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IIssssuuee 5555Summer/Autumn 2012

Editor: James Hazeldine

Advertising: Peter Cooper

Production: Jude Awdry

Committee:

Gloria Holmes - ChairMegan ChinnTom DentNick Wheeler-RobinsonJulie White

Printer: PK-Inprint LtdTel: 01494 452266

Speen and North Dean News

www.speenbucks.org.uk SNDN 55 33

Contents

What’s On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Wildlife Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Theatre in the Villages: North Dean . . . . .9

Speen Craft Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Speen Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Speen Village Fete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

North Dean Diamond Jubilee . . . . . . . . . .13

Speen & North Dean Toddler Group . . .13

Risborough Rewards Card . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Broadband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Down on the Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Speen Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Speen School & PTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Speen Diamond Jubilee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Speen WI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Speen Village Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Guided walk at Pigotts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Speen Pre-School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Theatre in the Villages: Speen . . . . . . . . . .25

Bike Park Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

The day my life was changed . . . . . . . . . .28

North Dean Fete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Speen Heritage Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Speen Funday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Speen Playing Field Pavilion . . . . . . . . . . .35

County Council News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

HS2 Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Who’s Who . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Index of Advertisers

Alan Tucker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Alchemille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Beechdean Farmhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

C.G. Tree & Garden Services . . . . . . . . . . .29

Chiltern House Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Clickettyclack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Coles & Blackwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

David Marchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Fine & Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Footcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Fraser-Morgan School of Dancing . . . . . .29

Hughenden Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Ian Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Independent Living Consultants . . . . . . .16

Jenny Greene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

JML Training & Consultancy . . . . . . . . . . .8

John Bishop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Judith A Newenham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Kevin Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

LJM Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

M.R. Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

MWH Interiors Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Nick Higgins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Nicki Thomas Web Design . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Paul Newman Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Pickels Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

PK-Inprint Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Risborough Area Community Bus . . . . . . .5

Solinium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Speen Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Springline Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Sue Fryer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Taps UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

The Old Plow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

T.J. Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

TopDogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Village Environmental Services . . . . . . . .26

NEXT EDITION

Copy for the next edition (56) is due bySunday 13 January 2013.

The planned publication date is duringJanuary/February. Please send photosseparately from text, together with captionsand a consent form (download from theSNDN website www.speenbucks.org.uk).Send to [email protected].

44 SNDN 55 www.speenbucks.org.uk

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I sincerely hope thatby the time you readthis we have seen thestart of an "Indiansummer" with somereally warm and drydays.

There have been ahuge number ofevents cancelled dueto the weather but inSpeen and NorthDean we seem to have been lucky and have astrong resolve to not let a little rain dampen ourspirits - so well done to all. As always in thevillages, there's plenty happening and on page 4you'll find dates and events.

In the last issue we inserted a questionnaire to askyour views on the content of the magazine. Wehad a good response and, it appears that overall,you're quite happy with things.

Lastly, is there anyone out there who might liketo join the magazine team to handle theproduction side of things? Jude has done atremendous job but would like to hand over the"baton".

James Hazeldine

Sppeen and North Dean Newsreader questionnaireMany thanks to the thirty-one readers whocompleted the questionnaire in the last edition ofSNDN. We are grateful for all your ideas andfeedback.

We did the survey to see if we were hitting themark and how we could improve the magazine.Based on this admittedly rather small sample ofour readership - we print 500 copies - our readersare a dedicated and contented lot. Most of themread most of the magazine, and a third say theyread it from cover to cover. All but one thoughtthe magazine was about the right length, thesingle dissenter wishing it was longer.

What do readers like? Not surprisingly, the mostpopular feature is village news, but our regularcolumnists have a loyal fan base too, particularlyPeter Symonds's Wildlife Watch and Down on theFarm by Gill Kent. Local history is also also indemand, and some people wanted more of it.

Other ideas suggested were small ads for local

items for sale and more coverage of cycling andof environmental matters. One reader wonderedwhen the magazine would be available in adigital format - I think our answer might be whenwe have a volunteer to make it happen! However,for back issues go to http://www.speenbucks.org.uk/speen-north-dean-news/back-issues-of-the-news/

Anyway, we are pleased that we seem to bedoing OK, and will look into the helpfulsuggestions made.

Tom Dent

WWeellccoommee PPaacckkssSpeen’s ‘Good Neighbours’ scheme was set upmany years ago and is now run by ChristineOliver. One service is to provide new residentswith a Welcome Pack of village information.

If you know of someone new to Speen pleasephone Christine on 488409 or [email protected].

New residents to North Dean should phoneJudith Broadley on 563178 or [email protected]



Wildlife WatchThe early Summer (if one can call it that) periodhas produced some interesting records. CarolineCranley reported watching Badger cubs at playoutside a sett on the periphery of the village atabout 4.00pm one afternoon in May. Hares werereported from the orchard off Grubbins Lane byCeri Syner but are more readily seen in theFlowers Bottom area. Roe Deer have bred againin the locality with two separate young recordedon 26 May in the village and also about half amile away. Other interesting reports include aStoat in Spring Coppice Lane chasing youngRabbits noted by Les Brown and further afield aPolecat was seen by Jeremy Symondson atHughenden Manor.

Interesting breeding records for birds includewhat I believe may be the first success of thelocal Mandarin Ducks who reared one young ata pond about a mile from Speen. In CollegePlantation, two Tawny Owl chicks wererecorded in early May and were still present inJune, albeit I am not sure that they havesurvived the cold wet conditions. Great SpottedWoodpeckers and Nuthatches also raised youngsuccessfully in the same wood. In my owngarden, young fledged from four boxes of BlueTits and two boxes of Great Tits, albeit some ofthe young fledglings were picked off by Jays andMagpies as soon as they emerged. On mygarden pond, my visiting Mallard eventuallytried out a Duck box set on a small island andlaid nine eggs. Incubation proceeded for threeweeks but then it seems that a Fox must havetrapped and killed the mother in the box almostas the eggs must have been due to hatch. KateLaughton reported the return of Swifts to theirhouse, the Old George, whilst the O'Briens hadfive pairs of House Martins feeding young inWoodview Drive.

Our own garden has seen a lot of colour withregular visits from up to six Pheasants and twoRed-Legged Partridge whilst Bullfinches havebecome regulars at our bird table. My other birdrecords include a Cuckoo at Great Hampden inearly June and a Parakeet flying through NorthDean. I also photographed a Barn Owl firstreported to me by Adrian Farley near the villageduring part of June. Henry Lane provided aninteresting account of a Sparrowhawk taking aCollared Dove in his garden, which was itself thensubject to an attack by a Red Kite. Finally a Quailwas reported from Loosley Row during May.

The weather has not been good for sun lovingreptiles but a large Slow Worm was recorded inColeheath Bottom in May whilst the remains ofa headless Grass Snake were found on my backlawn in June.

Please let me know of any interesting sightings.

Peter Symonds488016

[email protected]


Theatre in the Villagesreturns to North DeanVillage HallThe Committee of North Dean Village Hall isproud to announce the return of Theatre in theVillages again this year.

We have been lucky enough to secure The OperaDudes - an unlikely duo comprising a poshformer Cambridge scholar and an ex-builderturned international operatic tenor.

Tim Lole and Neil Allen combine their musicaland vocal pedigrees with an injection of humourand charm. Don't be surprised to find your feettapping, your sides splitting and your heartbreaking. Neil and Tim always go the extra mileto ensure their audience has a great time.

The show is Licensed to Trill - starring two intrepidsinging agents - code-names Posh & Bricks.

"This fearless pair chart their journey through avariety of musical styles, always on the lookout fortheir evil nemesis, Donald Duck. This unique cocktailof funny stories, sing-alongs and heart-rending musicwill leave you both shaken and stirred."

Show date: Saturday 27 October, 8pm. Tickets £10.00 - available from Julie White 01494562311.

Having seen Tim and Neil 'in action' at a recentshow case evening, I can virtually guarantee youwill have a fun-filled evening. The balance ofslapstick humour, audience participation andgreat singing combine to make this a thoroughlyentertaining show.

