September 2008 Archives
It's an outrage. Vulnerable little animals continue to be experimented upon for no other reason than to save/prolong the lives of millions of unhealthy human beings. Even though pain might not actually be associated with such procedures one can be certain these innocent little creatures ain't gonna be feeling too good about participating in any of these programs. You can bet your life they'd much rather be out having a good time gamboling about in the woods and fields. Nevertheless, selfish vested interests continue to demand that these furry little mites continue to be sacrificed just so everybody can live longer pain free lives.
The Grumpy's Solution - Immediately after having seized power we'll be introducing a slightly controversial new law banning experimentation on all animals other than the genus homo sapiens. This new law will allow responsible citizens aged six and over to offer themselves up to be experimented upon for the good of the nation - and the animal kingdom. Volunteers will receive a large certificate, a small medal (to be worn at all ceremonial occasions) and the approbation of a grateful society. Animal rights activists will obviously want to be first in the queue but human rights extremists will naturally demand that perverts, recidivists, homicidal maniacs, illegal immigrants and the socially challenged must be given preferential treatment. Applications from guilt-racked members of the legal profession will be looked upon favourably. A modest donation will of course be expected from the nation's weirdo masochist contingent since they'll obviously want to hog more than their fair share of all the more painful procedures.
Of course the criminal element, particularly those given to lounging about in their cells all day doing nothing but fret about how they're ever going to repay society for all the trouble they've caused, won't be satisfied with just volunteering their bodies for experimentation purposes. They know a critical shortage of vital organs exists for transplant purposes and will undoubtedly be desperate to gain redemption and additional kudos for themselves by offering to contribute some (possibly all) of their own organs to good people in dire need.
The Grumpy Team, deeply concerned as we are with all the moral and ethical issues related to this very sensitive subject, couldn't possibly allow this additional privilege to be extended to the criminal fraternity under any circumstance - unless a member of the Team, or perhaps a few thousand decent hardworking members of the public, just happened to run short of an organ or two.
Peter Stokes - Party Leader
www.thegrumpyoldmenpoliticialparty.org.uk
Volunteers are needed to help with this year's Poppy Appeal.
Chalfonts Branch - sale in the Precinct, Chalfont St Peter on Saturday 11th October 2008 from 9.00 am to 12.0 noon.
By Janice Bryant
Following a hectic year of fundraising, the members of Chalfont and District Flower Club have raised over £2,400 for local charities.
At a recent meeting at Amersham Free Church, Club Chairman Mary Spicer presented a cheque for £1,835 to the club's chosen charity for 2008, Iain Rennie Hospice at Home (IRHH). An additional £215.00 had already been given by direct donations.
Alli Harmer, IRHH Community Fund Raiser accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity and thanked the members. She indicated that the support of the Flower Club will help to raise awareness of the charity's work within the area.
IRHH needs to raise over £3million per annum to continue to support and expand its work which involves providing specialist palliative care for patients and families in their own homes across the Chilterns area of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. The service is provided free of charge and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you need any further information please give me a call on 01494 726064.
Chalfont St Peter Youth Club is hosting the event, which will include a wide range of lots on offer, such as family outings, state of the art digital televisions, and a number of novelty gifts.
There will also be hot food on sale and a bar.
The event takes place on Saturday, October 4 at the Tithe Barn Youth Centre, Sandy Rise, Chalfont St Peter, and starts at 6pm.
To celebrate Jay Miller's Circus 21st Anniversary tour we are offering 21 readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to see the show. Jay Miller's Circus will be performing in Chalfont St Peter from Tuesday, October 14 to Sunday October 19 at Gold Hill Common.
A HUGE auction will be held in Chalfont St Peter this weekend.
The parish church is open every Thursday from noon to 2pm as a quiet place where everyone is welcome to sit, eat their packed lunch, and listen to the background music.
The Vine, the young people's group for St Peter's parish, meets on the fourth Sunday of each month. All aged between nine and 14 years are welcome.
For information, please call Sandra or Steve Clark on 01753 887 614.
Coffee Club at the community centre every Thursday from 10.30am to 11.30am in term time.
Volunteer drivers needed. Please call 01494 875133.
Ballroom and Latin beginners' dance classes at the church hall, Church Lane every Monday evening from 8.30pm to 10pm and every Tuesday from 2.30pm to 4pm.
Call Barbara on 01753 893 440.
Drug-proof Your Kids is an interactive six-week course to help parents stop children aged eight upwards being tempted to try alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. The course starts on Tuesday, October 7 from 7.30pm to 10pm at the youth centre. It is being run by presenters trained by Care for the Family and costs £20 per person or £30 per couple.
For details and registration, call Deborah Elliott on 01753 890 791.
Well Baby Clinics on Thursdays, 9.30am to 11am in the Chalfont Community Centre, Gravel Hill. Call Anne Toon on 01753 888 665.
Book sale in the Community Centre on October 4 from 10am to noon. Please leave donations of books - in good condition - at the office any morning before the sale.
Call Jenny on 01753 885 778.
Fabric sale in the Community Centre on Saturday from 10.30am to 3pm. Entrance fee £1.
