaid) took a wonderful trip to Australia and enjoyed touring there for 3 weeks – one highlight was an upgrade to First Class and enjoying the champagne!

Renee downsized in 1999 to a sheltered flat in Amersham near all amentities and made new friends at Archer Court and she continued driving her beloved Ford Fiesta until 4 years ago. She started going to church at St James, Fulmer in 1987 and worshipped regularly until 2012 after which she was too ill to attend, though members of the congregation continued to visit her. She attended the local horticultural society and Women’s Institute and was very clever making knitted animals and doing embroidery. Members of the Fulmer congregation remember the basket she used to bring to church with her – so often with a knitted animal in it. She enjoyed going to London to the theatre and taking day trips. On their travels Renee and Peter had made friends with Derek and Beryl Hazell. They have been wonderful, kind friends for over 38 years and had been on trips abroad together. They helped Renee in the last few years as her illness progressed – visiting her, looking at Care Homes and helping her move to Sunrise in Beaconsfield in June 2013; and again this year in seeking a Nursing Home nearer to them as her condition deteriorated and she was no longer able to stay at Sunrise. She moved to Austen House, Reading in August this year.

Renee was a very independent lady and had a good sense of humour, which still came through, even with her dementia.

Mary Salvage, Karen Woodison & Tina McIntosh (Renee’s Goddaughter)

VILLAGE EVENT MESSAGING SERVICE Help yourself and your neighbours by joining the Fulmer Neighbourhood Watch and Event Notification Scheme.. The primary purpose of the scheme is to alert Fulmer residents to crime in the village in order to raise the level of awareness so that measures can be instigated to reduce the possibility of attack. This is a two way communication system, so if members have any information that they think would be of interest to their neighbours or other E-Watch members, they e-mail the information to me and I circulate it to all the other members. Additionally, I circulate notice of any celebrations or events, or any other information that I consider may be of interest to the residents of Fulmer. I do not name the persons from whom information is received, I merely refer to them as 'watch' members. Neither do I identify exact addresses relating to incidents unless specifically asked to do so by the victim, in order to protect their privacy.

To ensure members privacy I circulate all messages as ‘blind copies’ so that members e-mail addresses are not visible to others. Some of the messages that I circulate are 'Ringmaster' messages. These are messages received from the police at Amersham. They tend to be of a more general nature than the messages that I circulate and include crime prevention advice. I also circulate specific warnings, reports and requests sent to me by the police and local authorities.

Following requests from Watch Members, I also circulate messages alerting Fulmer residents to other matters that may be of interest or concern. Some of these are circulated by myself on my own initiative; others are messages that I forward on behalf of the Parish Council or other village groups. In these cases it will be evident as to who has requested the circulation.

To join please send an e-mail with your contact details to: [email protected]

Brian Weild, Fulmer Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator

FULMER PARISH COUNCIL

I did not expect to be back in the Chair at the Parish Council again and am very sorry that Pauline Vahey found it necessary to stand down. She was an excellent Chairman and the Parish Council is the loser with her resignation. May I also say at this juncture that I hope I will not be in the Chair for any length of time. I think it is very important that the Parish Council has a fresh leader who can address those issues that inevitably occur within the Parish. Meantime I will do my best to see that matters are conducted properly and that a new Chairman is found reasonably soon.

Over the last few months there have been a number of events or issues that should be noted:

- Mark Dixon was elected to the Parish Council: he is Chairman of the local School Board - A lot has been going at the Mosque and it is not clear what their ultimate intentions are - As far as Pinewood is concerned, there have been several rumours about what is happening there and whether whatever was happening was in our interests. - Then HS2, much is written about it but it is still not clear whether it will have any real impact on Fulmer and immediate neighbours.

Regarding all these matters, you are most welcome to come to our Parish Council Meetings and raise any issues you want. The dates of our next few Meetings in Fulmer Village Hall at 8.00pm are: Tuesday, 2nd December, Tuesday, 13th January and Tuesday,17th February.

Open day at the Minor Land of Fadak al Muhassan Mosque On the morning of Wednesday 24th September 2014 37 villagers attended an ‘open day’ at the Minor Land of Fadak al Muhassan Mosque Windmill Road, Fulmer. The event was arranged by the mosque management team in liaison with Fulmer Parish Council with the intention of de-mystifying the mosque and answering questions from the community. The meeting was hosted by Mr Hamid Al-Tahir who explained that the mosque represented a minority group of the Shia Muslims. He is a Kuwaiti, as is their Imam Shiekh Yasser Al-Habib and a number of their followers who were expelled from Kuwait for their religious beliefs. We were told that they had purchased the old Exclusive Brethren site as it provided a quiet place to meet and pray. They also run a TV station that broadcasts in French and Arabic to Southern France, North Africa and the Middle East and in particular to Egypt where they have a considerable following. Hamid and a colleague then gave a presentation explaining their religious views. They stated that they are keen to integrate with the Fulmer community and live in harmony with their neighbours. Following their presentation they answered questions from the floor. When the meeting was over, the mosque provided an excellent bar-b-q lunch. It is hoped to repeat the ‘open day’ next year. Brian Weild

FROM OUR COUNTY COUNCILLOR

Most residents will be aware that in June 2014, Buckinghamshire County Council’s Services for children in need of help and protection were inspected by Ofsted. The Services were found to be ”inadequate” and the Council were required to produce a detailed improvement plan to address the recommendations contained in the Ofsted report. The plan has been costed and Council have already agreed the release of £1M contingency, together with a further £1.64M from the General Reserve fund. This will result in service reductions elsewhere in the County Budget for the next financial year, and the year after, at a time when because of Government reduction in Local Government grant we were already facing significant difficulties in maintaining services at their current level. The County Council has been out to resident consultation as to the services residents would prioritise. and inevitably some hard decisions will need to be taken. Over the last four years over £80M has been taken out of BCC spending, with significant staff reductions and re-engineering of how services can be delivered. In addition there is a significant drive for greater co-operation and cross boundary working between the Bucks local authorities, all of whom are examining new ways of working, including looking at any unitary models if they were costed and proven to be in the best interests of our Council taxpayers.. However, with the General Election looming in May 2015 any structural changes to local government will of necessity need to wait until the post election period of political stability. At the end of November 2014, Buckinghamshire Law Plus, the County Council and the Fire Authority’s new legal services company launches. This company, approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, will then be able provide legal services to both public organisations and private business across the County and beyond, in addition to being the in house legal advisors to the Council and to Bucks Fire and Rescue Service. The profits which the company makes will be available to the Council to invest in expanding the company to generate increased profits or to fund Council services. After an exhaustive study, the creation of a Joint Trading Standards Service between Buckinghamshire and Surrey was agreed by both Authorities in October, and work continues to create this joint service, to be implemented from April 2015. A number of in-depth Select Committee enquires have been undertaken, including an investigation into the provision of GP Services across Buckinghamshire. I chaired this investigation, as Vice Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Standing Committee. Amongst other activity, we visited 12 GP Practices across the County to gather first hand evidence. Our final report will be made public before Christmas. As a Lead Member for the Bucks Fire Authority I am delighted to be able to report that Buckinghamshire is not only the safest county in which to live in England but also enjoys being the least expensive for Fire Services.

