Village News
From time to time news that is particular to the village or which is considered to be of importance to villagers will be posted on this page.
If you have such information that you consider should be included here please forward it to the editor@whitchurch.org
*********************************
Posted 8th June 2008
11 Villages Contest County Competition
A total of 11 Buckinghamshire villages are in line for prizes in the 2008 Calor Bucks Village of the Year competition, organised by Bucks Assotiation of Local Councils, and now wait in anticipation for judging which is due to take place in July.
The competition is sponsored by Calor - the UK's leading supplier of LPG (liquified petroleum gas). Competing villages are as follows -
Cheddington, Cuddington, Downley, Great Kingshill, Marsh Gibbon, Naphill & Walters Ash, Stewkley, Stokenchurch, Tingewick, Weston Turville, Whitchurch.
Competition chairman on behalf of the Bucks Association, Richard Pushman commented: "First indications are that we have some very strong contenders competing this year, so we're really looking forward to seeing how they fare in the judging process. Whether they go on to win prizes or not, they've all done very well and I would like to thank the communities for their hard work and commitment in putting together their entries."
The competition judges communities on six aspects of village life with categories of community life, environment, business, older people, young people and communications. The results will be revealed by the end of July and the awards event will take place on Tuesday 26th August at Judges Lodgings, Aylesbury.
£500 prize money is on offer to the winning villages with, in addition, later in 2008, one of the winning villages from Buckinghamshire will have the honour of being nominated to go forward and represent the county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year for England competition 2008/9. This will give that village the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of a prize fund totalling more than £40,000.
For more information regarding the county competition please contact the Bucks Association of Local Councils on 01296 383154 or balc@buckscc.gov.uk
***********************************
Posted 6th June 2008
Whitchurch Parish Council meeting
Monday 9th June 2008 at 8.00pm
Church Hall, White Horse Lane, Whitchurch
At the last Parish Council meeting several residents of Ashgrove Gardens and parents of school children highlighted their great concern about the traffic situation outside and around the school.
We have therefore arranged for this issue to be discussed in the Open Forum agenda item at the start of the meeting. Simon Blore (Headmaster), Dr Elphinstone (School Governor) and a representative from the Police have kindly agreed to attend and will be willing to answer questions and hear your comments.
So if you have any concerns then please come along to have your voices heard.
Extract from the Agenda:
Open Forum for Parishioners: residents can comment on any item of council business on the agenda and this will also include:
North Marston Lane/Ashgrove Gardens traffic problems around the school: The Headmaster Simon Blore, a School Governor and a representative from the Police will be attending the meeting to answer questions and hear comments.
**********************************
Posted 11 May 2008
The Annual Parish Meeting for Whitchurch
will be held on
Monday 12th May 2008
in The Church Hall,
commencing at 7.30pm.
This is an opportunity for all villagers to find out what has been happening in Whitchurch over the past year and will include the annual report from Andrew Pain, Chairman of Whitchurch Parish Council.
So if you are involved with a local organisation then please come along and update parishioners on your year!
*********************************
Posted 28 June 2007
From the Chairman, Whitchurch Parish Council
Housing Needs Survey
The Parish Council recently agreed to investigate the need for affordable housing in the village. We have consulted with Buckinghamshire Community Action (see article by BCA) and have accepted their recommendations for the conduct of such a survey.
The key points are as follows.
- Whitchurch may have a shortage of affordable housing in the village for local people.
- The Parish Council have requested assistance from the Rural Housing Enabler to establish whether there is a need in the parish.
- There will be a Housing Needs Survey conducted in July.
- It is important that we get the views of as many parishioners as we can.
- The survey form is delivered with the July issue of Whitchurch News.
- Please complete the form and return it in the reply paid envelope by 19th July at the latest.
- We need to hear your views whether you are for or against.
Whitchurch Parish Council wholeheartedly supports this survey. I write to stress the importance of this to Whitchurch and commend every household in the village to respond.
Andrew Pain, Chairman
640949
*********************************
Posted 2 May 2007
Do you require an affordable home and want to remain in Whitchurch?
