Saturday SEE CENTRE PAGES FOR WAYS TO HELP AT THE FAYRE. 3 rd June. Sydenham FAYRE pm ~ 4.00pm

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1 SF Sydenham FAYRE SEE CENTRE PAGES FOR WAYS TO HELP AT THE FAYRE Saturday 3 rd June 12.30pm ~ 4.00pm

2 Editorial Welcome to this our latest Newsletter covering May and June I ve struggled to get it together this time because everyone appears to be so busy but I m pleased to say we have covered most of the usual activities. Firstly can I say how quickly things can change! In the last issue, Paula and Jerry were ensconced at the Inn and a week later their departure was announced. We thank them for their six years at the Inn at Emmington and their valued contribution and hospitality to the village, and wish them well on their travels. Equally we offer a very warm welcome to new publicans David and Sharon Maisey and family who have written their own update under Pub News which is far more interesting than I can put into words, but I do know that on some occasions the total Bar atmosphere has changed with a young family, daughter Alice, son Edward and a lovely but infrequently noisy young lady named Emmaline aged 4 years they all make a large contrast to Paula & Jerry, but are settling in well. David has quickly kept us up to date and has sent a report and pictures of the Vintage Cars (including our cover picture) which drove through the village there were over 100 of them and they looked magnificent - Great stuff Dave, well done and thank you. Of course Teresa May also took us by surprise in announcing the June 8 th election our then sitting Henley constituency MP John Howell s PA Angie Paterson wrote to the newsletter saying Good afternoon, this is just to let you know that there will not be a newsletter from John Howell this month. Parliament dissolves today at midnight and then until after the General Election there are no MPs. We will either be back in business in June or I will be unemployed. As we rapidly progress through the month, the next big event is the famous Sydenham Fayre, held on Saturday 3 rd June ~ 4pm. I ve had various requests to put a reminder in this newsletter for bottles for the Tombola stall from Janet, items of interest and beauty for Lynn and Madeleine s always wonderful jewellery stall, and cakes and scones contributions for Eleanor and Sue s Tea Rooms. I know we ve also had a flyer through the door from Lizzie requesting support from the Green fingered experts for a tray or two of plants and I m looking forward to the day and know that a massive amount of planning and organisation goes on behind the scenes to make it happen. Do please get involved; volunteer an hour here or there so that the organisers can enjoy the afternoon too. There is so much going on and Fayre Chairman Jason has covered what s on in his copy on our centre pages. Jason is also currently producing the Fayre Programme which will be delivered in the next couple of weeks. The cricket season is about to get under way and Toby has contributed this season s fixture list of 12 local matches, but he also reports on the outstanding St Patrick s Day Supper evening which was well enjoyed with everyone invited to wear something Green. Well done to all those involved, it was a splendid and friendly fun evening. The Book Club continue to meet at different venues and dear Anna kindly participated again from California and has written a lovely report. 2 3

