Dorney Parish News October 2021 A picture containing text, tree, outdoor Description automatically generated A body of water with a house and trees around it Description automatically generated with medium confidence A picture containing tree, outdoor, white, lake Description automatically generated Boveney Lock in the early 1900s and before (from Jean Tyler’s Postcard Collection) See article on new Lock and Weir Keeper on Page 8 ISSUE NO. 8/21 OCTOBER 2021 EDITORIAL Dorney always seems to me to be a large parish. An article published later in this issue, and especially the aerial photo alongside, indicates that ‘far flung’ might be a more apt description. Relatively speaking, centres of human habitation are a distance apart. Open spaces dominate. Each month, the Editor sets out to deliver bundles of this journal to the volunteer distributors and many individual addresses as well. I’m starting in the top left corner of that picture. Often, I muse that sometime later I will be in a rather different place, yet still in the same parish. Around The Pineapple say, or windswept by the Common or a stone’s throw from the isolated church in Boveney. The monthly ‘run’ might be the only time those locations are visited. We prefer to think about the beauties of Dorney but, in truth we might spend more of our time concerned with the A4, Sainsbury’s or Taplow Station. It’s been a troubling thought recently, but do those of us who live in the ‘top left corner’ understand the concerns of those in the ‘bottom right’ and, of course, vice versa? After all, this magazine ought to give equal weight and consideration to all parts. We have just gone through a consultation process about one aspect of traffic calming in the village. The issue may have been democratically resolved, but dissension remains, and angry stances have been taken not unrelated to where residents live. A majority may have voted to shelve the proposed roundabout, but surely that vote was related to the previous consultation, or perceived lack of it, or a fear of over-development. It was not a vote to deny the residents of Village Road the right to feel protected from too intense and too rapid traffic flows. In the run up to the vote in July, there was debate on social media. Not to everyone’s taste, but I think defensible as a means of expressing differing views. I expressed the view that many in Dorney Reach, who had been in the front line of the M4 disruption, would look askance at the resulting compensation from Balfour Beatty being devoted to yet more road works which did not benefit them. Some were outraged, and this made me ponder these issues. When James Palmer and then the new Parish Council began to talk of the need for a ‘holistic’ approach to traffic issues, I realised that the view previously expressed was not holistic thinking. If you live in the ‘top left’, speed limits might seem to be about Marsh Lane and the approaches to Dorney School. But I’ve recently heard radical suggestions like a reduced speed limit all the way from Sainsbury to the entry to the village or the same across the whole of Dorney Common calming traffic entering from the east. Maybe a true holistic approach would take into account the non-human inhabitants of Dorney. If we do adopt a holistic approach to traffic calming, the community will be seeking a consensus view from everybody in the village about each and every part of the village and its specific traffic issues. ‘The play’s the thing’ – Hamlet in Windsor One evening in September, I went to the theatre. It was a memorable occasion. The audience stood, stamped and cheered the cast, giving their loudest applause to one particular cast member. It was like being in a football crowd, and indeed the owner of the theatre owns Everton FC. I’d become so out of touch with the Theatre Royal Windsor, the venue on this particular evening, that I hadn’t realised Bill Kenwright’s leading role managing for two decades his ‘favourite theatre’ and now in returning it to ‘its rightful place amongst the elite of UK producing theatres’. My feeling was that Dorney people used to visit what is our local theatre rather more in the past than they do now. A group of us would regularly go to first nights back in the 1980s, but the habit dropped away as tame farce followed each limp drama. I’d like to share three impressions from this latest visit with DPN readers. Firstly, not ‘receiving a penny in subsidy’, this theatre has been in decline, and losses have risen for some time. Now Kenwright talks of ‘something very special to put the “win” back in Windsor’. The means to this end is a four-month star studded ‘summer season’ with the first planned for 2020 but, like everything else, delayed by the pandemic to this last summer. I’m not sure about the rest of the year’s repertoire, but July to October will demand attention. Secondly, this was a stellar cast and production, right here in our locality. Of course, it was Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Sir Ian McKellen as the Prince of Denmark. Innovative too, being avowedly ‘gender, age and colour blind’ in its casting. I’m enthusiastic about the first and third, unconvinced by the second. I didn’t warm to Sir Ian’s ‘Hamlet as Gandalf’ approach, but my word, I did share in the affection and respect that burst forth for his instrumental role in bringing this production out of the West End to the Thames Valley. The third aspect of this occasion was the realisation of just how much fun can be had in the theatre – if ‘fun’ is the right word for a production in which the five main characters die violently in the last act. Before I was out of my teens, I’d seen Albert Finney and Maggie Smith spar in Much Ado About Nothing, a chilling Macbeth appropriately at the Edinburgh Festival, and stood high at the back of the Old Vic to see Olivier prowl around the stage as Othello. Is it possible for a trip to Windsor to reignite youthful enthusiasm? Yes, because on this occasion there was the unique opportunity to sit on the stage – well, at the side of the stage – almost as part of the action. At one point, Hamlet runs through with a dagger the concealed Polonius. Just a touch more vigour from Sir Ian (and he has plenty) and I would have been a goner too. Several of our readers have distinguished theatrical experience. One of them suggested to me ‘what Dorney needs is the theatre – trips to plays’. Now, a formal bus outing en masse may not be realistic these days, but what if this magazine was to sponsor a theatre evening, maybe in 2022’s summer season, hire a room for Dorney playgoers at the Theatre Royal as an alternative to the crowded bar, maybe meet an actor or two? After all, as Hamlet says, ‘the play’s the thing…’ Peter Bowman Services in the Local Churches St James the Less, Dorney St. John the Baptist, Eton Wick St. John the Evangelist, Eton Vicar: Revd. La Stacey, The Vicarage, 69a Eton Wick Road, Eton Wick, Windsor, SL4 6NE Tel: 01753 852268 email: revlastacey@gmail.com For information about our churches, activities and church history please see our parishes’ web site: www.stjohnstjamesed.org.uk _____________________________________________________________ Methodist Church, Eton Wick Alma Road, Eton Wick, SL4 6JZ Minister: Rev Margaret Dudley, 01753 867117 Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Burnham Parish Priest: Fr. Joseph Udoh, M.S.P. 01628 605764 Rev La Stacey writes: Well, we did unearth the canoe from the garage (for those of you who read my musings last month)! With the help of my brother-in-law and daughter, we loaded it on the car and set it in the water at the public slipway by the Windsor Leisure Centre. The 3 of us paddled off upstream, heading for Boveney church where we were meeting up with the ‘support team’ who would be bringing the picnic lunch. First, of course, you have to get through Boveney Lock. That is easy enough, as you follow the sign saying ‘Portage’ and simply disembark and take your canoe over the rollers. The area around Boveney is a popular place for picnics so the bench was taken, and we spread our coats out on the grass to sit on. It was fun being there incognito and watching the numbers of people stopping off for a quiet moment in the church. Back in the boat, we were skimming through the water almost as fast as the motorised river craft. Usually when we are paddling as a two-some we are rather slower, but this time I scarcely needed to paddle at all. I only needed to steer as the crew were so strong! In no time we arrived at Bray and managed to slip into the lock as there were just a couple of boats going upstream and plenty of room for us. We went all the way up to Maidenhead Bridge, shouting to the echo on the way through the sounding arch, and we met up with some of the rest of the family on the riverbank in Maidenhead. Coming back, of course, you are going with the current, so not quite so much effort was needed. We took some of the backwaters around the islands and had those stretches of river to ourselves. The queues of boats at Bray Lock were never-ending and we got a few comments as we overtook them all, heading ostensibly for the lock gates. In fact, we were heading for the Bray portage, and I suspect the other boats had no idea what a struggle that portage is with a rather heavy canoe. Many thanks to the person who relieved me of my part of the burden as we were about to head down the steep steps! What a treat it was to be back on the water for the first time for a year or so. There is something very soothing about the sound of lapping water and the rhythm of the quiet paddling. We have been meditating with the psalms on Tuesday nights and the ‘quiet waters’ by which we are led was a phrase from Psalm 23 which I found had great depths and resonance for me. There is a dimension that is found both within a moment and outside time which emerges from the discipline of contemplation. There are long stretches of going against the current sometimes, and moments of particular struggle when others are needed to help carry you through, but the reward of peacefulness is worth it. Our Harvest Festival will be on October 3rd. Bring along goods for the Windsor Foodshare project which serves Maidenhead and Windsor. Our collection will be for the work that Tearfund does among those in greatest need in our world. How we long to share not just goods, but peace as well! Church Services in October 2021 Sunday 3rd October (Harvest Festival) 9.30 am Holy Communion St James the Less, Dorney 11.00 am Any Age Family Service St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Wednesday 6th October 10.00am Holy Communion (said BCP) St John the Evangelist, Eton Sunday 10th October 9.30am Holy Communion St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Sunday 17th October 9.30am Holy Communion St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Morning Worship St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Wednesday 20th October 10.00am Holy Communion (said BCP) St John the Evangelist, Eton Sunday 24th October 9.30am Morning Worship St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Sunday 31st October 9.30am Holy Communion St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Eton Wick St Mary Magdalene, Boveney This beautiful church on the Thames is open daily. Christmas Advent Service by Candlelight - 1500hrs on Sunday, 12th December 2021 www.st-mary-magdalene-boveney.org.uk Spotlight on Dorney Folk - Mo Voaden meets Georgia Wilson Who hasn’t visited Boveney Lock, one of the busiest and most photographed locks on the River Thames? This month I welcome Georgia Wilson, the new lock and weir keeper at Boveney Lock. At twenty-three, Georgia is believed to be the youngest resident lock keeper, and only 5th appointed female resident. In fact, you could say she was born and bred to the job, having grown up at Old Windsor lock where her father is the keeper. Following him into the profession wasn’t planned. ‘More a question of falling into it, she said, ‘after a stint in a local pub.’ She took a temporary job on the river, and realised it was the life for her. What was it like growing up beside a lock? ‘Wonderful! Safety was drilled into me from an early age, as well as the importance of service. Lock keepers are expected to regularly make themselves available to deal with incidents at their sites when off duty. You never know when a boat is going to get into trouble or the water level needs adjusting. Rainfall is no respecter of Christmas lunch!’ Georgia excelled at school and was a talented athlete before turning to horse riding. She was also very shy – which is hard to believe given her confident and engaging personality. ‘I’m passionate about my job, and very proud to be working for the Environment Agency,’ she said. The Agency looks after all the locks from St John’s Lock (the highest lock on the Thames and home to 'Father Thames', the famous statue made in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace at Hyde Park), to Teddington Lock. Her job includes operating the weir to manage water levels. This is to enable safe boating but also, during periods of heavy or persistent rain, to help manage flood risk. It’s also to ensure there is enough water in the summer for drinking. Approximately 70% of all water supplied to London is taken from the Thames upstream of Teddington Weir. Spring and summer are the busiest times with the traffic on the river being fairly constant. Off peak starts in early October. Georgia isn’t responsible for carrying out lock repairs, but she does spend time advising boaters on the safe handling of their vessels. Competence varies, with hirers needing more help on average than boat owners. Generally, behaviour is good with the majority of people being polite and respectful. Her job is to get the traffic through the lock as quickly and safely as possible. From time-to-time boats break down, the most common problems being starter motors and ropes in propellers. Any problems with wildlife are reported and attended to by an outside agency and a watch has to be kept for pollution caused by fuel leaks from boats. One of the banks is being allowed to ‘turn wild’, with flowers planted to encourage bees and other insects. Georgia is very grateful for Squires’ donation of plants that she tends herself. ‘This year’s marigolds have been particularly splendid!’ There are otters upriver and last year there was a mink. ‘I haven’t seen him this year,’ Georgia said. ‘And the ducks have thrived!’ Luckily, she enjoys painting, which is part of site maintenance. ‘I’m a dab hand at white lines and fences too. All tripping hazards have to be marked with a white line and maintained properly. Safety is paramount.’ Working outside was a big factor in her decision to become a lock keeper, despite her hay fever. ‘Oh I just battle through,’ she explained, ‘when the pollen count is high. And I don’t mind the rain or cold at all.’ Lucky her! Her typical day starts with coffee at about 9am. ‘Don’t come between me and my coffee,’ she laughs. She will then see boats through the lock, often assisted by a volunteer. The rest of the time is spent on site maintenance and keeping it neat and tidy, including regularly mowing the grass (a big part of her job). ‘Always mowing! Luckily I enjoy it!’ And I DO love my stripes!’ Usually she will cover 15 km a day on foot, which, together with her passion for riding (dressage), keeps her fit. There are two uniforms - a working one consisting of a black polo shirt, jacket, and trousers, and the formal or ‘dress’ uniform for special occasions, which has epaulettes. Her particular skills include providing excellent customer service, being good at working under pressure and undertaking teamwork when required. In her private life, she is a keen horse rider, dressage in particular, and boating. Georgia prefers cheese to chocolate, wine to beer and music to silence. ‘Any sort. From musicals to metal.’ And when I asked, ‘letter or email,’ she replied - ‘letter – I’m an old romantic!’ My question ‘what have you found in the river?’ made her giggle. ‘There’s a fair amount of general rubbish,’ she explained, ‘and one morning I found an inflatable mattress. Another time, not Boveney,’ she hastened to add, ‘a lady’s toy was washed up. It probably came from London.’ And, being of a morbid disposition, I asked the question I’d been dying to ask: ‘what about bodies? There was a pause. She explained that she’d never found one, but it does happen, unfortunately. There are specific procedures to follow and, as would be expected, she has received excellent training and preparation to deal with such a situation. And the last word comes from Georgia: ‘Do come down and say hello (after coffee) or give me a wave if I’m mowing. Always happy to help!’ ******** Local Lock Closures planned this winter on the Thames For the information of readers of Dorney Parish News who ply The Thames 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Boulters Lock Lock hydraulic upgrade to lock site operating system to improve resilience. More site specific detail to follow after our tendering process is complete. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Cookham Lock Lock hydraulic upgrade to lock site operating system to improve resilience. More site specific detail to follow after our tendering process is complete. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Bray Lock Lock hydraulic upgrade to lock site operating system to improve resilience. More site specific detail to follow after our tendering process is complete. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Bray Lock Replacement of lock chamber rubbing fenders, undertaking partial lock side resurfacing and improving the lock gate anchor system. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Boveney Lock Lock hydraulic upgrade to lock site operating system to improve resilience. More site specific detail to follow after our tendering process is complete. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Old Windsor Lock Lock hydraulic upgrade to lock site operating system to improve resilience. More site specific detail to follow after our tendering process is complete. 