October 2008 Archives

Shops in Chalfont St Peter were in the pink last week as they decorated themselves in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness.
The village's chamber of commerce organised its annual a window dressing competition, challenging shops to decorate their fronts with the colour pink to reflect this year's Breast Cancer Awareness theme.

A resident at a nursing home has been rewarded for her heroism during the Second World War by the Duchess of Cornwall.
Joan Crane, 87, who lives in Abbeyfield Home, Chalfont St Peter, is one of the seven remaining members of the Flying Nightingales team that were tasked with bringing soldiers back from Europe during the war.

A job interview led to love for Melissa McDonald and Matthew Giggs.
Matthew interviewed Melissa for a job which she didn't take, but she did take the offer of a drink with Matthew instead!

Hand-painted Christmas cards will be on sale at The William's Fund Christmas Fair in Chalfont St Peter on November 5.
There will also be a chance to get some of your Christmas shopping done with gifts from handbags to spices and from books to sweets on sale at the fair at Chalfont Park Sports Assocation, off the A413 next to Gerrards Cross Golf Course.
The Williams Fund Christmas Fair is open from 10am to 7pm with all proceeds going to research into childhood cancer.
For more information visit www.williamsfund.co.uk.

Chalfont St Peter parish council has been considering new ways of promoting the free hour's car parking in the village.
For a number of years, the car park in Church Lane had been free to use for one hour, but in April 2007, this changed when it was decided to charge people for parking there.

Youngsters in Denham should soon be unable to complain about having nothing to do thanks to a new scheme.
Denham Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) and the South Bucks Youth Team have recognised that there is very little to do in the village for those aged between 11 and 14.

The Village Hall will be turning itself into a house of horrors for Hallowe'en.
The fun will begin at 3.30pm with a children's party , which will run until 5pm.
Tickets are £5 to include food, drink and party games and can be bought from the pub bar.
In the evening there will be a party for the adults which will start at 8pm. Entry is free and includes a free vodka jelly. Both parties are fancy dress and the pub will be decorated accordingly.

A WITCH who didn't know which way has ended up stuck in a tree in Chalfont St Peter.

Children in Need takes place on Friday, November 14 and people across the country will be taking part in events from sponsored silences to jumping out of planes!

by Jack Abell
jackabell@trinitysouth.co.uk

BURN AFTER READING (15)
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
Run time: 96 minutes

A LOT of film critics seem to be a tad confused by Burn After Reading, the latest effort from the much-acclaimed and recently Oscar-winning Coen Brothers.
The first film from the pair since the dark and gloomy No Country For Old Men cleaned up at this year's Academy Awards, Burn After Reading is a much lighter affair, more typical of previous Coen efforts such as the Big Lebowski and Fargo.
This dramatic switch in tone seems to have wrong-footed a lot of critics, who have almost universally sat on the fence, suggesting that the film is somewhere between Mediocre and Quite Good on their scale of reviewing. No one seems to know exactly what to make of it.

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. Bookable clinics will take place at Calcot Medical Centre on Saturday, November 1 & 15 from 9-11am.
Please phone your doctor's secretary to make an appointment.

Drivers were left shocked this week to find themselves having to stop their cars while a herd of donkeys were ushered off the road.
On Monday (20/10) at 1.30 pm, drivers travelling along the A413 between Chalfont St Peter and Chalfont St Giles were caught in traffic after eight of the animals were found wandering around on the busy road.
Police received five calls from members of the public informing them of the incident, and went to along to lead the donkeys off the road.

Children at St Joseph's Church of England Combined School mixed with children from the circus last week as they learnt all about what goes on in the big top.
Jay Miller's circus was stationed on Gold Hill Common, Chalfont St Peter, all last week, and the travelling children attended the school while they were in the village.

Police are appealing for information after an burglary in Chalfont St Peter on Friday (17/10).
Between 10.30am and 2pm, offenders forced open the front door to a property in Gravel Hill. Once inside, they searched the house and made off with electronic items, cash and jewellery.
PC Gary Morton, investigating, said: "A large number of items were taken from this property. I urge anyone who witnessed the crime or has any information that may help us with our investigation, to contact me at Amersham police station on 0845 8 505 505."
If you don't want to talk to police and don't want to leave your name call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

A group of volunteers are hoping to put a stop to litter piling up in the Misbourne river.
The Chalfont St Peter Village Appraisal Environment Group are to begin their second attempt this year at clearing the river's banks and are inviting other villagers to come along and help them.