3 Connie Chandler has written a brief resume of her London Marathon experience. Yes of course I am biased but she has been a brick supporting me and her mum Gilly since the riding accident in January She raised over 5,000 for the Air Ambulance mainly through the Just Giving page of the web site, from her family and friends, workmates and villagers, and courtesy of the Crown and The Inn over 500 was donated over the bars. We are all very grateful thank you. We have reminders in the Diary section of the meeting dates of the Book Club, the WI ladies and of the Aston Rowant Fete on 2 nd July Finally, on behalf of his village friends, I would like to congratulate our friend Will Munday on achieving a very special age and wish him many happy birthdays to come. The next Newsletter will cover July and August, reporting on the Fayre, the cricket season and other seasonal activities. Please your copy and pictures to me at royharry@aol.com by 26 th June. Roy Mid Summer Flower Festival 24 th /25 th June The theme of the flower festival is Shakespeare, so the title of each display may be anything connected with Shakespeare. Please do get in touch with me if you would like to make an arrangement. We need a real cross section of villagers involved so I look forward to hearing from you. St. Mary s Church Services Services from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer are marked * Rosemary Carter St Mary s Pet Service On Sunday 25 th June we are holding a PET SERVICE it was a great success last year and proved very popular with the youngsters we had Gilly s old pony Texi led in by Isabelle Grafham, many beautiful and well behaved dogs and several smaller animals do please bring yours along. We will accompany the pets by singing related hymns and hope we have another great turnout. Do get involved. Siobhan & Roy Church News Church Wardens Siobhan and Roy have again been elected as Church Wardens for the coming year and Fi Kermack will also be supporting them when required, and along with Gilly Harrison will continue as members of the Parochial Church Council. A formal Visitation by Bishop Colin for their positions as Wardens will take place at Dorchester Abbey on 6 th June along with fellow members of the United St Andrew s Parish. Easter Services The Easter services went well with a small gathering for the Good Friday prayers and traditional lighting of candles, before placing them on the prepared bare wooden Cross. Rev d Joan DeVal also led the Easter Day service with Mark Humphrey returning to support her and it was a well attended family service with three babies present, two young children Rosie and Jess Kendall, and particularly enjoyable as the ladies in the choir paraded in their Easter Bonnets quite delightful. Sun 21 st 6pm *Evensong ~ Revd. Joan DeVal Sun 28 th 10am *Matins ~ Revd. Joan DeVal & Bishop Brian answering Religious Questions Sun 4 th 10am *Holy Communion ~ Revd. Joan DeVal Sun 11 th No Service Sun 18 th 6pm *Evensong ~ Rector Maggie Thorne & Revd. Joan DeVal Mon 19 th 6pm Local St Mary s Church Meeting at Fuchsia Cottage ~ do come along, we would love to hear your views and feelings about services etc. 4 5 May June Sat Sun 24 th 25 th Mid Summer Flower Festival in Church organised by Rosemary Carter ~ theme is Shakespeare s Mid Summer Night s Dream ~ do put your thinking caps on and get involved ~ please ring Rosemary on Sun 25 th 4pm Pet Service with Songs of Praise ~ Wardens ~ bring your pets along ~ last year we had Gilly s pony and lots of dogs and it was great fun! July Sun 2 nd 10am *Holy Communion ~ Revd. Joan DeVal Sun 9 th No Service

4 Grave Talk (a café space to talk about Death, Dying and Funerals) Unfortunately this course is finished but I suspect there will be another one in the autumn. Rector Maggie recently held the second course of sessions covering the issue of death and what one does in the circumstances a subject that, perhaps not surprisingly, does not get much talked about! On consecutive Monday evenings and lasting about 90 minutes, the first evening being in small groups of three or four, getting ones individual and personal views and feelings in conversation on a number of related subjects. The second session of Grave Talk goes a little further and is attended by professionals, both a Funeral Director and Solicitor for talk and discussion on what happens when someone dies from the practical, legal and financial perspectives. Gilly and I were very impressed with the two sessions. Heavenly Father, source of all truth and wisdom, who knows and loves the whole creation, watch over our nation at election time: that truth may prevail over distortion, wisdom triumph over recklessness and the concerns of every person be heard. Lord Jesus, who chose the way of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, help us to turn our backs on self interest and to support policies that sustain the poor, the vulnerable and the frightened people of this world. Holy Spirit, who brought understanding among myriad peoples and languages at Pentecost, give to all your people a passion for peace and inspire us to work for unity and co-operation throughout the world and in our political life together. Amen. Roy Letter from Rector Maggie Dear friends I m delighted to say that the building of the new Rectory has begun. There was a long pause between the archaeological dig last year when Saxon walls were discovered and various bits and pieces of artefacts had to be removed and the lines of walls documented, but the build itself is now well under way. Hopefully, it will all be complete by the autumn. I m reminded of several stories about building in the Bible: the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon, the parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock (and the foolish one who built his on sand) (Matthew /Luke ) and the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis ). This was a massive, grandiose construction and its builders intended it to reach heaven. The story goes that the whole world had only one language at the time, so everyone could understand each other. God saw the tower that was being built and perceived what a powerful force the people s unity of purpose created. In his wisdom, God saw that the people were building a monument to themselves to draw attention to their abilities and great achievement and that this could only lead them away from him. As a result, he confused their language and caused them to speak in many languages so that they couldn t understand each other. The plans failed and the people scattered over the whole earth. The point of the story is that a unity of purpose which has its roots in human ambition and selfishness can be destructive. June 4th this year is the day when the Church celebrates its birthday with Pentecost (Whitsun), the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the Pentecost account (Acts ), the Spirit descends as tongues of fire and everyone present starts to speak in diverse languages. Oddly, those who were present and who came from many other countries heard and understood what was being said: everyone was speaking of the power of God. This seems to me like Babel in reverse. What happened there confused the world by dividing it into separate countries and languages, resulting in misunderstanding, rivalries and conflict. Pentecost is the beginning of the reunification of humanity, but its central meaning concerns the descent of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus enabling his presence and mission to continue in the world today. Pentecost doesn t feature much in the calendar, except for church attenders, but with the imminent General Election and the continuing negotiations towards leaving Europe, perhaps we can all learn a lesson from it: that we need to pull together for understanding and lasting peace and be unified by the love of God. Opposite is one of the prayers that the Church of England has published in advance of the Election. Every blessing, Maggie 6 7

