Ellesborough Magazine

Covering Butlers Cross, Dunsmore, North Lee and Terrick

December 2017 Issue 159 THETHE PERFECTPERFECT PALETTEPALETTE OFOF PINTSPINTS www.chilternbrewery.co.ukwww.chilternbrewery.co.uk Twitter. Twitter. @Chiltern_Brewer @Chiltern_Brewer AdAdAd 11 1 Ellesborough Magazine - December 2017 Issue Index of Advertisers Airs House Ad 2 Antiques At Wendover Ad 14 Ashridge Home Care Ad 13 Board of Ironing Ad 8 Bradley & Jones Ad 10 Brendan McFall Ad 7 Buckmoorend Farm Shop Ad 13 Chalkshire Alpacas Ad 2 Chiltern Brewery Ad 1 Circuit Fix Ad 7 Clements Carpentry Ad 6 DJ Norris Builders Ad 9 Extremeclean Ad 8 Helping Hands Ad 9 M Simmonds - Decorating Contractors Ad 14 Moat Farm Turkeys Ad 3 Nelson Electrical Ad 7 North Bucks Tree Surgery Ad 6 Ovenu Ad 8 Pest Control - Martin Holman Ad 4 Roof Craft Ad 6 Springline Cars Ad 4 Surab Ltd Ad 11 The 50 plus Handyman Ad 7 Travel Impressions Ad 12 Village Environmental Services Ad 5 Wendover Heights Veterinary Centre Ad 12 Wendover Computers Ad 13 Wendy Hilliard Chiropodist Ad 4

1 Chairman’s Letter

I would like to thank Paul Couling, Steph Hares, Judith Harper, Julie Oldroyd, Tony Young and all the magazine distributors for a successful year for the magazine.

We strive to make the magazine relevant to all people in the parish, and hopefully it is a useful resource as well as an interesting read. We would welcome articles from new contributors as well as any suggestions for improvement.

In these times of trolls, bots and fake news I would like to think our readers can indulge in a little “slow reading” by the fire as winter draws in.

Wishing you a very agreeable Christmas.

Richard Jennings Chairman

01296 625498 [email protected]

Front cover: The Plough, Chalkshire Road around the time of the First World War. See article on the history of The Plough in this issue.

A note from the Editor

In our December 2014 edition we included articles on a number of our local charities, and national charities that have local branches. In this edition we are including articles by a number of those charities outlining the progress that has been achieved since our last report. All the reports make very interesting reading and show what an enormous contribution charities make to the quality of life and well being of people both in this country and overseas.

The articles on Lindengate, PACE and African Village Support, in particular, show what can be achieved by enthusiasm and commitment, and how these charities are making a very real difference to the lives of those who benefit from their services.

We also have an article written by John and Sue Stewart on the history of their house, The Plough, Chalkshire Road, which is the first of what I hope will be an occasional series on houses, old and new, in the village and its surrounding area.

We also have a fascinating article written by Elizabeth Hine on ‘A Very Different Kind of Christmas’ - Christmas in Morocco - which sounds to have been a very exciting experience.

I would like to thank all our contributors and look forward to a good flow of interesting articles to help us maintain the quality of the magazine in 2018.

With all good wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Paul Couling [email protected]

2 Notices

Ellesborough 200 Club Winners Ellesborough Coffee Morning Dates 2018 September 2017 Ellesborough Coffee Mornings are normally 21 June Price £50 held on the third Friday of each month 103 Mark & Fiona £35 at 10 a.m. in the Maureen Audsley Room of the village hall at Butlers Cross. Everyone 138 Julie Hares £25 is welcome so please come along. October 2017 102 Richard & Susie Wood £50

26 Mrs Tack £35 The Tea and Chat ladies meet on the second 87 Mary Batemen £25 Wednesday each month 2pm-4pm in Ellesborough Village Hall. Everyone is November 2017 welcome. 145 Claire Stroud £100 11 Mrs JR Green £50 139 Simon Fowler £35 Flag Days - 2018 59 Mr & Mrs D White £25 December 2017 HM the Queen’s 6th February Accession 102 Richard & Susie Wood £50 Commonwealth Day 12th March 123 Mary Mooney £35 88 Mrs J Young £25

If you would like to become a member of the 200 The editorial board of the Ellesborough Club, Magazine cannot be held responsible for any please ring Val Finch on 624950. errors or claims made by advertisers. The For just £18.00 a year there are 38 chances to win a Board also asks you to note that it does not monthly prize. necessarily agree with the views expressed Be in it to win it! in letters or articles.

PLEASE SEND COPY FOR THE NEXT ISSUE TO: [email protected] By 15th February 2018 ALL ENQUIRIES REGARDING ADVERTISING TO: Steph Hares 01296 622472 [email protected]

Please note that the last date for submission of advertising material is the 10th February 2018

3 GOOD NEWS ON THE KIMBLE – LONGDOWN B.O.A.T. This is the latest on the status of the bridleway near Pulpit Hill that was declared a “byway open for traffic” in 2012 after several public hearings in Ellesborough Village Hall. Especially for those that walk by there, as it has since become a quagmire due to motorised traffic using it. [RJ]. Proposed Buckinghamshire County Council (Byway Open to All Traffic Nos. 40 and 40A , Parish of Great and Little Kimble and No. 62, Parish of Ellesborough) Sections 1(1), 2(1), 2(2) and 92 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (Prohibition of Driving) Order 201

Buckinghamshire County Council is considering making a prohibition of driving Order on the above Public Byways Open to All Traffic due to the considerable damage being caused to the surface of the route and the surrounding environment. Please see attached map.

This Order would serve to prohibit all motor vehicle access except motorbikes and quad bikes indefinitely throughout the year annually. The Order would also serve to prohibit all motor vehicle access including motorbikes and quad bikes during the period between 1st November to 31 December and from 1 January to 30 April inclusive each year.

The County Council has been made aware of considerable damage (please see attached photos) being caused by motor vehicle access which is having a detrimental effect on the public’s enjoyment of the route, the surrounding ecology and also archaeological features. Concern has been raised by both Council Officers and members of the public regarding this damage which may be irreparable. The matter was discussed at the 8th March 2017 Local Access Forum meeting whereby it was advised by those present (including a member of the Trail Riders Fellowship) that a prohibition Order should be placed on the Byways to allow time to recover and prevent further damage. Minutes of the meeting can be found by visiting https://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=459&MId=9151&Ver=4. The Prohibition Order was scheduled to be presented to the Rights of Way Committee in September 2017 but unfortunately the meeting was postponed until January. We are therefore putting a temporary traffic regulation order in place to cover this winter period.

Helen Francis Interim Definitive Map and Local Land Charges Team Leader Transport Economy Environment (Note from Editor: map and photographs not attached)

POLICE CONTACT AT CHEQUERS

It has been raised at a parish council meeting that several residents have wanted to contact the police at Chequers with information relating to suspicious activity in the area. It has prompted the question whether it would be possible to publish the direct phone number for Chequers Police Post in the Ellesborough Magazine. This is not feasible, but we have been advised that parishioners in Ellesborough who live in close proximity to the Chequers Estate and wish to report what appears to be suspicious activity should report it through the non-emergency 101 number. Alternatively, they can call the Thames Valley Police switchboard on 0845 850 5505 and request to be put through to the police post at Chequers.

Thames Valley Police have a permanent base there which is staffed 24/7.

4 Notices

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAROLS AND READINGS WITH AFTERNOON TEA Friday 8th December 2017 2-4pm at Ellesborough Village Hall Tickets £3.any surplus to local charities Contact Jean Young 021296 622306

5 Ellesborough Village Diary

Bell ringing practice every Wednesday evening 8.00 pm at Ellesborough Church Ellesborough Silver Band every Friday at 8.00 pm in Ellesborough Village Hall The Ark Coffee Stop every Thursday 10 am - 12 noon at The Ark

December 5 Tuesday K & E Horticultural Society 20:00 Stewart Hall 6 Wednesday Kimble & Ellesborough WI 14:00 Stewart Hall 7 Thursday Wendover Library Reading Group 19:00 Reading Room 8 Friday Mobile Library 12.15-12.30 Elm Close 8 Friday Traditional Christmas Carols, Readings and Tea 14.00-16.00 Village Hall 13 Wednesday Tea & Chat 14:00 Village Hall 14 Thursday Meeting re Affordable Housing 20:00 Village Hall 15 Friday Village Coffee Morning 10:00 Village Hall 15 Friday Ellesborough Silver Band - Carol Concert 19.30 Village Hall January 2018 3* Wednesday Kimble & Ellesborough WI 14:00 Stewart Hall 4 Thursday Wendover Library Reading Group 19:00 Reading Room 5 Friday Mobile Library 12.15-12.30 Elm Close 10 Wednesday Tea & Chat 14:00 Village Hall 16 Tuesday Parish Council Meeting 19.30 Village Hall 19 Friday Village Coffee Morning 10.00 Village Hall February 1 Thursday Wendover Library Reading Group 19:00 Reading Room 2 Friday Mobile Library 12.15-12.30 Elm Close 6 Tuesday K & E Horticultural Society 20.00 Stewart Hall 7 Wednesday Kimble & Ellesborough WI 14.00 Stewart Hall 14 Wednesday Tea & Chat 14:00 Village Hall 16 Friday Village Coffee Morning 10:00 Village Hall March 1 Thursday Wendover Library Reading Group 19.00 Reading Room 2 Friday Mobile Library 12.15-12.30 Elm Close 6 Tuesday K & E Horticultural Society 20:00 Stewart Hall 7 Wednesday Kimble & Ellesborough WI 14:00 Stewart Hall

* PLEASE CHECK THIS DATE - information not available at date of printing

6 Macmillan Fundraising Total 2017

Well, despite the grey skies and occasional shower, 52 of you lovely people braved the elements to support my Coffee Morning for Macmillan. And it was a great success! So many gorgeous cakes were baked and consumed, mini manicures and massages and even reflexology sessions taking place in the lounge! Lovely stalls selling gifts and cards and plants were manned by great ladies all with a sense of humour, despite being crammed in to every space available to avoid the rain! And the Raffle was as much fun as ever, with a vast array of fantastic prizes donated by local businesses, retailers and restaurants.

So, thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed the morning, and especially to my team of friends who made it all go smoothly.

I'm sure you've been wondering what the final total is? Well, it's an amazing £3,645.00

THANK YOU and see you next year!

Betty Freeman (1923-2017) Looking towards retirement Betty and her husband Douglas moved to Butlers Cross in 1978 before Betty moved to Carey Lodge in Wing in 2013 where she died at the age of 94. Her funeral was held at a very full Great Hampden Church on the 17th October.

Betty and Douglas were involved in church life in Butlers Cross and got to know many friends. They hosted many parties at their home, those around Christmas time were memorable. Through Betty’s leadership of the then Sunday school in the Village Hall she will be remembered by former children, many now with their own young families. Betty was a member of the Kimble and Ellesborough W I.

She joined a Yoga class which she continued with until recent years and swam twice a week. She was a familiar figure taking her daily walks in the village until her eventual move into care. She found helping at Calibre (cassette library for the blind) very rewarding and was a volunteer there for 25 years. She also was involved from the beginning with the Toc H charity shop which was the first in Wendover. It was a great success and became a mini social centre. The money raised was put to good use in buying the first Community car, several vehicles later the service is still in great demand.

Betty was born in Hemel Hempstead and had a very happy childhood. She loved to dance and was fortunate in having a good ballet teacher, as a teenager she took up ballroom dancing. During the Second World War she worked as a shorthand typist at a chemical agricultural company in Berkhamsted. She volunteered to do A.R.P work running the telephones at the town hall to warn various posts of air raids. She enjoyed playing tennis and it was at the tennis club where she met Douglas “the love of her life”. He joined the RAF and became a pilot. They were married in January 1945. Douglas died in 2010.

Following the end of the war and with the birth of their children, Neil and Isabel, they eventually were able to build their own house in Boxmoor. In addition to being a “stay at home mum” she volunteered to help with the library at St Paul’s Hospital in Hemel and enjoyed talking to the patients although this was sometimes stressful. She was involved for many years with children’s services at Boxmoor church. She also was also an active member of the local Eileen Fowler Keep Fit class, including a grand demonstration at the Albert Hall.

Betty was the proud grandmother of Hannah, Bryony and Lois and great grandmother to Harry, Isla, Finley and Douggie. She loved talking to people and was always interested in what everyone, young or old, was doing and she enjoyed hearing about the village and catching up with the lives of the many visitors she received in her last years at Carey Lodge.