Councillor Roger Reed County Councillor Denham and Fulmer

PLANNING APPLICATIONS May – Nov 2014

Property Proposal Result

Church Farm And Grove Two storey and part first floor rear Refused Cottages Windmill Road extension. Loft conversion with dormer 14/00638/FUL window and roof lights. Removal of a chimney stack.

Fulmer Infant School Variation of condition 2 of planning Permitted Alderbourne Lane permission 13/00792/FUL to amend 14/00768/VC approved drawings to incorporate additional door and air source heat pump.

Amberwood Stoke Single storey rear extension.. Prior Approval is Common Road not required 14/00845/GPDE Buckwood Fulmer Single storey rear extension Prior Approval is Common Road not required 14/00899/GPDE Land West Side Of Retention of residential home Refused Hawkswood Lane : 14/01003/FUL Fugelmere Grange Two storey extension Permitted Fulmer Road 12/01533/FUL Buckwood Fulmer Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness Permitted Common Road for proposed: Single storey front extension 14/01123/CLOPED and single storey side extensions.

Amberwood Stoke Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness Certificate of Common Road for proposed: single storey extensions to Lawful Use 14/01186/CLOPED both sides of existing dwellinghouse. Granted

Fulmer Hall Windmill Conversion and refurbishment to form one Permitted Road dwelling house. 14/01344/FUL Fulmer Hall Windmill Listed Building Application: Conversion and Permitted Road refurbishment to form one dwellinghouse. 14/01712/LBC Pantiles Fulmer Single storey side extension. Permitted Common Road 14/01390/FUL Land West Side Of Retention of residential home. Refused Hawkswood Lane 14/01490/FUL Woodcroft Fulmer Notification under The Town and Country Approval is not Common Road Planning (General Permitted Development) required 14/01595/GPDE Order 1995 (As Amended), Part 1 of Schedule 2 Class A 4 for a single storey side/rear extension and extension to existing porch.

Grove Cottage Windmill Single storey side/rear extension. Permitted Road 14/01489/FUL Oakville Fulmer Enlarged side dormer window and detached Permitted Common Road double garage. 14/01725/FUL Fulmer Chase Stoke Willow (W11) - Fell (SBDC TPO. NO. Permitted Common Road 03,1950). 14/01755/TPO Fernacres Farm Fulmer Redevelopment of site to provide 4 detached Permitted Common Road dwellings. 14/01834/FUL Pantiles Fulmer Non Material Amendment to Planning Permitted Common Road Permission 14/01390/FUL to allow: Larger 14/01854/NMA rear door and amendments to position and appearance of one skylight and rear window Amberwood Stoke Porch, two storey side extension and single Pending Decision Common Road storey rear extension and incorporating stone 14/01878/FUL cladding and render to the dwelling.

Roughwood Windsor Conservatory with veranda. Pending Road Gerrards Cross Consideration 14/01941/FUL

The Birches Windmill Application for certificate of lawfulness for Certificate Refused Road proposed: Single storey side/rear extensions 14/02006/CLOPED incorporating part tiled/part flat roof.

Fulmer Chase Farm Hay Redevelopment of site to provide two Pending Lane detached dwellings with associated stable Consideration 14/02124/FUL blocks, parking, landscaping and access.

MARK DICKSON

Do you know about Credit Unions? There has been so much in the news recently about unscrupulous money lending institutions. Banks, which will not lend, and money lenders like Wonga who did lend and charged horrendous interest sums for doing so. To be fair Wonga are righting wrongs and cancelling the worst debt cases caused by excessive interest. However, the fact remains that the careful saver is not rewarded and the small needs borrower is heavily penalised. Years ago we had a thriving Cooperative Savings Society, which encouraged small regular savings and allowed borrowing against those savings at low interest. It was a good system for Communities because those who could afford to leave their savings in “the Bank” helped those who needed a little extra for special times. Well such a scheme has, with the encouragement of Government and Local Councils, been put in place again. It is called a Credit Union. In South Bucks, where we have one in place it is called The Community Bank. This is the way it works. You are encouraged to save on a regular basis, weekly, or monthly a small amount, such as you might put in a piggy bank and after three months you are entitled to borrow up to three times of the amount of your savings. You have up to 60 months to repay and interest charges start at 0.75% a month. So if you could save £10 a week, in 3 months you would have £120 and you could, if you had to, borrow without any fuss or hassle £360. It is a great way for young people to learn the value of money, the advantage of saving and the cost, although very small, of borrowing, At this point the Community Bank has 648 Adult members with savings of £540,000. There is £94,000 in reserves, which is statutory and £239,000 available to borrow. It is a safe, non-flashy, community based outreach, which promises sensible stable help. There are plans to roll out some very useful savings plans for the young family. For example, relating to Child Benefit. Half can be saved and borrowing can be done on that saved portion to get some larger item for the family, e.g a buggy or a holiday play scheme which would knock a hole in the normal monthly budget. For the person who wants to do something to help in the wider community and who has a little spare cash to invest will find it a very altruistic way to earn interest and benefit those who need some help from time to to time. I have just joined as a saver, as have our two local MP`s (so has the Duchess of Cornwall!). The organization of Credit Union exists in 103 countries and has 280 million members. It works! How do you apply? You either download the application form from the website, make contact by email or you can telephone. A form can be sent to you at your address, which is a very easy one to complete. The only documents you need are copies of a birth certificate or passport or driving license. You also need a proof of address. The Community Bank is not run by the Council, just supported by them; it is essentially run by the members for the benefit of the members. It is a not for profit organization so there are no fat salaries. Any profit made is given to members in the form of a dividend. (Ask Grandma if she recalls the Co-op “Divvy” - for many it was a boon at Christmas!) So there it is. A very good scheme, tried and tested, and an excellent way to role model saving for our children. They can have their own junior account and watch their money grow. As adults we can help each other in a positive way and help to change the lives of some at times when they need it. www.mformoneycreditunion.org [email protected] Anita Cranmer, District Councillor Portfolio holder, Community Affairs ac@thecranmers,com/0208 756 3866

1914 – 100 years on ……. Diana Mann recently wrote the following piece for the St James’ Magazine: Write an entertaining review of the last 100 years to take about an hour to perform including music ….. That was the task set for Kenneth Peters, Fulmer’s resident playwright, who, together with Fiona Gray as director, rose superbly to the challenge to produce a delightful evening on 7 November (and on 28 June when the review was first performed). The audience was entertained by songs and vignettes from the outbreak of war right up to the visit to Australia of Prince George (“whose parents trailed along as well”) earlier this year. A group of local children who joined the members of St James’ Fulmer, excelled themselves with renditions of “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do” as well as acting and poetry reading. The remarkable history of the last 100 years was taken at a tremendous pace; from women being given the vote to the first woman Prime Minster; from Alcock & Brown’s first flight across the Atlantic to the first man on the moon. The reign of Queen Elizabeth II which covers the last 60 years, included the Falklands War, live tv broadcasts of Parliament and the Olympic Games.

The names of the local boys and men, who did not return to the village, are recorded on a brass plate over the vestry door (15 in 1914-18 and 4 in 1939-45). They were remembered by the choir singing the “Clare Benediction” and the playing of the Last Post.

