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Nearly Eaten By Lions
One Friday recently I got a text from my daughter Caroline who is working at
an orphanage for abandoned HIV positive babies in Johannesburg. She and her
friend Maria had hired a car and were touring a big game reserve. She sent me
an excited message that she could see lions, ostriches, zebras, the lot. I texted
back saying stay in the car!
A few minutes later I got another text, that the man in the car behind had
stopped and got out to see the lions under some nearby trees. I texted back
saying stay in the car. Ten minutes afterwards yet another text arrived, that the
man had been attacked and dragged of to the trees by the lions who were now
eating him. Maria wanted to get out and help. I texted back saying stay in the
car and phone for help. You can see the story still on the South African news
web pages. The paramedics arrived but were unable to get near the body, or
what was left of it. Only when rangers and police arrived with guns to scare the
big cats away were they able to salvage the odd bone.
My mobile phone gave me the power to influence a tricky situation thousands
of miles away. Without it I would have been utterly helpless, even ignorant of
the need. Whitsun is a time to remember that the power of the Holy Spirit is
available to any who ask in the name of Jesus. With the help of that power,
anything is possible. But as with my phone, I need to press the button and get
speaking in prayer to God in that name. Try it and see!
Tim Harper
Rector of Amersham with Coleshill
Holy Matrimony
Corinne Cullers and Miles Davenport – 19 th May 2007
In Memoriam
Auriole McClatchy – 7 th April 2007
You can find out more about All Saints’ Coleshill by going direct to our
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News from All Saints'
Baptism Renewal Service
This has now become an annual event. We invite those children who have been
baptised in the last few years. Twenty children with their families came along
this year on the 13 th May, which was an encouraging response. It is an ageing
congregation at All Saints’ and there is a need to welcome the young.
Wedding Vows Renewal Service
This is a first. We are planning to ask couples to come and renew their marriage
vows on Sunday July 8 th at 9 am. Everyone is welcome – you do not need to be
a regular church-goer. We do hope that you will consider this opportunity – and
look forward to seeing you on July 8 th .
Christian Aid Walk
More than twenty walkers set off on the Christian Aid Walk on Sunday 20 th
May. Their energy resulted in £125 being raised. We are grateful to Peter and
Jennifer Brock for their excellent organisation of the event.
Christian Aid Collection
The house-to-house collection during Christian Aid Week resulted in a further
£916 being raised, bringing the total to over a thousand pounds. This is a
remarkable result for such a small community and will be greatly appreciated by
Christian Aid. It is only possible because of the efforts of Hazel Thomas and her
band of collectors.
Parish Picnic
The Parish Picnic will be held at Coleshill Cricket Ground on Sunday July 15 th
at 12 noon. Bring a picnic. There will be a rounders match for anyone feeling
energetic, so do come along and join in the fun.
Chris Wege
Special Service
Service of Renewal of Marriage Vows – Sunday 8 th July at 9 am.
Holy Baptism
Harry Hunter – 22 nd April 2007Easter
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All Saints’ Charity
Having had a very busy 2006, we had hoped to have a Barn Dance in the
summer of 2007 in association with the Village Fete. Unfortunately, as there
will be no Fete, we have had to put this idea on hold.
However, we are planning an interesting and varied programme in 2008. Firstly
a Pantomime. It is many years since we have had any drama in Coleshill and
this will be a good opportunity for many people of all ages to tread the boards
again. There is a separate notice in the Newsletter about auditions. There will be
three performances – on Friday and Saturday, 1 st and 2 nd February 2008, with a
matinee on the Saturday. We hope that this will be an “All Coleshill” event
which will not only be a lot of fun (and hard work!) but also be very beneficial
for the funds which will again go towards the Rosanna Hospital in Kurdistan.
Our second event will be a concert by the Chess Valley Male Voice Choir on
June 14 th 2008. This choir, based in Amersham, gives concerts all over the
world so we are very fortunate that they are coming to support our Charity.
More details about that nearer the time – but just keep the date when you get
your 2008 diary!
Patsy Wright-Warren
Coleshill Common
During the Spring months the volunteers have been concentrating on opening
up the main access points that lead onto the Common. The area around the
Mushroom Tree has been cleared of brambles, the aim being to allow grass to
grow. This will inevitably mean an ongoing campaign to control the brambles
and bracken.
Some concern has been expressed that this might be an invitation for travellers
to move in. To lessen this risk the ditch is to be dug out, and help has been
enlisted to do this job by hand: the labour is to come from the Youth Group at
St Mary’s. The Parish Council has kindly agreed to give them a donation
towards their Summer trip to do voluntary service in Moldova.
The area next to Wheatsheaf Cottage has also been cleared and the view down
to the grassland has been opened up a little. The seat there has been renovated
thanks to the efforts of Manait Ghattaure.
Work parties will resume in September. Do come and join in!