7 Ellesborough Parish Church Services December 2017 to February 2018

Sunday 3rd December 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) 4.00 p.m. Advent Service Sunday 10th December 10.45 a.m. Parish Communion Sunday 17th December 6.00 p.m. Nine Lessons & Carols Sunday 24th December 4.00 p.m. Crib Service Monday 25th December 10.45 a.m. Christmas Communion Sunday 31st December 9.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) at All Saints, Little Kimble Sunday 7th January 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) 10.45 a.m. All Age Worship Sunday 14th January 10.45 a.m. Parish Communion Sunday 21st January 10.45 a.m. Sung Matins (BCP) Sunday 28th january 10.00 a.m. Benefice Candlemass Communion at St Mary’s, Stoke Mandeville Sunday 4th February 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) 10.45 a.m. All Age Worship Sunday 11th February 10.45 a.m. Parish Communion Sunday 18th February 10.45 a.m. Sung Matins (BCP) Sunday 25th February 10.45 a.m. Parish Communion

Holy Communion (BCP) is held at 8 a.m. at All Saints, Little Kimble on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sunday of each month, and at 9 a.m. on the 5th Sunday of any month. December 2017 - Dates of 8.00 a.m. Services at All Saints are: 10th, 17th and 25th - there will be no 8.00 a.m. Service on Sunday 24th December.

Service at the Church of the Resurrection, Dunsmore Sunday 17th December 7.00 p.m. Carol Service Christmas Day 25th December 9.15 a.m. Holy Communion

Further information and access For further information about Ellesborough Parish Church and for access when the Church is closed contacts are: Tony Young - Churchwarden (01296) 622306 Liz Norris - Churchwarden (01296) 615821 Glenise Whalley (01296) 622159 Richard Hares (01296) 622473

Benefice Administration Centre: The Ark, 28 Risborough Road, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury HP22 5UT. Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 am – 12 noon. Tel. (01296) 615886 Rector: Revd. Jan Henderson (01296 612855)

www.achurchnearyou.com/ellesborough-st-peter-st-paul

8 Village Houses - The Plough, Chalkshire Road

We provided a few notes to the village magazine on the and at some point shortly after, the last licensed victualler history of the Plough a few years ago so this article covers to run The Plough – Thomas Hailey. We assume that the the basic history and also adds details of a number of the rapid succession of landlords suggests that the inn was various events which have taken place in the Plough, in struggling financially, quite possibly as a result of the First addition to the daily lodging and drinking, during its long World War and loss of young men from the village. life. By this time, ownership of The Plough had passed into the History hands of the Aylesbury Brewery Company and in 1922, one Like much of the surrounding area, the land upon which of their directors - their former head brewer - William The Plough was built on was originally part of one of the Caron, bought it from the company and converted it into Rothschild’s estates. The County Record Office holds maps a private house. It was then that the ground floor bay of the village, with one from 1754, showing The Plough for windows and entrance canopy were added, the stable the first time already noted as a public house and its first demolished and replaced by a conservatory and the licensee is noted as 1753. As can be seen from the forecourt fenced off from the road and converted to lawn. photograph on the front cover, (taken around the time of The Carons renamed the First World War), it was open to the Chalkshire Road, the house ‘The with a central entrance, behind the water trough. To the Walnuts’, which it left of the Inn was single-storey stabling for horses and in remained, throughout the background – the barn - from where the publican’s their ownership. The family also ran their wheelwright business. With the village inside of two of our blacksmith across the road in what is now The Forge cupboard doors are still Garage, Terrick must have been a hive of activity, serving decorated with labels both man and beast. of wines and spirits, from the Caron’s times. As noted in the magazine previously, it was one of a number of public houses in the Ellesborough area and was Their daughter, Pamela, was a G.I. bride, who was married run by several families of publicans and wheelwrights for in Ellesborough Church, before leaving them for a new life over the next 150 years. From records of licensees, we in California, in 1946, where she still lives. Her believe the licensees to have been: granddaughter visited us several weeks ago, while tracing 1753-1779 William Miles her family history in the UK. Mr Caron died in 1949 and 1781 William Mellors the house was sold firstly to Major Michael William Vernon 1782-1804 William Robbins Hammond Maude, who moved in with his wife and two (The inn was owned by Will Mead at this time, as daughters in 1954, then to John and Violet Hamilton. At confirmed by an allotment map of that date in the some point after the Carons’ ownership, the name had County Records Office). reverted to The Plough. The Hamiltons sold to Brigadier 1805-1809 William Bradley Ernest Gueterbock and his wife the Honourable Cynthia 1810-1812 William Blick Gueterbock (who one or two current villagers still 1813-1817 William Langstone remember) in 1960. Mrs Gueterbock sold one of the barn’s 1818-1828 Timothy Wooster to a builder in 1985, who converted it into a house – The From the censuses, we can confirm that its various Plough Barn. Major Gueterbock died in 1984 and Mrs licensees (and possibly owners) were: Gueterbock in 1991, from whose son Anthony, Lord 1851 Thomas Harley, family and servant (5 Berkeley, we purchased the house in 1992. Since then we residents) have rebuilt the conservatory, added a further two storey 1861 Henry Pitcher, family and servants (8 extension in 2014 and created a new orchard of 50 trees, residents) to replace the original, which lies south of the Plough Barn, (a modest two-storey extension was added in 1869) on the Chalkshire Road. 1871 Thomas Walker and family (5 residents) 1881 Thomas Walker and family (10 residents) We have preserved all 1891 Thomas Walker and family (9 residents) the original features of 1901 Thomas Walker and family (7 residents) the house, including the 1911 Catherine Wooster and her family (6 inglenook fireplace with residents). seats, original panelling 1912 Douglas Payne and fireplaces, 1913 Frederick Lowe cupboards, panelled and boarded doors and their ironmongery.

9 Village Houses - The Plough, Chalkshire Road (continued)

Events While The Russell Arms has outlasted The Plough, it would widow of William Cooper, and lived at Chalkshire, in the appear that through most of its life, The Plough was the parish of Ellesborough. Deceased was nine months old. more important establishment in terms of village life, hosting dinners, auctions and even coroner’s inquests on 1896 “Allotment Dinner” The annual dinner of the holders a regular basis. The following articles from the Bucks of Lord Rothchild’s allotments was held at the Plough Inn, Herald newspaper, give just a flavour of the goings-on. Terrick, on Wednesday, 4th inst., an excellent repast being provided by Host Walker. Dinner over, the healths of Lord 1862 “Old Licensed Premises and Freehold Land , next Rothschild, Lady Sutton and Mr T. Parsons were drunk with Terrick Gate, In the Parish of Ellesborough, Bucks – To be musical honours, and the remainder of the evening was sold by auction on Saturday the 7th day of June 1862”. devoted to harmony, some capital songs being given. The A well-built brick and tiled public house, known as ’The proceedings closed with the singing of the National Anthem. Plough’, with stabling, open shed, wheelwright's shop, detached wood and poultry houses, large barn, garden 1901 “Dinner and Presentation to Trooper Walker” On yard and valuable orchard thickly planted with fruit trees, Thursday evening a complimentary dinner was held at the well situated at the junction of the roads at Terrick Gate. Plough Inn Meadow, Terrick, in honour of Trooper William Possession can be given at Michaelmas next. Walker, of the 38th Company of Imperial Yeomanry, who has just returned from South Africa. A company numbering 1874 “Fatal Accident” An inquest was held at the Plough about 80 partook of the excellent fare provided, of the Inn, Terrick, on Monday, before J Parrott, Esq., coroner, to Plough Inn, by Host T. Walker, dinner being served in a inquire into the circumstances attending the death of large marquee. Stephen King, a labourer in the employ of Mr Clark, of Brookwell Farm, aged 48 years. It appeared from the 1907 “Hunting Appointments” The Old Berkeley (West), evidence of Mr Smith, of Denner Hill, that he was riding Wednesday next, at The Plough, Terrick, at 11:30. home from Aylesbury Market on Saturday afternoon last and met a wagon and horses coming along the road 1920 “Sale of Furniture”, at The Plough Inn, Terrick, between Hampden and Chequers. There was no one with Ellesborough. Sale of furniture, pigs, poultry, effects, also them and the wagon was empty. He stopped the horses a rick of meadow hay. On the premises above, on Monday, and upon going in the direction from which they had come, July 18th 1920, at 2pm. he found the deceased in Cuckoo Lane, which leads into a wood, lying in the roadway. He was still alive, but We often think of our predecessors at The Plough and the insensible, and appeared to have been run over. Witness extraordinary range of activities which have taken place went for assistance and the deceased was taken home in in our front room during the last 250 years – let’s hope it one of Mr Clarke’s carts; he was then quite dead……the lasts for many more. jury returned a verdict that the deceased was accidently killed. John and Sue Stewart The Plough 1897 “Death of a Child through Burns” On Monday, Mr G. Chalkshire Road Fell (coroner) held an inquest at the Plough Inn, Terrick, on Terrick the body of Stanley Reginald Cooper, the infant son of Ann Cooper, of that place. The mother said that she was the

10 News & Reports Kimble & Ellesborough W.I. Kimble and Ellesborough WI meet at Stewart Hall, Station Road, Kimble, on the first Wednesday of the month at 2pm. We love to have visitors and everyone is made very welcome. We have a speaker each month and of course there is aways plenty of tea!

Joining the WI is a really good experience and a great way to make new friends, there are wonderful opportunities for everyone within the WI. Our Institute offers a £300 bursary every year so that one lucky member can go to our Denman College in Marcham, near Oxford to study something new, whatever she likes. But you have to be in it to win it! Come along and meet us we are known to be an especially friendly group - and it’s free to visit.

September Meeting We thoroughly enjoyed Tracy's lively talk and also all the There was not a great deal of business so soon after the hats she brought for us to try on and admire ourselves in!! holidays but we were very sorry to learn that our Minutes She may well be getting some orders from our Institute!!! Secretary was in hospital after being rushed in at the weekend and having had three operations. Cards and October Meeting flowers have been sent to her with love and good wishes for In October our President was on holiday so Vice President a speedy recovery from our Institute and members. Elspeth Rutland was in the chair. She gave us the date of the As our talk this month was on Hats, Bev made a wonderful next coffee morning with a change of venue for October, flower decoration as a hat, in WI colours, for the President's the Chandos at Weston Turville, and members were invited table and it was marvellous. Made like a straw boater, but to stay for lunch. We were delighted to hear about our with green leaves all over, a mauve band and flowers on the November outing to see the Christmas decorations within side to finish it off. It was stunning! Windsor Castle and allowing time to wander around Our speaker Tracy Blaney began by telling us how she Windsor town afterwards for a spot of Christmas shopping. started to be interested in millinery; how she attended a Excellent idea. course and then had one to one lessons with a milliner. We heard that Kimble and Ellesborough WI were chosen to Millinery has been around since the 1500s; hats first being cater for Monks Risborough WI’s 95 birthday celebration. associated with uniforms, strict church restrictions and Elizabeth Hine gave a colourful account of our outing to necessity in keeping dry and warm in winter and as a shade Hatfield House in September, one of the finest Jacobean for summer. houses in England built in 1611 by Robert Cecil the first Earl Most hats are made from Sinamay, which is a stiff straw-like of Salisbury. There is wonderful Jacobean craftsmanship material. If you buy a hat of Panama straw it will pop back throughout the house, superb carved staircases, rare stained into shape if sat on, unlike a cheaper straw from China, glass windows, fine furniture, wonderful artwork and which will just flatten down! tapestry and some enchanting painted ceilings. To make a hat you have to have a hat block which is head The gardens laid out by John Tradescant were very beautiful shaped and called a crown and a brim to go with it. A square and very formal, it was not hard to imagine ladies in of Sinamay in the colour required, cut on the bias to give beautiful gowns strolling around and there were lots of stretch, is pinned around the hat block to fit exactly. The hidden nooks and corners for secret assignations, maybe! same with the brim, easing the fabric upwards if a curve is After the second World War Hatfield was used as a required. This has to be done three times easing it into shape resettlement unit where repatriated servicemen who had with a little water. The crown and brim are dried with a hair been prisoners of war were brought to help them transition dryer so that it will shrink a little. The pins then come out back to civilian life. Many parts of the house have been used and the shape is massaged and kneaded. Wire goes around for filming because of its proximity to Pinewood studios, the brim to hold it and the petersham band is sewn into most notably Paddington, Batman, Anna Karenina, Harry place on the inside. The crown and brim are then sewn Potter and many, many more. Angelina Joli lived at Hatfield together. The hat can then be sprayed for colour effect, with during the filming of Lara Croft. acrylic or floristry spray, but Halfords car spray is a bit too Hatfield House is still the home of the Cecil family, it is tough, as Tracy found out when she first tried it. Decoration currently the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness comes next with feathers or roses or whatever you fancy. of Salisbury and one of the nicest things about visiting this Tracy worked for the hire shop Jolliffe in Marlow and stately home is seeing photographs of the present family at customers were always asking her advice about a hat to go work and relaxing and seeing the children at play in the deer with their outfit, so she started making a selection to sell park. There were photographs of the Queen and several and it took off from there. Her hats have been to Royal other members of the royal family on visits to Hatfield, it is Ascot, in 2011 one went to the Royal Wedding and appeared clearly still someone’s much loved family home. on tv. One of her customers lives in Windsor Castle and Our speaker was Kareen Stewart who told us that Where Tracy enjoys carrying her hat boxes straight in through the There’s a Will . . . . . Karen is a local solicitor specialising in tourists! services for later life since 1982. We were able to examine wills made in 1836 in the days when articled clerks were 11 Kimble & Ellesborough W.I. (Continued) paid by the foot of handwriting - probably accounting for all who went were very impressed with the efficiency of the the jargon and gobbledegook. In the past wills have been plant and Jean was very happy to tell us that the manager written on egg shells, shirt fronts and a Manchester ship of the plant was a lady! We hope another visit will be made canal pilot engraved his will on a coin. Napoleon asked that next year so if you’d like to join us just contact a member of his head be shaved and his hair distributed amongst his our WI. friends and Charles Dickens requested that no one wore black bows or hats to his funeral. Jack Benny wished for a red rose to be delivered to his wife every day for the rest of her life. How lovely, always something to learn at WI.