Refreshments available. Hundreds of fabrics to choose from at very competitive prices.
Call Meg on 01494 873 533.
Flu clinics for the over-65s and people with a chronic illness at the Hall Practice, Calcot Medical Centre on Saturday from 8am to 11am; October 4 from 8am to 11am; and October 11 from 8am to 11am.
For appointments call 01753 278 948 between 8.30am and 12.30pm.
The hospital car park will be open.
There will also be a clinic at the Community Centre, Gravel Hill on October 9 from 8.30am to 5pm.
If anyone is not able to attend either this clinic or the one in Chalfont St Giles (above) then please ring your own surgery after October 20 for information on how to obtain your flu vaccination.
Chalfont St Peter WI meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the church hall, Church Lane at 2.15pm.
The next meeting is the AGM on October 8. The produce cup will have the theme, A Hazel in a Soup Tin.
New members are invited to join the Short Mat Bowls Club on Mondays from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
Tuition will be given to non-players and bowls are available for beginners. Call Audrey Thayer 01494 873 401.
The local branch of Causeway Prospects for People with Learning Disabilities meets on alternate Saturdays at 10.30am and on the third Sunday each month at 3pm at Gold Hill Baptist Church.
For further information call 01494 876 996.
Because the September speaker on Crystals and Crystal Healing was indisposed, committee member Jill Repper organised Tea at the Ritz.
Ten visitors came suitably clad and with wonderful hats. Mrs Lyme welcomed everyone and we kept the business side to the minimum.
Silver teapots glittered, cake stands showed prettily decorated little cakes, tarts and scones. Dainty, crustless
sandwiches were there to be eaten too. The dresses and hats were a wonder to behold. Many photos were taken before we settled down to a little gracious living. It was a very pleasant, relaxing afternoon.
The AGM is in October. Meetings are held in the church hall at 2.15pm on the second Wednesday in the month, except in August, when we have an outing. Visitors are always welcome.
By James McIlvenny
As a career, the journalist's route may be an ultimately tough one with success in mind, however the myth that it is daunting and nigh on impossible just to give it a go is purely that.
My name is James McIlvenny and I'm currently a trainee journalist working for the Bucks Advertiser. I hope to show the curious out there that Journalism employers are always on the lookout for capable writers, and how you should go about the first steps in opening the door to a potentially rewarding career in the field. Although I am certainly no expert, being just some weeks in the Journalism workplace, new eyes sometimes see the purest picture.
First of all, my post at the Bucks Advertiser is an internship necessitated by my enrolment on the 20-week NCTJ course at News Associates in Wimbledon. The National Council for the Training of Journalists boasts the number one journalism- training scheme in the UK. If the research I undertook is to be believed, it is looked upon very favourably on the journalist's CV, acting almost as a key to unlock the higher positions in the field. Basically put, the course should help the budding journalist to a considerable degree, and anyone, regardless of qualifications, can apply at the numerous training centres dotted about the country. If you are thinking seriously about Journalism, it is quite willingly out there, and the NCTJ course looks like the best start.
I hope to update readers in the coming weeks on the day-to-day details of life not only as a journalist but a student of the field also.
Further information on the NCTJ is available on the official website:
Do you have a little spare time and skills to offer as a volunteer with a local charity or community group?
Voluntary Action has over 300 local groups registered to help them find volunteers. To find an opportunity to suit your needs, call Joy Johns on 01895 837 545 or see www.voluntaryaction.org.
Sure Start Children's Centre, the Chalfonts, hosts family fun for parents with children up to five years at the Community Centre. Mondays 1.15 - 1.45pm, messy play. Tuesdays 1 - 2.30pm, family group.
For more information, call Sandra on 07799 353 137.
Chalfont Fine Arts Society meets in the Community Centre and lectures begin at 2pm precisely.
Call Mrs Marian Paton on 01494 813 319 for more information.
Local garden club meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the church hall from 8pm to 10pm.
Chalfont St Peter WI meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the church hall, Church Lane at 2.15pm.
Misbourne Art Society is a very friendly, relaxed and active society which meets at the Community Centre on the first Saturday in every month at 2.15pm.
Stimulating demonstrations and illustrated talks are given by eminent artists; there are also workshops and outdoor sketching and painting days. New members and visitors are always welcome.
New members are invited to join the Short Mat Bowls Club on Monday afternoons from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Tuition will be given to nonplayers and bowls are available for beginners.
Call Audrey Thayer 01494 873 401.
The local branch of Causeway Prospects for People with Learning Disabilities meets on alternate Saturdays at 10.30am and on the third Sunday each month at 3pm, at Gold Hill Baptist Church.
For further information call 01494 876 996.
Flu clinic for the over 65s and those with chronic illness on Thursday, October 9 at the Community Centre, Gravel Hill from 8.30am to 5pm.
If patients are unable to attend this clinic or the one in Chalfont St Giles on Wednesday, October 15, then please ring your own surgery after October 20 for information on how to obtain your flu vaccination.