Chris Wege (724152)Easter
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Coleshill History Project
Coleshill is a unique hilltop village for which many of us have a strong affection
and love. Also many have a curiosity about the history of the village and those
living here. The late John Chenevix Trench, who lived at Windmill Farm,
prepared a number of papers covering the village’s history. He also undertook a
vast amount of research now available to us at the Centre for Buckinghamshire
Studies in Aylesbury. Significantly he prepared a paper entitled ‘The houses of
Coleshill: The social anatomy of a seventeenth century village’ published by
the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society in 1983.
This new research proposal moves on to more recent times and initially will
concentrate on the houses standing in the village in the year 1910 and the
history of the people living in them from the time when they were built to
current times. The date of 1910 has been chosen because the Centre for
Buckinghamshire Studies has an original of the property survey in that year
taken for ‘Duties on Land Values Act’ It shows details of the owners and
occupier of each property in the village and particularly helpfully a cross
reference to a large scale map of the village. We will also be able to make use of
census data now available on the internet at ten year intervals up to 1901.
To help coordinate and guide the research we have engaged Julian Hunt. He is
a former Heritage Manager at Bucks County Council and has written and
published several books including a history of Amersham. Julian is running a
series of evening classes in the Coleshill Village Hall on how to conduct the
research and pointing out sources of information. The Schedule of classes for
the remainder of 2007 is 3rd July, 18th September, 16th October, 13th
November and 11th December; all on a Tuesday evening starting at 8.00 pm.
There is a charge of £5 per class.
The project is importantly a community project supported by Coleshill Parish
Council and we have applied to ‘Awards for All’ for lottery support.
Our end objectives are to publish a book of the history of the Village in the
autumn of 2009. Further we hope to accumulate all our research in a
professional electronic archive available on the internet and open to future
generations of researchers.
One fascinating research example revealed in 1783 by the will of Benjamin
Cowell who lived in Coleshill House stated ‘.....and whereas I am possessed of
and entitled unto several negroes and other slaves men and women and children
in the Island of Jamaica in the West Indies...’ As I live in Chase Close I am
surprised to learn that I live next door to a former slave owner.
If you would like to know more about this project or to join the evening classes
please contact Peter Lawrence at
Peter LawrenceEaster
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Red Lion
The past few weeks have been very quiet with all the pub competitions, save for
the Summer Darts League, finished for the time being. It has been pleasing for
Chris & I to have welcomed a number of newcomers to the village. All have
expressed an interest in becoming involved in village life which is very
satisfying.
This year May Day was very kind to us weather-wise. The event did receive
some publicity in the local press and so there was a good turnout generally,
although sadly not from the village. We have been spoilt in that for the last three
years, May Day has fallen on a bank holiday or weekend. Those who did attend
were entertained for over an hour by ladies and men's teams, and the now
familiar ’bellies’ as they are affectionately known. Those who want more
details should come next year!
Other than encouraging the men of the village to enter our sponsored event at
the Horticultural Show in September (six rock cakes baked unaided) there is
little more for me to report.
John Ullman
01494-727020
Coleshill Mobile Library
Thanks to the efforts of Susan Smith -
Clerk to the Parish Council - a Mobile
Library will be coming to Coleshill.
So, with effect from Friday 13th July
2007 the residents of Coleshill will be
getting a regular fortnightly mobile
library visit.
It
will be on alternate Fridays between
2.20pm and 2.35pm beginning on
Friday 13th July 2007.
The Mobile Library will be parked in
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Cricket Club
Well the season is now up and running which is more than can be said for some
of the Senior Players.
The season started on a positive note with the sun resplendent in the sky - there
were impressive wins against Little Kingshill in the National Village Knockout
and the 1 st XI started the league campaign with a maximum point win against
Cookham Dean while the 2 nd XI had a difficult start to their campaign.
Since the early promise the cricket has become somewhat like the weather -
rather unsettled with sunny intervals.
Another good win in the Village Knockout this time against Stoke Green led us
to another encounter with our old nemesis Dinton. With a weakened side we
headed for Dinton but the players who represented Coleshill that day did
themselves proud. In the previous 2 rounds Dinton had scored close to 400, but
with some great seam bowling from Snowy Edwards and tight slow bowling
form the Captain Barney Stay. Dinton were restricted to 264 for 8.
Unfortunately the batting did not live up to the fielding, and only Barney Stay
made any impact, scoring 65 out of a total of 130 all out.
The 2 nd XI has recently enjoyed their first win of the season and the 1 st XI has
had a mixture of draws and losses.
We are always on the lookout for new players - so if you know anyone who is
looking to play cricket, please contact a member of the club.
Visitors are always welcome at the club. You will find cricket being played
most Saturdays and Sundays till the end of September.
We are very grateful for the continued support of the Village. Hoping for some
long hot summer days and many more wins for both teams.
Chris Bruin
Hon SecretaryEaster
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Coleshill Village Hall
The AGM took place on 26 th April 2007 when Howard Green was re-elected as
Chairman and David Smith as Secretary. David Hall relinquished his post as
Treasurer after many years looking after the Village Hall finances and John
Ullman was appointed in his place.