November Meeting Kimble and Ellesborough’s November meeting started at 11 am with coffee as we prepared for our Annual Meeting on our 97th birthday. Our President, Liz Malvisi was in the chair and Jerusalem was sung with extra feeling as it was a special occasion. We received good news of our friend Maureen Cornick who has been in hospital. It was reported that she was as feisty as normal! A cheque for £300 was presented to Betty Parish whose The date of the next coffee morning and lunch at the name was pulled out of the hat to win the course of her Chandos Arms was announced plus the final arrangements choice at Denman college. She has chosen to learn the art for our trip to Windsor Castle to see Her Majesty the of Christmas floral wreaths and table decorations. Queen's Christmas decorations. Jean Young entertained us with a ‘rubbish report' on a The Annual meeting quickly followed, there were recent WI outing to Greatmoor Energy from Waste Plant encouraging reports from the Chair, the secretary and the where all members where issued with high vis jackets, hard Treasurer. Mrs. Malvisi thanked all the members of her hats, gloves, goggles and steel toe cap boots on arrival. She committee for sterling work over the past year, she was told us that all of our waste was used to generate electricity voted President for a third term. which went to the National grid and supplied 15% of homes Elizabeth Hine and her team cooked a delicious lunch for in Bucks. Nothing at all was wasted, after the waste was everyone and Bev Russell had made the most amazing burned the ash was used in the making of concrete paving birthday cake - easily compared with anything we saw on slabs and kerb stones, even the methane gases were used the Great British Bake Off. Well done Bev. as a cheap substitute for ’North Sea Gas’. All the members

12 Gardening in Ellesborough Notes from an occasional diary There is always something that needs doing in the garden at all times of the year. Late autumn and winter is no exception. Granted there will be the occasional days too wet, too frost bound or snow covered to do much on the soil but much else can be done. Pressure washing paths for safety reasons, tree surgery, some pruning, bonfires, bulb planting and generally sorting accumulated heaps of this and that left to be dealt with later when we were really busy. And, of course, there are the joys of a relatively cosy greenhouse, which is the Head Gardener’s (HG.s) favourite refuge whatever the weather. So apart from a winter break in the New Year, getting outside for an hour or two on most days gets a lot done and is, on the whole, enjoyable, well nearly always, that is except when a bitter wind is penetrating and sleet or rain is running down your neck. Altogether a glorious, healthy, consolation for being in that happy state laughingly called retirement. Winter is closing in now, some forecasts are for a cold spell with snow through to mid-December; will it be as severe as 2009/10 (see image)? But what a wonderfully long drawn out autumn it has been. We have enjoyed magnificent displays looking east towards Coombe Hill, as the sun sets low in the evening when the sky is clear, fully justifying not cutting back the hedges until the very end of the month, so getting the very best of the brilliant colours from the leaves still not yet blown down. The year has been yet another record breaker for ambient temperature, no great extremes, rather dry in early summer but generally warm throughout and followed a mild winter, though there was a late spring frost that reduced the apple and quince crop. The overall effect in our garden has been that some annual plants such as Cleome (Capparaceae), Cosmos, Shoo Fly (Nicandra physalode) have well exceeded the heights the HG normally expects, in fact taller than her, with massive trunks and correspondingly great widths. Roses have done exceptionally well. So far there have been a couple of morning frosts, the last being sharp enough to finally affect the Ricinus, which have grown so well and been a splendid show throughout the summer, now looking limp and sad; dahlias too are failing; but how well the alstroemerias are doing – still flowering away well into late November. In the past we have always much preferred to compost all except diseased material from the garden, but such has been the volume cut back this year, with more to follow, that the bins have been filled, so several trips to the refuse dump have reluctantly been needed. Because the weather has been so good we have been able to get quite well ahead with spreading a thick layer of last year’s homemade compost on two of the main borders, which is much needed on our poor soil. Normally this has previously been left to the spring but is best done before winter, it helps to keep weeds supressed and allows plenty of time for worms to draw down this valuable soil- improving, organic material to be well incorporated ready to nourish next year’s planting. Clearing out the large old compost bins was a strenuous work-out but highly satisfying, making more space for the volume of dying plant material still to be cleared. Our long term plans to reduce the size of some borders in line with the capabilities of the ancient gardeners, talked about for the last year or so, have finally started to be implemented. Turf has been laid and although laying some was at the very end of the right time of year, fortunately it seems to be taking well and growing roots in the wet and mild conditions. The well grown, machine cut turf from Chinnor Turf is easily handled, once the ground has been prepared and levelled, it comes from Cambridgeshire apparently. In fact, apart from future labour saving, the changes have opened up some features and visually been an improvement. So this will be an ongoing process, as creatively enjoyable as all previous stages in the development of the garden. Nothing remains the same and is always evolving – like life really. The garden in winter will still be a delight. Some statuesque plants and those with seed heads left for the birds are also good to see when caught by the frosts and soon the very earliest of winter flowers will be emerging, the winter flowering jasmine is already. And in anticipation of the spring is bulb planting, now is the time for setting tulips in the garden and in pots. TY November 2017

13 14 Great Kimble C of E Infant School Church Lane Great Kimble Nr. Aylesbury Bucks. HP17 9TH G K Telephone / Fax 01844 346189 E Mail [email protected] Headteacher Mrs M Cozadinos

School News - Autumn Term December 2017

As always the start to the Autumn term was extraordinarily busy, with settling in our new Reception pupils and preparing for the Harvest Festival. All the children made a fantastic start to the term and a big well done to the new Reception children who settled in quickly and are a delightful addition to Great Kimble.

We were fortunate enough to enjoy one last Wednesday Worship at St Nicolas Church before it closed for refurbishment. We plan to continue many of the traditions and celebrations that usually take place at the Church and will be using the school and the Stewart Hall to facilitate this in the interim. Year 2 and Year 1 have now led our Wednesday Worship in School and they were so proud to perform in front of their parents. Thank you to all the families who kindly donated food items for our Harvest Festival. We had a beautiful display in school and it was complemented by a stunning wheat sheaf that Mr Hewitt kindly baked for us. This was taken to Stewart Hall for the Harvest service before going to Aylesbury Vineyard Storehouse.

This year we have introduced the Courtesy Cup with our new Behaviour policy and the children have been displaying excellent manners, collecting Courtesy Counters for their class. We have also introduced two new Christian Values and we will learn about a value every half term. So far the children have learnt about Respect and Thankfulness. In the spring term we will be looking at Endurance and Forgiveness, culminating with Love and Hope during the summer term. Our Christian Values are threaded through all we do at Great Kimble C of E School and it is a joy to see the children living these values out in their learning and the way they treat each other.

Walking Crocodile As many of you know, we have previously offered a walking crocodile on a Wednesday and Friday after school. Last year we were concerned about walking large groups of children such a long distance on a road with no footpath. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the walking crocodile this year. However, we will continue with the ‘Go for Gold’ incentive based walking scheme. Children can get their walking passports stamped in the morning and, once completed, the passport can be redeemed for one of many free activities offered by Buckinghamshire County Council. The school is always looking at ways to reduce traffic down Church Lane and we are really pleased to tell you that, despite the changing weather, several children are still walking to and from school every day and many parents have started to organise car sharing. Thank you to all the families that are thinking of ways to support the school in reducing traffic in the area.

Rotary Shoeboxes For 15 years the school has supported Operation Christmas Child, where the children have put together Christmas boxes for children around the world who are less fortunate than us, and for many families this is the start of the festive season. This year we have chosen to support the Rotary Club in providing Christmas boxes of gifts for children in Eastern Europe. Classes have discussed how thankful we are to be blessed with presents from our loved ones at Christmas but sadly for many other children around the world this is not always the case. So many children in Eastern Europe will benefit from this scheme and I am sure they will love receiving the wonderful selection of highly decorated boxes provided by children at Great Kimble. Participating in this important cause has also taught our children a great deal about our current value of Thankfulness.

15 School Council met this term to discuss which charities they would like to support this year. We were keen to support local, national and international charities and they have voted to take part in fundraising events for the following: Children in Need - November 2017 Red Nose Day – Spring Term Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – Summer Term

We are immensely proud of our caring Christian community at Great Kimble School and think our school council have chosen some great charities to support this year.

E-Safety In 2017 the NSPCC produced a report entitled ‘How safe are our children?’ Within the report there was a section on online harm, which showed that the amount of counselling sessions delivered by Childline, related to online abuse, is on the increase. Parents were invited to Longwick Combined School to share in a Parent E-Safety Evening taken by PC Graham Brigginshaw (Youth Police Officer and member of the Bucks E-Safety team). It was an extremely informative evening and provided us all with an increased knowledge of online risks and dangers and how to implement safety measures at home. If you would like any further information on how to keep your children safe online, please see our website under the safeguarding section.

Educational Visits This term Year 2 enjoyed their trip to Hazard Alley and learnt lots about keeping safe. They were brimming with excitement and new knowledge and it was a delight to hear about the safety rules learnt. Reception were lucky enough to go to the Odeon cinema in Aylesbury as part of the ‘Into Film’ festival that took place across the country. The children were extremely well behaved on both trips and were great ambassadors for our school. Year 1 are looking forward to their trip to Shortenhills Environmental Centre later this term.

Expansion to Key Stage Two As many of you are aware, last year the Governing Body consulted on our wish to expand Great Kimble to Key Stage Two. Feedback from the first stage of the consultation process was overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately the Council experienced initial problems in appointing an appropriate architect. As a result of this and the protracted process of Council approvals, we will not be able to offer Key Stage 2 places on the intended date of September 2018. We greatly regret this. However, the project is now firmly under way with the active support of Governors and Council Officers. We look forward to updating you as soon as any further information becomes available.

Volunteers Should you find yourself with the odd ‘free’ hour that you would be prepared to donate to the school, either through supporting our gardening and growing or by hearing pupils read, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you!

As we draw to a close for the end of the Autumn Term, we would just like to wish everyone in our school community a very Merry Christmas, and our best wishes to you all for a healthy and happy New Year.