Julie WhiteCommittee Member, NDVH

Speen Craft FairThe setting up of thisyear's Speen Group'sCraft Fair wascomplicated by the factthat we were pleased toaccommodate moresideshows than plannedbut we managed to shifttables round as theexhibitors were arriving. We welcomed back anumber of popular stallholders and they werejoined by some new faces; everyone wascomfortably fitted in adding to the variety of craftsdisplayed. There was a lively atmosphere as peoplechatted with friends from previous years.

We were fortunate to have a number of helperswho did stalwart work on the teas and manned theentrance table. Ann James and Maureen Laing rantheir ever popular quilting stall. They make everyitem on their stall with material mostly donated byfriends and all their profit goes to the hospiceswhich, thanks to their hard work, raises about halfthe total funds. Our own Loiz Bale exhibited somepictures which were much admired and DavidClay sold some of his delicious local honey.

We raffled a beautiful hand crafted doll's housewhich had been donated to us by the maker andthe lucky winner lives in Prestwood.

The fair got off to a slow start and the numbers ofentrants were down a little. This was due to theweather, which had finally improved giving peopletime to catch up with all the garden chores put offover the previous weeks. We still managed tomake a good profit which means we should beable, later this year, to give each of the fourhospices we support a sizeable annual donationthanks to all your help.

Speen MarqueeBy the time you read this our village ownedmarquee will have been used for the Home of Restfor Horse's 'Help for Heroes' day, the DiamondJubilee Tea Party, Funday sports, a week of Schoolactivities, the PTA Ball, Speen Fete, the SG CraftFair, North Dean Fete and three private functions.An essential village resource!

It has not been good weather for the uppings anddownings - it rained on every occasion exceptNorth Dean! The marquee is looking a tad muddynow. Our recent acquisitions of a dedicated trailer,the Wacker and a stake puller helped make eachhiring go smoothly.

Each hiring relies on volunteers to help. We have avery loyal core but would welcome someadditions. It is not that hard work, you meet yourfellow villagers and there is a drink at the KW4after. Why not give it a go next year - watch for theemailed call.

John Holmes


The

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01494 488300www.yeoldplow.co.uk

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Summer Platter Menunow available in the Bistro

• MAIN PLATTERS •£8.50 each

• OPTIONAL STARTERS & DESSERTS •£5.50 eachsee website for details


Speen Village FeteSeven o'clock on the morning of the fete (14thJuly) saw yet another downpour on an alreadysaturated playing field. The marquee had beenput up the previous Wednesday, thanks to theinvaluable help of the young boys involved withthe scooters and we were now ready to preparethe field for the entertainment.

The fete was opened at 2 o'clock by His HonourChristopher Tyrer, a retired judge. He is Chair ofthe Steering Group of the charity we supportedthis year called 'New Leaf'. It assesses prisonersabout to be released and provides mentoring andsupport services to help with housing, family,health and employment issues.

The afternoon started with a Fancy Dress parade,where the children circled the arena in a varietyof colourful and original outfits. This wasfollowed by music from the Speen New OrleansFeet Warmers provided by our very own MartinHart. They played familiar and lively Dixielandstyle jazz numbers during the afternoon, whichset the feet tapping, lifted the spirits and added tothe general buzz of expected excitement aroundthe field. The next event was the Country dancingby the children from the village school. They gavea magnificent display and showed off their skillsin front of the large audience.

This year we reverted to a traditional fete with awide variety of sideshows but sadly, due to thesoggy conditions we couldn't offer the tractorrides, which have become so popular. As ourmain attraction we were fortunate to acquire theservices of the North Bucks Ferret Club. Theyexplained a little about these fascinating animalsand ran a number of races throughout theafternoon. This seemed to be an extremelypopular event as large groups surrounded theirarena every time a race was run.

Towards the end of the afternoon it was a greatpleasure to welcome to the field the village boys,who were keen to show off their skills withscooters and bikes. They gave a display in themain arena and amazed the audience with theirstunts. Look out for a show they have coming uplater in the summer.

The afternoon concluded with a Tug of War,which left some egos shattered but had theaudience cheering and provided a lively end tothe day.

Despite the disappointing weather the fete wasable to raise significant funds which will go to thevillage organisations and our nominated charity.We are extremely grateful to all those who helpedwith setting up and running the sideshows, itcould not have happened without theirenthusiastic support and we hope that those whoattended on the afternoon enjoyed their day.


Speen and North DeanToddler GroupAs I write this we have enjoyed a good few days ofglorious sunshine; however last term saw so muchrain our Toddler Group summer party had to beheld inside! Even so a great time was had by alland the smallest babies in our group joined thebigger toddlers at the table for a delicious picniclunch.

We are a small toddler group who meet everyTuesday morning during term time from 10am-ishto midday at North Dean village hall. We arealways looking for new families to come and joinus.

It is great way to meet other parents in the localvillages and the children often become closefriends moving on to Pre School and Infant Schooltogether.

We welcome all parents from Speen, North Deanand surrounding villages with babies and toddlersaged from birth to 3 years.

Refreshments are served by the mums every weekand a variety of play equipment is on offer for thechildren, ranging from ride ons to role play tocolouring crayons.

If you would like to join us please feel free to comealong any Tuesday morning during term time. Weare a friendly bunch.

Any donations of unwanted baby and toddler toysgratefully received!

For further info please contact Alex Allan on489838 or 07776 250778 or [email protected]

WWhhaatt iiss tthhee oobbjjeecctt bbeellooww??This object was found in Monkton Wood byAndy Thompson. See page 19 for the answer.

North Dean Diamond Jubilee Tree Planting

Gill and Jim Kent, residents of North Dean for50 years, standing by a copper beech gifted to North

Dean by Hughenden Parish Council and plantedby Jim and his grandson, Rob

HM the Queen looking a bit grumpybecause she missed the tree planting


Have you got yourRisborough Rewards Cardyet?

Your local Risborough Rewards scheme is goingfrom strength to strength so if you haven'talready got your card, don't delay. Access greatdiscounts now.

The scheme rewards customers who choose to shoplocally by giving them access to permanent discountsand special offers. Look out for the windowstickers and special offer posters in shop windowsor use the website www.RisboroughRewards.co.ukto see what discounts are available. As a cardholder you can also access Big Brand discounts of5-30% on supermarket shopping, departmentstores, days out, theatre vouchers, DIY stores,holidays and even cars.

For every £20 card bought, £10 goes into acommunity fund so if you buy a card you are notonly supporting your local economy but alsocommunity projects, and saving money on youreveryday purchases. If you are over 65 years oldyou can get your card for just £5! You will receivevouchers worth up to £80 with your card, plus youcan get a Leisure Card from Risborough Springswhich gives you 30% off fitness and swimmingcourses and classes, just that would normally cost£23.50; so your card makes your money back in notime. Where would you use your card?

Princes Plaice Fish & Chips 20% David Shuttle 10% Fullers Flowers 5%Princes Pets 5%Chocolate Boutique 5%Crumbs Too Cafe 5% Art & Office 5%Kado 10%Special Days 5-10%Jaflong Balti 15%plus: Orchard View Farm; Keep Motoring;Princes Risborough Golf Club; Crocketts Gates;Daisy Chain Florist; Sally's Floral Vintage Crockery;Cards & Gifts; Adlam Repro; WhiteLeaf Printers;North Mill Stoves; Ashlea Catering; ConfidentialCleaners; Tailor Made Sofas; Peacock at Henton;

The Chiltern; The Old Plow Speen; George andDragon; Daws Hill Vineyard; Richkin Builders.

Apply for your card at The RisboroughInformation Centre or in your favouriteRisborough shop. If you are interested in gettingyour business on the scheme or buying cards foryour staff in support of your local economy,contact [email protected] for moreinformation.

BroadbandIf your current broadband speed doesn't meetyour needs you can do something about it todayby visiting www.superfastforbucks.org andbacking your local county council's campaign tobring superfast broadband to Buckinghamshire.

These days it's not uncommon for households tohave more than one way of accessing the internet- be it through a computer, tablet, smartphone orgames console. But standard broadband cannotalways cope with the requirements placed on itby modern families, who like to use the internetto do a variety of things - from watching catch upTV, streaming films, uploading photos, orenjoying online gaming.

With superfast broadband, multiple devices canbe online at any one time and still enjoy highspeed connectivity.