5 Parish Council News The May meeting of the Council coincided with the Annual Parish Meeting, (and of course the County Council elections too!), so there was a lot of activity. I have often wondered about the different meetings as it does get rather confusing, but in essence the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is when the election of the Chair and Vice Chair takes place along with reviewing various documentation to make sure it is all in order for another 12 months. A little arduous and repetitive in places, but a necessity to maintain our code of conduct and transparency etc! The Annual Parish Meeting (APM) is when we report on our activities to the villagers and is an opportunity to focus on a particular area, have guest speakers and get feed back from the community. Annual General Meeting Alison Isherwood has accepted to continue as Chair for the next 12 months, with myself continuing as Vice-Chair. The relevant paperwork was completed including review and adoption of standing orders (which are actually really our rules as a Council). All documentation is available for public view on the website and if there are any questions or you wish to add some content, feel free to contact us using the new Parish Council address - parishcouncil@sydenhamvillage.co.uk It was confirmed that the monthly meetings will continue to be on the first Thursday of each month (apart from August) at 7.30 a.m. in the OSR. Everyone is very welcome to join us. Monthly Meeting This month we kept discussions to the key priorities, which were: Sydenham Grove This has gone surprisingly quiet from SOHA with no new information at all, so it was agreed to contact them again and request either a meeting or an update. Speeding This was again a very animated part of the meeting with much discussion about the options available. We believe that after much chasing (and I stress the much ) the temporary pinch point will be installed this week. This is due to be in place for three months with the survey being re-conducted at some point during this period to gauge its effectiveness. In addition, we have a new VAS sign (bigger and better than the current one) which is due to go in sometime in the next few weeks along the Slade Farm stretch too, showing the speed to drivers so that they appreciate what speed they are actually doing. Footpaths The on-going TOE2 grant application has hit a little stumbling block as it was felt from the site visit that the drainage requirements were a lot more extensive than the proposed work suggested. So we are currently re-looking at this with another visit when a decision will be made on whether to continue, or withdraw the application and re-apply during the June application period. Highways and drainage The storm drains have been cleared and you will probably have noticed the potholes have been repaired. However, we feel the repairs conducted are completely inadequate and highly likely to become potholes again in the near future. We are therefore complaining to the County Council about the quality of the workmanship and at the waste of public spending. Playing Field Replacement parts have been ordered for the goals and also for the swings, so these should be installed this month. In addition, with very big thanks to Sydenham Fayre we are now in a position to replace the slide A-Frame structure and also add some additional ropes to the Clamber Frame for younger children to enjoy this space too. We are currently looking at timings, as it largely depends on stock availability as it would be good to use similar timber to that used for the Clamber Frame we will keep you posted. Join us at our next meeting Our next Parish Council meeting is on Thursday 1 st June at 7.30 p.m. in the OSR and everyone is welcome. Your views and opinions are important to us, as it helps us focus on the key concerns of the village, so please either join us or us at parishcouncil@sydenhamvillage.co.uk. Rachel Planning P17/S1228/FUL Copse Farm, Thame Road, Sydenham, OX39 4LA Erection of toilet / shower block with chemical disposal point & sewage treatment tank to be used in connection with campsite. Parish Council recommendation: No Objections SODC Decision: Target decision date 1 st June 2017 P17/S0177/HH Greenfields, Sydenham Road, Sydenham, OX39 4LE Single storey extension to the kitchen. Parish Council recommendation: No Objections SODC Decision: Granted 3 rd March 2017 P17/S1104/FUL Sydenham Grange, Thame park Road near Thame, OX9 3PR Reinstatement of small barns to form cohesive courtyard. Parish Council recommendation: Under Consideration SODC Decision: Target decision date 22 nd June 2017 parishcouncil@sydenhamvillage.co.uk 8 9