Kenneth Peter, the reluctant playwright, as he describes himself, takes up the story - This production was the 6th in just 4 years; miraculously Fiona Gray found a group of people who not only enjoyed taking part in the first production, but, surprisingly, like Oliver asked for more, and have done ever since that first presentation ‘An Evening with Sir Marmaduke Darrell’, in 2010. That year saw the 400th anniversary of the Consecration of the new St James’ Fulmer in 1610. A committee was formed (an ancient English custom) to consider ways of celebrating this important occasion. Some spark suggested brightly that among these there should be a form of re-enactment, in the church itself, of historical events occurring in St James from the time the good Sir Marmaduke caused the church to be built until the then present day, 2010.

Unaware of subsequent consequences Kenneth laughingly suggested that he could be the ghost of Sir Marmaduke, “You know, coming from behind his tomb, dusting myself down”. “Right”, said one, Fiona Gray. “You can write the script and I’ll produce and direct the performance, Diana will help me!” At that point it ceased to be a laughing matter and there could be no ghosting of the script. I retired to lick my pencils.

Fiona enthusiastically and diligently set about chasing me while charming other members of St James’ congregation into agreeing to take part in the proposed production. Now, it’s all very well Shakespeare banging on about, ‘All the World’s a stage’, but in the case of St James it is a platform of 28 square feet (ancient English measure), a pulpit and the choir stalls – a demanding space in which to present a moving performance.

It took place on 26 October; initially those taking part in ‘An Evening with Sir Marmaduke Darell’ were asked to wear ‘something that indicates who you are and the period; a hat, shawl, scarf’. In the event, the cast showed as much enthusiasm in dressing the part as in acting the part. The outcome of that performance was success resulting in a demand for a ‘Whodunnit’ for Harvest Supper 2011. It seemed to the playwright that he had grasped the tail of the thespian tiger for June 2012 saw a full- length production at St James of ‘A Jubilee Pagaent’ to mark the Queen’s succession to power, following in October by another ‘Whodunnit’ at the Harvest Supper. In 2013 ‘A Coronation of Coronations’ was performed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Finally, (though probably not), in June this year ‘2014 and all that’ was performed on the 28th to mark the event that resulted in the Great War 1914-18.

‘Marmaduke & Fred’ as they had become known to each other – the first nickname is obvious, the second too complex to explain here – agreed that attempting to portray the disaster of the Great War should be avoided; better to use it as a gateway through which to pass from the certainties of the Edwardians’ world into the post-war era, to show how ordinary life and society at large was changed by this cataclysm and then highlight the achievements and successes that ensued.

Of all the productions, each directed by Fiona Gray, this was probably the most musical and fast-paced – certainly it was very well received. This led to a number of ‘Why don’t you do it again?’ comments and so, after due consultations, it was decided to do just that, on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday. To the delight of those taking part and the relief of the Director and Scribe, they again performed to a full house.

KEN PETERS

We have just received notification of this letter to the church, which we are delighted to re-print here - Editor

"Dear Editor, As a member of the audience, I would just like to say that I thought '1914 - 100 years on’ was such an enormous success. It was all so professional and of such a high standard yet the great thing was how much everyone involved enjoyed themselves, which radiated throughout the audience. There was also great sensitivity over the handling of the memory of those who died for us in the World Wars. It was a really encouraging way to bring the village together in the Church and I thought that the Rector, Martin Williams, gave just the right message at the end. The reception was very enjoyable with many I know to speak to. I couldn't tear myself away! Congratulations to all, who, in so many different roles, brought it all together in such a welcoming and exciting way Best wishes, Jonathan Rushworth"

St James Church Fulmer – Remembrance

In this 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War it seems fitting to begin with the ways in which Fulmer has honoured those who gave their lives for our freedom in the two World Wars. At our Remembrance service on 9 November Edward Guinness read the Bidding Prayer and the names of those who had died, recorded on the Memorial in St James, Fulmer as part of our solemn Act of Remembrance.

Present on that occasion were relatives of George Bowden, one of the fallen, including Mrs Greenfield, his granddaughter, who had travelled from Swindon especially to be present at this service. Intriguingly, we understand the Greenfield family had visited the Poppy display at The Tower of London just the previous Friday, subsequently researching and discovering where George had lived; in time to drive to Fulmer for the ceremony on the following Sunday. They were given a copy of ‘Fulmer’s Fallen’ written by Edward Guinness and Ken Peters, and were able to read more about George’s life in Fulmer at the time of World War 1, and of the 14 others who died.

We marked the beginning of the Great War with a contemplative ‘Lights Out’ service on 4 August between 10.00 and 11.00pm. Most of the time was devoted to silent reflection but we opened and closed with relevant prayers and Bible passages and some poems by First World War poets. Finally the last single lit candle was extinguished.

On 7 November we presented in church ‘1914 – 100 years on’; words and music illustrating the world of 1914; life and atmosphere through the decades since. Parts of the programme were poignantly moving, including the reading of the names of those who died, by young Henry Dickson, other parts were more light-hearted. There were several opportunities for community singing and the audience joined in readily. As ever our talented cast of characters and choir and some of the children of Fulmer Infants School produced an evening to remember just as they had on 28 June when the event was first presented. To close, Martin Williams, our Rector, handed out pocket sized copies of St John’s Gospel, similar to those given to the servicemen going to fight in the Great War. Cast and audience enjoyed further community spirit at a reception in the Village Hall afterwards.

Looking back to the summer and Fulmer Day 12 July; the Church was open for anyone to visit and look around with bell ringing demonstrations, kindly given by Geoffrey Cooper. The Community Service on 13 July with Martin Williams officiating was well attended and we welcomed several civic guests and our MP, Dominic Grieve. Ronnie Lamb spoke on behalf of the Parish Council as the service concluded in the Village Hall. The ‘Black Horse’ donated sandwiches for the Reception alongside canapes from members of the congregation. Following on from Fulmer Day the Community Service was a fitting way to complete this Village weekend.

Harvest Supper was another church and village event on 3 October when we welcomed nearly seventy people to a lovely meal of salmon en croute and apple crumble, beautifully cooked for us by Rebecca Reid and her team. Our thanks also go to Brendan Keane who manned the bar for us and to members of the choir who entertained us with music and readings ably accompanied by Janice Holmes at the piano. There were again more opportunities for community singing much appreciated by the audience. It was a joy to see the church almost full on Harvest Sunday when we were again joined by some of the Fulmer Infants children. They sang some of their Harvest songs, offered us the prayers they had written, and read from the Bible. The children celebrated their own Harvest Service in church on 6 October, bringing many gifts of vegetables, fruit and food which were afterwards donated to SHOC, one of the homeless charities we support in Slough.

As part of a week of 24/7 prayer (round the clock prayer for a week) at St James, Gerrards Cross; St James, Fulmer was open from 9.00am to 9.00pm on 8 October for anyone to come in and pray. We welcomed individuals and one group who came to pray during the day, finishing with a contemplative service of Compline and reflective music at 8.00pm. Look out for the prayer banner as we develop this idea for the future.

Our Thursday coffee initiative continues with parents and carers of children from Fulmer Infants School and the Beehive Nursery and some small children, our ‘church in the community’ goes from strength to strength. As you can see we have continued to build our relationship with the Infants School in particular and Mrs. Hunt, the Headteacher. Phil Mann, our Associate Minister and Tom Holbird, our Curate also offer their willing support week by week.

