March 2001
Vandalism suffered in the village during the last few months took a dangerous turn last month when two cars were deliberately set on fire. Just before 8.OOpm on Friday 2 February a Vauxhall Astra parked on the church car park was torched and fifteen minutes later a Peugeot in the permissive car park opposite The Windmill was set alight and the petrol tank exploded. The blaze was quickly controlled by officers from Bovingdon fire station who were on the scene in just 9 minutes. Fortunately no one was injured.
A similar incident occurred outside The Two Brewers in January. All three attacks were deliberate arson, offenders smashing the cars’ rear windows and using an accelerent to fuel the fires.
It is not unknown for people to leave young children or dogs in their cars while they visit the pubs and it is horrible to think what could happen if the vehicle they were in, or one next to it, was set alight.
Before Christmas, hundreds of pounds-worth of damage was done to several vehicles parked on the church car park when tyres were slashed, body-work scored and the soft top of one vehicle ripped.
The Parish Council are greatly concerned about all these incidents and are considering appropriate measures to increase safety. A sub-committee will be consulting the police, Dacorum Borough Council and the County Council on the practicality and cost of installing proximity lighting, permanent lighting or CCTV cameras. A report is expected at the March council meeting.
Two new Neighbourhood Watch areas have been set up along The Common and all residents are asked to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police. If you see a crime being committed phone 999.
Vandalism and hooliganism cannot be tolerated in Chipperfield.
SUPPORT OUR LOCAL SHOPS
In many villages local shops are finding it increasingly difficult to survive and in some areas small shops have had to close down through lack of support. In Chipperfield we are fortunate to have local shops which cater for our everyday needs and they deserve all the support we can give them.
MICHAEL RICKETT, Chapel Croft. (Tel: 01923 262556)
Michael’s family have been butchers for 90 years and he is pleased to carry on the tradition of providing first class meats. Michael gives personal service to all customers and can advise on the best cuts to use and the quantities needed. Home deliveries can be made.
YASH NEWS, 2 Chapel Croft. (Tel: 01923 262822)
Mr. N. Bachu, the proprietor, sells a wide range of newspapers and magazines, as well as groceries, frozen food, sweets and ice cream. The shop is open on Sunday mornings. Try and support our shops by buying your newspapers locally.
POST OFFICE STORES (Londis), Chapel Croft. (Tel: 01923 264279)
Owned by Tim and Pat Regan. As well as the Post Office, this shop offers personal banking for Lloyds TSB, Barclays, Alliance & Leicester and Co-operative bank customers, also foreign currency and travel insurance. Londis carries a wide range of groceries and other goods. Free deliveries can be made to the elderly and a prescription service is available.
THE CHIPPERFIELD LARDER, The Street. (Tel: 01923 262395).
Owned by Vass and Angela Panayi. The Larder stocks a first class selection of cheeses, fine wines, fresh bread, home-made cakes and quiches, as well as dairy produce and basic groceries. Parties catered for1 also home-made desserts for your dinner party. The Larder will shortly be serving tea, coffee, cakes, sandwiches and jacket potatoes.
THE VILLAGE CHEST
Last month it was reported that the trustees of the Village Chest had transferred the balance of £ 2,616.98 in the fund to the Parish Council. At the Parish Council meeting on 12 February, it was learned that the Council is holding a further sum of £880.70, which was the amount kindly donated by stallholders and Cabair to the Chest after Village Day last June. A total of £3,497.68 is therefore now deposited in an interest bearing account.
Over the past few weeks the Parish Clerk and Councillors have been investigating the most appropriate way in which these funds may be handled. The legal position remains that the Parish Council itself is prohibited from administering the Trust, so alternatives have been sought.
A promising approach, that it was agreed at the February Council meeting should be followed up, would be for the Trust to be administered for the village by the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. This would have the advantage of ensuring the money was administered by the Foundation’s Trustees under the supervision of the Charities Commission. Grants from the fund would only be made in consultation with the Parish Council and the financial position of our ‘ringfenced’ fund and the grants made from it would be regularly published.
Whatever the final proposals for the administration of the Village Chest, they will be put before the village for endorsement at the Parish Council Annual Meeting in the Village Hall on 9 April, before being formalised.
David Nobbs
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
At our Annual General Meeting which was held on 1 February in the Social Club, it was decided to close the society’s shop which is normally open every Saturday during the summer in our hut behind the Village Hall. This is due to a gradual falling off of sales over the past few years as well as the difficulty of obtaining volunteers to run it. At the AGM thanks were expressed to our retiring shop co-ordinator, Ray Liberty, for his outstanding efforts in running the shop for the last seven years. Our president, John Foulgham, presented Ra with a small token of our appreciation. We wish Ray and his wife all the best for the future in their new home in Amersham.