16 17 Dunsmore News A Walk into Winter Autumn has flown by in Dunsmore, and we’re anticipating maintenance work has been completed on the Hall, some serious winter weather over the next few months. But significant work needs to be done, particularly on the roof that won’t stop us from being outdoors in this lovely of the building. Additional funds will need to be raised for Chilterns setting and being our normal sociable selves. this work, so villagers are asked to think of events that might Late August and early September were sad times in the make a healthy profit, or to suggest potential grants that village. Colin Emerson, Well Cottage resident for more than could be applied for. a decade, passed away on 25 August. We will all remember By the time this goes to press, we will have enjoyed one of him for his brave demeanour and cheerful outlook, as well our favourite events: Quiz Night. We are fortunate to have as the helping hand he provided to his neighbours. Colin Quiz Meister Chris Royal again running the torturous queries leaves his wife Linda and two daughters. on the evening, assisted by Margaret, who calms down the Jane Marshall, beloved wife, aunt, friend and neighbour, quizees who find his questions diabolical! Fish and chips will died on 3 September, aged 70. Jane had lived with her get us into pub-like mood for an evening of fun and games husband David at Hampden Way for more than 40 years. She with friends and neighbours. At this writing, more than 30 was an integral part of Dunsmore, serving on the earliest gluttons for punishment had signed up for the 18 November Village Hall Committee and as a Trustee of the Church of the event, so it looks to be a full house. Resurrection. Her funeral on 21 September included a loving Dunsmore damsels: don’t forget the Christmas Ladies’ Lunch tribute from her niece Sara-Jane and a village remembrance in the hall on 12 December! Take a break from your own from Jeni Henderson. Jane will be remembered most for her holiday planning and join in a festive lunch you don’t have fun-loving embrace of life and her marvellous sense of to prepare. Enjoy turkey and trimmings, a glass of wine, and humour. some fun and games with friends and neighbours. Let We welcome new residents Alice Wiggins and Chris Minchell Vanessa Havard know if you intend to join us. Start time is to The Outlook. Chris and Alice moved to Dunsmore in noon. August, and we look forward to seeing them both at village The final event on the DVHA calendar is, as always, Winter events over the next few months. Great to have you with Warmer. This year it is scheduled for 22 December at 8 p.m. us!. Keep a lookout for your emailed or hand-delivered flyer with A ‘Back to School Picnic’ was held on 10 September. We the final details. Do come and wish your neighbours the best ‘picnicked’ in the Old School House (aka Village Hall) due to for the holiday season. the unseasonably chilly weather conditions, but no one One special event has already been announced for 2018. enjoyed it any less for the change of venue. There were Because The Summer Solstice Soiree held a few years back organised games and activities, with boules being the all- was such a resounding success, another family event has round favourite! been scheduled for the Havard Garden. Put June 23rd 2018 This year’s Annual General Meeting was held on 14 October. on your calendar and save the date! The meeting was a packed-out success, with plenty to discuss If you’ve yet to see it, please take a look at the new and changes to the Dunsmore Village Hall Association Dunsmore Village website! Carol Keats has been working Committee, too. Chair Vanessa Havard expressed the diligently to plan, lay out and fill the pages with history, news, committee’s disappointment that turnout for some events photos, a forum and upcoming events, You can not only was lower than average and their hope that villagers would access the site’s information on the DVHA and the Church suggest events for next year’s calendar that they would like but include your own and participate in the forum, too. to support. A notepad was left for suggestions, and several Go to www.dvha.co.uk to take a look at the photos page. ideas contributed. These were taken to the following Please send any you’d like included to Carol. On the News Committee meeting and used in event planning. Thanks to page, there is a ‘subscribe’ box to tick should you wish to be everyone who contributed. notified of news and events. Don’t worry. There is no plan Motions were passed to make a temporary rule change in to send emails willy-nilly! Feel free to add your own the constitution so that Vanessa could stay in the chair for newsworthy event, too. To share local knowledge, ask for another year and to vote her back into that role. Lori North recommendations on local professionals or find out contacts and Tim Lee were unanimously returned to their roles as for state of roads or bin collections, use the Forum section. Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. John Ladd, Nikki It may seem a bit daunting, but Carol urges us all to at least Stillwell and Carol Keats will remain as committee members. take a look – and jump in if you have general issue to discuss The DVHA is fortunate to have two new members on the with other Dunsmore residents. committee for the coming year: Debbie Cooper of Dunsmore Park and Lorraine Smith of Rylstone. We wish the new committee a busy and fulfilling year. The coming year poses some interesting issues, as Tim Lee and Ivan Stillwell reported. Although some repair and

18 Church of the Resurrection, Dunsmore

It has been a busy autumn for the Church and will continue to be event-filled for the holiday season. Our Harvest Festival was held at the end of September, with an evening thanksgiving service in the church, followed by a hot supper in the Village Hall. The charity supported this year was the Cancer Care and Haematology Fund at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. We all tucked in to lasagne and salad, followed by apple pies, crumbles and tarts. It was a lovely evening and community event, and our grateful thanks go to all those who prepared the meal and helped in so many other ways with organising the evening.

A new event was held this year in conjunction with the Harvest Festival – the first-ever Dunsmore Scarecrow Competition. A great deal of imagination and hard work went into the scarecrow production, and the standard was very high. Joint winners were awarded special rosettes during the Harvest Service to Luke and to Ollie and Freddie. Runners-up, also a tie, were Laila and Mariya, and Saskia and Mya, who also received rosettes for their efforts. Well done, all of you.

Stars and Moons, please!

The church will be decorated for the Christmas season on Thursday 14th December at 7.30 p.m. We hope as many Dunsmore residents as possible will make stars and moons (silver and gold, please) to decorate the church. Please bring your decorative contributions to the church that evening, or leave them in the mailbox outside The Old Forge Cottage, opposite the church, in advance. Volunteers on the night are welcome, and if you have Christmas greenery in your garden, particularly holly with berries, please bring some with you. As an added incentive – and to get everyone in the Christmas spirit – there will be mulled wine to keep us warm and some nibbles.

There will be two Christmas services. On Sunday, 17th December at 7.00 p.m. there will be a Carol Service, followed by mince pies and a warming glass of fruit punch. We will celebrate Christmas Day with a service of Holy Communion at 9.15 a.m. The communion will follow the Anglican liturgy, but we warmly welcome all villagers to come and celebrate Christ’s birth with us.

The Trustees would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas.

19 A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF CHRISTMAS.

I was flattered and delighted when my young Kiwi granddaughter, Milly-Rose, far from home, living and teaching in Frinton-on-Sea invited me to spend Christmas with her. We decided on a holiday adventure, not too far away but essentially somewhere warm. We decided on Morocco.

We met in London before flying to Marrakech the following morning. We arrived in glorious sunshine.

Most people have heard of Airbnb, you stay in someone’s home with all its comforts. Our host was Veronica, a French lady from Paris who had made her home in Marrakech, and she had arranged transport for us from the airport to the Riad where she lives.

At her home all the rooms were arranged around a beautiful shady courtyard, tiled in the traditional Moroccan way where there were orange and lemon trees and large pots of beautiful, colourful flowers. It was open to the blue skies with the sound of trickling water somewhere - which I hoped was not the plumbing.

The house was clean, comfortable, an absolute delight, and as cheap as chips! Veronica arrived each morning around 9 o’clock and served us a traditional breakfast, a kind of savoury pancake, delicious, plus warm bread with home made jams and marmalade, pots of scented coffee and mint tea which we came to love and drank at every opportunity.

Morocco had been a French Protectorate since 1912 gaining independence in 1956. French is still widely spoken there and most shop signs and business transactions are conducted in French. Milly-Rose and I both speak French so shopping and daily life was a pleasure for us.

After breakfast we would walk through the labyrinth of narrow lanes and dusty alleyways to the nearby Souk to explore. Exotic and sometimes overwhelming, we would shop for our lunch and enjoy the jostle of humanity which offered its own sense of security though we had been assured we would be very safe there. The colours were fabulous, the snake charmers fascinating and the smells of street food cooking amazing. A typical and generous meal for two with bread, olives and mint tea was never more than £10. We had our first (and last) taste of sheep's brains. A tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice was 40p. No alcohol of course.

We had our hands and feet decorated with henna in the market square.

There are wonderful art galleries, museums and palaces to visit and the unforgettable Majorelle Garden, gifted by Yves Saint Laurent to Marrakech the city that adopted him in 1964. His ashes are buried in the garden.

Of course Morocco is a Muslim country so no evidence of Christmas as we know it. I had taken my Christmas cards and small wooden tree ornaments with which to decorate the orange trees in the courtyard and on Christmas day we sang Carols, played Christmas music and exchanged piles of small, cheap gifts then enjoyed Christmas dinner 20 in the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, Moroccan style, vegetable tagine with couscous. In the afternoon we played with our new toys and games on the sunny rooftop terrace with its wonderful views to the mountains.

On the 29th December my clever granddaughter hired a car and she drove us for 5 hours over the snow capped High Atlas mountains, very beautiful in parts and in others dry and barren, and around every corner ...... it was exactly the same!

We overtook many a Little Donkey, on the dusty road, saw women carrying huge loads of firewood on their backs or doing their washing in the streams and spreading it out to dry on the bushes. We saw fields being ploughed using mules.

We arrived after several sight seeing stops in the town of Ouarzazate by mid afternoon where Milly-Rose had arranged an overnight stop for us in another airbnb. Ouarzazate is the desert film capital of the world, much of Laurence of Arabia was filmed here, scenes from Cleopatra and more recently parts of Star Wars.

The following morning she drove us the final leg of our journey to the very edge of the Sahara desert, Merzouga, where we waited at the Kasbah for our guide to meet us in the cool of the early evening with our transport.

My camel, dromedary actually, [one hump] was called Jimi Hendrix, and Milly's was Bob Marley, our guide was Youssef. The journey to the Berber encampment took about two hours, Jimi and Bob were gentle, rumbly, and well behaved, we loved the experience rocking and rolling over the dunes. Sadly, progress has arrived in the desert in the form of plastic bags and bottles and noisy quad bikes racing over the dunes, neither good for the fragile desert environment, but our tented camp was far enough away from the town to still be untouched by plastics and quad bikes. Such silence was wonderful.

Life in the desert is dictated by the sun. Our Berber camelteer woke at 5 am each morning, said his prayers and lit a fire before going to look for his camels which had been let loose to forage. The food at the camp was terrific and plentiful, there will never again be oranges or tomatoes like those we tasted in Morocco and the goat and camel tagines were absolutely delicious. After dinner we would climb as high as we could up the extraordinary rose gold sand dunes, the Erg Chebbi, the highest in the Sahara to watch the sun tuck itself away for the night, so beautiful - but it was almost instantly freezing cold like l have never experienced before, and being a chilly mortal at all times I found it hard to cope with, but with lots of layers and a huge camp fire we were fine. The cook and bottle washer, Ishmael, entertained us with songs and drums as we laid back on piles of cushions to marvel at the wide, starry sky, without light pollution it is something I'll never forget. The Sahara desert is one of the best places to see this phenomenon.

On New Year's day it was very sad to say goodbye to lshmael who had looked after us so well with nothing in the way of modern equipment or conveniences in his tented kitchen, his pots and pans had certainly seen better days! I don’t know if Morocco has a caring for Granny culture but he certainly looked after me!

We needed to be away with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley by 6 am to see for the last time the beautiful sunrise over the desert, but before we left I asked Ishmael if I could please take his photograph. Oh yes, of course. He peeled off his dark, traditional camel wool jellaba and underneath he sported a rather smart royal blue silky ensemble, richly embroidered with gold, a dagger studded with jewels was at his belt and with his enormous, blue Berber turban he looked very handsome and rather intimidating.

But wait! He fumbled in his pocket and produced a cloth from which he extracted a pair of teeth which he popped into his mouth and he smiled his solid gold smile for my camera.

Elizabeth Hine.

21 Charities - Update

Ellesborough Relief in Need Charity

The charity was established in its current format in March 1985 following the sale of Low Scrubs, a forty five acre woodland at the top of Coombe Hill, to the National Trust. The proceeds of the sale were invested in the Charities Official Investment Fund which now yields an annual income of about £3000. The distribution of the income is administered by the Trustees who must observe the conditions of the scheme authorised by the Charity Commission, the most important of which is:

The Trustees shall apply the income of the Charity in relieving either generally or individually persons resident in the area of benefit who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress by making grants of money or providing or paying for items, services or facilities calculated to reduce the need, hardship or distress of such persons.

The area of benefit is defined as the Parish of Ellesborough and the part of Dunsmore that is in the Parish of Wendover.

The income from the investment has been used to help with fuel costs, special travel arrangements, training needs and currently to provide Aid Call for elderly people. This latter facility requires the user to wear a pendant which, when pressed, gives immediate contact with a designated neighbour or, if necessary, the emergency services. The service has provided both reassurance and practical support to many people in the Parish. In recognition of these benefits the Trustees would like to extend the free availability of the Aid Call service to all people over the age of eighty within the Parish. If you are entitled to this service, or know somebody who is, please contact Rob Nicholson (01296 612658).

As a Charity we are conscious that our purpose is not restricted to financial support but often, equally importantly, to the interaction across the generations. A number people in the Parish live on their own and, with limited public transport and the onset of winter, they may go several days without seeing anyone. We also have teenagers in the village who are participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme that requires them to spend thirteen weeks on a community project. This could include doing odd jobs for parishioners who need a helping hand coupled with a chat!

As a Charity we are keen to act as the glue between the young and the old in the village. If you know of someone who could do with a little bit of help (and it could be you) or you know of a budding Duke of Edinburgh student looking for a community project, please get in touch and see if we can do something positive for everyone.

