September 2003
Stanley moved to Chipperfield in 1976. Born in London, he qualified as a chartered surveyor and joined the construction company established by his father, Howard Farrow Ltd. In due course he became Managing Director and Chairman. He was a well-known figure in the building industry, serving on many industry boards. He was a director of the Construction Industry Training Board, Chairman of the Hertfordshire college of Building, a director of the Portman Building Society and served on many committees of the Building Research Establishment. He was awarded the OBE for `services to the building industry'.
He married Kate in 1937. He served with the Royal Engineers at Dunkirk and in London during the Blitz. He then worked on airfields in North Africa. He was awarded the Military MBE. He was a governor of Mill Hill School for 34 years and the Centenary President of the Old Millhillians Club in 1977.
In Chipperfield, Stanley and Kate soon became involved in village life. Their great interest was gardening and Stanley was appointed Chairman of the Horticultural Society. He was also heavily involved in the running of the Village Hall and acted as an unofficial Common ranger.
At Brambles, he became an expert in organic gardening, which led to the garden being featured nationally on radio and in the press. Stanley was a keen sailor and was well-known for his charm and good humour, his enthusiasm and hard work. Kate died last year. He is survived by his 4 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
NEW WATER TAP IN THE CHURCHYARD
Thanks to a bequest from the late Con Packford, St. Paul's Church has been able to install an additional water tap in the churchyard for use by those attending to the graves at the far end of the churchyard.
The tap is mounted on the inside of the wall opposite the Village Club, is protected by a wooden box and has an automatic tap which turns off when released.
ALBERT GEORGE PUTMAN
A popular man much loved by all his family, Albert George (Jim) Putman died on 20 July 2003, exactly 62 years and 1 day after marrying his wife, Mary, at St. Paul's Church, Chipperfield.
Jim was born in Flaunden in 1914, the eighth of 12 children and following the early death of his mother, was brought up by an older sister. His father was a Chelsea Pensioner and visited the family regularly, resplendent in his scarlet uniform. Jim spent his boyhood in Bovingdon where he attended Bovingdon Old School. He worked as a lorry driver and following his marriage to Mary, regularly helped his father-in-law at Tuffs Farm when he had finished driving for the day. For many years Jim played football for Flaunden and he was also a keen darts player at "The Royal Oak".
Mary Putman would like to thank her many friends in the village for their cards and messages of support and sympathy and she and the family are most grateful to Rev. Peter Hart for his kindness and understanding.
GRASS CUTTING ON THE CROFT ESTATE
As residents will know, grass cutting on the Croft Estate this year has been a fiasco. Arrangements have always been difficult as both Dacorum Borough Council and Herts County Council are each responsible for different areas of grass.
All contracts were due for renewal this year and Dacorum got themselves organised, issued new contracts and began cutting their grass. The County however did not renew their contracts and while nothing was done, their grass (mainly the verges) continued to grow taller and taller. Despite numerous phone calls and e-mails to Herts C.C. from our Parish Clerk and our Borough Councillor, the grass was still uncut in July. When the Parish Council were told by County "that the matter should be resolved by September" they decided it was time to act and asked Arthur Hirst, our Village Warden, if he would tackle the job. Arthur has been doing his best to reduce the hayfields with limited mowing equipment.
The Parish Council intend to pursue this matter with Hertfordshire County Council. Their performance to date is just not acceptable. Liz Holliday
UNITY EDITOR
I have been editing the church pages in Chipperfield News for over seven years and though I have enjoyed the work and the close involvement with everything going on in our churches, it is time for someone else to enliven these pages and give them a new look. I would like to hand over to my successor before Christmas.
Ten times a year I spend the better part of a day (spread over two or three days) getting in the information, collating and editing it and making a disk and a hard copy for the editor of the month. Anyone who feels like having a try, please get in touch with me. You could shadow me as I prepare an issue, if you like. All you need is a degree of familiarity with church affairs, a computer and a taste for making information easily accessible to readers. Anne Wyburd(01923 267515)
HERTFORDSHIRE OPEN STUDIOS
This month, local artists will be participating the Hertfordshire Open Studios 2003.
Graham Boyd of Blackapple, 54 Scatterdells Lane, will be exhibiting a range of large to small acrylics featuring spatial shifts, touch and colour on 19-21 and 26-28 September, 2-6pm, or by appointment (tel: 01923 264599).
Dick Onions of Woodside, Commonwood (down drive next to Cart and Horses car park) will be exhibiting wood, stone and metal sculptures, mostly abstract, for house and garden on 13-15 and 19-21 September, 12 noon6pm, or by appointment (tel: 01923 265996).