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 Romney Lock The replacement of Romney Lock chamber fenders that have exceeded their design life and require renewing. Environment Agency Text Description automatically generated Graphical user interface, website Description automatically generated DORNEY SCHOOL RESPECT * COLLABORATE * GROW News from Dorney School Graphical user interface Description automatically generated As I write this, I am reflecting on a wonderful end of season – winter is in the air! The changes that Autumn days bring; the colours, the coolness, the last days of warm sunshine and the season for ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (John Keats; To Autumn) never fail to ignite me with an inner glow. I continue to write about the joy of back-to-school routines and the uncertainty as we meander, yet another school year impacted by the rise in Covid cases and transmissions. No matter what the inspiration or challenge, we carry on regardless! A shout out to all support staff at school, especially our teaching assistants, without whom our children will be unable to flourish. Teamwork does make the dream work, and the light they give enables our pupils to shine! Our school has been awarded Bronze for our initiatives in improving travel to school and reducing car pollution and carbon emissions. It is wonderful to be recognised for our efforts and this term we launch our new school travel plan in our aim for Silver. Our school encourages pupils and parents to walk/cycle/scoot to school instead of single car occupancy/use and we also encourage considerate, responsible driving and parking, if there are no alternatives. We see ourselves as part of the wider Dorney community and work together with residents, the Village Hall, and the local Parish to ensure safer, cleaner, and better travel choices. We also celebrated Jeans4Genes Day, raising funds and awareness of families living with genetic disorders. We are privileged and grateful to the Hobbs family who were guests at our whole school assembly and virtual parents’ coffee session. Charlotte Hobbs introduced us to her family, and son, Teddy, who was born with Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome. It is a rare genetic condition in which elevated interferon causes an autoimmune response which results in brain damage and other problems. She explains the care, and love that surrounds Teddy and encourages everyone to be curious about children and adults living with genetic disorders. Charlotte would like a world where Teddy is included, and where people Teddy meets will smile and talk to him as they would with any child. I have never been more inspired listening to Charlotte and Teddy’s older sister, Connie (currently in Year 2). Connie even made a speech that she read out to the whole school about her relationship with Teddy and made a picture that serves to remind us that we may be different, but we all share the human experience. As part of our Inclusive curriculum and celebration of Diversity, our school took part in World Afro Day 2021. We read children’s books by black and diverse authors to ensure that our school community stands up against discrimination in all its forms. For far too long have some communities, and families, faced discrimination on how they look or their background. This is not acceptable, and we must work together to ensure we promote equality for everyone. Chart, scatter chart Description automatically generated Text Description automatically generated We look forward to Black History Month in October although as a school, we believe that learning is not defined by an event or a month of activities. Our curriculum is an inclusive one and we promote equality in all we do and ensure that black history is threaded through our school curriculum. Text Description automatically generated At the point of writing, we also look forward to our annual Harvest celebrations, with an assembly led by the Reverend La of St James the Less, Dorney. For the 3rd year running, we will be collecting food and items for the Maidenhead Foodbank which currently serves an average of 300 families in need. We know that life can be hard, and now made more difficult because of Covid, rising food and fuel prices, shortage of lorry drivers and the impact of Brexit. We look forward to another assembly in which we can celebrate our collective efforts and invite our guests from the foodbank to attend. We will also be raising awareness of breast cancer in the month of October, another one of our school’s chosen charities. We warmly invite parents of children starting school in September 2022 to book one of our Open morning visits on: Thursday 14th October 5.30 – 7.00 p.m. Tuesday 16th November 1.15 – 2.15 p.m. Wednesday 12th January 2022 10.30 – 11.30 a.m. Visit our website https://www.dorneyschool.co.uk/open-mornings-for-prospective-parents/ and complete the online form to register your interest. I end this article with an invitation to visit our wonderful school. All you need to do is email office@dorneyschool.co.uk You do not have to be a parent for a personalised tour; come and see what we do and I hope you will agree that we are ‘The Little Village School with a Big Heart’. Warmest wishes, Mrs Sharifah Lee Headteacher SKID MARKS ON DORNEY COMMON Summer skidded to an abrupt halt mid-season, but as September draws to a close, the days are warm and mostly sunny. The garden has shrunk from colourful vibrancy to brown wrinkles, with a long winter wait ahead. Our hens take to their shelter with increased frequency and egg production drops to a low level. Meantime, as retail gears up for Christmas, it is full steam ahead at the Maidenhead Drama Guild, where good progress is made as our production team dream up alternative options for small spaces following the loss of our usual venue the Desborough Theatre. Good news, Henley Theatre (tech side) have been commissioned to refurbish Holyport Memorial Hall, and we have been asked to provide input on the design, which helps tick our boxes. The main problem being a very shallow stage, but we have grand ideas to solve this issue with a double layer thrust. This I can assure you is not a punch delivered by the Dame, but a stage extension into the audience, some call it the catwalk. Purrfect! This year the pirates are out, as we put on Treasure Island. Ah ha me hearties! Still vaccinating, booster number three, and Flu jabs also on the horizon for all 50 plus’s, those at risk and school children (Fluenz Tetra nasal spray), it was time to take yet another NHS e-learning session of Core Knowledge, Inactivated Flu Vaccines and Live vaccines, producing a further batch of certificates for the bulging folder. So, following the closure of the Harlequins, a month off until I switch to Queen Mary’s in Roehampton in October. However, unable to keep away for long, I took on a handful of shifts back at Salt Hill in Slough to keep my hand in on your arms. Arriving for a Late duty, observed that our PCN side was deserted, not a soul in sight, whilst on the Mass Vax section the staff were staring into space hoping for an early exit followed by a tasty TV supper. Informed now that our side was shut each day until 2pm, carefully chose my favourite front of house desk, wiped it down, then entered stores to stock up on essentials, to be greeted by someone asleep on the floor. Gosh, it really has gone down since my last visit 2 months previously, but no, it turned out the lady had suffered a painful back and was meditating on the firm flat surface to ease the issue. Soon enough the team rolled in, including friends from the past who were pleased to see my return, in their view an alternative entertaining prospect as customers coming in were few and far between. Very likely the quiet sea before the storm, as in two days henceforth the centre would open fully to Covid boosters and possibly flu jabs. Nobody really seemed to know, and even if there were bulletins it is common knowledge that the goal posts are made of flexible gum. The mantra whilst working in most of these centres is ‘read the National Protocol on a regular basis, then go with the flow’. I say this tongue in cheek, simply because every week there is a different policy and a new rule. Having had a few weeks off I could see several important changes, so must stay alert. A youngish lad came to my desk for his first vaccine and asked if I could backdate the date (a travel matter), opening his palm to reveal a sweaty shriveled fiver. My smile and expression saw the situation turn into comic mirth, with both of us laughing as he strode off to wait his 15 minutes in our care area. September turned out to be the month that ALL postponed event tickets were rescheduled, which meant that my husband Dave had to shelve all weekend plans for his personal hobbies (lawn stripes), to hurtle socially from one affair to the next, the highlight of these being our visit to Kent’s Hop Farm to see the wonderful Tom Jones and his fabulous supports (bands not a Zimmer), his incredible booming vocals punching out the opening song ‘What’s New Pussycat’ into the night on the only balmy evening that month. What a voice! From there we took in an Autumn Chelsea Flower Show, several theatre jaunts, and a festival of cars with Chris Evans. This last outing was a work-related gift, with slight reservation as we have little interest in vehicles. In the end, we hugely enjoyed the pelting cars around Jody Scheckter’s track on his Hampshire farm, topping eleventyeight miles an hour, shedding lit burning rubber on each corner, skid marks round the doughnut and black fumes through the chicane. Wow! The stench and smoke enough to turn any eco-warrior a shade of Thunberg purple. Back home, as the garden withers, the Autumn air smells of seasonal leaf mulch and bonfires, with the late sun hanging low as we drift nearer to the beginning of Winter. Masks now mostly scarce, if feels strange walking into a coffee shop to sit amongst friends to chat and socialise in a normal way. Well, it doesn’t seem totally normal, a little guilty for not protecting myself and others, and still slightly awkward to hug. Hugging! Big deal these days! Some do but most still elbow knock. It is a time to appreciate the little things in life, that give far more pleasure than those of monetary value. Once upon a time there was a businessman who was sitting on the beach in a small Italian village. As he sat, taking a brief break from the stress of his daily schedule, he saw a fisherman rowing back into the harbour, with a few large fish in his boat. Impressed, the businessman asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” To which he replied “Oh, not so long.” The businessman was confused, “Why don’t you fish for longer to catch even more?” “More? This is enough to feed my entire family and even offer some to my neighbours,” the fisherman said. “So, what do you do for the rest of your day?” enquired the businessman. The fisherman replied, “Well, I’ve usually have caught my fish by late morning, at which point I go home, kiss my wife, and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap and read. In the evening, I go to the village to have a drink with my friends, play guitar, sing, and dance into the night!” Putting his entrepreneurial hat on, the businessman offered a suggestion. “I have a PhD in business! I can help you become much more successful. From now on, you should spend longer at sea and catch as many fish as possible. When you’ve saved enough money, buy a bigger boat to catch even more fish. From there, you’ll soon be able to buy more boats, set up your own company, build a production plant to can the fish and control distribution, and move to the city to control your other branches.” To this, the fisherman asks, “And after that?” The businessman laughs, “After that, you’ll be able to live like a king, take your company public, float your shares and be rich!” “And after that?” asks the fisherman once more. “After that, you can retire, move to a house by the sea, wake up early in the morning to go fishing, then return home to play with your kids, kiss your wife, take a nap in the afternoon, and join your friends in the village to drink, play guitar and dance into the night!” Puzzled, the fisherman replies, “But isn’t that what I’m doing already?” Kristina Perkins Dorney Reach Defibrillator Key Code – Free Fridge Magnet At the November 2020 Parish Council meeting it was agreed to print 300 fridge magnets with the code of the Dorney Reach (Village Hall) defibrillator on them. A picture containing text, sign, alcohol Description automatically generated Due to Covid restrictions it wasn’t possible to distribute them when they arrived. The Parish Council are making these available in the red phone box in Harcourt Road. Given the importance of having this code, we would ask all residents in Dorney Reach to pick one up from the phone box as soon as they can. They are also available directly from Ruth Senior, Parish Clerk – email: clerk@dorneyparishcouncil.gov.uk Please let Ruth have your postal address and she will send one to you. ***** Text Description automatically generated A picture containing text, sign, alcohol Description automatically generated JOIN YOUR COUNCIL! Dorney Parish Council is seeking a dedicated and motivated member of the community to join the Council, helping to shape local services and providing a voice for its residents on local and regional issues. We’d like to hear from those who live or work in or around Dorney who feel they can bring skills and knowledge to support and strengthen the work of the Council. What’s involved? The role of a councillor is voluntary. Dorney Parish Council has a complement of seven councillors and meets on the third Tuesday evening each month. Prospective councillors will be expected to play an active role in the Council, participating in meetings, attending events and representing the Council on other bodies. Am I eligible? To be a member of the Council you must meet the following criteria:  be at least 18 years old, and  be a British citizen or an eligible Commonwealth citizen, and  meet at least one of the following four qualifications: a) You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector in Dorney from the day of your nomination onwards. b) You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in Dorney during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election. c) Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in Dorney Parish. d) You have lived in Dorney Parish or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination. Where can I find out more information? Visit www.dorneyparishcouncil.gov.uk Contact Ruth Senior, Parish Clerk: 07769 704010 Clerk@dorneyparishcouncil.gov.uk How green is Dorney? It is hoped by many that the upcoming COP26 meeting in Glasgow, starting on 1st November 2021, will focus the world’s attention on the 2050 Net Zero goal for greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst the meeting will address the myriad of macro issues around the world that have to be urgently addressed to assist in meeting this global challenge, it may not have time to consider the impact we, as communities and individuals, are doing now and what we might be able to do to “do our bit”. The picture below shows that Dorney is already very green (and blue)! A picture containing mountain, nature, shore, highland Description automatically generated Dorney Parish is approx. 1,350 acres. This is made up as follows (approx.): Our Homes 10 acres Our Gardens 75 acres Our Roads 25 acres Our Water (Thames, Jubilee and Dorney Lake) 185 acres Dorney Lake Land (exc. Water) 340 acres Our Commons (Dorney and Lake End) 200 acres Agricultural Land 340 acres Equestrian Land 105 acres Thames Water Land (Pumping Station etc) 55 acres Council Land (Trumpers Field, Memorial Ground) 15 acres Source: 2011 Published Statistics: Population, home ownership and extracts from Physical Environment, surveyed in 2005 and Google Earth. Even in an apparently green community such as Dorney, our use of energy – one major source of greenhouse gases – can be improved. Starting in November, Dorney Parish News will start a series of short articles on Dorney’s current and future possible contributions to the world’s greatest known challenge. Kermit “It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be” – last line of Bein’ Green song Roger Henley-King Roger Henley-King, a long-time resident of Dorney parish, passed away on 7th September 2021, aged 85. A person wearing a tuxedo Description automatically generated with low confidence Roger moved to the parish in 1962 with his wife Anna. They had met in Kuwait where they both worked. Their three sons, Mark, John and Donald, were raised in their house in Ashford Lane. Roger spent a few years working abroad in Kuwait and the Bahamas when the boys were young, always taking his family away with him. They returned from their travels abroad in 1970 and the boys all attended Dorney County Combined School. Roger was a Chartered Engineer who designed refrigeration and air conditioning systems for office & factory buildings. He worked for ML Industrial Products in Slough before setting up his own consultancy company based near Reading. In his 40’s Roger took up running and ran many fun runs and half marathons. He even did a marathon when he was 52, soon after which he decided to hang up his running shoes! Throughout the years he was a regular at the Pineapple pub where he could often be seen enjoying a pint of Guinness by the fire. In his retirement Roger loved to play golf and was a member of Lambourne Golf Club in Burnham for many years. He also went on several cruises including round-theworld adventures. Roger’s wife passed away in 2008, but then he found companionship with Anna Guest. This relationship blossomed into a special friendship, and they spent many happy times together. Roger will be greatly missed by his family, friends and by the patrons of the Pineapple pub. DPN would like to thank Roger’s son, Don Henley-King, whose memories enabled us to publish this tribute. A picture containing ground, outdoor, tree, sky Description automatically generated A close up of a store Description automatically generated A room filled with furniture and vase of flowers on a table Description automatically generated A group of people standing on a flower Description automatically generated Crocus at Dorney Court offers much more than your typical garden centre experience! Set in the grounds of Dorney Court Estate, near Eton, visitors will find a unique and innovative garden destination offering a curated assortment of plants for all seasons, as well as inspired items for the home and garden. No visit is complete without stopping in our café. Immerse yourself in a stunning oasis of calm, charm, cake and coffee and take a minute to unwind before heading back outside for round two of plant shopping or treat yourself to one of the dishes from our extensive menu created by our dedicated chef - perhaps washed down with a refreshing pint of ale from the Rebellion Brewery. Our shop blends practical and stylish products from around the world with plants that are often difficult to source, particularly from garden centres. With a full nursery of garden and indoor plants, eco-friendly growing supplies, home and garden décor, furniture, containers, gifts, in addition to found objects around the world, Crocus at Dorney Court seamlessly blends global with local, offering something for every home and garden. Our café is now open for indoor dining. Please check our website (www.Crocus.co.uk/Dorney) for any operational changes due to the current Covid guidelines. www.crocus.co.uk IT’S SHOWBUSINESS! Dorney has long