Sadly we have lost one of our faithful Thursday morning helpers as Levita Power and her husband Philip returned to Levita’s native Philippines on 21st November. We said goodbye to Levita and Philip at a service on 16 November giving them a picture of St James, Fulmer as a reminder of their time with us. We are encouraged that Levita will be taking our coffee idea and that of the Friendship lunches held at the St James Centre in Gerrards Cross with her to the Philippines. We plan to stay in touch and to learn how these ideas work out on the other side of the world. Anyone wishing to be part of Coffee for Mums, please contact us.

By the time you read this our Christmas preparations will have begun with an Advent Wreath making event in the Village Hall on 28 November. Enclosed with this newsletter you will find the leaflet outlining all our Christmas services. We would love to welcome you to St James, Fulmer over this very special season in our church’s year. You will be assured of the warmest of welcomes.

Jacky Hughes Francesca Hall-Drinkwater Churchwardens

Fulmer Day 2015 - SAVE THE DATE!

The Fulmer Day Committee is delighted to announce that Fulmer Day 2015 will take place on Saturday, 11th July.

We are also pleased to introduce our new Committee Chairman, Darren Jones. Many of you will know Darren from his involvement in the Best Kept Village competition and his work with the conservation group. Darren and his wife have been Fulmer village residents for 8 years.

Along with Darren, the Committee is looking forward to arranging a fun packed, exciting day for all villagers, neighbours and friends.

Fulmer Day is YOUR day so, if you have any ideas or suggestions of things you’d like to see on the day, do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you. We always welcome new members so if you would like to volunteer to join us, please contact Darren on 07894 259283, [email protected] or Barbara Zoltowska on 07803 503786, [email protected].

Why not join our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fulmerfete to keep up with the latest developments and progress. We look forward to seeing you next July!

FULMER DAY 2014

Once again Fulmer Day has grown with 2014 seeing a major increase in both stalls and visitors. The Black Horse Pub was again a focal point of the day. They have really supported the village, providing great sponsorship, getting signs up around the area and running a fantastic free party with live music in the evening.

We had a very special guest open this year’s event – Sophie Christiansen our Gold medal winning equestrian Paralympian who gave a wonderful opening speech and started the day off really well. All this helped Fulmer Day, once again, be a great success with neighbours, families and friends enjoying themselves.

Local estate agents Roberts Newby, stalwarts in the community, also came on board. They sponsored all the advertising boards and signs, not only printing them but getting them erected and setting up the famous ‘Soak the Estate Agent’ Stall on the day.

Indigo were an integral part of Fulmer Day, both as programme sponsors and by providing wonderful Indian food, ensuring that everyone got a variety of culinary delights to choose from. Fulmer Day is a family event and our main aim is to entertain the whole family by having something for everyone.

Fulmer Day 2014 again recognised some very special people with the Civic Awards so kindly sponsored by Edward Guinness. The three worthy recipients were:

Susie Simkins, Gordon MacFadyen and Richard Marshall for their amazing community work.

PLUS a Lifetime Contribution Award went to Ian Trott – thoroughly deserved for many years work.

The awards supper in the Black Horse was sold out and everyone agreed with the judges’ choices. Thank you to all of them for their sterling work and for giving their time so freely.

This year Fulmer Day is helping to fund the cost of refurbishing the ladies toilets in the village hall with a donation of £2000. This is only part of the sum needed but will allow the work to be planned and move ahead. It will mean the village hall can host more weddings receptions, parties and events.

The School raised over £2000 from their stalls and from the raffle tickets they sold. They really put in the effort and thoroughly deserve the rewards. The RDA received a donation for Sophie opening the day and the Brownies did very well too. If you are a local charity or good cause, then why not request a free stall for 2015, get creative and keep all of the takings to help your funding.

The Fulmer Day Committee is inviting you to nominate a local organisation who would benefit from our funding. It’s your community so let’s have the ideas and reasons as to why. Nominations close on 5th April 2015. Send to [email protected]

I am sad to stand down as Chairman after three very enjoyable years, but business commitments make it impossible to carry on any longer. I would like to thank all those who have supported me so successfully.

Can you help by joining the Committee Team in planning and running next year’s event? If so, call the new Chairman, Darren Jones on 01753 664095 or 07894 259283 who will be delighted to chat it through with you.

Finally, make sure you put next year’s date in your diary – Saturday 11th July 2015. Bring your family and friends to one of the most fun days in the calendar and know you are helping your local organisations survive and grow.

LARRY BROOKS Co-Chair of Fulmer Day Committee

FEATURING FULMER – 2nd EDITION There are still a few copies left of the second edition of Featuring Fulmer - the updated account of the variety of people and places that have graced our parish. Additions and amendments make up the 172 pages, together with a number of illustrations in colour. The first edition was good (I would say that, wouldn't I), but the second is even better. At the time of writing, Gerrards Cross Bookshop has 10 and I have 3. Michael Saxby

Fulmer Sports and Community Association

Another excellent Firework Night was enjoyed by a good crowd on the evening of Saturday, 8th November following a lot of hard work by Paul Colloff and various helpers. Hopefully the financial outcome from the event will be positive. The excellent firework display was again organised and carried out by John Hargreaves.

Going back to March, Fulmer Family Activity Day was another success and the weather was kind to us. Parking was not properly controlled and that along with the need for a banner and more advertising in advance will be discussed. A successful Quiz Night was held in October and once again we need to thank those who give up much of their time to ensure that these activities and the football and cricket is properly planned and carried out. Initial thoughts have been raised regarding the need for a 3 Year Plan for FSCA and the Clubs who operate there. Hopefully some progress will be seen in beginning to tackle this important task. Overall the FSCA had a surplus of £ 1,936 in the year to 31.3.14 with Net Assets of £ 15,436. The newly formed Fulmer Allotments’ Association held their first Meeting in the autumn. Unfortunately we are losing our excellent Secretary, Barbara Zoltowska at the end of November and have yet to find a replacement. If any one knows of a possible replacement could they get in touch with Paul Colloff.

Ronnie Lamb - Chairman

Farewell This November we are losing an individual who has contributed much to Fulmer in the last few years. We shall miss Barbara Zoltowska very much especially when we go into The Black Horse and she is no longer there sitting at the bar. Barbara has been Secretary of both The Fulmer Sports and Community Association and Fulmer Village Hall but she has been much more than just the Secretary. She has been a driving force who gets things done or ensures that they will be done. In no small way she has contributed to Fulmer’s success in the Best Kept Village Competition.

We wish her every happiness and success in her move and hope that she will come back to visit Fulmer as often as she can, especially when the Volunteers are out on a Saturday morning.

Ronnie Lamb

I am pleased to report that the Royal British Legion Poppy Day Appeal collection for Fulmer amounted to £624.57. An additional £420 was received at the St James’ Church Fulmer Remembrance Sunday service bringing the Fulmer total to £1,044.57. I am grateful to Alex Bates, the Black Horse and Fulmer Infant School for their assistance. Brian Weild AUTUMN TERM FULMER INFANT SCHOOL

On November 6th and 7th Fulmer Infant school was inspected by Ofsted and I am absolutely thrilled to inform you that Ofsted has judged the school to be OUTSTANDING in every area! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff and governors for all their hard work. We are all very proud of our school. As you may be aware the school is having a school hall constructed and I am very pleased to report that the work is very much underway and it is on target to be completed on January 27th. This hall will enhance the lives of generations of children here at Fulmer Infant school and I would like, once more, to thank all of you who contributed to this building.