The Parish Council has asked Buckinghamshire Community Action’s Rural Housing Enabler to conduct a Housing Needs Survey (HNS) in the village. The Parish Council believes local people have difficulty finding a home they can afford in Whitchurch, be it to rent or buy. High house prices have forced local people to move away from the area and there is very little affordable accommodation available in the village.
The HNS will establish whether there is a need for a small development of affordable housing in the village and whether there is support for the Parish Council to pursue the project. Rural affordable housing schemes are available for local people only who cannot afford to rent or buy on the open market, and the properties always remain affordable. If a need is established the houses would be developed and managed by Hastoe Housing Association, AVDC’s preferred partner for delivering rural schemes in the district.
Please take a few minutes to complete the housing needs form we need your views, be they for or against. The form will be hand delivered to every household in the parish, with the July issue of Whitchurch News. If you are in need of an affordable home in Whitchurch, please ensure that you complete section 2 of the survey, providing your name and address so you can be contacted at the appropriate time.
A freepost envelope will be provided with the survey.
For further information on affordable housing in rural areas of the Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern Districts, please see Buckinghamshire Community Action’s website: http://www.bucks-comm-action.org.uk/bca/housing/.
*********************************
*********************************
Whitchurch & Creslow Community Association
MAY FEAST FORUM
7:30-9:00 pm, Friday 8th December 2006Legion Hall, Whitchurch
WITH FREE CHRISTMAS WINE & MINCE PIES
The WCCA invites the people of Whitchurch to meet at the Legion Hall to informally discuss new directions for the next year’s May Feast. In festive spirit we are offering mulled wine and mince pies which, we hope, will lubricate the proceedings. Come along to shape the future with no obligation.
(For the unfamiliar, background to the May Feast is provided below.)
This forum will be combined with the AGM (see agenda below), which we hope will be dealt with very swiftly so we can get more socialising in. However, if you are interested, posts of Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary are up for grabs, with one nomination in for Chairman. Further nominations most welcome particularly from those with strong but unfulfilled opinions about community events.
For details see village notice boards or www.whitchurch.org
May Feast 2007
The Whitchurch May Feast, in its modern form, has been an annual feature on the village calendar since 1978. It is the one event of the year that enables local organisations and associations to raise money for their own groups and for the Community Association to finance the children’s visit to the local pantomime and the seniors’ Christmas lunch.
It allows local businesses and outside groups to promote themselves and to sell their goods. There is a children’s fancy dress parade and it has traditional dances such as the maypole dance and the Whitchurch Morris Men together with other bands and musical entertainment. Refreshments are sold by the Church and Women’s Institute throughout the day as well as a licensed bar. Above all it is a great village entertainment which attracts many visitors. Have a look at the Whitchurch Millennium Video/DVD to see past events.
This has all been possible because of those many villagers over the past 30 years who have given their time to help organise and promote the event.
*********************************
Whitchurch and Creslow Community Association
Invites You To
Annual General Meeting of the Association
And a Social Evening Including Mulled Wine & Mince Pies
Legion Hall on Thursday 7th December 2006 beginning at 19:30Agenda:
1 Welcome & Introduction
2 Apologies for absence
3 Minutes of the 2005 AGM
4 Matters arising and not covered elsewhere in the agenda
5 Chairman’s Report
6 Treasurer’s Report
7 Election of the Committee
8 Election of the Chairperson
9 Election of the Auditor
10 Forthcoming events - Pensioners’ Lunch
- May Feast - theme
11 Socialising
*********************************
Flooding in Market Hill on Sunday
Not for the first time this Summer the residents at the lower end of Market Hill had cause to fear the forecast of heavy rain over last weekend. Having experienced flood damage in July they received a double whammy last Sunday (1st October 2006). The torrential downpour in the early hours of the day was followed by a second cloudburst later in the day and it was apparent that the drains could not cope with the amount of water coming from the Oving Road, Buckingham Road and the High Street.
Once again there was further damage to some homes and residents are justly upset. They are actively seeking answers from Highways on Call to whom they raised their concerns about the drains weeks earlier.
To see photographs taken on Sunday click here