been a favoured place to live for people in the entertainment industry. I was intrigued to come across an American staying in Dorney Reach in 1935. Investigating the story behind this took me into a whole different world, of celebrity and glamour underpinned by real talent. The American I started with was Reginald (Reg) Montgomery, a pianist and composer. I discovered that throughout the 1930s he had made frequent sea crossings between the US and England, in company with a woman whose stage name was Marion Harris. Marion was a singing star, and she would undoubtedly have been staying at the house in Dorney Reach with Reg, as guests of West End theatre agent Leonard (Len) Urry whose house it was. The following year, it became Marion’s home for a brief time after she married Len. It’s been hard to track down the truth of Marion’s life, amid the many myths about her origins, how she began her performing career and even how many husbands she had! Bit by bit, however, research has revealed the real woman. She was born Mary Ellen Harrison, probably in 1898 in Indiana. Her father died when she was young, and her mother worked as a stenographer to support her only child. There are many stories about how Marion became a singer which may or may not be true, but what is indisputable is that her recording career began in 1916. In the same year she was said to have been a featured singer in Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic, a late night rooftop venue in New York where scantily clad chorus girls danced on a glass floor above the audience who enjoyed various comedy, singing and dancing acts while drinking and dining. The recording studios issued several of Marion’s records most years through the 1920s and she was said to have made far more recordings than other female singers of the time. She achieved considerable success in the American music charts; it was claimed that she earned £20,000 for sales of one and a half million copies of one of her songs. Her records were sold in England, too. Her style included jazz and pop and in particular blues; she was credited as being the first white singer to sing works by black composers, even adopting a Southern dialect. Later she claimed to have invented crooning, a popular style in the 1930s – Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby are better known crooners. You can still listen to the sound of her voice at https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/106624/Harris_Marion . In August 1919, Marion married Robert Williams, a film actor and theatre promoter a few years older than her. Their daughter was born in New York the following year. Having a baby barely interrupted Marion’s career and she continued to record songs and to tour the US appearing in vaudeville shows. Her love life was less successful. Marion and Robert were divorced around 1922 and she then married Rush Bissell Hughes, stepson of writer and film director Rupert Hughes, the uncle of billionaire Howard Hughes. Rush was a few years younger than Marion and worked in radio. They had a son born in 1924 in New York, but this marriage too ended in divorce, in 1927. Meanwhile Marion appeared at the Palace Theatre in New York – the pinnacle of vaudeville theatres – between 1926 and 1931, as well as in Broadway shows. She did a little film acting, too, and radio work. In 1930, Marion was living in Beverley Hills with her two children. Marion now turned her attention towards England. Throughout the 1930s she travelled across the Atlantic by ship, usually with her children in tow as well as Reg Montgomery who had taken over as her accompanist. She featured at various London venues but especially in cabaret at the Café de Paris where she became a regular performer. It was here that she probably got to know Len Urry, who was said at the time to have been employed there to dance with female customers without partners. By the beginning of 1935, Len had signed the American duo up with the Wright Orchestral Club, which provided subscribers with sheet music for the latest dances. They promoted a comic song written by Marion and Reg called “My Kid’s a Crooner”, even holding singing contests for it in dance halls. By 1931, Marion was reportedly one of the highest paid women entertainers in the world. As well as cabaret, she began to feature on British radio, alongside Reg. Together they wrote a foxtrot entitled “I'll B.B.C-ing you (In town tonight)”, capitalising on the growing popularity of the BBC. She was to become an established radio artist in the UK. On 1 April 1935, Reg Montgomery was staying at Len Urry’s house, Little Holme in Dorney Reach, and no doubt Marion was also there. By this time, she would have been well known to the English public from her records and radio appearances. The residents of Dorney would have been aware that she was a singing star. In early April 1936, Marion sailed back to New York with her two children and Reg. She returned to England on 11 June with just her daughter, leaving her son to make his home with his father and stepmother. Two weeks later Marion and Len were married at Eton Register Office and settled into life at Little Holme. The house was one of those on the bank of the Thames, now known as Gable End. It would be nice to think that Marion was able to enjoy the peace and beauty of her surroundings. After her marriage, Marion seems to have given up live performances, although she and Reg were still working together in 1938. An unpaid bill for dental treatment landed her in Windsor Bankruptcy Court early in 1938. Despite having been one of the highest earners in her profession, paid £600 a week by the Café de Paris, she said she had spent virtually all her salary on maintaining her celebrity lifestyle and now had nothing left. Perhaps finance was the reason that she and Len gave up the house in Dorney Reach; by the outbreak of war they were living in Knightsbridge. But their London house was hit by a bomb. Shaken, Marion made her way over to New York and checked into a clinic. She had left the clinic and was staying in a hotel, catching up with old friends, when a lighted cigarette in bed caused a fire which killed her, on 23 April 1944. Her death was widely reported in the British press so her Dorney neighbours would have heard of her sad end. Trying to discover the truth about Marion’s story has led me on a trans-Atlantic journey of my own, by email rather than ship! The American author of a website celebrating jazz age singers has a page about Marion and was looking to understand more of her background. It has been a rewarding experience to collaborate in our research. If you go to the website at http://www.jazzage1920s.com/marionharris/marionharris.php you can even see a video clip of her. It is many years since she left Dorney, but her voice can still be heard. Her recordings continue to be used in the soundtrack to such blockbusters as Downton Abbey and Boardwalk Empire. Marion is not forgotten. Virginia Silvester Thinking outside the box? South Bucks residents have just been given an additional 44L box into which must now go all our recycled paper and carboard. Derision has followed, not least in Dorney – the box is way too small and also is over cumbersome to lift outside our properties. But a closer investigation into Buck’s Council’s motives reveal that there might be method behind this apparent madness. A person holding a garbage can Description automatically generated with low confidence It is true that Bucks Council, in announcing the scheme, do not seem entirely in touch with domestic reality. With many residents at home, more paper must have been generated, especially by those working. As one Dorney resident wondered, have they not heard of Amazon and the rest? Halfway through the fortnightly cycle, our new box is filled to the brim. The blue wheely bin, with a volume four times greater, stands near empty alongside. But woe betide anyone who thinks they can sneak card into their blue bin. After the start of November, any blue bin containing cardboard will be left unemptied. ‘Please, don’t get caught out’ says the county’s website just a little patronisingly. In fact, the approach has been all wrong. Recycling will be ‘easier’ because we will no longer need to separate our paper and cardboard. I doubt if any of us were greatly troubled by that chore previously. Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment does say that Bucks people are ‘great at recycling’ and that ‘this small change will make recycling even quicker and easier’. Remember that, as you struggle to the roadside with your new box. But, I thought, this new policy cannot just have arisen on a whim. I posted all this on Twitter hoping to provoke a response, and indeed, in responding the County deserve some credit - ‘This change is to increase operational efficiency and to help protect the environment by producing the best quality paper with reduced cardboard wastage. Segregating cardboard and paper from other recyclables avoids contamination which devalues its ability to be reprocessed/recycled. In addition, this change has been implemented so that collections are aligned across the south of the county’. The new boxes reflect a shift in priorities. A detailed report from the Local Government Association, ‘Wealth from Waste’, gives us many clues to these. Councils like Bucks should no longer prioritise chasing targets and exporting waste overseas, but develop recycling ‘to unlock its true potential, generate 50,000 jobs and expand a vital revenue stream in a tight financial climate’. The LGA highlights the impact of food contamination on recyclable materials – if this impact could be halved, £1 billion value would result, which would translate to several million pounds in a county the size of Bucks. It’s been said that the new boxes will discourage recycling as households dump more in their black bins either because it’s soiled packaging or the green box is inadequate. But this may not indeed over concern the Council as far less non-recyclable waste now goes to landfill than is widely believed. Much is burned in ‘Energy from Waste’ facilities such as that at Greatmoor in north Bucks. I’m not sure how much carbon that releases, but cheap electricity results. Interest in correct recycling might be stimulated – I fed into the website’s ‘Waste Wizard’ four items I believed could go in blue bins. My score out of 4? Nil. Even that point about ‘alignment’ of services might be of great benefit, according to that LGA report. These changes coincide with Veolia starting a ten-year contract (in South Bucks replacing Biffa) for waste disposal across South Bucks, Chiltern and Wycombe districts. Don’t get me wrong – I dislike that bloody box and dread lugging it to the kerbside this weekend. But the thinking behind their introduction is more to the credit of Bucks Council than we might originally have thought. Peter Bowman ***** Ruth Senior – the new Parish Clerk for Dorney Parish Council In our last issue we published profiles of the Chair of the Parish Council plus the five recently installed councillors. They have now been joined by a new Clerk to the Council, Ruth Senior. This is a very important appointment as Ruth will be the primary contact between Dorney residents and their Parish Council. A picture containing person Description automatically generated Ruth tells us…. “I have lived in Burnham for twenty years and know the area well. Pre COVID, I worked in the theatre industry as a Producer for mainly pantomimes and children's shows. However, COVID prompted a rethink and an opportunity to look into a new long-term career move. I am now the Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer for Taplow and Dorney and am learning every day and think I will be for the rest of this career as something new crops up every day! The role is extremely diverse, ranging from budget spreadsheets to roadworks. I am very much looking forward to learning more about Dorney, and I am extremely lucky to have the support and knowledge of the local Councillors.” Taplow, Burnham and The Farnhams Neigh bourhod Priorities Priority – Speeding The NH Teams have been out and about across the area carrying out speeding operations. In July we carried out checks on Marsh Lane, Dorney after reports from local residents. 70 Vehicles passed the site within one hour between 8-9am and 8 vehicles were identified as driving over the speed limit. The highest speed recorded was 42mph. Our Roads Policing unit have been deploying our mobile speed camera vans over the last couple of months at various locations around the South Bucks area. This quarter the mobile speed camera was deployed on 4 occasions and identified 374 offences. Our fixed camera have identified 363 offences in South Bucks. In addition we now have two very active Community Speed Watch teams. This is a great opportunity for residents who wish to volunteer their time to monitor speeding in areas highlighted for concern by fellow residents. If you are interested in helping out then please contact the team or your local Parish Council. Priority – Burglary This quarter we have seen a decrease in Burglary of 73% which has reduced from 15 to 4 compared to last year. Now that the darker nights are approaching and lockdown measures are easing please remember to stay vigilant. Home Security – Keyless Car Theft Keyless Vehicle Theft is where a vehicle is stolen without the thief having physical access to the key. Thieves use a signal boosting device which picks up and boosts the signal detected from your key to the vehicle, making your vehicle think the key is nearby. Driving out of range of the key will not cause the engine to shut down and allows the thief to reach their destination. What can you do! Keep your keys away from the front of your property Consider investing in a steering lock as these can act as a real deterrent. Use a signal-blocking pouch or metal tin to keep your car key in. Turn off keyless fobs wireless signal Motion sensor outdoor lighting and CCTV Priority – Anti-Social Behaviour Being surrounded by the lovely countryside across Buckinghamshire does attract more visitors. It is great to meet up with friends and family in open spaces (in-line with current government restrictions) however it is important to be mindful of your surroundings. We must remain considerate of our communities and neighbours at all times. Last summer, we saw an increase in large groups gathering in an open space area in Taplow. Unfortunately, those gathering did not take into consideration the residents living close by and caused many issues, including acting in an intimidating way, playing loud music, swimming in the river and leaving a lot of litter behind. A multi-agency problem solving meeting was held to see how we could try and resolve the issues. The outcome in our partnership approach saw: • An increase in police patrols • Buckinghamshire Council Waste team visited the site to ensure all litter was removed and collections were made more frequent • Buckinghamshire Council Estates team carried out various repairs at the location • We (Community Safety) discussed the issues with the local residents and urged them to report concerns to the police, as and when the incident occurs • We have recently installed water safety and ASB signage at the location to help act as a deterrent, see images below • We are continuing to engage with residents and future site visits are being scheduled There are many hidden dangers beneath the surface of the water which we can’t see. There can be strong currents, submerged weeds or rubbish which can cause entanglement or injury. Never jump or ‘tombstone’ from bridges. You won’t be able to estimate how deep the river is. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause your body to go into shock which will affect your ability to breathe and swim. None of the lakes at our country parks are suitable for swimming in, so please stay safe by staying out of the water. For further guidance please visit: Bucks Fire & Rescue and Environment Agency Contact Us: Call 101 (Non-Emergency Contact Number) Call 999 in an emergency only The Tale of Barbara Allen - Mike Quincey It is the year of our Lord 1940. Britain is, to coin a phrase, up S*** Street; well up it. There is a meeting in the Ministry of Food, and the atmosphere is glum. Tea and sandwiches are most definitely not in evidence; merchant fleets are being decimated by Kriegsmarine U boats, gallant sailors are dying by the shipload and food is running out. Dig for Victory is a small part of the answer, and every spare piece of ground is utilised in the vital work of feeding the nation. Small fields and large gardens present a problem. “I say Old Boy,” ponders a senior official, “we need an effective and efficient means of clearing nettles, cutting sileage and a host of harvesting jobs where a tractor just can’t get in or it’s a sledgehammer/nut job. What can you come up with? Chop chop now. There’s a war on!” Smithers is given this task and soon finds John Allen in Oxford who is manufacturing a magnificently ugly cutting machine which will cut a swathe through saplings and anything thinner than three feet wide at a fast-walking pace, provided some fool is brave enough to operate it; he reports back and soon Allen Oxford Scythes are a small part of Hitler’s downfall. Better still, it’s powered by a two stroke Villiers motorcycle engine, and, save for the army, there’s not a great demand for motorcycles in 1940, so everyone’s a winner! It is now 2018 and your’s truly has been invited to a 90th birthday party of a great uncle I didn’t know I had. Fortunately, others in my family are more attentive than me and inform me that the grand old fellah is my late Mother’s cousin. She was quite the most wonderful person I ever knew, and I hung on her every word (with a possible exception as a teenager) throughout my life, I don’t recall her mentioning him and I didn’t know him. I’m sure my reader will have been to similar knees ups, sufficient to say that I met old people I had known as children. “God, they look old!” Then I looked in a mirror and realised they were thinking the same, but it was wonderful in the balmy September pre Covid days that seem an age away now, and I was one of the last to leave the smallholding on the banks of a glorious stretch of an Essex river. “Thank you for a lovely day,” I gushed to my elderly but spritely host. “Before I go, can I do anything for you?” “That’s kind of you Mike, can you fill the log basket. The logs are in the barn.” I found the barn and the logs, and there, covered in a thick layer of dust and logs, was a sorry looking Allen Scythe, covered in rust, tyres flat, abandoned. My heart went out to Barbara. (Well what else could it be!) How could such an icon be abandoned in this awful place. I returned with the logs to mine host. “You’ve got an Allen Scythe in the barn!” I exclaimed with more excitement than would have been prudent if I wanted