HALLMARKThe Lacey Green and Loosely Row Magazine

AUGUST 2010 NUMBER 215 ESTABLISHED 1970

Cockerel by Stella Boll

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The village seems full of life outdoorsthis summer with Strawberry Tea andOpen Gardens. It’s lovely to havesome decent weather for these events,even if our lawns have all died off.

.I do feel a sense of loss when I seethe success of the Speen and Naphillfetes. I don’t suppose we will seeanother Village Day in the near future

HS2The threat of HS2 will continue tohang over us for months or years tocome. Mel Foster from Speen haswritten a very cogent article on page26. It is good to see some sensiblearguments against the scheme ratherthan some of the initial emotionalresponses.

Many people have complained thatnobody in Lacey Green and LoosleyRow has come forward to lead ourown action group. If you feel stronglyon this subject then step forward andform a local pressure group. We havea list of names of interested peoplefrom the first public meeting, but itnow needs someone to start a groupof like minded people.

In the meantime, please do followthe steps that Mel recommends,make your views known and make afuss!

Thanks again to Norman Tyler forall his photographs in this issue andfor the write-ups that he and Bettehave contributed. Norman mayhave retired as editor but hiscontribution is keeping Hallmarkgoing.

Mike Piercy: Editor

Welcome to the Summer Edition of Hallmark

Risborough Community Bus ServiceThe Risborough Area CommunityBus commenced regular services onMonday 19 July 2010.

Service no. 4 runs from PrincesRisborough Market Square toLoosely Row via the Station onThursdays and Saturdays, departingat 09.00am and 11.30am only.

Fares cost £1.00 (£2.00 for LooselyRow); most Bus Passes are accepted.The Bus is 'wheel chair friendly' butintending passengers who arewheelchair users need to book on07941 963097 by 4.00pm the daybefore.

Private hiring will also be available.Organisations will need to providetheir own driver.  He/she will haveto be trained but RACB will meetthe cost provided that the driver isavailable to help with regular

services (say, one or twohalf-days a month).

Otherwise organisations will haveto hire a 'RACB' driver as well asthe bus. If you know of anyonewho might be interested, please askhim/her to contact MalcolmMaultby on 01844 345300.

 Otherwise, there should be noproblem in finding a 'RACB' driver.

 Chris Hart

01844 345511

In MemoriamAs we went to press we learnt withsadness of the death of John Westof Stocken Farm.

John had been seriously ill inStoke Mandeville for some weeks.

A memorial service will be held onTuesday 24th August followed bya reception at the Village Hall.

Our thoughts and sympathies goto Joan and to the rest of thefamily.

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LACEY GREEN WINDMILL There are only a few more days toview the interior of the mill, as ourlast opening day this year is 26thSeptember.

To remind you, the opening hoursare 2.30 to 5.30 on Sundays andBank Holiday Monday 30 August.Admission is £1.50 for adults, &75p for children.

A booklet about the history and therestoration of the mill is availablefor £1.50, and postcards, pencils,

mugs and books about mills are alsofor sale.

Please contact me if you require anyfurther information, or look at ourwebsitewww.laceygreenwindmill.org.uk

Betty Hardy, Publicity Officer,Lacey Green Windmill RestorationCommittee.

Telephone:  01844 275871

email:contact@laceygreenwindmill.org.uk

What’s OnDATE AND TIME EVENT

Saturday Sept 4. Entries at 1.30.Show at 4 pm

Horticultural Society Annual Show

Terry Fendom 01844 342636Saturday September 4

7.30 pm At the Sports Club

Sports Club Summer Celebrationswith Live Music and Pig Roast

Saturday September 4

At West Wycombe House

Iain Rennie 25th Anniversary concert

Abba Forever & Beverley CravenSunday September 12 Autumn Tennis Tournament

Ian Ward 01844 345567Wednesday Sept 15 8 pm Talk on David Austin roses

Terry Fendom 01844 342636Sunday September 19

Starting from Princes Risborough

IRHH Chiltern 3 Peaks Challenge

www.C3peaks.com or 01442 890222Sunday 3rd October

At the school

Lacey Green 5K Fun Run

email laceygreen5k@live.co.ukSaturday 16 October WI Jumble sale. Doors open 2 pm

Deliver jumble between 10 & 12Saturday November 6.

10 am to 4 pm

Windmill Artists Art Show

with All-Day Bistro

November 25th, 26th and 27th LGP Dinner Theatre

01844 344207Tues Sept 7, and every firstTuesday of the month

Pub Lunch at the Black Horse

Bette Tyler 01844 344606Monday Sept 6 and Nov 1 at SpeenVillage Hall; Monday Oct 4 atLacey Green Village Hall

Parish Council meetings at 7.30.Open to the public

All events will take place at the Millennium Hall except where stated

Past Times ExhibitionNaphill Village Hall October 9

10 am to 5 pm.

Admission £3.00.

To be opened by Cllr Jane WhiteMayor of High Wycombe

Windmill Artists ArtShow

Lacey Green Village Hall

Saturday November 6th

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

This popular annual event is nowin its 8th year, and as usual therewill be an all-day Bistro formorning coffee, lunch andafternoon tea.

Don’t forget:Magical Mystery Maze

Open every day until Sun Sept 5.10.30 am to 6 pm.

Also: Polo matches at Widmerfarm every weekend

French LessonsI am starting a small group inLacey Green to learnconversational French.

Thursday evenings 7.30 - 9.30 .

£10 per evening payable inadvance per term. First evening,come along to see if this is foryou for £10. Starts September16th.

We are a small falsebeginners/intermediate groupwith a qualified French teacher.

jill-gosling@tiscali.co.uk

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Chairman’s report

 We thank the editor for giving usso much space in the last Hallmark.You will find our work on landusage in the area on the website.New articles are always appearing.so please have look.

 We are still receiving e-mails frompeople with an interest in thevillages, and these often provideuseful information for the archives.Please continue to contact us onhistory@laceygreen.com.

We are planning a HISTORYEXHIBITION in the school on thefirst weekend in March 2011.  Aswell as photos and documents, wehope to display objects from thepast, ranging from woodworkingand agricultural tools to costumesand domestic items.

If you have anything of interestwhich we could use (we will takegreat care of them!), or if you areprepared to help us to staff or setup the exhibition, please let meknow.  Further details of this eventwill appear in the next Hallmark.

 A new edition of the small bookwritten and illustrated by Mosh(Maurice) Saunders, entitled

"Children in a Bodger's World"  willbe available soon, and will be forsale at the exhibition.  This willcontain an appendix with extrainformation about the bodgers,provided mainly by DouglasTilbury.  If you wish to reserve acopy, you can e-mail our website, orcontact me on 01844 345863.

Rosemary MorthamHon. Sec. Village History

Group

As I write this article we have beenexperiencing glorious sunshine andlong warm evenings. I hope this hasstill been the case when you readthis!

The new storage area is now in use.Like all extra space it has been filledvery quickly. The cupboards allowall our regular users to keep theirbelongings safe and secure. Wehave recently purchased somesecond hand chairs with paddedseats. These were requested longago but as new they were way out ofour budget. We can now lookforward to a little comfort duringour times at the hall!

Despite our concerns that thecommercial bookings may struggleduring 2010 we have beenpleasantly surprised. The Hall is stillvery popular and we have manyrecommendations and repeat users.

We receive lots of positivefeedback relating to the conditionof the hall and continue to workhard towards ongoing maintenance.During the summer months themeeting room is due to be re-painted and all the floors are to bedeep cleaned and re-polished. Thekitchen is also having a ‘steam’ clean.

Youth Club and BowlsThe Youth Club has just celebratedits first year and is incrediblypopular with the local ten tofourteen year olds. The organisersshould be congratulated as theyhave worked tirelessly to providethemed nights and outdooractivities during the good weather.

The Village Hall has added a newactivity on a Monday afternoon,Short Mat Bowls. If you areinterested in joining please contactLeigh Axe (01844-345216) and hewill be happy to provide all thenecessary information.

Village ShopPlease continue to support the shoptrial in the Hall and I must say ahuge thank you to the committeeand all the volunteers that staff itevery weekday morning. I heardrumours that if they get some morevolunteers the shop may open intothe afternoons too..... Which ofcourse would be fantastic!

So, if you are looking to getinvolved in something local andworthwhile, now is the time! Pleasesee the shop section in Hallmark forcontact details as I'm sure they willbe only too glad of more help!

For such a small set of villages theHall offers so much variety for avast age range. Please support allthe activities and organisationswhere you can. They are all happyto have new members and meetingnew faces is always a good tonic.

Anyway enough from me, pleaseenjoy the summer and see you inthe Hall soon.

