CVRA Village Newsletter — Summer 2015

News and Views for Chartridge Residents

Volume 2. Issue 2 Summer 2015 email:newsletter@chartridge.org.uk

the unveiling of

At the This modest building, formerly the village smithy, together with the Playing Field was given to the residents of Chartridge Village in 1928 for the benefit of the children of the village.

The plaque is to be unveiled by

accompanied by members of the Franklin Family. at The Reading Rooms will be open from 2 pm for refreshments.

All Chartridge residents, neighbours and guests are warmly invited to attend.

The plaque has been provided by the Chartridge Village Residents’ Association, with kind support from the Parish Council and the

Chartridge

Reading Rooms Management Committee.

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CALENDAR O F E V E N T S Village Café-opens every Wednesday morning in the Reading Rooms from 8am The Book Group meets in The Bell on the last Monday of each month Meeting starts at 8 pm.

Afternoon

Butterfly World and Wild Flowers followed by afternoon tea at venue

June

30

July

11

Pond Party

Village Pond

Afternoon

19

Blue Plaque Unveiling

Reading Rooms

2pm for 3pm

Details of the unveiling on the Reading Rooms of the Blue Plaque o n the front page September

October

19

Race Night with food

The Bell

7.30pm

28

Theatre -Jersey Boys. (See below)

Waterside Theatre

7.30pm

3

Dog Show

12

CVRA Meeting

27 30 November

Decenber

12pm onwards

The Bell

8pm

Frogmore Paper Mill + Lunch Halloween

14

Bingo and Bangers and Mash

24

Hughenden Manor + Lunch

3

Franklin Fields

Morning The Bell

8pm

The Bell

7.30pm Morning

Waddesden Manor Christmas Mkt.

Morning

23

The Christmas Gathering

The Reading Rooms

6pm

26

The Village Cricket Match

The Franklin Field

11.30am

September 28. Theatre Trip. “Jersey Boys”.

WatersideTheatre.7.30pm.

Tickets available now, from Julia / Joanne To book - contact - social@chartridge.org.uk

October 3. Fun Day Dog Show Franklin Playing Field BBQ from 12 pm For Details contact Julia Cheesman - social@chartridge.org.uk

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Editorial Comment As we head towards our first AGM, a little over a year since the first meeting, it is gratifying to see how popular our organised activities have been and how we have got to know one another. Recent additions introduced in our evening meetings in The Bell have been of particular interest, commencing with a topical ‘Politicians’ Question Time’ just prior to the local elections, with candidates fielding questions from the villagers. The following meeting was an illustrated talk on ‘Buckinghamshire Spies and Subversives’.

Reports of these are in the next few pages and this new level of activities will be of interest to a wider section of the village community.

A range of forthcoming events include the Blue Plaque Ceremony, our donation to the School Science Class, the popular Pond Party and several social events. The very active Social Committee is appealing for additional help for the many events they are planning.

All comments, notices, and questions on any CVRA subject should be addressed to Karen, at <Secretary@chartridge.org. uk>

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT From Alan Booth - President. 3 Finally it‘s here! (and I’m not talking about the summer! Although that’s very welcome too :) No... I’ve just discovered that superfast internet has arrived in Chartridge. Who knew? There was certainly no fanfair.

Is it all a dream? I keep pinching myself and checking the screen of my shiney-new 4G phone. Yes, it’s true.

Since then, I’ve been madly using the Speedtest app in various parts of my house.

Some rooms in the house still only gave me 3G but most were now 4G and one, in particular, gave me 54Mbps download and 21.4Mbps upload!! That’s more than 12 times faster down, and 100 times faster up, than the best performance I’ve ever seen using my landline-based connection for the BT broadband service.

The 4G signal is coming from the EE mobile phone mast that is in the grounds of Chartridge Lodge conference centre.

We are now living in a connected ‘community’ — as the administrators of rural broadband funding like to call areas that have access to superfast internet — now if we can just persuade BT (which is in the process of buying EE) to upgrade our landline connections with its ˜fibre-to-cabinet” Infinity service...

The CV-RA is now one year old! Formed in June 2014, well we’ve come a long way in a short time, and have had many successes of which to be proud.

Looking ahead, we will be having our AGM in early-October [check the website for more information soon] and we would like to encourage any and all-comers to volunteer to offer their time, however large or small that may be, over the coming year, with running the events and services that we provide, even stepping up to the committee for the more enthusiastic among you. For any information, in confidence, please email me on president@chartridge.org.uk But just as importantly, for example, if you have two hours free, say once a month, to help with the Wednesday morning café, that support would be equally, gratefully accepted.

We are still new and we are quite small, and so to borrow a phrase, every little helps

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Question Time at the Bell CVRA Members Meeting Report by Martin Cheeseman

Local Residents flocked to The Bell on April 13th to hear local Chiltern District council candidates explain what was on each of their local election manifestos.

Chartridge Parish Councillors are as follows:Ellen Crawley-White, Juliet Davies, Chris Howell, Peter Jones, Alan Booth,

The event was organised by CVRA .

They faced a Question time panel Chaired

by Martin Cheeseman. Each candidate was given 2 minutes to give the audience an overview of their policies before the audience asked them a series of questions for the next hour.

There were some lively exchanges and it gave an opportunity for local Chartridge issues to be raised and, as one of the candidates said, “I’ve been to a lot of Hustings in my time but it’s the first one that I’ve known being held in a pub”.

Hopefully,for those who did attend,they left better informed about the views of the local candidates. It is an event which we would be happy to repeat for the next local election or even for the Referendum on Europe?