The Trustees are the Rector, (Jan Henderson), the Chairman of Ellesborough Parish Council (Rob Alexander), Judith Harper, Don Hayes, Peter Tilbury, Rob Nicholson

Rob Nicholson (Chairperson)

Tel: 01296 612658

22 Charities - Update African Village Support

The work of African Village Support (AVS) has continued to flourish in eastern Uganda during these last three years. We are still working together with students and schools, women's groups and youth, to help transform lives in the local community. So what has happened over these years? In Uganda our ambitious project to develop an income generating community centre in the heart of Muyembe, our main town, has been completed and as well as providing a base for our work also offers services and facilities to the whole community. These include an internet cafe with wi-fi, secretarial services, a library and study base for students as well as a venue for workshops, conferences, weddings and graduations. It is also offers a venue for music festivals, concerts and sports activities. The income generated is used, not only to employ local staff but also to support the work of AVS within the community. Several more of the fifty students whom we support have completed their studies and we now count medical officers, nurses, teachers, librarians and cooks amongst our alumni! What is most encouraging is the fact that a number of these students are now helping other young people from within their community to attend school. With help from our generous sponsors we are also supporting some youngsters with hearing and visual impairments as well as some who have physical handicaps. Our latest project with the women's groups has been to work with them on combating some of the main difficulties of climate change. Helped by two local churches we provided water pumps to assist the women during times of drought. The programme also involved training in some modern farming techniques and giving advice on coping with floods as well as drought. Our girl's school hostel has been showing signs of wear and tear and we have been fortunate in raising the money to begin its refurbishment which is including external painting, a new ceiling in the dormitory and a recreation room which will allow the girls to unwind after school, have a good place A member of the to do their homework and even watch TV or a DVD. Times change! group tries out the new water pump At least sixty women are still coming every month to receive their Mama Bags after attending at least three ante-natal classes when they get medical checks as well as information on family planning, vaccination and good health and hygiene practices. Of growing importance is our work with the most needy and vulnerable members of the community. These range from the youngest babies to the oldest inhabitants. They are brought to our attention by members of the local councils or our women's groups who identify them based on the condition of their health, their shelter, hygiene and sanitation and income amongst other factors. Our problem is in providing sustainable support as the needs are enormous. All of these activities need managing and we are very lucky that both in the UK and in Uganda we have found a new team to take over and carry on the work of AVS as the original founders grow older and take a back seat. It is really encouraging to know that the energy, Thanks from a family in their generosity and vision of the original supporters of AVS can continue to support such new home vulnerable people. [email protected] www.africanvillagesupport.org

This disabled boy has no hands but is academically gifted, African Village Support is seeking funds to pay for his school fees, materials and school uniform.

23 Charities - Update (continued) The Pace Centre and Charlie, by his mum The Pace Centre is a specialist charity, based in Aylesbury that supports children with physical disability, sensory disorders and developmental delay. Our unique approach combines therapy and learning to provide children with the skills they need to achieve greater independence. And there is no better way to show you what we do at Pace, than letting one of our families share with you their story. “Charlie is a bubbly, fun, active nine-year-old. He loves riding his bike, gardening and cooking. His wheelchair is bright orange, with lights on the wheels as he loves anything to do with sirens and flashing lights! Being able to describe Charlie like this is a very proud moment for me, because his infectious personality hasn’t always been able to shine through. Charlie was our first born - our gorgeous little bundle. Although his delivery was assisted there was no cause for concern. But as he got older, his health visitor highlighted that he wasn’t meeting his development milestones. Charlie went for an MRI scan, but as children develop at different rates we thought everything would be fine. But it wasn’t. Charlie had cerebral palsy (CP) - brain damage affecting his movements, most obviously making his legs stiff and straight. I remember holding him up when he was a baby and placing his feet on my knees, thinking “he’s got strong legs”, I had no idea that this was an early sign. I remember the doctor saying that Charlie would never walk. I didn’t hear anything else…I had not been prepared to hear that, who would have been? The shock and grief for the future we’d imagined consumed me. I imagined the worst – he’d be reliant on care and support. Steve grieved too, for the son he had planned to play football with and induct into the family business. The future was now unknown. The news affected the whole family. Steve’s dad was talking about our devastating news when a friend told him about Pace, in Aylesbury. When he told me that there was a centre, in my town, specialising in therapy and education for children like Charlie, I hardly believed it. At two years old Charlie couldn’t weight-bear, sit on his own, crawl or talk. I arranged to meet the team at Pace. They were lovely, reassuring and they understood Charlie. I could tell that Pace was a place where Charlie could thrive. Within a year of starting in Pace nursery, Charlie had already beaten the doctor’s prognosis. He had learnt to sit, crawl, weight bear and walk with a frame. My son was walking! It felt amazing to know that Charlie was surrounded by people who wanted more for him, expected more from him. This was the start of our future. Unfortunately, it was not smooth sailing. When Charlie reached school age I thought he would go to Pace, why wouldn’t he, look what he’d achieved so far. I was wrong. The local authority placed him in a mainstream school. The future we’d imagined was shattered. Charlie was able to attend Pace once a week, and was in mainstream school the rest of the time. Academically, physically and mentally he wasn’t coping. The little boy I introduced you to earlier was nowhere in sight. My 5-year-old didn’t want to eat, sleep, or leave the house. How could the local authority prioritise a cheaper school over my son’s health, wellbeing and progress? We had to fight, and fight we did. We went through two tribunals and finally at Easter 2016 Charlie was placed at Pace by the local authority. I am so proud of Charlie and all that he’s overcome and achieved so far. He has progressed from his tiny green walking frame at three-years-old, to walking with sticks - and in September 2017 he started to walk independently when at Pace school. Charlie’s progress is testament to the positive, nurturing and expectant environment that Pace creates. He loves going to Pace and he is now reaching his milestones that Pace have put in place, bespoke milestones identified for Charlie for him to strive for and hit, because he believes he can!” If you would like to support Charlie and his classmates this Christmas visit www.thepacecentre.org and click donate or go to Get Involved for events and fundraising ideas.

24 Charities - Update (continued)

The Children’s Society Charity – Judith Harper Local Fund Raiser/volunteer and Box coordinator for St Peter/St Paul Ellesborough

The Children’s Society was the first charity to open a safe refuge for young runaways. They now continue to provide a safety net for disadvantaged youngsters and operate a variety of projects which address a range of serious issues that face young people, within the UK, today.

Over 70 projects protect vulnerable children who are facing challenges from sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol problems (their own or parent’s), mental health issues, running away from home, leaving care or being a carer for someone else. Trained project workers work directly with children, providing essential drop-in services, guidance, advice and counselling.

Through many projects, The Children’s Society works with: • Young Runaways who become homeless – Drop-in centres meet each child’s needs, whether they want accommodation or to get in touch with their family. Help and support is provided to get them off the streets. • Young Offenders – The Society works with young offenders to promote justice and provide more effective solutions to youth crime than prison. Such as arranging for young offenders to meet their victims so that they can see the impact of their crime, making them less likely to re-offend. • Deprived or Isolated Communities –to provide the children who live there with a better environment in which to grow up and helping young people access education. This includes work with young refugees, campaigning against discrimination and allowing youngsters to contribute to the improvement and regen- eration of their area. • Schools –the Society’s work in schools helps children to deal with difficult situations. By finding the root causes of disruptive behaviour, children can be helped to overcome their problems, whilst teachers and parents can be supported in finding alternatives to exclusion. The Society offers family and children’s centres and mentoring and befriending schemes. • Children & Young People in the Public Care System – to ensure that their rights are promoted and voices heard so that they have a say in their own futures. • Young carers – where young people are caring for someone else and need support by getting in touch with their peers and enjoy a break from daily duties. • Young people facing mental health issues, sexual exploitation or addiction – can receive help, advice, guidance and counselling from trained project workers. • Government – in campaigning to change policies and laws to make life better for young people.

Fundraising allowed over 5 million young people to have their lives improved and over 100 youth at risk services able to run by The Children’s Society last year. • £8 – could pay for art therapy materials that help a child talk about the abuse they’ve suffered. • £12 could pay towards a support session for young carers. • £25 could allow a project worker 1 hour of time with a young person to talk through their concerns

As a voluntary society of the Church of England, the Children’s Society approach has Christian values and ensures that children and young people are at the heart of all they do. They strive for a society where all children and young people are respected and valued, free from poverty, prejudice and harm.

The Children’s Society has been helping children and young people since 1881 and today its work is as vital as ever.

25 Charities - Update (continued) Ellesborough Aid

As a local village charity Ellesborough Aid has been helping those in need in the Parish since its foundation in 1953. We have funds available and are happy to consider requests from anyone living within the parish of Ellesborough.

Do you know someone in the village who may benefit from a little help - why not suggest they give us a call. We are always happy to discuss requests for help in complete confidence and any one of the trustees can be contacted at any time for a friendly chat.

Sue Jennings 01296 625498 Lesley Jenkinson 01296 613625 Janet Pearce. 01296 623783 Dary Sweeney 07801 419448

Riding for the Disabled I wrote an article in the magazine back in 2014 about my RDA group, Maidensgrove, which is based at The Grove riding stables just outside High Wycombe. At the start of our term in September we have a whole new class of six very young children, all of whom are riding for the first time!

As we draw towards the end of the term in December it is amazing to see the progress made - they can now sit up straight and are able to participate in the mounted games and interaction with both helpers, ponies and each other.

We are all looking forward eagerly to the arrival of Father Christmas on our last lesson and the treats he will bring for every child to take home.

It will be wonderful to meet them all again at the start of the new year and we look forward to more fun and games!

Sue Jennings

The Children’s Society Annual Event It may well have been September when a flier fell through your letter box or a poster appeared in the village to promote The Children’s Society Open House Event on the 3rd/4th November. Although the date must have seemed to be somewhere in the distant future - many must have popped the date into their diary to support this occasion. What started as a small coffee morning 19 years ago for a handful of Collection Box Holders, has become an increasingly popular event and evolved into a larger affair spreading over 2 days. It was extremely well supported this year and many enjoyed the social gathering; bumping into others that they have not seen recently and enjoying a long chat over coffee and a huge slice of cake. And if that is not enough, there were Christmas decorations and beautiful accessories for your interiors by Fresh Eyes Design, handmade knitwear and gorgeous wools from Chalkshire Alpacas, Christmas and Gift Cards, a Festive Raffle and an array of homemade cakes. In fact my home was transformed into an Aladdin’s Cave (which is looking rather bare as I write this article a day later!)

It was also rather lovely this year to have some youngsters (Callum, Gus, Hugo who all enjoyed cake and the egg timers, Hannah and Jessica, and Flora) as well as a few gentlemen who braved the monopoly of ladies. Over 130 attended the event and for those still waiting for a raffle prize – see accounts and summary report elsewhere in the magazine

This event cannot run without all who decide to take the time to support it and funds cannot be raised for the Children’s Society without the donations made or money spent. I thank all of you who supported the event and much appreciation to the wonderful volunteers in the kitchen (Julie, Katrina, Karen, Margaret, Fiona, Victoria, Linda and Sue) and to Rob who has offered to help me count the contents of the Collection boxes. I could not do this without your help.

Thank you to all involved and for being so willing to help, support and join in the fun. Please pop it into the diary for next year as it will be the 20th year.

Judith Harper

26 Charities - Update (continued) Lindengate Catching Up with Lindengate Charity: Butterflies, Blooms and Well-Being. Three years ago, Ellesborough Magazine introduced you to two passionate, innovative women who had started up a charity to bring the benefits of nature and gardening to people with mental health needs. We're checking back this month to find out how they have got on and whether Lindengate, based just outside Wyevale Garden Centre, is developing in the way they hoped when they first dreamed their dream of a beautiful working garden with therapeutic value. "Blooming and thriving!" says Charlie Powell, using terms from her horticulture training to sum up Lindengate as a whole as it passes the third birthday milestone. And she doesn't just mean the flowers! The five acre site is indeed a hive of activity where new garden spaces have been added at regular intervals, from the first wildflower meadow in 2014, to the soft fruit plantings in 2015, the addition of a wildlife pond in 2016, a fern stumpery in May 2017, a mosaic wall and seating area in September 2017, and the work currently going on to complete the Alpine Border. Sian Chattle, co-founder with Charlie, adds that the human element is thriving too. At Lindengate anyone attending to benefit from the therapy offered is known as a Gardener, and approximately 70 Gardeners attend each week to help them combat a variety of mental health issues including loneliness, dementia, anxiety, depression or autism. There are also around 150 volunteers helping to run the services and they too report that the boost to well-being that they get from their time at Lindengate is an important part of their lives. Specialised services, such as the Memory Pathways sessions, have been developed, tailor-made to help Gardeners facing memory loss and dementia. Carers can also attend these sessions which include a variety of activities including arts, crafts, cooking, singing, reminiscing and poetry as well as gardening. “There is growing acceptance in the medical profession of the value of Social and Therapeutic Horticulture,” says Sian, “and we see it for ourselves on a daily basis. Our feedback is that 85% of our Gardeners experience an improvement in their mental well-being.” In March this year Sian and Charlie were proud to collect the Enterprising Charity of the Year award from Bucks Business Awards. This is a reflection of the professional way in which the charity has been set up and is being run day to day by the management team. The ambitious ladies have also managed to add an important further element to their work; Lindengate is playing an ever-increasing role in conservation working with Butterfly Conservation, the RSPB and Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust. The site is acting as a feeder nursery to propagate and nurture enough suitable plants to guarantee a sustainable supply of primary foodplants for particular species. The Marsh Fritillary Butterfly is the subject of a reintroduction project at Otmoor where Devil's Bit Scabious is vital to its survival. Young plants grown at Lindengate are being planted out to create a big enough colony for the sustainability of the butterfly. With H & IOW Wildlife Trust they are providing the young caterpillars with the plants they need to feed on to reach healthy maturity so that they can be released into an existing site. Lindengate provide the same "nursery catering" service to the Duke of Burgundy Butterfly whose favourite food is Cowslip. Lindengate is also propagating and growing Black Poplar which is one of the most endangered trees in the UK, working with Aylesbury Vale District Council. The Vale is one of the last places where Black Poplar is still found in the wild. Lindengate will be helping to keep this population healthy by nurturing a new disease resistant strain developed at Kew Gardens. Similar work on disease resistant elms will help the many species of butterfly who have been affected by the loss of elms across our countryside in the past twenty years. The mother and carer of one of the regular Gardeners explained "I'm amazed by how much work is going on in this one site. My autistic son benefits hugely from having two mornings a week developing his gardening skills at Lindengate, and it makes me very proud to think that, even if he just waters the Black Poplars on a hot day, he is contributing to such important national conservation work. It's all down to the intelligent dovetailing of conservation and people projects that goes on constantly at Lindengate."