Unfortunately from town to town and even streetto street, internet connection speeds varysignificantly across Buckinghamshire.Buckinghamshire County Council andBuckinghamshire Business First have securedgovernment funding to improve access in areaswhich currently have no broadband access orsuffer very slow speeds.

Registering your demand for superfast broadbandwill only take a couple of minutes and won't costa penny. You’re simply helping BuckinghamshireCounty Council and Buckinghamshire BusinessFirst demonstrate to broadband providers thatthere is a strong demand for superfastconnectivity here in the county. If you are unableto register online please call 0845 370 8090 or01296 395000.

Register by 1 September 2012 and you will beentered into a free prize draw for a chance to winan iPad kindly donated by BuckinghamshireBusiness First. More information, includinganswers to frequently asked questions, isavailable on www.superfastforbucks.org. Detailsabout which areas will benefit from ourgovernment funding and when improvedbroadband access will be rolled out inBuckinghamshire will be published on thewebsite as soon as we know, so please check thewebsite for updates.


Down on the FarmIn 50 years of farming I cannot remember aseason like this one. This excuses all the mistakesone makes, as one has never been in a similarsituation before! Just when we were preparing tosow our maize seed in April (maize silage is amost important part of the cows' winter rations)the heavens opened for the next month, makingcultivations impossible. After the very dryconditions in March we were able to turn thedairy herd out to graze three weeks earlier thanusual, only to bring them in again two weekslater as their feet were poaching (spoiling) all thegrass. This 'in out' situation has lasted all summercreating problems for animals and men alike.

Fortunately a short let up in the rain at the end ofMay allowed us to make a large quantity of grasssilage which will probably be our saviour as thepale yellow stunted maize plants will neverproduce a worthwhile crop. The maize Maze atLacey Green had to be abandoned as the plantsdid not grow high enough to make a Maze! Fruitand vegetables have suffered from lack ofsunlight and from physical damage caused byheavy rain or hail, and so are going to be veryexpensive this winter; the wet also encouragesmoulds and we hear that much of the nationalwheat crop is infected with a fungus which makesit unsuitable for human consumption.

The better news for us has been the success of therecent national campaign by farmers to obtain afair price for milk. Having announced a price cutin May, the processors who pasteurise andpackage the milk then announced another one inJuly, because they said the supermarkets weresqueezing their margins too much. Several yearsago the WI tried to highlight the problem butnobody took much notice; however these pricecuts meant that most farmers were losing 5p onevery litre of milk they produced, a situationwhich is obviously totally unsustainable; hencethe protest demonstration which resulted in animproved split in the margins in the milk supplychain. The farmer's margin still does not make

any allowance for reinvestment so there will haveto be further rises. I still cannot understand whyone pays more for a pint of bottled water than fora pint of milk!

One way that some farmers could reduce thecosts of production is to increase herd size. Whena 3,000 cow herd was proposed for Nocton inLincolnshire every conceivable obstruction wasput in the way, although the plans were drawnup by a vet who built and runs a successful 30,000cow unit in America. The cows would have livedinside all their lives but the standards of carewould probably have been superior to those of asmall farmer who cannot afford a full time vet onthe premises, as was proposed in the abovescheme. However, the loss of grazing animals in

the fields is definitely a loss to the environmentand we have been encouraged by both theChiltern Conservation Board and WycombeDistrict Council to keep our animal outside in thesummer to help with their objectives. Withoutthem, floral diversification will suffer. Are thegeneral public prepared to pay more for theirmilk and help to protect the environment?

Gill Kent

Neither crops nor livestock have flourished in this summer’s weather


At the time of writing our last update, we hadjust experienced the hottest, driest March onrecord and I think some of us were forecasting aglorious summer. Having just returned from theChristian New Wine Conference in SheptonMallet, I have to report that 15,000 campers werejoined in prayer to end the rain!

As we seek to realise our vision to make Speenchurch even more relevant to the community weserve, and to provide a proper welcome to ourvisitors, we need to modernise the buildingsadjoining the Chapel itself, starting with theprovision of a modern kitchen and toilet block.Our initial plans for this project caused someunderstandable concerns on the part of somevillagers, notably around the external appearanceof the new buildings. We had an open evening atthe Church in May so that these could beproperly aired and discussed. After listeningcarefully to the views expressed, we decided thatthe plans should be withdrawn in order to takeaccount of some of the many helpful suggestionsgiven. We won't be able to please everyone butwe are grateful for the feedback nonetheless. Newdrawings are in hand which will aim to make thenew buildings more sympathetic to the Chapel.These will be available for view on the Churchwebsite www.speenchurch.org.

We have now begun our search for a new pastorwhom we hope we shall be able to appoint laterin the year or early in 2013. In anticipation of thenew pastor's arrival, we have drawn up plans tomodernise and extend the Manse on HampdenRoad. Again these plans, once they are ready forsubmission for planning approval, will be postedon our website.

Although we do not have a pastor at present, lifeat the Church continues to be vibrant, diverse andoutward looking. In June we welcomed Beckywho is our new link missionary based in Kabul,Afghanistan. Becky is helping the poor to learn toread and write English, many of them havingbeen denied any access to basic education underthe former Taliban regime.

In July we welcomed Ian Hollman and his familywho were on home leave from Nigeria where heis a coordinator for the Wycliff Bible Translators,

helping translate the Bible into the many differentlanguages that exist in that diverse country whichis home to the largest population of Christians inAfrica. Ian gave us a powerful insight into dailylife in Nigeria which is becoming more precariouswith the increasing terrorist activities of BokoHaram who are deliberately targeting ChristianChurches in Nigeria as they seek to underminethe secular Government of Nigeria and imposeSharia law. Ian reminded us that being amissionary for Jesus does not have to mean livingin a distant land spreading the gospel but that itstarts at home with our families, friends andneighbours. In this light, Speen Church'scontinued support of the 24 hour prayermovement in Wycombe is vitally important as wepray for the local community and for those whoare ill, bereaved, unemployed, homeless orsuffering in some way.

Finally a date for your diaries: following the greatsuccess of singer songwriter Rob Halligan'sconcert at the church in May, his good friend andmusician Gareth Davies-Jones will be playing atthe Chapel on Friday 12th October. This promisesto be a tremendous evening for adults andteenagers. More details will be posted shortly onour website.

Alastair Blundell488509


Speen School and PTA

As another year finishes at Speen CofE School wecan look back on another very busy, successfuland fun filled term.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee provided a greatopportunity for the children to dress up in red,white and blue and have a 'street' tea party forlunch in the playground. Lunch was preceded bya standing rendition of God Save The Queenbefore the children tucked into their full plates offood. They learned about the coronation fromGloria Holmes who spoke of her memories of theday, sharing a neighbour’s TV. She thenpresented each of the children with acommemorative mug which had very kindly beenbought by the Playing Fields committee and thePTA.

Once the Jubilee activities were over, SpeenFestival emerged in the form of Speen School Festunder the jubilant and enthusiastic direction ofKate Laughton. With the village marquee inplace, the sun in the sky and the help of variousparents and villagers the children had 3 days ofworkshops covering art, drama and music andculminating in a great Olympic themed show.The days were shared with children from StJohn's School which meant the legacy of theSpeen Festival was reaching out beyond thebounds of Speen and the Year 2 children who willprogress to St John's this September were able toforge early friendships. We also had the grandopening of The Hideaway which is a lovelyoutdoor seating area, funded by the generousdonation of an incredible holiday from TheHideaways Club which was auctioned at lastyear's Ball. You might have seen the pictures inthe Bucks Free Press!

So with the Olympic Torch decorations in place,made by the children during Speen School Fest,the marquee was all set for the School Ball whichwas, as ever, attended by so many ex-parents ofSpeen School; huge funds were raised for the PTAthrough the auction and raffle. It was a greatnight of Greek food from The Hampden Arms,dancing and fundraising and no one noticed therain, until we all stepped outside to go home!

The following weekend saw a glorious weekendcamping at Brimmers Farm in a beautiful spotjust outside Princes Risborough, which is run bytwo very generous parents at the School. Theygave us and Speen Pre-School exclusive use of thecampsite where the children enjoyed nature trails,games, walks, campfire marshmallows, BBQ anda bacon buttie breakfast.

