Chiltern Voice - Amersham area

Twins twin quiz

2009-11-12T17:25:00.003Z

Amersham is twinned with two towns, Bensheim in Germany and Krynica (pronounced Kree-nee-tsa, shown right in photo) in Poland. Each twinning has its own group, Amersham-Bensheim Twinning Society and Amersham-Krynica Twinning Association, which are both very active. When it comes to fund-raising they like to join forces and this will be the case on Friday 20 November when they co-host a joint Quiz Night. It takes place at the recently re-named Bor-Komorowski Polish Club in Raans Road, Amersham On The Hill and starts at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome, you don’t have to be a member to come along. The emphasis at these quizzes is always on fun, hence they have become very popular. Perhaps it shouldn’t be necessary to spell this out, but one never knows. The only language spoken at these quizzes, as well as meetings – is English. So if anyone has ever been deterred from joining, or even enquiring about becoming a member because of uncertainty about the language issue, fear no more. Tickets for the Quiz Night are £8 which includes a buffet and can be obtained from Kathy on 01707 659091 or Mora 0707 2281783.

Old time Hyde Heath

2009-11-06T11:27:00.007Z

Step back in time to the good old days when men wore drape jackets, drainpipe trousers and sported long whiskers (we don’t mean Teddy Boys), and ladies dressed in gowns and fanned themselves continuously – even when it wasn’t hot. When theatre announcers introduced shows with tongue-twisting sentences like “… the sublime, the stupendous, the subtle, the sartorial, the scintillating, the sinuous, the slightly sinful, the superfluous, the sonorous, the shimmering, striking talents of …” etc.etc.
The age of the Music Hall will be brought back to life at Hyde Heath Village Hall on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November when Hyde Heath Music Hall Society together with the Rotary Clubs of Great Missenden and Amersham, presents ‘The Good Old Days’. Though not quite the Leeds City Varieties, from where the TV programme ‘The Good Old Days’ ran for 30 years, nevertheless Hyde Heath Village Hall will do its best to recreate the atmosphere of a Victorian-Edwardian music hall.
Shows start at 7.30 for 8pm, tickets at £15 include fish & chips supper and can be obtained from Alan Jones, Tel: 01494 863887 E-mail: alaj77@hotmail.com.

Harpist comes to Amersham

2009-11-06T11:09:00.010Z

There cannot have been many occasions when someone has played the harp in Amersham. So for those who would like to experience a rare occasion when this does happen, Friday 27 November is a date to pencil in. Robin Ward, a leading harpist formerly from New Zealand, will be performing at St Michael’s Church, Sycamore Road. The concert starts at 7.30pm, tickets at £8 for adults and £3 children under 17 from 01494 726680. Robin Ward is one of only a handful of triple harpists in the world and actually builds his own instruments.

Calling Bell Lane area residents

2009-11-06T10:10:00.005Z

Some residents living around the Bell Lane area of Little Chalfont may not be aware of its existence, others may think they are no longer active. But the Bell Lane Area Residents Association or BLARA is alive and well – and still kicking. Their Annual General Meeting will be held at The Sugar Loaf pub on Monday 16 November at 8pm.
In view of the antisocial behaviour which some residents have been on the receiving end of in this neighbourhood recently, this meeting provides an opportunity to air grievances. The group has been established for some time now and surprisingly seems to get less support at a time when it needs it most. It also has good contacts with the police and other anti-crime organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch.
Anti-social behaviour has become a nationwide problem which seems to be growing and now even rearing its ugly head in places where only a few years ago it would have been unthinkable.