The
usual
annual
inspection of the Hall
and surrounds has taken
place, and during the
quiet holiday period,
improvements
and
maintenance will be
made.
The NO SMOKING
LAW will not affect the
Village Hall very much
as it continues to be used
mainly
for
fitness
activities.
The Old Village Hall
The Village Hall has
weekly bookings which
are
Monday:
WAY TO GO FITNESS at 9.45am with Crèche
BOWLS CLUB at 7.30pm
Tuesday:
WAY TO GO FITNESS at 9.45am
BRIDGE CLUB at 1.00 pm
FIT QUICK at 7.00 pm
Wednesday:
WAY TO GO FITNESS at 9.45am with Crèche
Thursday:
WI 2 nd afternoon in the month
Friday:
GONE TO PIECES Quilting Group 2 nd Friday
Sunday:
FIT QUICK at 9.00am
Please contact Ann Lawrence on 01494 433421 for more details.
Ann LawrenceEaster
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Neighbourhood Action Group
Since February, we have continued our drive against speeding within the
action group area and have now taken the first steps on the second issue which
is fly tipping and litter.
National Campaigns on speeding remain prominent and it is our duty as a
community to take this up at a local level and contribute towards the reduction
in speeding as well as to increase the awareness of its dangers.
For the NAG, the most important criteria is evidence with which both action
and education can be developed and supported.
An exercise using Speed Indicator Devices was undertaken in March and was
run in Coleshill on Tower Road between 7 am and 8 am one day. 38 vehicles
were checked in the period and 45% percent of them were in excess of the
permitted limit. 15% were in the higher range. The drivers will receive a letter
from the police. It is hoped to increase the frequency of these exercises and
volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate or observe.
Speed Enforcement Days will also continue as the police recognise the priority
that local communities attach to the whole issue of speeding. BEWARE.
Education plays a big part and there will be a Poster Competition for years
five and six at schools in the Hundreds NAG area and these will be judged by
a well known TV personality on her return from America. Sadly, our village
school is not of the age group to enter but we shall be talking to the school
about running our own competition. Winning entries can be posted
strategically through the village to remind others of the dangers.
Bucks County Council also ask you to sign up to “make the commitment” not
to exceed 30 in the prescribed limit and if any of you would like to have a
form then please contact Sarah Parker, Dave Smith or Ian McCallum.
Turning to fly tipping and litter in general, we are indeed fortunate in Coleshill
and there has been just the one reported incident of fly tipping recently. Most
of the litter is caused by those driving through and we can only continue to
clear up behind others. Fortunately, we all have a village of considerable
beauty of which we are proud.
All these are community issues so please feel free to come forward with ideas
and comments. We are trying to do something. NAG is now flagged on our
village web site and full details of the initiative can also be found on
www.chiltern.gov.uk/neighbourhood.
Ian McCallum
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Parish Council Annual Report
In my report last year I concluded by saying that it has been a difficult and unpleasant year.
Regrettably this current year did not improve.
In July 2006 Richard Valentine - planning representative - resigned after 13 years service
citing the ‘intolerable atmosphere’ within the Parish Council. In May 2006 Tony Barber -
representing open spaces - resigned after 14 years service and likewise John Jefford -
representing the Village Hall after 9 years service. I would like to place on record my
sincere appreciation for all their effort and work over the past years.
I am very grateful to Kim Richardson – Playground, Lee Parker - Planning, Peter Clackett –
Open Spaces, and Dick Ware - Planning who put forward their names and were elected onto
the council to fill the vacancies. Cllr Jan Atkinson took on the role as Responsible Finance
Officer effective the July 2006 meeting whilst Cllr Frank Auton continued with his roles of
Vice Chairman, Village School Representative, Newsletter and Website.
In June two residents of Hill Meadow complained about the used of the words ‘Council
Estate’ reference to the play area, in the Chairman’s 2005/6 report. It was agreed that the
term ‘Hill Meadow’ should be used in future. During the first half of the year two
councillors and the spouse of a third received in the post from persons anonymous, vicous
and vindictive hate mail. The police were informed. It is regrettable that such actions could
happen in a village like Coleshill where the councillors all work for the good of the village
with no personal gain or kudos.
In May correspondence was received from Ms Rosalind Pearce, a village resident, with
complaints regarding election of council officers, the mismanagement of the village pond
and the financial imprudence of the parish council. Following further correspondence, Ms
Pearce submitted a letter to the July meeting which she requested to be read out during the
democratic 15minutes. This was declined by the Chairman on time constraints and dealt
with under Correspondence. Ms Pearce subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the
Standards Board for England on the basis of the Chairman’s alleged breach of the Code of
Conduct in failing to address her concerns appropriately. The Board considered her
complaint and ruled that there was no case to answer on the basis that the Chairman has
substantial discretion over the conduct of local authority meetings and the right to curtail
speakers. The question of whether the Chairman had conducted a ‘character assassination’
attack on Ms Pearce was left open for lack of evidence.