Clive Hodghton

Millennium Hall Chairman

Village History Group

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Summer is upon us and the weatherhas started with some really hotweather, let’s hope this lasts for afew weeks.

I know times are hard now foreverybody and monies are tight,maybe this year will be harder thanlast year but we must all thinkpositive. It is harder for the publichouses and restaurants as it is somuch cheaper to buy your drink atthe supermarket. You have tounderstand that we have manyoverheads and also we are tied toour prices.

But it must be better to come outwith the family, sit in the garden orinside, have a drink and a bite to eat,and just chill. Why don’t you try it,we would like to see more locals inour pubs, if you don’t use us we willclose. Pubs are closing at a recordrate at the moment. It’s okay for allthose signatures on a petition tosave the pub but you have to use usto keep us.

Just to remind you that I am unableto do the village hall outside bars.The village hall has arranged it ownbar arrangements and I am not

allowed to do them. Thank youanyway for all the phone calls I getasking me to do them, I can doother village halls in the local area.

Pub Lunch ClubWe started a pub lunch club in Julyfor the over 50s to meet and have ameal, this was really successful. 34people turned up and many bookedfor next month. If you would like tocome to the next one give me a ringand I will pass your name on toBette Tyler. The meal is twocourses and a cup of tea or coffeefor £5.95 and it is held on the firstTuesday of the month. Bookingsonly.

Congratulations on the two newarrivals: Beatrice daughter to Stephand Johnny Dell and Kyron son toBecky and Garry. We also have anew arrival to the pub, a new dog,Rossco. We obtained him from thedog rescue, he is great, reallyfriendly, loves children and otherdogs, but he can clear a six footfence so hence has to be watched.Very carefully, as the chef has foundout when lost at 1 am in the

morning chasing him down KilnLane.

Darts, Aunt Sally and Quiz are stillgoing on through the summermonths. We could really do withsome more teams for the quiz or wewill just have to cancel it. It doesnot cost you any money and it isgood fun; come and try us lastSunday of the month at 8 to 8.30start.

Breakfasts Tuesday to Saturday 9am till 11 am. Hope you all have agood summer.

Lynne and Ian

Black Horse

Strawberry Tea

Sunday 13th JuneYet again, I wish to thank Brian &Judy Wicks for inviting us to usetheir lovely garden for ourStrawberry Tea event.

I’m sure everyone enjoyed thedelightful setting, eating their

strawberries & home-made cakeswhilst listening to the WestWycombe Brass Band.

I would also like to thank all thosewho very kindly make & donate thecakes each year. Very muchappreciated.

I am very grateful to the band ofhelpers who willingly give up theirtime to shop, help prepareeverything and then serve the teasin the afternoon. Thanks also toMargaret Gray & Bunny Durham,who take on the huge task ofwashing up.

This is the third year running thatBrian & Judy have kindly openedtheir garden to us, so hopefully nextyear someone else will comeforward to offer theirs!

This is an enjoyable event in thevillage calendar – may long itcontinue.

Betty Tyler

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Village NewcomersDo you know of someone who has just moved into Lacey Green,

Loosley Row or Speen?

The Lacey Green Community Planning Group would be pleased towelcome them to our community by delivering a Welcome Pack. Itcontains a lot of relevant information about local services and features.

Please contact Christine Oliver (Speen) at 01494 488570; or

Angela Agate (LG & LR) at 01844 273916 or

angelaagate@btinternet.com

Theatre at homeOur last production in May in aprivate house, used as its stage areathe lounge, the kitchen, the diningroom, the snug, two staircases, thebalcony, three bedrooms, thebathroom and (incredibly) the airingcupboard! We just managed to fit inthe audience in half the lounge andpart of the balcony – but the actorswere nearly in their laps! Take alook at the pictures, taken in bothrehearsal and performance.

The play was the latest in our seriesof Theatre at Home and was AlanAyckbourn’s “A Small FamilyBusiness”. Once again we were verywell supported by you, dearaudience. The production raised amagnificent £832 for our latestcharity, The Oasis Partnership.

The Oasis Partnership works toreduce the effects of alcohol anddrug abuse in the local areas ofAylesbury and High Wycombe.

LGP’s total gifts to charities, sincewe started, have now topped£40,000. Our charities for ourNovember production will be IainRennie Hospice at Home andBreakthrough Breast Cancer.

Peter Brookhouse

What’s nextWe are just starting to read plays todecide on our next production,which will be a dinner theatre at theend of November. You may restassured that you will be thoroughlyentertained. If you are interested inbeing involved, now is a very goodtime to come along. For detailsplease phone 01844 344207.

The dates for the dinner theatre areThursday, Friday and Saturday,November 25th, 26th and 27th in theVillage Hall.

LGP

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Fashion ShowTowards the end of April we held avery successful Fashion Show in aidof the Motor Neurone DiseaseAssociation and the FlorenceNightingale Hospice and we wereable to donate £574 to each of theCharities. Our grateful thanks goto everyone who attended thisevent and to everyone who, withtheir enthusiasm and hard workhelped to make the evening such asuccess. Our choice of charitieswas made because one of ourmembers Sheila Dickinson had thismost horrible disease and we werevery pleased that she was able toattend the Fashion Show. Sadly,however Sheila passed away onJune 30th. She is now at peace, butwe will all miss her so very much.

Trips and outingsWe have had some excellent outingsand events in the past 3 monthsincluding a trip to WestfieldShopping Centre where weshopped until we dropped, and avisit to the Royal Albert Hall tohear the fantastic RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra play musicfrom the films.

In June six of our membersattended a ‘Henry VIII and AllThat’ day at Cheddington VillageHall where we learnt about theMary Rose and Tudor costumes.

Two days later we visited the BBCGood Food Show and BBCGardeners World at the NEC inBirmingham where the weather wasperfect and the show was fantastic.

The weather was also very kind tous on our Summer Ramble, whereon the hill above Smalldean we

The Windmill WI

Summer Supper

Fashion Show

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During our July meeting we learntthat our delegate to the NationalAGM at Cardiff had something incommon with the man-servants ofHenry VIII; they all jump up anddown on the bed! The man servantswere testing for lumps in themattress whereas our delegate Suejust likes to test the bed in hotels!

Seriously though, July’s meetinggave us double measure with a veryfull report of the Cardiff gatheringwhere the motion on food labellingwas approved, and Mrs Edwardsour speaker gave a fascinatingillustrated talk on Chenies Manorand Gardens.

The WI College (Denman College)awards bursaries to members toparticipate in the many courses it

offers. We held a specialopen meeting in June where

we were entertained by MissP.Batchelor (ex E.N.S.A.) andenjoyed a delicious cream teaprepared by the committee. All themoney raised (£70) was donated tothe Bursaries Fund.

We have been delighted to welcomethree new members this year andare hoping that more will join them.

Pub Lunch ClubWe are most grateful to Lynne, thelandlady of the Black Horse forsupporting the latest WI initiative:-

THE MONTHLY TUESDAYPUB LUNCH CLUB.

Rosemary Mortham our secretarycontacted Bucks CommunityAction Group and on 6th July thefirst meeting of the PUB LUNCHCLUB was held. For £5.95 adelicious main course, pudding andcoffee were served to thoseattending.

The PUB LUNCH CLUB isintended for anyone over 50

especially if you are feeling ratherhouse bound and wish to enjoy thecompany of others from yourvillage.

Contact Yvonne Axe or Bette Tyler(see page 17 for details)

On Tuesday 22nd of July, Rosemaryand John Mortham are hosting agarden party for members andhusbands particularly to celebratethe Golden Wedding Anniversaryof five of our members.

On going to press I can report that15 of our members are lookingforward to an August trip to theSwan Theatre to see this year’sYouth Project: a performance of themusical ‘Fame’.

Finally we await the long promisedinstallation of the LOOPHEARING SYSTEM in theMillennium Hall in preparation forour September meeting.

Jean Gabbitas

Lacey Green and Loosely Row WI

came across a miniature‘Stonehenge’ - the stones weremade of bread! We would be veryinterested if anyone could throwany light on this mysteriousstructure.

Entertaining at homeUnfortunately the weather wasn’tso good for our recent SummerSupper – it’s a good job ourPresident, Pat Richards has a largeconservatory! However, in spite ofthe inclement weather everyone hadan excellent evening. Thanks mustgo to Pat and Colin for letting ushave the run of their home!

At the beginning of June we held avery successful coffee morning atthe home of Linda Rostron inChurch Lane to celebrate the 90th

anniversary of the BucksFederation of Women’s Institutes.