27 Charities - Update (continued) Lindengate (continued) Or as one of the Lindengate Gardeners puts it, in a nutshell; “The great thing about this place is that everyone gets helped. The garden needs my help and I get helped by doing that.” ------Lindengate holds an annual fair each year - put 9th June in your new 2018 dairy and make a date to come and find out more about the work of this thriving charity and enjoy the gardens when they look their blooming best!

If you have recently retired or changed lifestyle, it is worth thinking about becoming a Lindengate volunteer. Joining the friendly team for just one morning a week could make a big difference to someone else's life, and give you an unexpected boost to your wellbeing too. For more information look at their website on www.lindengate.org.uk or call them to make an appointment to discuss volunteering on 01296 622443.

Link up on facebook using @lindengategardening, twitter or instagram to follow the work of Lindengate in 2018 and beyond.

Marsh Fritillary Butterfly Photo: Dr Andy Barker Marsh Fritillary Caterpillars Photo: Dr Andy Barker

Butterfly Conservation Lindengate work closely with Butterfly Conservation, whose Upper Thames Branch covers our area. We hope to include articles on their work in future editions. As a precursor these are photographs of some common butterflies taken in Ellesborough this year.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Peacock Butterfly Comma Butterfly

28 Affordable homes for Ellesborough

Have you ever considered moving away from your home town because local house prices are rising out of your reach? In Ellesborough and all over the country, many rural communities are declining as local people are being forced to leave the parishes they call home in search of somewhere more affordable to live.

This trend is something that Hastoe exists to help fight against.

As one of England’s leading rural housing associations, we have over 30 years’ experience in supporting village communities. We firmly believe that providing small numbers of sustainable new homes will help to breathe new life into villages like Ellesborough, so that they can continue to thrive and grow.

Hastoe specialises in providing affordable homes for local people. Our homes are prioritised for those with a genuine connection to the local parish or surrounding area, so that we can help to ensure that families are able to remain in the village where they live, work or have family ties.

Community is incredibly important to our work As a housing provider, we also believe that and this is reflected in our model of developing affordability is more than just how much a home new homes for and with local communities. It is costs to buy and rent. We build affordability into the community that recognises the need for the very fabric of our homes by ensuring that more homes, it is the community that decides they are super energy efficient. Our investment where and how these homes are to be in innovative, green construction methods delivered, and it is the community who are there means that our residents can benefit from right through to the day when local families reduced energy costs and live more sustainably. move into their new homes. Good for the environment, good for our residents’ finances, and good for the community.

Hastoe already owns or manages close to 400 homes throughout Buckinghamshire, including those pictured here. Wycombe District Council and your parish council have commissioned an independent survey to help us investigate how many new homes are needed in your area. We are excited to work with the Ellesborough community to explore the right housing options that work for you.

If you would like to find out more information on Hastoe, you can read more on our website by visiting www.hastoe.com.

If you have any questions about Hastoe’s work, please contact [email protected]

29 30 Roads - Old and New

Bucks County Council – Proposed Aylesbury Orbital Roads

As part of HS2 mitigation and the Aylesbury Vale Local Plan the road infrastructure in Aylesbury is being upgraded. The first stage is South East Aylesbury Link (SEAL) road between the B4443, Belmore Centre just south of Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and the Wendover Road A413 roundabout SE of Bedgrove. This is a particularly significant development as it crosses over the future HS2 track and gantries, i.e. it is steep and visible above Hampden Fields. It will be dual carriage way width.

Bucks County Council are in consultation with the public and information is available on their web site, which includes an opportunity for on-line comments, with supporting maps and videos.

I have extracted one of the maps, shown opposite, which I think summarises the AVDC vision for Aylesbury’s expansion quite well.

For more detailed information best search on-line for Bucks County Council Aylesbury Link Road and AVDC Local Plan.

Richard Jennings

The Toll Roads of Buckinghamshire 1706-1881 By Peter Gulland

For those interested in local history, maps, transport or just curious about milestones, toll-houses and some of the twists and turns of our local main roads I thoroughly recommend this book by Peter Gulland. It would make an excellent Christmas present.

In the first part of the book Peter explains in a very readable manner why turnpike roads were needed at the start of the industrial era and the difficulties in funding, constructing and getting travellers to pay for them. A small extract “ A modern practice of giving an unexpired car parking ticket to strangers has its origins as early as 1740 when the Hockcliffe and Stratford Trust introduced a ten-shilling fine for travellers who, having a ticket for the toll they had paid, proceeded to pass that ticket to another traveller to enable them to avoid paying toll. Interestingly the fine was to be divided, with half of its value going to the informer and half to the repair of the road.”

The second half of the book gives a quite detailed breakdown of each turnpike and its history. Again there a gems to be found: “An altercation about the Aylesbury Gate’s opening hours saw its gatekeeper brought before the justices of the peace in 1805, when he was found guilty of a ‘misdemeanour’. His offence had been to lock the gate 11pm instead of the advertised time of midnight – and then to tell the traveller arriving at 11.20 pm that he could stay there all night for all that the gate keeper cared.”

The book is available from the Buckinghamshire Archaeology Society at The Bucks County Museum Aylesbury www.bucksas.org.uk, The Thame Museum £12.00, + postage. Alternatively I can collect local orders if you email me at [email protected],uk by 10th December.

Richard Jennings

31 CHRISTMAS GIFTS Seasonal Preserves make wonderful gifts which are personal and creative. The rich colours of Dried Apricot Jam and Red Onion Marmalade are attractive too!

DRIED APRICOT JAM Ingredients: 500g whole dried apricots, chopped Juice of 3 large lemons 1.5kg jam sugar

Method 1. Put the apricots in a large pan, add 1.5 litres water, cover and leave overnight to soak. 2. Next day, place a small plate in the fridge to chill. Put the apricots and water on the hob, then add the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, then simmer for 30 mins or until the apricots are tender and starting to break up. 3. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Return to the heat and boil rapidly for 20 mins or until setting point is reached. To check this, remove the plate from the fridge, put a spoonful of jam onto the plate and pop it back in the fridge for a few mins – the jam should wrinkle when you push it with your finger. A sugar thermometer will also give you the setting point of jam, which is 105C. 4. Carefully pour the jam into hot sterilised jars, top with a disc of wax paper or baking parchment, seal with a lid, then leave to cool and set. The jam will last for 6 months unopened in a cool, dark cupboard

RED ONION MARMALADE Ingredients: 2kg Red Onions 4 Garlic cloves 140g Butter 4tblsp olive oil 140g Golden Caster Sugar 1tblsp fresh thyme leaves Pinch chilli flakes 75cl bottle of red wine 350 ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar 200ml port

Method: 1. Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, chilli flakes if using and some salt and pepper. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they’re really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part. 2. Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It’s done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal. Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months

JARS SHOULD BE STERILISED AT AN OVEN TEMPERATURE OF 120/140oC

32 Bucks County Museum Forthcoming Events Santa’s Amazing Science Experience Saturday 16 December, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Lasts 45 minutes. Santa's Elves invite you to join them in the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery to watch a special Christmas themed Science show. See Santa’s Master Elf experimenting with coloured snow, fizzing snowmen, frosty effects and a sprinkling of Christmas magic to create a fun scientific twist on a white Christmas. This magical experience ends with an appearance from Santa and a gift to take home. Children £9 (includes gift), Adults £7. Price includes admission to the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery. Booking is essential. Please call 01296 331441 to book. For full details visit www.buckscountymuseum.org Christmas Toy Box exhibition 16 December 2017 – 20 January 2018 Come and see what’s inside the Museum’s toy box and have fun remembering toys from your childhood. There will be plenty of toys and games to play with, too. Ex Libris: Altered Books 9 December 2017 – 24 February 2018 The altered book is an art form in which artists recycle and transform existing books into new works of art. Discover the intricate, delightful and artistic work created by artists from Sparksartists. On 28 December, drop in from 1pm until 4pm and meet artists from Sparksartists who will be demonstrating the art of the Altered Book and will show you how to have fun with paper. Entry by donation. Exhibitions and events: The Last Charge: Centenary of El Mughar charge, 1917. Until 6 Jan James Fox Textile Artist: Muir Trust Residency Exhibition. 4 Nov – 2 Dec Off the Wall Art Fair: Art to love and to buy. 11 Nov - 9 Dec Ex Libris Altered Books: Books transformed into new works of art. 9 Dec – 24 Feb Christmas Toy Box: Discover toys from your childhood. 16 Dec – 20 Jan www.buckscountymuseum.org

AAE19

What on earth is AAE19? Well you need to know because that might well save a life. AAE19 is the identity and location code of the defibrillator that was recently installed outside the main entrance to the Parish Hall. It is one of many located around the county and registered with the ambulance service. It is not an alternative to cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR as it is better known, but is an additional tool to assist you to save a life.

In the event of someone collapsing, your first priority must be to call 999. If alone commence CPR and shout for help. If no phone is available commence CPR and continue to call for help. After calling 999, the ambulance service will remain on the line giving you help and instructions as well as telling you the location of the nearest defibrillator if it is required. The machine itself gives instructions on its use and will determine if there is a heartbeat before delivering a shock to the patient.

33 Wendover Art Club

We’re a friendly group who get together on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 7.30 pm in the Library Room Wendover.

We have demonstrations and talks by Artists as well as evenings when we just get together to draw and paint, hopefully putting into practice what we have learnt from the visiting artists.

Our meetings and membership are open to anyone with an interest in all forms of art – you don’t have to draw or paint to join. But of course we’d love you to join us – our membership fees are £25 for the year September to May with reductions for joining half way through the year. We do charge visitors £3 but there is a cup of coffee or tea and biscuits in the interval and a chance to say hello and find out what we do.

So why not come and visit especially the weekend of 9th and 10th December when we will be having our Christmas Exhibition in the Library Room from 10 till 4.00 each day. As well as original paintings (some of which will be for sale), there will be prints and cards on sale. BUT there is no pressure to buy and entrance is free.

Our programme for 2018

January 10th Peter Humphries, Art Historian will talk about “The Legacy of Titian in 17th C European Painting”.

24th Working evening when we will try to create our own Venetian masterpiece.

February 14th Here we are giving ourselves a bit of a rest and watching a DVD on a particular aspect of painting. These are very useful guides from very well known artists.

28th Cate Wetherall demonstrating the ‘Natural World’ in pastels

March 14th A chance to put Cate’s advice into practice from our own reference material.

28th Derek Danielle will demonstrate his approach to ‘Townscapes’ in oils.

If any of the above appeal to you do come and visit you’ll get a very warm welcome.

Meryll Coe Chairman

34 December 2017/January/February 2018

The United Benefice of Ellesborough, The Kimbles and Stoke Mandeville

Administration Centre: The Ark. 28 Risborough Rd., Stoke Mandeville. Tel: 01296 615886. Open Tuesday - Thursday 10am-12 noon. Email - [email protected] Rector: Revd. Jan Henderson Tel: 01296 612855

LETTER FROM THE RECTORY

Dear All In case you haven’t heard I have decided that after 3 years as curate and 8 years as the Rector it is time for me to step down and to pass the reins onto someone with fresh energy and new ideas. It has been a real privilege to minister in these parishes but I will be retiring in April next year. Easter Sunday will be my last Sunday and then Neil & I will be moving back to our home in Little Kimble. But before that it is time to think about Christmas again. The build-up has begun. Everyone is starting to get really busy; buying food, writing cards, decorating the house, and buying and wrapping presents. It is a time for parties and for families to get together. Christmas is also known as a time for giving. When we are children we are full of the excitement and expectation of receiving presents. As we grow older we learn that it is good to give as well as to receive. What joy we feel when we give someone a present that brings a smile to their faces. God gave us the best present ever; he gave us the gift of his Son. Many people come to Church every year at Christmas time to hear this wonderful story. The birth of a baby is always a miracle but the birth of a child who will change history is very special indeed. God sent his Son to live among us because he loves us. When he grew up Jesus taught us about a way to live our lives which is based on love. Love God and love your neighbours as yourself. These are the two greatest commandments. What a different world we would live in if we could all live like that. As we go about our preparations for this festive season, let’s give some thought to those less fortunate than ourselves and see if there is something we can do to bring the love of Christ into their lives. We would love to see you at our Christmas services, do come and join us. Wishing you all every blessing for Christmas and the New Year Jan.