Joy Weyman-Jones will be taking part in an exhibition in Berkhamstead entitled `Lifescape 3'. This will be an exciting exploration of paintings and drawings, photography, printmaking, digital and video media, and 3D work in felt. The exhibition is in the Clock Gallery at Berkhamstead Town Hall in the High Street (above Cafe Uno) on 12-14 September, l0am-Spm (Friday & Sunday) and 9.30am-6pm on Saturday. Admission free.
CHIPPERFIELD GOLF DAY FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER
The first Chipperfield Golf Day is to be held at West Herts Golf Club on Friday 17 October. This promises to be a great event for local golfers with the opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones.
The day starts from 11.30am when coffee, tea and sandwiches will be provided, followed by 18 holes of golf starting at 12.30pm. Each participant will receive a gift pack provided by a sponsor.
A three course meal will be served after the golf when prizes will be given for best Stable ford scores, longest drive and nearest the pin on three holes.
The total cost is £48 per person and all Chipperfield golfers are welcome to enter. West Herts members will enjoy a special price of £20 (this excludes the green fee element).
To reserve your place and receive a special pack with all details, please send your name, address, golf handicap and a deposit of £10 (cheques made payable to West Herts Golf Club) to:
John Dickinson, Copthall Cottage, Kings Lane, Chipperfield WD4 9EN (tel: 01923 262777)
THE VILLAGE CLUB
At the end of July, your editors were shown round the empty premises of the Village Club. Although the public rooms are in a poor state, the good news is that a working party has been set up to plan and execute improvements to the premises and many of the comments made at the special meeting on May 20 are being considered. The enthusiastic working party is brimming with ideas and is already actively involved, under the watchful guidance of the trustees. It is intended that a programme of work using volunteers will begin as soon as possible. However, as the building belongs to a charitable trust who have little money behind them, a major fund-raising effort will be started to pay for this refurbishment. The plan is to turn the Club into an asset of which the village can be proud, a place which all residents can enjoy and to which they would be pleased to bring their families and friends.
It is hoped that much of the work can be undertaken by residents as there is a wealth of talent available covering much of the expertise needed. If you have any skills that might be useful, and/or any spare time to give a hand, please contact Peter Jackson (chairman of the working party) on 01923 291036.
It is going to take time to turn this ugly duckling into a swan and the working party do not expect to be ready to re-open the Club before spring 2004. Until then, regular progress reports will be published in Chipperfield News.
CAN YOU HELP?
When one looks around the crowded south-east of England, living in a small village like Chipperfield has many attractions. There are times, however, when an inability to get out and about can make life difficult, particularly for the elderly. The commendation of Chipperfield for our services for the elderly in the recent Best Village award shows that we recognise this need. Part of this service is through Chipperfield Care, which is dependent upon maintaining the pool of volunteers who are able and willing to help when need arises. From time to time Care volunteers move away from the village or may need to ask for help themselves and so replacement helpers are needed. At our last Volunteers Meeting in July it was recognised that over the past year Care has lost several active volunteers. As a result we are looking for people who would be able to spare a little time during the week to answer phone calls in their own home as a duty officer and/or act as a driver to transport a fellow villager, most probably to a doctor's surgery or a hospital appointment. As a volunteer there is no obligation to take on an inconvenient job but even an occasional journey can make a great difference to someone in the village. If you feel you might be able to help, please phone me on 01923 269882. Shelagh Nichols, Organiser
VILLAGE OF THE YEAR RESULT
Twenty one villages in the county entered the competition this year, competing for awards in 4 categories: the environment, business, young people and older people. The judges visited us on 12 June to hear a presentation from our team. Sally Thompson spoke about provision for younger children in the village and Richard Edwards outlined the role of the Village Hall in the community. Brenda Harpley gave a review of activities and events for older people and Frank Baker detailed the current work and future plans of Chipperfield Care. On the environment, Tina Robinson described the work of The Jasmine Safety Track Trust and Liz Holliday described our footpath network and the ongoing work being carried out on The Common. At the end of June we heard that Chipperfield had been awarded a Commendation in the Older People category and David Nobbs and I attended the awards evening at County Hall on 3 July to receive a certificate on behalf of the village. Many thanks to our team for their excellent presentations. Liz Holliday
RED CROSS OPEN GARDENS
Four gardens were open to the public this year - Burford House, Mahogany Hall, Doggetts and Lamington House - in aid of the Red Cross. 860 people and a good number of children attended during the 3 hours of opening and the record amount of £4,600 was raised for the funds. Our thanks to all those who contributed to a most successful day, whether by visiting the gardens, or coping with the tremendous influx of people within the village.