Author Archives: Gary
Results of Best Kept Village
Best Kept Village – judges’ comments
Best Kept Village Competition 2018, Gurney Cup
Judges’ comments
VILLAGE/TOWN: Cublington
The church graveyard is very well maintained – including some of the old, unremembered graves – and is in keeping with the nearby conservation area. The Unicorn pub over the road looked attractive with its flower baskets.
The cricket field was in excellent condition and an asset to community life; the area close to the green shed could have been tidier. The children’s playground could not be faulted. There is perhaps scope for creating a managed wildlife area on the slope behind the cricket pavilion.
The Village Hall looked in good condition and its surroundings neat and litter free. We liked the imaginative ‘Cublington Nursery’ notice and the village sign. The notice board gave details of local events but we didn’t see a ‘Best Kept Village’ notice. The other notice board, in Bell Close, appeared to have been the subject of vandalism since there was nothing on it but a few scraps of torn paper. Had we arrived on an unfortunate day?
The hedge on the north side of the High Street leading to the crossroads was overgrown at the time of our visit, limiting safe use of the narrow footpath. This needs attention as the path is presumably used by schoolchildren.
The pond at the crossroads would benefit from sensitive planting along its edges, particularly where it faces the road. This would not only enhance its appearance but would make it safer, as it presents a potential hazard to careless walkers. (Incidentally, your map highlighted the wrong pond!)
Generally, the village presents a pleasant and attractive impression and shows good evidence of community effort.
In the event of a power cut – what to do
The electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can damage overhead power lines resulting in some customers losing their electricity supply. Where this happens UKPowerNetworks work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. They have organised for additional staff in their contact centre to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather, and they have called-up additional engineers to carry out repairs to overhead lines and poles as soon as the wind reduces to a speed at which it is safe to work.
You will be able to find regular updates on the website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and social media @UKPowerNetworks throughout this period.
Anyone experiencing a power cut should:
· Call 105 to report power cuts and damage to the electricity network, or 0800 3163 105 (from a corded phone or mobile phone if you have no power)
· Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest updates
· Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut and type in their postcode to view our live power cut map
· Tweet @ukpowernetworks to report a power cuts or to receive updates
UK Power Netwroks advise people to stay clear of power lines and report damaged power lines immediately by calling 105 free from both a landline or a mobile phone. If they see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public they should call 999.
Extra help for customers on our Priority Service Register is available during a power cut. Households with older or disabled people, those with children under five, or where someone uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity as well as other reasons can join the register.
You can find out more information about the Priority Service on the website: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.
If you would like to share information about preparing for the storm or the priority service register on social media you might like to use the following:
@UKPowerNetworks has extra staff on hand 24/7 to deal with the impact of #stormEleanor
Call 105 to report a powercut and visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut for the latest updates
Do you, or someone you know, need extra support during a power cut? @UKPowerNetworks provides free services to vulnerable customers. Visit ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority for more information #stormEleanor
Preparing for a power cut
Below is some additional advice:
Add 105 to the contacts on your mobile phone
Keep our Freephone 0800 3163 105 number handy
See www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercuts for useful videos and advice during a power cut.
• Locate a torch, check it’s working and make sure you have spare batteries. Take care if using candles.
• Charge up your mobile phone, and a rechargeable mobile ‘powerbank’ if you have one
• Use a phone with a cord if you have one, cordless phones don’t work in a power cut
• Keep fridges and freezers closed, with a blanket over as they will stay cold for many hours
• Switch off all your electrical equipment, except one light which will let you know when the power comes back on
• Remember the street lights may also be off so take care if you go out
• Dress in warm clothes
• Look out for vulnerable neighbours
Orchard Ground Association AGM
Notice is given of the AGM of the Orchard Ground Association
at The Biggs Pavilion 19.30 15th November 2017
Agenda
• Apologies
• Review of Previous Minutes
• Matters Arising
• Chairman’s Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Election of Committee for 2017/18
• AOB
• Date of Next Meeting
Visit to the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies
Members of the Book Club, plus a few husbands and friends, visited the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies in the bowels of County Hall, Aylesbury. All sorts of documents and records relating to Bucks are held there, the oldest dating back to the 13th century: maps, quarter session records, parish registers, title deeds as well as a local studies library. Next to the 5 strong rooms there are banks of computers for genealogical research as well as microfiche readers – the ancient along side the modern!
At our request the archivists had rooted out lots of information relating to Cublington; we were allowed to handle the church register of baptisms, marriages and burials from 1566 (no thick white gloves like on the telly!). The life events of “Dissenters”, ie not C of E, were inscribed at the back. There were school report books written in beautiful copperplate; the headmaster had recorded a child being sent home for having “filthy hands” and the school being closed on more than one occasion for blackberrying. A more recent marriage register ending in 1991 featured many familiar names and a printed leaflet reported on a meeting of the Friendly Society, held in the Unicorn over 200 years ago, but “no liquor”was to be requested in the course of the meeting!
The Centre is open to the public from Tuesday to Thursday and there is a open day on Saturday 25th November where several history groups will be getting together. For anyone with an interest in history or local studies, I’d thoroughly recommend a visit. We certainly enjoyed it.
