AUGUST 2021 SCARECROWS TAKE OVER On the weekend of 3 - 4 July, Stewkley was once again taken over by scarecrows. The bi-annual event, organised this time by St Michael’s School Friends’ Association, saw over 30 creations across the village. The winner of the Best Dressed Scarecrow was Paddington Bear by the Harts in Dunton Road, picked by Gareth Wesley of Wesley Artisan Pizzeria who said “.. they are all incredible. What a brilliant thing for the village to do. I loved Bertie Basset’s dog and the great deal of slightly sloshed scarecrows made me chuckle.” Gareth kindly donated the winner a prize of four pizzas of their choice when the Pizzeria visits Stewkley Village Hall on a Saturday. The Association would like to thank everyone that went on the Trail and helped raise over £500 for the school, St Michael’s Church and The Rec Pavilion. See centre pages for pictures from the weekend. Also in this months Grapevine: SEEN IN • p3 New homes planned STEWKLEY • p3 RAF Wing Memorial • p5 “I was there” Euro 2020 final • p6 Stewkley Feast and Stewkley Riot • p8 Stewkley FC Junior presentation day The Grapevine: Next issue on or about 1 September 2021. Deadline for contributions & ads: 15 August 2021 Contact: [email protected] To advertise: email or call 242137. For editorial: email or call 240350. Page 2 Stewkley Grapevine August 2021 STEWKLEY WALKERS from Bridget Watson VILLAGE DIARY Walks Programme for August AUGUST From this month there is no limit on numbers attending walks Sun 1 Stewkley Car Show, The Rec, 1pm but walk leaders would prefer members let them know if you intend to come. This month we will begin a monthly ‘Mystery Mon 2 Stewkley Parish Council meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm Walk’ with short and longer route options, usually one or two Mon 2 Book Club, Carpenters Arms, 8.00pm hours’ walking time. Please continue to bring a face covering for Wed 4 Refuse: blue tops and food bins indoor areas. Please note earlier starts this month. Wed 11 Refuse: green tops, food bins and brown garden waste Sun 15 Grapevine deadline for adverts and articles Tuesday 10 August Mystery Walk 2.5 or 4.5 miles Wed 18 Refuse: blue tops and food bins Meet at Tiddenfoot Waterside Park, Linslade (LU7 2AE) at 9.30am. Wed 25 Refuse: green tops, food bins and brown garden waste Leaders: Tom and Gay Phone 07970 479007 to book SEPTEMBER Thu 2 Refuse: blue tops and food bins Wednesday 18 August Stewkley Walkers Picnic Join us at Chilterns Gateway Centre on Dunstable Downs, Whipsnade Road, Dunstable (LU6 2GY) at 12 noon for a relaxing picnic (weather permitting). It would be lovely to see members WHAT’S ON IN AUGUST who have not been able to walk with us during the last year. Look out for Alice and Bridget in the car park who will show you where we are pitched. STEWKLEY CAR SHOW Sunday 1 August Car Park: free for National Trust members/£3.50 for non- The Rec. members. Please bring your own picnic, including drinks, blanket and/or chair. Members’ grandchildren welcome too. There will be an BOOK CLUB optional short walk to the Tree Cathedral afterwards. Monday 2 August Facilities: cafe, toilets, NT shop. 8.00pm at Carpenters Arms Phone Alice 07905 759120 or email me to give us an idea of Please contact Greg on 240487 for information numbers. Book to discuss: No Country For Old Men by Cormac Mccarthy (Book for September: A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute) Wednesday 25 August Rushmere Great Brickhill Circular 5.5 miles STEWKLEY PARISH COUNCIL Meet at Rushmere Country Park visitor centre, Old Linslade We are delighted to confirm the return of the Parish Council to Road, (LU7 0EB) at 9.30am. This pretty countryside walk includes the Village Hall, in the Main Hall, on Monday 2 August at 7.30pm. woodland paths, fields and meadows. Hand sanitising facilities will be available and face masks are There are gentle slopes and some stiles. No dogs please as there are sheep in some of the fields. recommended whilst moving around, but not compulsory. Facilities: toilets, cafe, indoor and outdoor seating. STEWKLEY WI from Sheila Fellowes Leaders: Bridget and Alice Phone 07756 326350 to book The weather was kind to us and changed in time for us to have another outdoor get-together, this time enhanced by scones, Walks for the September Programme to Bridget please by jam and cream, and Prosecco. 