The continued erosion of the road verges was a recurring theme at Parish meetings and the
manner in which to find a way forward in trying to solve this problem was considered.
Residents were advised not to take matters “into their own hands,” as had recently happened
in Magpie Lane. Road verges are the remit of the Bucks County Council and complaints
should be directed to them.
The July meeting was attended by 23 residents. The main topic of concern was the lack of
water in the village pond as a result of a very dry summer. Individual passions ran high,
with various conflicting views on the best way to deal with this matter. The nearly dry state
of the pond highlighted to the Council the need to undertake remedial action and potential
desilting/dredging. It was decided to undertake a long term 5/10years plan for the pond and
to commission a report from knowledgeable persons in this regard. It was agreed by all that
the village pond was an essential amenity of the village and needed to be preserved and well
maintained.
At the request of a resident, the Parish Council agreed that all future meetings from
November 2006 would now allow a half hour democratic discussion time instead of the
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In the earlier part of the year it was discovered that the Three Valleys direct debit and
consequently the water bill, the supply of which is used to top up the pond, had increased
appreciably. Further investigation discovered a faulty stop cock which had apparently been
leaking for some many months. Entreaties to the management of Three Valleys for
mitigation fell upon deaf ears and the episode cost the Parish Council akin to £1250. The
clerk apologised to the council for not noticing the increasing water costs at an earlier time.
In September 2006 the Chairman received a personal notification from the Thames Valley
Police concerning a potential case of harassment. A complaint had been lodged by Mr
David Atkinson, a village resident, against the Chairman resulting from extended
correspondence between the Chairman, himself and Cllr Jan Atkinson concerning parish
council matters.
In August 2006 Cllr Jan Atkinson lodged a formal complaint with the Standards Board for
England against the Chairman. The complaint was wide spread, comprehensive and alleged
breach of conduct ranging, inter alia, from unauthorised actions, threatening behaviour and
discrimination, bullying the clerk, conflicts of interest, spending too much time in South
Africa, and to sending her husband a fire extinguisher. The complaint was supported by in
excess of 100 pages of evidence. The Standards Board for England considered the matter
and ruled that they did not feel that a potential breech of the Code of Conduct had occurred.
There was no case to answer. Cllr Jan Atkinson resigned her position as Responsible
Finance Officer on 25th October 2006 and resigned her position on the Parish Council on
13th November 2006. Following Cllr Atkinson’s resignation this position on the council
remained vacant due to pending council elections in May 2007. Ms Jan Atkinson
subsequently appealed against the initial decision of the Standards Board for England and
her complaint was reconsidered. The Board again ruled that there was no case to answer and
the matter was formally closed.
During the year under review the Parish Council held six meetings; May, July, September,
November 2006 and January and March 2007. Susan Smith continued in the post of Clerk.
During the year she attended various courses designed for “Clerks” which will assist in the
Parish working towards a Quality Parish Council Award. During the year the average
councillor attendance at meetings was 81% with four out of the seven officers attending five
or more meetings. The Clerk attended all meetings.
Various residents in the village attended meetings. The lowest number of residents in
attendance was 4 and the highest 23. The average attendance was 10.33.
The Parish again entered the Best Kept Village competition but unfortunately did not have
the same success as in previous years, attaining ‘runner up’ status. However we did, again,
win the Leofwine Shield as the highest scoring village or town in the Chiltern area.
www.coleshill.org continues to make great strides in keeping the village up to date with
news and reports of the various organisations in the village. Councillor Frank Auton
diligently keeps the site up-to-date and active. If any of the village residents have any
historical photographs of the village or residents that they would like to be available to the
public and maintained on the website, the council would be very appreciative. Frank is also
responsible for the very comprehensive Village Newsletter. Thank you.
Unfortunately during the year we lost the weekly ‘village voice’ column, generated by
Lindsey Haubner, in a local paper. This had been a great source of village information in the
past and on behalf of the village I would like to extend a very big thank you for all the time
and effort over the years.
Speed Limits were introduced by the Bucks County Council to the village in January 2006.
Speeding continues to be a problem within the village and the Thames Valley Police appears
to have neither the resources nor inclination to enforce this on a regular basis.
During the year, and in response to various requests from villagers, verges were cleared,Easter
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Parish Annual Report contd.
hedges cut, and some tree pruning was undertaken, the ‘mushroom tree’ on the common
included. Coleshill Common Management Committee ably led by Chris Wege continued
their good and successful work on the common. The common is looking better and better
and the management committee deserve a hearty thank you. An Annual Report on the
maintenance of the common was submitted to the council by Chris Wege in June 2006.
The improvements at ‘play area’ - Hill Meadow have proved to be a popular benefit to the
village. ROSPA inspection of the playground took place during the year which required
minor remedial work.
Planning Applications submitted to the Chiltern D C which affected properties in Coleshill
were subject to review, and appropriate recommendations made where necessary. The
dumping at Brentford Grange Farm of a temporary deposit of waste material by Tesco was
resolved.