6 Greetings from Sydenham Women s Institute your local group of friendly, active women from Sydenham and surrounding villages. Sydenham Cricket Club St Patrick s Day Dinner The Old School Room was a sea of green on March 17 th as Sydenham Cricket Club hosted a St. Patrick s Day dinner. Pub Signs - look and look again! What do you think is the meaning of a White Hart? Or a chequered board? Or an angel? In the olden days when a lot of people could not read, pictorial imagery was required to help identify the trade or service. At our April meeting Sydenham WI were treated to a gallery of pub signs and their fascinating history. presented enthusiastically by Angela Panrucker. Although the Romans were ahead of the times, an act of parliament in 1393 stipulated that all landlords had to exhibit a pub sign and from then on a plethora of signs was born. Mostly Religious, Royal, Heraldic or Guild related, familiar names such as The Kings Head, Edward III, The Cromwell, Royal Oak, The Harcourt Arms, Three Tuns, Unicorn, Woolpack, The Tanners, Carpenter Arms to name but a few are seen the length and breadth of the land. Want to know where to go for an event or service? The Bear and Ragged Staff pointed to bear baiting, The Unicorn, the apothecaries, the blood and bandage of the barber surgeon sign for a quick op, drink and gambling at The Chequers. And to more modern times, the end of the railway branch lines were signified by, for example, The Silent Whistle and The Ghost Train and one of the biggest sections were devoted to animals, birds and plants - The Hare, The Smoking Dog, Squinting Cat to name but a few. A fascinating evening which causes one to look at a pub sign with renewed interest and look again. New members are very welcome, do come along to one of our meetings held on the third Thursday of each month at 7.30pm in the Old School Room or sometimes at a member's house. For more information visit our website or call Sandra on Fi On arrival, 50 guests were treated to a Molly Mallone cocktail and then enjoyed a special Irish themed four course dinner. The evening featured a celebration of all things Irish including the story of the giant Finn MacCool, a montage of Irish scenes and a classic joke from Dave Allen. The grand finale of the evening was horse racing, with the Sydenham Cricket Club bookies kept very busy with betting on the various races. The driving force behind the evening was Lloyd McKee who did an amazing job of organising the evening, putting together all the entertainment and inventing the Molly Malone cocktail! The OSR looked great and thanks must go to Siobhan McKee, Vicki Roe and Fi Kermack who did a great job of decking the hall in various shades of green with shamrocks aplenty. The evening raised 600 for the club s fundraising efforts to install nets in the village. Thanks to Simon Parry and his table who bid generously for corporate hospitality at a home game this season. We look forward to welcoming them. The first game is on Sunday 28 th May and there are weekly nets at 7.00pm every Wednesday at Aston Rowant, where we play all our home games. As ever, we are always on the lookout for new players all abilities welcome and we greatly appreciate the support we get at games home and away. We look forward to seeing you during the summer. See overleaf for the Cricket Club 2017 Fixtures Toby Roe 10 11