We still have a considerable amount of stock in the shop and so we will be holding a sale on the morning of Easter Saturday, 14 April, for the benefit of our members.
With all the rain, snow and yet more rain this winter’s been very difficult to get out on the garden and get anything done. The advice always given by experts is to wait until conditions improve, as Mother Nature always seems to catch up in the end, but it’s very frustrating.
My first disaster of the year has already occurred! The sweet pea seedlings which I sowed in the autumn were looking very healthy until something started to eat them. However, the dahlias, which are being stored in the unheated greenhouse with the additional protection of fleece and blankets on the frostiest nights, seemed to have survived so far. All the seeds have arrived for the forthcoming season so at least there is plenty to look forward to. Our collectors will soon be on their rounds to collect membership fees which remain at a modest £1.50 per person. If you are Out when they call, you will have the opportunity to renew your membership at our Spring Show which will be held in the Village Hall on Saturday 31 March. This is always a colourful affair and heralds the start of the gardening season. So, if you have some nice daffodils in your garden why not share them with the rest of us and bring a few blooms along to the show? We look forward to seeing you there.
John Hopkins
The Parish Council have applied for and received a grant of £1350 from Hertfordshire County Council (Countryside Management Service) under the Parish Paths Partnership scheme. The money will be used during the year to pay for improvements and additional maintenance along the full length of the Public Right of Way from Lamglry Road to Bulstrode Lane (footpath CF14). This path is one of the most heavily used in the village and
an improved surface and more regular trimming of hedges and overhanging branches will make it easier and safer to use. Work will start as soon as the weather improves and the path has dried.
Queen Street Car Park
The Parish Council have consulted Dacorum Borough Council about the appalling condition of the permissive car park opposite Queen Street. The Borough Council have agreed to pay for birdmouth fencing to deliniate the parking area which will prevent vehicles from encroaching any further into the woods and on to the grass. The Parish Council has undertaken to pay for for the parking area to be consolidated and improved with a surface of roadstone. Unfortunately, this work is also being held up by the wet weather.
Delivery vehicles and parking
A large delivery vehicle blocked Scatterdells Lane recently, preventing any other vehicle entering or leaving the lane for hours while it was unloaded. Residents were greatly inconvenienced and had there been an emergency, it would have been impossible for a doctor’s car, fire engine or ambulance to pass. If you are expecting a large vehicle at any time which could cause a similar problem, please consider your neighbours.
Thoughtless parking, on both sides Chapel Croft, between Croft Lane and Alexandra Road has been creating serious safety problems in the past few weeks, for both pedestrians and other drivers and also preventing customers reaching the shops. This is a hazardous stretch of road and the Parish Council will shortly be submitting a request to Hertfordshire County Council to install a pedestrian crossing near the newsagent’s and butcher’s shop but an avoidable accident created by inconsiderate parking could lead to disaster.
Parish Council Vehicle
Residents may have spotted a small blue pick-up vehicle running round the village. It has been bought recently by the Parish Council and our Village Warden, Michael Home, will be using it to move equipment, shift rubbish, and generally help with the dozens of jobs he does to keep the village clean and tidy.
MOTHERS AND TODDLERS
Chipperfield Mothers and Toddler Group has been established for many years now and is as lively and vibrant as ever. Although the title of the group is Mother and Toddlers, mothers and babies are always welcome. Indeed, Dads,nannies, child-minders, grandparents, aunts and uncles are welcome too - with “Junior” of course! We have a good range of baby toys which are cleaned, checked and replaced regularly, as well as lots of toys suitable for children up to the age of 3. Tea, coffee, juice and biscuits are served by Bridget, our treasured volunteer, and all this for only £1! We meet every Tuesday morning from 9.3Oam to 11 .OOam in the Village Hall (next to The Two Brewers), so turnup, have a cuppa, make some new friends, whilst “Junior” enjoys our toys and maybe make their own friends, many of whom carry on through to the Chipperfield Playgroup, Nursery and eventually St. Paul’s School.
CHARITY DISCO FOR THE NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY
In November last year local residents Robert and Sharon Boyling held a charity disco, helped by Angie Thompson, who also lives in the village, and Monica Langston from Kings Langley. Many people in the village will know that Robert and Sharon’s son, Max, is on the Autistic Spectrum, a severe disability making him unable to communicate or relate to another person. Autism strikes at the heart of what makes life viable and fulfilling - independent living, making relationships and enjoying leisure. It is a lifelong and complex condition which occurs in varying degrees of severity and touches the lives of over 500,000 people in the United Kingdom.