Fun for life

2009-11-06T09:38:00.002Z

Drama For Life the long-established Little Chalfont-based group for youngsters
is back in business following the half-term break. Their activities take place at Little Chalfont Methodist Church in Chalfont Avenue, a stone’s throw from Chalfont and Latimer Station. However they also run various classes in Great Missenden, Beaconsfield, Rickmansworth, High Wycombe and Farnham Common.
DFL is aso involved in more activities than the name suggests, as well as drama, kids are tought about dancing (Dance For Life) and music (Musical Theatre For Life). The Staff are fully CRB checked, mentored and professionals within their disclipline. They are:
Coral Ash - PGCE Cert.Ed Dip.Theatre Mountview Acadamy, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Bucks New University.
Louise Jones BA Hons. – Central School of Speech and Drama.
Patrick Rufey – BA Hons. The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Nicky Short – Dance Teacher.
Alice Henry – Junior Drama teacher.
For more information contact Coral Ash: 01494 762130 dfldramforlife@tiscali.co.uk

Hospice week at Cafe

2009-11-04T05:07:00.005Z

Local Polish folk-singing group Amershamki serenaded customers at Amersham’s Cafe Africa last Saturday, as part of a fund-raising programme for young victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Although it is 23 years since the accident happened, many young victims who were irradiated but managed to grow into adulthood, have passed on serious health problems to their offspring. Some children are severely disabled while others are terminally ill and the country which seems to have inherited the worst of the problem, Belarus, has welcomed much-needed voluntary international help to cope with it. The British-based Friends of Belarusian Children’s Hospice have been involved in raising funds and helping in other ways since 1999. There are now eight establishments run by Belorus Children’s Hospice throughout the country providing palliative care for the children and support for their families.
Café Africa in Chesham Road, is a ‘not for profit’ establishment which specialises in serving either local, ethically sourced or fairtrade products and supports all local charities. November has been dedicated to Friends of Belarusian Children’s Hospice which will be the recipient of this month’s profits.
Another fund-raising event on behalf of Friends of Belorusian Children’s Hospice takes place on Thursday 12 November when the renowned TV journalist Kate Adie presents a talk about her work. This includes covering some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts in the last thirty years. Entitled ‘Into Danger, Risking Your Life For Work’, the talk will be held in St Michael’s Church, Sycamore Road, Amersham starting at 7.30pm. Tickets at £15 from Waterstone’s, Sycamore Road or by phoning 01494 727409/726483/722899 or ann@friends-bch.org.uk

Chiltern Community Awards

2009-10-29T08:03:00.002Z

Nominations for The 2009 Chiltern District Council Community Awards have to be in by Friday 30 October. Residents are invited to nominate someone who they think merits some recognition of their work. These can be:
A local volunteer who helps run a club, supports their local community or even helps support their local neighbour. There are seven different nomination categories with a special awards ceremony taking place on Friday 4th December 2009 at the Chiltern District Council offices in Amersham.
Categories of awards:
• Group Award: For the group which have voluntarily contributed skills and time to the benefit of a community in Chiltern District
• Individual Award: For an individual adult (25 - 65 years old) who has shown commitment and dedication in the giving of time, skills and enthusiasm to the benefit of a community in Chiltern District
• Older and Bolder Award: For an individual over the age of 65 years who has made a major contribution to the community in Chiltern District through volunteering
• Young Volunteer Award: For a young person up to the age of 25 years old who has provided time and talent to the benefit of a community in Chiltern District
• Business Award: To reward the best example of a volunteering partnership between business and community groups.
• Long Service Award: To reward those volunteers who have served a community organisation within Chiltern District for many years, at least 20 years significant service
• Young Carers Award: A new award in 2009 created to recognise the contribution made by a young person up to the age of 25 years old to support a family member in need of special care
To find out more:
http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=676

Arriva there by bus

2009-10-25T11:09:00.005Z

Many people believe that the age of bus travel in this part of the world is all but dead, owing to the high ratio of car ownership and usage. Yet a free booklet which is available from Amersham Library shows it is anything but that, in fact the number of places you can get to from Amersham is quite surprising, for a motorhead. A few might find it surprising that it is possible to take a bus to and from Hemel Hempstead with its excellent shopping centre, but that is exactly where Arriva and Redline routes 52 and 62, go. For example an Arriva 52 leaves Amersham Station at 49 minutes past the hour every weekday morning and arrives at Hemel Hempstead Bus Station less than an hour later. The passengers alight without having worried about traffic and parking and all the other little irritants which motorists today are forced to negotiate on almost every journey. There is also a Saturday and Sunday service.
In fact all the major shopping centres closest to Amersham, including Watford, High Wycombe, Slough and even Uxbridge are very well-served by buses, the timetables for which are included in this booklet. The A30 Chesham to Heathrow airport via Amersham service, which has already been publicised in Chiltern Voice Amersham area, is also in this publication.
A half a century ago a bright spark called Dr Beeching believed railways were finished because of the motor car, so he systematically embarked on a plan to close them all down. Thankfully he was removed before he could dismantle the whole network. Today public transport is enjoying a bit of a revival and to see where you can get to from Amersham by bus, just pop into the library and pick up a ‘Chiltern and South Bucks’ guide to bus services.