Towards the end of term Olympic activities and

the prospect of the inter-school 'Golden Welly'competition fired up the children's competitivespirit to great effect. Lots of proud, and equallycompetitive, parents cheered on as the childrenstormed to victory against 7 other local schools ina multi-activity sports competition; a first that leftthe children basking in the glory of their successand the proud owners of a 'golden welly' trophyfor a year.

With the school year drawing to a close, the KS2children were escorted around High Wycombe ona Worship Trail visiting a mosque, the KingsCentre Church and All Saints Church where theyidentified the similarities and differences in thevarious churches and ways of worship. Therewas also a very excitable trip to Legoland wherethe children participated in an Atlantis workshopand got to enjoy the submarine delights of thelatest undersea ride.

So as another Year 2 leaves Speen School thanksgo to all parents and villagers of Speen and NorthDean who have supported our many events overthis last year. The role of the school as part of thevillage is highly valued by all children, staff andparents alike; it is very special to be able to givethe children such an incredible sense ofcommunity so early in their lives. The activitiesthe children get the chance to experience areprimarily thanks to the skills, support andgenerosity of the parents and local supporters ofthe school and we thank you all. We said goodbye to Mrs Fitt and Mrs Hughes who have left theschool and we wish them every success with theirfuture after 10 and 15 years of dedicated serviceto the School and a generation of children. Asretiring chair of the PTA I would like to add mypersonal thanks to the unending generosity of theparents for their time, ideas, skills, cakes and forsupporting all the activities, enabling so manyafter school clubs to happen and sustaining sucha vibrant social life for the parents and villagersall centred on our little school. It is truly a veryspecial place. I wish Tessa Lumsden every successand support as she takes over the role of PTAChair from next term.

The next School year starts on Thursday 6thSeptember which marks the start of the School's150th year, let the celebrations commence.

Dates for your diary:

Theatre in the Villages initiative comes to Speenwith a production of Ladies of Cranford 22September at Speen School at 8pm. Tickets fromSpeen Stores.

Cat Cook


Letters to the Editor

Greetings,

I have been having an e-mail exchangewith someone who was living in HughendenValley when a plane crashed in North Dean in1945. He now lives in New Zealand andremembers the crash taking place.

According to this website http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=17469 therewas only one person on board who was flyingMosquito HK245 at North Dean, Bucks when itcrashed on 30.4.45 Flg Off (Plt) William McCabe,DFM (25). The plane seems to have been on atraining flight from RAF Cranfield. I have beentold of some stories that seem to have beencommon knowledge over the years but don'tseem to accord with the facts. One was that alocal boy pulled two airmen from the wreckedplane but they died afterwards in WycombeHospital. For that the boy got a medal but againthere is nothing about it anywhere and as he wasat the RGS High Wycombe at the same time asme, in fact in my class, I am sure that a great dealwould have been heard of the event. The boy'sname was Felix Cribb.

Do you have any information on theevent or know where it might be possible to lookinto this?

Regards,David Wiltshire

3 Woodlane GardensFlackwell Heath

HP10 9ER01628 527223

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to share a Good Thing.

Last week I caught the 9 o'clockCommunity Bus to Risborough station for the 9.43to Marylebone. It arrived there, exactly astimetabled, at 9.20 - so in plenty of time to buytickets, coffee etc.

What a brilliant service!

Di RainbowSpeen

Dear Editor,

I am writing to tell you about MacmillanCancer Supports 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning2012.'

The World's Biggest Coffee Morning isour biggest fundraising event of the year. In 2011,51,000 people signed up to Coffee Morning,raising a record £10 million, this year we hope toraise even more!

Coffee mornings are a fantasticopportunity to engage the community, boost staffmorale and encourage internal networking. It canalso be a perfect excuse for a get together with allyour friends and family! Whether you choose to docoffee and cake with your colleges, a raffle, a booksale or an all day event in your local communitycentre or library, every penny made makes amassive difference to people suffering with cancer.

This year our World's Biggest CoffeeMorning will be held on the 28th September. Wewould love you to get involved in any way youcan! Even if you are not able to hold a coffeemorning yourself, then perhaps you would bewilling for us to send you some leaflets andposters to display and hand out on behalf ofMacmillan to promote the event?

Please let me know if you are keen to beinvolved and would like to register for CoffeeMorning. Once registered, we send you a starterpack containing all the essentials you need to getstarted. (Bunting, doilies, balloons!) Alternatively,you can register online with the followingaddress: http://coffee.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx#.UBhHYUdW1mo

If you are unable to hold an event butwould be able to put up some posters for us orhand out some leaflets please let me know and Iwould be happy to drop some off to you. Thiswould be very much appreciated.

Looking forward to your reply!

Warm Regards

Sophie Panting Macmillan WBCM Intern Ox and Bucks

[email protected]

Mystery object (page 13): It’s the intelligent partof a weather balloon which had fallen to earthafter completing its task of sending back weatherdata . . . the balloon was seen too high in a treeand this was found underneath.


Speen Diamond JubileeTea PartyIt rained, it rained and it was cold! But we thinkthat everyone present agreed that on 5th Junethe village celebrated our Queen's DiamondJubilee in a very appropriate manner.

A small team of reps from every villageorganisation first came together last October.The agreed intention was to invite everyone inthe village to a communal tea party - and itseemed to work. Theearly estimatedattendance was 300, buton the day over 400packed into the hastilyerected village marqueeand adjacent gazebos.

Villagers brought theirown food and chairs,and also their teapots!We had a trumpetfanfare to open theproceedings; a fancydress competition (aRoyal look-alike, princesand princesses); a bestdressed tablecompetition; a villagesing-along (concludingwith the Royal Anthem);and commemorativemugs for villagechildren.

The total cost of about £500was covered by generousgrants from the Speen Shopfund, Bucks CC andWycombe DC.

Many thanks to all theorganisers and helpers, andto the all the villagers whojoined in, despite the rain. Itwas a great occasion whichwill go down in the annals ofSpeen folklore (see the photocollage in the KW4).

John Holmes


Speen WIOur talk in June about the Welsh cattle droversdidn't sound all that interesting but what awonderful speaker was Mr Smith. Did you knowthat Coleheath Bottom was a drovers' road? Andwhat a long haul the drovers had. We wereenthralled.

Susie Marshall came in July with a beautiful dolldepicting Georgina the Phenominal Duchess andMrs Deakin gave a lovely talk and slide show onShackleton's Antarctica.

We have also had some lovely outings to gardenswith the garden club. The first two were inBerkshire, very near Kate Middleton's parentsand the other one to Postcombe, where we had avery nice cream tea! The weather was kind to uson both occasions, which is a small miracle forthis year.

Our next meetings include Living withThalidomide with Miss V Barrett on 6thSeptember, Japan with Mrs Lilwall-Smith on 4thOctober, Annual meeting in November andChristmas Crackers on 6th December.

We look forward to seeing any new faces at ourmeetings.

Barbara Collett488348

Speen Village HallIt has been a busy time for the Village Hall. Wehave recently hosted our first Wedding Receptionfor many years as well as continuing with ourregular bookings for Pre-School, WI, Bridge Club,Table Tennis, Garden Club, Birthday Parties andAnniversaries.

The Hall is available for hire at very reasonablerates and anyone who is interested in hiring theHall should contact our booking Secretary - SueTaylor on 488500.

We are planning a Village Hall Ramble onSaturday 15th September commencing at 2.00pmfrom the Village Hall. Dogs are welcome on thewalk and there will be tea and home made cakesfollowing the ramble at 4.00pm. Anyone whowould like more information should contact JunePilkington on 488071.

We are also planning a film show and meal forOctober.

On Saturday 1st December we will be holding ourpopular Christmas Market commencing at 2.00pmin the Village Hall. If anyone has suitable giftware or Christmas items or is willing to helpplease contact Margaret Groves on 488180.

Stan Bale has recently resigned after many yearsof service on the Village Hall ManagementCommittee and we are now looking for areplacement. The task is not onerous - fourmeetings a year- and anyone interested shouldcontact me on 488180.

Thanks to the generosity of the Pre-School theexterior has been painted and it is planned tohave the interior redecorated during the summerbreak.

The income from lettings barely covers ourexpenses so please consider using your VillageHall for future events.