12 August. Afternoon and evening walks can also be offered. We hope to have had our first indoor meeting, with a speaker, at Email [email protected] the end of July. More Walk Leaders urgently required! The meeting for August will be on 11 August at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. The speaker is Cath Campell, and her topic is SVCC FIXTURES AUGUST Introduction to Yoga and Meditation. Saturday 5 Caddington 1st Home 13:30 (League) For more information contact Sheila Fellowes 240596. Sunday 1 Stoke Hammond Away 13:00 Saturday 7 Caddington 1st Away 13:30 (League) STEWKLEY SINGERS SINGING AGAIN from the Stewkley Singers Committee Sunday 8 Olney Home 14:00 Saturday 14 New Bradwell 2nd Home 13:30 (League) Our first rehearsal of the Autumn Term is on Thursday 16 Sunday 15 Cublington Home 14:00 September, from 8-10pm, at St Michael’s Combined School, Stewkley. Saturday 21 Great Brickhill Away 13:30 (League) We look forward to welcoming back current members of the Sunday 22 Haddenham Away 12:30 choir after a very long break. Saturday 28 Sharnbrook & Bromham 1st Home 13:30 (League) If you are interested in joining our friendly local choir, please Sunday 29 Drayton Parslow Home 13:00 contact Ron Sims for more information 240671/ 07449 818819. Stewkley Grapevine August 2021 Page 3 NEW HOMES PLANNED FOR WING ROAD Village Foundations has recently submitted its full application to develop the site on the Carpenters Arms side of Wing Road with 15 dwellings. The Parish Council will be considering the application at its August meeting and will be liaising with the developers to clarify details where needed. Village Foundations held an online presentation for residents in April and this is the next step in the formal process. Full documents are available under reference 21/02762 on the Bucks Council planning portal, https://publicaccess. aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/ online-applications/ © Copyright. Image used with permission. RAF WING MEMORIAL from Jillian Scott On a bright Saturday morning, 26 June, a gathering met on across to the Wing/Cublington Road. the old aerodrome to unveil a memorial to the aircrews based Information about RAF Wing can be found on the website there during WW2, when it was known as RAF Wing, No. aircrewRemembranceSociety3.com and its Facebook page. 26 Operational Training Unit. The memorial is a truly fitting commemoration of the aircrews of RAF Wing; its unveiling was a moving and dignified tribute to them. A welcome from David King, Chairman of the Aircrew Remembrance Society, began the ceremony. He then invited Rev. Wing Commander Ashley Mitchell, Senior Chaplain RAF Halton, to bless the memorial, following which the unveiling by Greg Smith MP took place. Then came a flyover of four planes, and afterwards a two-minute silence was observed. The memorial is a plaque mounted on a brick base (incorporating some bricks from the original airfield buildings) set within a semicircle of eight flagpoles; the flags were flying in the breeze on the day. It so happened that the date of the unveiling was the same day David King, Chairman of the Aircrew Remembrance Society in history that a unit was on its way back from a raid on Germany. (left) watching Greg Smith MP unveil the memorial A full crew of five and their Wellington didn’t make it home to Wing, the pilot was a New Zealander. Fittingly Wing Commander Steve Thornley, Air Adviser to New Zealand Defence Staff and Chief of Staff in London, took part in the proceedings and presented a flag from Auckland. An ensign was also sent by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The ceremony concluded with the laying of wreaths by Nick Ellins, Alex King and Dave Keen. Along with David King these were the men responsible for instigating the plan for the memorial, its construction and the unveiling ceremony. Many thanks are due to them for the time and energy expended to bring the plan to fruition. Thanks are due to the Alexander family too, who generously gave a corner of their land adjacent to the original main runway for the site; also to local people and businesses who donated the funds for the memorials construction. The RAF Wing memorial can be visited as it is alongside public footpaths that run from the top of Gallus Hill, Dunton Road The memorial to RAF Wing aircrews Page 4 Stewkley Grapevine August 2021 PARISH COUNCIL MATTERS 101 or 999 if an incident is in progress. The Neighbourhood Plan has reached the Independent Notes from Parish Council Discussion 5 July , held on line in lieu Examiner stage and the Examiner’s report has been received. of a full public meeting. The PC continues to operate under delegated powers pending YOUR GRAPEVINE TEAM the expected return to the Village Hall in August after the If you have been in contact with The Grapevine over the last relaxation of Covid restrictions. year there is a good chance that due to the on-going restrictions Under this process, the PC confirmed: it has been mainly by email. With limited opportunity to meet • The appointment of Jo Simonds as the new Clerk and people in person we would like to let you know who is behind Responsible Financial Officer to succeed Rob Mann on 1 producing your monthly Grapevine eleven times a year.