Life in Buckingham October 2020 issue

Oct/Nov 2020 FREE inbusinessmags.co.uk

BUCKINGHAM IN BUSINESS

Life in

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

BUCKINGHAM vegan ...........

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Fully Fully qualified qualified 25 25 years years experience experience No No job job too too small small

Fully Fully insured insured Local Local tradesman tradesman All All building building work work undertaken undertaken

•• Brickwork Brickwork •• Stonework Stonework •• Garage Garage Conversions Conversions •• Kitchens Kitchens •• Bathrooms Bathrooms •• Tiling Tiling •• Patios Patios •• Landscaping Landscaping •• Fencing Fencing •• Roofing Roofing etc etc For For your your free free no no obligation obligation quotation quotation call: call: 01280 01280 423847 423847 or or 07701073720 07701073720 www.homefixbms.webeden.co.uk e: homefixbuilders@googlemail.com www.homefixbms.webeden.co.uk e: homefixbuilders@googlemail.com

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Welcome...

OCTOBER 2020 ISSUE A very warm welcome to this month’s Autumnal issue!

With the evenings drawing in and a definite nip in the air, October’s all about enjoying country walks through crunchy fallen leaves, collecting conkers and making treats ready for Halloween.

Whether it’s a chimney needing sweeping or new windows to keep out winter draughts, there’s an array of experts within these pages, who can help you stay cosy.

Until next time……..

Mandy Mills x

The aim of the monthly Life in Buckingham Magazine is to support businesses in order that the local community can flourish.

Next issue NOVEMBER Copy Date 15th October Office: 07899 75 74 73

Email: inbusinessmags@gmail.com Events Email: lifeinbuckingham@gmail.com Website: www.inbusinessmags.co.uk

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Need help with your PC? Free callout & diagnosis

Fully qualified, locally based business is here to help with all your home & small business PC requirements, however trivial or complex they may be.

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Just some of our clients' thoughts on our services below- read more at www.pc-help-4u.co.uk/testimonials “Many thanks for a swift rebuild on our pc we are very satisfied with the service from you, our pc is like new we would highly recommend your company to any user with a problematic PC.” - Maureen Szirbik, Buckingham “Our desktop computer went into terminal decline with a failed hard drive. We called PChelp4U who diagnosed the problem and supplied a new desktop complete with the data they had managed to recover from the old hard drive.

This was done within a few days and works perfectly. We have no hesitation in recommending PChelp4U who were helpful, courteous, and very efficient.” - John & Sue Whetter, Buckingham “I have no interest in technology and have no wish to understand it. I know I need to have it and use it in the modern world. PChelp4U came in, took away my old laptop, saved all my files, recommended a new laptop, transferred all my files but without all the bugs and problems I had been experiencing. They gave me training to use a new system. They take the stress out of it all. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They are very, very good at what they do and I would never use anyone else. 12 months later – everything works like a dream!" - Ruth Ash, Buckingham “My home office workstation has served me well over the past 5 years, and I had two choices, buy a new one and transfer the data, or give my PC a new lease of life. I decided to go for the latter (I have a fear transferring data and as a transport conversion engineer I have some very valuable work) and saw PChelp4U in the MK18 business services magazine and contacted them. Ben was my sole contact and provided a service, whereby he took away my machine and returned it three days later – absolutely first class. My laptop will be next I suspect. I have no reservations in recommending PChelp4U. Thank you.” - Brian Eldridge, Buckingham

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Cloudy2Clear, A Local Family Service With A Smile I think we can all agree that the sooner we see the back of 2020 and this dreadful Corona Virus the better. That said, there are also some heart warming positives that we can take out of this situation. It has often been said that we can only really get to know one another and realise what is truly important in times of crisis. I think few would argue that in this case what has proven to be important is local community spirit and family.

When talking to Trevor & Wendy Skidmore the owners of Cloudy2Clear Northampton & Oxford it became clear that these

values have been held for over 13 years. Since buying the local franchise in 2006 they have remained true to their core values of supporting the local community whilst introducing their 2 sons Lloyd & Ross into the family business along with Dan, Mark & Jo as demand for their service has grown.

using our service.