The Annual Return and Accounts which had been prepared by the Clerk, perused and
approved by the Council, had been successfully audited and submitted to the authorities.
The financial reporting schedule to the council meetings was ‘upgraded’ and a formal
budget approved for the forthcoming year.
All Saints’ School continues to go from strength to strength with strong demand for school
places.
The precept for the Parish was £4500 for the year. Following an expenditure review it was
agreed that the precept for 07/08 would need to be a minimum of £4500.
The Clerk has advised of the ever increasing amount of paperwork accumulating for the
CPC and I am very grateful to all councillors who utilise their own private computers and
resources to perform parish council tasks at their personal expense without reimbursement
from the parish council.
In May 2007 local council elections will be held. I am hopeful that all the existing
councillors will put themselves forward for re election and that other residents within the
village will come forward to stand for election. I am of the belief that elections are ‘healthy’
and that they bring forward a cross section of personnel which firmly represent the village
as a whole.
Peter Lawrence, a village resident, had asked the Parish Council to underwrite a project that
will see the history of Coleshill put into writing. The CPC has agreed to budget £1000.
During the year we were honoured to have Cllr Francis Robinson, the Bucks County
Councillor, attend our meetings. Many thanks to all councillors and the Clerk for their hard
work and unselfish efforts.
David Hall – Chairman. April 2007Easter
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Global Village - Pakistan
On our return from Australia alleged suicide bombers wrecked havoc on the
Marriott Hotel and Rawalpindi International Airport. For those that have visited,
the term International will bring a smile, but certainly movement in and around
the airport is very restricted. No longer can we park in the VIP area and leave
our vehicles unattended nor can I gain access to airside quite so easily. The
number of soldiers now camped at strategic points around the capital has
increased alarmingly and on our two hour walk to the top of the Margallas this
morning we passed new sentry positions (all young men holding weapons)
whilst fighter jets screamed over head.
So if life isn't difficult enough last week Gen Musharraff suspended the Chief
Justice of Pakistan, Ifitkhar Muhammed Chaudhry. The newspapers tell us that
the judiciary were getting a little too close to revealing some of the
Government's more outrageous behaviour, mostly involving the secret
intelligence agency. What has followed confirms a serious mis-judgement,
with two days of rioting to date. Policemen storming GEO TV, watched live by
us here in astonishment, has compounded the initial error and there is now talk
of declaring a state of emergency.
Of course all of this impacts on work. We have just commenced biometrics
enrolment for all Pakistani's wishing to visit the UK, so up to 1100 people a day
attending the High Commission to give their finger prints. Re-booking
appointments will be a nightmare if last Friday is going to be repeated - we
were forced to close at 10.30am when the security situation was deteriorating
rapidly. The Chief Justice is under house arrest but the lawyers and politicians,
party members et al demonstrate outside the Supreme Court on every occasion
that he is brought before a judge. The police and army appear to have no idea
about crowd control as tear gas is fired almost immediately a crowd of about 6
appear and both sides throw stones and objects at each other.
Two months of non-stop activity introducing new systems and processes for
biometrics, with the requirement to attend official functions at the end of a very
long day have taken their toll. I am told that I am looking awful so we have
decided another holiday is called for and are off to Muscat for a week's break.
Since this is another Islamic state in the Gulf who knows whether we shall have
much respite but at least time to sit and stare and read the odd book.
I have missed the Easter hymns this year, no Easter eggs of course, Mothering
Sunday is celebrated in June or July in Pakistan and most of my Birthday cards
arrived a week late - ah well living in Pakistan has certainly been a roller
coaster ride. We are planning our exit strategy already.
Alex & Derek Pond
FCO PakistanEaster
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Tennis Club
Summer is here, the sun is shining, the court lines have been, or shortly will be,
painted, the extension and extra facilities are well on the way to being
completed, thanks to Robin Ferguson, so there really is no excuse for not
playing!
Club play sessions continue to be well attended on Sunday mornings from 10.45
am and Thursday evenings from 6 pm. Junior coaching is on Sundays from 9
am and for the more able, 12 years and over, on Mondays from 5 pm – 6 pm.
Open coaching session is on Monday from 6 pm – 7 pm and team training from
7 pm ‘til dusk.
The Fun Day which took place on 22 nd April was a very popular day and fun
was had by all who participated. With thanks to Alan and Paul for their time and
expertise.
The One Day Fun Mixed Tournament took place on 20 th May under blue skies.
Because of the perfect weather the social side was as enjoyable as the tennis –
the children who accompanied their parents played tennis whilst we had our
barbeque lunch and drinks – it really was a family occasion. Fifteen players
took part each playing 4 short sets with a different partner, games were
accumulated throughout the day and the top four gentlemen players and top four
ladies went through to semi finals
and then finals. The eventual
winners were Gerry and Susie
Gajadharsingh,
with
Nigel
Wolfendale and Chris George the
runners-up.
The Village Open Tournament was
a great success and was won by
Alan Lowe and Kate Todd. Thanks
to Sharon Hall for organising the
courts to host the preliminary
rounds.