The children’s learning is always enriched by a number of trips throughout the year and since May the children have been to Pizza Express to design their own pizzas, Windsor Castle to learn about different architecture, Roald Dahl museum to develop their writing skills and to the Iver Environment Centre to take pride in the mosaic which they designed last term. This artwork was sponsored by Anadarko a local firm which has donated many resources and activities to the school. I am sure that you agree that the children’s work is stunning.

There was great excitement in our library as we all thoroughly enjoying watching chicks hatch thanks to the ‘Living Eggs project’. It is wonderful to see the obvious enjoyment of the children as they watch the eggs cracking and see the chicks struggle out. If you would like to see the chicks being born then scroll down the curriculum page on the school’s website and click on the link.

I am very proud to inform you that the school has been awarded Green Flag status for the third time and the highest Fair Trade award – the Fair Achiever. The children are all very knowledgeable about how to care for our environment and know why it is important to try to buy Fair trade products when ever possible. The children also participated in Water Week and raised £70.88 for Oxfam. We had our own mini Olympics last term. The children were put into four groups of mixed ages and it was lovely to see the older children encouraging the younger ones. They did a variety of activities from running to javelin throwing and then the children learned some dances including the Haka!

Music and dance are so important for the development of children and we are so lucky to have an excellent link with the Amersham music centre. The children were entertained by the centre’s string section as the musicians explained how their instruments worked and then played a variety of compositions. The children also made their annual trip to Dropmore School for their afternoon of country dancing which was great fun.

Earlier this term we celebrated Harvest with a concert in St James’ church, Fulmer. Thank you to Reverend Phil Mann who led the congregation in prayer, to Fransceca Hall- Drinkwater for taking the produce to SHOC and to Jacky Hughes for opening the church and turning the heating on. The retiring collection was for MacMillan Cancer Research and we have sent a cheque for £112 to this very worthwhile charity.

As I write this report I can hear the children practise for the Christmas production so I end by wishing you all a happy, safe and healthy Christmas.

Mrs Cathy Hunt

Another busy term for Fulmer Brownies

It’s been a busy summer and autumn for 1st Fulmer Brownies, particularly for the seven girls who were lucky enough to go on the trip of a lifetime to celebrate the centenary of the national organization. My daughter Noor was amongst those who set off to France and Belgium in July for Eurohop - four days of fun, exploration and laughter. Under the watchful eye of leader, Snowy Owl, Angela Hurlstone, she joined Brownies from throughout the UK to take part in a wide range of activities, from sand yachting to canal cruises and visits to chocolateries and boulangeries. Parents were kept up to date with plenty of pictures and messages and once Noor returned the trip was a constant topic of conversation.

Weekly meetings resumed in September and the schedule was immediately pinned up on Noor’s wall so she always knew what to look forward to. The Brownies, aged 7 to 10, meet on Tuesdays at the Fulmer Guide Centre, King George’s Playing Fields, Fulmer Common Road. Among the highlights this term have been making loom bracelets to sell to family and friends for charity, a fireworks display, learning how to care for pets and getting to know a friendly dog, choreographing their own version of the ballet Swan Lake, exploring the stars with a telescope and enjoying a mini- makeover and photo shoot. They are also looking forward to their own Christmas dinner out at the Toby Carvery in Denham. The emphasis is very much on the girls and developing their independence. Brownies gives them a space of their own away from parents and teachers in which to grow, with the added reassurance of support and supervision thanks to Snowy. They can make new friends from other schools and try out things and activities they otherwise would never have come across. Best of all are the adventurous outings – this term there have been visits to the Museum of Childhood in London and there are trips to see the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at the Royal Opera House and The Little Match Girl at Sadlers Wells.

All this and badges for achievement too – what more could a girl (or a parent) ask for?

Sara Horton (Brownie Parent)

1st Gerrards Cross & Fulmer Scout Group

Another very busy time since May; in November we attended the Remembrance Sunday Service at Gerrards Cross Memorial centre with more children than before as you will see later in my report.

We have 15 children in the Beaver Section with a new Leader, 16 Cubs with 2 Leaders and the Scouts have 14 boys with 3 Leaders (one being new and the other one having finished university and now having more time) so this is a far healthier situation than last year! All sections had numerous activities as I have reported before and this improves as the Leaders become more experienced, we have had Night Hikes ending at a Fish & Chip Shop (very popular!), camping outside our HQ, etc. In fact all activities work towards earning badges and the highest is the Chief Scouts Award, which I am pleased to say one Scout and 4 Beavers achieved this year.

Last December we sold Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at the GX Christmas Lights Festival, which was a great success as we made a contribution to our funds, advertised the group and had an excellent turn out of scouts to help sell them! Later in December we bag packed at Tesco GX, to raise more funds.

Since my last report there has been some big changes to our membership, the Scout Association identified that in the GX area there was a number of girls and boys who were unable to join scouting due to long waiting lists and/or a local scout group. We ran a test 8 week scouting session in the summer at Thorpe House School (who kindly volunteered their Junior School Hall) on Tuesday evenings and attracted 22 children. Based on that success, 4 parents stepped forward to become Leaders so that we could carry on into the autumn of this year. There is now a programme running with 26 children (including 8 girls) and 4 Leaders, which is a great opportunity in the area for more children.

In conclusion a good year for our group with the new section and higher numbers at Fulmer. We still need adult help from 18 - 80 years old, you don’t need any scouting experience just some enthusiasm, so get out of your chair and join us! Or, if you prefer we need help with admin jobs (no uniform) for a few hours a week.

Please contact me

MARK SHAW – Group Scout Leader (07788 891 232) / [email protected] / www.gxscouts.co.uk

FULMER CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS

Fulmer and its diverse community once again won recognition as one of the best kept villages and towns of Buckinghamshire by winning the Gurney Cup, awarded to communities of up to 500 people. Again, we won the Sword of Excellence for the highest points awarded to any winner of the other population categories entered and judged in the 2014 Best Kept Village Competition. We were awarded 95 marks out of 100, so well done everybody! In 2015 we will compete for the Tindall Cup, effectively the ‘cup-winners cup’ where we compete against other category winners of 2014.

In April I had written my contribution for the May Newsletter but succeeded to send my article to an e-mail address that had not been used for several years, hence the May 2014 Newsletter never had any sort of contribution from me. I did, however, use it as the basis for my report to the Annual Parish Council Meeting in May so it was not altogether a wasted effort. I’m reflecting on the fact that it was in November 1994 that I came to live in Fulmer. In fact I had a house here but between 1990 and nigh on 2000, I was constantly travelling to and from a myriad of destinations in the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Baltics, Belarus plus my old stamping grounds in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia as was, Hungary, Poland, Romania and DDR. It was in the early 1990s that the Berlin Wall was dismantled so no more forays through a certain famous checkpoint or other crossings were required. All this travel meant that my new home in Fulmer was mostly empty as I was hardly here at all. It did make for an interesting and varied working and social life and in fact a very good entomologist friend from Kazakhstan, Andrey Slivkin helped me move into my house together with my mother and another Russian friend, Volodja Kondrashkin then later helped me to bless my house with copious amounts of vodka. However, enough of that reminiscing, as I need to get back to the matter of Fulmer Conservation Volunteers and activities around the village and on the footpaths.