7 All fixtures 2pm Start May Sydenham Cricket Club Fixtures 2017 Sun 28 th Home Sydenham vs Haddenham June Sun 4 th Home Sydenham vs Ewelme Sun 18 th Away Didcot vs Sydenham Sun 25 th Home Sydenham vs Old Berkeley July Sun 2 nd Home Sydenham vs Sutton Courtenay Sun 9 th Away Ewelme vs Sydenham Sun 16 th West Country Tour Sun 23 rd Away Haddenham vs Sydenham Sun 30 th Away Gt. Milton vs Sydenham August Sun 6 th Home Sydenham vs Swyncombe Sun 20 th Home Sydenham vs Holton and Wheatley September Sun 3 rd Away Abingdon Vale vs Sydenham Sun 10 th Away Ibstone vs Sydenham 12 13

8 SF Sydenham FAYRE News from the Sydenham Fayre Committee This is my last year in Sydenham and I am delighted that we have brought back the Helicopter! Turweston Helicopters will be flying people over the village and surroundings from the field behind Croton Farm. Booking tickets in advance is recommended, visit for the link. We will also be having Zorbing on the Playing field! The Dog Show returns to the Green outside Vears Farm and Live Music, Morris Dancing and the Tug of War from the main Village Green. The BBQ and Pimm s will take their places opposite the green this year with the market stalls and seating outside the Old School Room, which again, will be transformed into the Sydenham Fayre Tea Room. We still need lots of help to make this the best Fayre ever so if you have Books, Bric-a-Brac or some time to spare then please do let us know. Sue Jones and Geoff Isherwood are collecting volunteers to help man stalls for an hour or two and would love to hear from you if you can spare some time? Drop Sue an at: jonessg46@googl .com Eleanor needs help baking cakes and scones for the Fayre Tea room, if you can help out please drop her an at: eleanor.j.church@gmail.com Lizzie is after plants for the Village Plant Stall, if you have any you can donate then please Lizzie at: lizzerazoo@hotmail.co.uk Madeleine would like your old Jewellery for her stall at the Fayre, this can be left at 1 Musgrave Cottages or her at: mazmadeleine@btinternet.com The Sydenham Fayre Programme will be delivered to all the Village and surrounding areas next weekend, inside each Sydenham and Emmington copy will be 2 books of Raffle Tickets which you can either sell or buy yourselves. Ticket stubs and money can be handed in at Cape Cottage, Fuchsia Cottage, Copse Farm, The Forge or either of the Village Pubs. They can also be brought with you on the Day and given to me or the Pimm s and BBQ Stalls. The last two Fayres have been great fun and raised a lot of money for the Village and local good causes. We will soon see brand new play Saturday equipment in the Playing Field thanks to your support and 3 rd Rachel s hard work. This project, we are delighted to say, June was funded entirely by the 2016 Sydenham Fayre pm ~ 4.00pm 2017 Thanks. Jason 14 15