The ‘Generation Tournament” is
scheduled for 24 th June. This is
open to all Junior Members, 13
years and under, and any adult
members who could come along
and partner different juniors during
the day. Please talk to Susie
Gajadharsingh if you are able to
help. It will probably be run on a
similar format to the One Day Fun
Mixed Tournament – only the
Juniors can accumulate points.Easter
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Tennis Club
The final organised tournament of the year is the Junior Tournament on 15 th July.
Look out for e-mails and flyers on how to enter. Any help on the day with
umpiring, scoring, barbequing would be most appreciated. The contact for the
event is Susie Gajadharsingh.
The Coleshill Teams continue to have varied success in the League Matches.
The first team have once again been promoted in the Farnham Common Winter
League.
The Tennis Club Fundraising event this will be on Friday 28 th September in the
Village Hall. We have some fun ideas so watch this space for further details! All
members will be e-mailed details of the event nearer the time.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the tennis club then please
contact Susie Gajadharsingh at
Happy Tennis!
Susie Gajadharsingh
Club SecretaryEaster
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Neighbourhood Watch
Another winter has passed with no village accidents or burglaries during the
long dark months. Now we are approaching the opposite time, when windows
may be left open or items left out in the garden, which could be easily
accessible for passing thieves. There is another type to be aware of, The
Nottingham Knockers. Well, they could be Brighton Knockers as well. These
are the, so called, antique collectors who travel miles, to wealthy areas, in the
hope of buying items to sell back at home. Most of us are now aware of them
and do not let them into our homes but a new approach caught one villager out
recently. A man knocked and said he had just come from Mrs........, also in the
village, who had suggested he call on our villager. This
made him sound more viable and so he was asked in.
Having been told that there was nothing there for sale, he
asked what was in one of the rooms and, although he was
told that there was nothing, he still pushed past and tried
to have a good look round. Fortunately, the man of the
house was there and he was ejected but it shows how
pushy these people can turn out to be, even if they appear
pleasant to start with. The police seem to think that, after
'doing' an area, they move on or return home, so there
shouldn't be a follow-up visit but it is very unnerving, especially for our older
residents. Please let us know if you have someone call on you and we will send
a warning round on our email system and notify the police as we do not want
any of our other golden oldies upset.
On a completely different note, I was talking to another older resident
recently about how it is a shame that so many electronic gates have to be
fitted nowadays, in the fight for family security. He informed me that he
had gates across his property because, in days gone by, cows used to be
walked from the farm where Cherry Tree Farm now stands, through the village,
to Windmill Farm, where they were milked. There were a few occasions when
they tromped across his front lawn and gates were erected to protect his
family from them! I also remember Louie Edwards telling me what a problem
it was to keep the cows out of the village pond on hot days when they just
wanted to wallow. There - for those of you who have kindly said that they miss
my column in the local paper, there's a bit of chat to keep you going!
Jack and Lindsey Haubner
722589Easter
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Parish Council
Coleshill Parish Council welcomed two new members, David Smith and Colin
Lambert, who were elected following the Council Elections on the 3 rd May
2007. They both attended their first meeting as Councilors on the 10 th May
2007, where Cllr David Hall was elected to the position of Chairman of the
Parish Council, a post he has filled admirably for the last few years.
Buckinghamshire County Council, Chiltern District Council and Thames
Valley Police have recently started emailing me, as the Clerk to Coleshill
Parish Council, news releases concerning a multitude of things. Whilst some
are of interest to us as residents of Coleshill, example, road works, burglaries,
forthcoming events in the locale, some of the emails definitely do not concern
us, but it is a wonderful informative way of getting warnings and news around
the area. I have a list of email addresses of villagers who I pass these emails
onto already, if you would like to be added onto the list please email me at
name to the mailing list.
Coleshill have again entered the competition for “The Best Kept Village” and
at the time of writing this piece for the newsletter I do not know if the judging
has taken place and what the outcome will be. Let us hope we are successful in
winning the Morris Cup again.
The dates for the forthcoming Parish Council meetings are as follows, 10 th July
2007,11 th September 2007, 15 th November 2007, 10 th January 2008 and 11 th
March 2008.
Please do remember that they now start at 8.00pm prompt. Members of the
public are always welcome and you can have your say during the democratic
half hour but unfortunately, even though it is very tempting, only Parish
Councilors can speak during the Council meeting. If an item is raised during
the democratic period that needs discussion or investigation by the Parish
Council, then the item will be put on the agenda for the next Parish Council
meeting where it will be deliberated by the Councilors.
We look forward to seeing you at the Council meetings.
Susan Smith
ClerkEaster
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Coleshill Infants School
Our annual St. George’s Day parade went ahead successfully again this year. St.
George’s flags were enthusiastically waved and our dragon survived the walk
around the village. Thank you to everyone who waved back at us as we went
along! On our return to school, the children enjoyed delicious St. George’s Day
cakes, supplied by our kind Mums.
