CLUB CORNER

Wendover Evening WI

Although we haven’t been able to meet for our regular monthly meetings at St Anne’s Hall owing to the pandemic, the ladies of the Wendover Evening WI have remained very busy during this past year.

For those of us able to access Zoom we have continued our meetings remotely with a variety of speakers, discussions and quizzes. The committee have regularly organised teas in their gardens for small groups of six particularly when the weather was fine.

Our Christmas party was a particular highlight. During this recent lockdown each committee member has been ringing several ladies a month to make sure that we keep together as a community, especially for those without computers. This has been greatly appreciated.

Members who enjoy rambling have planned and led some excellent walks through the beautiful Chilterns countryside. They have catered for those who prefer short excursions on the flat to those who are more adventurous!

A small group of keen gardeners have been renovating and maintaining the garden by the twinning stone at Wendover Library and the stone planter outside Istanbul restaurant in the High Street.

In early December, the committee baked Christmas cakes, slices of which were packaged with chocolates and cards into festive bags for each member. These were duly delivered by Father Christmas and his two elves (our president, Sheila, her husband, Steve, and committee member, Val). Another bag is planned for Easter.

Our fiftieth anniversary is in June so a party with a golden theme is being organised for the summer. Hopefully, weather and lockdown rules permitting, we will be able to celebrate in style and enjoy a delicious tea outside on the grass.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 13 April at 7.30pm via Zoom. Featuring speaker Lacey Bonham, the topic is The Charity PACE. Interested in learning more about this local charity? Please contact Sheila on 07743 133963 for the meeting link.

Wendover Cricket Club

With a packed fixture list across all ages, Wendover Cricket Club’s junior section hopes to return to training at both grounds after Easter, although subject to final confirmation by the England Cricket Board. Similarly the senior teams will also start pre-season nets and the club is set to welcome all its players back for the new season.

One exciting development for 2021 is the introduction of a dedicated girls section as part of the ECB Dynamos programme (registration is via the ECB from 22 March). The club has always been open to boys and girls but there will now be girls only training on Sunday mornings for 8 to 11 year olds. In addition to players, the Club requires support from parents to assist and is asking those interested to contact them at wccjuniorscontact@ gmail.com.

All other junior/senior playing enquiries to Jonathan Seabrook jseabrook@talktalk.net or via the website www.pitchero.com/clubs/ wendovercricketclub.

Jonathan Seabrook

BBOWT College Lake Reserve Reopens

We shall start welcoming people again at 9.30am on Wednesday 14 April. Full facilities will build up over the first week as the staff and volunteer team gets into action so please check online at bbowt.org.uk before you come. All other local reserves continue to be open and free to use though please be careful how you park.

At Weston Turville Reservoir we are expecting a lot of community use again this summer so our team of BBOWT patrollers will be in action giving guidance to visitors and picking up litter. We could do with some extra help so please contact me on richardbirch60@yahoo.com if you'd like to join our local group of helpers. If we have enough people it means going round at the most twice a month from May till September. If you prefer to go once a month and would like some company we can arrange that too.

Limitations on events mean that we shall not have a Plant and Produce Market this spring but we shall schedule one for the autumn so please pot up some perennials for BBOWT as you do your gardening.

Richard Birch, BBOWT Chilterns Group

Wendover Bowls Club

I have had my grass cutting Rota sent to me so Spring must be on the way. I think I mentioned last Autumn that the local rooks had made rather a mess of the green looking for leatherjackets but our splendid green keeper assures me that it looks in good order now. He had heard of one club that had trouble with foxes digging holes in their green. My suggestion that they could leave them in place and play round them rather like bunkers on a golf course met with a cool response. Pity really, it might have been the start of a whole new game.

We also had another Zoom evening at the end of the month. Rather than just quizzes this time, members were invited to do their party pieces. More than forty folk joined in which is almost half of the membership. Apart from being very enjoyable it was great to see everyone again. Once again thanks go to Belinda and Peter Horn.

Let's hope that in my next report I will actually have some bowling to talk about. Keep safe everyone.....we are almost there.

Don Knight