Chair's Chatter Autumn 2025

Welcome to the autumn of our Village News. As always, there’s a lot to report from the previous months and much to look forward to towards the end of the year and beyond.

The Potters Arms is going from strength to strength as the new team have settled in. They are continuing with the weekly Speedquiz nights and are now up and running with monthly comedy eves, too. The menu has been extended to offer a great selection of British pub classics alongside delicious Nepalese dishes and the festive menu has just been released, which also showcases the two styles of foodie delights. There are several events coming up, including a Halloween party, a Bonfire Night celebration and a Village Dinner - do see the posters shared across our social media accounts for more details.

You are probably aware that the Plough is still on the market with offers for sale or lease all invited. There are some interested parties and we are aware of offers being made - we are also actively speaking to those concerned to try to assist if we can - so we remain hopeful it will be up and running again soon. 

In mid-July we ran our inaugural Safari Supper, starting with apéritifs and canapés at the Memorial Hall, onwards in randomly chosen groups for main courses at various hosts dotted around the village, and back to the Potters Arms for homemade desserts at the end of the night. It was deemed a huge success and will be added to our annual calendar, albeit in a slightly tweaked format. If you’d like to get involved next time round, please show your hand to one of the committee members!

The biggest event of the year for us was our Show and Produce Show, on September 6^th. It was a fantastic day, with a raft of fun activities and many prizewinners - please see here for the full list or Produce Show results. Thrillingly, we also raised £5,000, which included a generous £1000 sponsorship by Hertfordshire House. We are now discussing ways to spend this money and always welcome any input. So far we’ve fundmatched Simeon and his wonderful shuffleboard, handmade and unveiled at the Village Show - funds raised will go towards a future rugby tour. Our marquee desperately needs a good clean and we’re hoping to do this before it’s next used, cost tbc. We’ve raised a cheque for £100 to go to Stokenchurch Dog Rescue - proceeds from the Dog Show rounded up. And we’re looking into making the ‘Slow Down’ signs designed by local children and entered into the Produce Show into actual signs to dot around the village - more news on that and a request for households on ratruns who are willing to post these signs to come! We’ll also be making a donation to Amersham Museum in advance of December 28th’s planned Treasure Hunt as a thank-you for opening their doors out of season.

Just after the Show, on September 9th, there was a small gathering at Hertfordshire House to hand over the cheque from this year’s Open Gardens to Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care. In the end we raised a whopping £2,209 - including £700 by Billy the Cabbie - and so we owe a huge thank-you to all the gardeners and helpers for making this such a huge success. The Memorial Hall also raised over £700 and the allotments £119. An incredible achievement.

On Friday October 3rd, Ali Mahoney organised the annual Macmillan coffee morning at the Potters Arms and raised over £500 in donations for this very worthy cause. If you missed the event but would still like to donate, you can do so here.

October 4th’s litter pick was once again extremely well supported - this is always a great family event, where we pick litter for an hour then retreat to the pub for snacks and drinks, kindly provided by the management team. This time’s biggest haul winners were the George family, who managed to drag a tyre back to base. Most interesting finds were explosives (laughing gas canisters), spotted by the Walsh family, and random items of clothing, spied by the Belcher family. Well done, everyone - you really help us keep our village looking neat and tidy.

Our monthly Community Lunch continues to draw a good crowd and is always a cheerful, welcome catch-up for attendees. There tends to be between 20 and 30 of us and we alternate between the Potters Arms, where the team generally serve a spiced vegetable soup, to the Memorial Hall, where one or two of the core crew provide the soup and several others either source or bake bread. We also cater for gluten-freers, last month making lentil bagels, which went down a storm. At the pub jugs of water are provided or you can buy drinks if you wish. At the Hall, you’re welcome to bring your own (wine and beer may be consumed!). We have two more this side of Christmas, November 10th in the Memorial Hall, which is free as usual, and a special offer two-course Christmas lunch at the Potters Arms on December 15th, for which there will be a discounted £20 charge.

The walking club, led by Lindsay Gregory and Di Blackborough, has gone from strength to strength this year, the last heading over the fields to the Crown at Penn and stopping for refreshments before heading back home. The walks are gentle and suitable for most walkers.  If your pace is a bit speedier, the running club on Monday evenings at 6pm caters for a wide range of runners and has space for more.

You may have noticed our wildflower patch had its annual cut on October 10th and the large bags of cuttings were gathered up and taken away. There has been a suggestion of adding some brightly coloured native flowers to the display and we’ll send more news on that as we have it. I’m sure many of you will also be very pleased with the recent resurfacing of Whielden Lane - it took a while to happen but the result is a huge improvement.

There is a lot to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. First up, Halloween, which is always a hive of activity in the village. Willing households display lit pumpkins and await keen tribes of trick or treaters. Afterwards, there’s a Fright Night party at the Potters Arms and you’re encouraged to dress up and enjoy the fun.

The Cricket Club will be holding their annual fireworks display and bonfire on Sunday November 2nd. This event punches way above its weight thanks to the involvement of an excellent pyrotechnician - the doors open at 5pm, fire will be lit at 6pm and fireworks are at 6.30pm. There are burgers and hot dogs available from the barbecue and good value drinks at the bar. Adults £10, children £5, under-2s free, family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children £25.

On November 5th the Potters Arms will be helping us celebrate Guy Fawkes with burgers, hot dogs and plenty of rebel cheer. November 9th sees our Remembrance Service, this year led by David Graham. Do join us for readings, wreath-laying and our resident bugler, Janice Young. On November 22nd there’s a Village Dinner at the Potters Arms and a casino after - tickets are selling fast, so do secure yours early. And on December 15th we have our small carol service accompanied by Amersham Band in the Memorial Hall. Doors open at 6pm for mince pies and mulled wine; the band starts at 7pm and plays for around an hour.

As always, a big thank-you to the teams that plan and manage all of these events and initiatives. We couldn’t do it without you. If you’d like to get involved, please do get in touch - there is plenty of room for additional pairs of hands.

Do keep an eye out on Facebook or our village WhatsApp group for details on all upcoming activities and village matters and get in touch if you have anything you’d like us to report.

Enjoy the rest of 2025!

Lisa