A local author, Heather Butler visited the school early in the term to lead a
writing workshop. Her enthusiasm and enjoyment of literature was truly
motivating and the children were inspired to write some very exciting stories.
Our Working Party day was well attended and many parents gave up their
Saturday to help clear the garden and sheds. Also, following a recent health and
safety inspection, our greenhouse glass had to be removed and replaced by
safer Perspex. The children have all grown potato plants this term and expect a
bumper crop after all the lovely weather we have been enjoying.
The May Fayre was a great success and we were very lucky with the weather.
Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations to all our raffle prize
winners. A total of £1,800 was raised at the event, so well done to everyone.
The whole school visited the Wycombe Swan Theatre in May to see ‘The
Gruffalo’s Child’, which everyone enjoyed. The children were inspired to write
about the event the next day at school.
Our summer production this year is ‘The Rainboat’, a musical about Noah and
his ark. We would love to have an audience at our dress rehearsal on Monday,
July 9 th at 11.00 a.m. Do please come along if you are free that morning.
The end of term leavers’ service takes place at All Saints' Church on Thursday,
July 26th st , at 11.00 a.m. to which our friends in the village are also warmly
invited. Thank you to everyone in the village who has supported the school this
year.
Jenny Earp
HeadteacherEaster
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Tower Road Closure
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
(T O W E R R O A D , C O L E S H I L L )
(TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF THROUGH TRAFFIC) ORDER,
2007
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has made an Order, which will
temporarily prohibit any vehicle from proceeding, except for access, in that
length of Tower Road, Coleshill, which commences at its junction with A355
and continues for a distance of approximately 320 metres.
The alternative route for vehicles of affected by the closure will be via New
Road, A404, Whielden Lane, A355 Gore Hill and A413.
The closure is required whilst gas main works take place and it is anticipated
that the works will commence on 9th July 2007 and will take approximately 3
weeks to complete.
The Order will come into operation on 9th July 2007 when the appropriate signs
are lawfully displayed and will continue in force for a period of 18 months or
until the works are completed, whichever is the earlier.
Penalties for not observing these restrictions will be as prescribed by the Road
Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Road Traffic Act 1991.
Future Editions
We now publish four editions of the newsletter - Easter, Summer, Christmas
and Christmas. I would welcome contributions from anyone in the village
about anything they think would be of general interest to the residents of
Coleshill.
If you would like to submit an article, either e-mail or drop it in. I can work
with anything from word processed documents to hand written entries. Photos
are especially welcome and I can work in any format from digital to Polaroids!
The Newsletter is in black & white but I can convert colour pictures very
easily.
The deadline dates for future editions are as follows
EDITION DEADLINE
Autumn 2007 Friday 31st August
Christmas 2007 Friday 9th NovemberEaster
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The All Saints’ Charity, supporting the Rosanna
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On February 1st and 2nd 2008 *
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at 2pm. Please come with a short piece to read ;
or sing. We will also need people to help with
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A { { { A { A {Easter
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Horticultural Society
The season ended with yet another well
supported Village Show, and began this
year with an excellent presentation from
our good friend Timothy Walker, who
entertained a very good turnout with a
talk on ‘ All year round colour’ taking us
to all four corners of the globe.
We now look forward to the Village
Show, which will be held on Saturday 1 st
September 2007 and we are very pleased
to announce that Denis Hall will open the Show. With the
continued support from the village as a whole, we know that the Show will
continue to grow and be the focal point for the coming together of all age
groups. So please tend those tomato plants, practice baking those cookies, tend
those flowers and make tasty chutneys - yours could be the winner. You can
visit the Show after the judging has taken place to view all the entries and whilst
there why not treat yourselves to afternoon tea and delicious cake served in the
small hall.
The full show schedule will be distributed to all villagers, and we hope that
everyone will try their hand at something.
Having done a sterling job as Chairperson, Heather Auton stood down but
remains as a committee member and the role will be jointly managed by Susan
& David Smith, a full list of committee members are listed on the show
schedule, so if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to ask.
We look forward to seeing you all, along with all of your Horticultural, Craft,
Photographic, Artistic, Culinary & Just plain daft contributions at the Village
Show on Saturday 1 st September. Good Luck!
Susan & David Smith
ChairpersonsEaster
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Coleshill W.I.
If the talk at W.I. is of summer lunches and garden tea parties, not to mention
outings, then it must be time for me to write my bit for the Village Newsletter!
I missed the April meeting as I had a date with a kimono in Japan, which has to
be my new W.I. talk!, but the others heard all about the Time Team at Chenies
Manor. May always brings the chance to discuss and vote on the resolution for
the national A.G.M. which was on preventing the closure of Community
Hospitals this year. In the past there have been two or three resolutions but it has
been decided to concentrate the efforts in future, especially as these matters tend
to require follow up for several years.