Kate Adie at St Michael's

2009-10-25T10:58:00.005Z

Kate Adie the renowned TV journalist and reporter will be talking about her life and work covering some of the world’s most dangerous hotspots, in Amersham next month. Her coverage of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege for TV first brought her to prominence and since then she has gone on to cover conflicts in such places as the Gulf, the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, Tiananmen Square and Sierra Leone. In doing so she paved the way for female reporters to become involved in the most dangerous form of news coverage.

However, the talk will not just be about danger and adventure in war zones, but her charity work helping young people who are still suffering from the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The talk takes place on Thursday 12 November at 7.30pm in St Michael’s Church, Sycamore Road and is aid of the Belorussian Children’s Hospice. Tickets cost £15 from Waterstones in Sycamore Road. More on this and other Amersham area stories in http://chilternvoiceamersham.blogspot.com/.

Library plea

2009-10-14T19:02:00.005+01:00

It is three years since Buckinghamshire County Council decided to close some eight of its libraries. However it did not mean the end for all of them, some like Little Chalfont Library decided to go it alone by continuing to function through voluntary work and self-funding. And it is the latter part of the work involved in continuing operations which is proving most difficult, because it still costs some £20,000 per year to fund. Ironically a good part of that goes to Buckinghamshire County Council for things like rent, IT and other services which only they can provide.
Little Chalfont Parish Council contributes a £6,000 annual grant, but the other £14,000 has to be raised by Friends of Little Chalfont Library through events such as quizzes, dinners etc. and, straightforward donations. In a letter to all Little Chalfont residents, ‘Friends’ Chairman Jim Brooks has simply asked for contributions either on a one-off, or regular basis.
“With the downturn, fundraising is not easy and we invite anyone who is able to support our library financially to get in touch” he writes. “Any contribution, however small, whether one-off or regular, would be hugely appreciated.”
To contribute or to find out more about what the library offers and how it works, either call in at the library or get in touch with Jim Brooks on 01494 762328, email jim.brooks@ntlworld.com
If anyone is not familiar with it, the library is in Cokes Lane.
Opening hours are: Monday – Closed: Tuesday 10.00 to 17.00 Wednesday 10.00 to 13.00 Thursday 10.00 to 13.00 Friday 10.00 to 17.00 Saturday 10.00 to 15.00

Beechwood exhibition

2009-10-14T18:57:00.005+01:00

An example of Beechwood Artists' work

Beechwood Artists are based in Amersham Common Village Hall, White Lion Road, they’ve been around for 11 years and have over 100 members from beginners to the very experienced, all of them amateur enthusiasts. They meet every Wednesday morning in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere with occassional visits from professional artists to demostrate their own work and offer advice. Beechwood Artists very popular Annual Exhibition takes place on Saturday 14 November and Sunday 15 November from 10am to 5pm in the Village Hall, where the works on show will be also be available to buy. Admission is free and there is lots of parking. To find out more, visit site http://www.beechwoodartists.org.uk/

By bus to Heathrow

2009-09-30T10:12:00.007+01:00

To here for just £7.30

As from last Monday 28 September a new bus route the A30 launched by Carousel the High Wycombe-based company, will take passengers from Amersham to Heathrow. The journey takes about 50 minutes and can also benefit travellers who want to go to places like Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, Denham or Uxbridge, with its excellent Chimes shopping mall. The one-way fare to Heathrow costs £7.30.
Buses are frequent, every hour and the Amersham pick-up and drop-off points are at Amersham Railway Station and Amersham School in Stanley Hill. Unfortunately this bus doesn’t go through Old Amersham. Also, there is no Sunday service.