The Fuchsia Society will be holding a quiz and cheese and wine evening on Thursday, September 18 at 8pm in the Community Centre.
Chiltern Orchid Society's next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 25 in the Community Centre at 7.30pm.
Chalfont St Peter Women's Institute enjoyed a special Tea at the Ritz afternoon at their September meeting.
Dr Allan & Partners (Dr Allan, Dr Bray, Dr Dhesi, Dr Dean, Dr Bailey)
are now booking appointments for all those aged over 65 years, and those who have chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes.
By Jack Abell
Chalfont St Peter was sent into a football frenzy at the weekend when the Village Hall pub hosted its five-a-side tournament.
Posted by Cynthia Drapkin
THE first meeting of the 2008-2009 season of the National Council of Women' Gerrards Cross and the Chalfont's Branch takes place on Thursday, September 25, at 2.15pm in the Chalfont St Peter Community Centre.
The speaker is Heather Harper, talking about 'Crime Stoppers: The Charity'
Visitors are welcome. For further information, please contact the Hon Secretary on 01494 871953.
Did you have a holiday booked or a honeymoon carefully planned? Or do you know someone who is one of the 80,000 Britons stranded in destinations around the world because of the collapse of this tour operator? If so then please get in touch.
Call Greg Burns on the newsdesk on 01753 88833 or email gregburns@trinitysouth.co.uk
Wanted: Fit and healthy men and women with skills in teaching, computing, finance, healthcare and childcare to travel to Africa for a "mad" adventure.
That's the message from mother and daughter team Janet and Beth Gaukroger who are looking for people to accompany them on several week or two week long trips to Uganda next year and beyond to work on various projects helping vulnerable children.
The "mad" part of the trip is an acronym for the name of the charity they have formed, making.a.difference, after being inspired on a family working holiday to Uganda in 2006 to go back, and bring more man power with them.
A MAN who broke his arm when he fell off his bike after riding into a pothole says he is prepared to repair the hole himself after what he sees as Buckinghamshire County Council's (BCC's) failure to act.
Keen cyclist Colin Cork, 64, fractured the upper part of his left arm when he hit the pothole while riding his bike at the junction of Ledborough Lane and the A355 near Beaconsfield on August 31.
He wrote to the council telling them what had happened and demanding that something be done to repair the damaged section of road, but says that although the council responded to his emails, no repair work has yet been done.
He now says that unless the road is fixed soon, he will fill in the hole himself, despite currently having the use of only one arm.
Mums from across Bucks are set to unite when Chalfont St Peter hosts what could become the first of many baby fayres.
The event, which will take place on Saturday, September 13, is designed so that women working in the baby industry can promote their businesses to other parents.
Paula Atkinson, of Lansdown Road, Chalfont St Peter, came up with the idea after she started her own business, Chiltern Baby Massage.
by Jack Abell
THE legendary car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be parked outside Pinewood Studios today.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the much loved film, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes, the car will displayed outside the famous studios in Iver Heath.
By Mary Schwartz
You will never guess what they're saying now!" my boyfriend exclaims as he unsuccessfully tries to restrain the beginnings of a smile twisting the corners of his mouth.
"The Poms can't win anything unless they're sitting down!"
Every sports fan will know that England and Australia have made sports rivalry and banter between the two countries an Olympic sport itself.
THE FUTURE of the Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Hospital will be discussed at a public meeting for older people in Chalfont St Peter on October 16 at 10.30am.
A speaker from Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust will take questions and address the meeting which has been organised by Chalfont St Peter Village Older Persons Action Group.
All older people are welcome to attend, said VOPAG chairman Pam Degen.
The venue and time will be confirmed nearer the time.
by Jack Abell
jackabell@trinitysouth.co.uk
MUMS from across Bucks are set to unite when Chalfont St Peter hosts what could become the first of many baby fayres.
The event, which will take place on September 13, is designed so that people who work in the baby industry can promote their businesses to working mums with babies and toddlers.
Police are today appealing for information after a car and other items were stolen in a burglary in Chalfont St Peter.
A house on Gravel Hill was broken into while the occupants were on holiday and discovered on their return on August 28. A grey Saab 9-3 Aero, jewellery and a television were taken. The house had been empty since August 6.
On Sunday September 7 an 'Animal Service' will be held at St Peter's Church in Chalfont St Peter church.
All pets are invited...as are their owners. If the weather is good, the service will be held in the churchyard, if not, and lets face it, it probably won't be, then the service will be held in the hall.
Everyone is welcome to attend breakfast which will be held at 9am before the serivce in the hall.
by Greg Burns
gregburns@trinitysouth.co.uk
IT'S time to dust off your shin pads and unearth your football boots from the back of the cupboard.
After a year absence the Village Hall pub, in Gold Hill North, are bringing back their fundraising fete and centre piece five-a-side football tournament.
The event, held on Gold Hill Common on Sunday, September 14 between noon to 5pm, will see a bouncy castle, face painting, petting zoo, refreshments tent selling beers and cider, barbecue, and farmer's market.
In the evening live bands will play in the pub with the day raising money for the village youth club and Motor Neurones Disease Association.