Half the money raised went to theBFWI for a bursary and the otherhalf went into our Institute’s funds.Thank you Linda for the use ofyour home.

Local speakersWe have had excellent speakers inthe last two months and both havebeen local. In May the village’sown Horse Whisperer, SandraWilliams, gave us a mostenthusiastic and fascinating talk onher work.

In June, Makyla Greaves talkedabout her work with the Red Crossas Coordinator of the Fire andEmergency Support Service.Makyla came complete with thespecially adapted vehicle whichattends incidents at the request ofthe Fire Service where there hasbeen a domestic fire, explosion orsimilar.

We would recommend both ofthese ladies to organisations lookingfor competent and interestingspeakers.

Jumble SaleA date for your diary

SATURDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2010our next JUMBLE SALE.

If you have any jumble you wish todonate please bring it along to theVillage Hall between 10am and 12noon and then come back again at2pm and buy it all back again!

Don’t forget we meet on the firstWednesday of each month at 7.45in the Village Hall – do come andjoin us.

Daphne Williams

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It was with a huge sigh of reliefthat we greeted the test results onthe inconclusive TB tests, whenthey came back “All Clear”.

We keep hearing on the newscases ever nearer to home – sothere is increasing cause forconcern.

Drought conditionsIt is mid July as I write.Everywhere extremely dry andcrops are turning colour ready forharvest. We do need rain urgently

– preferably not thunderstorms,although a hot spell often endsthat way. The oil seed rape isparticularly vulnerable as the littleseeds can just be lost if the brittlepods are shattered. Some goodsteady rain would do the world ofgood right now and then the grasswould get a chance to grow back,plus the arable crops would ripen,not just die off. If this perfectscenario takes place it would thenstop raining so we could get onwith harvest, bringing in the cornin sunshine without having to dryit.

Silage harvestThe first thing we harvest is grass.A great many people fail to realisethat this is cultivated crop grownto feed the animals. Theindigenous grass here which cansometimes be found under fences,grows up to a couple of incheshigh, and has little or nonutritional value. We conserveour grass for silage to feed theanimals in the winter, these fieldsare not grazed. Taking the firstand heaviest cut at the end of May,then it will depend on the weatherhow much and how quickly it willre-grow to take a second. Thisyear that was not great and toosoon to know about a third andunlikely to get a fourth.

It is our policy, because the winterconservation is so important, tocut some of our wheat just beforeit is fully ripe, chopping up thewhole plant, putting it in a silageclamp for winter feed the same aswe do for the maize, but that isour last harvest in October whenit is thoroughly dried out.

First Prize WheatAs usual we have entered the farmin the Chiltern Hills AgriculturalSociety Competitions. It was apleasure to learn that our wheatcrop entered had won first prize.This beautiful crop was one ear-marked for cutting for “wholecrop silage” – which has nowbeen done. One of life’s ironies!

But of course our world isgoverned by the weather; we haveto work to the best of our abilitywithin what we are given. By thetime this edition comes out weshall have an idea of what sort ofsummer it will be. Foreverybody’s sake I hope it’s agood one, obviously for the farm,but after all this hot weather whilethe children have been at school,some good weather in theholidays would make a differencefor them too and their parents.I’m keeping everything crossedfor us all. Here’s hoping for aGreat Summer!

Joan West

On The Farm

Sunday 3rd OctoberWe’re delighted to announce thefifth Lacey Green 5k Fun Runwill take place on Sunday, 3rdOctober, in aid of St John’sSchool Parents Association. Inprevious years, the run hasattracted over 100 runners,including many school parentsand villagers, and it has raisedhundreds of pounds towardsschool projects.

The 2010 course will follow thecross-country route that we usedlast year, taking runners down

into Speen before climbing backup to Lacey Green throughHighwood Bottom and Kiln Lane.The Lacey Green 5k is aboutgetting out there into thebeautiful Chiltern countryside andmaking the most of your healthand fitness, whilst supportingyour local school.

We welcome all standards ofrunner – fast and slow, highlytrained athletes or those juststarting out. The emphasis is onthe FUN and not necessarily therun! We hope that many of youwill use this event either as a

training goal, or perhaps a reasonto take up jogging.

Places are limited so mark yourdiary and reserve your race slot byemailing us atlaceygreen5k@live.co.uk . If youwould rather not run, but wouldlike to be help in some way thenplease let us know, using the sameemail address. We are always inneed of marshals and judges.

Hope to see you there on the day!

Matt Insley

5K Fun Run

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HS2As Hallmark goes to press, the sunis shining and all appears to begoing well in our villages, apartfrom the cloud that appears to beoverhead, casting a shadow overour quiet hamlets.

We have had notice of a largelooming threat imposed upon us bythe government, as I hope you areall aware, in that, it has beenproposed that the villages of Speen,Lacey Green and Loosley Row havebeen placed in the alternate routefor the HS2 rail link between theNorth and Heathrow

Leaflets have been produced andwe hope that all villagers willexpress their concerns through thevarious links highlighted either onthe leaflet or on the Speen websitethat has taken the lead for our area.

We, as the Parish Council, havecommunicated our objections to thevarious bodies concerned, as aresult of the village meetings held inSpeen and Lacey Green when thiswas first announced.

Garden of RestWe are still communicating withThames Water concerning thesupply of water to the Garden ofRest. This appears to be nearing aconclusion, and we hope to be ableto provide parishioners with waterfor tributes in the near future. Weare also looking at erecting amemorial within the grounds, toexhibit the names of thosemembers of the congregation of theMethodist Chapel who fell in bothWorld Wars. We hope toincorporate a seat and make thearea a true resting place.

The Parish Council is pleased to seethat the village playground in theLacey Green and Loosley RowSports Field is being used. It isrewarding to see that our efforts insupplying new play equipment andtables is appreciated and we wouldlike any feedback on any furtherimprovements we could make.

Villagers in Loosley Row, now havethe option of catching a bus intoPrinces Risborough station or townon Thursdays and Saturdays,courtesy of the Risborough Area

Community Bus. The bus isequipped to take wheelchairs,although, I believe there is arequirement for prior booking.There is a notice in each of thevillage notice boards with atimetable and a contact number is07941 963097. There has been ahuge amount of work done to makethis project work, so please use thisservice and they may be able topurchase more of these smallerbuses to visit other outlying villages.

The only other distressing news thatmay effect some of our villagers isthe proposed closing of theRisborough Day Centre. We hopethat the outcry from both thisparish and others that use thiscentre will halt the closure by BucksCounty Council. Please, as manyresidents as possible, contact BucksCounty Council and air your views.

For further information on theParish Council, please visit ourwebsite or come to any of ourmeetings, your presence at either isgreatly appreciated

Cathryn Davies

Lacey Green Stores updateLacey Green Stores, which is run bythe Community Planning Group, hasbeen operational for over one year.Originally open only for two days aweek, coinciding with the Post Office,it has been open every weekdaymorning since November.

Following the transfer by WycombeDistrict Council of thecommunity obligation from the

Methodist Chapel to the MillenniumHall, and the survey by the PlunkettFoundation into the needs of thevillage, it was agreed that a shopshould be set up as a pilot, for aninitial operating period of six months.In the event the Stores has continuedoperating for twice this time, and isnow set to run for at least another sixmonths. The equipment, minorbuilding works, and initial stock for

the shop were paid for using thesection 106 monies available viaWycombe District Council.

We are indebted to the Village HallCommittee and the Chairman of theParish Council for their supportduring the past year. I would alsoexpress my thanks to the volunteers,without whom the whole exercisewould be quite impossible.

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Chiltern 3 Peaks Challenge - Sun Sept 19The Chilterns 3 Peaks Challenge isback for its second year and is set tobe a fantastic day out!

We are offering 5, 9 or 18 mile routesalong the beautiful ChilternsRidgeway, taking in Whiteleaf Cross,Coombe Hill and Ivinghoe Beacon.

All walkers will complete the scenic 5mile route from Princes Risboroughto Wendover (two peaks: WhiteleafCross & Coombe Hill). There willthen be an opportunity to stop forlunch in Wendover where IRHH willbe running a scrumptious BBQ foryou to buy something to eat.

You will then have the option of freetransport to Tring to complete thethird peak in a 4 mile walk toIvinghoe Beacon or free transportback to Princes Risborough to collectyour car. Arriva buses are on boardagain for 2010, providing freetransport to all walkers on the day.

New for 2010: you can walk theentire 18 mile route from PrincesRisborough to Ivinghoe Beacon ifyou are feeling energetic enough,

without the bus transfer in themiddle! Return transport will beprovided from Ivinghoe Beacon backto your car in Princes Risborough.