The timetable from Amersham’s two stops is:

Mondays to Fridays:

Amersham Station:
06:08 07:08 08:27 09:38 10:33 11:33 12:33 13:33 14:33 15:33 16:33 17:55
Amersham School:
06:10 07:10 08:31 09:40 10:35 11:35 12:35 13:35 14:35 15:35 16:35 17:58

Saturdays:
Amersham Station
07:08 08:25 09:33 10:33 11:33 12:33 13:33 14:33 15:33 16:33 17:43
Amersham School
07:10 08:27 09:35 10:35 11:35 12:35 13:35 14:35 15:35 16:35 17:45

The full timetable can be viewed through the Carousel website:
http://www.carouselbuses.com/index.html For further information:
Telephone: 01404 533436 Fax: 01494 533439
Email: enquiries@carouselbuses.com

Calling young chefs

2009-09-24T08:27:00.006+01:00

Rotary Young Chef Competition Winner 2009 Hailey Vickers

Amersham area’s budding young Fanny Craddocks, Delia Smiths, Jamie Olivers and Rick Steins are invited to demonstrate their culinary skills in the nationwide Rotary Young Chef Competition 2010.
Rotary Club of Amersham have organised a preliminary competition for local youngsters aged between 11 to 17, the winner of which will go on to a district or regional heat later this year. The eight best will then be invited to take part in the grand final on 10 April 2010 to be held in Chichester, West Sussex, where they will present a three course meal to some highly qualified judges and a large audience. All will receive some excellent prizes and trophies but the mouth-watering prize for the grand winner is a trip to Italy for the olive harvest and of course a cooking and eating experience courtesy of the competition’s sponsors Felippo Berio.
Users of olive oil in the kitchen whether for cooking or salad-making, will be familiar with the company and its well-known products, which include margarine.
Derek Bryant President of the Rotary Club of Amersham emphasised the fun element of this competition.
“Rotary Young Chef is aimed at anyone who enjoys cooking or who just wants to have a go. It's not just for experienced young cooks. It’s a wonderfully enjoyable competition and a chance for young people to get creative and have some fun with food.“
So any young people in the Amersham area who would like to have a crack at this please get in touch with Pat Armstrong on 01494 726961 or visit the Rotary Club of Amersham website http://www.amershamrotary.org/
At just 16 years of age Helen Vickers (pictured above) from Charlton Down near Dorchester won the equivalent 2009 competition with the following menu:
Starters; Pan-seared scallops on a bed of creamy spring pea risotto, garnished with fresh pea shoots.
Main course; Lamb fillets wrapped in dry cured ham, served with olive oil mashed potato, confit tomato and mushroom, char-grilled asparagus and a rosemary flavored jus.
Dessert; Natural yoghurt pannacotta, served on a bed of rhubarb and ginger compote and a light rhubarb consommé.

Anyone for India?

2009-08-27T05:26:00.006+01:00

A Hindu temple in Chennai

The Rotary Club of Amersham together with its equivalent organisation in Chesham, is looking for four individuals who would like to spend four weeks in India, “looking at life” in the southern city of Chennai, better known by its former name Madras. These volunteers would need to have a chosen trade or profession in order to focus their studies on similar lines of business over there. They would also be required to stay with Indian Rotarians in their own homes and follow a comprehensive itinerary to enable them to get a good understanding of how their counterparts work, as well as the general way of life. There is a strong emphasis on team work and the succesful applicants would be expected to adhere to this.
Team members must be between the ages of 25 and 40 years of age and in employment. The only costs to the individual are personal insurance, any immunisation required and spending money. All other costs are met by Rotary.
This truly exotic trip will take place at the beginning of 2010 and in the meantime both Amersham and Chesham Rotary Clubs will be interviewing all potential candidates. These will be held in September and, if anyone is interested or knows someone who might be, please contact either Mervyn Edwards of the Rotary Club of Chesham on 01494 792382 or Philip Roberts of the Rotary Club of Amersham on 01494 783513.