Footnote: For those of you who may have missed it, Peter Jones (Lib Dem) was re-elected as the local councillor for the Ballinger, South Heath and Chartridge ward. The Conservatives retained overall control of Chiltern District Council (35 Conservative, 3 Liberal Democrats, 2 Independent).

Martin Cheesman listening to the UKIP candidate.

The Tory candidate explains as Peter Jones (Lib.Dem) listens

Peter Jones in appealing mode.

5

Intrigue and Intelligence in the County After 31 years of Government Service, and now prolific, writer and brilliant speaker, Denise Beddows entertained an appreciative audience at The Bell on 8th June.

Speaking to the CVRA meeting about her book, “Buckinghamshire Spies and Subversives”, written under her pen name D.J.Kelly, Denise gave a PowerPoint Presentation of slides that included images of James Jesus Angleton, first head of the CIA and suffragette activist Hugh Franklin.

Brief stories ranging from The Denton Editions of 1585 and the 1605 Gunpowder We were told also of Doctors, Actresses and Plot, through The Colonial Spy Ring, she Writers, all of whom worked in spying and gave us a glimpse of some of the many and had a link to Bucks. varied events and people of the County.

Spies were ‘deported’ to Bucks; women spies held in Aylesbury Gaol.

Denise Beddows is a member of the Chartridge Book Club.

6

Interview with Elvire, owner and manager of The Bell, Chartridge

Jackie Claridge Interviews

Having cancelled the job in Japan and after a stint at the Grosvenor Hotel, London, she I caught up with Elvire at the pub and was returned to the King’s Head, and the rest, as she interested to know more about her, where she’s said, is history… from originally, what brought her to Chartridge Phil and Elvire moved to Guernsey for three and some more about The Bell . years where she was restaurant manager in a Elvire comes from the Lorraine large hotel and in 2003 they region, in the east of France bought The Bell in Chartridge. (the home of the classic Quiche!)

Elvire said she doesn’t really Although she’s been living and working in the U.K. for twentytwo years, she originally only intended to come to England for a couple of months to improve her English before heading off to a job in Japan!

Leaving behind her job as trainee supervisor in a large hotel in Monte Carlo, she came to work at the King’s Head in Ivinghoe. There she was to meet her future husband Phil who worked under the head chef.

miss much about life in France (apart from her family and friends) as she hasn’t lived there for such a long time, so she really feels at home here.

I asked her what the most popular dishes are at the pub and she said Phil’s homecooked food is always popular – for example, his home-cooked ham or fish and chips, but he of course also turns his hand to more complex dishes and it is this versatility which makes the food so special.

Our Award to the School Honours Dr.Rosalind Franklin

She was also instrumental in the research of the Polio Virus and of the structure of carbon.

Sadly, Rosalind died at an early age, denying her the Nobel Prize that her contemporaries received.

GE ID TR

RESIDENT LAGE S’ A VIL S

IA

Dr Rosalind Franklin Science Award 1920 - 1958

Chemist and Crystallographer Pioneer into the study of DNA and structure of the Polio Virus Ch

Rosalind Franklin was perhaps the most famous female scientist of the 20th Century. Her outstanding abilities as a crystallographer led to the key x-ray image that provided the basis for Crick and Watson’s famous cracking of the

SO C

The

ON TI

A certificate to mark the award will go to the pupil chosen by the Head Teacher, Mr.Butler, from the Science Class. Rosalind’s cousin, Norman Franklin, a frequent visitor and well known to many in the village, will also make an endowment to the science class.

structure of DNA.

CH AR

Your Committee is pleased to announce the donation on your behalf of the ‘Dr Rosalind Franklin Science Award’ to Chartridge Combined School. The Award, which is perpetual, is to honour the memory of the Scientist who spent many happy holidays in the village home of her Grandparents when she was a small child.

artrid

ol ge Combined Scho

An impression of the Award Which is under construction As we go to print

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Cream Teas & Friendly Conversation The first Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; afternoon Cream Tea got off to a slow start after a dismally wet morning but attendance soon picked up with some two dozen members enjoying the atmosphere as the weather outside improved for the start at two oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock.

Fresh flowers on the cloth-covered small tables; Union Jack bunting

decorating the walls, the setting was great. Excellent fruity home-made scones, jam, clotted cream and pots of tea, together with friendly chatter, combined to create an ambience of conviviality.

Thanks go to the small handful of members who combined to organise this, the first of what is hoped will be an annual event.

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Local and Other Services Berkeley Stores Ltd. Berkeley Avenue. Chesham Open: Monday - Friday: 6 am to 9 pm Saturday: 6 am to 8 pm. Sunday: 6 am to 5 pm Tele No. 01494 783469

Native French University graduate gives French tuition any level, Children or adults.

Reasonable fees.

Call Elvire : 01494 782878.

The Bucks Ki Aikido Club: Classes every Thursday at Chartridge Reading Rooms (Village Hall).

Children: 5 to 12 yrs. 6-7 pm..

Adults: 7-9 pm. email steve@margolisweb.co.uk or call 07813 108644 Unique dog-friendly self-catering holidays. Grade 2* listed Cottage in Veryan, Roseland, Cornwall.

See: www.roundhousecornwall.co.uk. Phone: 01494 774290

Martin The Milkman. Door step delivery of fresh milk, dairy produce, bread, eggs, fruit juices & more.

Call: 01442 833944

Have you visited the Chartridge Residents’ Association Cafe?

Open Wednesday mornings from 8 o’clock

Amersham Fabrics. Textile Printing & Embroidery, The Maltings, School Lane, Amersham Old Town. www.amershamfabrics.com e-mail:stephen@amershamfabrics.com

Please Support your Local Businesses

Sponsors/Partners

Don’t Miss The POND PARTY July 11th.

Afternoon.

Lookout for the posters and flyers.