Unfortunately we might be going through something similar again soon and the public can rest assured that we will be there to help again”.

For a free quotation please call 0800 61 21 118 or visit cloudy2clear.co.uk.

All C2C employees operate a strict social distancing policy.

The Cloudy2Clear service is a money saving one that only requires the glass to be replaced and not the whole window once the unit has failed.

Wendy commented “we were able to assist our community through the last financial crisis in 2008 due to the savings that can be made when

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C h o o s i n g a Fa m i ly L aw ye r Few people consult a family lawyer before they need to do so and, for that reason, the process of choosing one to support and represent you at a difficult and stressful time can feel rather rushed.

Many of our clients come to us through recommendation from a family member, friend or work colleague, but a significant number will look for a family lawyer through local publications, organisations or the internet.

Divorce, separation and issues around children are often emotional, complex and can take time to resolve. This is why it is vital to choose a solicitor that you feel will provide you with the best level of service and support and one who understands your situation.

When choosing a family lawyer, we would recommend looking for one who can demonstrate experience and expertise of your specific circumstances, provide a clear indication of the likely costs involved in your matter, and be relied upon to communicate well and give regular updates on the progress of your case.

Spratt Endicott Solicitors offer clients a fixed fee initial meeting at ÂŁ95 (including VAT) at any of our four offices in Banbury, Brackley, Bicester or Buckingham.

For more information please contact Madeleine Harrington on 01869 222310 or email mharrington@se-law.co.uk

Email: inbusinessmags@gmail.com

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Age UK Bucks services and support We help older people throughout the county of Buckinghamshire to live independently * Informaon and Advice * Welfare benefits home visits * Befriending * Help-in-the-Home

* Garden Maintenance * Handyperson * Computer Training * Toenail Cung Service * Hairdressing at Home

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Award winning outstanding care agency now taking on clients within Buckingham area

Care advice 01280 703204 10

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Dentistry as it should be Services available at the practice include General and preventative dentistry, chiropody, osteopathy and beauty spa

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PLUMBING & HEATING Over 30 years Experience

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TOTAL TA OTAL SPECT APSPECT LUMBING PLUMBING

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As the Summer Move On...

As the summer moves on so do our immediate gardening priorities, says Buckingham Garden Centre’s Chris Day. Autumn provides a wealth of late colour from the likes of Asters, Dahlias and Sedums and we can enjoy our trees as they begin to display their beautiful rich hues.

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ROUTINE The weather is the key to gardening in October, as it will determine how much work you need to do.

Some Octobers can be very mild, like an extension of summer (think 2013, 2015 and 2018), while others can be poor with cold and even have frosty nights. Keep a close watch on the daily weather forecast and protect tender plants if frost threatens. This can be done by putting cloches or horticultural fleece over tender vegetables, harvesting others, bringing in half-hardy and tender perennials and giving temporary cover to any established but vulnerable plants left in the ground. Container grown plants should be given first priority, as their roots are more vulnerable than those grown in the open soil.

Also keep a close eye on any newly germinated seedlings and beware of slugs. There is still time to sow some hardy annuals such as Cornflowers, Poached egg plant, Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist), annual Poppies and Larkspur which will flower earlier next year than those sown in spring. Californian Poppies don’t transplant well so sprinkle some seed into your borders now for stunning colour late next spring. By using a trowel simply draw a shallow drill and sow into this.

Germination normally takes between 10 and 14 days.

YOUR planters and baskets will soon need changing over from summer to winter plantings.

Replace the used compost with a multi-purpose compost and add bulbs to pots in layers starting with Tulips at the bottom followed by Daffodils and Narcissus (pictured the second layer added in the process) and then finally Crocus and Muscari (Grape Hyacinths) nearest the top. Leave at least 3in (7cm) at the top clear of bulbs enabling you to plant the top of the pot with a selection from winter-flowering Pansies, Violas, Hedera (Ivy), Ajuga, Creeping Jenny, Heuchera, Thymes and ornamental grasses such as Festuca, Stipa and Carex thus providing useful hardy foliage and colour. Do water regularly as autumnal winds can dry the compost out.