Bill GrovesChairman

Speen Village Hall Management Committee


An historic guided walkat PigottsThe Speen Heritage Group had organised theirinaugural event for an evening before theOlympics started and when nearly every day hadsome rain falling at some time. A mixed group of26 gathered on Thursday 26th July at 7:00pm forwhat had been billed as a "Heritage Walk aroundPigotts". Tickets were booked at the Fete twoweeks previous. Those attending were mainlyfrom Speen, but included a few guests - one fromFrance, and even one from Gerrards Cross.If you have never been to Pigotts, it is afascinating place, full of local history.

Our guide, Nick Wheeler Robinson, had nosooner introduced us to the first building than hestrode outside with his characteristic "Let's go"and marched us off into the woods.

Now, as we all know, the beech woods of theChilterns were used by the Bodgers as thematerial for making chair legs - you may haveseen the demonstration at this year's Fete -however, Nick reminded us that this was onlyafter the Industrial Revolution started. Youprobably saw the idyllic countryside life depictedin the opening ceremony of the Olympics beforethe coal fired factories and machines took over.The people of the Chilterns were the fuelsuppliers to the metropolis of London. We felledthe trees, logged them, and carted them down tothe Thames to be transported into London. It wasonly when the coal came down from Newcastlethat another income generating use had to befound for all of that wood.

Our first stop was at a hollow in the ground. Thiswas not a feature of nature, nor the result ofsomeone digging for chalk or clay. This was acarefully constructed tool to assist the logging oftrees - it was in fact a 'saw pit'. The hand sawingof timber was carried out by two men using a

two-handed saw - one stood at the top, and theother underneath in the saw-pit. It is suggestedthat this is the origin of the phrases 'top dog' and'underdog'.

Nick is a fascinating guide, full of informationwhich he conveyed to us as we walked round.Near to the edge of the woods we could lookthrough the trees over Bryants Bottom Road andthe Gate Pub towards Denner Hill. Nick took usback towards the North Dean side of the woodsand pointed out one of the many boundarymarkers that are located in this ancient woodland -a pudding stone, probably carried from DennerHill. Then with a final “Let’s go”, we were usheredback into the Pigotts site itself and the buildingswhere Eric Gill moved in 1928 and where heproduced some of his best known works includingthe controversial figures of Prospero and Ariel onthe front façade of the BBC in London (1932). Hedesigned his own head and foot stone to markwhere he is buried in Speen Churchyard.

Nick showed us round the place, the old chapel(now a workshop) and of great interest to manymusicians, the huge orchestra room, built byNick's father, Bernard, after he moved his MusicCamp to Pigotts in 1966. Never having been toone of these music camps, it was fascinating tolearn about the ethos of the camps. Music-makingis paramount. Those who attend are expected tomake it their first priority. Conditions are kept


basic, not to say Spartan, which has twomarvellous effects: stressing the music and senseof communing with friends; and encouraging theyoung and, more importantly, young in spirit. Allwork is shared equally, not just chores likewashing up, scrubbing and cleaning, but evencarpentry and brick-laying; this fosters a sense ofbelonging rarely found in such a large musicalorganisation. It is a testimony to the family spiritof Music Camp that there are so many second andeven third-generation Campers.

We finished up, back where we started, forrefreshments served by members of the SpeenHeritage Group and further insights into the wholearea of Pigotts and its inhabitants. The guest fromGerrards Cross was Colin Hughes, chairman of theDavid Jones Society. David Jones had been a closefriend of the Gill family in the 1920s and was arenowned poet, artist and essayist.

It had been a wonderful evening, and should youwish to join the Speen Heritage Group or be keptup to date with any future events they may beorganising, please contact Peter Symonds (488016or by email [email protected]).You can also visit the Speen Heritage Grouppages on the Village Website athttp://www.speenbucks.org.uk/speen-groups/speen-heritage-group

Speen Pre-SSchoolAAnnootthheerr SScchhooooll yyeeaarr ccoommeess ttoo aann eennddThe summer term has been packed with activitiesand special events.

The children had great fun making decorationsfor the Jubilee Christmas tree with buntingdecorated with handprints and paper platepictures decorated to look like the Queen.Unfortunately the rain rather dampened theeffect. To finish the Jubilee week celebrations thepre-school were pleased to welcome AmandaDobbs who presented the very special SpeenJubilee mugs to each of the children.

Current and future parents had the opportunity tosee displays of the children's work and have a chatwith all the staff and committee members at a verysuccessful Open Evening. Next time round we willinvite all the villagers to pop in and have a look atthe activities the thriving pre-school gets up to.

The children had an enjoyable day at 'big' schooljoining the older children and staff in the Speen-fest activities beginning our Olympic themedevents. The theme continued at our very

traditional Sports Day with all four teams led outby their own torch carrier. We were cheered on bythe whole of Speen School during one of the mostenjoyable mornings of the year. Everyone receiveda "winners'" medal and certificate and the eventwas followed by a picnic lunch for the childrenand a "Pimms & Ploughman's" for the adults.

The annual general meeting took place in Julywith a review of the year's activities and accountsand election of the committee members. Allpositions have been filled with a committee ofnine trustees managing the pre-school as acharity.

Plans for the weekly Forest school sessions arenow taking shape with a couple of trial runsgoing well. The Playing Fields committee whomanage Ridgeley's Field have been verysupportive. The aim is for these sessions to runweekly from September. It would be great if localpeople interested in nature, the outside andwildlife could advise and support our Forestschool team. Please contact Jeni Fairey on 488930for more information.

The school year finished for the children with abeach party and we said a fond goodbye to overhalf of our children who are heading off to schoolor pastures new in September. We wish them andtheir families all the best. For the parents the yearended with a very sociable and delicious meal atthe King William.

Over the summer we are working with the villagehall committee to fund the redecoration of thevillage hall. As major tenants we are committedto helping update this space. We are looking forvolunteers to help make new curtains to completethis task so if you can help to make one pairplease contact either Bill Groves 488180 or myself.

On the 6th and 7th September the staff will becompleting a 12 hour accredited paediatric firstaid course in the village hall. We have a fewspaces available if anyone would like to attend.Please contact me for further details.

Speen Pre-school is open to children from twoupwards and we still have a few spaces availablefor September onwards. If you would like toenquire about a place or receive a prospectusplease contact our Admissions Officer, AntoniaWinson, on 01494 489848.

Clare MorrisChair

[email protected]


Theatre in the Villages -Ladies of CranfordSSaattuurrddaayy 2222nndd SSeepptteemmbbeerr aatt SSppeeeenn SScchhooooll

"Ladies of Cranford" is set in a small market townin the early years of Queen Victoria's reign andtells the story of Miss Matty Jenkyns and herfriends, ladies of a certain age and position insociety. The adventures of the ladies (and one ortwo of the men!), from burglars and bankruptcy tomarriage and magic, are presented in moderndress, with an irresistible mixture of comedy,pathos and astute social comment in this fond andfaithful adaptation, which has been touring the UKwith great success since 2000.

Adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" byRachel Laurence and directed by Richard Stone "Aminiature masterpiece" Daily Post, Liverpool Suitable for adults and children 14+ Saturday 22September 8pm Speen Church of England SchoolHP27 0SX

Tickets £10 (£8 students and under 16s) from SpeenStores or Cat Cook on 07917 775115 or [email protected]


The Romans are comingDiscover what life was like in Roman Wycombein a hands-on FREE exhibition at WycombeMuseum.

Find out why the Romans liked to eat garum (asalty sauce made from fish guts), what theirhouses were like - including the villas on theRye and at Yewden near Hambleden, and howthey spent their free time.

Dress up as a Roman, see the Museum’sspecially reconstructed Roman toilets, have a goat building a Roman hypocaust and more.

The “Roman” exhibition runs until January 2013and entry to the exhibition, and museum, is free.Opening times: Monday to Saturday: 10am to5pm, Sunday: 2pm to 5pm, Bank holidays: closed

Location: Wycombe Museum, Priory Avenue,High Wycombe, Bucks, HP13 6PX

For further information www.wycombe.gov.uk/museum, phone 01494 421895 or visit WycombeMuseum on Facebook.


Bike Park ImprovementsMany villagers will be conscious that several ofthe lads in the village are currently risking lifeand limb performing bike and scooter stunts inHampden Road.