to buy her. “Oh yes,” said the Old Fellah. “It’s been there a while. The fuel tank’s got a leak.” “When did it last run?” I asked. “1985 I think,” he replied. “Would you like it? It’s no good to me.” I was overcome. “Oh, do let me give you something for it,” I protested weakly. “Wouldn’t hear of it,” he stated firmly. “It’s yours.” Well of course, Mr. Covid intervened (you’ve heard enough of him, so moving on), I arrived with my sister eighteen months later to do some work on the smallholding, after which at the end of a lovely day, I ascertained that Barbara was still mine to take, and dragged her out of her prison on her flat tyres, as she blinked warily in the evening sun. I pumped up her tyres which held air, after which his family helped to push her onto my trailer, where I roped her securely down. Lots of blokes dream of Barn Finds. In our dreams, the finds are usually pre-war Bentleys or, at the very least, a rare coach-built Rolls Royce; a small ugly grass cutter doesn’t usually feature, but I felt as proud as a new father (possible exaggeration there) as I drove my find carefully home, to be greeted by excited male neighbours crowding round Barbara, keen to see her running. It was the Bulldog spirit all over again! There’s lots of information on the webulator (internet to you), with Barbara’s brothers and sisters shaking violently while the two stroke engine putters pitifully whilst emitting copious blue smoke and the cutters snap lethally at anything foolish enough to get close. Health and Safety twenty first century would have a field (sorry) day! There are videos of brave souls struggling to control them. It looks very hard work. I’ve started to strip Barbara, and I think she’s a war baby in that she has been assembled with anything that was to hand with (a technical bit here) an odd mixture of BSW, BSF and AF nut sizes. I spoke to my brother in North Wales. He’s a machinery wizard. “They still get used up here by some. They’re brilliant for cutting bracken on the hills, but many a bloke’s been pulled through a hedge by them; they don’t stop!” I’ll let you know in due course, and I hope to be looking for cutting tasks in Dorney next year to see how she performs! It will be a fitting tribute to a wartime spirit icon. Speaking of which, I had my booster jab today, and accepting that I am an inveterate coward when it comes to needles, I thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of being all together fighting this wretched interloper in our lives. That Bulldog spirit again! Got any petrol or diesel? Stay safe. In Memoriam - Nora Templeman-Sherlock. The Passing of an Age. Jean Tyler very kindly shared with ‘Dorney Parish News’ the Order of Service for the funeral of Nora W. Templeman-Sherlock, who had passed away in June at a very advanced age. Jean told us that Nora had been the wife of the Vicar of Dorney when she moved to the village in 1961. Nora’s daughter pays tribute to her remarkable mother. My father, Ewart Templeman-Sherlock, became the Vicar of Dorney in 1960 and was the last vicar to have the sole incumbency of the Parish. He died in 1999 aged 96 years. His childhood memories included first World War soldiers marching through the London streets, soldiers returning home on leave and being given small amounts of gunpowder to play with. He and his 2 brothers used this to play tricks on people like blowing up metal dust bin lids and once, unfortunately, setting fire to a Neighbour’s shed. More benignly he remembered his father going to a Music Hall with the local Doctor wearing a top hat, cape and carrying a cane and setting off on holiday in a horse drawn carriage. A picture containing outdoor, building, house, old Description automatically generated My Mother was 12 years younger than my father. Nora Templeman-Sherlock, died on 12 June 2021 aged 105 years and 7 months. This finally cut a link with times vastly different from our own. Where childhood transport was shank’s pony, a horse and carriage or a pony and cart, a house telephone was rare and to take a wife from a neighbouring village was frowned upon. Mother’s Parents married very discreetly in 1908. Children swopped treasures in the playground and Mum benefitted by gaining, supposedly, a ring of beads from Tutankhamun’s tomb, the discovery of which was made in November 1922 when she was 7 years old! Howard Carter no relative, did share her surname and had links to the Norfolk area near to Suffolk where she lived, and the swop apparently arose from that coincidence. Driving licences could be purchased at the Post office for 25p or 5 shillings old money and Tests were only required after April 1st 1934 and as Mum was driving by 19, she never had to take one. Vehicles did have to be registered though and there was a £5 fine for non-compliance! Cruising was a popular holiday of choice and she, her siblings and friends took cruises to the Channel Isles and France and Belgium and Holland in the pre -war years. Life changed for her with the death of her Parents in 1936 when she was 21 and the start of the war in 1939. My father’s life changed at 16 when his mother died. Mother had completed management training for the care of sick children but with the influence of war left this to start Nurse training in London. Only single women could be nurses, so this was abandoned to get married in 1943. Father felt he had to become more actively involved in the fighting so he became a wartime Chaplain in the Army and Mother found work in boarding schools managing young children separated from their Parents, often under difficult conditions. The post war years were easier as there were fewer separations and Mother was able to join Father in Hamburg when he was part of the Army on the Rhine in 1950. In 1955 Father left the army and returned to England where they lived and worked in Suffolk until 1960 when they moved to Dorney. Father held strong beliefs about his Ministry and had the luxury of being able to concentrate on one Parish’s welfare, visiting the Elderly, the alone and families who felt the support of his visits…. something present day Clergy might envy. Much work needed to be done on the Vicarage and in 1961-2 the building was renovated to accommodate Village needs and modernise the living standards for a family. The building was repainted, an old cooking range in the older part of the building torn out, and the garden reorganised. The new age of the 60s saw more women working and Mother was among them. She started to work with Learning Difficulties and in time managed a unit for the severely mentally and physically disabled, which continued until she retired in 1980. Father had retired in 1972 and so they moved to Taplow. Father returned to his first career as an artist but occupied his brain by reading some philosophy and revitalising his Greek and Latin. He walked his daughter down the aisle at 90 which made him very proud. Mother continued working and life was very calm until Grandchildren started visiting! Father died in 1999 aged 96 and Mother on 12 June 2021 aged 105. She lived on her own until she was 103 when she was coerced into accepting that she needed help and regretfully moved to live with family. Sherry supplies courtesy of her Grandson softened the blow effectively as the tipple count was lost at two and ‘Never say No’ at Christmas and Birthdays, when the record was 4. Covid dangers were considered over-rated, but a risk and a part of life and living. Naturally she survived all contact with it and died peacefully from old age in the early hours of the 12th, with sun filtering into a quiet room. Felicity Sherlock-Daw MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF DORNEY PARISH COUNCIL HELD TUESDAY 21st SEPTEMBER 2021 AT 7.30 P.M. AT DORNEY SCHOOL Present Cllr. Jill Dax (Chair) Cllr. Martyn Westcott-Wreford Cllr. Euan MacLennan Cllr. Stephen Baker Cllr. Robert Stopford Cllr. Anna Palmer Ms Ruth Senior (Parish Clerk) and eight members of the public (including four via zoom) Open Forum Alice Foxley raised the issue of the Dorney defibrillator not working, the Clerk confirmed that the new battery was already on order and should be arriving this week and will be fitted immediately. There was a question regarding an accident after the road layout change on Dents Corner, although we understand an accident did take place, knocking down the bollards in the middle of the road, no accident was officially reported. Highways will be replacing the bollards. Confirmation was given upon questioning that the recent public consultation on the road layout change was lawfully carried out. PC/27/21 Apologies for absence None given PC/28/21 To confirm the minutes of the Meeting held on 20th July 2021 These were approved with no amendments required and signed by the Chairman. There were no matters arising. PC/29/21 Co-option of councillor No candidate has come forward. The Parish Council have asked for this to be advertised in the next issue of Dorney Parish News. PC/30/21 Items of business carried forward 30.1 The consultation relating to Dents Corner 30.3 Roundmoor Ditch 30.4 The Orchard Herbs Site Work took place very quickly (on September 1st) after the layout agreement was reached. 30.2 The Dorney Area Parking Review County Cllr. Sandy has confirmed via email that Bucks have taken Dorney out of the area review. The Parish Council will now consider parking issues across Dorney, road by road. Cllr. Stopford confirmed that Thames Water stated they will be clearing the section of the Roundmoor Ditch, which runs past their treatment plant in the next week following confirmation that there are no water voles on site. He also attended a meeting to discuss future plans for the water treatment plant outflow, where it was confirmed that there will be a new pipe through Dorney Common to the Thames at Boveney to help cope with the envisaged population growth and storm water. This will be starting in 2023 and completed by March 2025. Planning Officer, Liz Ashton is awaiting a response from Highways Bucks and Historic England over her concerns. Weekly visits are taking place regarding the enforcement notice and although slow, it has been noticed that a significant number of vehicles have gone. The Clerk will ask for an update from County Cllr. Sandy. 30.5 M4 Smart motorway 30.6 The Emergency Plan 30.7 The claim by the Village Hall There is no current progress on the Certificate of Lawfulness. It was agreed The Clerk will write to Kirstie Elliot from the Parish Council stating our objections. The Clerk and The Chair confirmed that no response had been received from Mr. Stacy nor Mr. Orchard despite being invited to comment or attend the Parish Council meeting. It was agreed The Clerk will contact again for an update, specifically regarding; sound barriers, completion date, 30mph signage on Lake End Road and the entrance to the Village Hall. Cllr. Palmer confirmed that there will be a meeting in October to further the draft plan. It has been decided to split Dorney into four areas with ‘Community Rest Centres’ in each area to make the plan successful. More to follow in the October meeting. At the July meeting there was a unanimous decision to offer a 50:50 claim settlement to the Village Hall Committee. The deal accepted by the Village Hall was to net off previously unbilled maintenance payments of £250 a year for 2019/20 and 2020/21 against the 50:50 settlement of the Village Hall's claim that £5,000 had been overcharged from 2015/16 to 2019/20, leaving £2,000 currently payable by DPC to the Village Hall. PC/31/21 Planning The Clerk circulates any relevant planning information to Cllr. Stopford and Cllr. Baker. Cllr. Stopford reported that approval has been sought to fell trees at the Old Bakery in Village Road, he will contact neighbours for their views and report back accordingly. It was agreed that if the neighbours have no objections, then nor will the Parish Council. PC/32/21 Finance 32.1 To agree/ratify expenditure and income to date The Clerk confirmed that the cashbook is up to date with many payments ready to be processed. The cashbook will be circulated as soon as the payments have been made through the new bank account. Cllr. MacLennan confirmed that the 2020/2021 AGAR has been signed off by the External Auditor. The notice of conclusion certificate will be posted on the village notice boards and websites. 32.2 To agree terms of the new banking arrangements As soon as the new bank account receives the transferred funds from Bank of Ireland, The Clerk will action all outstanding payments. It was agreed that the signatories will then check and authorise these payments as a matter of urgency. Going forward, The Clerk will raise payments as they arise and the signatories will check the bank on a weekly basis for any payments awaiting authorisation. It was agreed that The Clerk will inform the signatories if there are any unusual or new payments. 32.3 To consider LED streetlighting The Clerk confirmed that there are two streetlights still to be switched over to LED. The contractor Leigh Electrical has been changing the lights over as and when they fail. The last two can be changed over sooner at a cost of £40 per light however it was agreed that when the last two fail naturally and have been changed to LED, The Clerk will contact SSE to ask for a new tariff. Cllr. Westcott-Wreford reported two streetlights lights are not working – Cattlegrid and Southfield Close, The Clerk will report these to Leigh Electrical. The light outside the old Post Office has also been reported and investigation is under way to determine the problem. PC/33/21 To consider speeding issues around the village Cllr. Westcott-Wreford will access the information from the speed signs to report on actual speeds through those areas of Dorney. A discussion took place on options for tackling the speeding issues around Dorney including the possibility of using the volunteer speed gun from a neighbouring Parish. The Clerk will forward Bucks Speeding Options email to all Councillors for consideration and contact the local Police with regards to the mobile Police speed van adding Dorney to their rota. This will be re-visited in the October meeting. PC/34/21 To consider issues relating to the cattle grid The issue with the noisy and loose cattle grid is ongoing with Bucks. It was agreed that Cllr. Westcott-Wreford will contact Jack Pearce at Bucks again for an update as the view is that it is the design of the grid which is failing. PC/35/21 To consider and decide next steps relating to arrangements with the Village Hall and Playground Management Committees 35.1 Village Hall – It was agreed that Dorney Parish Council should have a trustee on the Village Hall Committee, Cllr. Palmer proposed herself, seconded by Cllr. Westcott-Wreford. 35.2 Playground – Cllr. MacLennan met with Leanne Kittel and updated the council on the discussion regards the future of the playground and insurances. No decisions to be made currently. PC/36/21 To consider any complaints/comments received from residents Cllr. Baker confirmed he is still working on the cycling complaint. PC/37/21 To review any matters relating to Groundsman/Maintenance The Chair confirmed that the processionary moth signage will remain in place as there may still be hairs falling from the trees. The tree spraying will happen in spring and there could be funding available for this from the Forestry Commission which will be investigated at the time. It was agreed that Dorney Parish Council will purchase 2 new polo shirts and a cap with the new DPC logo on for John Farrell, The Chair will investigate this. PC/38/21 To discuss the overdue tree survey Landmark last carried out a tree survey in 2017. It was agreed that The Clerk will order a new survey as it is now overdue and will keep it on a two year cycle going forward. PC/39/21 To discuss the new recycling box and bin procedure from Bucks Council The new box procedure was discussed and although the view is that to increase the possibility of card and paper being recycled is the priority, the box is too small. The Parish Council will review this in the future after some settling time. PC/40/21 Update on Dorney Lake following the Dorney Lake Liaison Group meeting The Chair attended this meeting w/c 13.9.21. The group confirmed Dorney Lake will reopen and the parking charges on site will remain in place. It was agreed that it is great to have a good working relationship with the group. We anticipate that there will be parking issues in Court Lane and this will be reviewed at the next meeting with the group in January. Parking Permits for certain postcodes can be renewed or applied for directly from Dorney Lake. PC/41/21 Items to consider for discussion at the next meeting on 19th October 2021 Marsh Lane mud on the road from tractors in the field – The Chair has been in communication with the farmer and will continue this contact. Potholes in Boveney Road. Road resurfacing including Dents Corner, Lake End Road and Marsh Lane. Dorney Village Hall www.dorneyvillagehall.co.uk A person holding a tennis racket Description automatically generated A large empty room with a wood floor Description automatically generated A group of people sitting at a table with a vase of flowers Description automatically generated Dorney Village Hall has a large main area with stage, a smaller annexed room, and kitchen. It is served by a large private car park and adjacent there is a tennis court, a multi activity games area (MUGA), playground and a playing field. It is used by residents for a multitude of activities such as dancing classes, keep fit, yoga, badminton, horticultural and hired out for parties, dances and weddings. The management committee welcomes non-residents, organisations, clubs, businesses, and societies to hire the halls. Main hall: 15 x 7.4m, ceiling height 7m Fixed stage with curtains: 4.5 x 6m Annexe: 9.8 x 3.5m, ceiling height 2m Licensed to seat 100 people Children’s tables and chairs available Beechwood suspended dance floor 75 space free car park From £13 per hour (minimum of 3 hours) for Dorney Parish Residents Email: enquiries@dorneyvillagehall.com Online on www.dorneyvillagehall.co.uk Dorney History Group The Dorney History Group has no meetings, currently, but it has a wealth of information about Dorney’s past on its website: www.dorney-history-group.org.uk, with over 18,000 web visitors each year. Eton Wick History Group The Eton Wick History Group has been meeting regularly since 1992. Eton Wick and the surrounding area is rich in history and the village has a heritage dating back to 1217. Meetings are held at 7.30 pm in Eton Wick Hall, Eton Wick, and everyone is welcome. Refreshments are served, and there is a charge of £2.00 to cover costs. Visitors and new members are always very welcome. 