The Welcome Club at The Ark -

Julia and Lynn would like to let you know that we are retiring from The Welcome Club at the end of the year. We began The Welcome Club seventeen years ago and have both thoroughly enjoyed being part of such an amazing Club. We have made so many friends with the people who have been part of The Welcome Club and would like to truly thank everyone who has supported us with attending ‘Open House’, Coffee Mornings and our organised trips. A reminder that The Coffee Stop is open each Thursday at 10am – 12noon and we hope that many of you will continue to use The Ark to meet up together.

If anyone is interested in organising a new social group or continuing The Welcome Club, please contact The Rector.

Diary Dates Tuesday 5th December – Christmas Lunch at Weston Turville Golf Club – Fully Booked Tuesday 19th December - 10.30am – 12noon Christmas ‘Open House’ Please join us for sherry, mince pies and carols.

Mustard Seeds - A Sunday School for 5-11yr. olds on the 4th Sunday of the month between 10.30am - 12 noon held at Butlers Cross Village Hall. Children learn about God through Bible stories, craft work, songs, games, drama and prayer time. For details contact Liz Bonner (01296 748093). Mustard Seeds Christmas Special is on Sunday 17th December

35 The Ark Youth Group

The Youth Group meets at 7pm at The Ark on alternate Fridays. Please contact The Ark for further details.

The Ark

The Ark is a pleasant, comfortable and well equipped venue for the many church ministries and meetings taking place there. The Ark is also used by several caring agencies within the community for their meetings. For a small fee The Ark may be booked for private functions when not otherwise in use.

Pastoral Care in the Benefice

It is the aim and the privilege of the Pastoral Team to visit sick, bereaved, lonely or house bound members of the community. We are also happy to assist with transport for those who are in need of it. Please get in touch if you know of anyone who would value a visit and the support of the team, it is often the only way we get to hear of their needs. Similarly if you have an hour or two to spare a month and feel you could help with this important pastoral work, we would be glad to have you on the team.

For further information regarding Pastoral Care in the benefice please contact: Jan Henderson at The Ark (01296 615886)

is open at The Ark 28 Risborough Rd., Stoke Mandevlle every Thursday from 10am - 12 noon serving Coffee and Cake Only £2 (free refills)

The Ark Parents & Toddlers Group resumes Every Monday 10am – 11.30pm (during term time) The ARK, 28 Risborough Rd, Stoke Mandeville For more info and dates please contact The Ark (01296 615886) or [email protected]

Christmas Services

Sunday 26th November 10.45am Christingle Service St. Peter & St. Paul, Ellesborough Sunday 3rd December 4pm Christingle Service All Saints, Little Kimble Sunday 3rd December 4pm Advent Service St. Peter & St. Paul, Ellesborough Sunday 17th December 6pm Nine Lessons and Carols St. Peter & St. Paul, Ellesborough Sunday 17th December 10.45am Carol Service All Saints, Lttle Kimble Christmas Eve 4pm Crib Service St. Peter & St. Paul, Ellesborough Christmas Eve 11pm Midnight Mass All Saints, Little Kimble Christmas Day 8am Holy Communion (BCP) All Saints, Little Kimble Christmas Day Communion (CW) 10.45am St. Peter & St. Paul, Ellesborough Christmas Day Worship 10.45am All Saints, Little Kimble

36 St. Nicholas, Great Kimble Church Re-ordering Project

St. Nicholas is a beautiful 14th century Church with origins going back to the 12th century. Inside we have an Aylesbury font dating back to 1172 which is still in use. John Hampden refused to pay the ship money on the steps of the Church in 1635; this ultimately led to the start of the Civil War.

The tireless efforts of the Friends of Kimble Churches since their inception in 1996, which have contributed £52,500, have enabled the PCC to maintain the exterior of the Church. The interior of the Church had not however, had a major overhaul since the 1920’s, and desperately needed essential repairs and re-decoration.

It was determined that a sum of £285,000 would be required to carry out essential work, including replacing the floor, installation of more efficient and effective heating, provision of a toilet and servery, and installation of updated lighting. This would provide much improved The Font of 1172 - before facilities for worship, and allow use of the Church building by Great conservation Kimble School, and by the wider community.

An appeal was launched at the beginning of 2016 and through the generosity of members of the congregation, parents with children at the school, members of the local communities, and grants received from charitable trusts and other grant making bodies, a sufficient sum was obtained to allow commencement of work on the project in October 2017.

The project involves a complex mix of building, construction and conservation activities and is scheduled to be completed in time for the church to reopen for the Easter 2018 services.

Construction work involving removal of the old flooring, removal of old decayed plaster work, removal of the historic font for conservation, and preparation of the site for installation of a water supply, drainage and the new heating and lighting systems commenced on 2ⁿd October. So far good progress has been made and the project is on schedule.

All excavation work is been carried out under archaeological supervision and the PCC’s architect is monitoring progress closely.

As at the middle of November the concrete base has been laid for the new wooden floor. The walls have been re-plastered in the areas that needed attention. The space under the tower has been divided up to make the toilet. The electrician has been busy with new lighting circuits and the heating works are starting shortly.

We will provide a further update in the next edition of the magazine, by which time work should be nearing completion.

37 38 Local Businesses

The Chiltern Ice Cream Company is small family run business based in Great Kimble within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and now entering its third year. The Chilterns name means a great deal to the company, to them it came with a commitment and they’re always looking for ways to get involved and give back to the area.

The founder Arthur LaCour, grew up in America’s deep south (New Orleans) where great food has fused with culture to take on an iconic status. It goes a long way to explaining why he's so passionate about ingredients, believing you must start with the exceptional to create the exceptional. At the core of the business is its work with other local artisans, it’s very important to the Chiltern Ice Cream Company that they create an authentic local product. Working with other local businesses also fosters the breadth and depth expertise needed to enable the growing Chilterns food scene and support local employment.

The exceptional ingredients list of course starts with milk & cream. There’s none better than the Chilterns based Lacey’s Dairy Guernsey milk and cream the company uses to create its sumptuously creamy ice creams. Actually, they predominately produce a Gelato style, its lower fat content being a little contribution to healthier eating. While the Guernsey milk is exceptional, the fact the farm is self-sustaining (they grow their own feed) creates a milk and cream truly unique to the area.

Another example is the outstanding fruit ripples created especially for the company by Jim & Jules Big Adventure, another local company. Their fruit is used exclusively to create its Raspberry & Blueberry Cheesecake, Rhubarb Ripple and Strawberries and Cream flavours.

If it’s not possible to find a local artisan to produce an ingredient, the company makes it themselves to ensure provenance as well as quality, sourcing locally produced raw ingredients. For example, the cheesecake base they use is their own recipe, based on the original graham flour the famous crackers originate from. It was a real labour of love, as they had to identify and source 3 separate varieties of flour, most locally grown. If it can’t be made locally then it must be ethical, the chocolate they use for example is a sustainable 65% dark single origin from South America.

The company only uses real ingredients, you won’t find food colours or flavourings on their shelves. The techniques they use would be at home in any great kitchen, which means lots of hand chopping, cooking, slow roasting and baking. Their caramelised white chocolate, takes four days to create, their caramel 3 days, and they even cold brew single origin ground arabica coffee into their Flat White ice cream, a process that takes 48 hours to complete.

The same care an attention to detail goes into their sorbets, made with only real fruit and completely free from added colours or flavourings. While most of their ice creams are gluten free, except for the cheesecake & rhubarb crumble, their sorbets are suitable for vegans and not in the slightest bit icy!

Today you’ll find them in a growing number of excellent farm shops, foody cafes and restaurants. They also work with many pubs including local favourite the Russell Arms, their vision is to work as an extension of the restaurants kitchen and they thrive on working with Chefs to realise their ice cream and sorbet visions.

39 Putting Turkeys To Bed Free range means our turkeys are free to explore, but as any chicken owner would testify foxes are as keen to sample poultry as we are. The solution, as with hens, is to shut them in, obviously! But how do you shut 800 turkeys in each night? We have noticed over the years that turkeys are creatures of habit. They do not spend all day outside. Instead they have designated “promenade” times; first thing in the morning, around lunch time and rather annoyingly around dusk. Why annoyingly? Well, you can’t fight nature. Like children, if turkeys want to play they want to play, not go to bed! You simply can’t break with Mother Nature’s rule book. The solution is to wait. Wait until the sun goes down and after an evening stroll the natural inclination for the turkey is to roost and as woodland birds they return to their shelter to roost. Fortunately, they consider our shed a good approximation for a woodland roost. So there you have it. “Easy!” I hear you shout. Well possibly not. Let me paint a picture. It’s been a hard day on the farm, well in the office, the hard working farmer retires to share supper with his family. Well-fed and watered, he retires to the TV and log fire. Those with a classics education, will recall that one of the 12 labours of Hercules consisted of leaving a log fire and returning to the cold to shut his turkeys in, such is the difficulty of this task. Another difficulty relates to the moon. Turkeys consider a strong moon to be as good as the sun. Leave it too late with a full moon and you can find a field full of sleeping turkeys. Ever tried moving 800 sleeping turkeys? Again Hercules features! So for those who aren’t blessed with perfect turkey timing there is always the fall back plan of using our barking sheep/turkey dog Mr Jones. So whether it’s Christmas day or an autumn evening in front of the fire spare a thought for your local farmer playing his evening turkey lottery!

Antony Pearce Moat Farm Marsh Lane Stoke Mandeville HP22 5UZ Tel 01296 612448 Mobile 07801 151476

40 Ellesborough Parish Council Notes - November 2017

The Parish Council has met a couple of times since the last notes and a number of interesting topics have been discussed and progressed. They include;

Affordable Housing - As you are aware during September we distributed a survey to households via this magazine, canvassing opinions as to the need for affordable housing in the Village. The survey was designed and run by a third party independent company. At our November meeting we reviewed the results with Hastoe, our Housing Association Partner. The Council were very pleased that over 100 surveys were completed which according to the experts is a good response rate. As announced at the Parish Meeting in September we have arranged to hold a meeting in the Village Hall on Thursday 14th December at 8pm to run through the report in detail. This will be your opportunity to comment on the report and for the Council and Hastoe to outline any next steps.

You may be aware that half of Dunsmore is in our Parish. Being a remote location, communication links are poor and internet speeds very low. In today's world being ‘connected’ is becoming more and more important. In an effort to resolve this issue, the Parishioners have approached BT to upgrade the cabling to improve the internet speeds however the cost is massively prohibitive. The residents have come up with another more affordable solution however are looking for some financial support for the scheme. The Council have written to the four other Councils that have some responsibility for Dunsmore asking whether they would be willing to contribute to this infrastructure project. We await a response but hope to be able to discuss this further at our meeting in January.

Councillor Pannikar continues to make good progress with our open spaces. The allotments have a new fence, Risborough Rangers Football Club continue to utilise the playing fields, and the basketball area will be replaced soon. Please note that there are still a couple of allotments empty so if you would like one please contact the Clerk.

Thank you for those that have volunteered to update the Village Design Statement. This is a critical document for the Parish as it is used as guidance by Wycombe District Council in planning decisions. Updating the plan will take some effort and we are setting up a small sub committee led by Councillor McGrail that will kick off in January 2018.

With bus services through the Village continuing to be very scarce we are delighted with the launch and uptake of the Risborough Community Bus. This service very much complements the Red bus service and we would encourage the Village to utilise both services.

We are pleased to announce that on Friday 15th December the Ellesborough Silver Band will be holding their annual Christmas Carol Concert. The Parish Council will be supplying refreshments to get the voice cords lubricated. Please come along.

The Clerk is building up a good list of email addresses of those living in the Parish. This allows the Council to continue to improve communication. If you would like to be added to the list, please send an email to [email protected]

Please note that the next Parish Council Meeting will be on 16 January 2018 at 7.30pm in Ellesborough Village Hall.

As always if there are any points you would like to raise you are very welcome to come to the start of any Parish Council meeting or alternatively contact our Clerk, Rex Norris in the first instance.

The Council would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope that you can all have an enjoyable time with friends and family.