In an attempt to provide a proper safer venue forthis activity, the Speen Playing Fields Committeeis currently working on plans for a new ramp tobe installed on the Bike Park on Ridgeley's Fieldas indicated on the adjacent plan.

The intention is to enlarge thehollow at the far end of thebike park, under the mainearth bund. The hollow willbe lined with a synthetic"Skatelite" surface. The bikerswill be able to jump off theramp surface onto the grass.There will be minimal noisefrom this design scheme andthe area is well screened bythe mature hedge and theearth bund.

Funding has already beenoffered (subject to conditions)by Speen Shop Charities, bycertain individual parents andthe lads have also undertakensome fund raising themselves.Subject to completing the fundraising we hope that it may bepossible to carry out theseworks towards the end of theyear.

Speen Bike ParkFeatures:A - Small Roller JumpsB - Dips & 'Table-Top' JumpC - Raised BroadwalkD - Open JumpsE - SeesawF - Bouncing BridgeG - New Ramp - 2012


29th March 2012 - Theday my life was changedOn 29th March 2012, I was sitting on the Olympicplinth in Trafalgar Square eating an egg sandwichand planning to go into the National Gallery afterlunch. And then my phone rang.

In 1995 I had been diagnosed with polycystickidneys. This means that cysts are growing on thesurface of the kidneys. Eventually they cover theentire kidneys and cause them to ceasefunctioning. This was a shock as I felt very fit andhad no symptoms that anything was wrong.There is no cure but once the kidneys aren'tworking, I was told that dialysis would keep mealive.

I received regular checks at the WycombeHospital branch of the Oxford Renal Unit andover the past seventeen years I have beenwatching the gradual deterioration of my kidneyfunction. Two years ago, I was told that dialysiswould not be far away. The doctors monitoredhow effectively the kidneys are/were removingthe toxins from the body and balanced thenumbers against how I was feeling, which wasmostly fairly well.

I had choices to make about what kind of dialysisI wanted. Haemodialysis is carried out inhospital, usually for four hours per session, threedays a week. Peritoneal dialysis is done at homeby the patient, either three times a day orovernight, every night. The pre-dialysis nursegave me time, information and support to make adecision about what would suit me and mylifestyle. As I was still working, I opted forovernight dialysis at home. I then had a visit fromthe peritoneal dialysis nurse to my home to giveme further information and to check that myaccommodation was suitable. The dialysismachine is about the size of an overnight case, soI was told that it would be easier to go away onholiday or for short breaks, as I could take themachine with me.

I also had an appointment with a dietician whoadvises me about how to make changes to mydiet to reduce the levels of potassium andphosphate contained in our food, which mykidneys were no longer removing.

Dairy products had to be limited and I was onlyallowed half a pint of milk every day. This isn'teasy if you start your day with cereal, especiallyas yoghurt, custard and anything containing milkhad to be included in my half pint.

Potatoes had to be peeled and brought to the boil

in cold water. The water was then poured awayand the whole process repeated, but his time thepotatoes stayed in the water until they werecooked.

I wasn't allowed soup as this was made withmeat or vegetable stock. I couldn't have bacon orsausages, coffee or chocolate. Green vegetableshad to be boiled not steamed, and there was along list of fruit and vegetables which werebanned. Top of the list were bananas andtomatoes, both of which are high in potassium -you'd be amazed how many things have tomatoesin them. I couldn't make gravy with meat orvegetable stock and was only allowed twoportions of vegetables and two of fruit every day.Eating in restaurants or even at friends' homesbecame a bit of a nightmare! I wasn't allowedwine or beer, but could drink spirits so G and Tbecame my drink of choice.

One year ago, I saw a surgeon at the ChurchillHospital in Oxford who discussed transplantswith me. He sent me for further tests to checkwhether I was suitable to receive a new kidneyand I then received a letter saying that my namewas now on the national transplant list. Thesurgeon had told me that once I reached 70, Iwould not be the highest priority - I was then 68,so time was limited! I reconciled myself tospending the rest of my life on dialysis.

In January 2012, I started dialysis. For variousreasons at this time, haemodialysis in hospitalwas considered most suitable, but I hoped tochange to dialysis at home in due course. I wasintroduced to the dialysis unit at WycombeHospital, where the staff were all verywelcoming, friendly and efficient. The sessionsthere ate into my week until I felt that my wholelife was revolving around trips to the hospital.The process of dialysis sometimes left me feelingvery muzzy, which meant that the rest of the daywas taken up with recovering. The usualtimetable of my life had to undergo drasticrestrictions.

And then, in Trafalgar Square on 29th March, myphone rang and a voice said, "This is the OxfordTransplant Centre. We think we may have akidney for you. How soon can you get here?"After I had got over the shock and had begun tobelieve what was happening, with help from myfriend Di Rainbow, who was with me, we got toOxford in record time. Throughout that evening Ihad tests, answered questions from numerousdoctors, saw the anaesthetist and the surgeon,who told me about why he thought I shouldagree to the transplant. I signed the consent formbefore he changed his mind!

I went to the operating theatre at 1:30am and was


back on the Transplant Ward by 5:30am. All hadgone well. I stayed in hospital for six days beingcarefully monitored. I was given medication tosuppress my immune system to prevent the newkidney being rejected, plus various othermedications with different purposes. I came hometaking thirteen tablets each morning and six eachnight. Some of these will be stopped eventually. Ihave been advised to stay away from anyonewith any infection and to avoid crowded placeslike cinemas, theatres, trains or planes, busysupermarkets etc for at least six months.

But I feel I have my life back. I can eat and drinkwhat I like, go on holiday and begin to live anormal life again.

I cannot express enough my enormous gratitudeto the doctors, surgeons and nursing staff,dieticians and pharmacists etc who have beenpart of what I think is a miracle.

I am also so very grateful to my Speen friends -collectively known to me as 'the kindness ofSpeen' - two of whom had me to stay after mydischarge from hospital, until I felt fit enough toreturn home. Others have reliably transported meto checkups in Oxford, at first three times a week,until I felt able to drive myself, and even morehave sent flowers and cards. Where would we allbe without friends!

I give especial thanks to the family of the donorand the donor herself for this opportunity to livelife for longer. Transplanted kidneys have alimited life, but I am grateful for every day thatthe new kidney has given me.

If you have been interested in my journey withkidney disease, please make sure that your nameis on the National Organ Register. You neverknow how you could transform someone's life, asmine has been! Organ Transplant Register -www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

Sheila Tidball

North Dean FeteNorth Dean fete was held on Saturday 28th July;speculation was high on the days before, on thelikely weather, but the day dawned bright andfine and it turned out to be a perfect day for a fete.

After many years of being the voice of the fete,David King stepped up to celebrity status to openthe Fete for us.

Presentation of the silverware for the competitionsfollowed the opening. Due to the adverse weatherduring the year, the entries were sparse, but whatwas lacking in quantity and quality was made upfor in enthusiasm. Julie White seemed to be theonly one in the village with runner beans, so sheswept the board in this category. For the winnersof the competitions see separate list.

Keeping to the theme of being a village fete thestalls were aimed to please everyone from thevery young to the not so young, with prices tomatch all pockets. The Committee were pleasedto welcome the watch makers, woodworkers, andthe cake icing experts, to demonstrate their skillsto a captive audience, and to thank them for theirtime given to attend the fete. Pigotts Band onceagain entertained and their music provided theperfect background, for people to stand andlisten, or enjoy as they walked round the field.

Refreshment was provided as usual by "NorthDean Teas", supported by a Bar-B-Q, and icecreams, washed down by a pint or two from theBar. All the stalls reported being well supported,with the total take being in excess of £4000, with aprofit of approx £3,600.

The children's races were a great success, with thechildren queuing up to take part, and some goinghome proudly displaying a winners or runnersup medal round their neck.

A fete can only be as good as the people who runit; a big thank you to all the committee, and allthe helpers who gave their time in setting up thestalls in the week before, for everyone who ranthe stalls on the day, and to those who helpedclear up after the event.

I think perhaps a special thank you to SteveRogers, who stepped in and took over therunning of the fete in the absence of theChairman, well done.

The day was concluded with an evening meal, forall the helpers who could make it, and wasenjoyed by everyone.