Children at Denham Village Infant School took a step back in time to Victorian days last week to celebrate their school's 130th anniversary.
Staff and pupils came to school in Cheapside Lane dressed in Victorian outfits on Friday last week, and lessons were conducted in the style they would have been 130 years ago.

This is a list of planning applications registered with South Bucks District Council during the week ended 10th October 2008. Many of these applications will not be heard at Planning Committee, but, rather, will be decided by Officers under the Scheme of Delegation operated by the Council.
The applications may be inspected at South Bucks District Council, Council Offices, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham during normal office hours or online by selecting Planning Online at www.southbucks.gov.uk Any person wishing to make representations should do so in writing to Development Control by 5th November 2008 either by email to planning@southbucks.gov.uk, by letter or via Planning Online on the website.

Pop-in talks every Thursday from 10-11.30am during autumn term 2008 at Gold Hill Baptist Church, Gold Hill Common East with free creche for babies and pre-schoolers.
Tears in the Toilets on October 23 when Fiona Irving discusses work worries.

At this month's meeting St Joseph's Furniture Market made the following donations:- The Claire Sadler Trust Fund (Helping teenage cancer sufferers):£500, St Vincent de Paul Society: £250, Multiple Sclerosis (Amersham & Chesham):£250. The Market situated in Priory Road (the first building past St Joseph's church car park) is open every Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. All proceeds are donated to charity.

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE (15)

Director: Robert B Weide
Starring: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson
Run time: 110 mins

WHAT is it about British comedians in big screen films? Comics who seem hilariously funny when on television suddenly seem to lose their edge when seen in cinemas.
Some of the funniest men who have ever lived, from Peter Cook to John Cleese to Steve Coogan, have failed to translate the success of their appearances on TV to Hollywood films.

Hallowe'en is coming up and it's time to start thinking about buying that pumpkin.
So how about getting one that was grown here in Bucks and will benefit charities.
Shane Parker, owner of Shane's Nursery at Denham, is selling pumpkins of all sizes from for £2.50 to £15 each and will donate all the proceeds to the British Heart Foundation and The Dogs Trust in Harefield.
Last year the charities received around £600 each from the sales of pumpkins at Shane's Nursery.
Mr Parker said: "We grow then from seed, plant them out in June and harvest them in October. They are not quite as big this year due to the bad weather over the summer. I chose the British Heart Foundation because my dad died of a heart attack, and one of our gardeners (Stephen Wise) chose the other charity because he likes dogs."
Shane's Nursery is on the A40 near the junction with the M40.

A dog owner has begun a frantic search for her beloved pet after he went missing last week.
Woody, a one-year-old Border Terrier who has some white on his chest and has a fuzzy tail, was last seen in Chalfont St Giles on Friday when he was with his owner Linsay Coleridge, 27, of Chalfont St Peter.
Ms Coleridge, who has put up missing posters in the area, said: "I actually work on a farm that backs onto the Chalfont St Peter area and we were then on Friday. Basically, he was with me one minute and then he ran off and was gone."

Cars in Chalfont St Peter are being targeted by thieves and vandals, who either dump the cars and burn them out or just smash them up.
Police say the cars involved are often 10 or more years old and parked in areas with poor street lighting.
This week, two cars have been broken into in the village, and police say that they believe that those responsible are teenagers who live in and around Chalfont St Peter.

A school has been rewarded for bring a flavour of the world into its classrooms.
Chalfont St Peter Church of England school has received the international award thanks to its involvement with schools and communities across the globe.
The attempt to get the award started with a life size elephant built by headteacher John Underwood and some of the children an arts week which focused on Africa.

Chalfonts Community College was treated to a surprise gift last week when a rotary club presented them with a some expensive new art equipment.
At a ceremony at the college in Narcot Lane on Wednesday last week, the Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter rotary club gave the school a computerised screen printer worth thousands of pounds.
The new equipment will allow the printing of images on any flat surface such as T-shirts or magnetic signs for vehicle sides.

A businessman is facing having to pay hundreds of pounds after the outside of his office was badly vandalised, but says that police have done nothing to help him.
Donald Black, who works at Blay's House in Churchfield Road, Chalfont St Peter, has had a car parking area outside of the office damaged several times of the past few years, but says that the latest incident, which happened two weeks ago, was the worst yet.
The ceiling panels of the car parking area have been smashed in and the fibreglass roof insulation has been pulled out.