2021 Programme 27th October ‘Willie and Ettie: The Souls of Taplow Court’ with Mr Nigel Smales 8th December ‘A Window on Windsor's Medieval Past’ with Dr David Lewis Further details from: Teresa Stanton teresams35@virginmedia.com Hedgerley Historical Society Hedgerley Historical Society (HHS) was founded in 1976. All evening meetings begin promptly at 8pm, unless otherwise stated. Arrival from 7.30pm is advised. Oct 6th(Wednesday) Curator Tour of Heath Robinson Museum £5 (Optional Lunch) – closing date 1st Oct Limited numbers Meet 11am Heath Robinson Museum, Pinner Memorial park PINNER HA5 1AE Members Only – Booking Required October 20th London’s Great Railway Stations Oliver Green October 23rd (Saturday 10am – 4pm) BLHNConference 2021 History of Shopping in Buckinghamshirefrom medieval markets to modern retail parks Wycombe Abbey HP11 1PE £25 with lunch £18 without. Bookings via BAS website October 30th (Saturday 12pm – 3pm) Autumn Lunch and Dressed for War Members only Booking required £17 – Closing date 21st October Talk at 2pm – Free admission Julie Summers November 17th Ladies can’t climb ladders Jane Robinson November 27th (Saturday 8pm) At Home in the 20th Century Paul Atterbury Booking Required Tickets £10. Closing date 20th Nov Hedgerley Memorial Hall Centenary Fundraiser December 15th A History of High Wycombe in 10 objects Keith Spencer Dorney Parish News November 2021 A picture containing grass, outdoor, tree, plant Description automatically generated Dorney Parish Council is arranging for similar large poppies to be displayed throughout the parish from 30th October to 20th November 2021, in cooperation with Eton Wick Village Association. A picture containing text, indoor, black Description automatically generated ISSUE NO. 9/21 NOVEMBER 2021 EDITORIAL In recent weeks there has been much disturbing comment on the tragic consequences that result from the epidemic of abuse which is aimed at public figures. Many, including this writer, have reflected on remarks that might have been said or written in the course of public controversy. That reflection is more pressing when that abuse is targeted, not on an MP or a celebrity, but at a respected local figure and that abuse flows from words published in this very magazine. It is so sad that Mrs Sharifah Lee’s now regular report from Dorney School was met a year ago by hate mail. Perhaps we all, including Dorney Parish News, should strive to promote that which unites us. After recent controversies in the village, there will be ample opportunity in the near future to display unity and public spirit. I suppose we all expect someone else to plan those celebrations which used to be (so many people tell me) so frequent in Dorney. But many say to me that they hope that the Jubilee celebrations that were memorable in 2012 – we seem to fondly recall a feast in the Village Hall – could feature again next year. Dorney Horticultural Society needs support after such a long absence forced on it by the pandemic. Come forward and join the committee or at least offer to help with the meetings and the Annual Show. All those who discovered horticulture or found solace in their gardens during lock downs should join and help rejuvenate an erstwhile bedrock of our community. Five new parish councillors represent us, but one remaining place is still unfilled. Hopefully, there will be a resident who will come forward. One of the Parish Council’s priorities is the creation of a local Emergency Plan. For more see the council minutes and the website, but there will be an opportunity for volunteers, especially those with specialised skills and resources, to come forward. In the past public meetings have brought us together. At least two are imminent. One may be pleasurable, the other less so. Thames Water should be welcoming residents’ involvement in their rewilding project at their site in Marsh Lane, especially in the planting of wildflowers. Rather more menacingly, that very same Thames Water may well be updating us about their plans to dig a pipeline from the Slough Treatment Works bisecting Dorney Common across to the River Thames. This column last month raised the notion of village consultation on future traffic plans, especially parking and traffic calming. The death of a cow last month, allegedly caused by a speeding driver, gives an added urgency to these moves. Life in Dorney goes on, with positive and negative aspects. The former may well outweigh the latter. Dorney follows in the footsteps of our Eton Wick neighbours with poppies on display. A visit to the boathouse on magazine business revealed the Lake peaceful and near deserted (may it remain so). A meeting with the team at Form Plants revealed plans for community involvement and the hospitality at local venues Crocus and The Pineapple has been enjoyed as hopefully it will be by many of us in the upcoming festive season. But some aspects never seem to change. One groaned to hear the representatives of Highways England breezily assure the last council meeting that they would soon be gone – in six months…. Services in the Local Churches St James the Less, Dorney St. John the Baptist, Eton Wick St. John the Evangelist, Eton Vicar: Revd. La Stacey, The Vicarage, 69a Eton Wick Road, Eton Wick, Windsor, SL4 6NE Tel: 01753 852268 email: revlastacey@gmail.com For information about our churches, activities and church history please see our parishes’ web site: www.stjohnstjamesed.org.uk _____________________________________________________________ Methodist Church, Eton Wick Alma Road, Eton Wick, SL4 6JZ Minister: Rev Margaret Dudley, 01753 867117 Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Burnham Parish Priest: Fr. Joseph Udoh, M.S.P. 01628 605764 Rev La Stacey writes: A refrain that my mother used to sing at this time of year has been running through my head recently: ‘Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat…’. I suppose it has been brought on by all the geese on Dorney Common. I have a vivid childhood memory of my father returning from a work trip to Sweden with a goose. It was a white wooden goose with a little boy sitting astride it. He brought me the book to go with it which tells the story of naughty Nils, lazy and disrespectful, who is magically turned into a gnome. (Look out when you go to Scandinavia at this time of year – gnomes get everywhere!) He climbs on the back of his father’s domestic goose who wants to fly off and join the migrating wild geese. They go on a geography trip around all the provinces of Sweden before returning home, both Nils and the goose very much improved characters. The author of this book was Selma Lagerlöf, who in 1909 became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. She was appalled by the atrocities of the first World War and among other efforts to help, she donated her medal to support the Finnish fight against the Soviet Union. There is a spiritual slant to Lagerlöf’s writing. In her observations of the natural world, moral and spiritual depths are revealed. Maybe we sense that too as we observe the wonderful birdlife on the Common. Those geese are amazing. They are specialists in teamwork: flying in a V formation saves energy and increases their range by about 70%. The strongest geese take it in turns to lead, dropping back like peloton cyclists when they tire. When a goose is sick, or falls out of formation, two other geese will fall out and stay with it, until it either dies or is ready to fly again when they will help each other back. Not a bad illustration for us as we struggle with finding ways to live in a rather less predictable and stable world. It is an example which invites us to find parallels with our faith practice. In his life Jesus modelled the path of service, simplicity of life, forgiveness and healing, the preference for the poor, and grace which cannot be earned or deserved. Maybe the geese and Scandinavian Christmas gnomes, which no doubt will soon be appearing, will help us keep this in mind! Church Services in November 2021 Wednesday 3rd November 10.00am Holy Communion (said BCP) St John the Evangelist, Eton Sunday 7th November 9.30 am Holy Communion (said BCP) St James the Less, Dorney 11.00 am Any Age Service St John the Baptist, Eton Wick 3.00 pm Thanksgiving and Commemoration St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Sunday 14th November (Remembrance) 9.15am Holy Communion with Remembrance St James the Less, Dorney 10.55am Remembrance Service St John the Evangelist, Eton 3.00pm Remembrance Service with Cubs St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Wednesday 17th November 10.00am Holy Communion (said BCP) St John the Evangelist, Eton Sunday 21st November 9.30am Holy Communion St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Morning Worship St John the Baptist, Eton Wick 2.30pm Healing Service St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Sunday 28th November 9.30am Morning Worship St James the Less, Dorney 11.00am Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Eton Wick St Mary Magdalene, Boveney This beautiful church on the Thames is open daily. Christmas Advent Service by Candlelight - 1500hrs on Sunday, 12th December 2021 www.st-mary-magdalene-boveney.org.uk Two mugs and cookies Join us for a Coffee Morning! Every Wednesday 10.30am to Midday in the Church Room St John the Baptist, Eton Wick Everyone welcome! We will also be offering: Benefit advice every 1st Wednesday Stay for soup & a roll after coffee every 4th Wednesday Spotlight on Dorney Folk - Mo Voaden meets John Barker A person with his arms crossed Description automatically generated with low confidence This month I welcome John Barker, ninety one year old Dorney resident, master horticulturalist, and lettuce guru. I had the pleasure of interviewing John in his home, a beautiful house in the heart of the village. Gazing out at his lovely garden, ‘designed,’ he told me, ‘for all seasons’, it was hard to believe that the house had almost burnt down ten years earlier. ‘I stood outside, watching the blaze,’ he said, ‘and could do nothing.’ The burglar alarm went off at one in the morning. ‘I hurried downstairs, but had to return for my glasses, aware of a crackling noise in the skylight. Then the fire took hold.’ The roof was ruined. The smell and smoke caused lots of damage and it took fifteen minutes for the fire brigade to come. ‘Then eight engines turned up. Eight fire engines in Dorney Village. They closed Village Road that night!’ Many of the upstairs walls had to be demolished and the kitchen was ruined. ‘But there’s always a silver lining,’ John said, with his characteristic charm and good humour, ‘and luckily I had very supportive friends.’ It gave him the opportunity to redesign and refurnish the house but it took almost a year to do. He lived across the road while the builders were working, and chuckled as he remembered that whenever he approached his property he heard a knocking sound. ‘It was one of the builders alerting the others that Mr boss was on his way!’ John was born in 1930 on Warren Farm, the family’s vegetable farm at Whitton, Middx. The youngest of four boys, rumour has it that on learning the gender of her new baby, his mother said to the doctor, ‘another little boy? Couldn’t you tuck his tail in?’ John’s father worked for his own father growing vegetables at Barnes before starting up on his own at Warren Farm. When more land was needed for housebuilding, the family moved to Datchet. His first memory is lying in a huge hand-me-down pram amidst the noise and bustle of a busy household. One day his nursemaid pushed him to Datchet riverfront where she met an old acquaintance. John, taken out of the pram, amused himself by pushing it along the riverbank. A strong little fellow, one hefty push sent the pram careering down the bank and into the river. It was fished out, but the pram was never the same again and the nursemaid was ‘released’ to find another job. John’s father’s 300 acres at Datchet were devoted to growing lettuces. ‘And luckily, there weren’t too many rabbits,’ he said. Next door was Ditton Park, used as the Admiralty Compass Observatory. In its grounds was the Radio Research Station, later the Appleton Laboratory, where the idea for the development of the British radar defence system was conceived. ‘It was very hush hush,’ John told me. ‘Nobody was allowed near except in the cold winter of 1940 when we, the Barkers, were asked to go and break the ice in the moat which surrounded the big house and factory buildings.’ John wasn’t brought up in a religious home but taught to obey the Ten Commandments. This, and his father’s belief that you should never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself, has served him well. Education was very important, especially maths, and a good grounding in this subject has helped him tremendously. He attended Windsor House School in Slough, which he liked, making life-long friends with the boy who sat behind him, ‘a great pencil chewer!’ Later he went to Haileybury School where one early morning they heard what sounded like a tremendous clap of thunder. All the boys ran to the window and saw that a V2, known as the Nazi rocket that launched the space age, had landed at the end of the sports field. Back home on the farm, life was hard and there were always problems finding sufficient labour. Women from Datchet were employed to bind radishes with a willow rod (in keeping with tradition), and tied together spring onions – which in those days were as big as walnuts. I asked John when he started growing vegetables himself. He laughed and told me that he was apprenticed at the age of four. Every mealtime the boys listened to conversations about stock and managing produce, and as they got older, they tried to persuade the tradesmen not to send their bills on Monday morning as this could set the tone for the rest of the week. At the age of 28, John took over West Town Farm (415 acres) in Taplow. The farm was owned by a gravel company that had allowed the farm to deteriorate. John arrived to find a worn down staff, old machinery and very little stock. ‘It was like a sinking ship,’ he said, with a chuckle. ‘But I was determined to succeed.’ Bit by bit, John made progress by insisting on high standards and everyone taking pride in their work. Over time, he became interested in starting crops off under glass, and built many greenhouses, some of which were mobile. This allowed them to be moved from site to site, as required, to protect plants and promote growth. One day an Ordnance Survey man arrived with an aerial map of the farm. He quizzed John about an orchard he’d spotted and allowed him to see the photo which showed a number of lines that looked like trees. John laughed. He explained to the man that a contractor had brought in heaps of farmyard manure, which were six metres by six metres apart, which from the air must have looked like trees. Lettuce was sown in rows, and thinned out by staff. John told me that for some reason, English people didn’t like bending their backs so he employed all nationalities, housing them in the onsite hostel at Taplow. He was especially fond of the Italians and Spaniards because they worked hard and were lively. A typical day on the farm started at 7.30 with an inspection of the rain gauge. This determined whether or not it was too wet to go on the land. A call would be made to Covent Garden to find out which vegetables were selling and decide on the next day’s production. The workers would then be told how many boxes to prepare. After breakfast at 8.30, the women started work, harvesting light crops. These included radishes, spring onions, and parsley. When supermarkets came on the scene, John set up a packhouse on site to pack the goods, which is where the women then worked. There was rivalry among the farmers, with each trying to be the first to get their produce into Covent Garden. ‘The Surrey growers always seemed to be a week earlier than us, with Taplow being five days earlier than the Datchet farm.’ However, the advent of soil blocks changed all this. Covent Garden came down to supply and demand, and irrigation allowed the farm to provide a constant supply. Hence the supermarkets showed an interest in local fresh produce. The family learnt a valuable business lesson when a major customer stopped ordering from his farm, leaving a gaping hole in their income. After this, they spread the risk by insisting that no customer received more than 40% of the farm’s supply. One day he picked up a booklet from the Government Advisory Service about polythene tunnels and started producing them for his own use. They proved very successful. The polythene lasted two years and provided effective cover for the crops as well as encouraging them to flourish. ‘Greengrocers were very fussy,’ he told me. They wanted lettuce with a flat base, which could be achieved by growing them in blocks. John introduced a new technique by compressing peat in a machine and dropping a lettuce in a small pellet into each peat block. This gave the crops a head start as well as producing the required flat shape. When supermarkets started, a fixed price was required for the following week’s stock, which proved difficult as there were no reliable weather forecasts. Farmers like him were used to the cut and thrust of Covent Garden where there were bidding games for each box of produce, with prices set on the morning. John told me that lettuce was a favourite vegetable. In the beginning, potatoes were grown on the farm but the process proved too labour intensive as lifting them in October was difficult and it was a very busy time for planting succeeding over-wintering crops. ‘The best early crop for growing in this area is cauliflower,’ he said. ‘We always started them off in greenhouses, planting them out as soon as possible.’ John was at Taplow for 27 years. Shortly after retiring, he was asked to serve on the lettuce panel at the National institute of Botany at Cambridge. He became a highly respected member of the panel, one of his notable achievements being to persuade the others to re-classify iceberg lettuce, which proved to be good forward thinking. During retirement, he was also asked to serve on the RHS vegetable committee, to help judge vegetable produce and decide which should be given The Award of Garden Merit. He made many great friends and enjoyed the fact that the trials took place at Wisley where an excellent lunch was provided. John met his wife, Pat, at a dancing class. She was awarded a silver medal for her waltz, ‘but I was a devil at the foxtrot,’ he said. When I asked what he remembered most from his wedding day (always a tricky question), he explained that when they got into the taxi after the reception, everyone threw confetti, except for his brother, who chucked a bucket of water. ‘That made the confetti stick of course.’ They had two sons, both of whom went on to have their own careers. ‘Those days were very different,’ John mused. ‘We gave the doctor who delivered our first son two hundred Marlborough cigarettes to thank him. Unthinkable now!’ John and Pat enjoyed their holidays, especially to the Far East. One year they visited Pat’s father who’d remarried and settled in Bangalore. His new wife was very keen on animal husbandry and John remembers people throwing their sick animals over the garden wall at night for her to tend. On holiday, one of John’s greatest pleasures was to study local growing techniques, and exchange growing tips. John and Pat moved to Dorney in 1958, and stayed. He’s seen many changes, and met a good number of notable people, but still loves the village. It’s always a shame when an interview draws to a close, especially when the interviewee is such a charming and interesting man, but I did manage to slip in a few last minute ‘quick-fire’ questions: Which animal would you be? - A cat – they live charmed lives. What is your favourite book? – The RHS Encyclopedia of Plants. Favourite plant? - I have fads but probably camellias (although I’ve been told the PH is wrong for them here). The trick is to spray them with manganese sulphate. Favourite activity? - Sitting here and looking at the garden, listening to 1940s dance bands. I have developed a garden for all seasons. The crocus bank under the large ash tree comes out in spring and it all starts from then. Favourite food? - BBQ sardines. In Portugal. With a dry white wine. And finally… What is the hardest part of growing older? - Not being as agile. And the best part? - Being the old boy and getting sympathy. The politeness and respect from youngsters never cease to amaze me! Benefice of Eton with Eton Wick & Boveney & Dorney 3018987512_6f819e667e_o Arwen Twinkle 1024x768 Service of remembrance St James the Less Dorney November 14th starting 9:15 am in graveyard Text Description automatically generated Graphical user interface, website Description automatically generated DORNEY SCHOOL RESPECT * COLLABORATE * GROW News from Dorney School It has been almost exactly a year since I first published an article for the Parish News as the substantive, permanent Headteacher. I remember setting out my vision not just for Dorney School, but for education and society in general. The month was October 2020 and the school was celebrating Black History Month. I remember being excited and proud about the learning we would be doing at school to ensure inclusion, diversity and representation were at the forefront of the school’s ethos. I had a vision of a future where every child and family, no matter their race, gender, background or circumstances would be accepted in society and share equal rights and equal access, even if their history was tainted with discrimination or indeed, oppression. Unfortunately, I also remember getting hate mail for this vision. I remember being told to ‘go home’ as an ethnic minority person even though England is my home. I was advised to go to Africa and ‘sort out’ the issues there first and not promote an anti-racist curriculum at school. The work of Marcus Rashford and other social activists was mocked, and the tone of the letters was arrogant and discriminatory. There was a lot more of this hate mail that arrived at school. I think I can safely say that the outcome the writer(s) wanted was the exact opposite of what then happened. These letters triggered and fuelled the passion for the work that I and my colleagues do every single day. It gave us the impetus to ensure our curriculum truly serves and empowers every child. It helped me to understand that education is indeed the driver for change as we educate not just ourselves, but future generations. Such extreme views, as the ones I received, are outdated, have no place in our society and they are dangerous. We are all protected by the Equality Act 2010 which makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone on the grounds of any of these characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation. We live in a multi-cultural and diverse society which can only flourish when we respect and accept each other. We must not deny the past, no matter how difficult it sometimes can be, but acknowledge, learn, change and improve the future for all, especially our children. So, this year in October 2021, we did not just celebrate Black History Month, we have made it our business to celebrate black history and tradition every single day within our school curriculum. We have planned to include diverse stories and authors from all races and backgrounds. The sign outside our school does exactly what ‘it says on the tin’ – No Outsiders; Everyone Different, Everyone Welcome. We ensure everyone is equal, everyone is celebrated and everyone is safe. I hope you are able to join me in our vison at Dorney School. A person does not have to agree with all our values, although I hope you do. It would be a pleasure to show you around our little village school with a BIG heart. Do contact the school office to arrange a personalised tour or visit the school website to get an idea of what pupils, staff and families get up to. Year 3 pupils learning from the Highways Agency about the M4 improvements. Comparing pumpkins in Reception class Car Free day at Dorney School Y5 enjoying a visit from a scientist and also took part in a live ‘Careers in Space’ webinar featuring guest speakers from a range of STEM backgrounds. They learned about the study of exoplanets and black holes, space craft engineering and BepiColumbo - the satellite sent to space to reach Mercury’s orbit. Harvest collection in aid of Maidenhead Foodshare. Warmest wishes, Mrs Sharifah Lee, Headteacher EXIT STAGE RIGHT ON DORNEY COMMON “Death is nature’s way of saying, ‘Your table is ready’” Robin Williams We lost a good friend last month. His extravagant personality lit the space he walked through, and his attire was beyond flamboyant. Known to his friends as ‘Drew the Shoe’, Drew Thomas was an extraordinary character, a kindly generous man, with exceptional acting and Directorship skills, along with the ability to laugh at himself and take a tease. For many years he was Artistic Director of the Maidenhead Drama Guild, living in close proximity of the town centre, actively promoting all theatre, and involved in many productions both as an actor and as a Director. I first met Drew many years ago, on a production called Baskerville, where he superbly played the part of an American, to such an extent that my husband Dave and I were surprised that he wasn’t! A picture containing sky, grass, person, outdoor Description automatically generated Off stage, Drew strode around Maidenhead in more eccentric clothes than on stage, a distinctive figure with his unique fashion flair and snake hips. I personally witnessed the large room that entirely occupied his wardrobe, which included a vast collection of exotic shoes, in various shades of the rainbow, some reaching the corner of a street before he did. Hence, he gained his nickname of Drew the Shoe. He was fond of making his own stylish belts complete with a multitude of adornments that turned heads. The final play he performed in, where he took the leading role, was a hugely wordy lead part including reams of Shakespeare. He was cast as Jeffrey Steel in ‘A Bunch of Amateurs’ playing the faded actor from the States (accent still perfect) who arrives in England to play the role of Kind Lear, thinking that the Stratford mentioned was on Avon but in fact was a rural village in Suffolk. He was reluctant to take on this part as by then he was heavily involved in singing and wanted to switch exclusively to vocals. Attending various open mic events, including Eton Wick Football Club, and practising in our music studio (shed) with Dave plonking his keyboards, now occupied all of his spare time - to such an extent that drama took a back seat, he failed to bother to learn his lines, which amused those that knew the real Drew, who could have done this standing on his head. The Director frazzled and bewildered by the constant need to prompt, gave him a curt word to learn his lines, while I sat there knowing full well he was out singing most nights of the week or in our music studio perfecting the delivery of his, by now, huge repertoire of eleventy-eight songs. When singing in public, due to his charismatic acting skills and strong delivery, audiences would fall quiet to be entertained. With strong vocals and actor inspired and polished movements, whilst always dashing in his trademark attire, Drew never failed to bring a smile to faces when he stepped up for his turn. Of course, back at the rehearsal studio nobody should have been concerned, as on the final week, three days from opening night, he was foot and word perfect to steal the show with ease. Many who knew he was stepping away from drama, came to see his final performance at Norden Farm, pronouncing ‘I’ve come here to see the legend in case it is the last time’, which sadly it turned out to be. His last performance in Eton Wick FC was a memorable one, as he perfected ‘Through the Barricades’ by Spandau Ballet. This powerful song, delivered by Drew at his best, silenced the house, made the ladies teary and received a standing ovation. Moving to Norfolk three months ago, Drew and his partner Claire bought an idyllic house in an idyllic village. He planned to hit the music venues in Norwich, and she secured work as a Stage Manager in the local theatre. It was almost too perfect. However, I received a call from Claire late one night to tell me had passed away unexpected, with no warning, that afternoon, from a fatal heart attack. The shock rippled through Maidenhead and beyond as the amateur dramatic colleagues and friends paid homage in stunned disbelief. We lost him at the age of 64, exit stage right (the good side) with memories that would never fade, but leaving a huge vacuous hole in the lives of people who knew him. An event next March at Norden Farm will mark the celebration of his life where clips of this great man in action will be pieced together. At the cottage the wind whips across the Common, and as the cows pack their cases to retreat to sheltered barns, l recall a joke Drew once told me after a couple of beers: An Irishman and an Englishman walk into a bakery. The Englishman steals three buns, puts them in his pocket and leaves. He says to the Irishman, “That took great skill and guile to steal those buns. The owner didn’t even see me.” The Irishman replied, “That’s simple thievery, I’ll show you how to do it the honest way and get the same results.” The Irishman then proceeded to call out to the owner to the bakery “Sir, I want to show you a magic trick.” The owner was intrigued so came over to see the magic trick. The Irishman asked him for a bun and then he proceeded to eat it. He asked for two more and after eating all three buns the owner says, “Okay my friend, where’s the magic trick?” The Irishman then said, “Look in the Englishman’s pockets.” RIP DREW THOMAS Kristina Perkins Form Plants Dorney Parish News paid a visit to Form in Dorney. Impressed, we asked them to tell our readers about their objectives. The unique tree showroom that Form Plants created in June 2021 is located within the stunning Dorney Court estate. Characterful multi-stems trees, topiary in all shapes and sizes, specimen trees, shrubs and more are all available on display. The showroom is designed to allow you to immerse yourself with a walkthrough experience, and expert advice is on hand from the friendly team. Form has been working alongside landscapers and garden designers to provide the industry with a wide range of quality plants. In July 2021, Jamie Butterworth, Managing Director of Form Plants, was asked to design and create ‘The RHS Garden for a Green Future’ by the Daily Telegraph to help raise awareness of the current climate change crisis. Adapting to the changes that are happening meant that plant selection was key, choosing varieties that are best suited to withstand our increasingly unpredictable weather and water management too, such as drought tolerant perennials and tough meadow mixtures. Chelsea Flower Show, September 2021, saw Form Plants with a striking stand in the Great Pavilion, with some of the largest pieces of topiary at the show and a huge array of grasses. Taking the concept of ‘Size matters’, 4m Taxus baccata cones stood towering above the rest. The impressive stand saw Form Plants awarded a ‘Silver-Gilt’ medal. A picture containing tree, outdoor, plant, garden Description automatically generated The Form Plants Team looks forward to inviting you all down to the tree showroom and working closely with the Dorney Parish Council and the local community. Green Disruptive Capitalism One of Dorney’s residents is closely involved in the COP26 Climate Change meeting in Glasgow – but his primary concerns are carbon credit trading and Gabon. More of that in a future edition. Before embarking on ways in which Dorney is, and could be, contributing, in a small way, to the solution it is worth considering how capitalism (with a dose of philanthropy) might actually be able to achieve the net Zero goal before 2050. Relying on governments to do everything is more than a little fanciful. In a recent interview the Duke of Cambridge took a pot at Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others by saying, 'We need some of the world's greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.' Whilst one might, on the face of it, enthusiastically agree with this comment, the facts may already point to the fact that that is exactly what many of the greatest (and richest) brains are doing and have been doing for a number of years. Elon Musk’s Tesla company has led the world in developing electric cars and, virtually single-handedly, ensuring that electric cars will be cheaper to buy and operate than fossil-fuelled cars within a few years. The end of dirty cars. Elon Musk’s Tesla (Battery) Storage company is a world leader in energy storage with large units recently installed in Sussex and Essex. His solar roof tiles unit is combining a solar roof, a Tesla Powerwall and the electricity storage in a Tesla car into one integral green home energy pack. This sounds attractive with the much awaited $25,000 Tesla car arriving shortly. Nissan offer something similar now. Jeff Bezos’ Amazon has committed to the business of being zero carbon by 2040 but will almost certainly achieve it way before then. His commitment of $2 billion to The Climate Pledge Fund demonstrates his desire to repair this planet – as well as encourage space exploration. Bill Gates, together with a raft of other billionaires (including Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson), has founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures which is an investor-led fund that aims to build the new, cutting-edge companies that will lead the world to net-zero emissions. Their strategy links government-funded research and patient, risktolerant capital to bring transformative clean energy innovations to market as quickly as possible. To date they have invested in 44 companies who are focussed on profitable climate change solutions. A person wearing glasses Description automatically generated with low confidence All of these investors are putting up risk funds in order to assist in achieving the goal of net zero by 2050. Whilst some of their motivation may be philanthropic, the main motivation is unquestionably about making money. That’s what gets things done – quickly. RethinkX is an independent think tank that analyses and forecasts the scope, speed and scale of technology-driven disruption and its implications across society. A recent report of theirs opined that “technology disruptions already underway in the energy, transportation, and food sectors have extraordinary implications for climate change. Three sector disruptions alone driven by just eight technologies can directly eliminate over 90% of net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide within 15 years. Market forces can be leveraged to drive the bulk of global GHG emissions mitigation because the technologies required are either already commercially available and competitive today or can be deployed to market before 2025 with the right societal choices. The same technologies will also make the cost of carbon withdrawal affordable, meaning that moonshot breakthrough technologies are not required to solve the ‘Last Carbon Problem’ and go beyond net zero from 2035 onwards.” Ambrose Evans-Pritchard’s article in the Daily Telegraph recently made the same point: “Eliminate the word "cost" from the net zero lexicon. The relevant concept is how much we gain. A team of mathematicians at Oxford University has carried out the world’s best study so far of the economic windfall to be had from a turbo-charged decarbonisation based on unstoppable leaps and bounds in known technology. It concluded that the net gain is $26 trillion (£19 trillion), or $14 trillion under cautious assumptions. The faster it happens, the bigger the benefit. It can be achieved in 25 years, beating the global target of 2050. Most changes do not require lavish state funding any more than public money is needed to make mobile phones.” The Prime Minister reinforced this point at the roll out of the government’s Net Zero Strategy: “I know that there are some who say we are going too fast. I say to them first that there is a force out there stronger than government. That force is the market. And the market is going green.” Encouraging, eh? Let’s hope that they might be right – and that somebody persuades China! Kermit “It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be” – last line of Bein’ Green song ******** Graphical user interface, text Description automatically generated Dear members and friends of Dorney Horticultural Society….and Dorney residents. Over the last couple of years, many members have said how important DDHS is to them and to our whole community. Some even say it’s one of the few remaining links with the friendly community Dorney once was. As the months have gone by, the Society’s meetings, outings, and of course, the Annual Show, have been missed more and more. Societies across our area seem to be planning to return with their normal programmes as 2022 gets under way. At this point, we don’t have any firm plans or dates. But we’re working on it, and we do hope to announce shortly meetings in the Spring. Ideally, they will have good speakers, good food and will pave the way for the best ever Annual Show. After two years with no Show, we hope entries in 2022 will be booming. But we must share with you that DDHS has problems. Real problems. There are the after-effects of the pandemic. Will we have been forgotten? Will the appetite for our friendly, sociable meetings still be there? But the big issue is, once again, the membership of the committee. In the intervening couple of years our number has been reduced from six to four. Peter Tyler has stood down after years of service. Peter, we thank you and we’ll miss those quiz questions. Wendy Shephard, alas, no longer lives in our area – we’ve lost Wendy’s enthusiasm after far too short a time. All