Everyone is welcome to take part -even the dog! - so please join us and

"walk the chalk" with IRHH.

Sign up early to avoid disappointmentas 2009 was a sell out!

If you have any questions about theevent please contact us onc3peaks@irhh.org or 01442 890222.

Entry costs £15 for adults and£7.50 for children which includes at-shirt, transport on the day, afundraising pack and a medal!

Pick up an Entry Form from yournearest IRHH Shop or visitwww.c3peaks.com .

Not for ProfitThe Stores is not intended to beprofit making in the usual businesssense, although it is obviouslyimportant not to make a loss. Whatit does do is provide a valuableservice to the village. In the event,there has been a small net profit,although there is an unavoidabledegree of imprecision inherent inthe calculation method. TheSteering Group intends to use anyprofit to contribute to other villagefacilities and services whenever thisbecomes practicable.

The small size of the shop restrictsthe amount of stock that can beaccommodated. At the momentabout 180 items of stock are held,primarily basic foodstuffs and non-food household materials. But weare open to suggestions, preferablyrepeatable.

A valuable assetThe general view amongst thoseinvolved in running the store is thatthe facility has functionedeffectively, with no major problems.

Customers have been highlycomplimentary, and there is regularand building trade.

This reflects the Plunkett surveyresults, which suggested that,despite the view expressed by somethat the store was unnecessary andwould not work, it has beenwelcomed by many and is regardedas a valuable asset providing agenuine community facility.

It has also been a benefit to thePost Office, providing extrasecurity to the postmaster.

The cold weather period at the startof January demonstrated the benefitto residents of having a local villagestore, when movement in or out ofthe village was very difficult.

Volunteers neededThere is quite a challenge for thefuture. For a start, we would like toextend the opening hours to includeweekday afternoons, so that we canoffer a better service to the village.

In order to do this, we need a fewmore volunteers. So if you canspare a little of your time andenergy, please do let us know.Even a couple of hours once amonth helps.

Contact Angela Roberts (347603)or Tony Molesworth (344975).

Tony Molesworth

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Ian Rennie Hospice 25th Anniversary

Well we weren’t sure what to expectas 90% of us have never playedbefore. Don’t let anyone tell you itseasy, we had one injury and severalnear smashed radiators. Some ofthe action was so fast the photo isblurred.

People came from as far a field asNaphill and Loosley Row for thisfirst session at the Village Hall on5th July.

We were grateful to a Chinnor Cluborganizer, Bob Hine, who showedus the rudiments of the game andafter several practice rolls we splitinto four teams and started playing.Competition was fierce with onewarning issued for excessive rolling.Person of the match was NormanTyler who’s last two bowls both hitthe jack and scored, despite all hisprevious ones rolling off the mat.

In all seriousness I believeeveryone enjoyed the session.

It was frustrating getting the hangof it but by the end everyone hadimproved - it is a game of skill andrequires lots of practice.

We had managed to get two secondhand mats and Les Hazel madesome of the equipment required -so well in fact that they are betterthan bought ones. We begged and

borrowed the bowls but now have afew second hand sets.

We meet every Monday from 2pmso if your interested just turn up.You can stay and see if you like itfor £5 or join for £20 with a £2 feeper session.

Leigh Axe

Short Mat Bowls

Hospice commemorates25 years of caring in theChilternsIain Rennie Hospice at Home(IRHH) is hosting a Music andFireworks Extravaganza in WestWycombe Park on 4th September tocelebrate 25 years of 24-hournursing care across the Chilterns.

The local charity provides specialistnursing care and emotional supportfor terminally-ill patients and their

families. Working closely withother healthcare specialists such asGPs, district nurses and consultants,Iain Rennie nurses and the charity’sfamily support team ensure patientshave the choice to be cared for andto die at home.

The 25th anniversary celebrationsbegin at 4 pm on 4th Septemberwith stalls from each of IRHHcharity shops selling a variety ofgoods - and a place tocommemorate the people forwhom Iain Rennie nurses havecared over the past 25 years.

From 7pm there will be music fromAbba Forever; Brit Award-winnerBeverley Craven and rock classicsfrom the Pepper Show. Guests canbring their own picnic (but notalcohol!) – or purchaserefreshments from the tea tent, bar,hog roast and BBQ. There is alsoan area for pre-booked gazebos, callus on 01442 89022 for more info.

IRHH President Moira Rennie says:“I am honoured and privileged tohave been involved with this causesince 1985, when five hospice-trained nurses helped care for mylate husband lain in our home whenhe was diagnosed with terminalcancer.

Abba Forever

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Pictures from Speen Fete

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Sunday 30 MayTwenty Happy Wanderers met inthe Old Road at Stoke Mandevilleon a slightly overcast morning.

The walk crossed the main A4010road towards the Manor Housewhere we turned south and shortlypassed the site of the originalNorman Stoke Mandeville churchwhich was finally demolished in1966 having fallen into a seriousstate of disrepair. The site isreferred to on the ordinance map as

“earthworks.”

At about this time the sun came outto welcome us, as did the three veryfriendly horses in the next paddock.

Through the next fields of growingcrops we were pleased to find thefootpaths had been properlyreinstated.

Just before Ellesborough golfcourse we turned south westcontinuing for about 5/8 of

a mile to a footpath which took usto North Lee. Passing on the way aradio direction finding mast which Iwondered if it had been there sinceWorld War 2 ?

Turning behind the derelictB.O.C.M. site, we skirted a coupleof fields. Along the edge of one

were several varieties of butterflies.Soon we passed behind the GoatCentre to return to where we hadparked our vehicles.

Thanks to Rita and Thornley Bryantfor providing us with an interestingwalk. R.G.

Happy Wanderers Walking Club

Wednesday 16 JuneWe had great weather to enhanceour annual Mid Summer strollstarting from the Bull and ButcherInn in Turville.

Twenty six went on the strollorganised by Liz Southon and Sue

Phillips which went through thepretty village then over meadows,through the woods to Skirmett, andback along Watery Lane to the PubHere we were joined by four moremembers for our enjoyable supper.

R.G.

Sunday April 25After a beautiful week weatherwise we woke to pouring rain.However by the time 19 of us hadassembled at "The Squirrel" atPenn Street it had stopped and weset off across the commonopposite. The walk  took usthrough woods, where thebluebells were beautiful, aroundthe grounds of Penn House wherewe stopped to admire thealpacas, and up to WinchmoreHill, and back to the pub. 4 .5miles of stile free easy walking,which from the comments ofother walkers was most enjoyable.

  9 of us stopped for a goodSunday lunch at the pub, wherewe were joined by 4 moremembers who thought the groundmight be too slippery for them towalk.

 Roger and Ann Walker

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HS2

High Speed 2 AffectsYou.There is a plan to run a high speedrailway, initially from London toBirmingham, through the Chilterns –one of the possible routes passingthrough Hughenden, North Deanand under Lacey Green and Speen.

You should recently have seen aflyer through your letterbox withsome details of this project.

You may be wondering what all thefuss is about. You may think thatsince we now have a Conservative-led coalition Government, theprevious plans drawn up underLabour have been forgotten.

Sadly, this is not the case.Government has not only embracedthis project but stated that it is evenmore committed to HS2 thanLabour were. They want to gofurther, faster and seemingly withless concern for the justification, asthey think this is a core politicalpolicy.

It is unfortunate that several localMPs (Lidington, Gillan and Grieve)are all now Ministers, so cannotspeak publicly against HS2.

You may think that this won’t affectyou because if HS2 goes ahead, itwill run up the A413 throughMissenden and Wendover withoutcoming near us at all.

We are on the routeHowever, Lacey Green lies on route2.5, which is the ‘alternativepreferred route’ and if the‘preferred’ route is rejected for anyreason following publicconsultation in the New Year, HS2Ltd can use the alternative routewith no further questions beingasked.

That would come very near us,especially the ventilation andevacuation shafts from the tunnel,with associated access roads, whichpop up every mile or so of the route.

It is also possible that you thinkthat HS2 is a great idea and anyonewho opposes it is either a Ludditeor that it’s OK for this lovely Areaof Outstanding Natural Beauty tobe spoiled, if it is in the NationalInterest.

This is probably the most importantissue about which there should be afuss, irrespective of where the routeeventually goes, because the overallcase for HS2 does not make senseon business or environmentalgrounds – it isn’t in the NationalInterest at all.

HS2 proposals were developedbased on the theory that therewould be dramatic growth indemand for travel, that there wouldbe no alternative way to satisfydemand, that the financialjustification was sound, and that the

provision of a high speed railnetwork would form a key plank ina low-carbon transport strategy.