This month we have a speaker on Handmade Flowers from Japanese Silk which
promises to be fascinating. For a long time we have had smaller groups who
meet to discuss books or poetry, or to create patchwork, and we have just started
a Film Group so that members can go to view a film together and then discuss it
afterwards. This is proving very popular with a varied and interesting choice of
films.
We are part of the Chesswoods Group, where seven W.I.s get together twice a
year for a bigger meeting and also for a Summer Party, which this year is hosted
by Little Chalfont Afternoon W.I. and will be a lunch in Coleshill Village Hall.
I’m sure it will be as popular as ever with almost 100 members attending. The
Autumn meeting will be at Little Kingshill and the speaker will be Gabriela
Leonowicz on the subject ‘Convent to Convicts’.
Future plans for our own W.I. include a trip to Stoney Stratford where their W.I.
are going to give us lunch and take us on a guided tour and, on a different
occasion, an outing to the Mill at Sonning. Plus, of course, a party in Pat
Emblow’s beautiful garden with the best tea ever! Several members are off to a
Literary Lunch in Cheddington to meet Sandra Howard and listen to her
experiences as a writer.
With everything on offer from small interest groups locally to 10,000 women at
the Albert Hall, surely the W.I. has something to please most people! Coleshill
W.I. is a very friendly and caring Institute and anyone can come along to our
meetings on the second Thursday of the month in the Village Hall at 2:30 pm.
Visitors are always welcome and there is no obligation to join straightaway,
though many do!
Eileen Gershon
You can find out more about Coleshill WI by going direct to our web page
on the Village website at www.coleshill.org/the_wi.htmEaster
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Diary Dates
Saturday 16 th June 2007
Sunday 24 th June 2007
Tuesday 3 rd July 2007
Sunday 8 th July 2007
Monday 9 th July 2007
Monday 9 th July 2007
Tuesday 10 th July 2007
Friday 13 th July 2007
Sunday 15 th July 2007
Sunday 15 th July 2007
Thursday, 26 th July 2007
Friday 31 st August 2007
Saturday 1 st September 2007
Sunday 9 th September 2007
Tuesday 11 th September 2007
Tuesday 18 th September 2007
Friday 28 th September 2007
Tuesday 16 th October 2007
Friday 9 th November 2007
Tuesday 13 th November 2007
Thursday 15 th November 2007
Tuesday 11 th December 2007
Thursday 10 th January 2008
Friday 1 st February 2008
Saturday 2 nd February 2008
Cricket Club Band Night
Tennis Club Adult + Junior Tournament
Coleshill History Project - Evening Class
Wedding Vows Renewal
Village School Show
Tower Road closed for repairs
Parish Council Meeting
Coleshill Mobile Library Starts
Tennis Club Junior Tournament
Parish Picnic - Cricket Ground
Village School - End of term Service
Newsletter Deadline for Autumn Edition
Village Show
Pantomime - Auditions
Parish Council Meeting
Coleshill History Project - Evening Class
Tennis Club Fundraising Event
Coleshill History Project - Evening Class
Newsletter Deadline for Christmas Edition
Coleshill History Project - Evening Class
Parish Council Meeting
Coleshill History Project - Evening Class
Parish Council Meeting
Pantomime - All Saints’ Charity
Pantomime - All Saints’ Charity
Services in the Parish
St Mary’s 8.00 am Holy Communion
All Saints’ 9.00 am Holy Communion
St Mary’s 10.15 am Holy Communion
St Mary’s 11.45 am Matins
All Saints’ 6.00 pm Evensong
(1 st Sunday of every month)
St Mary’s 6.00 pm Evensong
(except 1 st Sunday of month)Easter
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Contact Numbers
Reverend Tim Harper - Rector
Dorothy Potter - Parish Secretary
Dumpy Swerling - All Saints' Pro-Warden
Helen Spencer - All Saints' Pro-Warden
Dick Ware - Parish Treasurer
Chris Wege - Hon Secretary All Saints'
Catherine Green - Church Flowers
Ruth Murphy - Organist & Choirmaster All Saints'
Frank & Heather Auton - Newsletter
Susan Smith - Clerk to the Parish Council
Ann Lawrence - Village Hall Bookings
Marianne Holt - Magpie Club & Parish Youth Worker
Jenny Earp - Head teacher Village School
Jack & Lindsey Haubner - Neighbourhood Watch
Lindsey Haubner - President Coleshill W.I.
Amanda McCallum - Iain Rennie Hospice at Home
David & Susan Smith - Coleshill Horticultural Society
Susie Gajadharsingh - Secretary Coleshill Tennis Club
Chris Bruin - Secretary Coleshill Cricket Club
John Holland - Coleshill Short Mat Bowls
John & Chris Ullman - The Red Lion
Chris Wege - Common Management Committee
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Parish Councillors
David Hall Chairman of Parish Council 725231
Frank Auton Vice-Chairman of Council 431036
Peter Clackett Member of Parish Council 433044
Kim Richardson Member of Parish Council 434304
Dick Ware Member of Parish Council 722486
David Smith Member of Parish Council 724490
Colin Lambert Member of Parish Council 722314
