Welcome to the February edition A reader suggested to me that a big fundraising drive. Please do we should have a page of fill in the attached questionnaire forthcoming events from and give us your opinion. (and neighbouring villages. I think this come to the AGM on the 13th). is an excellent idea and would be Meanwhile please promote the delighted to include these events Hall to your friends and societies. - we have an advert for St We have some spare weekend Dunstan’s Flower Show overleaf. bookings that are not yet taken If you are involved with an and our Friday daytime slots are organisation in our wider local currently available for any area please feel free to send me organisations or clubs looking for information on your events. an up-market venue. As you can see below, the Thanks again to Barry Chignell Village Hall Committee have for the cover picture . See more Mike Piercy been looking at possible of his work on page 32 and at improvements to the Millennium bscimages.com. Editor Hall but we don’t know how much support there would be for Millennium Hall Enhancements Our magnificent village hall is was the most significant item to We, as a village, are capable of approaching its twentieth be excluded. raising this sum and will certainly birthday. We are always looking We would like to hear your look for grants and ways of help. at ways to improve our facilities views on questions such as:- It is possible but we will need and ways in which we can your backing. improve the letting rate 1. Do we as a village wish to particularly at the weekends. raise funds to add an atrium We need you to reply to our One major project that has been now? questions, either by dropping our questionnaire into the Village considered since the design 2. Would we feel that the Shop/Post Office, Entertainment stage of the new village hall has benefits would be worth the House (Clive’s) been the addition of an atrium or costs incurred? conservatory across the front of Or alternatively email Hallmark 3. Do you feel that the Atrium the hall. This would be a major (karenadvertisinginhallmark@gm would increase our income i.e. improvement, giving more ail.com) with your ideas. space, a large reception area, a wedding receptions and party bright extra room but would lettings both from the village and We shall also add building an come with a significant price tag outside the village? atrium and your responses to the that we, the village hall agenda of the AGM on 13th 4. Do you think that you would management committee, would March at 8pm so please come use this space? therefore like your views on. along and see what the other You may know that the original 5. Would a new car park be villagers think. plans included an atrium. more important? We look forward to your replies. However, when we were quoted Adding an atrium is quite an for the new building the price Village Hall was significantly more than expense, roughly around expected and it was necessary to £100,000, so we really want Committee reduce the cost, and the atrium your views as to whether to go ahead. Please let us know. 2 What’s On Sat 10 March WI Jumble Sale Village Hall Tues 13 March Village Hall AGM AGM 13 March 8pm Sat 24 March Horts Club Spring Show Come and give us your views on possible Sat 24 March LG Singers Spring Concert enhancements to the Millennium Hall Sat 28 April Tennis Club Family Competition Sat 12 May Tennis Club Open Day Sun 13 May 11am National Mills Day with Horts Club Stall Happy Wanderers We would welcome you to join us on one of our walks: Sunday February 25th, 4-5 mile walk starting at 10.30am Phone Liz Lewin on 01844 274961 Save The Date! Strawberry Tea will be on 8 July Windmill WI In October we had our bi-annual new tables for the hall. Several prepared a beautiful cold buffet Jumble Sale. We all worked very members went to the Group for us with desserts. We were hard in the morning sorting Meeting at Sands and thoroughly also entertained by The jumble and setting up stalls. We enjoyed the guitarist and vocalist Amersham Band with lovely enjoyed lunch at the Black Horse Andy Smith. carols that we all joined in with. then returned to the Village Hall Our chosen charity for this year to find a queue waiting for us. November opened with the was Bloodbikes, last year Alistair The afternoon passed quickly speaker Eileen Gershon, author Borland, Chairman of SERV came and we were pleased with our of the book 'Nurses never Run'. and spoke to us. result. Eileen was an excellent speaker and kept us all interested with This brings us to the end of We also hosted the Village Quiz her stories of her life as a student another busy year. We meet this month, the winning team nurse in Addenbrookes Hospital. again on Wednesday 7th March was The Whiteleaf Bowmen. Our All sales of her book were at 7.45 pm, you would be very thanks go to all the helpers on donated to The Sick Children's welcome. the evening. We were pleased to Trust. give £70 to the Quiz Master Ann Bartlett Jamie for the Lighthouse Play December was our Christmas Forthcoming event: Saturday Scheme. Also £211 to the Village Meeting and a good time was 10th March - Jumble Sale Hall Funds for the purchase of had by all. The Black Horse Going Going Gone I received a call asking if I would who organised the wonderful and even her 20 month baby be interested in taking on food by Debbie. Isabelle sat spell bound and still organising the annual Windmill on my lap! I decided to advertise it more Art Show and Bistro otherwise it widely and invite my talented It would be a shame for it to fold, would fold, and that it was '"not friend Wendy Lewis to sing some but I have decided I will not be much work'". I said Yes, despite Celtic and Indian songs acapella organising it next year or having two other exhibitions at lunchtime which were very exhibiting, so if anyone is keen to opening the same week! Nudes heart wrenching. I designed an keep it going please get in touch at The Jam Factory in Oxford, 'artists' poster to plaster the area with me at [email protected] and with four other artists at The with, featuring paintings of some Black Gallery. of the exhibitors, As an exhibitor it is a very simple featuring our famous show, in that you turn up Friday and much loved, highly evening and hang all your work, acclaimed Dennis (after the amazing 'men folk' Syrett, with his 'Vicar heave the enormous 8' x 4' super on a bike' masterpiece! heavy boards into place!), then I also got in touch with return Saturday morning to sit by the BFPress asking your exhibition boards all day them to do a feature enjoying the delicious food and but nothing came of it cake from the excellent Bistro sadly. The show went and meet lovely friends and well, the food was people. excellent, but sales and attendance were rather A very happy occasion it was on down. Wendy pierced Saturday. And a big thank you to our hearts with her everyone who made it possible clear and soulful voice and to Val and Peter Brookhouse Horticultural Society The society started the festive The days are lengthening now We also had two trees brought season in style with our annual and it’s time to start thinking down by snow lying on the ivy Pumpkin Supper and Social event about the new growing season. and a pear tree snapped off by in November. There were Onion seeds can be sown and branches being so laden with numerous pumpkins exhibited you need to plan your vegetable snow. I don’t know why the snow and the largest grown by Nigel plot and what you might want to caused so much trouble here, but Rolfe from Naphill. Well done to change in the garden whilst many it settled and stuck fast. all the growers for a fine range of plants are dormant. Don’t forget The first spring show last year was exhibits. that our plant stall on May 13th at a resounding success, so we are the Windmill is an excellent The supper has now become a having another this year. The source of plants, including well-established event in the schedules should be with you in vegetables, fruit and flowers, and calendar and very popular; so this edition of Hallmark. If you very good value for money which popular that this year we had to lose it there will be a copy on the can help in your gardening plans! turn away some late requests for village website tickets. Unfortunately some The first signs of spring are here, http://www.laceygreen.com/Secti people did not let us know that with daffodils, snowdrops and ons/Horticultural_Society/hortsoc they couldn’t make it on the bluebells all beginning to show .php Do think about entering night, even though they had green and many with buds something. We’ve included craft booked, so we ended up with a forming. items and artwork as well this few disappointed people and a year, so there really is something As I write we are planning a few empty places.