To need HS2 the growth in demand would haveto be 267% through to 2033. This ismore than twice any forecast thatcan be derived from populationgrowth, travel patterns or any other‘reasonable’ measure.

It also assumes no impact fromInternet communications orbusiness cost constraints, both ofwhich are known to createdownward pressure on businesstravel demand – the mainstay of thecase.

To justify HS2 capacity on the existing railwaynetwork could not be expandedsufficiently to meet demand –which it can be, at cost levelssignificantly lower than HS2, andwith minimal impact to theenvironment.

To afford HS2 the business case must deliver anadequate return on investmentwhich, as proposed, it does – just. Ifthe demand doesn’t materialise (andno recent equivalent infrastructureproject has come close to forecast)and if the costs exceed estimates(please identify a major project likethis that has come in on time andon budget), then the business casefalls apart.

That means you and I and everyother taxpayer in the land ends uppaying more tax to cover the deficit

– for as long as the trains run andpossibly beyond.

Affordability also depends on theavailability of funds – difficult whenthe country is almost £150 billion indebt and virtually all Governmentdepartments are facing up to25% cuts.

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To support a low-carbontransport infrastructure it must be shown to reduce carbonemissions and transfer massiveamounts of traffic from othermethods of transport – which itdoesn’t. By HS2’s own account, theeffect is between plus and minus 25million tons of carbon emissions –in other words – neutral. In allprobability, HS2 will be morepolluting.

There are many other nationalarguments against HS2, perhaps themost significant being that none of

the “dis-benefits”, such as the valueof destroying an Area ofOutstanding National Beauty, or theestimated loss of property valuesalong (any) high speed route - ofbetween an estimated 10 and 30% -are not counted at all.

So what can be done? Firstly, theTreasury is running an on-lineconsultation which runs until theend of August 2010 to influence theComprehensive Spending Review.This can be accessed athttp://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk Tell the Governmenthow they should be spending our

money – instead of the billions(£1.15bn in this Parliament alone)they plan to waste on HS2.

Secondly, write to MPs andGovernment ministers responsiblefor policy to let them know whatyou think.

Full details of HS2, who to contact,latest news and action updates canbe found on our local website whichcan be accessed atwww.speenbucks.org.uk/hs2

Please, make a fuss.Mel Foster.

Chair Speen Area Action Group

Local Police update for JulySpeedingSpeed enforcement operation havebeen carried out involving the localNeighbourhood Policing team, theThames Valley Safer RoadsPartnership and Aylesbury roadspolicing team. The operation wascarried out in the following areas:

Ellesborough, Princes Risboroughand Longwick which resulted in 47motorists being dealt with forexceeding the speed limit or otheroffences. The fastest speedrecorded was 49mph.

The criteria for permanent speedindication devices or traffic calmingmeasures to be fitted in villages isbased on a priority basis usinginjury collision statistics to ensurethe funds are spent where they aremost needed. Concerned residentsfrom Bledlow Ridge, Longwick andButlers Cross have contacted usasking for more to be done toprevent speeding in their villages.

ParkingWe are continuing to monitorparking near the schools in theareas where it can be problematic.The commendable attitude of mostresidents is that this problem isinevitable at certain times of the day

and can lead to a positive

factor such as reducing speedingtraffic.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB): Anti-social behaviour covers such a widerange of incidents for example,erratic driving, noisy groupsgathering, public order offences andarson. In general the area is verylow on reports of ASB which is acredit to the local parents andschools. If you witness anythingthat you deem to cause alarm,harassment or distress pleasecontact the police enquiry centre on08458 505 505.

Area crimeThere have been 17 reported crimesin the month of June, which is aslight decrease on last month’sfigures.

As the weather gets better and wego out to enjoy the countryside,unfortunately so do opportunistcriminals. Please remember to hidevaluables from view in cars andkeep sheds/garages locked. For upto date crime reduction adviceplease visitwww.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk

Offenders brought tojusticeThanks to some proactive Policingthree persons have been found tobe in possession of Cannabis duringthe last month, two in Saundertonand another in Longwick during ourspeed enforcement operation. Allreceived official Police cautions.

An owner of a dog in Gt Kimblewas given a restorative justicecaution for allowing it to bedangerously out of control in apublic place.

A male was arrested for attemptingto steal metal piping from an EDFsubstation in Longwick. Enquiriesare continuing to identify the othersuspect.

A written S59 warning was issued tothe driver of a van from Aylesburyinvolved in tailgating another driveron Ellesborough Road.

Partnership activityThe neighbourhood team have beenworking alongside a number ofagencies over the past month;including Thames Valley safer roadspartnership and the Roads Policingteam higlighted in the successfulspeeding operation. We have alsobeen working with the local schoolstaking part in the Cop card project

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Lacey Green Singers at the Albert Hall

On Sunday 11th July 20 membersof the Lacey Green Singersparticipated in the first everperformance of Karl Jenkinsnew work Gloria, in the RoyalAlbert Hall. The conductorBrian Kay (ex-King singers)had just one day of rehearsalto pull together 2,500 singerswho had never sung togetherbefore - including some whohad not rehearsed the piecefor long at all - to be readyfor an evening performanceby 7.30 pm that night. Nomean feat!!

Intense rehearsals for over fivehours included the Royal Festival

Orchestra and soloists. By 7.30pm we were all ready and waitingto fulfil our dream of performingin the Albert Hall.

Representatives of the audiencepraised the performance and weresurprised by the quality of thesinging, particularly bearing inmind there was only one day ofrehearsal !

From a participant point of viewthe experience was so exhilarating.At the end of the evening we wereabsolutely exhausted from the heat,and mental fatigue, but it was a dayI know none of us will forget.

Helen Collins

The Audient’s reportLacey Green Singers formed partof the 2,550 singers from 16countries including the USA andother parts of Europe (mainly theUK) who made up The Really BigChorus performing at the RoyalAlbert Hall on Sunday 11th July.

It was a really memorable day forall concerned! My wife Bette and Ienjoyed visiting a museum whilethe Singers were perspiring in theheat of their morning andafternoon rehearsals at the Hall.Then we dined with our Singers ata well-chosen Italian Restaurant ahealthy stroll away. It was clearthey had had a testing time in theheat of that day.

Starting at 7.30pm, the Chorus,accompanied by The EnglishFestival Orchestra conducted byBrian Kay, first sang Fauré'sRequiem.Everyone's first "first" experiencecame immediately after theinterval, when Don Monro (aCanadian who settled in Englandand founded The Really Big Chorus)interviewed the world-famous

Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. Wehad never experienced such anevent. It was very impressive,unpretentious, interesting andinformative.

This was followed by the next"first" experience, the WorldPremière itself. We had never beento one live before. Its fivemovements were TheProclamation, The Prayer, thePsalm, The Song and TheExaltation. The Chorus, includingour Singers, sang in all but thefourth, which was a baritone solo.

There were also readings ofexcerpts from the HinduBhagavadgita, the Buddhist DiamondSutra (the world’s oldest datedprinted book), Taoist Tao Te Chingand Islam Qur’an.

Karl Jenkins had scored the workfor choir and orchestra with theaddition of ethnic percussioninstruments indigenous to thesecultures.

What a marvellous, memorableexperience!

Norman Tyler

Conductor Brian Kay

congratulating Karl Jenkins

The Singer’s report

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Annual ShowThe Annual Show takes place onSaturday, 4th September, in theVillage Hall. Bring exhibits alongbetween 1.30 and 2.30, at whichtime the Hall is closed for judging,and come back between 4.00 and4.45 to see the results, during whichtime the Hall is open also to nonexhibitors. We usually get a goodnumber of people in to see theexhibits. Please do come along, thefloral section is particularly attractive.

If you have not entered before youwill be welcomed with open armsand assistance will be on handsetting out your exhibit, if required.We are not at all stuffy or formal,very often newcomers are amongthe winners and I hope that therewill be at least a handful of newfaces, as most years. Schedules havebeen widely distributed, but I cansupply one if required. The entryfee is 20p per exhibit. For under 17year olds there is no charge andthere will be a special prize for bestentry by this age group. If you arenot a Member you can join on theday, the Annual Membership fee is£3.

Past eventsIn May, we had an interesting talkon the propagation of fuchsias. Ifyou can take, or otherwise acquire,appropriate cuttings, you need neverbuy a plant again!

We held our third annualPlant Stall at the Windmill, on

National Mills Day in May, andwere again lucky with the weather.An excellent range of plants hadbeen donated, and we raisedapproximately £250.

On a beautiful June evening, 25members enjoyed a private visit tothe 3 acre gardens at Chesham BoisHouse.

Future eventsIn the next edition I will report onthe Hanging Basket competition tobe judged at the end of July. Wehave a good number of entries.