Find out more at www.buckscc.gov.uk/archives
Chris Jones
RESTORING THE RECORD or “FINDING THE MISSING LINKS”
On 1st January 2026, it will no longer be possible to use historic map and documentary evidence to claim ‘lost ways’. Any path, track, alleyway, bridleway, cut-through etc. not registered on the Definitive Map – or submitted for registration – could well be in danger of being lost Even old and still well-used, but officially unrecorded, routes may be at risk.
What does this actually mean to those who walk, cycle or horse ride along our public foot-paths and bridleways? The basic message is stark – we take our access to the countryside for granted; we use routes for recreation and as a means of linking places together without thinking but, if we don’t check what we already have or what has been used in the past and that it is legally recorded, we could lose them forever. The ancient maxim on which many claimants have relied, in the past: “once a highway always a highway” will be history.
Simply put, a small strip of land between a highway and the start of a definitive path might be unregistered. After 2026, a landowner could put a gate or fence across it and restrict all entry to the public – quite legally – thus permanently hindering access to the countryside because we have assumed, but not checked, that the Definitive Map is up-to-date and accurate. It will not be just our generation which will suffer but those who follow after us and is that the legacy we wish to leave them? It is worth the risk?
. The ‘Restoring the Records’ project is two-pronged with something for everyone; volunteers are needed to check maps, walk paths to ensure the correct signs are in place, do research, interview local people about their memories and get new links approved – to list just a few activities and it is local knowledge that will be the key.
The plan is to recruit a volunteer [s] in every Buckinghamshire Parish and Town Council to spread the load and speed up the exercise – 10 years passes far quicker than you might think! No previous knowledge or training is needed; the Project Team is preparing a simple step-by-step guide which will answer most of the more common questions and will supply a map of your local area showing the rights of way.
If you are interested in becoming involved in this fascinating and very important treasure hunt, please contact Ross Osborn, the Project’s Volunteer Co-ordinator, on rossosborn41@gmail.com who will be happy to answer any questions and arrange for all necessary information and maps to be sent to you.
Cublington Tennis Trek
The Cublington Tennis Trek, held on October 2nd was heralded a great success as 24 players from the club, local area and guests from Halton and Princes Risborough took part in the third village Tennis Trek. (Previously held in 2004 and 2007)
This was a mixed round robin event played on four village courts – two at the Tennis Club, Orchard Ground, and on the delightful private garden courts in the village at the Old Stables and the Old Rectory. All players got to play on all courts, trekking round the village to compete in three of the 6 rounds of matches.
The four top placed male and females then played off in semi final sets before the winning team of Will Lightfoot (Cublington TC) and Gertruud Van Dijken (Princes Risborough TC) right claimed their prize against Jean Barnett and Peter Orchard.
A sumptuous rolling BBQ feast was available during the day and many guests and supporters enjoyed the tennis as well as the sunshine. More than £500 was raised towards the potential refurbishment of the courts to an “artificial turf ” surface, hopefully next Spring.
Organiser Gary says a further event is being planned for next year by kind permission of both the George and the Peck families.
Community Speed Watch
Community SpeedWatch is a traffic monitoring scheme coordinated by Thames Valley Police in partnership with local councils and other stakeholders, but managed and run by
neighbourhood policing teams and Community Volunteers.
How it works
• SpeedWatch can only operate in areas up to a 40 miles per hour speed limit. Community Volunteers work alongside Thames Valley Police officers to identify vehicles which break the speed limit.
• Registration numbers are entered onto a database which produces a letter informing the registered owner that their vehicle has been noted to have exceeded the speed limit and asking them not to do so in the future.
• If the same registration number is logged in another SpeedWatch anywhere within Thames Valley, the owner will receive another letter advising them that if they are caught a third time, the information will be passed onto Roads Policing, who may take further action.
Volunteers must be over 18 years old, and we need a minimum of six Community Volunteers to make this work. If you would like to be involved and reduce the speed of vehicles in the village please contact Mike Bush at 14 Whitchurch Road, or by e-mail on cublingtonpc.clerk@gmail.com
Nominations for volunteers required
Volunteers and communities make sport happen and without dedicated coaches, team managers, scorers and kit washers thousands of people wouldn’t feel the benefits of taking part in sport.
Here at Leap (The Sport and Activity Partnership for Bucks & MK) we think those people deserve a thank you. So we are appealing to you to help us identify the people and organisations who make sport happen in order that we can recognise and celebrate them.
We welcome nominations across 10 categories:
• Active Workplace of the year
• Club of the year
• Volunteer of the year
• Young Leader of the year
• Community Coach of the year
• Performance Coach of the year
• Project of the year
• Primary School of the year
• Secondary School of the year
• Unsung Hero of the year (The Terry Cook Award)
If you know of a person, group or organisation within your Parish who deserve to be recognised and celebrated then please nominate them. Nominations are open now, until 16th August. www.leapwithus.org.uk/sportawards
Shortlisted nominees from each category will be invited to the county Sport Awards presentation evening at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 18th November.
You can find out more about the awards and previous winners by visiting our website. www.leapwithus.org.uk/sportawards