The Old Codger

Competition Class Winners 2012

Class entry numbers were considerably down thisyear, mostly due to the appalling weather formonths leading up to the fete, resulting in a lackof vegetables growing nicely in people's vegetableplots! So for those who did manage entries, welldone!

Hopefully, next year's weather will reward uswith a greater show of vegetables at the 2013 fete.Please do encourage all your family members andfriends to enter the competitions next year to helpmake a spectacular show in the marquee.

Class 1. Pot plant, The Campbell Cup - Gill Sandford

Class 2. Arrangement of Cut Flowers, The WellerRose Bowl - Joan Prentice

Class 3. Single Bloom, Silver Rose Vase (Mrs Olink) - Rachel palmer

Class 5. Fruit Cake, The Farmhouse Cup (Mr andMrs Cash) - Joan Prentice

Class 6. 6. Fairy Cakes - Zara RichardsonClass 7. Fruit Jam or Marmalade , Silver tray

(Mrs G Rogers) - Gill SandfordClass 8. Chutney, John Lewis Bowl (no

engraving) - Gill KentClass 9. Victoria Sandwich, (Mr and Mrs N

Dawson) - Diana CliffeClass 11a. Vegetables - The North Dean

Challenge Cup - Julie WhiteClass 11. Prize Vegetable of The Year, The Beau

Vista Bell (Mr & Mrs J Rogers) - Gill SandfordClass 12. Handicrafts and Art, 15yrs and older,

The Rogers Bell - Christine RymanClass 13 and 14 share the Junior Silver Cup (6months each):Class 13. Junior Handicrafts, 14 yrs and under, -

Jason RichardsonClass 14. Junior Arts, 14 yrs and under - James

VinerClass 15. Photograpy, Colour, The Evans Bowl

(no engraving) - Andrew (from Pigotts)

Proud cup winner, Julie White



Speen Heritage GroupThe names and initials of the Speen men whowere killed during WWI are listed in alphabeticalorder on a memorial plaque inside the chapellych-gate. The Speen Heritage Group tried todiscover more about those ten men.

As you will see, we were not completelysuccessful - and we hope that you can make goodthe gaps in our knowledge. We are grateful toSandra Clark for correcting one detail concerningour reference to Alice Dean. There was an AliceDean who was the sister of Harry Dean, but theAlice Dean who wrote the leaflet about ourvillage was the wife of William Dean, Harry'syoungest brother.

We are listing the Speen casualties inchronological order. In Issue 53 of the Speen &North Dean News we listed Harry Dean, whodied on 25th May 1915, aged 25; Harry Burrowswho died on 16th March 1916, aged 24; HarrySaunders who died on 23rd July 1916, aged 28. InIssue 54 we listed William Gibbons who died on28th February 1917, aged 26; his brother, SidneyGibbons who died on 9th June 1917, aged 33;Norman Cyril Simmonds who died on 4thOctober 1917, aged 25; Edward Lester Janes whodied on 7th April 1918, aged 32.

We have since found a typing error. To maintainchronological order, we should have entered FrankRandall - see below - before Edward Lester Janes.

F Randall. Frank Randall was the eldest son ofOwen, who was born in Loosley Row, and Mercy,who was born in Flowers Bottom. In 1911, thefamily were living in a 4-room house, on atriangular site in Flowers Bottom, across the roadfrom"The Plough". Owen, a farm labourer, was54; Mercy was 46. They had been married for 13years and had 3 children. Harry (17) was a farmlabourer, Frank (13) was a schoolboy and Eva was6. Frank Randall was 20 years old, a Private (No.202806) in the 5th Battalion of the Oxford andBucks Light Infantry, when he was killed on 23rdMarch 1918. Frank Randall is buried in thePozieres military cemetery. (His elder brother,Harry, a Private in the same regiment, survivedthe War.) Pozieres had been occupied, athorrendous cost, in 1916 on the day that HarrySaunders died. It was won back by the Germanson 25th March 1918, two days after Frank Randallwas killed. The Kaiserschlacht, the colossalGerman offensive that was launched in March1918, was initially hugely successful - butultimately disastrous.

J Rixon. John Rixon's parents, Eli and Rose, livedat "Fir View" where Grubbins Lane connects withthe main road. Both were born in Speen - as weretheir many children. In 1911, Eli (62) said he wasa wood turner; the enumerator added "chairmaking". (Do all these terms indicate that he -and many similar workers in Speen - wereBodgers?) In 1911, Eli and Rose had been marriedfor 38 years and Rose (57) had borne 13 children.Six were still living at home; one had died. Clara(25) was an invalid; William (21) and Frank (13)were wood turners; John (18) was a farmlabourer. There were also Daisy (20) and Bert (8).William Rixon, an Artillery man, survived theWar. John Rixon, who was then a 25 year oldCorporal (No. 266052) in the 1st Battalion of theOxford and Bucks Light Infantry, was killed on26th August 1918, fighting the Austrians in Italy.His body is buried in the British militarycemetery at Magnaboschi, which is so high in themountains that it is under snow for severalmonths in the year. WWI ended 77 days later, butJohn Rixon was not the last of Speen's sons to bekilled.

A R Bristow. Whoever completed the 1901census return of the Bristow family entered thename of one of the children as "Archie". The 1911return shows the boy's name as "Artie". Thatunusual name is correct - his parents said he wasto be called "Artie" when they registered his birthin 1898. In 1911, Artie Ralph Bristow was livingin Speen with his parents, Albert (47) a sandstonecutter and Eva Jane (46). Albert had been born inSpeen; his wife was born in Little Hampden.They had been married for 24 years and Eva hadborne 8 children - one had died; one had lefthome. The family lived in a 6-room house on asite just to the north of "Woodbine Cottage". (The1910 valuation officer originally entered "John" astheir landowner- presumablythinking of JohnWood, who hadrecently died -and then crossedthat out andwrote "AliceSimmonds" thenew marriedname of JohnWood'sdaughter. In his1918 Armyrecords, Artiegave his addressas "WoodbineCottage". Maybethe Bristowsmoved into it Artie Bristow

after Alice moved out and married Mr Simmonds;maybe that was more convenient for thePostman.) In the original house in 1911 wereElsie Beatrice (18) Cissie Florence (15) ArtieRalph, entered as "School boy" (12) Edgar Roy (7)Ronald Albert (3) and Constance May who was 1.The Speen memorial plaque says Artie was in theMachine Gun Corps of the Oxford and BucksLight Infantry. But, no matter what variationswere made of the spelling of his names, we couldfind no mention of him in the CommonwealthWar Graves records. Then we solved the riddle.Artie might have come home, seriously ill, anddied of his injuries after the war was over. Wesearched again and found that the death of ArtieRalph Bristow was registered by his cousin, Mr DF Bristow, in Wycombe, in 1920. (Dudley FrankBristow had also served, as a Private, in the War.Another cousin from Speen, Archibald CharlesBristow, was a Corporal in the Machine GunCorps - did Artie ever meet him?) Artie died, inSpeen, on 15th October 1920; his age is given as20, in fact he was 22.

Just before this edition of the Speen & NorthDean News went to press, another researcherkindly sent us copies of Artie's service documents- WWI military records are rare; most were lost inthe bombing of London during WWII. We saw

that Private Artie Ralph Bristow left the front lineon 20th July 1918 to report to his CasualtyClearing Section. He felt feverish and painful redblotches had appeared on his body. The medicspassed him back to a hospital at Boulogne where,on 4th August 1918, he was admitted with"Erythema Nodostum". (The correct spelling is"Nodosum".) He was discharged from hospital 10days later as "Sick". The war was still raging buthe was not sent back to his machine gun unit; hewas given light duties at the Base HQ. Hismedical category was recorded as B3. (If weassume A1 was the highest grade, B3 does notseem to be all that healthy.) Artie was transferredfrom one admin unit to another until 7thDecember 1918 (the war was just over) when hewas given 3 weeks leave in the UK. We canimagine that, with the lad at home for 3 weeksleave, after 19 months in the trenches with amachine gun company, followed by 5 months"sick", the family would have formed a firm viewthat the War had undermined the health of theireldest son - Artie had been called-up when hewas barely 18.