The next talk will be on Wednesday,15th September at 8.00 in the VillageHall by Mr Edwin Rye on thesubject of David Austen Roses.Marcia and I visited his gardenrecently under the Yellow Bookscheme, and his collection of roseswas superb. Mr Rye is a trainedhorticulturist and an excellentspeaker. This is an evening not tobe missed.

Non Members are welcome at all ofour Meetings. The admission fornon Members is £2, or you couldjoin the Society for £3 a year andthen Meetings are free. Whicheverway, just turn up on the night. Wehave talks on alternate months and anumber of other events throughoutthe year.

On Wednesday 17th November, wehave our annual Supper Social andPumpkin Competition. It seems along way off, but the next edition ofHallmark may not be out by then.

Entry by ticket at £5, for anexcellent hot, or cold if you prefer,main course, and puddings to die forwith a glass of wine andentertainment. This is a Membersand guests event, but as mentioned,it is easy to join the Society.

Terry Fendom: Chairman

Horticultural Society: Over The Garden Fence

Propagated Fuschias Hanging Baskets David Austin Roses

Home Farm TrustHFT is a well established charitythat looks after people withlearning difficulties. They specializein providing homes for childrenwith Down’s Syndrome andassisting them to live in societythrough their childhood and thenadult lives. They give continuoussupport and assistance to thepeople in their care enabling themto live as normal a life as possible.This takes the strain off the parentswho cannot cope with the stress ofproviding for their special needsand lets the individual live to thefull of their capabilities.

We have a local group in PrincesRisborough who hold a series offund raising social eventsthroughout the year. These includeladies lunches, bridge afternoons,evening dinner talks, Xmas coffeemornings and Burns Night suppers.They currently have 16 committeemembers organizing and cateringthe events.

If you know someone with Down’sSyndrome you may be interestedin joining in. Contact MaggieJones on 01844 346323 ormaisey1950@hotmail.com.

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Structure of the gameA crisis looms for our Club, Ifear. The reason: the length ofmatches. It is putting young playersoff playing the game.

To field for three or more hourswithout the possibility of having achance to bowl - or to bat whenthe side is at the crease - mostyoungsters find boring. That isturning them away from thegame. If we continue in thisvein soon we will have no 2ndXI and if that happensinevitably eventually our 1st XIwill go the same way as somany village sides and we willbe left with a lovely ground andfacilities and no cricket.

Most of the teams that our 2ndXI play at present are far toostrong for the side that our Clubcan muster - that's when they canmuster a full team. While we havesome very good youngsters withpotential, they need time tomature. Which is why I would liketo make some suggestions:

Is it not possible for our Club toapproach the League ManagementCommittee and ask if the 2ndXI could be placed in the 3rdDivision to give them a chanceto build from there and give theyounger players a chance tolearn the game at a lower level?That is not defeatist, I believe itmakes sense.

What I’d really like to see is ashorter game. Starting at 2pm,the batting side bat until 4.30pm. Bails off. Tea, 30 minutes.The fielding side then bat until7.30 pm. Bails off. At fiveminutes per over that wouldgive each side 30 overs. But ifthey moved briskly in the field theycould bowl more.

Wouldn’t that make the game moreexciting?

Any other ideas?I doubt anyone will agree withme on this but Id like to hearthe ideas of others. Somethingneeds to be done to improvethe standard of local cricket. Atthe moment most of it is likerather leisurely friendly matches

- apart from a few teams whoseem to think anything justifieswinning.

If only someone could send aplea to villages like Booker,Naphill, Speen, Radnage, GtKingshill and other nearbyvillages to reform their teams,then we might revive therivalry that kept the standard high.

But, none of that solves ourpresent problem. We needpeople willing to commit toplaying regularly. I wonder ifsome of the lads who did sowell at football last season couldbe the answer?

Results so farWhere do the teams stand? The1st XI are sixth in the firstDivision with 176 points.They have won 3, lost 4, 1winning draw and 1 losingdraw. Two matches wererained off. I 've seen some verygood batting - albeit mostlyagainst modest attacks. Ourbowling, too, without the fire ofJack Hedgeland and JamesShrimpton bowling at their bestis more a case of trolling theball up the pitch and hopingthe batsmen will getthemselves out.

The 2nd XI too are sixth inDivision Two having won 2,lost 6, with 2 winning and 1losing draw. Their 157 includes44 points for having the bestumpire and scorer attendance ineither Division. What I've saidabout the 1st XI batting andbowling applies also to the 2nds

- although to be fair, they don'thave first pick of players.

In the Mid-Bucks K.O. Cupboth teams failed to make it pastthe first round.

I hope our committee will atleast think about some of thethings I've suggested. As thisClub was the instigator of theMid Bucks League - with goodintentions to play on decentgrounds with good facilities - I’dlike to think they would exertthemselves at the next AnnualGeneral Meeting and put ourpoint of view instead ofallowing Clubs, most of whomhave only played in this area fora few years and only playedfriendly cricket to boot, to dictatethe agenda for the few old Clubslike our own.

Geoff Gomme

Sports Club - Cricket Section

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The PerseidsThe best shooting star display of theyear, a rare comet and the King ofthe Planets grace our night skiesover the coming weeks.

First up is the Perseid MeteorShower. Every year, it puts on asizzling spectacle of ‘shooting stars’ –on the Glorious Twelfth, aptlyenough. The evening of this August12 will have great conditions as therewill be no moonlight to wash out thesky (if the clouds stay away too!).

Astronomers predict that thereshould be about 100 meteors eachhour whizzing overhead, manyaccompanied by the faint visibletrails that they leave behind. Grab asun-lounger, face south and look ashigh as possible, as late as possible(11pm +). What you’ll actually bewitnessing are dust particles left overfrom Comet Swift-Tuttle colliding atenormous speeds with the Earth’satmosphere 60 miles above you, andvaporising on impact. Although the12th is the best night, do keep a lookout from now, and especially on the10th, 11th, 13th and 14th.

If you want to take photos of thedisplay using a DSLR camera, put iton a tripod, focus on a starbeforehand so that it appears pin-prick small in the view finder, set theISO to 200 or 400, leave the shutteropen for 30 seconds to a minute andsee if you are lucky enough tocapture these ‘bullets in the sky’. Trythis a few times.

Comet HartleyA ‘live’ comet will be on view fromOctober, and it is predicted that thisone should be visible with the nakedeye. It’s called Comet Hartley 2 andflies closest to Earth on October 19and 20 as it hurtles towards the Sun.See the diagram for location. It maybe helpful to have binoculars handyto spot it initially. The comet shouldlook like an elongated smudge,brightest at one end where the one-mile wide nucleus’ ice is thawingfrom the Sun’s heat. At its closest tous, the comet will be about 11million miles away. That sounds a lot,but is less than a tenth of thedistance between the Earth and theSun.

Comet Hartley 2 stays in our skiesfor several weeks, and will be visitedby a space probe called Deep Impactin November which will perform afly-by to get a closer look.

There is keen interest in cometsbecause it is thought that the ice anddust they contain have beenunchanged since the formation ofthe Solar System and so can providemore clues to exactly how Earth andthe other planets were created.

JupiterAnother celestial visitor will bestaying with us for much longerfrom mid-September as Jupitershines brilliantly into view. Looksouth east at about 10 pm and you’llsee a very bright looking ‘star’ –Jupiter. To help, peer out onSeptember 22 and October 19, findthe Moon, and Jupiter will beglowing to its lower left. Usebinoculars to see its four largestmoons.

Chris Dignan

Heavenly Bodies

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Sports Club - Football SectionPromotion!Greetings to everyone on thissummer edition of the footballarticle. SAY WE ARE GOING UPSAY WE ARE GOING UP! Withthat outburst done away with, I cannow write with a certain calmnessand comfort. After leaving you on acliffhanger in the last commentary, Ican proudly say that our last gameended in victory, thus promotioninto the higher leagues. I would liketo say personally that it was apleasure to see such a cool,commanding and admiralperformance by all the lads that dayto beat our promotion rivals TheHour Glass, to ensure the prize thathas been deserved throughout theseason. You should all be very proud.

I would also like to share mysalutations with all the supportersand the members of the Sports Clubwho helped on our end of seasonbarbeque which I feel everyoneenjoyed.

Done and dusted. Our first seasonhas been a huge success. All I cansay is I am hoping this trend willcarry on. The summer break hascome to give the players andmanagement a rest. All of a sudden,the fees have been paid, themeetings have all been conductedand now we’re setting out onanother adventure into the secondseason. Pre-season training hasalready started to see a hardcore 16arrive. It is heart-warming to see theenthusiasm that still runs throughthe club.