those ambitions may come to naught if we don’t get the needed extra help on the committee. Whether you are a regular supporter or a newcomer (you might have discovered a flair for horticulture during that long lockdown) please come forward. Our last two committee members were newcomers to the Society. Alternatively, if you’d like to help out with individual events, that would be very welcome too. There are other ways you can help the Society. Our mailing list might be barely up to scratch after two years with no mailings. Let us know if you’d like to stay on it or be put on it. Maybe your phone number or email has changed. Also, you can tell us what sort of Society you would like to see. Should we, as someone once said, be ‘building back better’? Exciting things are happening with horticulture in Dorney, with businesses like FORM and Crocus flourishing. That vibrant scene will, we hope, be reflected in some way in our activities as our return gets under way. DDHS would like to hear from you - please email us at ddhs@btinternet.com Let’s look forward to meeting up again in Spring 2022. With best wishes from the DDHS Committee - Ron Alsworth (Chair), Kristina Perkins, Janet Messitt and Peter Bowman Thames Water - “We’re upgrading Slough Sewage Treatment Works” – by digging up Dorney Common. Around 100 years ago, Slough Borough Council rented and then compulsory purchased Manor Farm, Dorney in order to build a sewage treatment works. The Treatment Works has created quite a stink in Dorney for many years – especially in the early days when the raw sewage was spread over the fields behind Manor Farm! In the 1920s Slough needed a new sewage works because the population was growing – especially due to the amount of new labour required to convert the “Big Dump” of World War One rusting vehicles into the Slough Trading Estate. The ever-increasing population of Slough now needs to both increase the capacity of the site and improve the quality of water that currently outfalls into Roundmoor Ditch. The recent letter some Dorney residents received from Thames Water advises that laying an underground 2km tunnel of steel pipes from the current Sewage Works outfall to the Thames – under the Jubilee River, Dorney Common and agricultural land in Boveney – was selected as “it offered the best outcomes and the lowest impact within the timescales required for these works”. This is despite the fact that the distance between the Sewage Works outfall is but a few feet from the Jubilee River (“an integral part of the River Thames” according to the National Rivers Authority at the Public Inquiry in 1992) and connecting the outfall to the Jubilee River could be achieved with a very short length of piping and no pumping station! In the four-page document on the Thames Water website, they attempt to explain the rationale for this in “Why aren’t you taking the new outfall directly into the Jubilee River?”. https://www.thameswater.co.uk/media-library/home/about-us/investing-in-our-region/Improvementsin- your-area/slough-sewage-treatment-works-information-pack.pdf Thames Water makes the following statements on Page 2 [our emphasis]: "The Jubilee River is a flood alleviation scheme and there are significant protections in place to protect the local community from flooding. Constructing a new outfall to it would require changes to the planning permission for the Jubilee River. The licences, legal obligations, and the procedures under which the Jubilee River operates would all need to be extensively reviewed and potentially amended to accommodate a new outfall. We have analysed the indicative water quality requirements for a new discharge to the Jubilee River and have determined that these are unlikely to be technically achievable with respect to current wastewater treatment technology. These challenges have led us to conclude that there is no real prospect of having an implemented solution within the timescales required for these works." Dorney Parish News have put the following questions to both Thames Water and the Environment Agency : • What are the full details of the "changes to the planning permission" that are required? • What are the full details of the potential amendments that might be required to the "licences, legal obligations, and the procedures under which the Jubilee River operates"? • What are the "water quality requirements" for any new discharge to the Jubilee River? • What are the precise reasons that lead you [Thames Water] to believe that "there is no real prospect of having an implemented solution within the timescales required"? Only when detailed answers are provided to these questions will residents be able to determine whether Thames Water should dig a huge trench across Dorney Common, bring masses of equipment down Lake End Road, Village Road and Common Road, use tonnes of carbon through the manufacture of steel pipes, diesel and earth disturbance for a two year period and build a pumping station that could go wrong which would probably result in more of a stink over Dorney and Eton Wick. All at a projected cost of around £20 million of residents’ Water Rates money. The simple, alternative option is to use the Jubilee River. We await the answers to the questions we have put to the Environment Agency and Thames Water to determine whether their rationale is legally correct or if it has a closer relationship to the stuff that goes into Slough Treatment Works! Some residents thought that, having gone through the turmoil of the construction of Dorney Lake, the Jubilee River and the M4 widening, Dorney might be left alone for a time. Not at all – here comes yet more disruptive construction in the parish unless we, or the courts, can ensure that the EA and Thames Water juggernauts can be stopped. Peter Bowman and Bill Dax SUPPORTING HENRY VIII’S WARS It’s the year 1522. Henry VIII has been on the throne for 13 years. He hasn’t yet started dismantling the Church and the internal conflicts of the Wars of the Roses are a thing of the past. Richard Hill is the Lord of the Manor but has not yet fallen out with the locals or the Abbess of Burnham. The people of Dorney are getting on with their lives as usual, the daily routine of growing the crops and tending the livestock. Dorney is not however so isolated as to be unaware that the king is pursuing warfare elsewhere. Earlier in his reign, Henry invaded France and fought off a Scottish attack on the north of England. Since then, he had sent a small army to Ireland and was now embarking on a second war with France. And the king expected his subjects to support him in these endeavours, both financially and by providing manpower. There was no permanent army, other than a small royal protection force, so each campaign required men to be recruited to fight and money to pay for armour, weapons and other costs. It’s been estimated that as many as 30,000 English fighters took part in some battles, a not insignificant number. These men came from their work in the fields and returned there, God willing, when the fighting was over. Gradually, the system for raising troops was changing from the medieval practice of noblemen bringing their estate tenants and servants to serve as soldiers, to a requirement for each town and village to provide a quota of armed men. Dorney residents are therefore not altogether surprised when there is a survey of military capability in each parish. The assessors carefully list the name of each person who owns land, buildings or goods, showing the value of these. They also note who holds what weapons, but it is widely – and rightly – suspected that the main purpose of the survey is not to assess fighting strength but rather to provide a solid database for taxation. Cardinal Wolsey, who is organising the survey on the king’s behalf, is keen to increase the tax yield in the face of mounting costs. And indeed, a couple of years later taxes are levied. Twenty-six men and women in Dorney are assessed for tax in 1524, most of them paying tax on the value of goods at 4d or 6d in the £1, raising the grand total of 34s 10d for the king’s coffers. A picture containing text, group, posing, old Description automatically generated Ten years later, faced with further campaigns against the Scots and the Irish, an attempt is made to identify able men who could be mobilised to fight. In Dorney, eleven names are put forward. Two men, one a foot soldier and the other a horseman, are provided with what was called “almain rivets”, a light half-suit of armour. Another horseman has no armour. All three of these, plus another foot soldier, are archers who would have carried longbows, while the remaining seven men are armed with bills, a dual-purpose weapon with a point at the end and a blade at the side, capable of thrusting like a pike and hacking like a battle axe. The body armour, and possibly the weapons too, has to be maintained by the parish, needing a lot of work to clean and then oil the metal to prevent rust as well as repairing or replacing the fabric, leather and nails which hold the plates together. All fit men are expected to practice using their weapons, especially archery, so that they are ready when called upon. A picture containing indoor, wall Description automatically generated So, who were the people living in Dorney then? Three of the wealthiest residents on the 1524 tax list were Alice Goldwyn, John Carter and William Wollward. Although some of these families owned small parcels of land, their goods were worth more, and mostly they rented their homes and land. Dorney still had common fields, such as South Field, where villagers farmed individual strips, as well as common grazing, but some farms were named, for example West Town Farm. Alice Goldwyn was a widow, and her sons William, John and Robert Goldwyn were also taxed. John was a farmer and the survey recorded he had four good bows to fight with. When Alice died in 1539, she left a red ox each to William and Robert, plus a black cow to William. Each of her three married daughters received a cow, grandchildren were left a ewe and a lamb each, and every godchild got a bushel of barley. Son John inherited what was left of her estate, which was worth in total £21 15s 6d – the equivalent of over £9,000 today. Among the prized possessions of an earlier John Goldwyn when he died in 1513 were nine silver spoons and a wooden drinking vessel chased with silver. He rented small areas of land in different fields of Dorney, including Rush Acre and Upcottes. So, we have the picture of a comfortably off farming family, able to afford a few luxuries and to leave something of worth to the next generations. John Carter was one of several Carters in Dorney; there was a younger John as well as Richard, Thomas, William, Nicholas, Joan and Alice. William had four good bows and Nicholas nine bills. It was perhaps the younger John Carter whose name was put forward to fight armed with a bill in 1534. William Wollward was a farmer and was permitted to graze as many sheep as he wanted on the common fields, unlike everyone else who was restricted. He was also furnished with nine bills but was identified as an archer in the list of potential soldiers. When he died in 1548, only one of his five daughters was married; his son Thomas was still a child, and his wife was expecting another baby. His estate was valued at £87 16s, worth over £24,000 today. Each of his unmarried daughters was to have ten sheep and five quarters of barley. In addition, the eldest, Katherine, was left a black cow with a white face, and a gown and a kirtle for her wedding outfit. Thomas was to receive £6 13s 4d at the age of 20 while the unborn baby would have half that amount. As a successful sheep farmer, William was able to make good provision for his family. Thomas Dolwyn was taxed on the farm he had inherited from his parents. His mother Alice had died in 1521 and her will mentioned oxen, which were used for field work, a cow, a colt, a sow with litter, wheat, barley and malt. We can imagine the farm produced grain for sale, while the cow and the pig would have provided the household with milk, cheese and meat. Malt was essential for beer brewed on the farm, as water was not safe to drink. Alice had successfully raised a large family, leaving three married daughters, two unmarried and two sons; at least three of her children were living in Dorney. Three men in the King family, Robert, William and Edward, all paid tax. William and Edward each had six bows and Robert and Edward had their names put forward to serve as archers in 1534. Robert was married to Alice Goldwyn’s daughter Alice. The parish registers show that these families intermarried and the manor court rolls record when farms changed hands and who broke the rules by enclosing a bit of the common or grazing animals where they shouldn’t. They witnessed each other’s wills, which give us the detail of the things that were important to them. They were God-fearing people and those who could afford to often left money for the church of St James. As well as the vicar, there was a priest attached to a chantry chapel in the church, established by an earlier Lord of the Manor. Rich and poor gathered together at Mass in St James and perhaps they prayed for a speedy and successful conclusion to Henry VIII’s wars. Virginia Silvester Jamie Turvey In May we wrote about Jamie Turvey whose father Clive grew up in Dorney. Jamie has a rare bone condition, FOP. We publicised an appeal to fund an electric wheelchair for Jamie – and to give him a balloon ride. To say thanks to those in Dorney who contributed to the appeal, which is going well, here is a picture of Jamie on his exciting trip. A picture containing outdoor, red, basket, container Description automatically generated ****** WANTED Up to three good quality Dorney Millennium Mugs to replace those carelessly lost or chipped over the intervening years. A roll of paper money Description automatically generated with medium confidence Name your price. Contact Nick Teale at nickteale@btinternet.com or call 01628 605177 Buyer will pay cash and collect. A room with tables and chairs Description automatically generated with medium confidence We are now taking bookings for 2 and 3 course Christmas lunches at Dorney during December. Treat or meet Family, Friends or your Work Colleagues to celebrate Christmas in Style in our cafe. For a menu and booking form please email admin.dorney@crocus.co.uk or call 01628 600566 during office hours. You can also book now in person in our cafe. £5 deposit required per person. www.crocus.co.uk The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October to March. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year. With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the Nation, which will benefit future generations. As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service. James and I have been keen to organise some tree planting to mark the Queen’s Jubilee next year, as encouraged by the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative: https://queensgreencanopy.org. We have approached the following businesses in Dorney to see if they would each be interested in sponsoring a tree, in the hope that we might get planted 7 decent sized and lovely specimens around the village to mark the 7 decades of the Queen’s reign: 1. Dorney Court 2. Crocus at Dorney Court 3. Form Plants 4. Smits Tree Nursery 5. Maydencroft 6. Eton College/Dorney Lake 7. The Fishers at The Palmer Arms & The Pineapple Happily all have expressed an eagerness to sponsor a tree as well as help with picking the right specimens, where they might go and the planting, which is great news. If any resident has any good ideas about where a tree might go then please let us know. Each tree can be marked by a small plaque to show that it was planted in celebration of the Jubilee. Hopefully you all agree this is a nice idea. Anna Palmer Floyd It’s a shocking admission really, and one that makes few friends, but I’m not a great dog person. There. I’ve said it, but please don’t abandon me. It doesn’t make you a bad person, but I do have the utmost respect for working dogs, and this tale (no pun intended) may explain why. Back in the halcyon days when towns had police stations, my regular reader (bless you) may recall that I had the privilege of serving in an unglamourous corner of the Met. Mine was mainly a hard working committed team of men and women, shovelling wet sand uphill for the most part in the unequal struggle to keep the streets safe. Conrad, a twentyfour- year-old vet’s assistant joined us from Hendon Training School and soon became a respected thief taker, such was his talent for the task. He was married to a hauntingly beautiful lady who was constantly ill, and he worried about her constantly. After about eighteen months, he arrived for duty one day with a pretty Alsatian pup, and announced that he was joining the dog section; hardly surprising given his previous calling. They were to train together and occasionally Conrad would be radio operator in my area car while Floyd travelled in the boot section of the SD1. He grew into a handsome dog, with a floppy left ear, endearing to onlookers but frowned upon in Keston dog training school where his career may have ended prematurely but for the application of super glue to the offending ear prior to Floyd’s attendances, where finally both he and Conrad passed out and we lost them both to the Dog Section. By dint of good fortune, they were posted to our part of London and we saw them regularly when sniffing out suspects who had run to ground, hunting for abandoned drugs or stolen property and the less frequent but more scary public order incidents. “How’s it going?” I asked Conrad a couple of months after he left. “Floyd’s a good tracker, and can sniff out most things, but I’m worried that he doesn’t like confrontation. He’ll have to shape up or Keston will get rid of him,” he replied, concern written over his face. Floyd’s salvation arrived in the unlikely form of the drug ridden Ricky looking for his next fix in an elderly female’s ground floor maisonette one late evening when he was careless enough to disturb her in her nightie whereupon she screamed her lungs out causing copious 999 calls from neighbours. Ricky ran out of the French window by which he had entered into her back garden and found his escape route blocked by London’s finest from the Nick six hundred yards away. His only remaining escape was to turn left and stagger over garden fences as we fruitlessly battered on the delirious victim’s firmly locked front door trying to find a way into the garden while she continued to scream. Conrad and Floyd arrived and we decided to put Floyd over the first fence at the end of the block to chase the suspect through the back gardens. Conrad heaved Floyd over the first of many six foot fences, Floyd ran to the next fence and barked furiously, so Conrad heaved over the next, and the next; you get the idea. Meanwhile