When Artie died, he was being attended by Dr AWills who gave the causes of death to be: "(1)Acute rheumatism (2) Endo-carditis, Pulmonaryembolism." In modern parlance, acute

rheumatism implies the sudden onsetof joint pain. Being immobile - forexample, laid up in bed - couldproduce a pulmonary embolism.Endocarditis is an infection of the heart- which can also cause joint pain .Erythema nodosum can have manycauses, including TB and Group Astreptococcus. The last named cancause rheumatic fever which damagesthe valves of the heart and canpredispose you to endocarditis.(Today, it can be cured by 10 days ofantibiotics.)

Artie Ralph Bristow enlisted inNovember 1916. He was demobilisedin November 1919 and was dead 11months later. The people of Speenwere right to count him as a casualtyof The Great War.

Would you like to make anycorrections or additions to thesebiographies? Do you have any photos- portraits, team photos - of thesemen?

If so, please contact Clive Rainbow (01494 488658 ) or [email protected].



Speen FundayThe 2012 Funday weekend kicked off on theFriday evening with England's opening game ofthe Euros taking place and the opportunity to runa "beat the keeper" and "guess the first scorer"competitions.

With worries of a wash-out uppermost in ourminds, it was with a sigh of relief that Fundaydawned bright and dry. Once again, the fertileminds of the committee had devised a set ofgames to tickle and delight although thereappeared a collective sense of deja-vu amongstthe contestants when the opening event started.Was the Olympic rings not in fact a re-title of theroyal rings from the year before or hoola-hoolathe year before that? Matter not, no one seemed tocare and fun reigned on the field once again.Despite being dry on the day, the going on thecourse was good to soft at best and as the runnersand riders in the Steeplechase game tackled theobstacles there were the inevitable fallers. MessrsCharlie Tilt and Percy Thirkell in particular endedup looking more like mud wrestlers than riders!

In glorious tradition, the Kiddy Kurling Cuprounded off the day and in scenes reminiscentfrom the US masters golf, it was for theencumbent holder to present the trophy to its newowner. The 2011 champion Will Laing did anexcellent job of hiding his anguish as he passed itto Emily Stringfellow.

We must thank all those for attending andhelping us to raise £900 over the weekend, thehardworking committee whose physical andmental toil makes the games happen each yearand a special note of gratitude to Dilly of theKW4 who generously donated food for the BBQ.

Speen Playing FieldPavilionThe Speen Playing Field Pavilion, which is anessential support to all the playing field eventssuch as The Fete, Festival, Funday, Craft Fair,School Sports day etc, has sprung a leak in theroof. There is now water entering the roof void.We have temporarily patched but, on furtherinvestigation, have established that the original,which was built in 1988 out of chipboard andbitumen felt tiles, is rotten and needs replacing.We now have to urgently replace the roof and areplanning Cement Tiles on batons at a cost of£8000 and with estimated lifespan of over 50years. The Parish Council have very kindlyloaned us money so that we can get started as

soon as possible but we will have to repay fromfunds that we can raise ourselves. We are tryingDistrict and County Councils as well as otherlocal charity and community supportfoundations, but I suspect that we will have toraise the money ourselves. The Pavilion RoofFund is now officially launched. Anyone wishingto donate please feel free to support this essentialvillage facility. Cheques for donations should bemade payable to "Speen Playing Fields" and canbe left at the shop or via Peter Cooper 488975.

Tony BobroffChair


County Council News -August 2012

Energy from Waste (EfW)With the ever increasing cost of landfill, theCounty Council has been looking at alternativeways to depose of Buckinghamshire's waste. Theinitial response was to invest, with the Districts,in Recycling which now accounts for 45% ofhousehold waste.

Even with this success the projected rise in landfilltax from £11.6M per year to £16.5M per year by2020, means that other ways have to found. Thedecision to invest in an 'Energy from Waste' plantseeks to provide the answer. By entering into acontract with FCC Environment which willprovide a 300,00 tonnes EfW facility near Calvertin the north of the County, it is estimated thatlandfill will be greatly reduced and enough powerto service 36,000 homes wil be generated.

Green Waste will still need to be diverted fromlandfill. The County Council working withgetcomposting.com continue to make availableCompost Bins at special rates. Bins at a RRP of£39 are now only £16 with "buy one and get onehalf price" offer as well it is worth considering.You can get more details at www.getcomposting.com or call 0844 571 444 for details.

If you already compost then you can help bybecoming a Master Composter and so share yourexperience and give advice and encouragement toothers. If you would like to find out more aboutthis then call 01296 387797 or [email protected]

HealthThe implementation of the Government's Healthproposals continue to progress with thecompletion of Shadow Health and WellbeingBoard's consultation on the priorities for HealthCommissioning for the County. This consultationwill influence the strategy for health provisionwhen the formal transfer takes place in April nextyear. You can find more about the proposals andthe work of the Board by going towww.buckscc.gov.uk/healthandwellbeingboard

In April 2013 the Council will also takeresponsibility for Public Health. Key to this ispublic awareness of health issues and aprogramme for early intervention. The County'sresponse to this has been to develop aprogramme called Prevention Matters aimed at:promoting independence and delaying the

debilitating effects of ageing, illness anddisability. Recognised as best practice within theGovernment, it is anticipated that, through thisprogramme, many Bucks residents will enjoyindependence for more of their lifetime.

Encouraging walking is high on the list andtogether with our partners, the County Council ispromoting the Simply Walk initiative. Thisinitiative covers walks for all abilities formGetting Started lasting about 45mins over levelground to Red Walks lasting about 90 mins andusually including gradients. Walks are plannedthroughout the year and are detailed either onlineat www.buckscc.gov.uk or by asking for thebooklet by calling 01494 475 367.

If you do have any concerns regarding CountyCouncil issues or have noticed areas where actionis needed then please let me know and I will dowhat I can to help.

Paul Rogerson, County Councillor01494 488315, [email protected]

HS2 Update - August 2012There are several significant developments toreport with High Speed 2:

Perhaps most importantly, a decision has beenmade that all 5 Judicial Reviews requested tochallenge the lawfulness of Government's decisionto proceed with HS2 have been accepted by therelevant Court, and a date set of December 3rd 2012for the hearings to start. This is a major milestone,as it both represents a clear opportunity to havethe decision overturned and creates an ideal vehicleto further build awareness and understanding ofthe issues with HS2 around the country.

It has been revealed that the flaws in theGovernment's consultation process are even moreserious than at first thought. As has recently beenreported in the Bucks Free Press, a large numberof consultation responses have been omitted fromthe results, and even more have been incorrectlyinterpreted.

The business case for HS2 continues to deteriorate,and now a new Public Accounts Committee reportinto High Speed 1 (the Channel Tunnel rail link)has indicated that the Government should re-doits case for HS2. Re-affirming an earlier report,the PAC says that the DfT should revisit itsassumptions on the HS2 business case anddevelop a full understanding of the benefits andcosts of high-speed travel compared to thealternatives. It challenges assumptions onforecasting, pricing, how it values time savings,and its lack of evaluating alternative options(everything we have been saying for 2 years). Encouragingly, it is now being more widely


understood that time spent on train journeys isproductive, as people do work on the train - acrucial factor, as billions of pounds of 'benefit'within the HS2 business case assumes that alltime on the train is completely wasted. TheTreasury are now beginning to seriously questionthe wisdom of proceeding with HS2.

Perhaps as a further sign of disarray within theGovernment over HS2, delays have beenannounced to the compensation consultation,

which will now be in the 'Autumn' rather thanthe 'Spring'.

The latest published timetable from HS2 Ltd is asfollows:

Mel FosterChair

Speen Area Action Group against High Speed 201494 488670

[email protected]

A HISTORY OF SPEEN

The "Leaves of Time" was first published in 2000 as part of Speen's Millennium Celebrations andis a history of the village and its inhabitants since records began. It records the building of SpeenChapel as well as the birth of our school, the origins of the 'bodger' and Speen's brush with theSecond World War! It is a fascinating account of the self-reliance of the inhabitants of this remotehilltop village.

Updated in 2007, the current edition records recent events in the village such as the school's 40thbirthday, the opening of the children's bike park, the numerous S.S.G.'s fundraising events and ofcourse the biennial SPEEN FESTIVAL with its art and photographic exhibitions, plays andmusicals. All proceeds of the sale of the books go toward Speen Heritage Group.

THE LEAVES OF TIME is available from Speen Stores and by email [email protected]


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