Lacey Green FC held their annualgeneral meeting at The Pink and Lily.As always it was well attended, andonce again a good time was had byall. We have sorted out ourparticulars for next season to assurea more economical and ‘free flowing’running of the club, and to makesure that everyone’s experience hereat Lacey Green is an enjoyable one.

Get ready for next seasonAlso attended was the HighWycombe Football CombinationAGM to sort all the problems thatmay have arisen over the past year,and what changes andimprovements will be commencingfor next season.

Unfortunately, the league has seen arecord 9 teams drop out or foldover the past season, meaning thatthe set-up has been changed.

We will now be playing in Division3, up against some very strongopponents. Chinnor, Longwick,Wellesbourne and Marlow being mypick of the games, a slightdifference than playing reservesides and ‘pub teams’. I hopeeveryone is ready for the challengesthat will arise.

More AwardsWe were also graced with a bigsurprise at the AGM, being thatanother 3 awards were presentedto us. This included Runners UpDivision 5 2009-2010, Top GoalScorer in Division 5 (ThanksMatty!) and The Fair Play AwardRunners Up Trophy, which wasagainst the other 63 sides in theleague. Another reason to beproud.

We have been scheduled to play afew friendlies in August to get usready before our first fixture onSunday 5th September. Our first willbe against our Main Road rivalsNaphill FC, which last year saw a2-1 victory on a blistering hotsummer’s morning. I’m sure they’llbe looking for revenge this timeround. Our second arrangement isat the hands of Hazlemere FC,whose last season performancesnearly haltered our promotionchase, so another solid game to getthe team motivated.

Social eventsI would also like to mention the upand coming ‘Lacey Green andLoosley Row Sports Club Bash’that will be taking place on Saturday4th September. Similar to last years60th anniversary party, there will bea licensed bar, pig roast, live musicwith dance floor and all the localscoming together to have a reallygood time. Some of the lads andmyself from the football teamattended last year, and were veryimpressed with the organizationand effort that created a classicevening. Tickets will be on saleshortly, I hope to see you there.

My congratulations to Matty Gaylerand Charlie Bull who finally tied theknot at Lacey Green Church on

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By the time you read this, the tennisclub will have probably completedall its 2010 league fixtures and heldtwo of friendly club tournaments.Within the league, the Mixeddoubles has excelled as they did lastyear in winning all their matchesto-date. The Ladies team has beenconsistent against stiff oppositionand the Men’s team has shown somepromising results including a muchsought after victory. The club needsto build on this and will continue todevelop younger players to competein the district league

The Spring tournament on Sunday16 May saw a good turn out ofjunior players who completed 3rounds before 2 outright winnersemerged. Unfortunately, the rainshowers started soon after thesenior matches had started. Despitethe rain, everyone played 2 sets ofdoubles without any clear victor. Wehave a history of our tennistournaments attracting the oddshower. Thank goodness for allweather courts!

The tennis club has welcomedseveral new members this season inparticular a growing band of juniors.

A tennis evening organized for thevillage youth club on Friday 26 Junewas well attended andenthusiastically supported by youngpeople some of whom were quitenew to the sport. The club has 2coaches available for individual andgroup lessons and it is expected thatthere will be tennis courses duringthe school holidays.

The Autumn tournament will beheld on Sunday 12 September 2010.Finally, don’t forget the Sports &Social Club Pig Roast and Dance onSaturday 4th September.

Ian WardFor more information andmembership forms, please contact:

Ian Ward on PR 345567 or LindaMalden on PR 275296

Sports Club - Tennis Section

Saturday 3rd July. I heard it was alovely day and everyone had acracking time at the eveningreception. All of us at Lacey GreenFC would like to offer their bestwishes for the future and littleMegan.

I would also like to send my bestwishes out to Johnny and StephanieDell on the birth of their beautifulhealthy baby daughter Beatrice.

An ecstatic thanks to our continuedteam sponsors for next year.Duncan and Shakira at The Pinkand Lily, and Lynne, Ian and Tonyat The Black Horse in Lacey Green

have been phenomenal intheir support for Lacey

Green FC. We cannot be moreappreciative of their financial, kindwill and gestures for last season, andam delighted of your sustainedsupport for next season.

If you require informationregarding Lacey Green FC, pleaseemail us at

laceygreenfc@hotmail.co.uk. Weneed trainers, coaches; whatever youcan bring to the team will be morethan appreciated. We are also onFacebook under Lacey Green FC,so you can have regular updates onthe scores and players’ news.

Ben FosterCampaign awardsPlayer’s Player of the Season – Nick Fisher

Manager’s Player of the Season – Ed Suggate

Golden Boot 2009-2010 – Matty Gayler (27)

Most Improved Player of the Year – James Taylor

Best Goal of the Season – Luke Garvey

Donkey of The Year – Steve Evans (I would rather not explain…)

First Goal Scorer for Lacey Green FC – Jamie Blackburn

Football continued

23

It has been a busy term – the newstarters settled in well and the olderchildren gained responsibility bybeing ‘Helper of the Day’, tidying-up as well as assisting at snack andlunch times. Our particular focuswas on positive behaviour, the fieldof kindness and Cookie the dog.

The colour/letter of the week stillcauses great discussions and outsideplay and key group time continuedto feature as part of the dailyroutine and with the nicer weather,trips around the field and to thepark have been more plentiful too!

Summertime themeThe theme for this half term wasSummertime which included talkingabout different holidays and role playas travel agents. The children havealso had lots of themed weeksincluding Messy Week, Under theSea Week, Being Healthy Week andone of the children suggested,Superhero Week.

Starting with Messy Week you canimagine just how much the childrenloved that one! There was loads ofpainting, sticking, playdough, shavingfoam, spaghetti, sand and water allweek.

During Being Healthy Week thechildren were talking about theirbodies and looking after them withgood food, lots to drink and plentyof exercise. There has been somewonderful art work and craftactivities, including hairy grass

caterpillars, which are displayed allover the pre-school and notforgetting all the culinary delights too.St George’s Day and May Day wereboth celebrated and the childrenmade some wonderful cards forFather’s Day.

World Cup craftsWith the World Cup having such ahuge influence, a World Cup themedcraft morning was arranged at StJohn’s School where the children,including those who had camped atSt John’s on Camp Night had theopportunity to make some wonderfulcrafts. There were door hangers,notice boards, footballers and fansfor a stadium, painting and playdoughto name a few. Lunch was providedtoo. I would like to express mythanks to everyone who helped thatday especially the Collett-Fensonfamily.

The annual family barbeque tookplace at the end of June and wasenjoyed by nearly 100 people – thesun shone; the food was great and theraffle a big success. A huge thank youto everyone who helped with thisevent especially Paula for sorting outthe prizes, Heather for doing theface-painting, Giles and Duncan whomanned the barbeque all day, and toClive at the Entertainment House forsorting us with a PA system. And ofcourse to everyone who attended andbought raffle tickets. We weredelighted to raise over £400 towards

a new library and some new, easilymanoeuvrable and stored tables andthank you to the local businesses whokindly donated most of the prizes.

Children and parents/carers enjoyeda trip to Wendover Woods on theInset day earlier this month and a funtime was had by all!

Sports Day too was a great eventwith the children (and parents!)showing off their sporting talentsbefore sitting down to a teddy bear’spicnic.

The term will finish on a high onFriday with a visit from entertainerKiddley Divvely and the children willthen enjoy party food. I think we’llthen all just about be ready for sixweeks off!

Finally I would just like to wish goodluck to all the children who aremoving up to big school inSeptember and to say a huge ‘thankyou’ to the Windmill staff who havedone an outstanding job this year.

From September all three and fouryear old children are eligible to

"flexible free entitlement", also knownas "early education funding" at thestart of the term following their 3rdbirthday. For children who arereceiving funding this will mean thatthe first 15 hours of child care atWindmill's will be free, any additionalhours over will then be charged.

Michelle Whiting - Chair

Windmill under 5s

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St John’s Church

Messy cleanupOne Saturday, a working group cladin their oldest gear turned up toclear the huge rubbish pile behindthe Church. Wheelbarrows werewheeled, shovels and spades werehoisting debris, and two skips werefull to overflowing , and removedbefore lunchtime. And that wasgood too as hungry workersdevoured bacon butties to illustrate‘fast food’.

There is a need for anyoneinterested in gardening andmaintaining this area of outstandingnatural beauty to come along andjoin in the comradeship of workingtogether. The site that was clearedis a joy to behold and we would liketo keep it that way . So…. Pleasecontact our Wardens if you wouldlike to be included.