9 Sydenham Book Club First of all, thank you to Sue Jones, for hosting book club at her lovely home in Kingston Stert, and to everyone else for putting up with me as a nosey-fly-on-the-wall virtual presence! We began by discussing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer, an historical novel about Guernsey in WWII. Just lovely, from start to finish, said one reader, and everyone agreed. So cleverly crafted, that even though the entire book is written as a series of letters thus an epistolary novel, an arguably difficult genre after reading only a page or two readers became immersed and absorbed by the developing story and the distinctive personalities portrayed in each letter. The book is written in pitchperfect prose, not a single jarring note mars the wartime narrative as it follows its nuanced cast of characters through the darkness and the light of human nature. The book s afterword provides insight into the American authors, and how the book came to be written, a story in itself: Mary Ann Shaffer had originally planned to write the biography of Kathleen Scott, wife of the English polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott, but when she travelled to Cambridge, England, to research her topic, she was discouraged to find that the subject's personal papers were nearly unusable. While dealing with this frustration, she decided to spend some of her planned stay in England by visiting Guernsey in the Channel Islands. As soon as she arrived, the airport was shut down due to heavy fog, and she spent her the duration of her visit in the airport bookstore, reading histories of the German occupation of those islands during World War II. Twenty years would pass before she began writing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. When the manuscript was accepted for publication in 2006, the book s editor requested changes that required substantial rewriting, but Shaffer's health had deteriorated dramatically (she died on 16 February 2008), and so she asked her niece, Annie Barrows, a well-established author of children's literature, to finish the editing and rewriting. Barrows did so, and thereby became a listed co-author on the work. Book Club members agreed that it would be a worthwhile challenge to bring this novel to the big screen, and apparently such a project is currently underway, to be released in Meanwhile, this little book with the long title earns our unanimous endorsement. ( plummets into a nosedive, according to one reader). But at least one reader appreciated the novel s Gallic sensibility an ode to the redemptive powers of cuisine, art, and romance and the humanity of the story: how life can be better and we can be better people when we belong to some kind of family, wherever that might be found. This may not be a novel with great depth and nuance, but if you are a Francophile, enjoy dialogue-driven narrative, and are twenty-something (or remember what that was like), this book deserves a look. Our next meeting will be on Monday, July 10, at 8pm at Vear s Farm, Eleanor Church s home in Sydenham. Read one or both of the following two books: At Hawthorne Time by Melissa Harrison, set in the English countryside, an exquisite and intimate novel about how humans interact with each other, and with the natural world; and/or Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent, based on a true story, a brilliant literary debut about the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in Anna New book club members are always welcome. Please eleanor.j.church@gmail.com or kategrafham@gmail.com for more information. Our second book, Hunting and Gathering, by Anne Gavalda, received mixed reviews. One book club member had loved the book the first time she read it fifteen years earlier, when it was originally published but this time around she found herself cringing at it s predictability. Of course, our perceptions change over time, as we change; time and place inevitably affect our perceptions of the books we read. And films we see. And, for that matter, everything we experience. But we digress. Back to Hunting and Gathering : Most readers found the book tedious and contrived, with unappealing main characters, and a narrative that lost focus in the latter part of the book

10 Letter from America Lovely to hear that all is ticking along with you and Gilly, and also to hear Connie s result in the marathon. Well done, Connie! Yes, Kate Grafham s visit to San Francisco in early April was a real highlight. It was lovely to meet each other again in this new context. We rode a cable car up and down Nob Hill, explored quirky neighbourhoods, walked up and down streets so steep they became staircases, lunched on Russian Hill, saw a herd of urban goats grazing at the edge of the Presidio, and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, chatting all the while. Who will venture this way next, I wonder? Meanwhile, Dave and I seem to be taking this retirement thing seriously. Last weekend, we went to just take a look at some Airstream caravans, but the dealership had a great sale on, the open road beckoned, and well, you can guess the rest. Tally ho! One For The Road!! On Sunday 23 rd April The Creepy Crawly Vintage Car Rally passed through Sydenham en route to Cranfield University. This is the largest vintage car rally outside the annual London to Brighton run and was a sight to behold on a crisp, sunny day. Unfortunately one unlucky competitor (or lucky depending on how you look at it), had to make an unscheduled pit stop at The Inn having run out of water, and therefore steam! 25 gallons of IPA did the trick though and he was soon on his way David Yoga Classes in the OSR Yoga every Wednesday morning at the new, slightly later, time of 9 a.m. in the OSR with Emma. Everyone is welcome. Just turn up, or enquiries to Tess on tereniacooper@hotmail.com Krzysia