Parish Footpaths In general the paths on both sides of the village are completely accessible except for some minor obstruction with small branches, which can be easily removed. All of the way signs, including both the small discs and the finger signs are in good order. Generally speaking there is a lot less litter than previously with the exception of an area adjacent to the old gate house next to Stoke Common Road which was being used as a beer drinking meeting place and where in April, I counted around 100 or more beer cans just strewn all over the place. FCV collected the beer cans for disposal the very next day, and did the same close to the judging time for Best Kept Village. That general area remains a magnet for litter and this time it is old car tyres rather than beer cans that are the most noticeable eyesore. Elsewhere and generally speaking, I feel that the path network is in an acceptable state.

FCV has done some work on the paths including clearing up along the length of Footpath 6 and in particular at the bottom end near to the first house. This could do with further attention just at the moment. At the May Annual Parish Council Meeting we were requested to arrange or do some work to remove branches at horse-rider head height on Bridleway 7 and eventually managed to do that later in the year and at the same time to do some clearing at the junction of Footpath 1 and Bridleway 7. That’s about all the work we did on the footpaths, as the major part of work was concerned with the village and the recreation ground.

Best Kept Village

I started this short report with the good news about Fulmer and another Best Kept Village success. Up to and including the judging period in June Fulmer Conservation Volunteers spent time throughout the village doing everything to make the village look as good as possible. It was a difficult season and we never really knew where we were with any chances in the competition. We can only be thankful, I suppose that our competitors were in the same position with unusual weather patterns making it very difficult to decide what to do for the best.

Please don’t forget that winning the competition is as a result of the whole community contributing and in writing here I am representing Fulmer Conservation Volunteers, and not all those other individuals and groups that look after St James Church, the Village Hall and who make sure that all the village facilities including also the Recreation Ground are well used. This year also thanks to workers provided by the Black Horse who have made and are making an on- going and major contribution to the appearance of the verges and hedgerows along Fulmer Road and to the appearance of the centre of the village. After the end of June FCV tends to wind down efforts for a time, but when our success was announced and the presentation ceremony was fixed for 13th September, we worked on both 6th September and also early on the presentation day itself, so as to present the village at its best on that day.

So leading up to that great day we spruced up the village, and subsequently FCV has started the process over again, working towards the Tindall Cup. Keeping a record of our activities is now a must as on each occasion we work, I am completing and signing a generic risk assessment as I undertook to do as a condition of our group insurance. As we often work on and adjacent to our busy roads, this is no bad thing except that we have in any case had to become more risk conscious as the roads have become busier and the traffic quicker and people in general seemingly more impatient. Following on from the 13th September we have worked on a further three Saturdays at the Recreation Ground on two occasions, next to the Alderbourne stream and on Fulmer Road. You may notice we endeavour not to collect leaves, but on occasions it becomes unavoidable as otherwise it looks as if we have done nothing.

Thanks to the few volunteers, both regular and occasional in 2013/2014. On the last 5 days worked we were a maximum of 5 individuals on any one occasion and in total contributed approximately 80 man-hours. We start at around 9 am and work through to 12:30 after which we usually try to have a drink at the Black Horse to mull over work done and plan the next outing. If there is anybody out there who can spare even a couple of hours on a Saturday morning, please let us know. I’d just like to finish with a mention of Peter Kelly, Clerk to Fulmer Parish Council and to thank him for all of his contributions to the Best Kept Village process and for his advice and opinions which have contributed to our many successes.

To be continued…………………………….!!

Dr. Richard Marshall

Footnote FROM RONNIE LAMB (662662): we are very short of Volunteers; currently we have perhaps seven overall but usually only five manage to turn out on any morning. We are out perhaps once a month except in the summer when it may be two or three times in the month. We need more Volunteers on a Saturday morning for three hours or so from 9.15am. Fulmer is a lovely village please come and help us. Anyone interested should contact Richard Marshall or myself

South Bucks Riding for the Disabled Association

Summer has gone and winter is on its way. As the ponies grow their thicker coats to keep themselves warm we remember back to an interesting summer that brought both success and sadness. The National RDA Championship weekend will not be forgotten for a long time. This was an event of two halves. On Saturday there was torrential rain, thunder and lightning, flooded arenas and classes being cancelled or rescheduled all day. While on Sunday the sun shone, and the ground steamed. The great team of staff and volunteers worked hard keep everything going. All our riders managed to ride in a least one class and came home with rosettes and big smiles. One young rider, Joseph, was interviewed for BBC News; his beaming smile and keen answers hid his shivers and dripping show clothes. The rain certainly did not dampen his enthusiasm for the day. Another rider, Sarah, came home with the trophy for the rider who had achieved the highest marks for the whole weekend, for a rider taking part in the countryside challenge.

Sophie continued to bring in the medals throughout the summer with Rio her equine partner. She was champion rider at Hickstead for the British Dressage championships, quickly followed by a successful trip across the channel to Normandy to the World Equestrian Games, where she was a member of the British Gold Medal winning team and the grade 1a World Champion. This was her last competition with Clive Millkins as her main coach. Natasha Baker, a fellow Gold Medal team member, rode at South Bucks RDA for 6 years. Sophie’s busy summer continued with her winning the Grade 1a KBis Championship Stoneleigh, supported by Richard Forsythe, the Centre’s stable manager.

Shortly after returning from the World Equestrian Games, Clive Milkins said his final good byes to the group. He had spent nearly 21 years at South Bucks RDA developing his teaching and coaching skills. The group held a farewell party and presented him with a painting of the two, gold medal-winning horses he produced for the Beijing and London Paralympic Games, Lambrusco and Rio. Clive is embarking on an international career as a coach. Everyone at South Bucks RDA wish him well in this amazing opportunity.

We have had to say good-bye to 3 of our hard working horses. This is always a sad occasion. They all had had a good working retirement with us. We have managed to find one replacement ‘Libby’ a 6 year old New Forest pony, who co- incidentally is related to our very successful and popular pony Forrester. We are still on the look out for a good school-master who understands dressage to replace the larger horses.

South Bucks RDA is now functioning most days of the week. We continue to need more helpers, particularly on a Wednesday and Thursday. Volunteering at South Bucks RDA is a very rewarding opportunity. If you are interested please contact our Administrator Gina on: [email protected] or ring 01753 662796.