Vicarage PicnicSunday July 4th. We all enjoyed theVicarage Garden picnic, theambiance and fellowship in abeautiful peaceful garden, withgames and face painting forchildren and adults alike !

Later in the day (after Wimbledonfinals) the Choir gave a superbconcert in church, with the theme‘Weddings’, again well attended.Some were brave enough to singsolos, even among junior choir, wehad duets. Vicar Denise sang soloand led a hymn, organ recitals wereuplifting, and the congregation gavefull voice too. A CD was apparentlyrecorded; we look forward tobuying and hearing the lovely musicagain very soon.

Open GardensOn June 20th we held Opengardens in Lacey Green, with Teasand stalls at the Village Hall . Thiswas well attended with many oohsand aarhs at the beauty of thegardens and the allotments. Well

done all those who worked hardproviding teas, manning stalls, anddeveloping such wonderful gardens.Good weather too. (see the picturesbelow)

End of termJuly 21st for the last day of termServices in St. John’s. All thoseleaving were presented with Biblesand many good wishes for theirfuture in Secondary Education.

Presentations and great thanks weremade to Jenny King and Jo andKeith Niven who have retired after10 years running and helping withJunior Church. Sarah Ryder will beleading a new team.

June Brazier

Future dates for yourdiary.It is proposed to hold CoffeeMornings in Church on Mondaysbeginning September. A goodway to start the week and meetwith friends.

Harvestwill be held on September 26th.When we hope all is safelygathered in !

A Harvest Supper will be held onFriday 24th – a delicious meal withfriends and music, all for adonation of your choice. Iremember last year’s wasentertaining and very enjoyable.Visiting friends and relations aremade very welcome.

There is always an update of anyevents on the Church notice board,both in and outside the Church.

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Man has always had a fascination tolearn about his Ancestors!

Up until about 15 years ago this hadpresented many problems to aresearcher as very few of the massesof records from over the centurieshad been easily accessible. The earlygenealogists spent most of their timein records offices, graveyards orploughing through dusty parisharchives.

Online databasesNow thanks to the computer & theingenuity of those involved in theInformation Technology industrythere are now huge databasesaccessible online. The UK censusesfrom 1841 to 1911 are all open forus to seek those elusive ancestors!

Not only are there census recordsavailable, but also birth, death,baptism & marriage records. Wehave access to immigration data,military records & even passengerlists from the great days of Atlanticliners. We can also seek those whowent to Australia, New Zealand &Canada.

Recently I was given a “hint” fromthe search engine about myAmerican elder sister. I found herlisted on the passenger list from the

“Queen Elizabeth” crossing fromNew York to Southampton inOctober 1957! I even remembergoing to collect her.

There has been a “mini boom” overthis fifteen year period in ancestorseeking led by our America cousinsacross the pond. Understandably so,as apart from the indigenous tribe,sall Americans descend from thehordes of migrants that crossed theseas to settle there. They are verykeen to learn of their roots. TheMormon Church in Salt Lake City,Utah has aided this by amassing thelargest database of people in theworld. We owe them a great debt forsuch fortitude. Or is it, perhaps, thatthey make a great deal of money outof it?

My own family treeI started my tree some years back asI was very much aware that I onlyever met one grandparent, the othershaving had the temerity to pass awaybefore I arrived! I knew so littleabout anyone on both paternal &maternal lines.

It was a hard uphill battle & I didn’tget far in those early days. After afairly long time of inactivity I wentback to try again. This time I decidedto look at my dear wife’s family. Ithad long been rumoured that shedescended from Austrian stock &perhaps, even the family of a nastylittle man who had been born inLinz!

She had up until this time beenrather sceptic about ancestryresearch! During my absence from

“tree-ing it” things had altereddramatically in technologicaladvancement! I whizzed through herfamily at great pace much to herexcitement. I exploded the myth[thankfully] on the Austrianconnection and she now knows a lotabout her family.

I now have over 5,000 ancestors inmy own tree, some lines going backto the 3rd century. My Paternal DNAR1a shows my ancestors belonged totribes dating 40,000 years BC locatedin Asia Minor & spreading across

Europe to become Vikings inScandinavia.

I have some minor royalty [like thestepson of Charlemagne who is a38th great grandparent], the oddcrusader & even a pope! They musthave been allowed to marry in thosedays. This certainly is a numbersgame! Just think, that to the 10thgeneration, apart from your 4 grand-parents, you have a potential of over2,000 great grandparents to find. It’smind boggling stuff. I now have littletime to attend my tree as I am alwaysworking on other people’s. It is greateach morning to wake & wonderwhat exciting trails I am going tofind following my research that day.

An example searchTo exemplify the joy one can derivefrom Ancestry research I give youthe following example.

I met an old friend of mine, PeterWillard of Salisbury just before lastChristmas at a re-union. Talk movedto his family & he said he had nevermet his mother & he wasn’t surewhether her surname was Claphamor whether she had been bornethere! I told him I would find out forhim. I asked him to get me all thedetails he could. I received a fewdays later his father’s birth certificate& that was it. From this rathermeagre information in a few days Ihad found his 4 grandparents, his 8great-grandparents & some of hisgreat greats. I found out his mother’ssurname was Clapham & most of herclose relatives & he now had over250 people in his tree. Peter at theage of 86 had found out things hehad long pondered on over his manyyears. He was delighted!

To discuss any of this, call ColinWells, Family Researcher, Member ofthe Society for Genealogists on01494 463223.

Who do you think you are?

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8.00 am: Holy Communion (1662)1st, 2nd, & 4th. Sundays

10.00 am: All age Worship - Communion 1st Sun of month

10.00 am: Parish Communion All Sundays except 1st

6.00 pm: Choral Evensong 1st Sunday in the month

Tues 9.30am: Communion Service -St Johns Lady Chapel

Tues 2.00 pm in term time: Toddler Praise – 21 toddlersmeet Tuesday afternoons during term time. Dads andGrandparents are also very welcome.

Wed 10.30 .am: Team Communion Service at St. Mary’schurch, Princes Risborough

Vicar: The Reverend Denise Critchell. Tel. 347741.

Local Information

LACEY GREEN POST OFFICE is open in Village Hall 9 am-12 noon Mondays &Thursdays for all services except Vehicle Road FundLicences.

LACEY GREEN STORES are open in Village Hall 8.30 am-1 pm every week day

COFFEE MORNINGSHeld in Village Hall 10am-12 noon Thursdays.Friendly chatting with tea or coffee & biscuit

THE FOOT CLINICChiropody services with Cathy Maynard. Tel 274521 .Tuesdays at the Village Hall by appointment

From June 1 the MOBILE LIBRARY will be atthe Village Hall alternate Wednesdays from 12 noon

Hallmark is publishedquarterly by the Lacey Green& Loosley Row MillenniumHall Management Committee,although opinions expressedin comment or contribution donot necessarily represent thecollective view of thatcommittee.

Our aim is to mirror the mark thatthe Village Hall makes upon ourcommunity, to publish the activitiesof all Village organisations, and toprovide a forum so that the rights,the wrongs, the well-being ofvillage life can be aired. News fromall the Village clubs, societies,church and school, stories of localinterest and entries for the Village

Diary are always welcome. Inaddition, any suggestions forimproving Hallmark.

A version of this printed Hallmarkmay be found on our websitewww.laceygreen.com, which alsohas breaking news and manyadditional articles & photos of localinterest.VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENTCOMMITTEEClive Hodghton (Chair),Rachel Panter (Vice-Chair),Sue D’Arcy (Secretary),Yvonne Axe (Treasurer),Karen Hodghton (Booking Sec.),Jill Baker, Stella Boll, Jane Brown,Ginnie Brudenell, Cathryn Davies, ,Carole Knight, Paula Oxford, BettyTyler & Norman Tyler

HALLMARK EDITORMike Piercy, Malmsmead, Kiln Lane, Lacey Green, Bucks HP27 0PU(on right, just before the pond) 01844 344021 Email editor@laceygreen.com

ADVERTISING MANAGERChris Baker, "Woodpeckers", Kiln Lane, Lacey Green, BucksHP27 OPT (past the pond on the left) 01844 275442

VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGSClive or Karen on 01844 274254 (answering service)

LACEY GREEN WINDMILLIn 2010 the windmill will be open from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays fromSunday 2nd May to Sunday 26th September. Last admission is at 5 pm, and admission is £1.50 per adult, 75pper child under 16. It is the oldest smock mill in the country and still has its original wooden machinery fromthe mid 17th century. Since 1971 it has been restored to working order by members of The Chiltern Society.Please park in Pink Road and walk up path to the mill.

CHURCH SERVICES: SUNDAYS