11 OSR 100 Club Update The Independent draw for the months of May and June took place on Wednesday evening at the Inn. The winners were as follows: May June 6 25 Des & Jayne Cecily Church Caroline Hood Wendy Spence Will Ashfield-Hughes Kath Randall 1 10 Rosemary Carter Ted Waldron Sasha Britton 90 5 John Grosvenor Amber Shankland 67 5 Martin/Krzysia Gossage Thank you all for your continued support for the Old School Room. Aston Rowant Fete 2 nd July pm Aston Rowant Fete will be back again this year on the Aston Rowant Green on Sunday 2 nd July from 12 ~ 2.30pm. There will be all the fun you d expect from a traditional village fete including: Pimm s tent and BBQ, tombola, cream teas, bouncy castle, and children s games, face-painting and lots more! We will be running an auction of promises through the generosity of villagers and local businesses. Last year s prizes included a morning at Lawney Hill Racing, half a day boat cruise, use of private tennis court for a month and a family portrait session, so it's well worth putting your bids in! The Fete is organised by volunteers from the PTA at Aston Rowant Primary School and is one of the school s main fundraising events of the year. This year all proceeds will go towards a new climbing frame and play area for early years pupils. We hope that you will support us see you there! Connie Chandler s London Marathon Connie writes: I experienced the most mentally challenging and amazing experience completing the London Marathon. When people told me about the crowds and general bystanders helping this is very true. I have never experienced such encouragement from strangers. I was fortunate to see Dad and Albert and several friends along the way which was a huge boost and I had previously decided that the occasion would be too busy for Mum to attend, but I know she was tracking me on her i.phone. All in all I was ever so pleased with completing the marathon in a respectable time, 4hrs 59min 10secs and raising above and beyond what I expected for Thames Valley Air Ambulance which is so great. I would like to thank you for all the support and everyone who has sponsored me. Connie The above was written in response to the message from David Lewis (below), Digital Marketing Officer, David.Lewis@tvairambulance.org.uk Hi Connie, Congratulations on finishing the London Marathon I saw you had managed an amazing time of sub-5 hours. Well done! I am putting together an article about all our runners at the London Marathon and would love to include a photo and quote from you. If you could send over some photos and a few words that would be amazing. Thanks very much and enjoy a weekend with your feet up! and Gilly Harrison writes Well what a FANATSMAJORICAL achievement for my special "Friday the 13th, born on the bedroom floor baby"!!!! Running the London marathon in under 5 hours! And with everybody s generous donations she has given over 5000 to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. I am so so proud of her. She has given up so much and trained so hard to thank them for getting me to the John Radcliffe quickly. THANK YOU Connie Constance XXXX and THANK YOU all who sponsored her and a big THANK YOU to the Air Ambulance crew who came to my rescue. Any questions or donations for prizes do get in touch with Vicki Roe on xxxxxxxxxxxx Gilly 20 21

12 Buckmoorend Farm Shop Latest News Thank you to everyone who has visited our farm shop - our new extended opening hours have been a great success. We are now open 10am to 6pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 4pm at the weekends. Great news too we now have our own range of homemade Sausage Rolls, Ready Meals, Scotch Eggs, Quiche and Pies including chicken, steak & kidney and steak & ale. One recent batch of homemade goodies proved so popular we didn t even have time to package them up people bought them fresh off the tray! Steph is now looking out her Pork Pie recipe. If you do come to visit us you will find a smart new paddock area by the main entrance for some of our new lambs and newly installed outdoor seating for about 40 people in front of the shop very popular with thirsty and hungry walkers and cyclists, especially on Sundays. You will see too that we are working hard to improve new open spaces for you to enjoy an ice cream, a refreshing cool drink or teas and coffees and of course one of our snacks. Lots of walkers have been buying our home reared meats to take home with them too. We will soon be stocking new sorbets and expanding our Free From range which includes dairy and gluten free fudge and gluten free beers. Buckmoorend Farm Shop is on the Chequers Estate at Butler s Cross. Steph & Daniel Hares Pub News The Crown With the sunshine starting to show its welcome face, The Crown Inn garden has undergone a cheery Spring makeover, with a full sprucing and planting, ready for some long leisurely days in the garden. AUNT SALLY LAUNCH Friday 12 th May A new Aunt Sally set-up has been installed, and we re gearing up to a great season, with games taking place on Friday evenings throughout the Summer. We ll be officially launching the Aunt Sally area on the evening of Friday 12th May join the team for some serious (and not so serious) practise. With our own set of sticks & dolly at the pub, the Aunt Sally area is open for everyone to come & play bring your friends & guests for a go at the traditional game NEW MENU As usual, we will have a new menu on offer in both May & June, launching on the 1st of each month. Expect a variety of new seasonal dishes, from plaice to pork belly and salads to steak, as well as the much loved Crown Inn burger. Don t forget our daily specials too Tuesday Pie Day Wednesday Mussel Mania Thursday Senior s Lunch. SYDENHAM FAYRE Sat 3 rd June We re so excited to be part of our first Sydenham Fayre this June. We will be open all day as usual, plus we ll be hosting TWO outside bars as part of the Fayre, selling draft beer, prosecco, cider & more. We will have Posh-Dog hotdogs for sale in front of the pub, with veggie and kid s options too. We re recruiting NOW for the Crown Inn Tug of War team members will you join us and help us retain the title? There s beer in it, for a dedicated crew On the EVENING of Sydenham Fayre, the pub will be throwing open the doors for some well-earned drinks after a busy village day, with LIVE MUSIC and a BBQ. Join us for some recovery drinks, games in the garden & laughs with your neighbours Pippa & Will The Crown Inn Team winning at the 2016 Sydenham Fayre 22 23