The National Autistic Society has been active for nearly 40 years and has grown into the leading charity for people with Autistic Spectrum disorders and those who care for them.
Robert and Sharon raised £1,031 from their disco and a raffle and would like to record their thanks for kind donations from The Cutting Garden, The Windmill, The Two Bees Florist, Kings Langley Butchers and all the family and friends who made the event possible and contributed to its success.
CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES to Susan Marett and Gladys Taaffe both of whom celebrated their 90th birthdays in February. Gladys also celebrated 50 years driving for Meals on Wheels in February and to mark this anniversary was invited to tea with the Mayor of Dacorum. In April, Gladys will be undertaking another sponsored walk in aid of funds for the Chiltem Open Air Musem. Patricia (Paddy) and Bill Beavis of Yew Trees, who celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary in March.
THE FIRST SINGERS
The first clumps of snowdrops are now in bloom. Spring is on its way! Our snowdrops are a very good indicator of temperature in the garden and only the ones by the bungalow are in full bloom today (7 February). Another large clump are in a frost pocket further down the garden, where cold air rolls down from both sides and these have only just pushed up through the grass.
When I feed the sheep and goats first thing in the morning, just as dawn is breaking (6.45am actually, but it sounds good doesn’t it?), the birds are now beginning to sing, Not a full dawn chorus by any means, just a promise of things to come. One bird is singing its heart out already. The Mistle thrush or
storm cock perches high on a conifer and sings whatever the weather. Country folk used to say that it sang to warn of coming storms, but as it is the first thrush to start nesting, often as early as February, it has to get on with the job of proclaiming its territory and finding a mate regardless of the weather. It is the largest of our thrushes, with gleaming white under-wings and larger, more rounded speckles than the song thrush. I love to see them swaying around on windy days, right on the top-most branches, singing away.
The foxes in the garden are getting even bolder. A dog fox passed within feet of the patio windows the other day, just as we were having our afternoon tea. After giving us a sideways look he carried on about his business and spent at least 15 minutes sniffing about the goat run. It was a job to know what he was after as he went over the same ground several times but there was no sign that he had been digging up earthworms, which make up a large part of a fox’s diet. My bantams are, hopefully, safe inside a hay box inside the electric fence which surrounds the new orchard. I would love them to have more freedom but past experience has shown that they will be taken at the first opportunity.
The next ‘singers’ in the garden will be the male frogs and then I will know that spring is here! Wendy Bathurst
NEWS FROM KING’S LANGLEY SENIOR SCHOOL
In January, Mathew Hall and Kim O’Connor, both year 11 students, were part of a group of Hertfordshire students who visited Number 10 Downing Street to meet education and policy makers and to discuss ‘Citizenship’ which will be included in the National Curriculum in 2002. In February, Year 9 students spent an eventful day with seven different employers as part of their Citizenship Programme. This is an annual event and is part of the school’s commitment to forging links with local industry.
During the half-term break in February, 42 students headed for the slopes of Kitzbuhel, Austria for a skiing trip.
In March, British Telecom staff will be spending a day working with G.N.V.Q. and “A’ Level students in Year 12 and Year 9 students will be making a day trip to the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium, visiting the museum, the cemetery and the trenches. The school production of The Boyfriend takes place on 21, 22 and 23 March and tickets for all three performances are available from the school.
Phillip Rampley, Michael Robinson and Tom Burton, Year 12 students studying AS Economics and Business Studies, have reached the Quarter Finals of The Proshare National Investment Programme 2001. They will be putting together an investment portfolio for the next round of this national competition.
All Year 12 students who were involved in the Community Sports Leaders Awards have now been presented with their awards.
“MAKING WOODLANDS WORK”
The first annual conference of the Herts Woodland Forum will be held at the Prince Michael Conference Centre on Saturday 12 May.
The conference aims to explore opportunities for promoting the many benefits that woodlands provide and for improving the funding of woodland management work. Anyone with an interest in the management of Hertfordshire’s woodlands is welcome to attend.
EDIBLE FLOWERS
Many people are becoming increasingly aware of the use of edible flowers for cooking and decorating food, especially salads. Thompson and Morgan, the Suffolk seedsmen, have produced an interesting leaflet on this subject, which includes some useful recipes and ideas. Copies of the leaflet can be obtained free by writing to:
Thompson and Morgan (UK) Ltd
Poplar Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk 1P8 3BU Tel: 01473 688588