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MAKE YOUR OWN COMPOST If you haven’t already done so, start your compost going by purchasing a bin or follow Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don’s advice and build a partially enclosed area for a heap. In gardening terms it is vital to replace the goodness in soil after a hefty growing season.

Autumn is a good time to start as it produces masses of garden waste that when composted, will put invaluable organic richness back into the ground for next spring. Add a variety of different materials: spent vegetable and bedding plants, herbaceous leftovers, moss, cuttings and thatch from the lawn, annual weeds, hedge clippings (but not too woody), vacuum cleaner contents, kitchen peelings and tea bags are ideal ingredients.

However, never add diseased or pest-ridden material to your compost bin, or grass cuttings recently treated with a weed or moss killer. Turn the compost heap contents once a week.

FROST protect vulnerable tender plants such as Cannas, Fuchsias, Palms, Pelargoniums, Bananas and Dahlias as we go into autumn. We’ve already had some cold nights, so depending on what the plant is and how delicate it is, do make sure it can be suitably protected/ fleeced (pictured) or returned into warmer climes in the house or in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory. If you are simply bringing indoors, do watch for slugs, snails, earwigs and vine weevils – many of which can cause considerable problems once inside. Both Cannas and Dahlias will eventually be placed in store, so these plants must be gradually allowed to dry out so the roots/tubers can be stored successfully.

LAWNS Any lawns that were sown in September or early October can be expected to germinate and start showing green after around 10 to 14 days, provided that the ground has been kept moist.

Any stones that appear should be

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removed without delay. Once this is done and the new grass has grown to about 2-3cm (1 inch) high, it can be given a light rolling to settle the surface so that grass seedlings are bedded-in. Do not do any heavy rolling, especially when the soil is wet, as this will cause compaction. Most of the weeds appearing at this time of year will be annuals and are usually killed after a few mowings. For established lawns apply Miracle-Gro EverGreen Autumn Lawn Care to help stimulate strong root growth as this will help the lawn cope with harsh winter weather. It will also control moss. Look out for our special offers on EverGreen Autumn Lawn Care (100 m2 for £8.99 or 400m2 for £19.99 each or 2 for £36.)

RICH PICKINGS The soft fruit season is

drawing to a close now. Keep picking the remaining fruits as they

become ready. If the weather is changeable, try to gather them when it’s dry. Wet fruits are always more likely to rot or go mouldy. Autumn Raspberries and perpetual Strawberries should now be fruiting in abundance. They can be kept going longer by covering the Strawberries with cloches or tunnels, and Raspberries with polythene sheeting at night, and during cold or wet days. Any remaining summer fruiting Raspberries, Blackberries or hybrid cane fruits that have finished fruiting, but still haven’t been pruned and trained, should be pruned now without delay.

Apples, Pears, Plums and Figs will need picking frequently and regularly so that they are not spoilt by the cooling weather. The greatest danger for tree fruits is autumn gales that can easily knock fruit to the ground, thus bruising it and rendering it unsuitable for storage, so pick as much as you can if a gale is forecast.

TIMING Continue deadheading roses, perennial s and bedding plants to help extend the display and to encourage further blooms. Weed through

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Vincent Landscapes of Buckingham est 1990

www.vincent-landscapes.co.uk For a free no obligation quote call or email Darren on 07918 193315 or 01280 817944 vincent-landscapes@hotmail.co.uk

To advertise at a price that’s right for you call 07899 757473

shrub and perennial beds and spot treat perennial weeds with Roundup Weedkiller. Be careful not to get weedkiller on the leaves of the plants you want to keep. Most weed killers work best in reasonable temperatures when the plants are still in good active growth. October is the last chance for planting out Japanese onion sets. These are hardy, short-daylight onions so will bulb up about a month earlier next year than the normal onions but they don’t store as well, so also plant normal onion sets from January onwards, planting just enough Japanese onions to last until normal sets crop. Elsewhere on the veggie plot, keeping weeds in check within the established crops is a must – keep the hoe going!