Theresa Drake Instructor

As we enter our 10th season GX&F FC continues to develop in to a large grass roots football club. Founded back in 2003 with one 11-a-side team by Phil Mooney, Bob Bracey and Andrew Morten we now have 11 age groups and 13 teams from U6 to U18. As starting point I would like to state the club’s Vision Statement; · -for-

Gerrards Cross & Fulmer FC provide quality, safe, fun and good value money opportunities for as many local young people from 5 to 18 years of age as possible · to learn and enjoy playing football -confidence To help these young people to use football to realise their individual potential, · develop their fitness, personal skills and self · To do this regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnic background club To improve the performance of players, coaches and their assistants, within the · -

To ensure that our club is regarded as a well run organisation, that champions sporting behaviour on the pitch and excellent community relationships away The fromclub the continues game. to evolve and this season we have seen an influx of new coaching volunteers, and while very welcome, new volunteers add to the challenge of keeping the club’s FA Charter Standard status within the requirements of the Football Association. Ensuring everyone with regular contact with players has a Criminal Record Check (what was called a CRB disclosure) and current FA Coaching, First Aid & Child Welfare qualifications is a continuous task and as child welfare issues continue to make news this workload will only get bigger. On the pitch 2013/14 saw some significant success with teams winning cups and being promoted through the divisions. Our player membership continues to be around the 200 mark, and we have around 35 volunteers, mainly parents of current (and some past) players, who give their time freely to coach, provide team administration support, and run the club. Although we have a constant flow of request for membership from new residents to the area and other people who wish their children to join the club, most age groups are full and we are limited in the number of teams we can accommodate without finding additional space for new pitches – and that is something at a premium around Fulmer. We enjoy good relationships with our ‘landlords’ the Fulmer Sports and Community Association (FSCA) as the custodians of King George Field (KGF), as well as Fulmer Cricket Club with whom we share KGF and Gerrards Cross Parish Council who allow us to use GX East Common for playing matches and training. GX&F FC participate significantly in FSCA community and fund raising events held at KGF such as the annual Bonfire Night and Fulmer Fun Day providing assistance in planning, managing and running the events. The profit from these events goes to help fund the maintenance & improvements of the grounds, pavilion and other assets through the FSCA. However, even so our annual accounts show that in the year to March 2014 the football club directly invested over £14,000 in the preparation and maintenance of the grounds at Fulmer which in turn benefits all users of the facility. You are most welcome to come to KGF on a Sunday morning and catch some of the action, and there is always a coffee or a tea and a bacon roll to be had as well. Finally a big thank you to all our players who equipped themselves well over the season, representing the club and our playing ethos well and an equally big thank you on behalf of the players and the club to the parents whose continuing support is very much appreciated. KEITH GUPWELL - Chairman

Fulmer Cricket Club Playing performance - Won 12, lost 19, drawn 3, cancelled 13 (half due to weather and half due to not getting a side, mostly us) abandoned 1. First time we have been net negative in the win/loss ratio for a few years. We lost from winning positions on a number of occasions. Can’t say it was due to The Chairman’s absence in Australia for 6 weeks! The President’s match saw a win for the President’s XI for the first time in four years. There were a lot of Guinness’ but not a lot of family likenesses! It was another excellent day and our thanks once again to Edward, Peter and Kiki. 25 players played 5 or more matches and there were 30 other players. Getting sides out seemed to be more of a struggle than in recent years with James King, our new vice-captain and Derrick Randall bearing the brunt of the chasing. Manu Kapila has been very productive in finding players. Season off the field - Tansy, Sue, Sheena and James were the main deliverers of the famous Fulmer teas with Tansy doing the greatest number. Sheena did a wonderful job of finding a replacement curry supplier for the Annual Awards Evening when our previous one let us down at short notice. Well done Sheena and Manu. Very much appreciated. Ian Fisher did a great job with match reports, keeping the statistics up to date, manning the bar and looking after the finances. Paul Colloff did a magnificent job on the square and with wicket preparation and was supported by field mowing from Julian Gibbs. Jim Harmesworth Cowles again sparked up the Awards’ Evening with an entertaining quiz and continued to maintain the website. Senior Vice President’s 90th Birthday - The season saw the celebration of Edward Guinness’ 90th birthday. The Club presented Edward with a framed photo from the President’s Day cricket match capturing the players and Edward in the sunshine.

2014 Season Awards

Batting

Most runs – Nomi 702

Highest innings – Nomi 152*

Best average – 73.88

Bowling

Most wickets – Paul Colloff, 29 Best in a match – Paul Colloff, 6 for 22

Best bowling average – Danny Randall, 8.6

Qualitative

Best junior player – George Field

Most improved – Ben Bausor

Best fielder – Prash

Most valuable player – Venkat

Players’ player – James King

Duck Cup – Armando

Outstanding contribution – Ben Fisher

Chairman’s award – Derrick Randall

Players Wanted

We always have room for new players and we are a friendly club. Please refer to our website for contact details, www.fulmercricketclub.com

PETER BOX

KING GEORGE’S FIELD FULMER FULMER SPORTS & COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Fulmer Sports & Community Association administers the usage of the playing fields at King George’s Field on Fulmer Common Road together with its pavilion, children’s play area and all-weather multi-sports surface. King George’s Field (or the ‘Recreation Ground’ to long standing residents) is maintained for the use of all Fulmer residents and its facilities are also used by local schools and by Gerrards Cross & Fulmer Football club (youth teams), Fulmer Football club (mens), Fulmer Cricket club and Fulmer Tennis club, whose reports are elsewhere in this Newsletter. There will be a new addition to the ranks this autumn with the introduction of netball for girls of Years 3-4 and Years 5-6 provided by GX&F Netball Club. Please contact Sonia on 07428 393939 or [email protected] for further details.

King George’s Field has just hosted the annual Fireworks spectacular, this year with a Wild West theme, complete with a Wild West town bonfire. The date was changed to a Saturday rather than the traditional Friday in order to allow families with parents working in London a better chance of attending. The pavilion was decked out as a Saloon Bar complete with swinging doors and Western signs and backdrops gave the appearance of a film set. Thanks to all the volunteers who gave a lot of time to set the scene. Despite wet weather during the day, the rain held off for the fireworks and a lucky raffle winner set our bonfire town ablaze by traditional dynamite plunger. The barn dance that followed the fireworks provided enough exercise for some to keep the cold at bay, others resorted to the tried and trusted method of some mulled wine from the bar. Watch this space for news of next year’s Bonfire Night theme or send in a suggestion!

The pavilion hall provides all the facilities to make it an ideal venue for children’s parties, evening events such as quizzes, family celebrations and parties, and barbeques. For larger events a newly refurbished licensed bar is also available by arrangement. The FSCA also owns three marquees and has both the space and surroundings to make it an ideal location for weddings, christenings or large family celebrations. With general use of the field and pavilion hall being available for hire, and pitches specific to cricket and football also available subject to arrangement, King George’s Field caters for sporting, social and commercial events.

The all-weather multi-sports surface, used primarily during the winter for football coaching and five-a-side football, is also available for outside hire at certain times, for either tennis or football. There remains an opportunity for an enthusiastic tennis coach to make the most of our two tennis courts and breathe new life into the Fulmer Tennis club – details on request.

For more information on the activities of the clubs, the facilities available for hire, and booking enquiries for King George’s Field, please email [email protected] telephone 01753 662705, or write to the General Manager, King George’s Field, Fulmer Common Rd, Fulmer, Bucks SL3 6JN

PAUL COLLOFF Stoke Poges , Wexham & Fulmer Horticultural Society www.hortsoc.org

AGM Our last meeting in 2014 was on Wednesday 12 November at 8pm at Stoke Poges School, Rogers Lane. Alex Millar, Head Green-keeper at Stoke Park, gave a most interesting talk on ‘Growing Grasss’. It was also our Annual General Meeting. Three long serving members of the Committee resigned and three others were elected.

The Society encompasses the three parishes of Stoke Poges, Wexham & Fulmer. While we have people on the Committee representing Stoke Poges and Wexham we do not have someone from Fulmer. Serving on the Committee is not onerous. The Annual Show, a unique horticultural and community event, with its huge marquee to house and display a multitude of exhibits is our most important activity. If you think you may be interested in joining the Committee please give me a call on 01753 648040 to discuss it further.