13 The Inn at Emmington As many of you are aware, we moved into The Inn taking over from Jerry and Paula at the beginning of April. Exchanging contracts at 3.30pm on a Friday and opening at 4pm may not have been ideal, but it meant we hit the ground running, and judging from feedback didn t do too bad a job that first weekend!! My wife Sharon and I have moved our family from Wendover and although this is our first pub we have both worked in hotels and hospitality for a number of years with David working for Trusthouse Forte and Macdonald Hotels for 20 years in the South of England and M25 areas. We have three children - Alice aged 16, Edward aged 14 and Emmaline (aka Pickles) aged 4. Our 2 dogs named Fred and quite aptly Sid are also enjoying the garden and local fields! We have had a busy month settling in, moving our family of five into Sydenham and meeting as many of the locals as possible. We have continued serving local cask ales with Rebellion IPA and Chiltern Beechwood being firm favourites as well as selected beers from Long Crendon s XT Brewey and Brill Gold from the Aylesbury Brewery Company. We also had a live band on Easter Saturday in the shape of SYD, who were very well received, thank you to all those who supported the night. Our accommodation sales have also been encouraging with Easter weekend virtually full from stallholders attending the Great Missenden and Thame food and drink fayres. Should you be hosting an event at home or have relatives coming to stay and are short on bed space, we have seven en suite rooms at The Inn and would be delighted to look after your guests so please bear us in mind. We have started serving food in the evenings and aim to reopen both Sunday Lunch and all day dining on Saturdays shortly. Please keep an eye on our blackboards and our new facebook page which we will launch soon, for further details and a chance to see us for yourselves come and enjoy some traditional hospitality in our sunny (hopefully!) garden. Finally, we would like to thank everybody who was made us welcome over the past few weeks and we look forward to welcoming even more of you to The Inn over the summer months. David & Sharon ~

14 Thur 18 th Ladies of Sydenham W.I. Sun 28 th 2pm Sydenham Cricket Club vs Haddenham (Home) Thur 1 st 7.30pm Parish Council Meeting in the OSR Sat 3 rd 12.30pm Sydenham Fayre Sun 4 th 2pm Sydenham Cricket Club vs Ewelme (Home) Tues 6 th Church Wardens visitation to Dorchester Abbey Thur 8 th General Election, OSR Polling Station, 7am - 10pm Thur 8 th 10am- Sydenham Coffee Morning in the OSR 12pm Thurs 15 th Ladies of Sydenham W.I. Sat 24 th Mid Summer Flower Festival in St. Mary s Church Sun 25 th Songs of Praise and Pet Service at St. Mary s Sun 2 nd Aston Rowant Fete, pm Mon 10 th 8pm Book Club at Eleanor Church s Vear s Farm Thur 13 th 10am - Sydenham Coffee Morning in the OSR 12pm Thur 20 th Ladies of Sydenham W.I. Views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Sydenham Newsletter Team or other contributors. The publication of content in the Sydenham Newsletter is at the sole discretion of the Editorial Team, and although every effort is made to only include bona fide advertisers, the Newsletter Team take no responsibility for the validity of claims or offers made May June July Dates for your Diary July ~ August Newsletter Please your copy and pictures to royharry@aol.com by 26th June.

15 The Newsletter is supported by the Parish Council and Sydenham Fayre