A local theatre company is looking for actresses between the ages of 20 - 60 to perform in a 'clean' play about charladies that is designed to take people's minds off the credit crunch.
"Scrubbers" features a group of cleaning ladies who decide to form a backing group for one cleaner who works as a singer. The musical play will be performed in clubs and halls across Buckinghamshire by Guiding Light theatre company and is being directed by Sarah Pinkney, 24, of Copthall Lane, Chalfont St Peter, who also teaches dance and drama at Pedal Performing Arts in Chalfont St Peter and at the Pauline Quirke Academy in Beaconsfield.

Tropic Thunder (15)

Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Tom Cruise.
Run time: 107 minutes

APOCALYPSE Now, Platoon and the Deer Hunter are some of the most revered war movies ever made. Critically acclaimed and multi-award winning, they have so far avoided parody, until now.
Ben Stiller's latest directorial effort, Tropic Thunder, rips into the pretension and self importance of Vietnam war films like napalm through the jungle. Where the Oscar winning films have attempted to comment on the fragility of the human condition in wartime, Tropic Thunder plays it for laughs, mocking the cliches with which these films are filled.

Attention 13-17 year olds. The Chalfonts Squadron Air Cadets is holding an Open Night on Thursday 16th October from 1930 to 2100 for our end of year intake.

Coffee Club at the Community Centre every Thursday from 10.30am to 11.30am (term-time only).
More volunteer drivers are needed - please call 01494 875 133 if you can help.

Ballroom and Latin beginners' dance classes in the church hall, Church Lane every Monday evening from 8.30pm to 10pm and every Tuesday from 2.30pm to 4pm. If you require more information, call Barbara on 01753 893 440.

Health visitor Well Baby Clinics held on Thursdays, 9.30am to 11am in the Chalfont Community Centre, Gravel Hill.

Call Anne Toon on 01753 888 665.

Chalfont Friday Market in St Peter's Church Hall, Church Lane, every Friday, from 8.30am to 2pm.

Stalls available - call Graham Headington on 01628 417 491.

Do you have a little spare time and skills to offer as a volunteer with a local charity or community group? More than 300 local groups are registered with Voluntary Action 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. Family fun for parents with children up to age 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.

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 non-players and bowls are available for beginners.
Contact: 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.

Fairtrade coffee mornings in the parish church hall on the first Wednesday of every month from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Homemade cakes, fair trade goods, second-hand books and children's play area.
Contact: church office on 01753 880 067.

An informal opportunity to discuss the Christian faith at a series of talks led by Reverend Jim King at All Saints Church, Oval Way starting Sunday, October 19 at 10.10am, followed by refreshments.
Free admission.

Local Garden Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the church hall from 8pm to 10pm. The next meeting is on October 15, when Jim Buttress will speak on his time working in the Royal Parks.

Misbourne and St Giles Surgeries are holding flu clinics at the Community Centre, Gravel Hill on Thursday, October 9 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

Local WI meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the church hall, Church Lane at 2.15pm.
The next meeting is on October 8, and is the AGM. The Produce Cup theme is 'A Hazel in a Soup Tin'.

An interactive, six-week course to help parents steer children aged eight to 19 away from being tempted to try alcohol, cigarettes and drugs - starts on Tuesday, October 7 at The Youth Centre from 7.30pm to 10pm.
The course is run by presenters trained by the charity Care for the Family and costs £20 per person or £30 per couple.
For details and registration, call Deborah Elliott on 01753 890 791.

For the over-65s and people with a chronic illness at the Hall Practice
(Drs Butcher, Foskett, Turner, Davey and Yeomans), Calcot Medical Centre on Saturday, from 8am to 11am and Saturday, October 11 from 8am to 11am.
To book an appointment call the nurse's secretary on 01753 278 948 between 8.30am and 12.30pm. The hospital car park will be available for use on these days.

At this month's meeting, St Joseph's Furniture Market made the following donations:

SENSE (for deaf and blind people) £250; Friends of the Gables (home for severely disabled adults) £250; Bucks Association for the Blind £300.
The market is open every Saturday morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm, in Priory Road, the first building past St Joseph's church car park. All proceeds are donated to charity.

Burglars in Chalfont St Peter broke into a house and stole keys to a car parked in the driveway.

By Jack Abell
Righteous Kill (15)
Director: Jon Avnet
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Carla Gugino.
Run time: 101 minutes

With three Oscars and eleven nominations between them, not to mention a number of roles in some of the greatest films of the last 40 years, the on-screen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro should be a cause for celebration.