This is a quiet time of year for the Society but plans are in hand for next year! Full details will appear on our website www.hortsoc.org in due course. In the meantime, here are some dates for your 2015 diary. Members’ Spring Social Evening Wednesday 11 March 8 pm at Stoke Poges School, Rogers Lane - There will be an illustrated talk , a buffet and a table show, where members exhibit whatever is growing in their garden. Visitors are welcome, non-members 3.50, prospective members admission free. Annual Plant Sale Saturday 25 April 10 – 12 noon at Stoke Poges Village Centre - Don’t miss this great opportunity to buy good quality plants at reasonable prices. All the proceeds go towards paying for the cost of the marquee for the Annual Show Lecture Evening - Wednesday, 13 May 2015 at 8 pm at The Stoke Poges School, Rogers Lane. Annual Show 2015 - Saturday 25 July in the grounds of The Stoke Poges School. Membership of the Society We would be delighted if more people were to join as members; at £7 for an individual or £10 for two people living at the same address it is a bargain, particularly as members have free entry to the Show, Lecture Evenings and other events. You can apply for membership via our website www.hortsoc.org . Alternatively, telephone our Membership Secretary, Peter Montgomery on 01753 643384.

RUTH ROOLEY - Chairman

Treasure by Susie Matthews

Have you ever found something in a charity shop that you think could be of value, thus facing the dilemma of what to do about it? I have… Let’s go back four years ago to February 2010 when a chance visit to ‘Help the Aged’ in Beaconsfield prompted the above quandary. There are six marvellous charity shops in the town, and it was my habit to plunder the lot in my lunch breaks, in the endeavour to unearth props and costumes for a production of ‘Annie’ at High March School, where I worked. What joy to be a ‘bag lady’ with such a good excuse.

Searching through all the eclectic paraphernalia, I found a large framed photograph (very dirty and covered in cobwebs) that looked interesting. It featured several rows of smartly dressed gentlemen, blazers and ties all matching, posing on a stand, which posed the impressive logo ‘Lords Cricket Ground’. They were cricketers! All members of the Lord’s Taverners Club. Above this was written ‘The Guinness Silver Trophy’. The signatures of the players were at the bottom written neatly in black ink. ‘Good Heavens’, I thought- ‘Even a non Cricket fan woul d recognise these iconic names’. Priced at £19.99 I decided to purchase it. What use it could be to a production of Annie illuded me. The rather harassed volunteer at the cash desk was wrapping up a pottery penguin at the time, and I approached her with the intention of pointing out the possible value of my find, trying to decide if this would delight or confuse her further. I decided on the latter, purchased the photograph and declined the kind offer of bubble wrap.

I am fortunate enough to live in the beautiful building Fulmer Place, which has seven residents in total, one of whom was due to get married - Andy Reid, who was the secretary of Fulmer Cricket Club for some time. Being aware of his passion for the noble game, I thought the photograph would make the perfect wedding present and would be appreciated and treasured. All the residents were invited to the reception, to be held at Fulmer Cricket ground, and we decided it would be a good idea to club together to buy a suitable gift. I proudly produced the photograph; by now de-cobwebbed. They were all highly impressed, but having left the price sticker on the glass, it was considered to be rather mean as the total split between us was only £4 each. “What a bargain”, I thought, “In exchange for a jolly good knees up at the pavilion”. In the end an alternative gift was chosen and the photograph stayed within my possession.

One Sunday morning, I walked down to the church to look for my good friend Fiona Gray, who sings in the choir (incidentally now a fellow resident at Fulmer Place). Whilst waiting in the porch for the service to finish I was attracted to an interesting flyer displayed on the notice board advertising a book about the war entitled, Fulmer‘s Fallen, written by Edward Guinness and Kenneth Peters. I happened to have a khaki Nazi hat in my hand at the time, so it seemed rather appropriate that I should endeavour to buy a copy (more about the hat later). The congregation emerged and Fiona wasn’t singing that day but I was lucky enough to be introduced to said authors of the book, who had both been attending the service. They were understandably intrigued by the hat, which was not from ‘Help the Aged’ by the way, but had been picked up in the North African desert by my father during WWII. Edward, Ken and his wife Jennifer were all off to the Black Horse to celebrate the Peters’ silver wedding, but vowed to keep in touch and investigate the hat later. It subsequently occurred to me that Edward Guinness might be interested in the photograph as it bore his family name. He was!... What a relief; a home for it at last, so I delivered it to his door. After having a look at it more closely Edward called me to say that he’d noticed the ‘Help the Aged’ £19.99 sticker was still on the glass and asked if he could pay for it. I declined, saying that it was a gift, but that he could donate something to charity if he wished - and he did.

The plot thickens… After several lengthily conversations with him on the telephone, it transpired that his former Guinness colleague and friend ‘Brian Baldock’ happened to be the chairman of the Lord’s Taverners. Mr Baldock had personally ‘set up’ this iconic photograph some time ago and was responsible for providing the pen with which all the members signed their autographs. He was equally excited by it and sent a car to Fulmer to collect it from Edward with the intention of auctioning it at the next Lord’s Taverners Ball. Amongst many other credentials, Brian Baldock was at the time, chairman of MENCAP, the huge charitable organisation which was founded by Sir Brian Rix, whose daughter had Down’s Syndrome.

Back to the WWII khaki hat - it was picked up out of the sand by my father, Austen Jenkinson, an officer architect in the Royal Engineers, who was ‘mentioned in Dispatches’ twice during the war for converting the Royal Palace in Naples into a N.A.A.F.I. This was known worldwide as the dream N.A.A.F.I and was considered by the Royal Institute of British Architects to be one of the finest war time conversions. It is now back to normal by the way.

His peacetime architectural practice was in Rotherham, where he designed and built the premises. On retirement he was anxious that whomever rented it, should reflect something charitable and thus MENCAP became the tenants. About ten years before he died he passed the building over to my brother Paul, now deceased, and myself, and they have been tenants ever since. I pointed out this coincidence to Edward and he was equally surprised and he promptly gave another donation – this time to MENCAP. The precious photograph was still in the safe possession of Brian Baldock, who had since retired from MENCAP. In 2012 Edward attended an event at which he was present and had the brief opportunity to make inquiries about its long journey. Low and Behold! It had taken pride of place at a charitable event earlier in the year and had fetched a very good price indeed, which was subsequently donated to MENCAP. Three cheers to one and all who made this happen!

Hip hip Horray Hip hip Horray Hip hip Horray

Next time: Ken and Jennifer Peters, the Nazi hat and the Imperial War Museum

AND FINALLY ……

Grateful thanks to all our contributors for this issue – we know it is a very busy time of year for everyone and we appreciate the efforts made to send through each article.

We have some new advertisers this time and our thanks to them and to the very loyal companies who have supported us for many years – this all helps to fund the Newsletter and keep it going. Edward Guinness writes very interestingly in this issue about his period of office in the village, which has been such an impressive one, not least for starting this publication 28 years ago. We are extremely grateful to him for continuing to entertain us all with his introduction and other articles over all the 56 issues!

There will be a small change to the Newsletter – from 2015 the May issue will change to being a June one – it seems to make sense to have the 2 issues at six monthly intervals.

Thanks to those who help deliver the Newsletter to your home – please do let us know if you would like to write an article, know of any potential advertisers or would like to comment on anything you have read.

Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

RONNIE & SUSIE SIMKINS Editors