Ricky had come to a dead end by a thirteen foot factory wall. He was trapped. Floyd arrived, and confronted Ricky as the exhausted Conrad arrived. “Give it up Son,” wheezed Conrad. “Call the dog off!” pleaded Ricky. “Floyd, heel!” ordered Conrad and Floyd obeyed. Conrad stepped forward to handcuff Ricky and received a hard punch in the face as Ricky bolted for the opposing fence, only to be grabbed by Floyd and admonished for biting his best friend Conrad. Above the screams to call the dog off Conrad managed to call Floyd to heel once more, only to receive a second punch and a kicking to unconscious as Floyd administered more correction. We finally arrived to find a terrified Ricky sitting back to the wall guarded by Floyd as Conrad stirred. I saw Conrad a couple of weeks later. “How’s Floyd?” I asked rather unkindly. “Well,” grinned Conrad, “he’s tasted blood and he’s looking for more.” Later in a weak moment I agreed to help Conrad on a tracking exercise. “Can you hide behind that shed, I’ll release Floyd and he can track you across this football field?” he asked innocently. “Will he bite?” “’Course not, he doesn’t bite police uniforms,” and off I ran the two hundred yards and backed into the blind side of the shed. “Go find him!” I heard Conrad order and within the minute the huge dog appeared, barking furiously, then he stopped, thrust his snout into my groin and lifted me off my feet. Terror doesn’t begin to describe it, and Conrad appeared moments later laughing. “I’ve been training him to do that!” Years later I was chasing a pea green (yes, pea green!) Rover SD1 all over my and the surrounding areas on a glorious summer afternoon. The ‘bandit’ was maniacal and we approached a blind railway overbridge up which were grinding two loaded eight-wheel tipper lorries. The bandit raced up to the blind crest on the wrong side of the road, and I pulled back to be harangued by my operator, but not wishing to kill anyone, or indeed us. By the time we cleared the bridge, the bandit was lost. A slow search of the area led to a row of council garages at the back of semis with an old boy tending his garden, and there was the green monster, doors open, engine running, empty. “Oi,” beckoned the old fellah, “you wanna know where those two wrong’uns from that car went?” “Yes.” “Didn’t hear it from me?” “Forgotten already,” I assured. “Went through them open French windows about ten minutes ago,” he indicated the house. After giving thanks and further reassurance we walked quietly into the house, and there on a settee was a frightening individual similar in appearance to ‘Wolf’ from The Gladiators, face up and spark out. We carefully lifted a huge wrist and agonisingly slowly, applied the first handcuff, and then the second, without him waking. We went upstairs and, on a vomit covered double bed, we found number two in a similar state. We did the same, woke him up and surprisingly he got to his feet and quietly walked him downstairs, arresting and cautioning him on the way. We woke Wolf who was sleeping soundly and he too acquiesced until we got to the front gate of the house where his alcohol sodden brain finally realised the predicament in which he now found himself. He lunged at me hard, lost his balance and fell to the ground face down, whereupon, arching his back he tried to head butt me as I sat on his back to prevent him getting to his feet, but he was much bigger, meaner and stronger than me. I radioed for urgent assistance and within a couple of minutes Conrad and Floyd arrived. Conrad took his time over getting Floyd out. “In your own time Conrad!” I protested, bouncing on Wolf’s back. “Get off him Mike,” soothed Conrad. “He’ll kill us all. No!” Floyd dropped to his chest within an inch of Wolf’s face, teeth slightly bared, a low growl emanating from deep inside him. Conrad announced, “If you move mate, he’ll bite your face off! Get off him Mike.” “I’m cool. I’m cool,” stammered Wolf. At that point, the surprised lady owner of the house appeared. Working dogs? I love ‘em. Oh! What happened to Conrad and Floyd? Sadly, Conrad later transferred north for his wife’s family and I never saw them again. I often wonder what became of them. Stay safe. Mike Quincey A Morning with the Burnham Shedders This month Dorney Parish News attended a Friday morning meeting of the Burnham Shedders. We had two objectives. We wanted to spread the word about a group which appeared to both friendly and community minded. Also, on this occasion there was to be a guest speaker – Nick Teale, recent resident of Village Road and regular contributor to this magazine. A picture containing outdoor, building, tree, house Description automatically generated Nick had a long and successful working life with Stanley. In a talk full of interest, Nick told of the tremendous enthusiasm there was among collectors A picture containing indoor, floor, ceiling, building Description automatically generated for vintage Stanley tools, and he handed round many examples from his own collection. A succession of planes, screwdrivers and measuring tools were lovingly circulated and admired. Even though Nick intrigued everyone by describing a flourishing market in antique tools, it was clear that to his audience the true value of these tools and their modern counterparts lay in sharing their use and sharing the fruits of their collected skills. The national Men’s Sheds Association say that they run community spaces, as in Burnham, for men to ‘connect, converse and create.’ They ‘help to reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly they are fun.’ It seemed that meetings of Burnham Shedders set out to be sociable and enjoyable, and around a third of those attending, and it seems among the most active participants, were ladies. The Association was set up in 2013, there are over 13000 active shedders and nationwide around 600 sheds are now open. There isn’t a shed in Dorney, but there are sheds in Maidenhead, Stoke Poges and, of course, Burnham. The leading lights in Burnham are John Vernon, the Secretary and Chairman Tony Jones who chaired my meeting. Tony told me that the Burnham Shed first opened in June 2019, but the pandemic ensured a very rapid shut down – ‘we were hit pretty hard and were very close to folding up.’ The original space rented from Burnham Bowls Club had to be given up, but a new purpose-built shed has just opened on spare ground donated by the Club. A bigger shed means that more work can be undertaken in the shed alongside the social side of the meetings, further developing ‘teamwork and a community spirit’. Now the group is keen to welcome new members to meet every second and fourth Friday of the month. Tony told the meeting that much had been achieved. It seemed that generous grants from various supportive bodies had helped. Several DIY projects were underway to benefit both members and the wider community. Next to the shed vegetables had been grown and donated to Burnham Care and Share. The upcoming big project focused on Christmas, with members’ skills devoted to personal gifts and for craft fairs and the like to raise funds. If all this activity appeals, we’d urge Dorney residents to get involved. Tony can be reached on 01628 662753 and Burnham Shedders run a flourishing group on Facebook. Peter Bowman A picture containing text, sign, alcohol Description automatically generated JOIN YOUR COUNCIL! Dorney Parish Council is seeking a dedicated and motivated member of the community to join the Council, helping to shape local services and providing a voice for its residents on local and regional issues. We’d like to hear from those who live or work in or around Dorney who feel they can bring skills and knowledge to support and strengthen the work of the Council. What’s involved? The role of a councillor is voluntary. Dorney Parish Council has a complement of seven councillors and meets on the third Tuesday evening each month. Prospective councillors will be expected to play an active role in the Council, participating in meetings, attending events and representing the Council on other bodies. Am I eligible? To be a member of the Council you must meet the following criteria:  be at least 18 years old, and  be a British citizen or an eligible Commonwealth citizen, and  meet at least one of the following four qualifications: a) You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector in Dorney from the day of your nomination onwards. b) You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in Dorney during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election. c) Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in Dorney Parish. d) You have lived in Dorney Parish or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination. Where can I find out more information? Visit www.dorneyparishcouncil.gov.uk Contact Ruth Senior, Parish Clerk: 07769 704010 Clerk@dorneyparishcouncil.gov.uk A screenshot of a video game Description automatically generated with medium confidence MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF DORNEY PARISH COUNCIL HELD TUESDAY 19th OCTOBER 2021, 7.30 P.M. AT DORNEY SCHOOL Present Cllr. Jill Dax (Chair) Cllr. Martyn Westcott-Wreford Cllr. Stephen Baker Cllr. Robert Stopford County Cllr. Paul Kelly Cllr. Anna Palmer (joined on ZOOM) Ms Ruth Senior (Parish Clerk) and seven members of the public (including four via zoom) Open Forum Ewan Larcombe presented his views against the proposed pipeline across Dorney common from the Slough Treatment Works. Lyndsey Oliver, representing the Playground Trustees, informed the Parish Council of the Trustees decision to all step down from their role as Trustees of the Playground Charity by end March 2022 and a letter will be forthcoming in this regard. The Chair advised that the Parish Council will await all details relating to this matter. PC/42/21 Apologies for absence Cllr. Euan MacLennan PC/43/21 To confirm the minutes of the Meeting held on 21st Septmeber 2021 These were approved with no amendments required and signed by the Chairman. There were no matters arising. PC/44/21 Co-option of councillor No candidate has come forward. The available position was recently advertised in the Dorney Parish News. PC/45/21 Items of business carried forward 45.1 The Orchard Herbs Site Cllr. Stopford updated on the clearance of the site and the hotel plans. It was agreed that the Clerk will respond to Mitchel Pugh to express the Council’s disappointment of the delays following his latest update email. Historic England have responded and stated they do not think the hotel development will impact on St James’s or Dorney Court however the planning decision is on hold, still awaiting a response from Transport for Bucks. 45.2 M4 Smart Motorway Nick Cooper and Jim Stacey joined on ZOOM to update on the M4 project. The whole project is expected to be completed in around 6 months. Work to barriers, fencing and village hall entrance will take place in January. The plans for Glebe Close have been agreed and scheduled for end November. Bridge landscaping on Marsh Lane and Lake End Road will begin in November. There will be another Lake End Road closure (scheduled for 5 days in January) to 45.3 The Emergency Plan replace the expansion joints in the bridge. The Parish Council requested advanced notice and correct signage. Cllr. Palmer updated on the Emergency Plan progress. It was agreed that the Parish Council should have a form on the website and ask for people to register how they could personally help in an emergency (Doctors, nurses etc). When this is up and running it should be advertised on Nextdoor and Dorney Parish News to raise awareness. The Emergency Plan should be finalised by the end of 2021. PC/46/21 Planning Cllr. Stopford updated on 2 applications with nothing further to note. PC/47/21 Finance - To agree/ratify expenditure and income to date The cashbook was circulated prior to the meeting and approved. The Clerk was thanked for setting up the new bank account which has made transactions much more efficient. PC/48/21 To receive an update from Jack Pearce on the Community Board Jack Pearce from Buckinghamshire Council updated on the Community Board. There are 16 across the county, Dorney is in Beeches. The aim of the Community Board is to bring the Council together with local groups. There are 4 actions groups within the Board – Infrastructure & Highways, Economic Recovery, Improving Environment and Wellbeing. The Board has £280k to allocate to local projects this year. For more information anyone is welcome to the Community Board meetings (the next is online on 28th October) or to sign up to the newsletter. PC/49/21 To discuss the upgrade of the Slough Treatment Works and the impact on Dorney Local residents should be receiving a letter explaining the plans from Thames Water this week. The plan is to put in a pipeline from the Treatment works under Roundmoor Ditch and Dorney Common leading excess water to the Thames. Cllr. Dax, Cllr. Westcott-Wreford and Cllr. Stopford attended a zoom presentation on the project and it was agreed that the Clerk will write to Thames Water for explanations on; why the pipeline across the land to the Thames and not to the Jubilee River which is much closer and what will their plan be for the heavy works traffic and machinery in and out of Dorney and Security on the Common. The Parish Council do acknowledge the need for the upgrade to the Works due to rising population. PC/50/21 To consider speeding issues around the village Cllr. Westcott-Wreford is in the process of downloading and analysing the data from the 2 speed signs in Dorney and will report back in the January meeting. PC/51/21 To consider parking issues around the village It was agreed this item will be reviewed again in January when we have seen the full impact of Dorney Lake opening. PC/52/21 Update from Thames Water on rewilding project in the Thames Water field on Marsh Lane Thames Water are planning a wildflower and tree planting project on this land which will remain fenced but open to locals to enjoy. The planting is due to commence at the end of November with help from Maydencroft for bigger planting but Thames Water would love local volunteers for the wildflower planting. PC/53/21 To consider options for potholes (particularly Boveney Rd) and re-surfacing around the village County Cllr. Sandy is chasing an update on the resurfacing plans for Lake End Rd, Marsh Lane and Village Rd, that were initially raised in November 2020. County Cllr. Kelly agreed to raise this at the Local Area Technician meeting and advised to keep reporting potholes on Fix My Street and copy in the County Councillors. PC/54/21 To consider issues relating to the cattle grid It was agreed that the Clerk should respond to Keith Dolan as the Parish Council do not agree with the response from him on the cattle grid as there is clearly a failing with half of the grid. PC/55/21 Gulley clearance in Dorney There is no update on this, it was agreed that the Clerk will chase. PC/56/21 To consider any complaints/comments from residents There were none to report. PC/57/21 To review any matters relating to the Groundsman/Maintenance The Clerk confirmed that the Groundsman will be off for the next month but as it is end of growing season, there will hopefully be nothing too urgent however should anything need attention we will appoint a local contractor temporarily. PC/58/21 Items to consider for discussion at the next meeting on 16th November 2021 Cllr. Dax has sourced lamp post poppies for Dorney, these will go up on 30th Oct and come down 20th Nov. County Cllr. Kelly reported that Sergeant Rachel Dale from Taplow Police Station has asked if parishes can collate and ongoing issues that the police should be aware of to forward to her. Meeting ended at 9.01pm ****** Dorney Village Hall www.dorneyvillagehall.co.uk A person holding a tennis racket Description automatically generated A large empty room with a wood floor Description automatically generated A group of people sitting at a table with a vase of flowers Description automatically generated Dorney Village Hall will be closed from 3rd January - 22nd January 2022 for redecoration of all rooms. There will be no daytime events, but Badminton on Tuesday evenings and Dance Lessons on Thursday evenings will continue to run during this period. Dorney Village Hall has a large main area with stage, a smaller annexed room, and kitchen. It is served by a large private car park and adjacent there is a tennis court, a multi activity games area (MUGA), playground and a playing field. It is used by residents for a multitude of activities such as dancing classes, keep fit, yoga, badminton, horticultural and hired out for parties, dances and weddings. The management committee welcomes non-residents, organisations, clubs, businesses, and societies to hire the halls. Main hall: 15 x 7.4m, ceiling height 7m Fixed stage with curtains: 4.5 x 6m Annexe: 9.8 x 3.5m, ceiling height 2m Licensed to seat 100 people Children’s tables and chairs available Beechwood suspended dance floor 75 space free car park From £13 per hour (minimum of 3 hours) for Dorney Parish Residents Email: enquiries@dorneyvillagehall.com Online on www.dorneyvillagehall.co.uk Dorney History Group The Dorney History Group has no meetings, currently, but it has a wealth of information about Dorney’s past on its website: www.dorney-history-group.org.uk, with over 18,000 web visitors each year. Eton Wick History Group www.etonwickhistory.co.uk The Eton Wick History Group has been meeting regularly since 1992. Eton Wick and the surrounding area is rich in history and the village has a heritage dating back to 1217. Meetings are held at 7.30 pm in Eton Wick Hall, Eton Wick, and everyone is welcome. Refreshments are served, and there is a charge of £2.00 to cover costs. Visitors and new members are always very welcome. 2021 Programme 8th December ‘A Window on Windsor's Medieval Past’ with Dr David Lewis Further details from: Teresa Stanton teresams35@virginmedia.com Hedgerley Historical Society www.hedgerleyhistoricalsociety.org Hedgerley Historical Society (HHS) was founded in 1976. All evening meetings begin promptly at 8pm, unless otherwise stated. Arrival from 7.30pm is advised. November 17th Ladies can’t climb ladders Jane Robinson November 27th (Saturday 8pm) At Home in the 20th Century Paul Atterbury Booking Required Tickets £10. Closing date 20th Nov Hedgerley Memorial Hall Centenary Fundraiser December 15th A History of High Wycombe in 10 objects Keith Spencer 2022 January 19th London’s Great Railway Stations Oliver Green February 16th History of the National Gardens Scheme Janice Cross March 16th The Harry Kirby Memorial Lecture Harvey Watson The first Blitz – Zeppelin and Gotha raids in WW1 April20th Widows of the Ice Anne Fletcher May 4th (Wednesday) Outing to the Boxford Heritage Centre and Boxford Roman Mosaic talk 10.30am Joy Appleton Booking required Closing date 30th April 2022 School Lane, Boxford RG20 8DX