Find us at yell.com

ENJOY TEA FOR TWO

Go on and spoil yourself this October with a delicious Afternoon Tea in our Restaurant. Please call 01280 827907 to book a reservation for Afternoon Tea available from 2pm daily. Our standard Afternoon Tea for Two is £29.95, but you can upgrade for £5 per person to enjoy a glass of Prosecco.

WIN A Buckingham Garden Centre Voucher worth £25! Tel: 01280 822133

We’ve two garden vouchers up for grabs which you can use in the Plants Department, Restaurant or in the Shop!

To enter, simply answer the following question; What is the name of the new range of glass reed diffusers we are now selling in our gift area?

A: Amelia Art Glass B: Surf Art Glass C: Siddy Langley Art Glass Pop your answer A, B or C together with your name and address to: competition@buckingham-nurseries.co.uk or by post to: Buckingham Garden Centre, Tingewick Road, Buckingham, MK18 4AE.

www.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk www.facebook.com/BuckinghamNurseries Open 7 Days a Week.

The closing date for entries is 31st Octboer 2020.

Email: inbusinessmags@gmail.com

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Maxwell Swim Club...

It’s been a really tough year for all and we have been struggling. Once lockdown started we stopped training.

It was heart breaking for the swimmers as we had one girl due to go to Olympic trials, another who would have gone to British Nationals for the first time, and further swimmers for the home nation championships. It would have been our best year since the heady days of Craig Gibbons, our last Olympian.

Unfortunately it was not to be. Instead we went virtual.

Training was limited to Zoom classes, front rooms became gyms, resistance bands got connected to door frames and the kids and coaches did their bests.

We could not ask our members to pay full fees during this time, but a lot did.

As some of our expenditure is fixed, it was worrying times but we wanted to support our great coaching team as long as we could.

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Ultimately, though we had to fall back on the government furlough schemes as we needed ensure we had a club to come back to. The coaches continued to consider how we would return to the pool, while adhering to social distancing and other measures to protect the swimmers.

Plans were drawn up, checked and doubly checked and we prayed for the date we could swim again.

Eventually, We were allowed back in the pool at the start of August as leisure centres reopened. With social distancing in place and a need for the leisure centres to offer services to the public we were limited to how much we could train. Normally we could have sixty plus swimmers in the pool at one time but we were limited to thirty. The financial pressures were back. Our operating income does not cover our operaing expenses so we rely on sponsorship and fund raising to break even.

Our biggest source of fund raising is the galas we hold we are vital to our survival.

We currently, have had to cancel three out of the four planned for 2020 and do not expect to hold one until we’ll into next year.

The future isn’t clear. We have been given permission to increase the numbers in the pool and our parents have been extremely generous to date but we now enter a period of uncertainty.

Our long term survival prospects depend on returning to normality, but as rates of COVID start to rise again never more do we require society to act responsibly to help us return to normality.

Only normality will allow us to hold our galas, survive, return to competition and fulfill the dreams of our swimmers.

It’s going to be a hard slog, but the kids deserve the support we can give them.

They train so hard and have remained so committed, Maxwell is determined to do everything it can to stand by them.

If you would like to get involved in swimming with Maxwell Swim Club please go onto our website www.maxwellswimclub. org for more information

To advertise at a price that’s right for you call 07899 757473

Please send your free listing for events to lifeinbuckingham@gmail.com PEER SUPPORT GROUPS

Allotment (starting September) Walking Group (starting September) Activities Events our website is www.mentalhealthfriends.co.uk Email:- admin@mentalhealthfriends.co.uk Mobile:- 07840959349 This is the link to our closed Brackley Facebook Community group.

2am on Sunday 28th October, clocks go back an hour

https://www.facebook.comgroups/2278024829136675/ We also have a national chat and support group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2442714289123922/

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