Rob Alexander, Chairman

41 Ellesborough Parish Council The dates of Parish Council Meetings in 2018 are as follows: 16 January 20 March 15 May (Parish Council AGM) 24 May 18 (Annual Parish Meeting) 17 July 18 September 18 (Held in Dunsmore Village Hall) 20 November

42 Advertiuser’s Announcement The Chiltern Brewery/The Kings Head

The Chiltern Brewery Our Christmas Brewery Shop opened on Saturday 11th November and we were very lucky to be able to welcome Roger Protz, one of the world’s leading beer writers and historians, on the day to help us celebrate. He has always been a great friend and supporter and is always full of fascinating information and suggestions for new beer styles for us. The shop is packed full of festive ales on draught and in bottles – many of them bottle-conditioned – delicious foods, many of which are made locally and with our beer including cheeses, fudges, fruit cake, sausages and our famous luxury Christmas Puddings. There are liqueurs, ciders, English wines and whisky, meads, Foxdenton gins, English brandy, Norfolk Nog – as the saying goes ‘too much to mention’! Unique gift ideas include branded glassware, bottle presentation packs, beautiful hampers, vouchers and flagons of festive ale. We do hope we can tempt you to pay us a visit. We have also released a range of new limited-edition bottle-conditioned authentic Imperial Stouts. There are 3 to choose from – Tudor Spiced 6.8%, Dark Coffee 7% and Export Original 10% - all in 375ml Champagne style bottles - with detailed historical and tasting notes on the eye-catching premium labels. There are lots of other bottles too including seasonal Glad Tidings Winter Stout with its orange spice aromas. A reminder too that 4 of our permanent bottled beers are gluten free.Draught seasonal ales are Foxtrot Winter Ale (November), new Oatmeal Stout (December) with our classic dark old ale 300s available through to January. You can always enjoy a free taster of the ales in the brewery shop.

Finally, as a family business we do pride ourselves on our ethos and commitment here to making a range of fine English ales using traditional techniques. It is always great to be recognised therefore and to score a treble win at the recent Society of Independent Brewers’ Midlands Awards was superb! Our bottled 300s Dark Old Ale won Gold in the Small Pack, Strong Bitters & Pale Ales category. The awards are judged mostly by brewers, industry experts and beer journalists.

Please do pop in and say hello and try some beer. Alternatively you can order for delivery online from www.chilternbrewery.co.uk Seasons’ greetings to you all and thank you for your support. Follow us - Twitter: @chiltern_brewer Instagram: chilternbrewery Facebook: chilternbrewery and YouTube: chilternbrewery

The King’s Head, Aylesbury

The full range of Chiltern Brewery Ales are always available at The King’s Head in Market Square Aylesbury –and many carefully selected guest beers and ciders too. You can always peruse our beer menu online www.kingsheadaylesbury.co.uk to see what the choices are.

We are offering Three Wise Ways to enjoy Christmas with a variety of venues including our new ‘pop-up’ restaurant – the Dining Room. A great menu of seasonal delights is on offer using local produce as much as we can. Keep a look out too for new events like our Hearty Stews week in November and come and enjoy a great pint of ale or a lovely glass of Rothschild Estate wine with us in our splendid historic setting. We serve food at lunchtimes six days a week with Sunday Roast Lunches 12-6pm and evening food from 5pm to 9pm from Wednesday to Saturday. Follow us:- Twitter: @Kings_Head Instagram: thekingshead1455 Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingsheadaylesbury/

43 Advertiuser’s Announcement

Ashridge Home Care Do we really know what our parents want in their old age? Planning for our parents’ old age is one of those jobs we tend to put off until the last possible minute. And it’s not just the horrible thought of our parents descending into old age that stops us from thinking about it, it’s the sheer lack of time too. What with children to look after, the dog to walk, households to run and careers to maintain, add an ageing, ill parent into the mix and, hello meltdown. But it is something we need to engage with – because let’s face it, often it’s the off spring who have to drive this stuff. And better to think about it now - what do you want for your folks when they can’t look after themselves any more? And – ahem, more importantly – what do they want? Local resident Trudi Scrivener, who has 30 years’ experience within the care industry, gives some advice. Based in the Chilterns, but operating across the South-East, her in-home care provider Ashridge Homecare matches elderly clients with one-to-one live-in help. Live in care is a relatively new concept that she believes provides better care than traditional residential care homes. So how do we plan for our parents’ dotage? 1. Put a brew on and have the awkward conversation It’s not the most exciting discussion to have, nor the easiest but, as with many things in life, communication is key. It’s likely that your parents have already made some plans for their future and will have their own vision of what old age will look like. And they might have strong views they’ve not shared with you. Talk about what’s important to them – being near family? Or their friendship circle? Staying in their existing home or downsizing? What about their pets or their garden? And you must all be prepared for plans to change – for example, we recently provided care to a couple who had to return to the UK from their dream retirement home in Portugal as one of them had a fall and they couldn’t be looked after in their rambling villa full of steps. 2. If they’re being especially tricky… I often hear of stubbornly independent elderly parents refusing to engage with the idea that they might need help, or saying things like, ‘I am don’t need any help’. If that’s the case, try appealing to their better nature: emphasise how worried you, their dear daughter (or son), is and how it’d help you sleep better at night if you came up with a plan together. Say: ‘Please, mum, give it a try, just for me’ – that works 99 percent of the time! Also, be careful about the language you use: don’t use the term ‘carer’ too often, try ‘helper’ or ‘housekeeper’, while describing them in terms of someone helping with a few things around the house. 3. Be honest about your own lifestyle If you have a busy life, with a young family and/or a job that’s demanding, you might not relish in the idea of looking after your parents. That can be a tough thing to admit but it’s perfectly normal. Think about how much time you honestly have to co-ordinate and facilitate care – and whether you are willing to do this. Can you/ your siblings realistically take on have the responsibility of organising GP or hospital appointments every time your parent is ill? Thinking about all this will help you work out which options are best for your family. Which brings us on to… 4. Consider all the options In a nutshell, these are: moving in with family, a residential care home, hourly home care or live-in care. If you’re researching care homes, turn up unannounced to visit – this will give you a good sense of the realities of the care provided. And ask about staff levels to get a good indicator of things like how long your parent will have to wait to be taken to the loo. If you are looking for hourly care at home, where a carer comes in to help get a person up/make lunch/ assist with medication, then a great question to ask is whether the company does 15 minute call visits. If yes, the care quality might impacted by time pressures on the staff. Live-in care, which we do, is a fast-growing alternative – in my experience, most people want to stay in their own homes and maintain some independence and live-in care does just that, it’s also cheaper than you think and compares well to the cost of a care home. 5. Money matters There’s no getting away from it, care can be expensive. I’d advise finding a SOLLA (Society of Later Life Advisers) accredited financial advisor to find out what options are available to you. That said, when full-time care is called for and health becomes the primary need, it could mean all care fees are covered by the NHS through a scheme called NHS Continuing Healthcare. Many people have no idea it even exists and end up paying for fees they don’t need to. Applying for funding can be complex, but there are specialist advisors who can help you through it. Everyone is entitled to request a health needs assessment which determines whether they meet the required criteria. 6. Good relationships with the carers are key Whatever option you choose, be sure to build a good relationship with the carers – it will make everyone’s life easier. You will understand the minutiae of what your parents like and need so you can pass on those tips. I always say to my clients it’s the little things that matter – with my own mum, for instance, if you make sure you serve her tea just as she likes it, you’ll go a long way in getting along together! If you need any advice about care for a relative Trudi is happy to talk to you. You can contact her on 01494 917344 or visit the website: www.ashridgehomecare.co.uk

44 List of Local Producers and Stockists

Chiltern Brewery See Advert 01296 613647

Chalkshire Alpacas See Advert 01296 615821

Buckmoorend Farm Shop Home reared pork, beef, lamb & other 01296 622472 produce

Budgens, Wendover 01296 625864

Moat Farm Free Range Turkeys www.farmgatetoplate.co.uk 01296 612448 or 01296 623783

Pickels Farm, Lee Road Rare breed pork, lamb & venison 01844 345979 Thurs-Sat 9.30 - 17.00

Wendover Local Produce Market 3rd Sat of month 9.00 – 13.00

Wren Davis, Prestwood Milk delivery & other groceries 01494 862224

Terrick Beef www.terrickbeef.co.uk 07940 560465 Monthly – 1st Fri p.m./Sat a.m. Chalkshire Alpacas Farm and Yarn! The only outlet for natural AIRS HOUSE knitting/crochet yarns in the area FOR QUALITY CARPETS TILES, VINYLS & WOOD FLOORING Luxurious alpaca yarn from our own herd. A good stock of beautiful natural yarns from DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL South America Knitting needles, Patterns, Knitting kits made up INSURANCE ESTIMATES to order ADAPTION & REPAIRS Hand knitted accessories for you and your home. Email: [email protected] Commissions undertaken Knitting group meets from 10 – 12 on Mondays at the studio, come and join us for coffee, PRINCES RISBOROUGH cake and chat

Visits to the alpacas welcomed. TEL & FAX Shop open by appointment, Please phone for details Liz Norris 01296 615821/ 07979292234 01844-342546 www.chalkshirealpacas.com Station Parade • Summerleys Road [email protected] 86 Chalkshire Road, Butlers Cross HP17 0TJ Princes Risborough • Bucks

Ad 2 Ad 3 CHIROPODIST Wendy Hilliard MSSCh MBChA HCPC Registered

For nail cutting, treatment of hard skin, corns, thickened nails, advice on diabetic feet etc.

Please call 01296 630189 or 07969 741 792 for an appointment in the comfort of your own home

Ad 4 Ad 5 North Bucks Tree Surgery

All aspects of Tree Surgery Crown Reduction and Root Removal Hedgelaying, Cutting and Fencing Tree and Hedge Planning S Connor 01296 ~ 651010 Fully Qualified and Insured

82, The High Street, Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP18 0JD

RESTORATION ● MAINTENANCE REFURBISHMENT●MODERNISATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT FULLY INSURED 07584 201706 01296 625863 [email protected]

Ad 6 All electrical work undertaken: Inspection & Testing, Rewires, New Fuse Boards, Extra Circuits, Cat 5, BT, Satellite

Tel: 01296 630124 Mobile: 07825 747773 [email protected]

BRENDAN MCFALL

PAINTER & DECORATOR INTERIOR & EXTERIOR

MOBILE LANDLINE 07581 693653 01296 294175

[email protected]

Ad 7 Ad 8 Ad 9 Ad 10 Ad 11 Tring Road, Halton, Aylesbury, Bucks, Cats, dogs & small pets HP22 5PN Birds and Exotics www.whvc.co.uk Merrilaw Surgery Canine Hydrotherapy Martinsend Lane Equine Clinic GREAT MISSENDEN 01296 623439 Pet Shop HP16 9HR Appointments & 24 hr emergency

Ad 12 Ellesborough Parish Council Chairman, Mr Rob Alexander 07909 687723 Clerk, Mr Rex Norris 615821 Wycombe District Councillor Mr Clive Harriss 07768 876568 Bucks County Councillor Mr David Carroll 01494 716967 Ellesborough Parish Hall Chairman, Mrs Maureen Audsley 612874 Bookings Secretary, Mrs Val Finch 624950 Kimble Stewart Hall Bookings Secretary, Amanda Robinson 07527 595813 Dunsmore Village Hall Association Secretary, Lori North 623113 Ellesborough Magazine Chairman, Mr Richard Jennings 625498 Editor, Paul Couling edellesboroughmgz@ gmail.com Treasurer, Mr Tony Young 622306 Distribution, Mrs Julie Oldroyd 625097 Secretary, Judith Harper 622033 Advertising, Mrs Steph Hares 622472 Ellesborough Silver Band Secretary, Susan Wells 429327 Great Kimble Church Of England First School Headteacher, Mrs Mala Cozadinos 01844 346189 Kimble and Ellesborough Horticultural Society Memb. Secretary, Amanda Robinson 07710 497648 Kimble and Ellesborough Women’s Institute President, Mrs Liz Malvisi 01844 346621 LeAP Mrs Annie Porter 620040 Brownie Guides County Office 487683 The Scout Association, Buckinghamshire Enquiries, County Office 631016 Ellesborough Church Rector, Jan Henderson 612855 Church Warden, Mr Tony Young 622306 Church Warden, Mrs Liz Norris 615821 Tower Captain, Mr Les Floyd 01844 345575 The Ark Administration Office 615886 Dunsmore Church Chairman Of The Trustees, Mr David Marshall 622504 Secretary To The Trustees, Jeni Henderson 622868 Treasurer, Mr Paul Speed 294857 Kimble Free Church 612748 Ellesborough Relief In Need Charity Chairman, Mr Rob Nicholson 612658 Secretary, Mrs Alison Hewitt 612553 Treasurer, Mr Anthony Pearce 612448 Ellesborough Aid Chairman, Mr Dary Sweeney 07801 419448 Secretary, Mrs Sue Jennings 625498 The Children’s Society Local Box Secretary, Mrs Judith Harper 622033 Community Car Booking Co-ordinator 317769 A to Zooom Dog Training Ann Dormer 07973 676763

. Material for the next issue should reach the editor by 15th February 2018 (Advertising by 10th February 2018)

To be included in the above list or change any details, please contact the Editor on

[email protected]

45 Ad 13 Ad 14 Ad 14